Over 700 students from all over Europe participated in the debating competition where the Israeli team was declared the ESL champions.

By HAYAH GOLDLIST-EICHLER, JPOST

Stav Singer and Iddan Golumb, a pair of debaters from Tel Aviv University, brought home a gold trophy from the European Universities Debating Championship that took place in Vienna over the past week.

More than 700 students from all over Europe participated in the debating competition, vying for prizes in two language categories – English as a first language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL). Singer and Golomb were declared champions in the latter category.
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I DON’T BELIEVE IT

Al Monitor

Overwhelming international support for Iran deal

The Obama administration this week scored two major international endorsements for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), leaving Israel as an outlier among America’s allies in opposing the Iran nuclear deal.

The Joint Statement of the US-GCC Foreign Ministers in Doha meeting Aug. 3 read: “Reiterating the position expressed at Camp David that ‘a comprehensive, verifiable deal that fully addresses the regional and international concerns about Iran’s nuclear program is in the security interests of GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] member states as well as the United States and the international community,’ the ministers agreed that, once fully implemented, the JCPOA contributes to the region’s long-term security, including by preventing Iran from developing or acquiring a military nuclear capability.”
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By Rick Richmond, COMMENTARY

The transcript of Senator Marco Rubio’s conversation with Jeffrey Goldberg, published yesterday, contains a concise and incisive analysis of the catastrophic consequences of President Obama’s foreign policy – the result of a basic belief that America was the problem in the world, not the solution, and that the Middle East could be stabilized if only Israel transferred more land to the Palestinians. Obama’s seriatim withdrawals from the region created a vacuum that has led to chaos:

It’s led to chaos in Iraq, it’s increasingly leading to chaos in Afghanistan. … You’ve seen the chaos in Libya. You’ve seen the chaos spreading to other parts of North Africa as well …[U]ltimately they’re forcing this president back into the region. This is the guy who was going to get us out of these conflicts, but now he has been pulled back in, and he’s trying to do it in the most limited way possible. But this is ending up making it worse, not better, because … people are looking at these limited air strikes and saying, “This is not American power. We know what American power really looks like, and this isn’t it.” This is a cosmetic show of force that ultimately shows you’re not truly committed … and this has undermined our credibility with Jordan, with the Saudis, with the Egyptians, with others.

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T. Belman. I agree that the status quo is better than a bad deal because this deal whitewashes Iran whereas the status quo maintains them as a pariah.

Status Quo better than a bad deal, fearmongering be damned.

By Jared Samilow, LEGAL INSURRECTION

[..]
As it were, the sensible alternative to no deal is actually not war, but no deal. Full stop.

John Kerry may hold forth that no deal spells war. But what he really means is that only those who want war could possibly oppose him. It’s a primitive scare-tactic.

Comparing reasoned misgivings to Iraq-style war-mongering is intellectual laziness and gaudy propaganda. Even a “progressive” senator who is backing the deal called it imperfect.
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By Joel Pollak, BREITBART

Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced late Thursday that he intends to vote against the Iran deal.

A furious White House reportedly told the Huffington Post, which broke the story in the midst of the Republican presidential debate, when it would receive the least attention.

It is easy to be skeptical about Schumer’s motives. He has been very reluctant to lead on the issue, and certainly delayed his decision long enough to allow the Obama administration to lobby for more votes, including that of Schumer’s junior New York colleague, Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand. Read more…

T. Belman. In the last couple of days, a number of articles have been published in Israel which suggests its time for Netanyahu to abandon the fight against the deal. They suggest it is a lost cause and Israel should be making the best deal it can to protect us from it. Here and here.

By Matt Abelson, TOI

Given the cottage industry in the American print media – not to mention the international media – of Netanyahu bashing, we ought, occasionally, to praise Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Prime Minister of Israel’s address to 16,000 listeners via a live telecast last Tuesday organized by the Jewish Federations of North America presents such an occasion.

