Just as uniformity can result in both stability and stagnation, so too can diversity sometimes ensure either dynamism or bedlam.

By Victor Davis Hanson, AMER GREATNESS   January 2, 2023

What do all our notable fabricators—George Santos, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Barack Obama—have in common?

Well, quite like the Ward ChurchilIs or Rachel Dolezals of the world, one way or another, they lied about their identities. Or they sought fraudulent ways of suggesting their ancestries were marginalized. Or they had claims on being victims on the theory their constructed personas brought career advantages.

George Santos claimed, apparently in search of a victimized status, that he was an “American Jew” and a “Latino Jew,” and a descendent of Holocaust survivors.
Read more…

by Pete Hoekstra, GATESTONE  •  January 8, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 15, 2022. (Photo by Alexandr Demyanchuk/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

• The recently released Biden National Security Strategy points to the “acute threat” posed by Russia to United States national security. Yet the administration continues, with the support and encouragement of the European Union, its futile attempt to restart the “nuclear deal” to enable Iran’s expansionist regime to have as many nuclear weapons as it likes and the ballistic missiles to deliver them — and on top of that, using Russia, of all countries, as its proxy negotiator.

Read more…

https://rumble.com/v10jgtz-caroline-glicks-epic-speech-about-settlements-and-jewish-rights.html

As U.S. and Allied forces crumble in the face of the Turkish offensive.

by Christine Williams, FPM

An article published in Sahara Reporters provides an immediate insight into an ongoing, but largely forgotten battle with the Islamic State. The Islamic State (ISIS) threat continues in the Levant, despite the destruction of the caliphate by American and allied forces several years ago. In 2022 in Syria, America and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) killed 466 ISIS jihadis; 215 were taken prisoner. In Iraq, 220 ISIS jihadis were killed and 159 captured. The consequent total of 686 killed and 374 captured doesn’t provide the full picture. Between July and September, ISIS carried out 74 attacks in Syria and 73 attacks in Iraq.

Read more…

By Steve Apfel, AMER THINKER

You could say that Israel overdoes democracy. Governments are sworn in with head-spinning alacrity – 37 in 75 years, and elections exceed that number. This ought to be a consolation for   critics outraged by what many call a “far-right” and “undemocratic” coalition. It surely can’t be too long before a moderate one, patched-up and terminal, comes to power.

Besides, a week is held to be a long time in politics; the government may defy the predicted plague on the house of Israel. For one thing allies and investors could force moderation on it. For another, US Secretary of State Blinken has praised the election and promised that Washington will not turn on Israel, negating the hue and cry from sour grape opponents.
Read more…

By Michael Ordman, VGNI

Already in 2023 we see Israel building for a better future.  And it promises to be a healthier future for everyone, with Israeli treatments for cancer, migraine, essential tremor, burns, and dental implants – all having made major advances in the past week. Israelis are also building up the skills of medics in Ethiopia.  It’s good to see Israel building up its diplomatic relations with Turkiye (Turkey) and Azerbaijan, building new business opportunities with Gulf states, and building cultural ties with Mexico and Serbia.

On the technology front, Israeli startups are building quantum computers; new facilities to convert waste into hydrogen and bio-plastics; new sustainable products, and a “green” cover for one of Israel’s busy highways.

In the 8th Jan 23 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
Read more…

Finance Minister responds to former Supreme Court President who denounced judicial reforms in series of interviews.

Israel National News     Jan 8, 2023, 5:21 AM

Religious Zionist Party chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded on Saturday night to former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak, who blasted the judicial reforms announced by Justice Minister Yariv Levin in a series of media interviews.

“The law and justice reform, which was at the center of the election campaign and won the trust of the people, will return Israeli democracy to its glory before the judicial revolution that Barak carried out in a violent unilateral coup without permission and without authority and without any consultation with the people or its elected officials, and it will be carried out with God’s help,” said Smotrich.

Read more…

Contemplating, a US-Russia Alliance by Ted Belman and Alex Maistrovoy in 2016

By Eric Mack, NEWSMAX    07 January 2023

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) bangs the Speaker’s gavel for the first time after being elected the next Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in a late night 15th round of voting on the fourth day of the 118th Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 7, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein[/caption]

Former President Donald Trump was derided for having some of his staunch supporters holding out against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., but Trump’s dramatic call to House chamber to Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., is credited for closing the deal.

“Thank you Kevin,” Trump posted Saturday morning to Truth Social, along with video of the newly tapped speaker hailing Trump’s late-night call. “It was my great honor!”

Read more…

Ironically, it was the opposition that created a storm over the appointment of Itamar Ben-Gvir as prime minister, which as by now spread throughout the world.

By  Moria Kor, ISRAEL HAYOM

While campaigning, Itamar Ben-Gvir vowed to “protect the house,” a.k.a. Israel. He got right to it – having been sworn in as national security minister – this week by visiting the Temple Mount, a move that prompted hysteria at home and abroad.

