I have noted before that I grew up in Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates. From 1980-1990, my family lived in an ungated community in the middle of the city down the street from the Iranian Hospital with the Jumeirah American School just one long block up the road. We walked to school every day.
The school changed its name to the American School of Dubai the year after I graduated. It moved locations. The current school at the old location is the Jumeirah Baccalaureate School. My old house is all that remains of my neighborhood. The whole place got leveled and rebuilt, except my house on the corner at 27 Sheikh Rashid Villas, which is now No. 39 on 32b Street, Dubai, UAE. The only reason my house remained is because it became a doctor&#8217;s office some time after we moved home in the run up to the first Gulf War.
Growing up, our history and geography textbooks all had pages missing or redacted. Anything that referenced Israel got taken out by censors. Maps of the Eastern Mediterranean had Israel either relabeled as Palestine or simply scribbled out with black Sharpie.
In ninth grade, my class went to Greece. At the base of the Acropolis is the Athens Agora. I remember a bunch of flags and our teacher pointing one out that was white with blue stripes and a blue star. None of knew it was the Israeli flag. That flag had either been cut out or redacted from our textbooks. The World Book Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia Britannica had pages misses and redacted in the library. Phone calls could not connect from Israel to the UAE. It was as if there were no phone lines between the two. We could not travel to Israel, and I have still never been to Israel. We could not reenter the UAE with an Israeli stamp in our passports.
It is of monumental importance that the UAE and Israel now are extending diplomatic relations to each other, recognizing each other, engaging in commerce with each other, and letting information and phone calls flow between the nations. Bahrain and Oman were similarly situated; Bahrain has also recognized Israel, and Oman will, too.
This is a huge win for the Trump administration. There is a credible argument that the nations were induced into acting together because they fear the United States will not help them in a skirmish with Iran. But the Trump administration did play a role in brokering this deal, and the president does deserve credit.
Barack Obama received the peace prize merely for showing up; President Donald Trump has exceeded that standard here. And, yes, Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize merely for showing up.
On Tuesday, after the historic meeting of the nations at the White House, most of the American media downplayed it. The websites at CNN, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today either did not mention the summit or minimized it. Reporters and pundits claimed that because Israel, Bahrain and the UAE had never been in a physical war, it was really no big deal.
The American media&#8217;s response shows an ignorance of how Arab nations have treated Israel, including redacting Israel from textbooks, barring travel between the nations, refusing aviation flyovers and blocking telecommunications channels. It reveals that many of those who cover the news and pontificate on it have not lived lives with much exposure to the real world.
Remember, the talking heads claimed moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem would spark a war. Various pundits and most experts claimed as much, including former Secretary of State John F. Kerry. On MSNBC, the loud voices opposed to Trump said Trump moving the embassy would get a lot of people killed and undermine peace in the Middle East. They were wrong and now claim there was always peace.
This is an enormous deal, and Trump and Jared Kushner do both deserve some credit — credit much of the media would prefer they not have, so they will ignore the story.
To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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Abraham Accords signing

ERICKSON: Peace In The Middle East

Donald Trump

Israel

Jared Kushner

Middle East

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

I have noted before that I grew up in Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates. From 1980-1990, my family lived in an ungated community in the middle of the

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Thousands of years ago, the Bible spoke of the “ingathering of the exiles,” a time in the future when the Jews exiled from the ancient land of Israel would return to their native homeland. Roughly 2,700 years ago, after the Biblical land of Israel, which was comprised of 12 tribes, had become two kingdoms, Israel with 10 tribes in the north and Judah with two in the south, the Assyrian Empire exiled the ten tribes of the nation of Israel, known thereafter as the Ten Lost Tribes.
Now, the Israeli government is helping a group of hundreds of more people from Northern India who describe themselves as “Bnei Menashe,” meaning sons of Menashe (the tribe of Menashe was one of the ten lost tribes), to return to Israel.
“Israel’s Minister of Aliyah and Absorption Knesset member Penina Tamanu-Shata announced this month that in cooperation with the Interior Ministry, she is moving ahead with plans for the aliyah of 722 members of the Bnei Menashe community of northeastern India. The first group is anticipated to arrive in Israel after the Jewish High Holidays, which end in mid-October,” the Jewish News Syndicate <a href="https://www.jns.org/group-of-700-plus-individuals-from-india-slated-to-make-aliyah/">reported</a>.
The group Shavei Israel and their founder Michael Freund have already moved over 4,000 members of Bnei Menashe to Israel. Freund <a href="https://www.jewishpress.com/sections/features/bringing-home-one-of-the-lost-tribes-an-interview-with-rabbi-michael-freund-founder-of-shavei-israel/2020/09/10/">said</a> there were  another 6,500 Bnei Menashe Jews in India waiting to come to Israel, adding, “with G-d’s help in the coming years, we will bring all those who wish to come back home to Zion.” Freund said of the group:
<blockquote>For centuries, they practiced a Biblical form of Judaism, observing the Sabbath, keeping kosher, celebrating the festivals, and following the laws of family purity. They were still performing the sacrificial rites too when they were discovered by the British over a century ago. Interestingly, they were not aware of either Purim or Chanukah, both of which commemorate events that took place centuries after their ancestors were exiled.</blockquote>
JNS writes of Bnei Menashe, “Their ancestors wandered through Central Asia and the Far East for centuries before settling in what is now northeastern India, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh.”
As the Woodside Park Synagogue in London, England, has <a href="https://www.woodsideparksynagogue.org.uk/the-ingathering-of-the-exiles">noted</a>, in Deuteronomy it is written:
<blockquote>And it will be, when all these things come upon you the blessing and the curse which I have set before you that you will consider in your heart, among all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you, and you will return to the Lord, your God, then, the Lord, your God, will bring back your exiles, and He will have mercy upon you. He will once again gather you from all the nations, where the Lord, your God, had dispersed you, even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, the Lord, your God, will gather you from there. And the Lord, your God, will bring you to the land which your forefathers possessed, and you will take possession of it.</blockquote>
The prophet Isaiah stated, “And He shall raise a banner to the nations, and He shall gather the lost of Israel, and the scattered ones of Judah He shall gather from the four corners of the earth.” He was echoed by the prophet Jeremiah, who asserted, “And I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will return your captivity and gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will return you to the place whence I exiled you.” The prophet Ezekiel added, “With a pleasing savor I shall accept you when I take you out of the nations, and I shall gather you from the lands in which you were scattered, and I shall be hallowed through you before the eyes of the nations.”
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Members Of The Bnei Menasche Tribe Emmigrate To Israel

Israel Moving Members Of Possible Ancient Lost Tribe Back From India

India

ingathering of the exiles

Thousands of years ago, the Bible spoke of the “ingathering of the exiles,” a time in the future when the Jews exiled from the ancient land of Israel

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On Wednesday, at a White House press briefing, White House Press Secretary lacerated the mainstream media for not asking a single question about the historic peace deal President Trump announced on Tuesday between Israel and the Arab nations of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Near the end of the briefing, McEnany was asked about a personnel matter, and answered, &#8220;I’m not going to weigh in on any personnel matters, but what I will weigh into is the Middle East peace deal signed yesterday that I did not receive a single question about.”
&#8220;That was the first time it’s happened in a quarter of a century,” McEnany said, referencing the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty signed on October 26, 1994. She continued, “If Obama and Biden had achieved this, it would look a lot different. You wouldn’t have Chuck Todd saying he’s ‘uncomfortable’ with the deal that brings peace between the United Arab Emirates and Israel and Bahrain; you wouldn’t have CBS calling it a ‘business deal,’ and you wouldn’t have Nancy Pelosi calling it a ‘distraction.’ Maybe it’s a distraction from her visits to the hair salon, but those were significant agreements. First time in a quarter of a century; three peace deals in 29 days; it took 26 years for the prior two peace deals.
McEnany concluded, “The Nobel Peace Prize nomination for the president, two of them: very well-deserved.”
Trump has been <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/516022-trump-nominated-a-second-time-for-nobel-peace-prize">nominated</a> by a member of the Swedish Parliament for his work on the Kosovo and Serbia peace deal and also <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-nominated-for-nobel-peace-prize-by-norwegian-official">nominated</a> by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, for his work in securing the peace deal between Israel and the UAE.
McEnany’s reference to Chuck Todd derived from Todd <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/kyle-drennen/2020/09/16/dem-hack-chuck-todd-uncomfortable-historic-middle-east-peace-deal">saying to White House correspondent Peter Alexander</a> on MSNBC’s MTP Daily Tuesday afternoon shortly after the peace deal was signed, “You know, Peter, this deal is a bit uncomfortable for a lot of observers to watch because it seems so transactional, it’s as if pulling out of the Iran deal is what got these Gulf states on board to do this, you know, to then recognize it. It feels like there is a lot of quid pro quos involved in this, that it isn’t something larger than that.”
Unlike President Obama, who coddled the Iranian regime and emboldened it, thus paving the way for friendlier relations between Israel and Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt as all four countries are threatened by Iran, President Trump has made no bones about his opposition to the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism in Tehran.
McEnany’s reference to Pelosi derived from her <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/09/13/pelosi_calls_trump-brokered_mideast_peace_deals_a_distraction.html">statement</a> after the deal was announced. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer acknowledged, “These are dramatic developments in the Middle East.” Then he asked, “How much credit do you give the president for these peace agreements?”
Pelosi responded, &#8220;Good for him for having a distraction on a day when the numbers of people who are affected and the numbers of people who are dying from this virus only increases.”
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White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany Holds Briefing

WATCH: McEnany Hammers Media For Not Asking About Historic Peace Deal

Bahrain

Barack Obama

Kayleigh McEnany

Mainstream media

On Wednesday, at a White House press briefing, White House Press Secretary lacerated the mainstream media for not asking a single question about the

