Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, made clear to the world Israel’s commitment to the oppressed people of Iran, holding up a photo of Mahsa Amini — the young woman murdered by the Iranian regime for not wearing a hijab in the way approved by the regime — during the speech of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who has been called “The Butcher of Tehran.”
U.N. security personnel immediately grabbed Erdan and detained him.
“New moral stain for the UN!! When President Raisi of Iran, the ‘Butcher of Tehran,’ began his speech, I waved a picture of Mahsa Amini, the innocent Iranian woman who was brutally murdered by the regime one year ago for not wearing a hijab ‘properly,'&#8221; Erdan posted on X. &#8220;Meanwhile, outside the UN hundreds of Iranians were protesting, begging for help from the international community. I will never stop fighting for the truth and I will always expose the UN’s moral distortions. Those who roll out the red carpet for murderers and antisemites must be held accountable for their actions!”
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New moral stain for the UN ‼️
When President Raisi of Iran, the “Butcher of Tehran,” began his speech, I waved a picture of Mahsa Amini, the innocent Iranian woman who was brutally murdered by the regime one year ago for not wearing a hijab “properly.”
Meanwhile, outside the UN… <a href="https://t.co/ZVq80Zpt9N">pic.twitter.com/ZVq80Zpt9N</a>
&mdash; Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) <a href="https://twitter.com/giladerdan1/status/1704250148212158878?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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UN police manhandle <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israeli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Israeli</a> UN Amb. Gilad Erdan (&amp; then deny it). <a href="https://t.co/OkzfPRMTfv">https://t.co/OkzfPRMTfv</a> His offence? Challenging Iranian Prez at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNGA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNGA</a> with evidence of Iranian brutality. <a href="https://t.co/JQSjzef0qs">https://t.co/JQSjzef0qs</a> Rest of world? Fine with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UN</a> platform for &quot;murderers &amp; antisemites.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/LOKEfXNjAU">pic.twitter.com/LOKEfXNjAU</a>
&mdash; Anne Bayefsky (@AnneBayefsky) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnneBayefsky/status/1704294226081554436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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JUST IN: Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan was detained Tuesday at U.N. Headquarters — as seen in U.S. exclusive video from NEWSMAX — after protesting the speech of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. <a href="https://t.co/v9k51VTCPT">https://t.co/v9k51VTCPT</a> <a href="https://t.co/lpNgLzO6N7">pic.twitter.com/lpNgLzO6N7</a>
&mdash; NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) <a href="https://twitter.com/NEWSMAX/status/1704276206772748392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Prior to his action at the U.N., Erdan posted to X:
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While the UN rolls out the red carpet for the Butcher of Tehran, President Raisi, Iranians in New York are here to show the true face of the Ayatollah regime. The leaders in Iran only seek to oppress, starve, and murder their own people, while exporting terror and racing toward nuclear weapons. The world must wake up and listen to the voices of innocent Iranians! The Ayatollah regime must be held accountable for their crimes and pay the price! The people of Israel stand with the people of Iran.
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While the UN rolls out the red carpet for the Butcher of Tehran, President Raisi, Iranians in New York are here to show the true face of the Ayatollah regime. The leaders in Iran only seek to oppress, starve, and murder their own people, while exporting terror and racing toward… <a href="https://t.co/45jrRNUQzq">pic.twitter.com/45jrRNUQzq</a>
&mdash; Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) <a href="https://twitter.com/giladerdan1/status/1704229071113089110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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“Raisi was one of four members of a death committee responsible for the 1988 execution of thousands of Iranian prisoners of conscience in the space of a few months,” Tablet Magazine <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/who-is-iran-president-ebrahim-raisi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in July 2021. “The ideologically motivated mass executions constituted both a crime against humanity and genocide—a cleansing of religious infidels—according to international human rights expert Geoffrey Robertson. It was a massacre, he says, comparable to those at Srebrenica and the Katyn Forest.”
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“Virgins were systematically raped before their execution, to circumvent the Islamic prohibition on killing virgins and to prevent women and girls from reaching heaven,” Tablet added. “The executed were ordered to write their own names on their hands before they went to their death.”
Erdan’s action was supported by Iranians sick of the despotic regime that controls their country:
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Israel&#39;s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, held up a photo of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MahsaAmini?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MahsaAmini</a> during Ebrahim Raisi&#39;s speech at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNGA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNGA</a>. More of this, please! 🇮🇱👏🏼 <a href="https://t.co/fVhzjXbOOM">pic.twitter.com/fVhzjXbOOM</a>
&mdash; Sarah Raviani (@sarahraviani) <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahraviani/status/1704246541622358040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Thank you Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan <a href="https://twitter.com/giladerdan1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@giladerdan1</a> for honoring the memory of Mahsa Amini – savagely killed by the Islamic Republic of Iran for the way she dressed – during the speech of Iran&#39;s President to the U.N. just now! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D8%B2%D9%86_%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AF%DA%AF%DB%8C_%D8%A2%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%AF%DB%8C?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#زن_زندگی_آزادی</a> <a href="https://t.co/AF53gGz1R9">pic.twitter.com/AF53gGz1R9</a>
&mdash; Sia Kordestani (@SiaKordestani) <a href="https://twitter.com/SiaKordestani/status/1704250775218929817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Gilad Erdan, Israel&#39;s ambassador to the United Nations, was arrested on Tuesday at the United Nations headquarters, and this shows the lack of freedom of speech in an organization that supports international freedom and rights. He is the voice of millions of Iranians held captive… <a href="https://t.co/STFhAE8ZaF">https://t.co/STFhAE8ZaF</a>
&mdash; shahbod shafigh (@sh3autosport) <a href="https://twitter.com/sh3autosport/status/1704396439692993020?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Israeli Ambassador To The United Nations Gilad Erdan Speaks To The Press After Security Council Meeting

Israel’s Ambassador Manhandled By U.N. Security After Condemning Despotic Iranian President. Iranians Praise Him.

