by Pierre Rehov  •  Gatestone Institute  •  August 11, 2026 at 5:00 am

• Certain opinions are no longer treated as debatable; they are treated as evidence of bigotry or harm. Institutions that once managed disagreement now police belief, and dissent is answered not with argument but with consequences a person can feel: a lost job, a withdrawn invitation, a name circulated as a warning to others.
• Nowhere has the shift been more thorough than in higher education. University offices created to enforce civil rights law grew into administrative empires devoted to reshaping thought and policing dissent. Many universities began requiring faculty candidates to submit “diversity statements” that worked as political litmus tests, obliging applicants to affirm theories about systemic oppression and then pledge to advance them.

Read more…

Peloni:  Hossein Taeb, a veteran Iranian security official involved in the 2009 Green Movement crackdown, has been reappointed to currently lead the Basij militia, presumably under instructions from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. His return reflects his close ties to Khamenei and the regime’s continued reliance on the IRGC security apparatus.

The appointment also suggests Tehran is preparing for potential domestic unrest amid war, sanctions and economic pressure, with the Basij expected to expand its surveillance and efforts to detect dissent to prevent protests from emerging.

by Euronews Persian | Aug 14, 2026

Click link to read article

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/tehran-brings-back-cleric-behind-2009-protest-crackdown-to-head-its-basij-militia/ar-AA2a5CJG

Pablo Nankin, MD | Diariojudio | Aug 11, 2026

Bella Hadid. By Gabriel Hutchinson / WikiPortraits, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

ALO is a company headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, a community with a large and longstanding Jewish population.

Read more…

Peloni:  Note that among Vance advisors is Trita Parsi, executive vice president and co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, the anti-Israel Washington thinktank which sponsors policies sympathetic to Iran.  Indeed, in the month prior to the Iranian people mustering the courage to shout down their oppressors in the streets of Iran, the Quincy Institute sponsored a panel discussion which prominently featured former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was to be interviewed by none other than Parsi himself.  More can be read on that exchange HERE.

When looking at Vance, it is important to recognize those who he counts among his friends, and those from whom he actually seeks advice on policy.  One’s advisers and allies should be understood to act like a mirror to any given leader.  In fact a leader’s associates should serve to highlight policies of important such that mere ideas might be transformed into actionable policies.  Hence, it is entirely responsible, necessary and useful to find relevance in considering the associates and advisors chosen by the man most likely to lead the Free World, and in fact, it is a vital undertaking to do so in anticipation of actually choosing the next leader of the Free World.

By Joan Swirsky

President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in the Situation Room of the White House, Saturday, June 21, 2025. Photo by The White House – Flickr, Public Domain, Wikipedia

How do we judge people?

And please don’t say you’re not judgmental. From the underwear you pick out in the morning to the foods you choose to eat to the people you interact with all day long, even to the guy you buy potato salad from in your local deli, you are making judgements every minute of every day.

Read more…

Peloni:  When reading the below testimony consider first how it relates to the very important warning echoed by Tony Badran in a article written over a year ago regarding the captured status of the Eastern Christian Churches.  Secondly, while reading this report of the helpless plight of the Christians living in what the author describes as the jungle of the PA, know that this is the framework of fear, intimidation, impotence, subjugation, and general disenfranchisement which is intended for the West in general.  The Jihadist attempt to infiltrate the West has one ultimate goal, and that goal is to see that the West come to truly appreciate what is described below as Western institutions of law, justice and equality are replaced by law of the jungle where power determines outcomes and forced conversion or subjugation is the only choice left to the infidels by their conquering Jihadi overlords.

Abdel-massih | All Israel News | August 1, 2026

Before you read this article, I want you to understand something: the person who wrote these words could pay a high price simply for choosing to speak. If my identity is revealed, I could face danger or even death — not because I have committed a crime, but because I am trying to share truths that many people ignore. I am not seeking fame or controversy; I simply want others to hear the voice of those who cannot speak.

