Peloni: Controlling the passes is a military concept going back centuries. From the battle at Thermopylae to the battle, we see that controlling such strategic passage ways were vital. This same concept is proving pivotal in the test of wills between President Trump and his Chinese counterpart President Xi. Below is a good description of how China has acted to shore up its support for Iran over the past years, why this was important and how Trump is rendering these efforts somewhat moot. Also see the article by Zineb Riboua. h/t Sebastien.
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Peloni: Prof. Eyal Zisser is quite correct. Israel has been forced to accept a serious restriction of its freedom of action in Lebanon while leaving the IDF exposed and vulnerable to FDV drone attacks, to which it can only respond while not moving northwards. This advantage of holding the IDF hostage to US demands give Hezbollah a significant boon which it lacked prior to this untenable ceasefire. Where things stand today is intolerable state of appeasement to Iran, and the forced pretense of the fake ‘peace’ negotiation with Lebanon is ruse which has born fruit for Iran and its proxy while bearing no potential benefit for either Israel or Lebanon.
The latest round of fighting ended with dangerous concessions: Iran proved that it decides when the fire stops, the IDF lost its freedom of action in Beirut, and we were drawn into a limited guerrilla war in the buffer zone. While Israel clings to illusions that the Lebanese government will dismantle the terrorist organization, it is time to wake up and prepare for a real victory in the next round.
Prof. Eyal Zisser | May 4, 2026
IDF forces in Lebanon. Screengrab via X
Unfortunately, the latest round of confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, which began after the terrorist organization rallied to Iran’s side in its war against the US and Israel, ended with three important achievements that we handed, with our own two hands, to Hezbollah and to Iran, which stands behind it.
Although Israel doesn’t have aircraft carriers or the ability to project its air power globally, additional F-35 purchases makes Israel a global leader in the use of the aircraft.
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN | MAY 3, 2026
Israel’s rapid expansion of its air force amidst the current multi-front war is transforming the nation into a major military power.
Peloni: The desperation to continue funding the terrorist organization known as the Palestinian Authoritity persists, and only willful blindness fuels the ability to do so while ignoring the slaughter which funds go towards the murder of innocents. The slaughter of innocent Jews is not an interest of the PA, it is their motivating ethos. End the funding for the PA, end their reign of terror, and simply end the the PA itself.
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen | May 1, 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron could not have been clearer.
Standing alongside Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas at a press conference following their meeting in Paris last November — “the first visit,” he pointed out, “by a Palestinian president since France recognized the State of Palestine on September 22, 2025” — Macron expressed confidence in the Palestinian leaders’ assurance that “pay to slay” stipends were no longer being disbursed to jailed Palestinian terrorists and their families.
Trump orders navy to guide ships through Hormuz Strait
| Published: May 4, 2026
The guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) arrives at its new homeport in San Diego. Photo by Official U.S. Navy Page from United States of AmericaPetty Officer 3rd Class Emiline/U.S. Navy – USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) arrives at its new homeport in San Diego., Public Domain, Wikipedia
Israel is monitoring the U.S.-Iran negotiations and Trump’s new “Project Freedom” with watchful eyes while continuing to prepare for a resumption of fighting against the Iranian regime, Israeli media reported on Monday morning.
Peloni & David Fieldstone
In the third segment of Mark Levin’s Saturday show, he features a revealing discussion with BRETT VELICOVICH, a former-high end U.S. military intelligence & also special operations expert – about the situation in Iran. They began their discussion with a description of the mounting U.S. pressure on Iran, with the Mark suggesting support for the Iranian people to help overthrow the regime. Velicovich agreed, noting that economic and military pressure—especially on oil exports—has severely weakened Iran, and also created a rare opportunity for change. He supports maintaining or increasing pressure, rather than pursuing containment or offering sanctions relief, saying past diplomatic approaches failed, and that current strategy gives the U.S. leverage by forcing Iran to react.
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A comparison between the living conditions of Palestinians under Israeli rule in the West Bank and the situation of the Jordanian people in their “independent state” reveals a shocking disparity.
Peloni: Eitan Fischberger released a shocking report about the highly referenced social media account “Clash Report.” In this report, Fischberger argues that Clash Report is not an independent source of news but, rather, it is part of a Turkish media network. He explains that Clash Report is linked to the Turkish platform GDH which is in turn operated by a company called Monolog Medya and the ties between this company and the Erdogan family and inner circle is disturbingly overlapping. He sums up this relationship as follows:
“The English-language division of a Turkish-language news brand, run by a company whose owner is a veteran of Turkish state media, whose client roster includes the personal foundation of the Erdo?an family and the flagship festival of Erdo?an’s son-in-law, edited by people trained in Turkish state media, and hosted by someone who promotes confirmed Muslim Brotherhood leaders on his personal feed.”