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President Donald Trump said Tuesday afternoon that up to nine additional nations could join a peace deal with Israel in the near future, including Saudi Arabia.
&#8220;We have many other countries [that are] going to be joining us and they&#8217;re going to be joining us soon,&#8221; Trump told reporters on the White House lawn. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have, I think, I mean I think seven, or eight, or nine. We&#8217;re going to have a lot of other countries joining us, including the big ones.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s not something that my critics thought was possible and now they say, &#8216;wow, that was a good idea,'&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;I will say, it&#8217;s gotten rave reviews.&#8221;
About a minute later, Trump added: &#8220;I spoke with the king of Saudi Arabia, at the right time I do think they will come in, yes, I do. This is a very big and very historic moment.&#8221;
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President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>&#39;s leadership led to historic peace deals in the Middle East between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and Israel.
Today President Trump adds, &quot;At the right time, I do think [Saudi Arabia]&quot; will make a deal.
Joe Biden could never do this. <a href="https://t.co/KIiXUkMV0B">pic.twitter.com/KIiXUkMV0B</a>
&mdash; Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1305967371388157953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The remarks from the president come after he declared the &#8220;dawn of a new Middle East&#8221; on Tuesday afternoon during a signing ceremony of two peace deals between Israel and its neighbors.
&#8220;The deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and Israel and Bahrain, involve the exchanging of ambassadors, establishment of embassies and co-operation on a range of fronts &#8212; including trade, security and tourism,&#8221; Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-peace-deals-israel-bahrain-uae-middle-east">reported</a>. &#8220;The agreements, known as the &#8216;Abraham Accords&#8217; also allow Muslims to visit Islamic holy sites in Israel. Trump said the deals would form &#8216;the foundation for a comprehensive peace across the entire region.'&#8221;
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Now Pres Trump says he expects 7, 8, or 9 additional countries to agree to normalization of relations with Israel. Just a few hours earlier, he put the number at 5, 6, or 7. Before leaving WH for a Town Hall in Philadelphia, he said he thinks Saudi Arabia will be one of them.
&mdash; Mark Knoller (@markknoller) <a href="https://twitter.com/markknoller/status/1305959557538230272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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If Israel-*Saudi Arabia* peace actually comes next and Trump is still denied the Nobel Peace Prize, that would be a genuine travesty.
&mdash; Josh Hammer (@josh_hammer) <a href="https://twitter.com/josh_hammer/status/1305962891691003905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The Abraham Accords Declaration states:
<blockquote>We, the undersigned, recognize the importance of maintaining and strengthening peace in the Middle East and around the world based on mutual understanding and coexistence, as well as respect for human dignity and freedom, including religious freedom.
We encourage efforts to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue to advance a culture of peace among the three Abrahamic religions and all humanity.
We believe that the best way to address challenges is through cooperation and dialogue and that developing friendly relations among States advances the interests of lasting peace in the Middle East and around the world.
We seek tolerance and respect for every person in order to make this world a place where all can enjoy a life of dignity and hope, no matter their race, faith or ethnicity.
We support science, art, medicine, and commerce to inspire humankind, maximize human potential and bring nations closer together.
We seek to end radicalization and conflict to provide all children a better future.
We pursue a vision of peace, security, and prosperity in the Middle East and around the world.
In this spirit, we warmly welcome and are encouraged by the progress already made in establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and its neighbors in the region under the principles of the Abraham Accords. We are encouraged by the ongoing efforts to consolidate and expand such friendly based on shared interests and a shared commitment to a better future.</blockquote>
This story has been updated to include the text of the Abraham Accords Declaration.
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President Trump Hosts Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony

Up To 9 Additional Nations Could Join Peace Deal With Israel, Including Saudi Arabia, Trump Says

Saudi Arabia

President Donald Trump said Tuesday afternoon that up to nine additional nations could join a peace deal with Israel in the near future, including Saudi

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On Thursday, while speaking at an event organized by the rabidly anti-Israel group J Street, former Vice President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-biden-says-trump-is-dangerous-to-israel-and-bad-for-american-jews-1.9146485">snapped</a> that President Donald Trump had “put Israel in danger” by withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. He also insinuated that Trump has put American Jews in danger because he has “embraced” conspiracy theories.
Biden’s timing was hilarious considering that on Friday, Trump announced that Bahrain became the latest Arab country to normalize relations with Israel, following the United Arab Emirates having done so in August.
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Joint Statement of the United States, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Israel <a href="https://t.co/xMquRkGtpM">pic.twitter.com/xMquRkGtpM</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1304464848831631361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Biden stated, “Trump has put Israel in danger by tearing up the Iran nuclear deal, and replaced it with nothing. Iran is closer to a [nuclear] weapon than when we left office in 2017. And instead of Iran being isolated, we are the ones being isolated.”
Biden’s supposed concern for Israel while ripping Trump, who is undeniably the greatest friend in the Oval Office Israel has ever had, is laughable considering Trump’s record vis-à-vis Biden’s. Under Trump’s stewardship, the United States <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/world/middleeast/trump-jerusalem-israel-capital.html">recognized Jerusalem</a> as Israel’s capital, moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, helped foster open relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and stated that Israel had the right to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47697717">keep the Golan Heights</a>, an absolutely imperative move to protect Israel’s security, among numerous other things.
Biden, on the other hand, favored the Iran nuclear deal, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vehemently opposed. Biden added on Thursday, “Israel should stop expanding West Bank settlements, stop talk of annexation. Annexation is off the table now, which is a good thing.”
Biden opposing Israeli settlements is no shock at all; in 1982 Biden reportedly banged on a desk and berated Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin that if Israel continued building settlements in Judea and Samaria, the U.S. would cut off financial aid. Begin fired back:
<blockquote>Don’t threaten us with cutting off your aid. It will not work. I am not a Jew with trembling knees. I am a proud Jew with 3,700 years of civilized history. Nobody came to our aid when we were dying in the gas chambers and ovens. Nobody came to our aid when we were striving to create our country. We paid for it. We fought for it. We died for it. We will stand by our principles. We will defend them. And, when necessary, we will die for them again, with or without your aid.</blockquote>
Begin added:
<blockquote>This desk is designed for writing, not for fists. Don’t threaten us with slashing aid. Do you think that because the U.S. lends us money it is entitled to impose on us what we must do? We are grateful for the assistance we have received, but we are not to be threatened. I am a proud Jew. Three thousand years of culture are behind me, and you will not frighten me with threats. Take note: we do not want a single soldier of yours to die for us.</blockquote>
In November 2019, Biden was asked if he would reverse President Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. He <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/watch-our-interview-with-joe-biden">replied,</a>“Not now. I wouldn’t reverse it. I wouldn’t have done it in the first place.”
Biden, whose party is rife with figures associated with anti-Semitism, also stated on Thursday, “We see with so many of the conspiracy theories that poison our public sphere, that unlike every other president in modern history, Donald Trump has embraced them and egged them on. He can’t lead America, he can’t protect it, so now he’s trying to scare the living hell out of people instead.”
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President Trump Announces Bahrain Will Establish Diplomatic Relations With Israel

Thursday: Biden Says Trump Has ‘Put Israel In Danger.’ Friday: Trump Announces ANOTHER Arab Country Normalizes Relations With Israel.

Iran Nuclear Deal

Joe Biden

On Thursday, while speaking at an event organized by the rabidly anti-Israel group J Street, former Vice President Joe Biden snapped that President Donald

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On Friday, President Trump oversaw representatives of Serbia and Kosovo as they signed a historic normalization of relations, topped by another achievement for Trump regarding the state of Israel as the Jewish state’s unprecedented relationship with an American president rose to another peak: Kosovo, a majority Muslim country, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-economic-serbia-kosovo-white-house">acknowledged recognition of Israel, and Serbia agreed to move its embassy</a> to Jerusalem.
Trump tweeted, “Another great day for peace with Middle East – Muslim-majority Kosovo and Israel have agreed to normalize ties and establish diplomatic relations. Well-done! More Islamic and Arab nations will follow soon!”
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Another great day for peace with Middle East – Muslim-majority Kosovo and Israel have agreed to normalize ties and establish diplomatic relations. Well-done! More Islamic and Arab nations will follow soon!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1301924019147616257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The latest historic good news for Israel followed the recent agreement reached between the United Arab Emirates and Israel on opening relations between the two countries. “That was followed by the first commercial flight between Israel and the UAE, with neighboring Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to allow such flights to pass through their airspace. Additional Arab states, including Sudan, Bahrain and Oman, have been identified as countries that may soon also normalize relations with Israel,” <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/serbia-to-move-embassy-to-jerusalem-mostly-muslim-kosovo-to-recognize-israel/">The Times of Israel</a> noted.
Trump, of course, was the first American president to follow through on a promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem in 2018, one year after he had recognized Jerusalem as its capital.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Kosovo had also agreed to move its embassy to Jerusalem, <a href="https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/trump-serbia-has-promised-to-move-its-embassy-to-jerusalem-641102">The Jerusalem Post</a> reported. He stated, &#8220;Kosovo will be the first Muslim-majority country to open an embassy in the city, As I have said in recent days &#8211; the circle of peace and recognition of Israel is expanding and more countries are expected to join it … I thank my friend President Vucic of Serbia for his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move their embassy. I also want to thank my friend Donald Trump for his contribution to this achievement,” according to <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286617">Israel National News</a>.
Hashim Thaci, the President of the Republic of Kosovo, tweeted, “I welcome the announcement of Israeli PM @Netanyahu about the genuine intention to recognize #Kosovo and establish diplomatic relations. Kosovo will keep its promise to place its diplomatic mission in #Jerusalem.&#8221;
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I welcome the announcement of Israeli PM <a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@netanyahu</a> about the genuine intention to recognize <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kosovo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kosovo</a> and establish diplomatic relations. Kosovo will keep its promise to place its diplomatic mission in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jerusalem?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jerusalem</a> 🇽🇰🇮🇱🇺🇸
&mdash; Hashim Thaçi (@HashimThaciRKS) <a href="https://twitter.com/HashimThaciRKS/status/1301928740201607168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
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After the announcement of the historic peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made the astonishing claim that the Obama administration was partially responsible for preparing the way for the deal.
Biden said that “the coming together of Israel and Arab states builds on the efforts of multiple administrations to foster a broader Arab-Israeli opening, including the efforts of the Obama-Biden administration to build on the Arab Peace Initiative,” adding, “I personally spent time with leaders of both Israel and the UAE during our administration building the case for cooperation and broader engagement and the benefits it could deliver to both nations, and I am gratified by today’s announcement. It is a timely reminder that enmities and differences — even long standing ones — are not set in stone, and of the role American diplomacy can play,” as <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-praises-israel-uae-peace-deal-trump">Fox News</a> reported.
The Arab Peace Initiative that Biden cited was proposed by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at the 2002 Arab League Summit in Beirut, Lebanon, endorsed by that summit, and later endorsed at the 2007 summit in Riyadh. It called for full Israeli withdrawal from Golan Heights, which would leave Israel vulnerable to attacks from above it, withdrawal from the Biblical Judea and Samaria, where the ancient Jewish kings were crowned, and withdrawal from East Jerusalem, which includes the Temple Mount, the site of the Biblical temples, and for Jews, the holiest place on earth.
As it turned out, Israel never compromised on those issues, and yet the UAE made peace, so Biden’s citation of the Arab Peace Initiative to buttress his claim that the Obama administration had anything to do with the deal is ludicrous.
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President Trump Hosts Trilateral With President Of Serbia And Prime Minister Of Kosovo