Generally speaking, Netanyahu is fairly good at taking care of himself in the public eye. He is a master politician, who possesses high-level academic knowledge — he holds an B.S. and an M.S. from M.I.T. — military experience, and excellent hasbara skills. His remarkable self-possession, confidence, and success in politics render him an available target for a host of people in the media who have a bissel of his talent and experience. Just as jealousy of Jews’ abilities in such a wide array of fields is a cause of anti-Semitism, Netanyahu’s prowess weakens the immunity of petty people to BDS — Bibi Derangement Syndrome.
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Senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard official says invitation to Hamas leaders cancelled following ‘stormy’ meeting.

By Ari Soffer, INN

T. Belman. Essentially if SA goes along, the Assad regime will be saved and everyone will take on ISIS. In exchange Yemen is stabilized and the former President is restored to his position.

It is not clear what this means for Israel and Jordan. DEBKA says its not good but doesn’t explain.

What concerns me is that the big powers are once again having their way in the ME without regard for Israel. Rather than having Israel’s concerns factored in along the way, Israel isn’t even consulted. It looks to me like we are being screwed.

The key here is Jordan SA has a huge border with Jordan. I would imagine that they demand that Jordan stays intacked. This also serves Israel.

DEBKA

Building on the nuclear accord signed in Vienna last month, the Obama administration has been in close communion with Moscow and Tehran on regional moves to save the Assad regime, as the key to their next regional policies, including a united front against the Islamic State.. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf partners are being assiduously wooed to join the new alignment being set up for this purpose. The live wire in getting them all together is Omani Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah, the secret broker who brought Iran and the United States to the negotiating table for a nuclear accord. This was first reported in the last DEBKA Weekly.
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By Vic Rosenthal

The arson attack at the Arab village of Duma, near Shechem (Nablus) has so far taken two lives, including that of an 18-month old child. Two other members of the same family are in the hospital with severe burns.

The reaction in Israel has been one of horror, especially since it is generally thought that extremist Jewish ‘settlers’ were the perpetrators. Although usually words like ‘suspected’ are included, the clear implication is that it is just a question of finding the ‘settlers’ responsible for this shocking murder. Indeed, before an investigation even began, President Reuven Rivlin publically blamed “Jewish terrorists” for it. And he didn’t even say ‘suspected’.
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He’s not a Republican phenomenon. He’s part of a troubling global movement toward populism and nationalism.

By Reihan Salam, Slate

Donald Trump speaks to guests gathered for a rally on July 25, 2015 in Oskaloosa, Iowa.To understand the rise of Donald Trump, you’d do well not to fixate on the fact that he’s running under the Republican banner. During Thursday night’s Fox News debate, Trump made it clear that failing to secure the GOP nomination wouldn’t stop him from exploring an independent candidacy. And honestly, he’d be crazy not to. Trump is very far from a Republican regular. He represents an entirely different phenomenon, one that bears little resemblance to garden-variety American conservatism. That’s why Republicans shouldn’t fool themselves into believing that one lackluster debate performance will send him packing.
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Meir Kahane’s grandson is being held in the wake of a rash of extremist attacks, including the fatal firebombing of a Palestinian home; his lawyer says he’s never been involved in violence

By Simona Weinglass, TOI

The alleged head of a Jewish extremist group, Meir Ettinger, appears in court in Upper Nazareth, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Following worldwide horror and condemnation over the firebombing murder last Friday of 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsha in the Palestinian village of Duma, Israel’s Shin Bet arrested its first suspect on Monday – Meir Ettinger, the 23-year-old grandson of assassinated extremist rabbi Meir Kahane.

Ettinger is considered a radical member and leader of Israel’s “hilltop youth,” young people from religiously observant families who move to settlement outposts, resist soldiers’ attempts to evacuate them, and intermittently carry out “price tag” hate crime attacks on Palestinian, Christian and Israeli targets.
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T. Belman. I am totally against detention orders against Israeli citizens. There is insufficient evidence to try these two let alone convict them. They are being incarcerated because of their beliefs.

By Uzi Baruch, INN

Six-month long administrative detention orders were issued Sunday morning against two right-wing Jewish activists – Meir Ettinger and Evyatar Slonim.

The orders were signed by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on the recommendation of the Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet).

Slonim was arrested last Tuesday, a day after Ettinger – the grandson of Rabbi Meir Kahane – was also detained, both on suspicion of “Jewish extremist activity.” Read more…

Every Monday I am interviewed by Zelda Young, broadcasting out of Toronto. Her show has a huge audience.

