Peloni:  Trump addresses a series of questions from the press, including doubling down on support for both H1b visas and Speaker Johnson’s re-election.  He closes with the following statement:  “They better let the hostages go soon!”

Also, Raylan Givens reports that members of American hostages are expected to attend Trump’s inauguration.

By Hugh Fitzgerald | Dec 31, 2024

The latest tales of derring-do from the annals of Mossad and the IDF’s military intelligence,, with particular attention to their infiltration of Hezbollah, can be found here: “Internal espionage: How Israeli spies infiltrated Hezbollah for decades – NYT,” Jerusalem Post, December 29, 2024:

Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was the culmination of extensive spy infiltration and intelligence gathering from the terror group that spanned decades, the New York Times reported on Sunday.

The NYT investigation, based on interviews with more than two dozen current and former Israeli, American, and European officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified operations, revealed just how extensively Israeli spies had penetrated Hezbollah as part of two decades of methodical intelligence work in preparation for an all-out war that many expected would eventually come.

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The Citizenship Amendment Act passed in 2019 by Modi’s government allowed Indian citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from neighbouring countries. [Non-Muslims] who fled to India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan before December 31, 2014, were eligible for citizenship.

Peloni:  This is a very thorough review of Qatar’s role in promoting terrorism around the world.

Visegrad 24 | Dec 30, 2024

Click on Photo for full Thread

By Robert Spencer | Dec 30, 2024

Did the Times know he was Hamas? Would the Times brass have cared if they did know?

“Israel arrests Gaza hospital director who wrote for New York Times, accuses him of being a Hamas terrorist,” by Ronny Reyes, New York Post, December 29, 2024:

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By Hugh Fitzgerald | Dec 30, 2024

The chief drafter of Resolution 242 was Lord Caradon (Hugh M. Foot), the permanent representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations from 1964 to 1970. At the time of the Resolution’s discussion and subsequent unanimous passage, and on many occasions since, Lord Caradon always insisted that the phrase “from the territories” quite deliberately did not mean “all the territories,” but merely some of the territories.

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If the barbaric acts of Hamas murderers, rapists, and kidnappers are emulated and glorified by pro-Hamas supporters, what prevents them from crossing the line into the acts of violence we have seen over the past year

Ron Jager | Dec 30, 2024

One of the most famous Jewish lawyers of our time, Alan M. Dershowitz, himself a renowned attorney, law professor, and author, wrote a book about the biblical patriarch Abraham who was not only the forefather of the Jewish people, but according to him was also the world’s first Jewish lawyer; “the patriarch of the legal profession: a defense lawyer for the damned who was willing to risk everything, even the wrath of God, in defense of his clients.”

Dershowitz demonstrated how today’s typical American Jewish lawyer and the patriarch Abraham share many characteristics such as a willingness to challenge authority and stand up for the rights of others.

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Peloni: The war between the Tech Sector and the core MAGA base over H1b is revealing the tragedy which came from free speech on the internet being secured at the will of one man, namely that at any given moment, the degree to which free expression might be secured is dependent upon the interest or perspective of that man.  Hence, while antisemitism is sanctioned as free speech on X, contrary voices challenging the H1b immigration scam is throttled, thus exposing an even greater issue than the H1b visas which must be addressed by the incoming Trump administration.

Sundance | Dec 30, 2024

Something very interesting and openly obvious is happening amid the backlash that Elon Musk and the Silicon Valley network are facing to their H1B position.

Effective December 26, Elon Musk changed the Twitter algorithm to diminish those voices who would openly confront his network of supporters within Silicon Valley and beyond. If large follower Twitter accounts, like those of Musk himself, David Sacks, Vivek Ramaswamy and Musks’ promoted network of influencers begin blocking accounts on the platform, then the voices of those accounts get purposefully diminished by the algorithm.

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by Eric R. Mandel | 12/27/2024

Most Americans are unaware that today’s Middle East is an artificial construct created by British and French diplomats (Sykes and Picot) after World War I to advance their empires’ economic and political interests. They carved up the Middle East map with the stroke of a pen, and we have lived with the consequences ever since.

The San Remo Conference in 1920 codified colonial interests out of the remains of the defunct Ottoman Empire. Ethnic, religious and topographical considerations were ignored or minimized.

Now, just over a hundred years later, we are at another crossroads in the aftermath of the collapse of Syria, one of the Western-created nation-states. Many wars have been fought to keep these artificial states together, but they have more compelling reasons to be divided than to stay whole. As Conrad Black wrote in Brussels Signal, “The collapse of the Assad government in Syria must rank as the final unflattering death knell of the attempts at nation-building by the victorious Allied leaders at the end of World War I.”

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If Abbas wanted peace, he would have said that Shubaki was wrong to participate in terror attacks, serve as a terrorist leader, or purchase tons of weapons.

By MOSHE PHILLIPS | Dec 30, 2024

Who cares what Mahmoud Abbas said in his eulogy for the late PLO finance director Fuad Shubaki?