Trump Oversees Historic Serbia-Kosovo Deal With Great News For Israel

Kosovo

Serbia

On Friday, President Trump oversaw representatives of Serbia and Kosovo as they signed a historic normalization of relations, topped by another

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On Wednesday, a 39-year-old rabbi in Israel who was the father of four children was making his way home from a kollel, a house of Jewish study, when he was stabbed to death by a Palestinian man in what investigators say may have been a terror attack.
Rabbi Shai Ohayon is survived by his wife Sivan, who is expecting their fifth child, and their four children, Tohar, 13, Hillel, 11, Shiloh, 9, and Malachi, 4.
“The suspect in the stabbing, a Palestinian Arab from a village near Shechem (Nablus) who holds a work permit, was arrested by the police and questioned by the Israel Security Agency,” <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286035">Israel National News</a> reported.
“The suspect, a 46-year-old Palestinian from a town near Nablus (Shechem) in the West Bank, stabbed the victim and then calmly walked away from the scene towards Segula Junction where he was arrested by police,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/at-least-1-injured-in-stabbing-in-petah-tikva-background-unclear-640000">Jerusalem Post</a> reported. &#8220;The suspect was found with a knife on him.&#8221;
Interrogators &#8220;believe it may have been a terror attack, and are looking into the possibility of the suspect receiving help in carrying out the attack,&#8221; the Post reported. The suspect, authorities say, had no criminal background.
Israel National News reports that 200 people came for the funeral, but only 40 could take part because of coronavirus restrictions.
“He was an excellent son-in-law, a good father to his children and a good husband to his wife. He was like a son to me,” Ohayon’s father-in-law Ofer Karaz said, as reported by <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/he-was-a-holy-man-friends-family-mourn-stabbing-victim-rabbi-shai-ohayon/">The Times of Israel</a>. “People loved him very much. Everyone would come to hear his Torah lessons. People would say the lessons could give those who heard them goosebumps.”
Karaz said he heard news reports about a stabbing and tried to call his son-in-law.
“I felt it was him… I called my daughter and she said [Ohayon] had talked to one of the kids earlier but had not answered since,&#8221; said Karaz. &#8220;I found out through a friend that it was him. It’s hard for me to think of him in the past tense.&#8221;
Ohayon’s friend David Yosef Mugrabi, who studied with him, said Ohayon got his rabbinic ordination “while working to support his family at the same time. He was determined, even though he didn’t have a college degree, to provide for his family with love, support and work.”
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin tweeted, &#8220;Our thoughts are with the Ohayon family, whose son Rabbi Shai was murdered by a despicable terrorist. We have lost a man of Torah, a font of knowledge, a father of four children. The terrorist and his accomplices must face justice. Terror must not win. May his memory be a blessing.&#8221;
Ohayon&#8217;s murder came almost exactly one year to the day after the murder of 17-year-old Rina Schnerb, killed by a bomb planted by a terrorist.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
One year ago today: 17 year-old Jewish girl Rina Shnerb was murdered by Palestinian terrorists who detonated a bomb at a natural spring in Judea and Samaria.
Her crime? Being a Jew living in her ancestral homeland Israel. We remember her and the evil enemies we are dealing with. <a href="https://t.co/vjQhnm6GcM">pic.twitter.com/vjQhnm6GcM</a>
&mdash; Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) <a href="https://twitter.com/HananyaNaftali/status/1297554577726767105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Last November, Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/shin-bet-thwarted-over-450-terror-attacks-in-2019-chief-says/">said</a> of the ongoing efforts to thwart terrorists, “In the past year, we have thwarted over 450 significant terror attacks, and we have allowed Israeli citizens to have full and comfortable lives in the day-to-day without knowing what’s going on underground.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today a terrorist took the life of a husband and father of 4 children, age 4, 9, 11 and 13. He was Israeli rabbi Shai Ohayon, 39, from the town of Petach Tikva, and he was cruelly murdered by a jihadi terrorist in cold blood. An outrage. May his memory be an eternal blessing. <a href="https://t.co/By8F9HUFTM">pic.twitter.com/By8F9HUFTM</a>
&mdash; Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeldickson/status/1298632482338856960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The widow of Rabbi Shai Ohayon, who was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist, says last goodbye at his funeral. 💔
May God be with her and the 4 children. Please pray. <a href="https://t.co/uodJnMjesH">pic.twitter.com/uodJnMjesH</a>
&mdash; Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) <a href="https://twitter.com/HananyaNaftali/status/1298802440477855745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Condolences to the family of R&#39; Shai Ohayon h&quot;yd, the 39-year old dad of 4 who was murdered in Petah Tikva by a Palestinian terrorist. PA incitement against Israel/UAE has a price. We make peace as if there&#39;s no terror &amp; fight terror as if there&#39;s no peace. Blessed be his memory. <a href="https://t.co/H9mSqVspOl">pic.twitter.com/H9mSqVspOl</a>
&mdash; Danny Ayalon (@DannyAyalon) <a href="https://twitter.com/DannyAyalon/status/1298653276779544577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Daily Life In Jerusalem

Israeli Rabbi With Four Children, Expecting Fifth, Stabbed To Death In Suspected Terror Attack

Palestinians

Terrorism

On Wednesday, a 39-year-old rabbi in Israel who was the father of four children was making his way home from a kollel, a house of Jewish study, when he

Israeli Rabbi With Four Children, Expecting Fifth, Stabbed To Death In Suspected Terror Attack | The Daily Wire

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-michael-r-pompeo-and-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-after-their-meeting-2/">spoke to the press</a> after meeting privately on Monday, during which Netanyahu heaped praise on President Donald Trump.
&#8220;I have to say that quite a few years ago I had to stand sometimes alone in publicly rejecting the JCPOA and alerting the world on Iran’s aggression,&#8221; Netanyahu said. &#8220;That obviously changed with the inauguration of President Trump.&#8221;
Netanyahu started by noting his frequent conversations with Pompeo, adding, &#8220;We have met here in Jerusalem and in Washington and in so many places in between, but every meeting was characterized by that same powerful alliance of values that has informed your activity and the activity of the Trump administration that cements even further the historic American-Israeli alliance.  I want to thank you, I want to thank the President, for all that you’ve done for Israel’s security and everything you’re doing to solidify this friendship.&#8221;
Netanyahu commended Trump and Pompeo for having &#8220;stood up to Iran’s aggression and triggered the snapback sanctions,&#8221; pointing out, &#8220;I think it’s important to point out that today we hear Gulf countries, countries in the Gulf, speak out as forcefully as I’m doing now. And I think that I would suggest to our friends, especially our European friends, this point: that when Arabs and Israelis agree on something, it makes sense to pay attention. So congratulations on the stand on the snapback and on the – your overall opposition to Iran’s aggression and its quest for nuclear weapons.&#8221;
&#8220;The second thing that has happened is equally historic, and that is the achievement of the Israeli-Emirati peace agreement, the creation of full normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates,&#8221; Netanyahu continued. &#8220;This is the alliance of the moderates against the radicals, against those who use violence and aggression to further their aims against those who believe that we can offer a better future for our people through cooperation. It’s – I think it spells a change in the Middle East.  It’s the first time in a quarter of a century that we have a peace agreement, and I want to thank again the President and you and your administration for helping bring it about.&#8221;
Netanyahu also noted, &#8220;I also learned from Secretary Pompeo – heard again a very, very strong commitment that under all circumstances, the United States will ensure Israel’s qualitative edge &#8230; I want to thank you for your friendship and for your support in the quest for peace and security, which we’re actually achieving.&#8221;
Pompeo responded:
<blockquote>I appreciate your support.  President Trump’s made clear:  Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.  And we are determined to use every tool that we have to ensure that they can’t get access to high-end weapon systems, air defense systems, the ones that the prime minister spoke of.  We think it’s in the best interest of the whole world – many of these leaders tell me so privately.  It’s time to stand up.  It’s time to publicly account for the fact that Iran is on the cusp on October 18th of having access to those weapons and the money that will come from their sale of those weapons that will be used to inflict real harm, not only in the Middle East but in Europe as well.  And so I’m confident that we’ll achieve that and I welcome Israeli and Gulf state support for our effort.  The people most impacted by Iran having weapon systems are all in favor of this arms embargo being extended.  The rest of the world should join us&#8230;
I’m very hopeful that we will see other Arab nations join in this.  The opportunity for them to work alongside – to recognize the state of Israel and to work alongside them will not only increase Middle East stability, but it will improve the lives in each of the – for the people of their own countries as well &#8230;
President Trump told me I would be remiss if I didn’t once again say thank you for all that you have done to work alongside us to keep this security, to keep this relationship built.  We’ve done our part in moving the embassy here, by recognizing the reality of what the Golan Heights is, by acknowledging that these settlements are not per se unlawful.  These are the kinds of things that nations can do together to work to increase this security and stability for our two countries and for the region as well.  It has been a great relationship, it will continue to be a great relationship, and it was an honor for me to be with you here again today, Mr. Prime Minister.</blockquote>
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Visits Jerusalem

Netanyahu: I Had To ‘Stand Sometimes Alone’ Against Iran’s Aggression. Then Trump Came.