He was afterward subjected to unprecedented criticism – especially by the Israeli Left – to which he responded sarcastically, saying he and his wife Ayala were used to “weekly death threats.”

Read more…

US diplomats scrambling to reassure Middle East allies on Jerusalem holy sites, imploring Israel not to cozy up to Russia and heading toward an impasse on the Palestinian issue

By TOI STAFF 

Newly sworn-in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, December 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, Pool, File)

WASHINGTON  — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government is little more than a week old but it’s already giving the Biden administration headaches.

Just days into its mandate, a far-right member of Netanyahu’s hard-right cabinet riled US diplomats as well as Israel’s regional allies with a visit to a Jerusalem holy site that some believe may be a harbinger of other contentious moves, including vast expansions of Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank.

Read more…

All major and minor operatives on the Israeli left have long insisted that if our elected leaders stray from the left’s positions on either domestic or strategic issues, the gates of hell will open to Israel on the international stage.

By Caroline Glick, JNS

(January 5, 2023 / JNS) Does the Israeli left protect Israel from international condemnation and prosecution? This has been the left’s key claim for more than a generation. From former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak to opposition leader Yair Lapid and his colleagues, to the last of Israel’s leftist reporters, commentators and activists, all major and minor operatives on the Israeli left have long insisted that if our elected leaders stray from the left’s positions on either domestic or strategic issues, the gates of hell will open to Israel on the international stage. They are Israel’s protective vest, shielding us from the hostile forces at our doorstep.
Read more…

American historian Daniel Pipes recently visited Israel to meet with key people and also discuss his visions for Israel’s victory in its current conflict.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN, JPOST

ISRAELI POLICE stand by as Jews visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City last year.

With Israel’s new government installed, the country stands at a crossroads. After a year and a half of a government that was rooted in the Center-Left, a right-wing coalition has come to power, led by Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu has led Israel in the past, so Israel may end up pursuing the same policies it has in the past. However, there is also a chance for Israel to take new steps that would shift its long-term trajectory and also that of the Palestinians.

Read more…

How religious ‘kumbaya’ serves as cover for Islamist terror and bigotry.

by Joe Kaufman, FPM

Many people’s idea of interfaith events revolves around those of different religious backgrounds getting together for innocuous talk with one another. Almost always there are positive connotations surrounding such affairs. Yet, there have been many instances in the past, when interfaith gatherings have been used as a way to provide cover for and legitimize fanatics. South Florida’s JAM (Jews and Muslims) and ALL is a prime example of this, where radical Muslim groups and individuals have been embraced and made to appear to the public as messengers of peace, while the reality is anything but. This piece was written to expose this reality.

Read more…

1. Summary: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has issued a very harshly worded press statement protesting a visit to the premises of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli Minister of National Security. In the statement, UAE emphasized the need for “the comprehensive protection of Al-Aqsa Mosque and that stopping the serious and provocative violations therein, and to respect the role of the sisterly Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in caring for Sanctities and Waqf in accordance with international law and the existing historical situation.” This was followed by the postponement of a state-visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the UAE. The UAE’s sudden hostility appears to stem from its desire to sustain the ongoing status quo between Israel and the Palestinians.

Read more…

Netanyahu government unveils sanctions against Palestinian Authority, after PA wins UN backing for International Court of Justice probe.

By David Rosenberg, INN     Jan 6, 2023,

Cabinet meetingKobi Gideon/GPO

The Israeli government has prepared a set of sanctions targeting the Palestinian Authority, after the PA successfully lobbied the United Nations General Assembly to back an International Court of Justice case against Israel.

Last Saturday, the UN General Assembly voted 87 to 26 to back a resolution calling on the International Court of Justice in The Hague to rule on the legality of Israel’s presence in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem.

Read more…

Levin announces sweeping proposals to curtail judges’ powers; claims court’s intervention in decisions, Knesset laws harms democracy; opposition warns of ‘political coup’

By JEREMY SHARON, ISRAEL HAYOM  4.1.23

Justice Minister Yariv Levin on Wednesday announced a wide-ranging and highly controversial overhaul of Israel’s judicial and legal system which, if enacted, would amount to arguably the most drastic changes ever to Israel’s system of government.

The changes set out by Levin during a press conference at the Knesset would severely limit the authority of the High Court of Justice, give the government control over the judicial selection committee, and significantly limit the authority of government legal advisers.

Read more…

By MARTIN SHERMAN

Why do professed liberals persist in support for an entity that would comprise the utter negation of all the values they allegedly cherish?

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”—widely attributed to Albert Einstein
Read more…

According to global expert on Jerusalem, Daniel Luria, the key to peace in the Middle East lies in a strong Jewish state, which he says is the most democratic and free nation in the region thanks to its commitment to Jewish values.

By Avi Yemini, REBEL NEWS January 05, 2023

Read more…