The EU is ready to declare economic war on Israel

By Uri Savir, Al Monitor

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior source in the Brussels European Union foreign policy team has shared with Al-Monitor their thinking over resuming the peace process once the next Israeli government is established: “Watching the Israeli election campaign, we are dismayed by the fact that all the parties seem to ignore the central issue concerning Israel’s future — as we see it — namely, resolving the conflict with the Palestinians. Come May, Europe will not be able to ignore this anymore. We have on our hands a major strategic challenge in relation to the Arab and Muslim world. We are engaged in a fight against terror, both domestically and in the Middle East. And in this context, resolving the Palestinian predicament is of pivotal importance.”
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Mashregh News indicates response to airstrike that killed Iranian general may include assassination of Israeli leaders’ sons.

By Ari Yashar, INN

A Farsi-language Iranian news site affiliated with the Islamic regime’s Revolutionary Guards suggested that the sons of Israeli leaders are being targeted as a response to the Israeli airstrike in Syria last week, in which Iran’s General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi was killed.

The news site, Mashregh News, detailed that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s sons Yair and Avner may be targeted, and likewise listed the sons of former prime ministers, including Ehud Olmert’s son Shaul and Ariel Sharon’s sons Gilad and Omri.
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By Sam Sokol, JPOST

Indicating displeasure with Israel’s immigration promotion and absorption strategy, the Jewish People Policy Institute last week presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with its emergency plan for the absorption of 120,000 French immigrants.

According to the high profile Jerusalem think tank, which maintains close ties with the Jewish Agency and senior politicians, Israel has thus far not implemented the necessary policies to compete with the United States, Canada, and various European states in attracting highly educated and business savvy French Jews.
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By Jonathan Tobin, COMMENTARY

Lawfare is the term for the practice of employing legal proceedings to wage a kind of war on a country or cause. For the most part, the State of Israel has been on the receiving end of this effort as non-governmental organizations and others purporting to support the cause of human rights have attempted to delegitimize Israel’s right to exist and to self-defense with specious efforts to arraign before the bar of justice. But not everybody in Israel believes the best way to counter these attacks is to play defense or simply ignore it. Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner founded Shurat HaDin—the Israel Law Center in 2004 to use the law to not only work for the rights of Jewish victims of terrorism but also to make the terrorists, state sponsors, and enablers in the business world pay for their crimes. For this she was rewarded with an article profiling her activities in yesterday’s New York Times that posed the question in its headline as to whether her work was “misguided,” a clear indication of the opinion of the paper’s editors. But that verdict can only be sustained if you believe those who support terrorism deserve legal impunity.
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PLAY NOW

Mark Levin takes on Islamo-Nazism and complains about the Neville Chamberlains who are in charge of France, Britain, Germany and US.

“I smell the stench of the thirties in the air.”

“Boehner should invite leaders such as Al Sisi of Egypt and Baird the FM of Canada to address Congress so the world can hear.”

You don’t have to listen to it all. Just listen at least until the first two questions.

By Mark Tapson, FPM

Last week, in response to the Paris massacre at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, Carol M. Swain, an openly conservative professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University, wrote an op-ed for The Tennessean titled, “Charlie Hebdo attacks prove critics were right about Islam.” Naturally, any critique of Islam from our leftist-dominated campuses is going to be met with frothing outrage, and Professor Swain’s article was no exception.

“What would it take to make us admit we were wrong about Islam?” the professor began. “What horrendous attack would finally convince us that Islam is not like other religions in the United States, that it poses an absolute danger to us and our children unless it is monitored better than it has been under the Obama administration?” Good questions, and ones that those of us whose eyes have long been opened to the threat of Islamic fundamentalism have been asking ever since September 11, 2001, if not before.

But the fact that such questions were being put forth by a major university professor, even a conservative one (with a very impressive résumé, no less), was notable. Swain pulled no punches:
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“The changes that the Middle East has experienced in recent years have created a set of joint interests between the two countries,”

By Ariel Zilber, JPOST

The tacit security and intelligence cooperation that has come to characterize Israel’s clandestine relationship with Saudi Arabia is likely to remain intact even as the House of Saud undergoes a transition of power following Thursday’s passing of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud.