Benjamin Netanyahu

Mike Pompeo

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the press after meeting privately on Monday, during which Netanyahu

Netanyahu: I Had To ‘Stand Sometimes Alone’ Against Iran’s Aggression. Then Trump Came. | The Daily Wire

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The Israel-United Arab Emirates news is actually much bigger than the American press is reporting. President Donald Trump actually does deserve a great deal of credit, and if the deal were reported accurately, he would get that credit.
But the issue is larger than even that, and the American media has totally missed the bigger story.
First, to review, the United Arab Emirates and Israel have decided to publicly have diplomatic relations in something they are calling the Abraham Accords. This is groundbreaking in and of itself. Though the countries have privately been collaborating for some time, they will make it public now. That means each nation will recognize the other; they will have embassies; they will have access to each other&#8217;s phone and telecommunication networks. Aviation, commerce and tourism will flow between the nations.
I grew up in the Dubai, United Arab Emirates. We were not allowed to travel to Israel, and I have still never been there. In our geography and history textbooks, Israel was redacted. The pages were ripped out or blacked out. Maps did not have Israel. They either had black painted over or the word &#8220;Palestine&#8221; glued on top. The flag of Israel was blacked out.
In ninth grade, my class went to Greece for a field trip. I remember standing in the agora at the base of the Acropolis in Athens. Our teacher pointed to all the flags of the world hanging above the agora and asked if any of us could identify the white one with the blue stripes and a blue star. None of us had ever seen it.
Those redactions to textbooks will go away now. The United Arab Emirates will join Jordan and Egypt in recognizing Israel.
Now comes word that Bahrain and Oman will follow suit. Eventually, we could see Saudi Arabia also extend public recognition, though, like the UAE, Saudi Arabia has been privately cooperative with Israel for some time.
This gets to the larger and more important picture, the one the American media is missing.
Right now, there is a diplomatic dispute between Greece and Turkey over natural gas and drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey has moved naval forces into Greek territory to secure Turkish drilling rights for natural gas. Greece is using diplomatic pressure to push Turkey out of its territorial waters.
Three weeks ago, in the run up to the UAE deal becoming public, Israel sided with Greece in the dispute, joining Egypt.
Egypt has been at odds with Turkey since Turkey provided a safe haven to the Muslim Brotherhood. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood had come to power only to be forced out via a coup led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who is now Egypt&#8217;s President.
El-Sissi and Israel have been strengthening their diplomatic ties just as Turkey has been working to strengthen ties with Syria and Iran. Now Israel has joined Egypt in supporting Greece&#8217;s claims against Turkey, putting the majority of Eastern Mediterranean nations in Greece&#8217;s camp.
Oman and Bahrain may also be going public with their preexisting private diplomatic relations with Israel. This is signaling the formation of a Middle Eastern alliance of countries allied with Israel against an Iranian-Turkish axis that backs the Muslim Brotherhood and various Shiite terror groups.
There is, if you will, a Fertile Crescent axis of terror that arches from Syria over and around Turkey and parts of Iraq to Iran with the possible coming inclusion of Qatar. It is now being matched by a coalition from Egypt to Israel to Jordan to the rest of the Middle East.
The first collaborative test could be taking Greece&#8217;s side against Turkey in a strategic effort to undermine Turkish natural gas supplies.
We&#8217;re witnesses the rise of an Israel-Arab alliance with diplomatic agreement stretching beyond trade to actually containing a growing threat from Turkey, Syria and Iran. That has been missed in the media coverage and is probably the most significant foreign policy accomplishment to come out of the Trump administration. It is happening before our eyes while so many are distracted by post office conspiracies.
To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

Middle East map

ERICKSON: The Abraham Accords

The Israel-United Arab Emirates news is actually much bigger than the American press is reporting. President Donald Trump actually does deserve a great

ERICKSON: The Abraham Accords | The Daily Wire

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This week, while all eyes have been on the Democratic National Convention taking place via Zoom, truly historic events have occurred in the Middle East: a long-awaited peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, including full normalization of relations, presumed peace deals to follow between Israel and Sudan, Oman and Bahrain, and the possibility on the horizon of a similar deal with Saudi Arabia.
These are not only historic events; they are unmitigated goods: the recognition of a Jewish state in the Middle East is the precondition to any peace in the Middle East. And the formation of a durable coalition to stave off the aggressive Islamism of Iran provides more stability and greater deterrence in the region.
It&#8217;s easy to tell whether these are historic events by identifying those who oppose them. Iran is particularly angry; so is Iranian publicity agent Ben Rhodes, who served as former President Obama&#8217;s deputy national security adviser. The tyrannical government of Turkey is deeply miffed; so is the terrorist government of the Palestinian Authority.
All are angry for the same reason: The central myth of American Middle Eastern policy, formulated over the course of decades, has been thoroughly exposed. That myth suggested that in order for any peace to bloom in the Middle East, the West would have to apply pressure on the Israeli government to make concessions to the Palestinians &#8212; that Israel would have to abandon claims to East Jerusalem, to the Golan Heights, to areas of Judea and Samaria.
That myth had been repeatedly tarnished by events of the last several years. When America moved her embassy to Jerusalem, foreign policy &#8220;experts&#8221; assured the public that the so-called Arab street would be set aflame. Instead, nothing happened. When America recognized Israel&#8217;s formal annexation of the Golan Heights, foreign policy &#8220;experts&#8221; said that the Middle East would become a tinderbox. Nothing happened.
Now Arab nations are openly forming alliances with the Jewish state, fully acknowledging that Israeli-Palestinian issues remain bilateral in nature. Relations between Jordan and Israel, between the UAE and Israel, between Sudan and Israel, between Egypt and Israel &#8212; none now hide behind the fig leaf of Palestinian demands to avoid peace. They have realized that other interests, both economic and security-related, are a top priority. And they have tacitly recognized that Palestinian intransigence is not worthy of their support.
Hilariously, former Vice President Joe Biden tried to take credit for the Israel-UAE deal, suggesting that his own communications with the UAE had paved the way for the agreement. That&#8217;s laughable on its face: In 2014, Biden had to issue a formal apology to the UAE government after suggesting that the UAE supported militants in Syria. Biden&#8217;s chief contribution to the diplomatic breakthrough was actually the Obama administration&#8217;s sycophantic embrace of the Iranian regime: By making clear that the United States could not be relied upon to protect Sunni nations from Iranian predations, the Obama administration convinced Arab nations that their interests lie in security alliance with Israel.
And so, the region has changed for the better. In more honest times, Trump administration officials who brokered this breakthrough would be up for the Nobel Peace Prize; instead, the news has been largely downplayed in favor of the scandal du jour from Trump&#8217;s Twitter account. But we should be clear: The first important breakthrough in the Middle East in three decades just took place. And it took place because reality finally set in for Israel&#8217;s heretofore enemies: Israel isn&#8217;t going anywhere. Perhaps Palestinians will eventually learn the same lesson and peace will truly be possible.
More from Ben Shapiro: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shapiro-joe-bidens-awful-vice-presidential-pick">Joe Biden’s Awful Vice Presidential Pick</a>
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President Trump Holds News Conference At The White House

SHAPIRO: The Remaking Of The Middle East

Iran

Sudan

This week, while all eyes have been on the Democratic National Convention taking place via Zoom, truly historic events have occurred in the Middle East: a

SHAPIRO: The Remaking Of The Middle East | The Daily Wire

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On Sunday, National Security Advisor Robert O&#8217;Brien, appearing on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” celebrated the deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates while <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-august-16-2020-n1236891">taking a shot</a> at the Obama administration, saying, “I think the only people that were against the deal were the Ayatollah and maybe Ben Rhodes.” Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications for the Obama administration, crafted a false narrative to the media that helped seal the Iran nuclear deal, as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/obama-official-says-he-pushed-a-narrative-to-media-to-sell-the-iran-nuclear-deal/2016/05/06/5b90d984-13a1-11e6-8967-7ac733c56f12_story.html?utm_term=.2a4b47a01e70">The Washington Post</a> reported in 2016.
Host Chuck Todd started the conversation by acknowledging, “From Joe Biden to Nancy Pelosi, the praise has been pretty universal. Last week, President Trump announced that Israel and the United Arab Emirates, also known as UAE, would establish full diplomatic relations, making the UAE only the third Arab state, after Egypt and Jordan, to officially recognize Israel. It was a significant achievement with broad implications for the Middle East.”
“The president portrayed it as an icebreaker, if you will, for Israel to normalize relations with other countries in the region, particularly Gulf states,” Todd continued. “What kind of timeline should we expect? Is this months? Is this years? Who will be number four?”
O’Brien answered:
<blockquote>I&#8217;ll tell you, last week was quite an accomplishment. It was the result of very hard diplomacy, much of it being quarterbacked by the President of the United States himself on calls with Bibi Netanyahu and Mohammed bin Zayed. He really pushed this over the finish line. But it took a lot of courage by the other leaders as well. As you indicated, there have only been three of these peace treaties since Israel&#8217;s founding, so it&#8217;s a historic accomplishment. We think that there&#8217;s momentum for some additional parties to join and to normalize relations with Israel.
We fanned out, as soon as this was announced, and have talked to — I&#8217;ve been on the phone with leaders in the region, the president has, Jared Kushner has, Secretary Pompeo has. And so we&#8217;re quite hopeful that we can build on this momentum. I can&#8217;t give a timeline because these things are tough. You know, these are the toughest negotiations in the world, to broker peace between Israel and the Arab and Islamic world, but we&#8217;re confident that we think there are a couple of other countries that are going to get on board soon and we&#8217;re looking forward to that.</blockquote>
“I&#8217;m curious, Saudi Arabia,” Todd pressed. “Because they&#8217;re the guardians, if you will, of some important religious aspects of Islam, do they end up the last, do you think, to publicly do it? Or could they be next?”
“Look, it&#8217;s possible that they could be next,” O’Brien replied. “The three great holy sites in Islam, as you know, Chuck, are Mecca, Medina – and the king of Saudi Arabia is the keeper of those two sites. But the other site is the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and King Hussein of Jordan and Jordan supervises that. One of the great things about this agreement is you&#8217;re now going to have direct flights from those fantastic airports, both in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, into Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv. And we&#8217;re going to have Arab and Muslim pilgrims coming to Jerusalem and going up to the Mount and worshiping at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. And we think that&#8217;s something that will be a great confidence builder. And so, I&#8217;m hoping that King Salman and MBS, Mohammed bin Salman, see that development and realize that this would be great for Saudi Arabia, it would be great for the Arab people, and for the Islamic world as well. So, we&#8217;re hopeful. We&#8217;ll have to see what happens, but we&#8217;re talking to a number of countries in addition to Saudi Arabia.&#8221;
Todd segued to pushing for the Iran deal to be reinstated, asserting, “Your loss at the U.N. on the extension of an arms embargo on Iran, and given how much the United — how few allies the United States had on their side on this issue, do you at all look at this — wouldn&#8217;t the United States be in a better position to extend this embargo on Iran if they had remained in the Iran deal? Is that turning out to be a big diplomatic mistake?”
O’Brien shot that idea down quickly:
<blockquote>No, I think it was — it’s exactly the opposite of that, Chuck. I think getting out of the JCPOA and showing our allies and partners in the region, who are terrified of a hegemonic Iran that received over $150 billion under the JCPOA in sanctions relief — they didn&#8217;t take that money to improve the lives of ordinary Iranians. They took that money and engaged in proxy wars in Iraq, in Syria, in Lebanon, in Yemen, and other parts of the Middle East. And so, I think getting out of the JCPOA was the predicate for this fantastic deal between UAE and Israel.
And look, the only people — you know, you had Thomas Friedman coming out with an unqualified endorsement of the UAE-Israel deal, which I never thought I&#8217;d see President Trump being endorsed by Thomas Friedman on this deal, and David Ignatius and others. I think the only people that were against the deal were the Ayatollah and maybe Ben Rhodes. But this happened because we got out of the JCPOA, not because we should have stayed in it.</blockquote>
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US-POLITICS-SECURITY-TRUMP