For the full report see the link below:
Eitan Fischberger | Fisch Files | May 2, 2026
https://www.fischfiles.com/p/clash-report-unmasked-monolog-medya-gdh-erdogan
“New 5 Point Plan for Fighting Antisemitism on the Ground and in the Courts”
Peloni
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Sarah Stern of the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) held an important interview with Professor Jeffrey Lax, Founder and Chairman of S.A.F.E. Campus, (@_safecampus) a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating antisemitism in academic environments. Lax is also a Professor of Law and Chair of the Business Department at Kingsborough Community College in the CUNY system.
China is Iran’s top trading partner and one of the regime’s most important economic lifelines. Beijing is not seeking a wider Middle East war, especially one that threatens energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. But it has provided Tehran with support that helps the regime absorb pressure, generate revenue, and sustain parts of its military-industrial base. This includes oil purchases, diplomatic cover, sanctions-evasion assistance, and reported dual-use transfers tied to Iran’s missile program. China’s approach is opportunistic: Beijing seeks to preserve Iran as a useful anti-American partner while limiting the risk to China’s own interests, especially the risk of provoking stronger U.S. action that could undermine the current U.S.-China trade truce.
By: Oded J.K. Faran and Walter E. Block
See Part 1 HERE
What a Consistent Standard Would Look Like
A truly egalitarian approach would treat all suspects as autonomous moral agents unless evidence proves otherwise. It would not launder old prejudices through new jargon. It would not assume that a Jewish financier is a scheming manipulator or that a black music mogul is merely a product of structural dysfunction. It would not excuse anyone’s crimes through identity, nor inflate them through stereotype.
Structural connections exist in every arena of power and influence. One could easily have analyzed Epstein as a product of elite cultures systematically insulated from legal accountability, of prosecutorial failures rooted in deference to wealth, and of institutional systems designed to protect those with connections to power. That framing would be no less accurate than the structural critiques routinely applied to the entertainment industry. Yet it remains largely absent from mainstream discourse about Epstein.
Peloni: As Avi Abelow explains below, the blood libel of ‘Settler Violence’ is the means by which the West enacts their policies and hopes of defeating the Jewish people. It supports an anti-Zionist vision for Israel, in which that which was accepted in international law, namely the recognition of the reconstitution of the Jewish nation on its ancient lands, will be undone. Hence, every action taken by the Israeli govt, by politicians on the Right or the Left, and by every publication which gives credence to the blood libel of ‘Settler Violence’ is a strike against Israel from those who hold the obligation to preserve, protect and defend the Jewish state in perpetuity for the Jewish people. No matter if the cries of ‘Settler Violence’ pass the lips of Israel’s greatest champions abroad or our most vehement enemies, those who would describe themselves as Zionist in any form must stand fast and defend the truth that ‘Settler Violence’ is a phantom claim, a false religion, and a death knell for the Jewish State. We live in monumental times, and as the West is being corrupted by the plague of Jihadism, Israel, its supporters, its reporters, and most certainly its leaders, must make this issue the battle on which the fate of the Jewish state stands, because failing to do so will lead to the greatest calamity in the history of the reconstituted Jewish state: its ultimate and irrefutable delegitimization with the support of those who are most responsible for defending what is true and right and defensible. There is no Settler Violence – these are simply the modern telling of the blood libels manufactured against the Jewish people.
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Peloni: At some point, Trump will come to realize what seems impossible for him to accept, namely that the very ideology with which he is trying to conduct a business deal has no interest in what Trump is trying to offer them, ie survival. They mean to bring forth the Mahdi, and they believe that attempt by Trump to subdue them, only serves to expediate the potential fulfillment of their Armageddonist credo, and despite Trump’s very generous terms, their beliefs are not for sale at any price.
Iranian and Israeli military leaders believe combat operations could resume following U.S. rejection of Iranian proposal
| Published: May 3, 2026
Screenshot via Youtube
After Iran reportedly submitted a new proposal to the United States for ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media revealed details that indicate that Tehran has not softened its position.
Peloni: Bravo to Jonathan Feldstein! As we possibly move closer to regime change taking shape in Iran, the greatest challenge of all will be to see that MEK is not installed in power in the post-Mullah/IRGC era, neither on the short nor long term basis. Doing so would become just the latest betrayal of the Iranian people by the West. As was explained to me by a confidential source before the war began, the US would need a substantive organization to step up and fill in the gap of governance which would come in the wake of the Mullahs/IRGC collapsing, and the MEK would seamlessly be capable of doing so, as assessed by, and with the support of, far too many in the halls of power inside Washington. As Feldstein explains below, replacing the current regime with MEK would simply lead to the swapping one villainous anti-Western Islamist leadership for another, begging the question as to why that might be. Of course, Feldstein explains this as well.