I also want to make one thing clear from the beginning: my love for Israel and the Jewish people did not lead me to write these words. My commitment is to truth, wherever it leads.

Read more…

Peloni:  The UK Muslim rape gang scandal is likely to have ramifications well into the future as no one has been held accountable for the betrayal of the innocents of England, meaning that those responsible are still hiding in plain view, as is seen by the roles played in this tragedy by both the previous and subsequent leaders of the British state.

No conspiracy to see here.

by Daniel Greenfield | Aug 14, 2026

Keir Starmer on the left and Andy Burnham on the right. By Number 10 – Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Holy Trinity Primary School, OGL 3, Link

Outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had formerly headed the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which had offered a pass to the Muslim sex grooming gangs who had trafficked and raped as many as 250,000 women and girls in the UK.

Read more…

Peloni:  FDD’s Janatan Sayeh joins Rabbi Pesech Wolicki to discuss the various strategies which might be used to support Trump’s economic war on Iran which Sayeh correctly identifies as a strategic tool rather than a strategy in and of itself.

Video Loads Below

Read more…

Arlene Kushner | August 13, 2026

Every so often these days, I check the news and feel a sudden urge to bang my head against the wall. That urge – which I think can be readily understood by many of my readers – is fleeting. Neither my head nor the wall is at real risk. Rational thinking holds sway and I proceed with my consideration of the latest happenings.

On some occasions, I am sustained by news that is good.

Read more…

Barry Shaw | The View from Israel | Aug 12, 2026

Javier Milei in May 2024. Photo by Vox España – Flickr, CC0, Wikipedia

Under the enlightened leadership of President Javier Milei, Israel found a true and paassionate supporter of Israel.

Read more…

By Pamela Geller | August 14, 2026

by Michelle Terris | Israel Unwired | Aug 11, 2026

My Christian brothers and sisters,

I am asking you to listen to me.

Not as a politician.

Not as the founder of JEXIT.

But as a Jew who loves America and believes deeply in the values that Christians and Jews have shared for thousands of years.

Read more…

Peloni: As recently noted by Mordechai Kedar, the problem with the efforts in Gaza is that the Americans want a deal, and even a bad deal is preferable to no deal, which is why the 20 Point Plan was initially pushed forward last October.  The lack of any interest on behalf of the US in fulfilling the basic goals set forward in Phase 1 of that plan, namely the elimination of Hamas and demilitarization of the Strip is what led to the newly revised Roadmap being pushed thru today, as it is structured for Israel to accept greater risks and offer further concessions to the terrorist organization which carried out October 7.  To anyone with the most basic interest in actually pursuing peace, both of these schemes would have been rejected outright, but the need to close the deal with Hamas is once again proving far more relevant than the consequences for the terms under which any deal is struck with these barbarians.  When Kushner comes with what are certain to be further demands on Sunday, Bibi should tell him “No”.

Trump envoy Kushner, Board of Peace envoys Mladenov and Tony Blair to arrive in Israel on Sunday

All Israel News Staff | Published: August 14, 2026

After nearly one week without Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, which was reportedly due to pressure from the United States to give the Gaza peace plan a chance, the Israel Defense Forces renewed its strikes in recent days, amid outrage that Hamas was being allowed to recover.

Read more…

Peloni:  The ardent pursuit of peace by Israel and its US allies is part of the reason that peace remains so illusory.  The other part is that the Arabs really don’t want peace.  They want something for nothing, and selling hudnas to starry-eyed schlemiels has come to be realized as the best avenue by which to gain an advantage over Israel by its neighbors posing as peace partners.  If the Arabs want peace, they can have it.  If they want something else, why should such demands be entertained on the basis of promising little more than blue sky? As Mordechai Kedar explains below, reciprocity and not concessions is what should form the basis of any and all relationships between Israel and its Arab nations.

Veteran Middle East scholar outlines ten guiding principles that he argues should shape any future negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, emphasizing reciprocity, full normalization and opposition to linking an agreement with the Palestinian issue.