WATCH: National Security Advisor O’Brien: The Only People Against Israel-UAE Deal Were Iran’s Supreme Leader And Maybe Obama’s Ben Rhodes

Ben Rhodes

Meet the Press

Robert O'Brien

On Sunday, National Security Advisor Robert O&#039;Brien, appearing on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” celebrated the deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates

WATCH: National Security Advisor O&#039;Brien: The Only People Against Israel-UAE Deal Were Iran’s Supreme Leader And Maybe Obama’s Ben Rhodes | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-national-security-advisor-obrien-the-only-people-against-israel-uae-deal-were-irans-supreme-leader-and-maybe-obamas-ben-rhodes/

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On Thursday, following the announcement of the historic peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made the astonishing claim that the Obama administration was partially responsible for preparing the way for the deal.
Biden said that “the coming together of Israel and Arab states builds on the efforts of multiple administrations to foster a broader Arab-Israeli opening, including the efforts of the Obama-Biden administration to build on the Arab Peace Initiative,” adding, “I personally spent time with leaders of both Israel and the UAE during our administration building the case for cooperation and broader engagement and the benefits it could deliver to both nations, and I am gratified by today’s announcement. It is a timely reminder that enmities and differences — even long standing ones — are not set in stone, and of the role American diplomacy can play,” as <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-praises-israel-uae-peace-deal-trump">Fox News</a> reported.
The Arab Peace Initiative that Biden cited was proposed by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at the 2002 Arab League Summit in Beirut, Lebanon, endorsed by that summit, and later endorsed at the 2007 summit in Riyadh. It called for full Israeli withdrawal from Golan Heights, which would leave Israel vulnerable to attacks from above it, withdrawal from the Biblical Judea and Samaria, where the ancient Jewish kings were crowned, and withdrawal from East Jerusalem, which includes the Temple Mount, the site of the Biblical temples, and for Jews, the holiest place on earth.
As it turned out, Israel never compromised on those issues, and yet the UAE has made peace, so Biden’s citation of the Arab Peace Initiative to buttress his claim that the Obama administration had anything to do with the deal is ludicrous.
But in one sense, Biden is correct, albeit not for the reasons he cited. The Obama administration, by its support for the theocratic, despotic Iranian regime, the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, triggered Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia to link with Israel as all four countries were aware of the Iranian threat to all of them.
Obama’s contempt for Israel was <a href="https://nypost.com/2015/06/21/ambassador-reveals-how-obama-undermined-israel/">expressed in numerous ways</a>. Michael Oren, who served as Israel’s U.S. ambassador from 2009 to 2013, wrote that while Obama spoke with Jeffrey Goldberg, whom Oren described as Obama’s “conduit on all things Israel-related,” Obama “warned Israel of its growing isolation in the world and vulnerability to boycotts.” Goldberg told Charlie Rose, “I took it to be a little bit of a veiled threat,” adding that he interpreted the words as Obama’s way of saying, “nice little Jewish state you got there, I’d hate to see something happen to it.”
After the massive Haitian earthquake in 2010, Israeli volunteers established the first hospital unit there to aid the victims. Obama’s statement on the tragedy thanked six other countries for their assistance but ignored Israel.
In 2014, while Israel was engaged in the Gaza war, the Obama administration delayed <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-official-confirms-us-nixed-missile-sale-pm-blamed-for-soured-ties/">delivery</a> of U.S.-made Hellfire missiles to Israel; the Israeli Air Force modified its Apache helicopters to enable use of Rafael-manufactured air-to-surface missiles out of necessity.
And of course, just before he left office, Obama made sure to abstain on a U.N. vote, breaking <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/united-nations-demands-end-israel-settlement-building-u-s-abstains-n699626">with past practice</a> and permitting the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria and east Jerusalem as a &#8220;flagrant violation&#8221; of international law, as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/israel-s-netanyahu-lashes-out-obama-over-u-n-vote-n699901">NBC News</a> reported.
The late Charles Krauthammer <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/obamas-final-most-shameful-legacy-moment/2016/12/29/ee04bcca-cdfc-11e6-a747-d03044780a02_story.html">wrote</a> of the resolution:
<blockquote>It’s the third category of “settlement” that is the most contentious and that Security Council Resolution 2334 <a href="http://www.un.org/webcast/pdfs/SRES2334-2016.pdf">explicitly condemns</a>: East Jerusalem. This is not just scandalous; it’s absurd. America acquiesces to a declaration that, as a matter of international law, the Jewish state has no claim on the Western Wall, the Temple Mount, indeed the entire Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem. They belong to Palestine.
The Temple Mount is the most sacred site in all of Judaism. That it should be declared foreign to the Jewish people is as if the Security Council declared Mecca and Medina to be territory to which Islam has no claim. Such is the Orwellian universe Israel inhabits.</blockquote>
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Presidential Candidate Joe Biden And Running Mate Kamala Harris Get Briefed On Coronavirus

After Historic Israel-UAE Peace Deal Brokered By Trump, Biden Tries To Take Credit

On Thursday, following the announcement of the historic peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, presumptive Democratic presidential

After Historic Israel-UAE Peace Deal Brokered By Trump, Biden Tries To Take Credit | The Daily Wire

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Leaders in Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to normalize relations between the two countries and pledged to take a number of steps to strengthen diplomatic relations, including exchanging embassies and ambassadors.
The historic treaty is a result of negotiations brokered by President Donald Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, concluded the peace negotiations in a phone call with the U.S. president on Thursday.
“HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates!” Trump tweeted. During a <a href="https://twitter.com/dcexaminer/status/1293933452815765506">press briefing</a> after the agreement was announced, Trump said that the U.S. is in talks with other Middle Eastern nations to join the Israeli-UAE agreement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
HUGE breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two GREAT friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1293922936609546240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The agreement is set to “unlock great potential in the region,” according to a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/joint-statement-united-states-state-israel-united-arab-emirates/">joint-statement</a> by the trio of nations. An official agreement is <a href="https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/1293929456940326913">expected</a> to be signed at a White House ceremony in the coming weeks.
“Delegations from Israel and the United Arab Emirates will meet in the coming weeks to sign bilateral agreements regarding investments, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare, culture, the environment, the establishment of reciprocal embassies, and other areas of mutual benefit,” the statement said. “Opening direct ties between two of the Middle East’s most dynamic societies and advanced economies will transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation, and forging closer people-to-people relations.”
As part of the agreement, Israel has agreed to suspend declaring sovereignty over areas of the West Bank outlined in a January <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-deal-of-the-century-for-israel-palestinians-a-realistic-plan-with-arab-states-backing-it">peace plan</a> designed by the Trump administration. Instead, Israel will focus on “expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world.”
“This normalization of relations and peaceful diplomacy will bring together two of America’s most reliable and capable regional partners. Israel and the United Arab Emirates will join with the United States to launch a Strategic Agenda for the Middle East to expand diplomatic, trade, and security cooperation,” the statement continued.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a <a href="https://www.state.gov/historic-day-for-peace-in-the-middle-east/">statement</a> that the peace deal is “historic” and a “significant step” for peace in the Middle East:
<blockquote>This is a remarkable achievement for two of the world’s most forward leaning, technologically advanced states, and reflects their shared regional vision of an economically integrated region. It also illustrates their commitment to confronting common threats, as small — but strong — nations.
The United States hopes that this brave step will be the first in a series of agreements that ends 72 years of hostilities in the region. Although the peace treaties between Israel and Egypt and Jordan have not yet fulfilled their full potential, since the 1978 Camp David Accords and the 1994 Wadi Arava Agreement, we have witnessed significant economic development in Egypt and Jordan, an unmistakable dividend of peace.
Today’s normalization agreement between Israel and the Emirates holds similar potential and the promise for a better day for the entire region. The United States congratulates Israel and the Emirates for their important achievement. Blessed are the peacemakers. Mabruk and Mazal Tov.</blockquote>
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Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump

Trump Touts ‘HUGE Breakthrough’ As Israel, United Arab Emirates Agree To ‘Historic’ Peace Deal

Leaders in Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to normalize relations between the two countries and pledged to take a number of steps to

Trump Touts ‘HUGE Breakthrough’ As Israel, United Arab Emirates Agree To ‘Historic’ Peace Deal | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-touts-huge-breakthrough-as-israel-united-arab-emirates-agree-to-historic-peace-deal/