Butcher of Tehran

Iran

Israel

Massacre

United Nations

The Left is fully dedicated internationally and nationally to the idea that they would rather have bad things happen to the globe than allow their political opponents to ever achieve a victory.
Here’s an example: It looks right now as though Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, may be able to cut a deal with the Saudis to normalize relations between the two countries. This would be an earth-shattering move. It would be amazing for the Middle East. You&#8217;re talking about one of the most powerful countries in the region moving in tandem with the most powerful military country in the region — one Muslim, one Jewish.
That would be amazing — like the Abraham Accords but multiplied a hundredfold. Saudi Arabia has every interest in signing on because they need economic growth to modernize their technology and their military. And they can work with Israel in order to do that, because Israel has a very, very modern military. 
Here’s where the rubber meets the road: Neither side cares one bit about terrorist organizations like the Palestinian Authority and Hamas and what they would think of such a deal.
You know who does care about that? The leftist writer Thomas Friedman of the New York Times. Friedman really hates Netanyahu. He despises him.
Friedman wrote <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/05/opinion/biden-middle-east-deal.html">a column in the New York Times</a> saying you can&#8217;t normalize relations with a government that isn&#8217;t normal, meaning Netanyahu’s right-wing government. So Friedman’s encouraging the Saudis not to make peace with Israel because he doesn&#8217;t like Netanyahu. 
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-ben-shapiro-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h4>
You have the Biden administration, run by a man who’s not sentient. You have the Saudi government, which is a dictatorship. And lastly, you have an elected government in Israel that&#8217;s been in place for roughly six months with a prime minister who&#8217;s been prime minister several times before.
But according to Friedman, the “not normal” government is the Israeli government? 
He writes, “The more I learn about the complex peace and security deal that the Biden team is trying to put together between the United States, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinians, the more I’m convinced that if they pull it off, they’ll win both the Nobel Peace Prize and the Nobel Prize in Physics. Because finding a way to balance the different interests of all four of these parties makes quantum mechanics look as easy as tic-tac-toe.”
Here&#8217;s the truth: The Palestinian interests are of very little consequence to anyone because they have routinely undermined every peace agreement ever offered. The Palestinian leadership has been a terrorist leadership since Oslo and beyond. Mahmoud Abbas, the current leader of the Palestinian Authority (that&#8217;s the “moderate” group over there) gave a speech the other day saying that the Germans murdered the Jews in the Holocaust because the Jews were usurious, because they charged interest.
That’s who Israel is supposed to be handing concessions to? 
Friedman says, “Given the many permutations this deal could take, let me just focus here on the only one that is in America’s interest and that I would support. It’s a deal that would normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, forge a deeper security relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and concretely advance a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.”
Here’s news for Friedman: Who cares what you think? 
Friedman states, “I want to appeal directly to President Biden and the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman: Do not let Netanyahu make you his useful idiots.”
The only idiot here is Thomas Friedman. He is perceived as a foreign policy expert, which is absurd. His entire foreign policy expertise consists of going to foreign countries and being wined and dined by dictatorial regimes and talking to taxi drivers. What a garbage heap he is. 
Political polarization is one hell of a drag. 
If you hate someone enough, you&#8217;d rather watch the countries involved fail, even though it would make the world a much better place to allow that person to succeed.
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Ben Shapiro Editorial Series 11 copy

When The Left Hates Someone, Even Peace Takes A Back Seat

Hamas

New York Times

Opinion

Palestinians

Readers Pass

Saudi Arabia

Thomas Friedman

Archaeologists in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/israel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jerusalem</a> have reportedly unearthed steps descending into the Pool of Siloam, where Biblical records show Jesus Christ healed a blind man over 2,000 years ago at one of the most significant heritage sites in the world.
&#8220;It&#8217;s exciting to be a part of a story that&#8217;s bigger than ourselves — to be a part of bringing a story to life that has significance not for millions, but for billions,&#8221; Ze&#8217;ev Orenstein, director of international affairs for the City of David Foundation, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6336698717112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News Digital.
The discovery comes amid an excavation project in the ancient city of the Middle East carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority, and the City of David Foundation, which works to preserve and develop the city and its environs by connecting people through different faiths and backgrounds in Jerusalem.
Construction crews and archaeologists began working on an excavation project at the historic site of Biblical Jerusalem in 2004 after a large water pipe south of Jerusalem&#8217;s Temple Mount, at the southern end of the ridge known as the City of David, burst, according to the Biblical Archaeology Society.
In recent weeks, however, archaeologists discovered a set of eight steps at the project site — about the size of two Olympic swimming pools — dating back to the days when Jesus and millions of others used the pool as an ancient ritual bath.
According to the <a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/114/JHN.9.6-10.NKJV" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gospel of John</a>, the story of Jesus and the blind man at the pool began when Jesus and His disciples encountered a man who had been blind since birth. The disciples asked Jesus if the man or his parents caused him to be born blind. Jesus answered that neither caused his disability, but rather, the man had been born blind so that God&#8217;s work might be revealed in him.
&#8220;We must do the work of him who sent me while day lasts; night is coming when no man can work,&#8221; Jesus said. &#8220;While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.&#8221;
Jesus then put clay made from the ground and his saliva over the blind man&#8217;s eyes and said to him, &#8220;Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam.&#8221;
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The blind man went to the pool, washed the clay from his eyes, and returned with his vision restored.
Construction of the pool reportedly began more than 2,700 years ago when Judean King Hezekiah first ordered the digging of a 1,750-foot tunnel under the City of David to bring water from the Gihon Spring, which lay outside the city wall, inside the city to a pool on the opposite side of the ridge, according to the <a href="https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/the-siloam-pool-where-jesus-healed-the-blind-man/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biblical Archaeology Society</a>.
Hezekiah foresaw the likelihood of a looming attack from the Assyrians and presumed the water supply would help the Judeans survive. The tunnel continued to carry fresh water into the part of Jerusalem that would lead to the construction of several different pools, including the Second Temple pool that Jesus knew.
More than 2,000 years later, the biblical site revered by Christians and Jews worldwide marvels at the discovery.
&#8220;The ongoing excavations within the City of David — the historic site of Biblical Jerusalem — particularly of the Pool of Siloam and the Pilgrimage Road, serve as one of the greatest affirmations of that heritage and the millennia-old bond Jews and Christians have with Jerusalem,&#8221; Orenstein said.
The site, which runs from the Pool of Siloam in the south along the Pilgrimage Road and up to the footsteps of the Western Wall, Southern Steps, and Temple Mount, represents the most significant half-mile on the planet, he added.
&#8220;There is no half mile that means more to more people that affirms Jerusalem&#8217;s biblical heritage not simply as a matter of faith, but as a matter of fact,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;And obviously living in a time where so much of biblical heritage is being questioned — to be able to be unearthing all of this historical heritage and antiquity that shows that whether for Jews or Christians, that you could see it, you could touch it, you could walk on it, that really our heritage in Jerusalem going back thousands of years, not simply a matter of faith, but a matter of fact, being unearthed here in the city of David,&#8221; he added.
In January, Rev. Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/steps-where-jesus-walked-and-healed-a-blind-man-unearthed-for-first-time-in-2000-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News Digital, &#8220;In the Pool of Siloam, we find evidence of history preserved for us, revealed at just the right time.&#8221;
&#8220;Theologically, it affirms scripture, geographically it affirms scripture, and politically, it affirms Israel&#8217;s unquestionable and unrivaled link to Jerusalem. Some discoveries are theoretical,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This one is an undeniable. It is proof of the story of the Bible and of its people, Israel.&#8221;
Visitors have accessed a small section of the pool previously excavated, but the City of David plans to open the entire historic site once crews complete the project.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a big responsibility. And it&#8217;s also a big privilege, and the best is truly yet to come,&#8221; Orenstein said.

