Peloni:  Peace is ever fleeting, which is why you must keep the powder dry, maintain a watchful eye, and be ever capable of out escalating all regional competitors.  This is the true basis of peace, and the only basis which might or should be relied upon.

Reports of regional forces joining together against Israel are mostly bad journalism • Rather than getting worked up over statements with little behind them, it is better to understand the logic of temporary peace

by  Prof. Eyal Zisser | Aug 16, 2026

The sensational report that one country in the region, Turkey perhaps, approached a neighboring country, Syria perhaps, and proposed that it sign a peace agreement with Israel “for show,” while in practice exploiting the sham peace to build up military strength that could later be turned against Israel, generated considerable interest and even alarm in Israel.

But in truth, this is a classic “dog bites man” story. Even if this were a serious report entirely unrelated to Israel’s approaching elections, which is by no means certain, there is nothing in it that is either new or surprising. This is, after all, the Middle East, where everyone talks and acts behind everyone else’s back, no one means what they say and, ultimately, everyone deceives everyone else: Arabs, Iranians, Turks and even Americans.

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Peloni:  Will China simply circumvent critical choke points by way of the arctic?

Francis Kapper Defense Reporter | Daily Caller | August 15, 2026

China is preparing to establish a regular commercial shipping route through the Arctic, potentially giving Beijing a dramatically shorter path to Europe while reducing its dependence on some of the world’s most volatile maritime chokepoints.

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The Israeli High Court has a long record of flouting the law when it comes to Arab parties’ participation in Knesset elections. 

Martin Sherman

As the October elections draw closer, the public debate focuses increasingly on the role of the Arab parties and the Arab electorate in the Jewish nation-state.

This distinction—between party and voter—is important for our discussion and is essential in illuminating a frequently misunderstood point in the public debate. This is particularly true in light of the rumors that a former senior police officer is planning to join the ranks of the Islamic Ra’am (The United Arab List) Party, an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood—a move that would presumably obscure the true Islamist nature of the party among certain segments of the electorate.

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by Gerald A. Honigman

Screengrab via Youtube.

Rachel Griffin Accurso (aka, Ms. Rachel) originally created her Netflix streaming, You Tube series to assist her own children.

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Peloni:  If this report is correct, we should take note of the willingness of Trump to accept a complete reshuffling of the agreement while holding Netanyahu to his commitment “in principle” for having in fact agreed to the original plan as described in UNSC Resolution 2803.  Netanyahu should never have agreed to that original plan, but he certainly should not be compelled to agree to the subsequent radically changed plan based on those original assurances.  The willingness of the US to hold Israel responsible for these altered terms while knowing that these terms completely erase the need for Hamas to be initially disbanded and disarmed demonstrates the lack of seriousness for the required outcome.  Also, while the US is insisting that Hamas will have no role in Gaza going forward, Jarad Kushner found it important to raise Hamas to having been fully recognized by the US diplomatically while giving them full authority to negotiate the terms under which Gaza will be ruled going forward, which wasn’t even true in the lead up to the terms included in UNSCR 2803.   The obvious next step is to threaten Israel with the loss of “diplomatic backing” for failing to fulfill the terms it never agreed to accept.  Netanyahu should stand his ground and insist upon the original terms.  This retreat by the US demonstrates a loss of credibility with both its allies and its enemies whiles still holding firm to its need to pretend that a meaningful deal is being enforced.  Hamas must be fully disarmed or destroyed, and the Strip must be fully demilitarized prior to Israeli withdrawal.  If this fails to be the case, it will only serve to damage Israeli security and American credibility going forward.

Trump administration says Israel is ‘playing games’ over Hamas disarmament plan

All Israel News Staff | Published: August 16, 2026

Screengrab via Youtube

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner held a face-to-face meeting with senior Hamas leadership in Egypt on Sunday, launching a diplomatic journey to advance the U.S.-backed disarmament and peace plan that will take Kushner to Israel on Monday.

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Rabbi Jacob Herzog | X | Aug 7, 2026

A Challenge to the King of Jordan from the Rabbi of the Arabian Peninsula

The king sent Bishr Al-Khasawneh, his former prime minister, to threaten in an interview today that a new Black September will happen against the Palestinian majority in Jordan, and that no one can falsify the facts, according to him, and that the right of return will be implemented and preserved.

