Peloni: The murder of the Bibas family and the display of mocking celebration by the Pals of Gaza recalls to mind the sense of vicious savagery within the Pals of Gaza which led to the October 7 slaughter.  This reality, which can not be forgotten, must have a consequence more meaningful than what has thus far transpired.  This war is not over, and in fact, the most brutal aspects of it have yet to be unleashed, as nothing less than total war is followed by total victory over all of Gaza will suffice with the emigration of the Gazans elsewhere taking place either before or after this victory is achieved.

See Khaled Hassan‘s comments below Erin’s

Wasn’t the brutal kidnapping and killing of a mother, baby and toddler enough for these sadistic evil terrorists?

I can’t comprehend what I just watched occur…

My raw, unpolished, unscripted thoughts.

It’s time.

Destroy them. pic.twitter.com/FL89fHaa8G

— Erin Molan (@Erin_Molan) February 20, 2025

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Peloni:  The US-Israeli alliance has the benefit of being between two nations who share a world view based on ideology and values, but the US-Israel alliance will always represent the overlapping interests which exist between the US and Israel.  The campaign to introduce daylight during the Obiden regimes seriously betrayed and damaged the interests of both America and Israel as it literally and figuratively supported terrorism against the interests of both the US and Israel.  The second Trump term has the potential of being even more robust in reaffirming the US interest and Israeli interests than was his first term.  It will require a turn away from Qatari influence, Hezbollah support, and finally eliminating the threat from Iran.  Doing so will grant greater security to Israel and the US, and securing Israel in the region provides the US  with the double benefit of securing US interests in the region.  A strong, secure Israel representing US interests in the region is an American interest, and it remains as a key component of securing the Trump Doctrine.

Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: US-Israel Initiative” | February 16, 2025

The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

1. President Trump is not an impartial leader. As expected, he is driven by US interests, determining that Israel’s capabilities and track record have been a unique force and dollar multiplier for the US, commercially and militarily, technologically and operationally.

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Peloni:  Avi is quite correct about Sisi making a mistake in trying to challenge Trump.  The consequences for this mistake will be sizeable, and as Avi explains, this may have some important caveats for Israel.

Peloni:  Intriguing speculations…

Sundance | Feb 19, 2025

It was inevitable. We have been together from the outset of the conversation where we admitted to ourselves that sooner or later the pretending was going to have to stop. Well, here we are.

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One man surveyed in Gaza said: “In the end, people will accept reality. They want to live in a country that protects and supports them.”

Moshe Phillips

Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa) in contract with APAimages, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

So it turns out that quite a few Gazans really do want to leave Gaza. Will Israel’s critics continue to demand that they be held prisoner there?

A front-page article in The New York Times on Feb. 5 reported that while “a number of Gazans” say they won’t leave, “others said conditions were so unlivable after 15 months of Israeli bombardment that they would consider relocating.”

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By Hugh Fitzgerald | Feb 19, 2025

Ever since the 1979 Camp David Accords, Israel and Egypt have officially been at peace. As a result of those accords, Israel agreed to return to Egypt, for the second time (the first time was in 1957, after the Sinai Campaign) the entire Sinai, together with several oilfields Israel had discovered and several airbases it had built, along with the tourist city of Sharm el Sheikh. The handover of the Sinai took place in three tranches, and was completed in 1982. Ever since then, Egypt and Israel have had a “cold peace.” The friendly relations Israel had hoped for never developed. No Egyptian leader, save Hosni Mubarak, has in the past 45 years ever visited the Jewish state, and he did so only to attend the funeral of Yitzhak Rabin, as a private citizen, at the request of Rabin’s widow. Nor has any Israel leader ever been invited to visit Egypt.

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Peloni:  China’s position in the Middle East is one of a contrarian to US objectives, and Israel has unfortunately been folded into this mix, making Chinese support of anti-Western interests of Iran and its proxies a pivotal element in the Chinese regional perspective.  Notably, this perspective has only slightly been adjusted since Israel successfully wrought ruin on much of Hezbollah’s prestige and capabilities last year.  Israel should capitalize upon the partnership which exists between China and Iran in its attempts to gain US support to regime change Iran into a more friendly and less nuclear form of govt, while also predicating any future projects with the Chinese on their full and complete repudiation of creating a second state for the Palestinian Arabs.  Jordan is the Palestinian Arab state, and if the Chinese can not accept this reality, Israel should continue to pursue its own interests, which completely lie with the US proposal of the Pals emigrating to Jordan or Egypt.

By Christine Douglass-Williams | Feb 18, 2025

Communist China has no hesitation about collaborating even with countries it deems to be enemies if it suits what the Communist leadership perceives to be its interests. Israel is a world leader in technology, medicine, and science — an ideal economic partner. Partnering with Israel for economic reasons does not imply friendship or trust. The Wahhabi state of Saudi Arabia is likewise open to an alliance with Israel on an economic level and as part of a mutual defense front against Iran, but the Saudis blamed Israel for October 7, and have been crystal clear about the fact that they have no interest in normalizing relations with Israel unless the Jewish state meets impossible conditions.