Jonathan Feldstein
Image created via AI
“People change,” the press “agent” of the front organization for the terrorist MEK wrote to me, trying to convince me – or himself – that he was not taking blood money for promoting these terror groups. In fact, there has been no history, ever, of an Islamic terrorist group “changing,” only using different tactics, titles, and the Islamic principle of taqiyya – lying to infields. In my mind, the “agent” is a traitor of the US and the West, selling out to make a buck.
Peloni: Will those who advocate, openly or cleverly, be brought to justice for the calumny of advocating for the 86’ing of the leader of the American people, or will such seditious temptations be normalized by ignoring such transgressions by leaders who certainly know better, such as Comey. The answer to this question will determine if America will break free from the attempt to bring the Republic to its knees or if in fact America will succeed in the model of becoming Great Again.
Too Clever by Half: Comey Indicted for Veiled Threat to Trump
by
James Comey. Photo by Mark Warner – DSC_5548.jpg, CC BY 2.0, Wikipedia
The smarmiest and most self-righteous of all FBI directors, James Comey, has been indicted again. Fox News reported Tuesday that “the charges appear to be in relation to a May 2025 Instagram photo of an ‘86 47’ shell formation on a beach.” Comey claims that he didn’t know what “86” meant. His explanation of why he shared the photo, however, doesn’t stand up to even the most superficial scrutiny.
Peloni: This is an insightful essay by Memri’s Yigal Carmon on the real reason which might have led Trump to cast aside his Muslim Brotherhood affiliated ‘negotiating’ partners while dealing with the Iranians. It isn’t so much that they have been dishonest with him, but that they are honestly dedicated towards their Jihadist credo, and perhaps Trump has finally come to be aware of this, by one means or another.
Yigal Carmon | MEMRI | April 29, 2026
Screengrab via Youtube
Amid the Iran War, the behavior of those whom President Trump believed to be his allies and who have sought to position themselves as mediators – Qatar, Pakistan, and Oman – has been a rude awakening for him. In the moment of truth, they have stood by Iran. Qatar has been pushed away from negotiations, and its status with President Trump is not clear. Pakistan sought to maintain the pretense of acting as a mediator in the U.S.-Iran conflict but, as has been the case with Qatar in mediating between Hamas and Israel, it is clear that Pakistan, too, is on the side of Iran. Having realized that Pakistan, like Qatar, is playing a double game, President Trump cancelled meetings in Pakistan, saying the Iranians “can call us anytime they want.”
Peloni: Must read article!
Victor Satya | TOI | May 1, 2026
The collapse of support for Israel is not a foreign policy shift—it’s a mirror held up to a changing America.
We are told that Israel has a public relations problem in the United States. This is comforting. It suggests the issue lies somewhere between a poorly worded press release and an unfortunate military operation. It avoids a far less flattering explanation.
Peloni: Trump’s speech in Riyadh in 2017 continues to be the most profound speech of the modern era. It speaks of truths which identifies and isolates evil, and lays out the responsibility of modern nations to to ‘drive them out”… Many things have changed since Trump gave that pivotal speech, and the role in which Trump embraces the radical regimes in Turkey, Qatar and Syria seems to indicate a change within Trump’s position on what he spoke about in 2017. The failure to address the rising role of the influences of the Muslim Brotherhood in the US is another point which breaks from what he spoke about in 2017. So while it is important that the Muslim nations drive out the scourge of radicalism from their nations, it is likewise important for America to drive out the scourge of radicalism from America. As Trump stated in 2017, this is a war between good and evil, and each nation in this war will be judged by History and by G_d. So drive out the extremists, drive out the jihadists, and drive out the Muslim Brotherhood and the influence of Muslim Brotherhood led nations of Qatar, Turkey and Syria from influencing America.
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Peloni: The irony in all of these shenanigans is that the Congress is acting as the arbiter for a nuclear Iran while the POTUS is acting as the arbiter of safeguarding America from being attacked by a terror state with a nuclear bomb. Where might the American public sit on this issue?
Notably, as elections approach, the question is an important one to consider, but so too is the fact that nothing has been done to secure the electoral system in the US which Trump has recently warned the need for another ‘too big to rig’ turnout on election day. So, is the congress actually reacting to American public opinion or to the threat which lingers over the potential for another election day where vote counting in America sees election returns with actual vote counts that rise and fall throughout the election counting process indicating something other than the will of the people lingering over election fortunes.
Ashley Brasfield | Reporter | Daily Caller |
Trump. Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikipedia
In a Friday letter to Speaker Mike Johnson and President pro tempore of the United States Senate Chuck Grassley, President Donald Trump declared that U.S. hostilities with Iran have concluded ahead of a critical congressional deadline.