We should all care – very much. Because in Abbas’s words, we see all too clearly the true attitudes and intentions of the chairman of the Palestinian Authority.

According to the PA’s Wafa news agency, Abbas “expressed deep sorrow” at Shubaki’s passing last week, at the age of 84. Abbas “praised Shubaki’s exceptional life and contributions to the Palestinian cause,” Wafa announced.

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Peloni:  In its announcement of Carter’s death, JPOST tweeted the following: “Jimmy Carter, a longtime friend to Israelis and Jews alike, passed away on Sunday at 100 years old.”

I think it is vital to recall exactly who Carter was and all the malicious roles which he came to play, both before and after his presidency.  I think Katzman’s pre-eulogy presents an important context of Carter’s accomplishments which are, as anticipated, being ignored.  Please share this widely.

by Abraham Katsman,

Carter may not have been the first president hostile toward Jews or Israel; but his was the first administration to allow that hostility to seriously skew policy to the self-inflicted detriment of America and its allies.

This column originally appeared in the Daily Caller (under a slightly different title).

It does not feel good to write an essay raising uncomfortable truths about a dying man; but sometimes, it’s more important to set the record straight. In the case of former President Jimmy Carter, such record-straightening is mandatory.
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Peloni:   This was an inevitable consequence of Europe’s decision to import a Jihadi Cleft into their midst.  Europe is now occupied by a enormous contingent of Islamist colonizers who have no tolerance for dissenting voices.  If Europe does not find their way to remedy this self owned error, the outlook for Europe is very disturbing.

And Jews are leaving.

by Hugh Fitzgerald | Dec 30, 2024

Throughout Western Europe, the Muslim percentage of the population grows steadily, both from continued immigration and from much higher birth rates among Muslims than those exhibited by the indigenous non-Muslim population. There are now an estimated forty-four million Muslims in Europe, about 5% of the population. That number is expected to rise to 7.5% of the population — if nothing is done to halt Muslim immigration — by 2050. And growing antisemitism, which is encouraged and spread mainly by those Muslims migrants, is causing more Jews to think of leaving Europe for Israel or North America. More on this disturbing development can be found here: “Islam conquers Europe and Jews flee,” by Giulio Meotti, Israel National News, December 18, 2024:

…“Islam is advancing and I see in the West a desire to disappear,” Michel Houellebecq told the Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera.

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Reframing Hamas and Hezbollah as ‘freedom fighters’ distorts reality, legitimizing terror and undermining global security; these groups reject coexistence, target civilians and rely on propaganda, while their actions are fueled by Iran and weak local governance

Amir Avivi|12.28.24

(Photo: AP)

Efforts to reframe groups like Hamas and Hezbollah as “freedom fighters” distort reality and dangerously legitimize acts of terror. These groups, far from advocating for liberation or human rights, are driven by violent ideologies seeking the annihilation of the State of Israel and the perpetuation of conflict. Equating their actions with legitimate struggles for freedom is a grave error and a serious threat to global security.

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Peloni:  This will only make the Mullahs that much more desperate to restore their position in the region.  Their regime must be eliminated.

By Janatan Sayeh | December 28, 2024

The Arab League Hall in Cairo, Egypt

The League of Arab States, based in Cairo and comprising 22 nations, issued a pointed rebuke of Iran’s ambitions in Syria on December 26, stating, “The Arab League rejects the recent Iranian statements aimed at inciting strife among the Syrian people.” This declaration underscores a broader shift: the Islamic Republic is steadily losing its foothold in a region where it has invested heavily—financially and militarily—for decades.

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A message for the Pope… from a Catholic… in response to your recent commentary regarding the Middle East… with the utmost respect ? pic.twitter.com/8B43PdFzar

— Erin Molan (@Erin_Molan) December 28, 2024

Peloni:  Feldstein provides an utterly fair depiction of a remarkably unrepentant antisemite.  Carter’s hatred of Jews was the focus of his post presidential years and thru it, he caused an great deal of unnecessary harm to the Jewish people.  Any sentiment being expressed in the wake of his death should be reserved for those who suffered from his flagrant lies and distortions over the years and not for Carter who memory should be split between his utter failure as a president of the US and his success at stoking Jew Hatred around the world while defending the terrorists and terrorism.  His was a life which was truly poorly lived, or so I would and do argue.

Jonathan Feldstein 

Ok Jimmy Carter died. Many will fill volumes writing now that he was a good guy, honest, smart, did some good things as president and in his post presidency. Despite many of these things being true, to me Carter was an unrepentant antisemite who made excuses for Arab aggression and terror against Israel. For that alone and using the pulpit of his presidency in exile to spread these messages, I say good riddance.

As a failed one term president despite some achievements including helping to broker the Camp David peace agreement with Israel and Egypt, Carters abysmal policies vis a vis Iran left the US ally Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi overthrown by Islamists, himself dying in exile, paving the way for the Islamic Republic regime  to take over Iran which it has hijacked for the past 46 years. The Iranian hostage crisis was an example of Carters weakness and underscored by the fact that the hostages were released the day Carter was out of office.

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