“The changes that the Middle East has experienced in recent years have created a set of joint interests between the two countries,” said Dr. Michal Yaari, an expert on Saudi foreign policy and a lecturer at the Open University.

Like Israel, the Saudis are loathe to accept the radical winds of change that have swept the region, particularly the tumult that has been encouraged by Iran, the House of Saud’s chief Shi’ite rival.
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T. Belman. I missed this article when it was first published. We all must ask ourselves, who is the greater threat to the west, Iran or Isis. Obama apparently has decided to align with Iran. That’s one of the reasons he is so angry that Bibi upset his apple cart by talking to Congress. Did Obama cede Yemen to Iran also. Israel’s eastern and northern front are getting worse by the day. Do we really want Isis to fall to Iran or its proxies. Saudi Arabia is even closer to Iran and Yemen than Israel is, so they must be gravely concerned. Jordan similarly. What to do?

DEBKAfile Jan 1/15

President Barack Obama’s New Year gift to Israel and the Middle East is a multibillion fund for establishing an Iraqi army as a division of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). Wednesday, the last day of 2014, two defense ministers, Iran’s Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqani and Iraq’s Khallid al-Obeidi, signed a pact whereby Iran i.e. the Revolutionary Guards, will “continue to train new Iraqi military units” for replacing the army that crumbled under the onslaught launched by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant since last June.

“We do not see any other option than cooperation and being on the same side as Iran to uproot the terrorists,” said the Iraqi general.
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By David Weinberg, ISRAEL HAYOM

Nobody should expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to back down from confronting U.S. President Barack Obama on the Iranian nuclear issue. Just the opposite: Now is the time for Israel to make its stand against the emerging American sellout to Iran.

Iran has clandestinely crossed every red line set by the West over the past 20 years — putting secret and underground nuclear plants online, building heavy water facilities, refining massive amounts of uranium, working on explosive triggers and warheads, developing long-range missiles, lying to international inspectors, and generally breaching all its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
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By Ted Belman

Whenever Sarah does or says anything her detractors on both sides of the aisle ridicule her as a moron. But what they don’t do is take her on on the issues. Reactions to this speech were no different. I listened to the speech and tried to be objective. First she spoke to Iowans in attendance. After all Iowa is the location of the first primary vote. The later part of the speech addressed her political platform which can be summarized as “Restore the American Dream”. She was fluent, passionate and convincing.

One thing is for sure, nobody draws crowds or attention like Sarah does. My position is that if she can get the nomination she will be the next President.

I urge you to read this 2012 article, The Sarah Palin Factor Revisited.

What follows is an exchange of emails on the subject.
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By Michael Goodwin, NY POST

How dare Israel be more concerned with the existential threat of Iranian nukes than with Obama’s feelings? And what do members of Congress think they are, a separate branch of government or something?

Thou shall not cross Dear Leader.

With their gutter sniping failing to stop Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned March speech before Congress, White House aides are unloading their full arsenal of bile.

“He spat in our face publicly, and that’s no way to behave,” one Obama aide told an Israeli newspaper. “Netanyahu ought to remember that President Obama has a year and a half left to his presidency, and that there will be a price.”

It is pointless to say petty threats do not become the Oval Office. Trying to instruct this White House on manners recalls what Mark Twain said about trying to teach a pig to sing: It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

Still, the fury is telling. It reminds, as if we could forget, that everything is always about Obama.
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WorldTribune

LONDON — The United States pressed Argentina to end its investigation of Iranian complicity in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in which nearly 100 people were killed.

Western diplomatic sources said the administration of President Barack Obama urged Argentina on several occasions to either stop or limit the investigation into the bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association in Buenos Aires. The sources said the U.S. appeals marked one of the demands by Iran for a reconciliation with Washington.

“Argentina had hard evidence against at least one Iranian leader, which prevented him from traveling abroad,” a source said.
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Ted Belman. The emphatic statement “THERE IS NO DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION” was coined by me and placed just under the Israpundit banner at least 10 years ago. It was meant to counter the mantra of the Left, namely, “There is no Military solution”. Its nice to see that left-of-center YNET has published this article.

