By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative”,   May 22, 2024,

*Secretary of State Antony Blinken is a true believer in the diplomatic option toward Iran’s Ayatollahs. He rules out regime-change and military options, irrespective of the Ayatollahs’ 45-year-old track record of anti-US terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering and proliferation of advanced military systems.

*Currently, Blinken is pressuring Israel to negotiate another ceasefire with Hamas, disregarding the litany of previous ceasefires, which bolstered Hamas’ terror capabilities. He leans on Israel to shift from the military option to the diplomatic option, snatching Hamas from the jaws of obliteration. Such a shift would be perceived by all Middle East entities as a dramatic victory for Hamas and a major defeat for Israel, fueling more terrorism and war against Israel and all pro-US Arab countries, which already have the machetes of Islamic terrorism at their throats. It will also reduce the Arab/Moslem interest to conclude additional peace treaties with Israel, and inspire Islamic terrorism on US soil, as stated by FBI Director, Chris Wray.

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JaFaJ, INTELLIGENCE     May 22, 2024

Peloni:  The ICC attack against Israel is a power grab which left unopposed will be wielded against all nation-states, subjugating them to the whims of the ICC, regardless of whether they consent or not.

If permitted to proceed unpunished for its actions on the global stage, the court will gain in power and stature.

Caroline Glick | JNS | May 22, 2024

The logo of the International Criminal Court at the entrance in front of the building in The Hague, Netherlands. Credit: oliverdelahaye/Shuttertstock.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s initial response to International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s announcement that he intends to issue international arrest warrants against Israel’s leaders was brief and to the point: “The international arrest warrants won’t deter me. This is a political, biased decision. It is a disgrace and a shame. We will continue on until victory.”

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Peloni:  The Western elites seem to have chosen a path to replace the democratic Jewish State with a terrorist Pal state.  Their every move seems to presage this eventuality, regardless of past promises to the contrary, regardless of the savagery of the opponents who are slaughtering our people, and regardless of our every attempt to placate the impossible demands of our supposed Western ‘allies’.

The bloodier the terror attacks, the more stark the eliminationist rhetoric, the more support for a Palestinian state.

By Eugene Kontorovich | Tablet | May 22, 2024

A Pro-Palestinian supporter stands next to a placard during a demonstration at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on Feb. 25, 2024. Davide Longari/AFP via Getty Images

Hamas’ grisly terror raid on Oct. 7 has proved to be the single most stunningly successful act in gaining support for the Palestinian cause—not among Israeli or American voters, of course, but among top Democratic policymakers, and their counterparts across the Western world. One might think that a campaign of unrepentant killing, torture, rape, and hostage-taking would be disqualifying for a national independence movement. But in Washington, Hamas’ ongoing crimes have resulted in much of the weight of the U.S. government being brought to bear on advancing the cause of Palestinian statehood, and its correlate, the punishment and demonization of the Jewish state.

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Israel Undiplomatic

IDSF founder and chairman Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi tells Arutz Sheva that to win the war and bring back the hostages, Israel must tell the US ‘thank you’ and do what it needs to do in Rafah. Amir Avivi will be addressing the Arutz Sheva-Israel National News Jerusalem conference in New York City on Sunday, June 2nd.

Yoni Kempinski | INN | May 22, 2024

As the IDF expands its operations in Rafah and returns to fight in areas in the northern Gaza Strip, Arutz Sheva-Israel National News sat down with Brigadier General (res.) Amir Avivi, Chairman and Founder of the Israel Defense And Security Forum (IDSF) to discuss the situation on the ground.

Regarding reports that Israel only killed a third of Hamas fighters and that victory is far away, Avivi does not believe that is the case. “I think we can reach victory in a month or two. We talk about how many were killed; but how many were injured? How many are incapable of fighting? Much more I would guess.”

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E. Rowell:  If there weren’t enough reasons before now, this is yet one more good reason for Netanyahu to turn down ANY “deal” from the Biden Administration.

Sources close to the discussions in Oman tell MEE that the delegations spoke about ending Israel’s war and a shared desire for a change in Israeli government

By MEE Correspondent in Tehran, MIDDLE EAST EYE  21 May 2024

Iran’s late foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks with chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani in Tehran, 23 June 2022 (Reuters/Majid Asgaripour/WANA)

Secret talks between Iran and the United States in Oman were making good progress, but have now been jeopardised by the sudden death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister.