Archaeological excavations in the City of David, Jerusalem, aerial

Steps Descending Into 2,000 Year Old Biblical Site Where Jesus Healed A Blind Man Unearthed By Archaeologists: Report

Archaeologists Unearth 2,000 Year Old Biblical Site Where Jesus Healed A Blind Man: Report

Archaeology

Bible

Christianity

Jerusalem

Jesus Christ

World

An Air Seychelles flight to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi Arabia on Monday evening. Flight HM22 <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-saudi-arabia-flight-464413aa6f694abf4f9f6af58a378ede">diverted</a> to Jeddah while flying over the Red Sea due to a technical electrical malfunction of the plane. There were 128 Israelis on board. 
The situation was closely <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/376222">monitored</a> by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, as Israel does not have diplomatic ties or air links with the Saudi Kingdom, and Israelis are officially restricted from traveling to Saudi Arabia. 
&#8220;When they announced on the flight that we were landing in Saudi Arabia, it was really scary,&#8221; <a href="https://www.kan.org.il/content/kan-news/global/507853/">said</a> Sharon Licht-Patren, a passenger on the flight. &#8220;It wasn&#8217;t clear what would happen. Every now and then, the captain updated us that they were in contact with the Foreign Ministry and the authorities and that there still wasn&#8217;t approval to get off the plane. We were stuck for more than three hours without electricity or working toilets.&#8221;
Saudi officials soon escorted the Israeli passengers to an airport hotel, where they spent the night. A replacement plane was sent from Dubai to pick up the passengers, and they arrived safely in Israel on Tuesday. 
Israeli passengers were pleasantly surprised by the treatment they received from their Saudi hosts. &#8220;There was concern, but it turns out that Saudi Arabia is really surprising. We were told we were welcome. We didn&#8217;t expect it,&#8221; <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/376240">said</a> Emmanuel Carmel in an interview with Israeli Radio 103FM.
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Israeli passengers say they are treated courteously in Jeddah International Airport <a href="https://t.co/qHtW4Dkdq4">pic.twitter.com/qHtW4Dkdq4</a>
&mdash; Haisam Hassanein (@HaisamHassanei1) <a href="https://twitter.com/HaisamHassanei1/status/1696444848104980858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Another passenger, Chen Giladi, told <a href="https://www.ynetnews.com/travel/article/rkbx5eoa3">Ynet</a>, “They took us in buses to a lovely hotel at the terminal and they treated us very well. From the moment we disembarked, they greeted us with ‘shalom’ in Hebrew and made us feel good. They are very nice here.”
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אני מאוד מעריך את היחס החם של הרשויות הסעודיות לנוסעים הישראלים שהמטוס שלהם נקלע למצוקה ונאלץ לנחות נחיתת חירום בג&#39;דה. 
אני שמח שכולם חוזרים הביתה. 
אני מאוד מעריך את השכנות הטובה. <a href="https://t.co/XyVj0o9B1g">pic.twitter.com/XyVj0o9B1g</a>
&mdash; Benjamin Netanyahu &#8211; בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) <a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1696458980090839376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu praised the Saudi Government in a video recorded in Hebrew with Arabic subtitles. “I greatly appreciate the warm attitude of the Saudi authorities toward the Israeli passengers whose flight was in distress,” he said while gesturing towards a map of the region behind him. “I greatly appreciate the good neighborliness,” highlighting the potential for improved ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Though Saudi Arabia was not one of the Gulf and Arab countries that normalized ties with Israel as part of the 2020 Abraham Accords brokered under the Trump administration, the two countries have developed strong but informal connections in recent years over their shared concerns about Iran’s growing influence in the region. 
Speculation has grown about an impending deal as the Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/in-new-step-toward-israel-deal-saudi-arabia-offers-to-resume-palestinian-authority-funding-9e2dcc5">reported</a> this week that Saudi Arabia is considering resuming aid to the Palestinian Authority as part of its effort to lay the groundwork for a future recognition agreement with Israel. 
Saudi Arabia had previously been a staunch supporter and benefactor of the Palestinian Authority, giving over $5 billion to Palestinian causes, but Riyadh cut funding in 2016 amid allegations of incompetence and corruption. The resumption of Saudi aid, which would be contingent on the Palestinian Authority cracking down on militant groups and violence in Judea and Samaria, could play an important role in securing their support for the kingdom’s outreach to Israel. 
Netanyahu has long <a href="https://www.israelhayom.com/2022/10/24/i-intend-to-achieve-peace-with-saudi-arabia/">championed</a> a deal with the Saudis, saying that the big prize for Israel is a deep relationship with Saudi Arabia. It would grant legitimacy to the presence of a Jewish state in the mostly Muslim region and potentially open doors to normalization with other large Muslim nations such as Malaysia and Indonesia.
According to Daily Wire Editor Emeritus <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-hands-cash-to-iran-an-incentive-to-take-more-hostages">Ben Shapiro</a>, the Saudis are willing to normalize relations with Israel. However, the Biden administration has put pressure on the Saudis not to normalize relations unless Israel makes concessions to the Palestinians, and the Palestinians are governed by terror groups connected to Iran. 
Biden’s latest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-reaches-deal-with-iran-to-free-americans-in-exchange-for-iranian-prisoners-6b-in-funds">deal</a> with Iran, which unfroze nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets in exchange for the transfer of five U.S. citizens from prison to house arrest in Tehran, only seems to bolden its sponsorship of terrorism. Terror in Israel is out of control, with more Israelis dead this year from Palestinian terror than any year since the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israeli-mother-murdered-in-front-of-her-daughter-in-terrorist-shooting-attack-near-hebron">second intifada</a>, 20 years ago. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has blamed Iran for the latest spree of violence, culminating yesterday with four terror attacks in a span of less than 24 hours.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Visits Berlin

Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu Thanks Saudi Arabia For Kind Treatment Of Stranded Israelis As Warming Relations Grow

