Jewish Agency sums up immigration record for 2022  

T. Belman. According to the article, most of the Olim from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus totaling 52,000 are not Jews..  I assume this means most are not halachic Jews.. We are not informed how many of these came under the grandfather clause and how many without any Jewish connection. Nor does it tell us if this total includes refugees who were given temporary visas.

According to Agency data, 70,000 new immigrants arrived in Israel, most of them from Russia and Ukraine.

Jewish Agency Chairman Maj. Gen. (Res.) Doron Almog with new immigrants Jewish Agency

The Jewish Agency for Israel is wrapping up 2022, marking a record year with a total of 70,000 olim (immigrants) from 95 different countries immigrating to Israel with the Agency’s assistance, in cooperation with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. This represents a record number of olim for the past 23 years and a dramatic increase from 2021 when around 28,600 new immigrants arrived in Israel.

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December 23, 2022 | 2:46 am | 5 Comments »

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The Persistence of the Left  

Why an ideology so graphically repudiated by history – and so bloody in its application – continues to endure.

by

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 sparked a wave of optimism and triumphalism across the West. Our nuclear-armed rival and ideological enemy had suddenly disappeared, taking with it the shadow of nuclear apocalypse. But for the Left, since 1917 the Soviet Union had been the locus of the hopes and dreams of leftist collectivism. Now history, understood as an ideological game of thrones, had ended, dashing that hope. Liberal democracy, private property, and free-market capitalism had prevailed, and no credible alternative remained.

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December 22, 2022 | 4:56 pm | 2 Comments »

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Another Ben-Gvir victory: Law used to bar Marzel, Ben Ari from Knesset to be repealed  

“This anti-racism law has never been used against Arabs, only Jews,” explains Otzma Yehudit head.

(R. to l.) Baruch Marzel, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Dr. Michael Ben AriNoam Rivkin Fenton/Flash 90, Eliran Aharon, Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90

New details have emerged regarding the coalition agreement between the Likud and Otzma Yehudit parties which are likely to satisfy right-wing figures such as Bentzi Gopstein, Baruch Marzel, and Dr. Michael Ben Ari.

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has acceded to the demand of Otzma Yehudit head and National Security Minister-designate Itamar Ben-Gvir to cancel Clause 7A of the Basic Law: Knesset, which prevents anyone who incites toward racism or who negates the existence of Israel as a Jewish-democratic state from running for the Knesset.

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December 22, 2022 | 4:07 pm | Comments »

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Smotrich’s achievements: Budgets for state-religious education, Jewish settlement  

National-Religious Chief Rabbi to be appointed, programs to enhance Jewish identity promoted.

 

MK Bezalel SmotrichYonatan Sindel/Flash90

With the parties of the incoming government poised to sign coalition agreements, details are beginning to emerge. The first agreement the Likud party intends to sign on Thursday is with the Religious Zionism party, headed by MK Bezalel Smotrich.

One of the clauses in their agreement is a commitment to promote an amendment to the Religious Public Education Law, designed to formalize and enhance the status and authority of the state-religious public education system.

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December 22, 2022 | 3:56 pm | Comments »

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Smotrich has less power than we thought  

T. Belman. In general, the left is trying to maintain power in the hands of the civil servants rather that giving the power to the Knesset. For me, the civil servants represent the Deep State.

By Ted Belman

This morning the anti-Zionist HAARETZ reported on:

Jordan riots.

Israeli security officials are worriedly watching the latest developments in Jordan. At the moment the stability of the kingdom is not believed to be at risk, but the events of the past week show the difficulty that the royal house and the government in Amman are having with the combination of protests, violence and economic crisis.

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December 22, 2022 | 10:03 am | Comments »

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NYT publishes a Swastika Crossword Puzzle  

PETITION: To NY Times:  OPPOSE Swastika Crossword Puzzle in NY Times on Eve of Chanuka 

Send an Email to the New York Times

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https://actionnetwork.org/letters/send-an-email-to-the-new-york-times?source=direct_link&

Please sign to write to oppose this action that was taken during Chanukah by the NY Times which claims it  was only about “symmetry ” for the crossword puzzle. The NY Times has been known to publish very antisemitic articles in the name of free speech, or to disavow the fact that the articles are actually antisemitic.
December 22, 2022 | 8:24 am | Comments »

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Dozens of MKs accuse EU of blood libel, hatred after West Bank plan leaked  

Coalition and opposition lawmakers say internal European document on Area C with plans to boost Palestinians represents ‘same flames of primitive hatred’

By LAZAR BERMAN, TOI        Today, 9:34 pm  

 

A Palestinian walks on a newly-made section of a road that was financed by the European Union, on the outskirts of the West Bank village of Taqoa, near Bethlehem, January. 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Dozens of right-wing lawmakers from both the presumed incoming coalition and its opponents on Wednesday called a leaked European Union document formulating a new program to protect Palestinian claims in the West Bank an “extremely grave breach” of the EU-Israel relationship.

In a letter to top EU officials, the Knesset members effectively accused the Europeans of antisemitism and of dismissing historical Jewish ties to the West Bank.