Brett McGurk, US President Joe Biden’s senior Middle East adviser, held indirect negotiations earlier this month with Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s point man for negotiations with the West, according to three Iranian sources close to the talks.

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E. Rowell:  The Biden Administration has wrecked just about everything they have touched.  Their propensity to sow chaos, their attempts to bring down governments and create division within the US, NATO, and many other countries around the world has brought only disaster.  They have been trying to foment a coup against Netanyahu since the last election, and so far they have been unsuccessful.  The Israeli people have one focus now:  they want the destruction of Hamas and return of the hostages.  Gantz, Gallant, and Haliva have all been destructive.  If necessary they can be replaced,  (Haliva should have been replaced long before now). Yes, Israelis prefer unity in government during war, but if destructive elements within the government leave, it’s a net win for the Israeli people. Will their leaving necessarily force a new election during the war?  Netanyahu knows what the Israeli people want.  He may not be perfect, but he’s determined to win this war.  In addition, if these men leave and force an election during the war, I think the people of Israel would feel either abandoned by them, or glad they are going, and rightly so.

By Lawrence A. Franklin, JEWISH POLICY CENTER  20 May 2024

The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, greets US President Joe Biden at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel on July 13, 2022. (Photo: Haim Zach / Israeli Government Press Office)

The open split been between the Biden Administration and the Israeli government as to how Israel should conduct its war against the Hamas terrorist rulers of Gaza has become a gut wrenching policy dispute while the wartime goal to expunge Hamas is still ongoing.

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E. Rowell:  In an article for his substack, Management of Reality, Fransisco Gil-White describes the revolutions all over Europe that took place in 1848 which led to various reforms in government.  However, at the time, instead of being hopeful, Maurice Joly was despondent.  He believed those people at the top of governments were willing to make concessions for the poor and disadvantaged.  But he also believed that if the new, more democratic governments were able to create a secret service under the executive branch, all democracies could be doomed.  Fast forward to a century later.  A secret service was created in the US and UK.  Just seventy six years later, we now have in the US the collapse of representative republican rule.  Joly was correct.

By Sundance, CONSERVATIVE TREEHOUSE   21 May 2024

Some people are expressing shock that the FBI was prepared to use deadly force against President Trump and his Secret Service security detail during the DOJ raid on Mar-a-Lago.  Julie Kelly has the DETAILS HERE.

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The Caroline Glick Show Clips

 By MARTIN SHERMAN

World opinion must be made to understand that the plight of Gazans today is the result, not the reason, for the smoldering Judeophobic hate on their part.

The surge in antisemitism across the US and elsewhere has once again thrown into sharp relief the appalling pervasiveness and perverseness of loathing to which the Jewish people are subject.

It has exposed how shallow it lies, bubbling just below the surface, dormant but not dead, ready to erupt on the flimsiest pretext, even in allegedly the most liberal, cultured, and erudite societies.

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What does the Left fear? Exposure.

by Daniel Greenfield | Front Page | May 22, 2024

DEI is so unpopular that it’s being renamed. Like a mafia informant hiding out from his old pals, some consultants are trying to rebrand DEI as IDE. There are only so many ways to move the same letters around to form an acronym that isn’t as lethal in connotation as IED or DIE.

And if IDE doesn’t work out, expect to see some EID offices around before long.

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Peloni:  So Gaza is to remain Judenrein.  It is unseemly that this policy would be maintained.  Jewish settlement in Gaza would increase the security of Gaza as well as force a serious price upon the Gazans for their unprovoked war against Israel.  Though it seems unlikely at this time, hopefully, this policy will not stand.

Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterates opposition to Israeli settlements in Gaza, clarifies no plans for re-occupation. Emphasizes need to remove Hamas for reconstruction and civilian rule.

By Tovah Lazaroff | JPOST | May 22, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a state memorial ceremony for victims of terror, at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, May 13, 2024.   (photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Israelis won’t be able to rebuild settlements in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority won’t be able to control the enclave, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN on Tuesday night.

“Resettling Gaza,” Netanyahu said, “that was never in the cards.”

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Peloni:  The specified element within this network must be exposed and prosecuted for their roles in promoting and funding terrorism.  If the Federal govt, which seems to be exclusively consumed with prosecuting political prisoners of late,  the task must be pursued by state and local authorities.  The normalization of terrorism and political violence and antisemitic assaults can not be left unaddressed.