An Iranian world-class weightlifter has been <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/08/31/iranian-weightlifter-mostafa-rajaei-banned-from-sport-for-life-after-shaking-hands-with-israeli-competitor/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=nypost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned for life</a> by the Iran Weightlifting Federation after shaking the hand of his Israeli competitor and taking a photo with him..
Mostafa Rajaei finished second in the men’s over-35 age group in the 240 lb division behind Sargis Martirosjan from Austria and ahead of third-place finisher Maksim Svirsky of Israel at the World Masters Weightlifting Championships in Poland. Rajaei broke the world record for the clean and jerk, lifting 430 lbs. breaking the previous record of 428 lbs set by Hungary’s Ferenc Gyurkovics set in 2014 at 428 lbs.
But standing on the podium with Martirosjan and Svirsky, Rajaei shook Svirsky’s hand and took a picture with him. That prompted the Iran Weightlifting Federation, which called Rajaei’s actions an “unforgivable” indiscretion, to ban Rajaei for life and fire Hamid Salehiniam, who supervised the Iranian team at the event.
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Iranian weightlifter Mostafa Rajaei banned from sport for life after shaking hands with Israeli competitor <a href="https://t.co/cTliQZ4JzH">https://t.co/cTliQZ4JzH</a> <a href="https://t.co/lY9RZO2xXx">pic.twitter.com/lY9RZO2xXx</a>
&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1697301440480378965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2023</a></blockquote>
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“The weightlifting federation bans athlete Mostafa Rajaei for life from entering all sports facilities in the country and dismisses the head of the delegation for the competition,” the Iran Weightlifting Federation stated.
Rajaei “crossed the red lines of the Islamic Republic,” the state news agency IRNA reported.
Rajaei <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CwaihDDIXn2/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on Instagram, “I could not work well because of the pain in my elbow. But in the two beats of God and gratitude, I became the first, and moved the world record by one kilogram. &#8230; I came in second overall. Thanks to all dears who helped me in this way.&#8221;
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told athletes “not to shake hands with a representative of the [Israeli] criminal regime to obtain a medal” two years ago.
In April 2021, the International Judo Federation (IJF) <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-handed-four-year-ban-by-international-judo-federation-2021-04-30/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hit Iran</a> with a four-year ban for &#8220;repeated and very severe breaches&#8221; of the organization&#8217;s statutes after an Iranian fighter was told not to compete against an Israeli. In October 2020, the IJF sanctioned Iran for demanding Saeid Mollaei to withdraw from the world championships so he would not have to confront Israeli contender Sagi Muki. Mollaei, who won the 2018 world judo crown, then fled Iran to live in Germany.
The IJF asserted it &#8220;continues to defend fundamental human values and rights of all its members, with a special emphasis on the rights of athletes and reiterates its commitment to fight against any form of discrimination in the sport of Judo.&#8221;

Weight training plate

Iranian Weightlifter Banned For Life After Shaking Hands With Israeli Competitor

Sports

weightlifting

Batsheva Nigri, a 42-year-old preschool teacher from Beit Hagai in Judea, became the most recent Israeli victim of a <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375861" target="_blank" rel="noopener">terrorist shooting attack</a> while traveling on Route 60 near the city of Hebron on Monday. Her 12-year-old daughter was in the back seat and witnessed the entire attack, miraculously escaping unharmed. The driver of the car, Aryeh Gottlieb, also a resident of Beit Hagai, is in serious condition after receiving multiple gunshot wounds. 
Security forces&#8217; initial investigation <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375863" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that the terrorists cut off the victim’s car at an intersection, launched a barrage of over 20 gunshots at close range, and then fled into Hebron. The severely wounded Gottlieb managed to continue driving until he reached a safe place, where he was treated by United Hatzalah, Magen David Edom, and IDF medics. Unfortunately, Nigri was unable to be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene. After a massive manhunt by the IDF, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), and Israel Border Police, two Arabs were <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375898" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> on Tuesday after admitting to carrying out the attack. The weapon that was allegedly used was also confiscated.
At a press <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375882" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conference</a> near the scene, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu offered a prayer for the injured and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. He also called out Iran&#8217;s involvement in this latest terror wave. “We are in the midst of a terror offensive that is encouraged, planned, and funded by Iran and her satellites. We will fight and win.” 
Defense Minister Yoav Galant added, “It is important to understand the significant change that is taking place on the ground; it is related to Iranian funding and to the proliferation of weapons under the Iranian directive. Iran seeks every means to harm the citizens of Israel. We will reach the terrorists, and we will take additional action to ensure the security of Israel&#8217;s citizens while exacting a price from those responsible for any harm.”
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אנחנו בעיצומה של מתקפת טרור שמכוונת ומעודדת על ידי איראן וגרורותיה. אנחנו נילחם וננצח. <a href="https://t.co/yumOWeYQA9">pic.twitter.com/yumOWeYQA9</a>
&mdash; Benjamin Netanyahu &#8211; בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) <a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1693666975568757140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The murder of Batsheva Nigri in front of her young daughter in the horrific shooting on Mount Hebron is shocking and heartbreaking,&#8221; Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote on <a href="https://twitter.com/Isaac_Herzog/status/1693582450885112056" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X (formerly Twitter)</a>. &#8220;These are difficult and painful days for the people of Israel, in which our enemies are working with different means to strike and hurt us. They will not succeed.&#8221;
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הירצחה של בת שבע נגרי הי&quot;ד לעיני ביתה הקטנה, בפיגוע הירי המחריד בהר חברון, מזעזע וקורע את הלב. אלה ימים קשים וכואבים לעם ישראל, כשאויבינו פועלים באמצעים שונים להכות ולפגוע בנו. הם לא יוכלו לנו.
&mdash; יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) <a href="https://twitter.com/Isaac_Herzog/status/1693582450885112056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The terror attack was the second this week. On Saturday, a father and son were executed by terrorists in Huwara in Samaria, as they waited for their car to be repaired at a local carwash. According to <a href="https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-755380" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a>, employees at the carwash allegedly alerted the terrorist to the presence of people speaking Hebrew, who approached the victims on foot and shot them from close range. The terrorists involved in that attack have yet to be apprehended.
Hamas officials celebrated the terrorist attacks. &#8220;We congratulate the heroic shooter in Huwara, who is the result of our continued promise of resistance to protect our people, respond to the crimes of the occupation, and defend Al-Aqsa mosque from the dangers of the Justification,&#8221; said the terrorist organization&#8217;s <a href="https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-755380" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spokesman</a> shortly after the attack. 
“We praise the hero who carried out the act in Hebron and the opposition battle that is escalating in the West Bank,&#8221; <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375876" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Ismail Radwan, a senior Hamas official. Fatah also <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375883" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrated</a> the attack, stating that “this operation comes as a natural reaction to the crimes of the occupation and its arrogance.” Pictures circulated online of Arabs handing out candy in celebration of the terror attack.
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Pure evil. Palestinians in Gaza already handing out candy, after an Israeli Jewish mother executed in front of her daughter in Hebron drive-by terror shooting! <a href="https://t.co/YGn9CC0mMO">pic.twitter.com/YGn9CC0mMO</a>
&mdash; Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ostrov_A/status/1693593245178106063?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Many Israeli leaders <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375862" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for more stringent measures to prevent such incidents in the future. MK Michal Woldigger, Deputy Finance Minister, <a href="https://twitter.com/michalwoldiger/status/1693528371987104056" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanded</a> stricter checkpoints in Judea and Samaria, stating that “​​As long as terrorists move freely in Area C, we will, unfortunately, continue to see attacks and victims.” MK Dan Illouz called on the Government to restore deterrence, insisting that Israel must not wait any longer to take action against terrorism.
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כל עוד ינועו מחבלים באופן חופשי בשטחי C, נמשיך לצערי לראות פיגועים וקורבנות. ליבי עם הפצועות והפצועים ומתפללת לבשורות חיוביות. 
לממשלה שבה אני חברה אני אומרת: די עם הפקרות המעברים והיעדר המחסומים! <a href="https://t.co/2d6Ed3DRLW">pic.twitter.com/2d6Ed3DRLW</a>
&mdash; מיכל וולדיגר (@michalwoldiger) <a href="https://twitter.com/michalwoldiger/status/1693528371987104056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The Mayor of the Gush Etzion Regional Council and head of the Yesha Council, Shlomo Ne’eman, <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375862" target="_blank" rel="noopener">condemned</a> the attack. “The terrorists act as a result of the hate education and funding from the PA, with the goal of massacring us. The government simply can’t continue down the path of the terrible Oslo agreements.” 
The Biden administration expressed its condolences and condemned the attacks on Israelis, yet quickly <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-755602" target="_blank" rel="noopener">equated</a> Palestinian terrorist attacks with alleged settler violence. “The US remains deeply concerned by violence in the West Bank and Israel, and we express our condolences to those killed,” said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “We strongly condemn Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israelis, including this morning’s shooting attack near Hebron. We strongly condemn the terror attacks by settlers in Burqa on August 4 that killed a 19-year-old Palestinian. Both Israelis and Palestinians must take immediate steps to de-escalate and restore calm,” adding that Israeli and Palestinian security forces should increase their cooperation. 
Thomas-Greenfield was referring to an incident outside the village of Burqa that led to the shooting death of Qusai Jamal Ma’atan, 19, by an Israeli whose skull was fractured when he was hit in the head with a rock. The Israeli claimed that the shooting was in self-defense, as he was attacked while herding sheep. The incident is currently being investigated by Israeli police, who have yet to determine whether the shooting was justified. Yet, without waiting for the results of the investigation, the Biden Administration quickly <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375891" target="_blank" rel="noopener">branded</a> the incident a terror attack.
This year has already seen the most terrorist attacks against Israelis since the second Intifada, <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375870" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Yediot Acharonot military correspondent Yossi Yehoshua, who noted that since the beginning of 2023, 34 Israelis have been murdered in terrorist attacks, while &#8220;the total for 2022 was 33.”

PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-INDEPENDENCE DAY

Israeli Mother Murdered In Front Of Her Daughter In Terrorist Shooting Attack Near Hebron 

Terrorism

Former U.N. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, slammed fellow GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for saying he would cut aid to Israel by 2028 if he were elected president.
Israel receives nearly $4 billion a year in military aid from the U.S., but nearly all of it — with the exception of loan guarantees, which don’t cost the American taxpayer anything — is used for credits that are sent directly from the Pentagon to U.S. weapons manufacturers. In addition, Israeli intelligence works closely with the U.S. gathering intelligence not only in the Middle East but also in Russia, Central Asia, and other foreign countries.
Speaking to podcast host Russell Brand, Ramaswamy said he would expand the historic Abraham Accords — which cemented relations between Israel on one side and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan — and broker peace between Israel and countries such as Qatar, Oman, and Indonesia, and then cut U.S. aid to Israel. Qatar has funded Israel’s arch-enemy Hamas, which has called for Israel’s destruction and had also funded the Taliban and Islamists in Syria.
If the Abraham Accords can be strengthened, Ramaswamy said, the military aid to Israel &#8220;won’t be necessary in order to still have the kind of stability that we’d actually have in the Middle East by having Israel more integrated in with its partners.&#8221; While the &#8220;relationship with Israel has advanced American interests,&#8221; he said, it should not get special treatment.
Haley pushed back on Ramaswamy&#8217;s position in a statement Monday.
“Vivek Ramaswamy is completely wrong to call for ending America’s special bond with Israel,” Haley said in a statement. “Support for Israel is both the morally right and strategically smart thing to do. Both countries are stronger and safer because of our iron-clad friendship. As president, I will never abandon Israel.”
Haley noted that Ramaswamy had also suggested that he would abandon Taiwan to Communist China if America were no longer reliant on Taiwan for semiconductors. Ramaswamy <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/vivek-ramaswamy-let-china-attack-taiwan-2028" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> radio host Hugh Hewitt last week, “I’m being very clear: Xi Jinping should not mess with Taiwan until we have achieved semiconductor independence, until the end of my first term when I will lead us there. And after that, our commitments to Taiwan, our commitments to be willing to go to military conflict, will change after that, because that’s rationally in our self-interest.”
“This is part of a concerning pattern with Vivek,” Haley said. “Between abandoning Israel, abolishing the FBI, and giving China to Taiwan, his foreign policy proposals have a common theme: they make America less safe.”
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📥 INBOX: <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiHaley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NikkiHaley</a> Condemns Ramaswamy’s Israel Views, Reaffirms U.S.-Israel Bond <a href="https://t.co/Yr62qLxQp7">pic.twitter.com/Yr62qLxQp7</a>
&mdash; Ken Farnaso (@KLF) <a href="https://twitter.com/KLF/status/1693609433891209264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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As U.N. Ambassador for the Trump administration, Haley maintained steadfast support for Israel, defiantly standing against the nations constantly singling Israel out for harsh criticism.
Speaking with Clifford D. May at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) Summit in August 2018, Haley <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-nikki-haley-speaks-candidly-about-abusive-frank-camp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>, &#8220;I knew that there was a bias against Israel, but I hadn&#8217;t really put a lot of thought into it until I attended the first session. And when I saw, literally, how abusive all of those countries were being to Israel in a way that was pathetic, really, I had no choice but to get up and say, &#8216;This is completely wrong.&#8217; It&#8217;s like that kid in the schoolyard that gets bullied, and everybody&#8217;s bullying the kid just because they think it makes them stronger. I wasn&#8217;t gonna stand for that. And so I came out and said we are not going to condone this anti-Israel bias. We started to make sure that the &#8216;Israel bashing sessions,&#8217; as I call them, that they have once a month, we now try and talk about — they&#8217;re supposed to be sessions on the Middle East, not sessions on Israel. And so now we&#8217;re actually making them talk about other areas in the Middle East and how we&#8217;re dealing with those—&#8221;
“There are some other problem areas in the Middle East, last I heard,&#8221; May interjected.
Haley fired back, &#8220;And you would not know it if you were at the U.N. And so we&#8217;re starting to do those things. And now, frankly, they&#8217;re scared to say anything negative about Israel because they don&#8217;t want me to yell at them.&#8221;