The time has come for Israel to throw off the constraints of adhering to politically correct policies that are clearly detrimental to its continued existence and start fighting for its survival.

By Yoel Meltzer, YNET

With Israeli elections quickly approaching, it’s a near certainty based upon historical precedents that we’ll soon be hearing assorted domestic and international voices emphasizing the need to restart negotiations with the Arabs as soon as the next government is formed.

Still further and based upon a 20-year old broken record that never seems to stop, we’ll once again be told that in the face of the growing uncertainty in the region a breakthrough in the talks with the Arabs is vital for the continued existence of the Jewish state.
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TED BELMAN. Wallace and Smith are way off base. Why should Obama not be challenged on his views here? He backed “engagement” for 6 years and undermined sanctions which were working. He took great pains to restrain Israel and Israel went along. The issue here is whether to strengthen sanctions.  This is the purview of Congress and not the Presidency. Netanyahu would be derelict if he did not appeal to them. To say otherwise is to tie his hands.

It is not about following protocol, it has been breached many times and perhaps doesn’t apply in this case.  It is not about electioneering, though it may have affect on the Israeli elections, but it is unclear if it will be good for Likud. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with Netanyahu using his popularity in the US to affect his popularity in Israel. The left in Israel castigates Netanyahu for destroying his relationship with Obama, though to my mind Obama is at fault, and uses this as an election issue.  Netanyahu is right to stand up to him rather than grovel like the left does. Also there is nothing wrong with Netanyahu appealing to the American people for support and using this as an election issue. AND DON’T FORGET, THIS IS ABOUT STOPPING IRAN FROM GETTING TO THE THRESHOLD OF ACQUIRING NUCLEAR WEAPONS. DO NOT LET THE CRITICS DEFLECT YOU FROM THIS ISSUE.

Conservative outlet’s anchors say relationship with US will suffer, after New York Times, American officials slam timing of prime minister’s Congress address.

Yitzhak Benhorin, YNET

The criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over his intention to address the US Congress two weeks before the Israeli elections, has not stopped at water’s edge. And while the criticism from President Barack Obama’s administration and the editorial board of the New York Times was expected, this weekend the Likud leader was targeted by a network he once counted among his supporters – Fox News.

During a conversation between anchor Chris Wallace and presenter Shepard Smith, the two agreed that Netanyahu’s strategy an example of “dicey politics”.
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By Herb Keinon, JPOST

Canada is the second-largest country in the world, has the 11th-largest economy, is No. 37 in population and – since 2008 – has contributed over $350 million to the Palestinian Authority.

None of that, however, kept PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat from penning an op-ed last Friday in The Globe and Mail calling on Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird – who arrived in Israel that day for a five-day visit to the region – to apologize to the Palestinians.

And what was Baird’s sin? His spokesman said Erekat himself owed an apology for “offensive and ridiculous” comments equating Israel with Islamic State.

Earlier this month, Erekat said there was “no difference between the terrorism practiced by the group [Islamic State] led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Israel’s terrorism.” Ending settlement activities, he insisted, “is a prerequisite for eliminating terrorism.”
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WaPo: Palin says she’s ‘seriously interested’ in 2016 campaign. The is the lead story on DRUDGE.

By Sarah Palin on her FB page.

Kudos to Speaker Boehner for inviting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to address Congress. Like most Americans, I’m scratching my head wondering how President Obama can take time from imperative administrative duties AND his golf schedule to sit down for a peculiar interview with a neon-lipped YouTube blogger whose claim to fame is publicly eating Fruit Loops while submerged in a bathtub of milk, but he can’t find even a minute to meet with one of America’s closest and most important allies. We knew Barack Obama was green, but not this green. The White House goes out of its way to snub and smear the Israeli Prime Minister, while at the same time smiling and shaking hands with Iran. They never cease to amaze and defy good sense.