By Janet Levy | American Thinker | May 21, 2024

How did anti-Israel protests erupt within a month of the Hamas-led October 7 massacre?  How did university campuses in America turn into tent cities of keffiyeh-clad youth calling for the liberation of Palestine, the annihilation of Israel, and death to Jews?  If you suspect these protests are well orchestrated and funded, you are right.

Behind them is a coalition of radical leftist and Islamist groups drawing sustenance from the vast dark money network of Neville Roy Singham, and linked through him to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).  This has been confirmed by a 34-page report from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), an affiliate of Rutgers University.

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Peloni:  Providing the Executive Branch with the means by which to fund its activities independent of the Legislature, permanently severs the connection between the two branches and thereby eliminates the control which the people might have over the actions of the govt.  This is a very dangerous precedent, one which the feckless Legislature is sure to exploit if for no other reason than to expiate itself of being held to account by the people for funding unpopular enterprises.

Raymon Balmakov | Epoch Times | May 22, 2024

Three days ago, in a split 7–2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a victory for the administrative state. Specifically, this ruling allows for a certain government agency to continue getting its funding—not from the Treasury, but instead, from the Federal Reserve Bank. In other words, it allows the government to use the Federal Reserve (which is a quasi-private bank) to fund their pet projects. And the implications this has are rather far-reaching, so let’s go through them together.

Senior Biden official suggests updated IDF operations add pressure on Hamas, may help revive hostage talks, says nuclear piece of near-final Saudi deal ‘very much in our interests’

Jacob Magid | TOI | May 22, 2024

Troops of the 401st Armored Brigade operate in eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in a handout photo published May 13, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israel has been updating its plans for a military offensive in Rafah in a manner that has been initially satisfactory to the US, a senior Biden administration official said Tuesday.

“It’s fair to say that the Israelis have updated their plans. They’ve incorporated many of the concerns that we have expressed,” the official said, while stopping short of fully green-lighting the IDF offensive during a briefing with reporters.

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Peloni: Don’t miss the second interview posted below with Ron Dermer.  He was particularly effective in his responses to a combative interview style which has come to be the hallmark of Sky News’ highly biased commentary

PM Netanyahu | CNN | May 21, 2024

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E. Rowell:  This is a stunning positive logistical achievement and shows that the IDF exceeds both US predictions and US military logistical standards by far.  The IDF is apparently proceeding slowly, mindful of potential civilian casualties.  But they keep racking up successes, nevertheless.

IDF controls most of Philadelphi Corridor, 30% of Rafah • Military unsure where Sinwar is

By Yonah Jeremy Bob, JPOST    20 May 2024

Displaced Palestinians travel in a vehicle as they flee Rafah, after Israeli forces launched a ground and air operation in the eastern part of southern Gaza city, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 12, 2024.(photo credit: Hatem Khaled/Reuters)

The IDF has succeeded in evacuating around 950,000 Palestinian civilians in only two weeks since May 6, the military revealed on Monday.

In addition, around 30-40% of Rafah is now under IDF control, not merely a small portion of the eastern sector, and about 60-70% of Rafah has been completely evacuated.

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By Leo Goldstein, AM THINKER    21 May 2024

The Internet has been the most powerful force of our time (artificial intelligence is becoming even more powerful). The Big Tech corporations that received control of the Internet from the Democrat party wield enormous power and have abused it badly. The abuse has likely gone far beyond the intent and comprehension of most of their executives. Their power includes the ability to hide their misconduct from its victims. Nevertheless, every deceit is eventually uncovered.

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E. Rowell:  Of all the multiple possibilities about this article’s meaning, it appears more likely to be an expression of what the US administration desires, and what the US administration wants the world to think should be happening.   The US government appears to want the Netanyahu government to fall.  If the Israeli government/military chooses the path set out here, it probably would fall.  The final comment about the ICC is a disgusting swipe at the Netanyahu government.

The IDF won’t engage in a full-scale assault on the last Hamas stronghold in southern Gaza.

JNS    21 May 2024

IDF soldiers during operational activity in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza on May 20, 2024. Credit: IDF.

Israel will not engage in a full-scale military offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah. Instead, it will continue its limited operation in the last Hamas bastion, with the blessing of the Biden administration, according to Washington Post analyst David Ignatius.

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