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On Tuesday, after the horrifying blast in Beirut had triggered Israel to offer humanitarian aid to those suffering from the effects of the explosion, Sweden&#8217;s former Prime Minister, Carl Bildt, who currently serves as the Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, issued a tweet disparaging Israel, writing, “The only encouraging thing in this catastrophe in Lebanon is that even Israel  has been quick in offering humanitarian aid.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The only encouraging thing in this catastrophe in Lebanon 🇱🇧 is that even Israel 🇮🇱 has been quick in offering humanitarian aid. <a href="https://t.co/3TDkzgmD5M">pic.twitter.com/3TDkzgmD5M</a>
&mdash; Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) <a href="https://twitter.com/carlbildt/status/1290735149148180483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Some examples of Israel’s generosity, from the individuals to the government: In October 2018, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-israeli-doctors-perform-transplant-save-hank-berrien">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>A Palestinian baby in a Tel Aviv hospital is fighting for his life, but the only reason the baby is still alive is that an Israeli family that lost their one-year-old child the week before agreed to donate the child’s heart only hours before the Palestinian child became the recipient of a heart transplant, performed by Israeli doctors.</blockquote>
Israel is justifiably famous for offering medical help to victims of disasters around the world for over 50 years. Here’s a short list:
In 1965, Israel <a href="https://www.jta.org/1965/04/01/archive/israel-offers-medical-aid-for-earthquake-victims-in-chile">offered</a> to send antibiotics, X-ray films and other pharmaceutical and medical supplies to the victims of a catastrophic earthquake in Chile.
In 2004, Israel <a href="http://embassies.gov.il/boston/AboutIsrael/AboutIsraelInfo/Pages/Israel-humanitarian-aid.aspx">sent relief</a> to New Orleans after <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/MFA+Spokesman/2005/Israeli+aid+to+Hurricane+Katrina+victims+5-Sep-2005.htm">Hurricane Katrina</a>, and first response aid after the <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/HumanitarianAid/Worldwide/Tsunami+Crisis+Relief+for+Sri+Lanka+-+January+2005.htm">2004 tsunami</a> with 60 tons of international aid to Indonesia, and 82 tons of relief to Sri Lanka.
After the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, Israel sent a mission offering supplies and shelter for thousands of families.
In 2009, Israel <a href="https://www.israel21c.org/israel-provides-medical-aid-after-typhoon-parma/">sent medical aid</a> to the Philippines after Typhoon Parma.
In 2010, Israel&#8217;s relief team of 200 people was the <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/aid/pages/israeli_aid_arrives_haiti_17-jan-2010.aspx">first to arrive</a> to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
In 2011, Israel was the <a href="http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/PressRoom/2011/Pages/Israel_sends_aid_to_Japan_25-Mar-2011.aspx">first country</a> to send medical aid to Japan after a huge tsunami hit the country.
In 2012, Israel <a href="http://www.theisraelproject.org/israel-offers-medical-aid-for-syrian-refugees">offered to receive casualties</a> who were evacuated from Syria after the violence in Syria; some Israeli doctors were even on the Syrian-Turkish border treating victims of the Syrian violence.
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/for-the-first-time-israel-describes-the-aid-work-it-carries-out-in-syria/2017/07/19/22e466a6-6c91-11e7-abbc-a53480672286_story.html?utm_term=.3fbd8fd26a06">reported</a>:
<blockquote>It is well documented that Israel has provided emergency medical treatment to Syrian fighters seeking help. As many as 3,000 wounded individuals have made their way to the border and received lifesaving medical treatment in Israeli hospitals before returning to their homeland. … As part of the effort, Israel has transferred 360 tons of food, 450,000 liters of gasoline and 50 tons of clothing to Syria. It has also sent large quantities of painkillers, anesthetics and basic medicine for diabetes and asthma.</blockquote>
Reaction to Bildt’s derogatory and ill-informed tweet came swiftly: GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas fired back: &#8220;&#8216;Even Israel?&#8217; I suppose you, Carl, were offering hospital care to Syrians (including children) badly injured IN SYRIA &amp; doing so secretively so they wouldn’t be killed or tortured for having been helped by Jews? I didn’t see you there when I visited Israeli doctors.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“Even Israel?” I supppse you, Carl, were offering hospital care to Syrians (including children) badly injured IN SYRIA &amp; doing so secretively so they wouldn’t be killed or tortured for having been helped by Jews? I didn’t see you there when I visited Israeli doctors. <a href="https://t.co/nqktSj1Mnt">https://t.co/nqktSj1Mnt</a>
&mdash; Chip Roy (@chiproytx) <a href="https://twitter.com/chiproytx/status/1291015599636844545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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British Colonel Richard Kemp, who led Operation Fingal in Afghanistan from July to November 2003, snapped, “EVEN Israel? What do you mean by that comment? Israel is ALWAYS the first to offer aid &amp; often the first to deploy aid &amp; emergency assistance when there is a disaster anywhere in the world, including among its neighbours.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
EVEN Israel? What do you mean by that comment? Israel is ALWAYS the first to offer aid &amp; often the first to deploy aid &amp; emergency assistance when there is a disaster anywhere in the world, including among its neighbours. <a href="https://t.co/8W3S3odm9O">https://t.co/8W3S3odm9O</a>
&mdash; Rɪᴄʜᴀʀᴅ Kᴇᴍᴘ ⋁ (@COLRICHARDKEMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/COLRICHARDKEMP/status/1290883886977880065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Arsen Ostrovsky, the executive director of the ISRAELI-Jewish Congress, wrote, “Hi Carl, this might seem like a shock to you, but Israel has long history of offering humanitarian aid to countries hostile to us, incl. Iran, Syria, Turkey. So, Lebanon is not a surprise. We do it simply because it&#8217;s just the right thing to do.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Hi Carl, this might seem like a shock to you, but Israel has long history of offering humanitarian aid to countries hostile to us, incl. Iran, Syria, Turkey. So, Lebanon is not a surprise. We do it simply because it&#39;s just the right thing to do.
&mdash; Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ostrov_A/status/1290785861618012160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Journalist Annika Rothstein harshly stated, “Israel is always the first to offer aid, to anyone anywhere in need. Thanks to you &amp; other hapless Swedish politicians, all Sweden has to offer the world is hypocracy, a white flag &amp; an answering machine so sit the f*** down with your low-key anti-Semitism.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Israel is always the first to offer aid, to anyone anywhere in need. Thanks to you &amp; other hapless Swedish politicians, all Sweden has to offer the world is hypocracy, a white flag &amp; an answering machine so sit the fuck down with your low-key antisemitism <a href="https://t.co/BmBBr980NF">https://t.co/BmBBr980NF</a>
&mdash; Annika H Rothstein (@truthandfiction) <a href="https://twitter.com/truthandfiction/status/1290926437088796673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Jerusalem Post Senior Contributing Editor Lahav Harkov responded, &#8220;&#8216;Even.&#8217; As if Israel doesn’t offer aid whenever there’s a disaster. Including the 2017 earthquake in Iran.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“Even.” As if Israel doesn’t offer aid whenever there’s a disaster. Including the 2017 earthquake in Iran. <a href="https://t.co/isIJdx9f6X">https://t.co/isIJdx9f6X</a>
&mdash; Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) <a href="https://twitter.com/LahavHarkov/status/1290898747615064070?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The American Jewish Committee wrote, &#8220;&#8216;Even&#8217; Israel, @Carlbildt? Need we remind you that it is Lebanon that rejects Israel’s verty existence, not the other way around? An apology is in order.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;Even&quot; Israel, <a href="https://twitter.com/carlbildt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CarlBildt</a>? 
Need we remind you that it is Lebanon that rejects Israel&#39;s very existence, not the other way around? 
An apology is in order. <a href="https://t.co/Aiy4JdPeOD">https://t.co/Aiy4JdPeOD</a>
&mdash; American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/AJCGlobal/status/1290767854338441219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In 2008, when Bildt was serving as Sweden’s foreign Minister, he made a direct comparison between Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He stated, &#8220;It is possible to make peace without Hamas the same way it is possible to make peace without Netanyahu on the Israeli side,&#8221; An Israeli Foreign Ministry official, noting Bildt’s prior pro-Palestinian Arab comments, told the <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel/swedish-fm-likens-netanyahu-to-hamas">Jerusalem Post</a>, &#8220;It is a horrible and stupid statement that displays complete ignorance about the Middle East. He clearly does not understand the difference between the leader of an Israeli political party and a group that is engaging in the terror that threatens Europe as much as Israel.&#8221;
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Israel Offers Aid To Lebanon After Blast. Major European Official Mocks Israel For It. Then He’s Crushed Online.

European Council on Foreign Relations

Lebanon

On Tuesday, after the horrifying blast in Beirut had triggered Israel to offer humanitarian aid to those suffering from the effects of the explosion,

Israel Offers Aid To Lebanon After Blast. Major European Official Mocks Israel For It. Then He’s Crushed Online. | The Daily Wire

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Protests broke out Saturday in the heart of Jerusalem with demonstrators expressing disapproval of Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu’s handling of the coronavirus and alleged illegal behavior, an escalation of discontent that has some Israelis calling for Netanyahu to step down. 
Demonstrations have now become a weekly occurrence for angry critics of Netanyahu&#8217;s administration, who have been gathering at Netanyahu’s residence along Balfour Street in Jerusalem, with media estimates as high as 13,000 people joining the demonstrations.
The strong opposition to the administration comes partly in response to the strict COVID-19 regulations imposed across the country, which has seen the dramatic rise in the unemployment rate — 3.9% to 21% since the pandemic began. 
“While Israel has pledged billions of dollars worth of aid, it hasn’t all been doled out to those in need, and a plan to give a stipend to all Israelis, even the wealthy, has been panned by the country’s leading economists,&#8221; <a href="https://apnews.com/77fcc7a5eecb63657285d0216abc281b">AP reported in July</a> when the protests first gained traction. &#8220;The first and second round of restrictions has battered the economy and sent unemployment skyrocketing.&#8221;
Local restaurant owners, one group that has been especially vocal about the impact of Israel&#8217;s regulatory burden, began handing out food supplies to hungry protestors on the streets. One restaurant owner told an <a href="https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/thousands-gather-in-jerusalem-to-protest-against-netanyahu-govt-635846">Israeli news outlet</a> that they are now in a “battered industry,” and providing food to people “emphasize[s] the importance of maintaining solidarity and being empathetic to others even in hard times like this, just as [they] would expect to be treated by the government.” 
Israel is now witnessing another rise in cases with approximately 1,975 cases per day. But the country has only experienced 430 deaths out of nearly 50,000 COVID-19 cases. 
Others have taken to the streets to fight against the<a href="https://apnews.com/77fcc7a5eecb63657285d0216abc281b"> alleged bribery and fraud claims</a> directed at the prime minister. The corruption accusations were brought to an initial trial in May, but a verdict will not be reached until 2021 for the 5-term leader. Netanyahu maintains his innocence and says the claims against him were drummed up by the ill-intended media.
Demonstrators — declaring messages like “crime minister,” “we were never a democracy,” and “dictator go home” — have frequented the streets of the capital city.  
Despite hopes for a peaceful evening, contentious interactions with the police broke out Saturday night. Law enforcement used water cannons to deter protestors and, according to the <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/anti-netanyahu-protests-heat-peak-at-30000-report-637150">Jerusalem Post</a>, made 12 arrests. The incident follows other reported rounds of arrests in previous weeks.
Throughout the past month, observers have posted live footage of the mass turnout and often violent clashes with the police.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Thousands of Israelis have been gathering tonight in Jerusalem to protest against Israel&#39;s prime minister Netanyahu. <a href="https://t.co/Wa5rGZmmZs">pic.twitter.com/Wa5rGZmmZs</a>
&mdash; Abdalrahim Alfarra (@AbdMfarra) <a href="https://twitter.com/AbdMfarra/status/1289690510513205249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
▶️ Protests in Israel&#39;s capital Jerusalem turned violent Friday, as police made arrests and fired water cannons at demonstrators.
👉 Israeli Police Arrest Dozens of Anti-Netanyahu Protesters<a href="https://t.co/iDP1gya7pH">https://t.co/iDP1gya7pH</a> <a href="https://t.co/QE4ls4soei">pic.twitter.com/QE4ls4soei</a>
&mdash; The Voice of America (@VOANews) <a href="https://twitter.com/VOANews/status/1286689095675187203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Black Flag Movement, one of the largest groups represented at the protests that is committed to Netanyahu’s removal, claims Israel’s leader is “destroying the dreams that the country was built on” because of his preoccupation with the trial. According to the <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/anti-netanyahu-protests-heat-peak-at-30000-report-637150">Jerusalem Post</a> on Sunday, the Black Flag Movement said they will not back down until Netanyahu leaves office.
Based upon the rising trajectory of protests from the past month, tension does not appear to be dissipating anytime soon.  
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Netanyahu Protest