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Peloni:  Avi Abelow draws attention to the paradigm shift which has taken place under Netanyahu during the last three years, and warns of the move back to October 6 would be the consequence of voting Eisenkott, Bennett or others into office simply to choose someone other than Netanyahu in the coming election.    Abelow goes further by adding that while the diplomatic shift is not yet where it needs to be to secure Israel’s security, things have significantly changed more closely to doing so than ever before.

Avi Abelow

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister, State of Israel. Photo by Chatham House – Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister, State of Israel, CC BY 2.0, Wikipedia

As fighting with Hezbollah returns, let’s talk about the latest in Lebanon….

What gets little attention, especially as we begin election season her in Israel, is how Netanyahu totally changed the rules of the Middle East.

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UPDATE: Raylan Givens: “Details from the rare meeting: Senior Hamas officials assured Kushner of their commitment to disarming, according to a source familiar with the meeting. The source said that the meeting, which lasted 90 minutes, was “very productive” and that “it was important for Kushner to receive this commitment from them personally.” “

Peloni:  With his move to meet directly with Hamas in his lead up to meeting Netanyahu, Kushner appears to be signaling an elevation of Hamas to a diplomatic level not yet bestowed on the terror organization, which is quite in keeping with the Roadmap having been a revision of the original 20 Point Plan which was re-imagined specifically to suit Hamas demands, despite it both reordering and re-inventing what had already been set as Trump’s accepted deal and enshrined in the UN Security Council Resolution 2803.  Netanyahu should stand firm and continue rejecting this surrender to Hamas, even as Kushner is coming to pressure Netanyahu to do the opposite.

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Peloni:  This was a highly productive discussion between udson Institute Senior Fellows Michael Doran and Ludovic Hood, Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, and Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD’s senior director of the Iran Program regarding the Iranian problem, how it has been managed (by past and present administrations), the failures incurred and what might or should come next.  Of particular import in this highly informative video is Ben Tableu’s warning about the very real possibility that the US must be prepared to grapple with the coming success of its economic war on Iran, ie it must anticipate so as to preempt Iran’s response when or if US policies really do bring the regime to its knees.

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Peloni: Reasonable people would respond to an economic collapse, but as Gen. Jack Keane stated, and as has been noted on this site for some time, it is foolish to speak about what reasonable people might or might not do when anticipating the intentions, motivations or goals of the radicals reigning in Tehran.  Theirs is an ideology which promotes chaos, deception, and terror, not just within the region, but across the globe.  They will not be beaten into surrendering without some kinetic aspect of the war being strategically renewed.  When Trump comes to accept this reality, a catastrophic collapse might finally be recognized, but I would argue that it is highly unlikely we will see this come to fruition otherwise without further use of at least US, if not US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s control centers and personnel.

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Three drones were intercepted over Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, as Baghdad seeks to bring armed groups under state control and rein in Iran-backed militias.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN | AUGUST 16, 2026

Three drones were intercepted over Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, on Friday.

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Peloni:  Electoral responsibilities lie with both the electorate and those proposed leaders who are asking for their support.  Both must choose wisely, act responsibly, and never forget that the twin tragic possibilities of October 7 2.0 and Oslo 2.0 would be the consequence of an election gone awry due to strategic miscalculations.

Yehudit Katsover & Nadia Matar, co-chairs of the Sovereignty Movement | Ribonut.co.il | Aug 16, 2026

August. Everyone is on vacation. The children are home. The heat is heavy. Who has Gaza on their mind right now?

But precisely now, when it seems that everything has slowed down a little, things are happening in Gaza that we cannot afford to ignore.

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Peloni:  Take to heart the meaning behind the following statement in this report:

Lebanese newspaper An Nahar claims that the IDF demanded the Lebanese Armed Forces enter a Hezbollah compound in the Ali al-Taher area to verify that Hezbollah’s infrastructure there has been dismantled. The outlet said Beirut is not willing to do so, as it would put the Lebanese army in direct confrontation with Hezbollah.

While this is far from surprising, it cuts to the very basis of the program which has Israel turning over its captured positions to Lebanon so they can do exactly what they are refusing to do here.  Relying on the LAF for any support in controlling, containing or disarming Iran is a very dangerous farce, and it will come at the expense of many lives which could otherwise be spared, but for this to take shape, Washington must end its inexplicable efforts to preserve the terror enclaves in the region, presumably in support of its Jihadi allies in Turkey and Qatar.  These Muslim Brotherhood advisors to the Trump administration do not want peace, they just want to keep Israel from a single victory in the ongoing conflicts, and with the support of the US, this is what is taking shape in the region.