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December 22, 2022 | 2:32 am | 11 Comments »

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The Jordanian Revolution is underway  

T. Belman. Follow Mudar Adnan Zahran on twitter. He is reporting extensively every day.

December 22, 2022 | 2:14 am | 1 Comment »

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The Muslim Brotherhood Collapses in the Middle East, Adapts in the West  

The Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East is in decline in part because of the recent deaths of Yusuf al-Qaradawi in Qatar (above left) and Ibrahim Munir in London (above right). Qaradawi’s death may, however, may represent an opportunity for Muslim Brotherhood activists in Europe by removing an embarrassing and anachronistic presence from the world scene.

By Sara Brzuszkiewicz, MEFORUM      20.12.22<
>

The Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East has been experiencing the worst international crisis since its founding in Egypt in 1928. The movement is reeling from the death of its most prominent ideologue Yusuf al-Qaradawi in September and the November death of London-based Ibrahim Munir — who served as the organization’s operational leader. It is also experiencing a loss of support in the Middle East and suffering the lingering effects of a power struggle between its leaders in Egypt and Turkey. Put it all together and it appears the movement is on the verge of disintegrating in the region of its birth.
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December 22, 2022 | 2:10 am | Comments »

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Qatar Corruption Scandal Engulfs European Parliament  

by Seth J. Frantzman, MEFORUM

Qatar has been trying to deflect critique from worker’s rights and human rights during the World Cup. Doha now faces a new challenge. Qatar has been accused of being involved in a corruption scandal in Europe that has ensnared several members of the European Parliament.

Over the past week it has been revealed that large sums of cash were found in two homes, and the EU Parliament voted to remove one Greek MEP as one of the 14 vice presidents of the body.

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December 21, 2022 | 3:38 pm | Comments »

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Why Saudis Don’t Want to Pivot to China  

For Saudis like me, nothing could be more disheartening than a divorce from the United States.

By Mohammed Khalid Alyahya, FOREIGN POLICY


Xi Jinping is welcomed by Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud at the Palace of Yamamah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on December 8, 2022. (Royal Court of Saudi Arabia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Chinese President Xi Jinping just returned from three days of back-to-back summits in Riyadh: the first with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the second with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the third with a larger group of Arab governments. The result of the summit marathon was a number of public and not-so public agreements on energy, trade, investment, technology cooperation, and various other areas. The summits ratified an increasingly close economic and security relationship. Saudi Arabia supplies China with 18 percent of its energy needs, and it is expanding orders for petrochemical, industrial, and military equipment, much of which it previously obtained from the United States.
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December 21, 2022 | 3:18 pm | 3 Comments »

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Defrocking the New York Times  

By Steve Kramer

Why “defrocking,” a term usually used in the ecclesiastical sense? Well, The New York Times (NYT) has a quasi-religious following among American liberals, especially Jewish ones. It is “the” authority on most things, and one of those things is the paper’s peculiar relationship with the Jewish State of Israel. It says it supports Israel, while we know that it disparages Israel more than anything else.

While many NYT readers might take offense at the term “Jewish State,” that precisely describes this nation, which won its independence in 1948 as the one and only Jewish State. Yes, it’s democratic. Name another country that could have five elections within such a short period without a violent reaction.

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December 21, 2022 | 3:02 pm | 3 Comments »

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US said planning to hold Netanyahu responsible for actions of far-right ministers  

US officials quoted saying policy aimed at limiting influence of next coalition’s most hardline members; US policy on Iran, Saudi Arabia could be leveraged to pressure incoming PM

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) holds a joint press conference with then-US vice president Joe Biden at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, March 9, 2016. (Amit Shabi/Pool)

US President Joe Biden’s administration reportedly plans to hold expected incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally responsible for the actions of the far-right lawmakers he is expected to soon appoint as senior ministers in his next government.

The stance, revealed in a Tuesday report by the Politico website, is a central part of the policy that the White House has been crafting as it readies to once again work with a Netanyahu government in Jerusalem after a year in which ties warmed, thanks to a more moderate coalition led by former prime minister Naftali Bennett and outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid.

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December 21, 2022 | 2:35 pm | 3 Comments »

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It is in America’s interest to end the war in Ukraine  

Continuing the war harms the West and endangers its battle to attain other critical strategic objectives. 


Prof. Efraim Inbar, JNSS

The Western support for Ukraine in its war against Russia is unlikely to achieve a Russian defeat. Moreover, it has become an enormous burden, putting at risk the West attaining its other critical strategic objectives.

Everybody understands that the war will not end with restoring Ukrainian territorial integrity, as its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, demands. Crimea and the Donbas region, populated by ethnic Russians, are unlikely to revert to Ukrainian rule. The staying power of Russia is more substantial than Ukraine’s, and thus despite economic difficulties and military problems, Russia will not likely submit to Ukraine’s conditions. Moscow will probably continue its war of attrition, exacting a high price on Ukraine’s infrastructure and army.

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December 21, 2022 | 1:29 pm | 4 Comments »

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Judge Rules Heart of Lake’s Lawsuit Will Go Forward – Voting Machines and Ballot Custody at Center of Case  

By Randy DeSoto, REPUBLIC BRIEF  December 20, 2022

Arizona Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled Monday night that two issues at the heart of Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake’s election challenge will go to trial.

The lawsuit filed against Maricopa County election officials and Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs challenged the validity of Hobbs’ win over Lake by just over 17,000 votes in the Nov. 8 governor’s race.

Hobbs and Maricopa County had filed a motion to dismiss the entire election challenge.

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December 21, 2022 | 12:14 pm | 4 Comments »

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