To add insult to injury, liberal organizations (see here:STOP BIBI: J STREET GIVES NETANYAHU THE SARAH PALIN TREATMENT ) that claim to be pro-Israel are actually trying to stop our friend and partner in peace from speaking before our Congress.
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[The comments in red come from a senior military officer]

WH Officials: Netanyahu ‘Spat in Our Face’ Over Boehner Invitation 

THEY ARE NAMELESS AND BY REMAINING NAMELESS THEY ARE COWARDS

NY Times accuses Netanyahu of ‘playing politics on Iran’

Paper calls PM’s imminent speech to Congress ‘a breach of sense,’ wonders how he believes disrespecting Obama will help Israel.

ACTUALLY THE NEW YORK TIMES ACCUSATION IS DEVASTATING FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA AND SEC. KERRY. IT SAYS THAT THESE 2 INDIVIDUALS ARE SO PETTY THAT THEY WILL SACRIFICE THE NATIONAL INTERESTS OF THE UNITED STATES AND OF ISRAEL BECAUSE OF THEIR PERSONAL EGOS.
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NY Times accuses Netanyahu of ‘playing politics on Iran’
Paper calls PM’s imminent speech to Congress ‘a breach of sense,’ wonders how he believes disrespecting Obama will help Israel

PM ruining US ties for election speech, Lapid and Livni say
In separate interviews, Netanyahu’s former allies accuse him of hurting Israel’s security to gain favor with right-wing voters

By Joel Himelfarb, NEWSMAX

White House officials angrily denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for responding favorably to House Speaker John Boehner’s invitation to speak before Congress in March, telling the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the prime minister had “spat” in President Barack Obama’s face.

“There are things you simply don’t do. He spat in our face publicly and that’s no way to behave. Netanyahu ought to remember that President Obama has a year and a half left to his presidency, and that there will be a price,” an unnamed senior U.S. official said.

U.S. officials said that the “chickens***” epithet that an anonymous administration official used to describe the Israeli leader several months ago was mild compared to the language used in the White House when officials learned of Netanyahu’s planned speech to Congress.
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T. Belman. A corollary to this thesis is that Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia are not motivated by the Islamic doctrine that they must keep all Islamic lands for Islam. That is a product of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, his protege Arafat and the PLO. They objected to Zionism from the start. These countries, not so much. The Arab invasion in 1948 was intended as a land grab now that Britain was gone. Today, these countries more than ever, need a strong Israel to protect them and to be on the front lines. Iran and Turkey use the Palestinian cause as a rallying cry for their own hegemony.

Another corollary is that they wouldn’t lend a hand or shed a tear if Israel were to get the “Palestinians” to leave and annex all of J&S and Gaza. In fact they would welcome it because a strong and expanded Israel is in their interest.

Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger

The myth of Palestinian centrality has dominated Western policy in the Middle East, while contrasting the reality of the Middle East.

In 2015, following in the footsteps of Presidents Mubarak and Sadat, Egyptian President Al-Sisi does not subordinate Egypt’s national security ties with Israel to Egypt’s ties with the Palestinians.

President Al-Sisi – just like his two predecessors – considers the transnational Muslim Brotherhood and Palestinian terrorism mutual threats to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf States, which have never regarded the Palestinian issue as a top priority, and have denied the Palestinian Authority their financial generosity. Notwithstanding Palestinian opposition, strategic cooperation between Israel and Egypt, as well as between Israel and Jordan and other moderate Arab regimes, has surged to an unprecedented level.
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By Anonymous

Even when Muslims are a minority population they can and do transform whole cultures and societies. And not for the better.

Why? Because their holy book is a totalitarian ideology founded on submission and world domination. And toward that end, Islam is on the march. Meanwhile, the West remains mired in cowardice and complicity. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in Europe, which is on the fast track to join the Caliphate.

Not to be outdone by Europe’s madness, the United States is traveling down the same bloody path, importing large numbers of Muslims from Islamic countries thanks to the Islamophile sitting in the Oval Office and a nation full of dhimmis.

Estimates on the number of Muslims living in the US vary, ranging from 3 million to 7 million. Whatever the precise number, it’s already outdated as it rises with each passing nanosecond.
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