Occasionally she also interviews me on Sundays.

On Sunday August 2/15, she interviewed me and the podcast is now available.

GO HERE. CLICK ON AUG 2/15 PODCAST.

My segment starts at 10:45 and runs for 20 minutes.

By Edwin Black, ALGEMEINER

On February 17, 2015, a number of America’s most vituperative anti-Israel activists woke up to discover that they had been named and spotlighted by a mysterious new website called Canary Mission, visible at www.canarymission.org.

The site boldly aggregates the public statements, videos, and photographs of leading members of the organized movement against Israel in their most telling and often most demonstrative moments. The profiled individuals span a gamut of track records ranging from those with leadership roles with such intensely anti-Israel groups as Students for Justice in Palestine and the Muslim Student Association to unaffiliated campus agitators who regularly advocate for the destruction of Israel and even the murder of Jews. All its profiles are compiled from public Internet sources such as social media, You Tube, Twitter, press releases, news clips, and interviews. Read more…

By Ted Belman

(This post made use of the work of MILG-OPS.)

In discussing the Iran Deal, most people are focused on the trees rather than the forest.

By focusing on the details, we have discussed the efficacy of inspections, the breakout time required, the effects of sanctions relief, the absence of quid pro quo, the trustworthiness of Iran, etc. What has not been adequately debated is whether it is good or bad for America.

But that is undergoing a change.

In the last few days the following articles have been published:
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By Zvi Bar’el, HAARETZ

[..]
Yet the fleet of ships that inaugurated the new canal – and even the public appearance of Egypt’s only female captain – can’t raise the anchors that are weighing Sissi down. The war against Islamic terror in both Sinai and Cairo is far from won. Even as the inauguration ceremony took place, the Egyptian air force was bombing targets near El-Arish, killing at least 12 terrorists, military sources said. Meanwhile, Islamic State’s Sinai affiliate, Wilayat Sinai (formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis), keeps killing Egyptian soldiers and attacking civilian targets.

This war is eating deep into Egypt’s budget, which relies heavily on grants and loans from Saudi Arabia. Egypt is getting military and technological assistance from the United States and Britain, and its recently renewed strategic dialogue with Washington will likely produce more. But it’s Egyptians who are being killed.
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By Caroline B. Glick, Jerusalem Post, Aug. 6, 2015

In President Barack Obama’s defense of his nuclear deal with Iran Wednesday, he said there are only two types of people who will oppose his deal – Republican partisans and Israel- firsters – that is, traitors. At American University, Obama castigated Republican lawmakers as the moral equivalent of Iranian jihadists saying, “Those [Iranian] hard-liners chanting ‘Death to America’ who have been most opposed to the deal… are making common cause with the Republican Caucus.”

He then turned his attention to Israel. Obama explained that whether or not you believe the deal endangers Israel boils down to whom you trust more – him or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And, he explained, he can be trusted to protect Israel better than Netanyahu can because “[I] have been a stalwart friend of Israel throughout my career.” The truth is that it shouldn’t much matter to US lawmakers whether Obama or Netanyahu has it right about Israel. Israel isn’t a party to the deal and isn’t bound by it. If Israel decides it needs to act on its own, it will.
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Nonetheless, the president told ‘The New Yorker’ that the Iranian government’s behavior was not as extreme as its rhetoric suggests.

JPOST

In his latest attempt to sell the public on the merits of the Iran nuclear agreement, US President Barack Obama told an American news magazine earlier this week that he was not naive about the threats against Israel made by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader.

“His ideology is steeped with anti-Semitism, and if he could, without catastrophic costs, inflict great harm on Israel, I’m confident that he would,” Obama told journalist Robin Wright of The New Yorker.

Nonetheless, the president said that the Iranian government’s behavior was not as extreme as its rhetoric suggests.
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By Joel Pollack, BREITBART

American Jews now oppose the Iran deal by a margin of two-to-one, according to a new poll–with those between 18 and 30 against the deal four-to-one.

The telephone poll of 1,035 registered voters, conducted by McKeon & Associates July 29 and 30, found that a large plurality of registered Jewish voters oppose the deal, 45% to 22%.

That is a sharp reversal from initial polls (though polling questions have varied).
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