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Peloni:   This is one of the most heartening stories I have read in a very long time.  Such rejection of  the pro terror gangs which have dominated the US headlines in recent years requires a bottom up demonstration, even as Trump has begun making changes to support a top down effort as well.  In fact, this single event, which should be noted is being conducted by regular New Yorkers against pro-Hamas hooligans, will enhance the wider rejection of the Islamo-Nazi motif which has been normalized and promoted by the Leftist-Arab alliance.  Notably, New Yorkers are overwhelmingly Democratic voters, indicating the reality that this event will also send similar reverberations thru the Democratic party which has fashioned itself in support of the Islamo-nazi cause.

Local residents fought back against the mob.

by Daniel Greenfield | Feb 19, 2025

Islamic terrorist supporters invaded one of the largest Jewish communities in the country with a pro-terrorist riot in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Boro Park. Flying terrorist flags and assaulting local residents, the Muslim mob brought terror to a Jewish community in New York City as it had previously done to Jewish communities in Los Angeles and London.

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Peloni:  Very important article.  Chikli is correct in everything he states.

By Hugh Fitzgerald | Feb 19, 2025

Israel’s Minister for the Diaspora, Amichai Chikli explains the spread of antisemitism in Europe: “European rise in antisemitism a result of Islamic migration, Diaspora minister says,” by Eliav Breuer, Jerusalem Post, February 16, 2025:

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Peloni:  Trump is exactly right in addressing the lack of legitimacy of Zelensky’s overstaying his term of office, by almost a full year currently.  The issue was raised a few days ago regarding who should be represent the Ukrainians during negotiations, and as Trump states here, I noted that Zelensky has no mandate to do so due to his self imposed lengthened term of office.  Let Zel stand for office, let him lift the reign of oppression which now sits on his people and let the Ukrainians have a choice regarding whether they want war, or if they want peace.  Notably, the Ukrainians have successfully chosen peace candidates in both of the post US coup elections, and Zelensky was no more faithful to the characterization as a peace candidate than was his predecessor, Poroshenko.  In any event, Ukraine has a right to have its voice heard, but it should be a voice which holds the support of both the Ukrainian constitution and the Ukrainian people, both of which Zelensky has successfully betrayed.  The lack of democratic norms, which would obviously include holding elections, is nothing to ignore, particularly in the wake of the illegitimate election in the US which both facilitated the Ukraine War and the expansive fraud conducted in the name of aiding the Ukrainian people.  Let Zelensky return the dignity of the vote to his people, and reaffirm his own legitimacy in any negotiations by holding last year’s election now.

Peloni:  This was a very interesting discussion with Mike Doran which largely focuses on the current dynamics between Iran and the new Trump administration.  Among other matters raised by Doran, he noted that Trump always pursues the economics approach to a problem before considering any military action, which is why he is currently continuing his Maximum Pressure campaign in preference to doing as many in the Israeli security establishment would prefer with a definitive strike on Iran.  Doran also explains Israel needs US support to face the potential missile onslaught from Iran, if not from Iran and its proxies, and that the current charm campaign being leveraged by Iran with Trump is of course actively feeding Trump’s instinctive focus on negotiating.

Amb. Alan Baker | Feb 16, 2025

Chenspec, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Institute for Contemporary Affairs

Founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation
Vol. 25, No. 4

The 1986 foundational Statutes of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) proclaim that it is “a worldwide humanitarian movement, whose mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found, to protect life and health and ensure respect for the human being, in particular in times of armed conflict.”

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Meeting Atmosphere Professional, Not Ideological

by Gerald A. Honigman

Bret Stephens, the far more knowledgeable and tuned in New York Times opinion piece contributor regarding the Middle East (despite Thomas Friedman’s own self-anointed opinion about himself) recently penned a piece dealing with what should be done with Gaza in light of the non-stop barbarism and depravity emanating from it courtesy of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and just plain old civilian Arab butchers who gleefully partook in the Simchat Torah, October 7th, 2023 bloodlust and posted photos of their handiwork on the internet.

I knew of these infuriating details before, but reading Bret’s account of them made me even more sick to my stomach knowing that these wanton murderers will likely live to murder and terrorize yet again. Paraphrasing his account…

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Peloni:  It is an intolerable situation for Abu Mazen to remain in power even as the head of the PA.  Mazen is the head of the terror faction, Fatah, and conducts his dominion over his current domain as only an unreformed terrorist might.  The artificial construct of the PA as being anything less threatening than a terror enclave has been both disingenuous and a force multiplier of victimizing innocent Israelis.  This charade must be ended, Abbas should be arrested and tried for his well funded campaign of terror against Israel, and the Pals should be allowed to choose to emigrate in a similar manner as has been recommended for the Gazans.  Those Pals which remain should choose their path wisely, and if they make a similar choice to that made by the Gazans in supporting yet another terror governing body, their fate should be no different from what has come to visit Gaza, without waiting for an October 7 event to transpire.  Terrorism is not a human right, it is a war crime which should be met with the greatest of rejections by the civilized world, which is total war.

While some consider the proposed measures for Gaza as a non-starter, there are few other ideas on the table—certainly not for Mahmoud Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority lacks credibility.

Sarah N. Stern | Feb 17, 2025

Gobierno de Chile, CC BY 3.0 CL, via Wikimedia Commons

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke during his visit on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, stating that the president also “has been very bold about his view of what the future for Gaza should be—not the same tired ideas of the past, but something that is bold. And something that frankly took courage and vision in order to outline. And it might have shocked and surprised many. But what may not continue is the same cycle where we repeat over and over again, and wind up in the exact same place.”

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