Peloni:  It will be revealing to see if the incoming Trump administration will be mesmerized by the snake charming attempt of the Mullahs to forestall their own destruction with this latest attempted hudna.  Having displayed Iran’s assets as being paper limbs extending from a paper octopus, it would be an enormous mistake to grant the Mullahs the opportunity to rebuild and restructure their onslaught on both Israel and the West after Israel alone has brought them to the point of utter destruction.  It is time to eliminate this menace, and thereby free Israel and the West of this mounting threat, while also freeing the people of both Iran and Lebanon from the enslavement in which they have been left shackled for the past 40yrs.

As Iran faces domestic and foreign challenges, its bellicose rhetoric on the United States and Israel has given way to signs that it wants less confrontation.

By Farnaz Fassihi | NYT | November 28, 2024

A billboard in Tehran showing Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.Credit…Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

In mid-November, Iran dispatched a top official to Beirut to urge Hezbollah to accept a cease-fire with Israel. Around the same time, Iran’s U.N. ambassador met with Elon Musk, an overture to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inner circle. And on Friday, it will hold talks in Geneva with European countries on a range of issues, including its nuclear program.

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Alice Wairimu Nderitu’s departure raises concerns about UN priorities and fairness toward Israel.

Israfan | November 28, 2024

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A case study in the management of reality

Peloni:  As the constitutional US govt, which restrains and submits govt to the will of the people, has been hopefully returned to being both restrained and submitting to the will of the people with the re-election of Pres. Trump, it might be relevant to review the Rabbinical teachings which helped give rise to the intellectual foundation of such a democratic govt in the age of kings.

Leonard Grunstein | Fall 2022

The United States of America is a constitutional republic, with a system of governance designed to prevent tyranny of government or the majority. This includes a division of power and checks and balances, as well as the rule of law, which is imbued with a spirit of liberalism that recognizes that each individual has rights too. These principles of good governance are rooted in the oral and written laws and traditions of the Torah, embodied in the Bible, Mishna, and Talmud, as elucidated and interpreted by rabbinic commentaries thereon. The Founding Fathers had access to this treasure trove of wisdom, in the body of Hebraic literature and thought, extant at the time, when they originally formulated our constitutional republic.1 

However, it is important to appreciate that the Bible itself is not a political treatise. It does not literally prescribe the intricate details of how to organize a society into a polity and the mechanisms for providing for the best form of government, in absolute terms. There are some principles outlined; but, as more fully discussed below, this is not the fundamental purpose of the Bible and, therefore, not a primary focus of the biblical text. Even the discussions in the Book of Samuel2 about the deficiencies of monarchy do not expressly address the matter of alternatives or what is the most desirable form of government, beyond just implicitly preserving the status quo. That subject is taken up by some of the medieval rabbinic commentators, but more on this below.3 

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Peloni:  Among the six principles discussed by Berman in this important analysis is the fact that Iran’s nuclear ambitions may not necessarily be extinguished with the rule of the Mullahs, presuming the Iranian opposition ever finds the means by which to solidify their overwhelming support to achieve such a happy undertaking.  This should not be a terribly surprising conclusion, given the power and prestige which continuing to pursue inclusion into the nuclear power club, would afford to the governing body which might rise following the fall of the Mullahs, no matter which form that govt might actually take.  Hence, the fears of a nuclear Iran should be seen to be both a contingent with and separate from the pursuit of ending the menacing Mullahs in Tehran.

A NATIONAL SECURITY BLUEPRINT FOR THE UNITED STATES

ILAN BERMAN | AFPC | OCTOBER 2024

Executive Summary

Nearly half a century after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran stands at a critical juncture.  Widespread popular disaffection, pronounced economic decline, dwindling religiosity, and pervasive societal malaise have coalesced into a volatile and potentially transformative political climate.  The recent “woman, life, freedom” movement has highlighted a fundamental rejection of the Islamic Republic’s religious system of government on the part of many Iranians. And despite the regime’s current, dominant position, these underlying tensions persist, suggesting that Iran may face another cycle of anti-regime activity in the near future.

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The NIH — the “nation’s medical research agency” — oversees 27 separate institutes and controls a budget of nearly $48 billion. It is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

by Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D. | The Defender | November 27, 2024

• This article was originally published by The Defender — Children’s Health Defense’s News & Views Website.

President-elect Donald J. Trump late Tuesday nominated Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., professor of health policy at Standford’s School of Medicine, to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The NIH — the “nation’s medical research agency” — oversees 27 separate institutes and centers and controls a budget of nearly $48 billion. It is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“I am thrilled to nominate Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, to serve as Director of the National Institutes of Health,” Trump announced on X. “Dr. Bhattacharya will work in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to direct the Nation’s Medical Research, and to make important discoveries that will improve Health, and save lives.”

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Peloni:  A highly recommended interview with Tony Badran, a foremost expert on all matters relating to the Levant.  He explains that there are in fact only two facets surrounding the deal which matter.   The first is American coercion from the Obiden faction in Washington led to Bibi accepting this deal and the second is that a diplomatic infrastructure has been erected in which America has to authorize Israel’s actions in Lebanon.  As Badran references here, this sort of limiting control over Israel’s sovereignty was something which the Obiden faction has been earnestly pursuing for some time now and which Badran first discussed in his must read article, The Ottoman American Empire.  While a friendly incoming American administration will shortly be in control of this mechanism, it has the potential of building tension between Trump and Bibi to the limit of their differing perspectives on what Israel should and must do going forward.