United Nations Security Council Meeting

Nikki Haley Bashes Ramaswamy For Saying He’d Cut Aid To Israel

military aid

Nikki Haley

Vivek Ramaswamy

The Jewish population currently residing in Judea and Samaria, the heartland of Israel where the seminal Biblical Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob once lived, has exceeded half a million people, according to a recent report <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-742868" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published by former MK Ya’akov Katz</a>. The report, drawing from the Israeli Interior Ministry’s Population Registry, indicates that as of January 1, 502,991 Jews were residing in Judea and Samaria. This <a href="https://www.jns.org/jewish-population-in-judea-and-samaria-tops-half-a-million/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">figure</a> does not include the nearly 350,000 Jews living in the eastern part of Jerusalem, an area contested by Palestinians despite being a lawful part of Israel&#8217;s unified capital.
Judea and Samaria, which are the historical heartlands of the Land of Israel and the center of the Jewish State in ancient times, are currently branded by the mainstream media as the property of the Palestinians, and Jewish residency is considered by many an illegal “occupation.” Yet, over 90% of the geographical sites mentioned in the bible are concentrated in Judea and Samaria, such as Hebron, where Abraham bought the cave of Machpela as a burial site and where the Jewish Patriarchs and their wives are buried. Hebron was also the site where King David was crowned and it served as his capital until the capture of Jerusalem. 
Other prominent biblical sites include Elon Moreh, where the Bible says God promised the Land of Israel to Abraham; Shechem, where Joseph, who became the Egyptian pharaoh’s right-hand man, is buried; Mount Gerizim and Ebal, where the Israelites, under the guidance of Joshua, first gathered after they entered the land; Shiloh, where the Tabernacle rested for roughly 370 years; and the Valley of Elah, where David fought Goliath.
As reported by The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-staunchly-backs-jewish-claim-to-heartland-of-israel-judea-and-samaria?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwnewstwitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Wire</a>, current Republican presidential nominee and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently issued a ringing endorsement of the idea that the Jewish people have the strongest claim to the biblical heartland of Israel. In an interview with <a href="https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/06/22/desantis-to-israel-hayom-israel-has-the-strongest-claim-of-right-in-judea-and-samaria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israel Hayom</a>, he stated “[Judea and Samaria] are some of the most historic Jewish lands going all the way back to biblical times. And so it&#8217;s not occupied territory. It is disputed territory, and I think Israel&#8217;s claim is the most superior in terms of anybody else for it.” DeSantis was the first major U.S. elected official to do public events in Judea and Samaria.
Yigal Dilmoni, the former CEO and current director of International Relations for the Yesha Council (Yesha is an acronym for Yehuda and Shomron &#8211; Judea and Samaria) and a board member of American Friends of Judea and Samaria (AFJS), lauded the accomplishment at the <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375324" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israel Heritage Foundation conference in Jerusalem</a>. &#8220;We passed half a million Jews in Judea and Samaria. This is the embodiment of a miracle, especially when we consider that in 1967, the number of Jews residing in Judea and Samaria was precisely zero.&#8221;
Dilmoni vividly described how he took a friend to see the vineyards in the community of Elon Moreh. &#8220;I told him, &#8216;Look, a miracle has happened because before 1967, there were no vineyards and wineries in the Shomron (Samaria). When we returned to Judea and Samaria in 1967, we not only reconnected with the land, but we also reconnected with our history. We revisited the Bible and absorbed the words of Jeremiah, who prophesied, &#8216;You will plant vineyards again in the Samaria mountains.'&#8221; He passionately emphasized that after 2,000 years, the realization of this Biblical prophecy is unfolding before our very eyes. “Now you can see thousands of dunams of vineyards in Judea and Samaria. Miracles happened.” 
“The Jewish nation has come back home,” said Rafi Lazerowitz, chairman and co-founder of <a href="https://afjs.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AFJS</a>. “It is our legal right to live in our biblical heartland. It is also our strategic duty to reside here and keep it under full Israeli control, for without it we can not have a state of Israel.”
Shlomo Neeman, mayor of the Gush Etzion Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-742868" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highlighted</a> how the region continues to grow, regardless of opposition from both previous governments and international pressures: “The region is flourishing and thriving with over 150 communities, among which are four cities, a university, numerous tourist locations, and high-tech industries. Unfortunately, even after 25 years, we are still governed by the military, whose actions do not correspond with the realities on the ground. We will continue to work with the present government with the aim of adapting to the changes and maintaining the momentum of construction and the development of roads and infrastructure in the area for our residents and for all of Israel.”
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Dilmoni, in a 2017 <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2017-03-11/ty-article/.premium/the-sun-isnt-setting-on-the-settlement-enterprise/0000017f-dbb2-d856-a37f-fff2a8000000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">op-ed</a>, noted that government policies such as planning and construction freezes, dating back to 2010, played a role in hindering growth. He emphasized that had these restrictions not been in place, more people would have moved to Judea and Samaria, and he pointed out examples of settlements where housing restrictions weren&#8217;t present and where significant growth was evident.
According to a survey <a href="https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/05/07/poll-reveals-surprising-attitude-israelis-have-to-living-in-judea-and-samaria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commissioned</a> by the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) and conducted among a representative sample of 1,191 citizens, 70% of Israelis feel a historical connection to Judea and Samaria, 63% an emotional connection, and 48% a religious connection. In contrast, only 37% of Israeli Arabs feel a historical connection to Judea and Samaria, while 32% feel a religious affinity to it.

PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-SETTLEMENT

Jewish Population In Judea And Samaria Reaches Half A Million

Judea

Samaria

Joe Biden has found a new group of people to bribe.
This is how the Biden administration does business: If there’s a WNBA player who is not really famous, goes to Russia, brings drugs with her, and then gets arrested and stuck in jail, what does Biden trade to get her back? Answer: Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer nicknamed “Merchant of Death,” who was convicted on four counts including conspiring to kill American citizens.
Bad trade. 
Now we have a similar type of trade. Iran apparently has released five Americans from prison, but has placed them under house arrest in Tehran. So they’re not fully released and they are not being sent back to the United States.
What exactly did we have to do to get them out of jail and into house arrest, which is essentially being imprisoned? All we had to do was give Iran access to $6 billion in oil revenue.
Here’s the question: Considering that means we just paid $1.2 billion per hostage, do you think Iran might, just might, take more hostages in the future? A fantastic way to incentivize people to take hostages is to pay them billions of dollars for hostages. This is abhorrent. Iran is a terror state. Is Biden going to use this as the predicate to argue that relations with the Iranian ayatollahs are warming?
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1786-biden-bribes-the-iranian-ayatollahs-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h4>
We should remember at this point that the Iranians are directly responsible for hundreds of American deaths in Iraq. Iran is the most nefarious force in the Middle East. Whether we are talking about backing the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, or Hamas terrorist groups in Gaza, every bad thing happening in the Middle East right now can be laid at the doorstep of the Iranians. In contrast to Biden, Ronald Reagan was able to free the Iranian hostages by threatening the Iranian regime.
Meanwhile, as Biden snuggles up to Iran, the Saudis are perfectly willing to normalize relations with Israel, another major step toward Middle East peace. They’ve been wanting to do so since the Trump administration. That’s the reason why the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco — all very friendly with the Saudis — have normalized relations with the Israelis. Saudi Arabia clearly wants to do that. I’ve seen public officials from Saudi Arabia directly talk about this.
What’s the holdup? The holdup is that Biden put pressure on the Saudis not to do it unless Israel made concessions to the Palestinians — but the Palestinians happen to be governed by terror groups connected to Iran. And Biden is funding Iran.
The countries making peace with Israel are not democracies. The reason they stay in power is because they enrich their people through economic growth. If the economic growth collapses, they also collapse. So they have a strong interest in creating economic ties with the strongest economic power in the region, which is Israel. That could lead to a lasting Middle East peace.
And Biden, funding a government that is a deadly enemy of Israel, is standing in the way of all of that.
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1 Ben Shapiro Editorial Series 03 2COPY2 copy

Biden Hands Cash To Iran, An Incentive To Take More Hostages

Ben Shapiro

Joe Biden

Middle East

In yet another effort to attack Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to implement judicial reform to Israel’s leftist judiciary, which has a stranglehold over government policies, The New York Times gushed over a radical activist opposing Netanyahu, calling her “the face of the protests.”
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/world/middleeast/shikma-bressler-israel-judicial-protests.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article</a> was devoted to Dr. Shikma Bressler, a professor at the Weizmann Institute. It spoke of Bressler sitting at a table in a café when “a young waitress rushed over, gushing at her in admiration,” and an older couple at the next table looking at her “with tears in their eyes,” as the wife told Bressler, “You are our hope,” while the husband breathed, “She’s an honest, brave and genuine leader.”
“Dr. Bressler sealed her status as a symbol of the protest movement last month when she led a miles-long column of demonstrators on a multi-day march to the hills of Jerusalem from coastal Tel Aviv,” The Times wrote, adding breathlessly, “It evoked a biblical pilgrimage,”
Yet Bressler, the co-founder of the “Black Flag Protests,” who stated of the current situation, “It’s rare that you recognize you are in a real-time historical moment,” is a radical who has opposed Netanyahu for years, leading a large black-shirt militia in front of the Israeli Supreme Court in April 2020 yelling “Democracy!”
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אפריל 2020 שקמה ברסלר מפקדת על מליציית החולצות השחורות בצעקות &quot;ד-מו-קר-טיה&quot;
זו לא הרפורמה, טמבל זה רל&quot;ב
וזו לא דמוקרטיה, טמבל זו הפיכה צבאית
מה אתם עוד צריכים?!? <a href="https://t.co/UO8EUNPKyS">pic.twitter.com/UO8EUNPKyS</a>
&mdash; ארבלאו צייד הטונות 🇵🇹 (@arbelaue) <a href="https://twitter.com/arbelaue/status/1687083830635548673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In mid-June, Channel 14’s political correspondent Motti Kastel revealed messages from a secret WhatsApp group that included former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, former Chiefs of Staff Dan Halutz and Bogie Ya’alon, Crime Minister (activist group) founder Yishai Hadas, and founders of the Black Flags activist group. The group discussed how to revive the faltering protests, The Jewish Press <a href="https://www.jewishpress.com/news/left-vs-right/exposed-as-protest-numbers-dwindle-anarchist-leadership-pushing-for-violence/2023/06/12/">reported</a>.
In July 2020, Barak — who has opposed Netanyahu’s effort at judicial reform in 2023 and has been leading the leftist coalition against Netanyahu for years, led a video conference in which he spoke of his plans to topple Netanyahu, long before the current strong right-wing coalition had the power they have today.
Barak spoke of Netanyahu “killing the Knesset,” “the defacto surrender of the legislative branch to the executive,” and referred to Netanyahu as a “dictator.” He compared Netanyahu’s government to the right-wing governments of Hungary and Poland.”
“The fall of Bibi will in any case be an important step,” he said, adding, “Democrats, it’s not leftists, it’s a better definition,” and saying when someone asked, “What are you?’ his preferred answer would be, “I’m a democrat, and what about you? Aren’t you?”
“As soon as the police violence, even if it seems to the police to be justified, causes irreversible damage to the citizens, it only increases the protest,” he asserted.
Israeli Minister Galit Distal <a href="https://www.israelunwired.com/its-a-planned-coup/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>:
<blockquote>
I assume that many of you have already been exposed to the video of Ehud Barak from three years ago detailing his master plan in front of a camera:
</blockquote>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<blockquote>Deliberately ignite civil disobedience.</blockquote>
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<blockquote>Create a false representation of a danger to Israeli democracy, because it is effective, it speaks to everyone, it is catchy, and it is the only fuel that can ignite a civil war.</blockquote>
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<blockquote>Invest a lot of money in it, including buying wholesale flags.</blockquote>
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<blockquote>To reach a situation where there will be floating corpses of Jews slaughtered by other Jews in the river.</blockquote>
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
<blockquote>Kick out Netanyahu and make Ehud Barak prime minister because only he can save the situation.</blockquote>
</li>
</ol>
In late July, Israel Transportation Minister Miri Regev wrote Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, demanding that Barak and Forum 555 be investigated on suspicion of “criminal gathering, <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/372584" target="_blank" rel="noopener">civil disobedience</a>, and an attempted coup d’état.”