Protests Against Israeli PM Netanyahu Escalate Amid Coronavirus Blowback, Corruption Claims

Coronavirus

COVID-19

Protests broke out Saturday in the heart of Jerusalem with demonstrators expressing disapproval of Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu’s handling of the

Protests Against Israeli PM Netanyahu Escalate Amid Coronavirus Blowback, Corruption Claims | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/protestors-call-for-israel-pm-netanyahus-resignation-amid-coronavirus-blowback-corruption-claims/

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Earlier this month, the hashtag “#JewishPrivilege” <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-white-supremacists-trigger-twitterstorm-by-using-jewishprivilege-hashtag-1.8990556">trended</a> on Twitter, spreading a “mixture of classic conspiratorial theories involving Jewish domination and control of the media, Holocaust denial and accusations of underwriting social unrest movements so that Jews could displace whites with minority groups.”
Leveraging our deep experience of combining suffering with sarcasm, Jews on Twitter <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/how-jewish-twitter-users-celebrities-took-down-virtual-anti-semitic-ncna1233915">quickly rallied</a> to flip the use of #JewishPrivilege to share stories of both modern and generational anti-Semitism.
Using the concept of “Jewish privilege” to justify the circular argument that so-called “Jewish success” is ensured by “Jewish influence” is nothing new. For centuries, Jews have been labeled as malevolent puppet masters, with their disproportionate success in various societies seen as further proof of the breadth and depth of their “control.” This remains true to this very day, with the same conspiratorial anti-Semitic rhetoric spread by <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/15/entertainment/nick-cannon-viacom-trnd/index.html">actors</a>, <a href="https://jewishjournal.com/news/317054/rapper-ice-cube-accused-of-anti-semitism/">musicians</a>, and even <a href="https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/ilhan-omar-voted-2019s-antisemite-of-the-year-613308">members of Congress</a>.
While the anti-Semitism demonstrated by “Jewish privilege” is the same sort of shallow bigotry which we have witnessed for centuries, anti-Semitism is a “<a href="https://rabbisacks.org/mutating-virus-understanding-antisemitism/">mutating virus</a>.” There is a new tentacle of anti-Jewish bigotry which continues to go widely unrecognized, anti-Zionism. Criticism of Israel has become a veil used by anti-Semites to dismiss any and all rebuttals, with “Israel” becoming a convenient synonym for “Jews.”
The difficulty here is that, while many Jews are quick to speak out against traditional anti-Semitism, the same is not true when it comes the intersection between anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric. Indeed, fueled by an experience of relative tolerance in liberal, insular, and secular bubbles, influential Jewish voices often give credence to the flawed arguments used by those who use their criticism of Israel as a mask for their hatred of Jews.
Speaking on Marc Macron’s <a href="http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1143-seth-rogen">podcast</a> this week, Seth Rogen demonstrated a stunning ignorance of Judaism’s past and present when it comes to its identity and its immutable links with Israel, and thereby provided ammunition to those who seek its destruction.
“To me it just seems an antiquated thought process. If it is for religious reasons, I don’t agree with it, because I think religion is silly,” said Rogen. “If it is for truly the preservation of Jewish people, it makes no sense, because again, you don’t keep something you’re trying to preserve all in one place — especially when that place is proven to be pretty volatile, you know? ‘I’m trying to keep all these things safe, I’m gonna put them in my blender and hope that that’s the best place . . . that’ll do it.’ It doesn’t make sense to me. And I also think that as a Jewish person I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel my entire life! They never tell you that — oh by the way, there were people there. They make it seem like it was just like sitting there, like the f***ing door’s open. They forget to include the fact to every young Jewish person.”
There are three fundamental failures underpinning Rogen’s arguments. The first is the dismissal of the undeniable Jewish connection to Israel (which has existed for thousands of years) under the banner of an atheistic secularism which disregards the religious foundation of Judaism.
Whether individual Jews embrace the religious or the cultural aspects of their heritage is entirely up to them, but to deny the importance of Israel as the one and only everlasting home of Judaism based on one’s personal lack of religiosity is profoundly selfish and theologically inane.
The second is the use of historical revisionism which ignores that there has been a continuous Jewish presence in Israel for thousands of years. To claim that the sole purpose of Israel is “the preservation of Jewish people,” and that prior to Israel’s founding there were (other) people there, assumes the false premise that Israel was apologetically handed to Jews for the first time in the aftermath of the Holocaust.
<div id="attachment_134030" style="width: 710px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-134030" class="wp-image-134030" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Western-Wall.jpg" alt="Jewish men wearing traditional Tallit prayer shawls and clad in face masks following tightened restriction aimed at fighting the spread of the novel coronavirus, gather for the morning prayer at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, on July 27, 2020. (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP) " width="700" height="456" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Western-Wall.jpg 741w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/07/Western-Wall-300x196.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images</div>
Such a simplistic description of Israel’s ancient and modern history only fuels the intentional attempt by those who target Jews under the “anti-Israel” guise to mislabel Israel as the result of 20th century Jewish colonialism. Contrary to this historically illiterate belief, the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 was simply a recognition of reality.
Finally, the notion that dispersing Jews across the world is the answer to the everlasting threat of anti-Semitism forgets that our history of non-consensual dispersion has not exactly gone well. In addition, Rogen’s absurd blender analogy regarding the volatility of the Middle East, and that we should disperse that which we wish to protect, makes the argument that Jews should not claim what is theirs because there are those who wish to prevent them from doing so. The presence of continual mortal danger is insignificant when it comes to exercising the Jewish right to self-determination in our ancestral homeland, regardless of what the neighbors think.
Seth Rogen is utterly and completely wrong, and his arguments will be music to the ears of those who seek to destroy the Jewish State. Israel does not exist for the preservation of Jewish people. Instead, Israel exists for the preservation of Judaism, and Judaism exists for the preservation of Israel. Israel is Judaism, and Judaism is Israel, and no amount of ignorance or lazy historical revisionism will change the enduring fact that Israel is, and always will be, the enduring home of the Jewish people and of Judaism itself.  For Jews and Judaism to persist, Israel must survive.
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Ian G. Haworth is a conservative commentator who provides an honest, principled, and hard-hitting insight into our politics and culture from his unique perspective as a British immigrant to the United States. Ian hosts “The Ian Haworth Show” and “The Truth in 60 Seconds.” He is a regular columnist for Townhall.com, and his work has appeared in other outlets including The American Mind, The Washington Examiner, and The Federalist. Ian graduated from Oxford University, and now lives in California. Follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth">@ighaworth</a>
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Seth Rogen

HAWORTH: Three Failures In Seth Rogen’s Criticism Of Israel

Anti-Semitism

Earlier this month, the hashtag “#JewishPrivilege” trended on Twitter, spreading a “mixture of classic conspiratorial theories involving Jewish domination

HAWORTH: Three Failures In Seth Rogen’s Criticism Of Israel | The Daily Wire

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Actor Seth Rogen may be Jewish, but he has some serious issues with the country of Israel and believes he and other Jews have been fed &#8220;a huge amount of lies&#8221; about the Jewish state.
Speaking on Marc Maron&#8217;s <a href="http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1143-seth-rogen">podcast</a>, Rogen argued that Israel&#8217;s actual history is not the same history he was taught growing up, namely, that Palestinians were allegedly driven from their homes to make way for Jewish settlements.
“[As] a Jewish person I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel my entire life,” said Rogen, as reported by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/29/seth-rogen-israel-palestinians-jewish-actor">The Guardian</a>. &#8220;They never tell you that, ‘Oh, by the way, there were people there.’ They make it seem like it was just like sitting there, like the [fu**ing] door’s open.&#8221;
Regardless of his opinions on Israel&#8217;s creation or Zionism, Rogen did concede that anti-Semitism exists and is a serious problem.
“I remember my dad frankly telling me, ‘People hate Jews. Just be aware of that. They just do.’ And it’s honestly something that I am so glad was instilled in me from a young age,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Because if it wasn’t, I would constantly be shocked at how much motherf***ers hate Jews.&#8221;
“It is pervasive and it is prevalent and it is to many Jewish people so confounding that they don’t assume it’s true. &#8230; I’ve tried to put a lot of thought into why it’s happened. … People obviously hate people who do not look like them, and I think people also have a weird fear of people who look like them, but do not believe the same thing they do fundamentally,&#8221; he continued.
Rogen, however, disagreed that a Jewish state was the exact solution to that problem, arguing that it makes no sense to put something so fragile in one specific place and chided Evangelical Christians for allegedly seeing Israel as the future destination of the end-times.
“You don’t keep all your Jews in one basket,” he said. &#8220;It makes no sense whatsoever.&#8221;
&#8220;It would be nice to live somewhere that was not a part of the Christian apocalyptic prophecy. &#8230; Maybe settle somewhere that the Christians don’t think you all have to die in order for the Apocalypse [to happen],” he continued.
Rogen and Maron (who is also Jewish), both said they would not live in Israel.
“To me it just seems an antiquated thought process,” Rogen said. “If it is for religious reasons, I don’t agree with it, because I think religion is silly. If it is for truly the preservation of Jewish people, it makes no sense, because again, you don’t keep something you’re trying to preserve all in one place — especially when that place has proven to be pretty volatile, you know? ‘I’m trying to keep all these things safe, I’m gonna put them in my blender and hope that that’s the best place.'&#8221;
As noted by The Guardian, Rogen and Maron received considerable blowback from Lahav Harkov, a senior contributing editor to the Jerusalem Post newspaper, who <a class="u-underline" href="https://twitter.com/LahavHarkov/status/1288336998298791937" data-link-name="in body link">said</a> on Twitter that the two made comments &#8220;from a position of really, really great privilege – and ignorance – if he can’t understand why Israel makes sense to millions of Jews around the world.&#8221;
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tlaib-describes-herself-as-solid-strong-advocate-against-white-supremacist-trump-compares-bds-movement-to-civil-rights-protests">Tlaib Describes Herself As ‘Solid, Strong Advocate’ Against ‘White Supremacist’ Trump, Compares BDS Movement To Civil Rights Protests</a>
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33rd American Cinematheque Award Presentation Honoring Charlize Theron &#8211; Arrivals

Seth Rogen: ‘I Was Fed A Huge Amount Of Lies About Israel’

Actor Seth Rogen may be Jewish, but he has some serious issues with the country of Israel and believes he and other Jews have been fed &quot;a huge amount of