By: David Bedein | TheJ.ca | August 12, 2026

As speculation continues regarding the possibility of diplomatic normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Israeli Middle East scholar and former intelligence officer Dr. Mordechai Kedar has published what he describes as ten guiding principles that should govern any future negotiations.

Read more…

Peloni:  The change in IRGC leadership makes little difference as only in Iran might a rogue such as Muhammad Baqr Ghalibaf be considered a moderate, as the IRGC would need to conduct some serious off-shore job hunting to find anyone who could truly qualify as a moderate to lead the regime forward.  So, yes, the new lineup will be seen to be as radical and unyielding as all those before them.  The various threats of ultimate doom for Iran which failed to be enforced over the past months by the US has only made the regime, broken and splintered as it is, all the more certain that their faith is being rewarded in the form of holding the US from making good on their promises.  Additionally, the reports of America being out of bullets, as it were, will play an even greater point of validation of the radical Armegeddonist ideology which fuels the resolve of the IRGC, no matter who might be placed in charge of it.  So attacks on tankers are continuing.  So too are the calls for America to surrender, which should be understood to be sincere announcements of Iranian victory rather than as catcalls from an imploding regime.  While the regime may ultimately implode, such a reality remains elusive, and the pronouncements of their sense of strength should be understood to be more real than imagined despite what has taken place.  So as Trump is waiting to see the regime collapse as the weight of the US economic war on Iran strengthens, it would be wise for Trump to add to his economic war severe attacks on the power centers of the IRGC and it Basij associates.  By doing so, further fragmenting the organization which continues its mocking US war efforts and ignoring the economic hurdles taking effect in Iran will come to see those effects having a greater and more meaningful impact, and Iran’s continued strikes on shipping gives Trump the basis on which to conduct such strikes.

Janatan Sayeh

The latest reshuffle of Iran’s government looks less like renewal than a game of musical chairs among regime veterans.

Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, whose status and capacity to rule remain unclear, appointed officials to seven posts on August 9. They include the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), chief and deputy chief of the Armed Forces General Staff, commander and deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), commander of the IRGC Navy, and commander of the Basij paramilitary force.

Read more…

By Marziyeh Amirizadeh

Becoming an American citizen ten years ago was one of the most exciting and proud days in my life. It was not simply because I had fled Iran – the country of my birth – where, after becoming a Christian in 1999 I was arrested and sentenced to death for the “crime” of apostacy. Indeed, the ability to live as a Christian without daily fears of arrest or persecution, much less torture and death was life changing. I was also able to vote in a free and democratic election for the first time in my life. It’s impossible for most Americans to imagine not having the freedoms so cherished for us all– and for which Iranians are struggling and dying in order to gain their freedom from the oppression of the Islamic Republic – and being so foreign and unimaginable for me just years earlier as I sat on death row in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.

Read more…

By Moshe Phillips

“Temple Emanu-El” by Charles, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

This October, one of the most prestigious Jewish congregations in America will have a marquee event where it will host a talk by a pundit who has claimed Jews bribe Congress.

Read more…

Peloni:  A disturbing and revealing record for the man who would lead Israel in the next govt.

The former IDF chief running for prime minister commands respect, but his security concept and political alliances deserve tough scrutiny from voters

Eitan Chikli | TOI Blogs | Aug 11, 2026

Gadi Eisenkot. Screengrab via Youtube.

As Israel approaches the October 27, 2026 elections, Gadi Eisenkot possesses an advantage that few of his rivals can match: he is reassuring.

Read more…

by Gerald A. Honigman

For the Record…

“Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” was a popular educational children’s television show in Canada and the United States which aired from 1968 to 2001 and provided a soothing, relaxed atmosphere for young kids to enjoy while learning important lessons.

Internationally acclaimed actor, Tom Hanks, later portrayed (Reverend) Fred Rogers in the 2019 film, “À Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” and was nominated for an academy award for his portrayal. Read more…