Benjamin Netanyahu

NYT Gushes Over Radical Israeli Activist, Long-Time Netanyahu Opponent

Leftist

This week, according to sources ranging from the Biden White House to Moody’s to The New York Times’ Thomas Friedman, Israel entered into a period of serious existential danger. What prompted this crisis? Not a potential Iranian nuclear attack; not the presence of violent terrorist groups embedded in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. No, according to our foreign policy elite, the breaking point is the Israeli government’s passage of a mild version of a judicial reform. That reform curbs the overweening power of the Israeli Supreme Court, which declared in the 1990s that it had the unilateral ability to strike down executive actions by simply declaring them “unreasonable.” Now, the Israeli Supreme Court will still be able to strike down executive actions – but they’ll have to ground their rationale in actual law, rather than simple political disagreement.
This judicial reform has prompted spasms of apoplexy in Israel among those who voted against the current coalition government. That isn’t so much about the actual content of the judicial reform – many of those in the center of the Israeli political spectrum fully acknowledge that the judiciary has arrogated too much power to itself. It’s more about the realization by many secular Israelis that the state of Israel is growing more religious on a demographic level. Right now, according to Pew Research data from May 2015, approximately 40% of Israelis identified as hiloni (secular); another 23% identified as traditional; 10% identified as religious Zionists; and 8% were ultra-Orthodox. Since then, the imbalance in favor of those with stronger religious ties has grown.
For decades, secular Israelis were willing to make some concessions to the more religious Israelis in terms of religious practice – for example, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion’s decision to grant military exemptions for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students – but unwilling to grant governmental power to them. That unwillingness is what led to the so-called Judicial Revolution of the 1990s by secular leftists. 
Now that a religious and traditional coalition has taken power, many secular Israelis feel truly insecure. And they believe that if they lose any control over the judiciary, they may lose all power in the state, even as they disproportionately serve in the military and comprise a heavy share of the state’s economy. To that end, mass protests have been unleashed across the state of Israel, shutting down roads and even the airport; some military reservists have even threatened not to serve. All of this has been exacerbated by Left-wing politicians declaring that democracy itself was at stake if judicial reform became law – an obvious untruth.
Seeing this mass protest, the current government under Benjamin Netanyahu radically scaled back its original judicial reform proposal to the far milder version passed this week. Nonetheless, the media still covered that judicial reform as a wild exercise of authoritarian power — despite the fact that it is objectively far more authoritarian to shut down the workings of an elected government via non-electoral means than to shift power from an unelected judiciary to an elected executive branch. The Israeli coalition actually had virtually no choice but to pass the judicial reform – if they had done anything else, they would have conceded that their coalition had zero actual power despite an election. And that would have been the most dangerous anti-democratic precedent of all.
As Israel prepares to commemorate Tisha B’Av, the fast for the destruction of the First and Second Temples, Jews remember that sinat chinam  — baseless hatred – is the cause of all destruction. The current conflagration in Israel will be healed, but not by legislation or protest. It will be healed by the Israeli people – who, contrary to the media coverage, still share a culture, history, and tradition. In 1993, the Guttman Institute of Applied Social Research found that 78% of Israelis always or sometimes lit Shabbat candles; 81% always or sometimes fasted on Yom Kippur. Israelis do not see each other as enemies, even if they currently see each other as serious opponents. Generosity between secular and religious Jews will break the current ugly stalemate.
Israel will not collapse. It will not break into civil war. It will continue to be a fractious and chaotic country filled with highly-opinionated people who fight with each other, protest each other, argue with each other — and then share arak and chamin and cholent and falafel.

Ben Shapiro Transcript 1 (1)

No, Israel Is Not In Existential Danger Of Civil War

Supreme Court

Daily Wire Editor Emeritus <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-ben-shapiro-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben Shapiro</a> said the media was overhyping the protests in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/israel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israel</a> over judicial reform measures, saying that the protests were not indicative of an upcoming societal collapse.
Shapiro made the comments on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1774-hunter-s-sweetheart-plea-deal-and-the-continuing-biden-coverup-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his Wednesday podcast</a>, saying that it was wrong for financial analysts to downgrade Israel over the judicial reform debate, and that some were exploiting the situation to make Israel look weak.
“The media are blowing up the situation in Israel, so the country&#8217;s about to collapse. It is not. It is really stupid. And people who are taking advantage of the situation in order to exacerbate perceived global weakness in the state of Israel. I only comment on this because, again, it&#8217;s being treated as top of news for everyone,” he said.
He said that media coverage of protests over the judicial reform measures has outpaced media coverage of other hot topic issues in Israel. Shapiro also criticized Moody’s, a firm that does financial risk analysis, saying that it was “foolish” to lower Israel’s credit rating because “there are people who don&#8217;t agree with the thing the government did.”
“So all I&#8217;m here to say when it comes to this particular issue is, give it time, it will calm down. Just [like] there are massive riots in France and they didn&#8217;t get this sort of attention. And the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/six-days-of-destruction-a-recap-of-the-apocalyptic-riots-in-france" target="_blank" rel="noopener">riots in France</a> are much more indicative of bleeding social decay in France than the current conflict in Israel is indicative of some sort of internal collapse,” he said.
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Shapiro had previously discussed the reform measure on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1773-biden-will-be-impeached-member-exclusive">his Tuesday podcast</a>, explaining that Israel had effectively just moved to limit powers of the country’s Supreme Court. According to Shapiro, the bill passed in Israeli parliament means that “the Supreme Court of Israel cannot simply overturn any executive or administrative action on the basis of quote-unquote reasonableness.”
“So imagine that the President of the United States issued [an] executive order and the Supreme Court didn&#8217;t determine whether it was inside the authority of the president. They just determined whether it was, quote-unquote, reasonable,” he added. “You see how this would be a problem, because this means that the Supreme Court is basically a dictatorship. They now get to use their own judgment of what is reasonable to substitute for an elected person or an elected body&#8217;s judgment for what is reasonable, which makes them not a court, it makes them an actual legislature, just not elected.”

ISRAEL-POLITICS-PROTEST

Ben Shapiro Breaks Down The Real Impact Of Israel’s Judicial Reforms

Ben Shapiro Breaks Down The Real Impact Of Israel's Judicial Reforms

Global Politics

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