Click to play 33min interview

Raylan Givens tweeted the following:

Click on Photo for tweet

Peloni:  This is what comes from exposing the open vulnerabilities of Iran, the true paper tiger of Middle East…Syrian rebels now stand within anti-tank missile range of the capital while the Syrian benefactor of Iran is itself, suffering significant losses.

WAR IN SYRIA ??

In just six hours, Syrian rebels advanced to within 7 kilometers of Aleppo’s center, seizing dozens of towns, military bases, weapons depots, and tanks. They also dealt significant losses to Iranian militias in Aleppo’s western countryside during the first day of… pic.twitter.com/gLP7TODK60

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 27, 2024

In just six hours, Syrian rebels advanced to within 7 kilometers of Aleppo’s center, seizing dozens of towns, military bases, weapons depots, and tanks. They also dealt significant losses to Iranian militias in Aleppo’s western countryside during the first day of fighting.

By Michael Ordman, VGNI

In the 24th Nov 24 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

• Ex-Gaza hostage Emily Hand had a surprise visit on her 10th birthday.
• An Israeli nasal spray protects against all Covid-19 variants.
• Two superb results for Israel’s multi-ethnic soccer team.
• Israel’s Innovation: Africa has saved its 1000th village from drought.
• Israeli innovations are literally “out of this world”.
• Major Israeli technology purchases by the US, UK, Europe and the Far East.
• Israel’s oldest citizen celebrates her 110th birthday.

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A new movie, “Blind Spot,” focuses on antisemitism on American campuses and how Jewish students demonstrate courage in the face of virulent hatred.

Douglas Altabef | November 27, 2024

A pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel encampment at Rutgers University in New Jersey in April 2024. Photo by Faygie Holt.

It is a world-class understatement to say that these are challenging times for the Jewish people, particularly for Jewish youth. Hundreds of thousands of young and not-so-young people in Israel have had to take up arms for more than a year against murderous enemies.

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Arlene Kushner | November 27, 2024

Screenshot GPO

Those of us who understand how Biden operates knew intuitively that there was heavy pressure being put on Netanyahu to agree to the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. That ceasefire was approved by the Political-Security Cabinet last night – with 10 for and National Security Minister Ben Gvir opposed – and went into effect this morning at 10 AM.

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Peloni:  An alternate perspective

In the following statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office note the last clause:

“The political-security cabinet approved this evening the proposal of the United States for a ceasefire arrangement in Lebanon, by a majority of 10 ministers for and one against.

“Israel… https://t.co/1i94ztdwsR

— Mike (@Doranimated) November 26, 2024

The Palestinian Authority doesn’t arrest terrorists, shut down their explosives labs or confiscate their weapon depots, as Israeli forces discovered yet again

Moshe Phillips | November 26, 2024

An Israeli military operation in Jenin on Nov. 20, 2024. Photo by Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90.

Israeli security forces spent a few hours in the Palestinian Authority city of Jenin earlier this month. The incident didn’t make much news, but there’s much to be learned from it.

Let’s start with the extent of the terrorist presence in the city. The Israelis managed to eliminate a total of nine armed terrorists and uncovered four explosives laboratories.

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Peloni:  There is no inducement to bring about change in Lebanon when there is no ongoing war.  The return to so called ‘quiet’ is an inducement to preserve Hezbollah and Iran’s influence over Lebanon.  The deal struck by the US and France, the current govts of which are more interested in preserving the Mullahs in Iran than anything else, will have the effect of squandering the vast strategic victories thus far achieved by Israel and guaranteeing the rebuilding of Iran’s proxy in Lebanon which threatens Israel’s very existence, not just quiet in the North.

"It’s not a matter of strength or lack of capabilities, it’s a matter of will” says @DavidADaoud about the Lebanese Army on enforcing the conditions of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. pic.twitter.com/nXxGE0ltEX

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) November 26, 2024

Peloni:  Exactly right!  Herein lies the accurate response to such scurrilous positions opposing the extension of sovereignty over Jewish lands, which is too often libeled as ‘annexation’.

How does it violate international law? The dispensation of the land is governed by the San Remo agreements, the League of Nations Mandate, Article 80 of the UN charter. Those agreements enshrine Jewish rights to settle those territories. https://t.co/19wydb5Sa1

— David Wurmser (@Wurmserscribit) November 26, 2024

Opinion: Supreme leader has set 2040 as target for final destruction of Israel, necessitating a change in strategy that transitions from defensive to offensive action using the IDF’s intelligence and operational capabilities, U.S. support and regional alliances

Jacob Nagel, Mark Dubowitz | YNET | 11.25.24

There is a clock in Palestine Square in Tehran that counts down to 2040, the year Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has identified as the end of the state of Israel. And when Khamenei declares that his plan is to destroy the Israel by then, you should believe that he intends to do everything in order to succeed in this ambition, with the help of supporters inside and outside Iran. He should be taken very seriously.

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Why every negotiation with terrorists falls apart.

Daniel Greenfield | November 19, 2024

The first rule of negotiating with Islamic terrorists is don’t. The second rule is if you do it, do it with heavy artillery.

Islamic terrorists don’t negotiate. They make demands in hopes of securing concessions without actually giving up anything. Only the most dedicated historian could find an example of a negotiation process during which the Islamic terrorists made an actual concession, followed through on it and did not later take it back or turn right around and go back to terrorism.

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