Israeli military to seize Ali al-Taher Ridge, site of extensive Hezbollah infrastructure

J. Micah Hancock | All Israel News | Published: August 16, 2026

Israeli Adir F-35’s.  By Air Force Senior Airman Alexander Cook – Media.defense.gov, Public Domain, Wikipedia

The IDF renewed operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon over the weekend, after three Israeli soldiers were wounded in a drone attack late Friday night.

On Saturday, the military announced that an IDF officer and two soldiers were seriously wounded in an explosive drone attack in southern Lebanon.

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Peloni:  The crafted use of dehumanization of Jews has in it the obvious consequence of a societal effort of slaughtering our people.  We saw this in Hebron a century ago, and we saw this on October 7.  They don’t distinguish between Jews on the Left and those on the Right, the religious from the secular or those who want to support their Pal neighbors from those who want to see them leave.  To our enemies a Jew is a Jew is a Jew, and they have only one intended ambition towards the Jews, all of them, and that is to revel in our slaughter, dejection, and enslavement.  Our unity in opposing them is what will see our way to victory, while a continued focus on the divisions within Israeli society is what will see their aims come to fruition.

Itamar Marcus | PMW | Aug 12

The West wanted to rid itself of the Jews because it had “suffered greatly” from their “disgraceful behavior patterns.” In a vicious antisemitic tirade, the PA’s official daily blamed the Jews themselves for the hatred and persecution directed against them, while their removal from society was described as a form of “cleansing.”

The PA daily further portrayed Israelis as inherently deceitful, racist, and bloodthirsty, declaring that their writings are filled with “hostility, racism, lies, fabrications, a lust for blood, and dark hatred.” It then disseminated another centuries-old antisemitic libel, which is that Judaism itself commands the categorical elimination of non-Jews.

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By Robert Spencer | August 15, 2026

DFW Airport gate C35 by Sammi Brie, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

Will Abbott order that the foot-washing stations that are already in DFW airport be dismantled? No, of course he won’t. Also, there is a practical aspect to this: many non-Muslims favor the foot-washing stations even though they oppose special privileges and accommodations for Islamic practices. This is because in the absence of foot-washing stations, some Muslims wash their feet in the sinks. Some people would prefer the accommodation to that. So the larger problem remains: To what extent will the U.S. allow Sharia here? At what point, if any, will anyone call an effective halt to the advance of Sharia, or will the U.S. simply eventually become a Sharia state?

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Peloni:  It boggles the mind that this message is still not clear in the West.  Israeli retreat is not in Israel’s future, it is not even remotely a possibility.

Danny Danon has shown again his characteristic fearlessness and defiance in the face of evil and injustice.

By Christine Douglass-Williams | Aug 14, 2026

Why should Israel give up Judea and Samaria? Because jihad terrorists said so?

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Peloni:  Economics alone will not bring about the victory that Trump is waiting to see.  A focused assault on the command centers of authority could change that.

A reactive Iran policy need not be an unprepared one.

President Donald Trump said that his policy toward Iran has shifted to “low-keying it” and “semi-negotiating,” while noting the regime struggles to pay its troops. In essence, Washington is now being reactive rather than proactive, letting pressure shape the next opportunity. And rightly so, as widening Tehran’s internal fractures offers more leverage than strikes that cost more to carry out than the targets do to replace. But the question is whether Washington will be prepared to act when the moment arrives.

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Peloni:  Rabbi Pesach Wolicki joins Prof. Francisco Gil-White to discuss the motivations behind the Trump administration.  Is Trump pro Jihad, is Trump’s policy good for the US?  Is Trump’s policy better than Biden’s or different from Reagan’s?  This and more in an insightful conversation on where the Trump administration stands regarding Israel, and where Israel is moving towards in the future.

One thing which goes unstated about the motivation of Washington to appease its Islamist allies in the region, is that it secures these actors under Washington’s alliance system rather than seeing them shift towards China.  While the consequences of pursuing such a policy has significant and unfortunate implications for Washington, the region and the American people.  As I have noted on many occasions, Trump’s greater interest is in dealing with China, not with Iran.

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