Seth Rogen: ‘I Was Fed A Huge Amount Of Lies About Israel’ | The Daily Wire

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Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) addressed allegations of anti-Semitism against her in a recent interview with <a href="https://thejewishnews.com/2020/07/16/rashida-tlaib-its-the-same-folks-coming-after-all-of-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Detroit Jewish News</a> (JN) and described herself as &#8220;one solid, strong advocate &#8230; against the white supremacist in the White House.&#8221;
In her first conversation with the Jewish publication in her home district, Tlaib also compared the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel to the civil rights bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, and touched on criticism that her fellow Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has faced for offensive tweets.
Regarding what she would say to readers of JN who regard her as &#8220;Public Enemy Number One,&#8221; Tlaib appealed to her work with Jewish people in her community, and claimed her views on Palestine and Israel have been mischaracterized.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Check out this week&#39;s cover. If you&#39;re not subscribed to JN, you should be! To subscribe visit, <a href="https://t.co/TJDqii14WT">https://t.co/TJDqii14WT</a> <a href="https://t.co/HbppDcxyze">pic.twitter.com/HbppDcxyze</a>
&mdash; DetroitJewishNews (@JewishNewsDet) <a href="https://twitter.com/JewishNewsDet/status/1283745018835083268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Pointing out how she has a living grandmother and relatives in &#8220;territories occupied by Israel,&#8221; Tlaib said of her views on the Jewish state, &#8220;I think they’ve been misinterpreted or not fully understood. If people saw me more as a granddaughter, versus a congressmember, they would understand why I have said we need to push for true equality and justice in Israel.&#8221;
Regarding her current stance on the BDS movement, an anti-Israel boycott that the <a href="https://www.adl.org/what-we-do/israel/anti-israel-activity-bds" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Anti-Defamation League</a> described as &#8220;the most prominent effort to undermine Israel’s existence&#8221; and &#8220;rampant with misinformation and distortion,&#8221; Tlaib said, &#8220;Well, I absolutely support freedom of speech, and people want to taint the freedom to boycott.&#8221;
Tlaib continued, &#8220;It’s a peaceful way to speak up and say, &#8216;I’m against these human rights violations or these policies and this racism.&#8217; And I am absolutely, very much adamant that people need the right to boycott. I raised my voice and said, &#8216;I believe in that kind of movement.&#8217; I don’t know where we would be in our country without the Montgomery bus boycotts. It’s something that’s part of our American fabric.&#8221;
Tlaib pushed back on the idea &#8220;that the BDS movement is somehow anti-Semitic,&#8221; claiming &#8220;there are Jews who support the BDS movement. There are folks who truly believe in stopping racism of all forms, and they use the boycott as a form of speech.&#8221;
Tlaib later said of her Jewish constituents who oppose her for her stance on the BDS movement, &#8220;It’s just this one issue that we might disagree on. I had a few residents who were like, &#8216;I don’t know, Rashida.&#8217; And I said, &#8216;You don’t have to be there, but know it’s coming from a place that I really believe.&#8217; I really, truly believe that both communities can be free if we push back against Netanyahu’s racism and right-wing approach.&#8221;
Tlaib also defended Omar, her congressional colleague, who also supports BDS and even <a href="https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/ilhan-omar-introduces-pro-bds-bill-to-congress-announces-visit-to-israel-595991" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">introduced a pro-BDS resolution</a> in the House of Representatives in 2019. Omar was met with backlash when she tweeted in February 2019 that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) pays politicians to support Israel. Following the backlash, she <a href="https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/ilhan-omar-deletes-aipac-tweets-called-anti-semitic">deleted the tweets</a>.
&#8220;I think there was a gasp,&#8221; Tlaib said of when Omar tweeted those sentiments. &#8220;But at the same time, the way she was vilified — because I know her, she’s not anti-Semitic.&#8221; She then contrasted Omar&#8217;s willingness to apologize for her tweets with President Donald Trump, who Tlaib claims never apologizes.
Of Trump, Tlaib said, &#8220;I think one solid, strong advocate you’re going to have against the white supremacist in the White House is me. And when (Trump) speaks the way he does about Muslims, immigrants, Jews, understand that. What I see is all of us coming together and pushing against that.&#8221;
The Israeli government banned both Omar and Tlaib from making a trip to Israel in August 2019 because of their support for the BDS movement, as well as for an itinerary that listed their trip to Israel as a trip to Palestine. Israel later relented and allowed Tlaib to visit after she requested to see her 90-year-old grandmother, but Tlaib <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-grants-permission-congresswoman-tlaib-visit-west-bank-n1043026" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">refused</a> the offer, saying, &#8220;I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in – fighting against racism, oppression &amp; injustice.&#8221;
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ilhan-omar-we-cannot-stop-at-criminal-justice-system-must-dismantle-the-whole-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ilhan Omar: We ‘Cannot Stop At Criminal Justice System,’ Must ‘Dismantle The Whole System’</a>
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Tlaib Describes Herself As ‘Solid, Strong Advocate’ Against ‘White Supremacist’ Trump, Compares BDS Movement To Civil Rights Protests

Detroit

Michigan

Rashida Tlaib

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) addressed allegations of anti-Semitism against her in a recent interview with Detroit Jewish News (JN) and described herself as

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A letter being <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2020/06/four-progressive-congresswomen-circulate-letter-threatening-to-condition-aid-to-israel-over-annexation/">circulated</a> in the House of Representatives, by four members of Congress, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), calls for the Israeli government to stop all considerations regarding the “annexation” of the Jordan Valley.
The letter itself has gained significant momentum as Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), André Carson (D-IN), Nydia Velázquez (D-PR), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Jesús Garcia (D-IL), and Danny Davis (D-IL), as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), have <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/30/ocasio-cortez-aipac-israel-aid-annexation-345287">added their signatures</a>.
Whether you support or condemn Israel’s decision to extend sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, there are 4 things you should know about the letter.
First, the letter repeatedly and erroneously uses the term: Annexation. 
The term <a href="https://www.jns.org/netanyahu-vows-to-annex-all-settlements-after-election-starting-with-jordan-valley/">annexation</a> refers to a state’s decision to impose its legal authority over a territory that was forcibly acquired from another state with the use of force or aggression. As International Human Rights Lawyer, Arsen Ostrovsky and Colonel Richard Kemp <a href="https://www.jns.org/opinion/annexation-vs-sovereignty-words-matter/">note</a>:
<blockquote>“First, all apply to territory acquired by force or in an offensive war. The Six-Day War, in which Israel was compelled to defend itself from neighboring Arab armies seeking the Jewish state’s destruction, was defensive. Second, in 1967, there was no ‘state of Palestine,’ nor does such an entity exist today under international law.”</blockquote>
With a total disregard for international law, the letter’s vocabulary not only, and wrongly, insinuates that history witnessed the existence of a sovereign ‘Palestine,” but it ignores Israel’s indigenous and legal claims to the territory as established by the 1920 San Remo <a href="https://www.cfr.org/israel/san-remo-resolution/p15248">Resolution</a>.
Secondly, the letter, dubiously, <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2020/06/four-progressive-congresswomen-circulate-letter-threatening-to-condition-aid-to-israel-over-annexation/">speculates</a> that annexing parts of the West Bank will “perpetuate” and “entrench” human rights violations against Palestinians.
The signatories of this letter might benefit from carrying out a comparative analysis, in regard to standards of living, of Palestinians pre-1967 and Palestinians post-1967.
According to Ephraim Karsh’s, Director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, and author of Arafat’s War, explains:
<blockquote>“The number of Palestinians working in Israel rose from zero in 1967 to 66,000 in 1975 and 109,000 by 1986, accounting for 35 percent of the employed population of the West Bank and 45 percent in Gaza.”</blockquote>
Karsh also adds:
<blockquote>“By 1986, 92.8 percent of the population in the West Bank and Gaza had electricity around the clock, as compared to 20.5 percent in 1967; 85 percent had running water in dwellings, as compared to 16 percent in 1967; 84 percent had electric gas ranges for cooking, as compared to 4 percent in 1967&#8230;”</blockquote>
And in regards to Palestinian access to education, Karsh details:
<blockquote>“At the onset of the Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank, not a single university existed in these territories. By the early 1990s, there were seven such institutions, boasting some 16,500 students as compared with six in Israel or seven in the Irish Republic.”</blockquote>
The statement on this letter ignores an indisputable truth – Israel has done more for the Palestinian people than their own leadership has. If the signatories truly cared about human rights violations against Palestinians, they would note that the Palestinian leadership regards homosexuality and the sale of property to Jews as crimes; it continues to indoctrinate children with antisemitism and senseless hatred; it has invested millions of dollars in foreign aid to <a href="https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/where-does-the-palestinian-aid-money-go">fund</a> terrorist activities rather than social welfare programs, and it has repeatedly turned down generous offers for peace that would have granted the Palestinian people independence.
Thirdly, the letter threatens to “pursue conditions” on the $3.8 billion in US military funding to Israel if the Israeli government moves forward with “annexing” Jordan Valley. Such a move could have devastating impacts for Israelis, Palestinians, and American citizens.
A significant portion of the $3.8 billion received by Israel for military funding is <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/09/14/fact-sheet-memorandum-understanding-reached-israel">allocated</a> for defensive weapons systems such as the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow-3. If Israel were unable to defend her skies from the thousands of indiscriminate rockets fired from Hamas-held Gaza, it would possibly be forced to adopt more offensive tactics to protect her citizens. Such tactics could result in the tragic loss of Palestinian and Israeli civilian lives.
Moreover, the cut in funding would harm Americans during a devastating pandemic. According to the <a href="http://www.thetower.org/article/israel-gives-much-more-to-the-u-s-economy-than-you-imagined/">US Department of Commerce</a>, in between 2009-2014, 254,562 jobs were directly supported by the US-Israel Free Trade Agreement. Every state in the US enjoys its own economic ties with the State of Israel. In 2014, at the very <a href="http://www.thetower.org/article/israel-gives-much-more-to-the-u-s-economy-than-you-imagined/">lowest</a>, is Alaska which accumulated nearly $300,000 in trade with Israel. In the same year and at its <a href="http://www.thetower.org/article/israel-gives-much-more-to-the-u-s-economy-than-you-imagined/">highest</a>, is New York, which accumulated $6.3 billion in trade with Israel. The impacts of reducing aid to Israel would only add to the hardships that many American families are already experiencing.
Lastly, the letter makes the claim that under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, “annexation” is illegal, such a move would constitute a violation of international law by Israel.
To set the record straight on the letter&#8217;s faulty nomenclature, Israel does not propose annexing any territory; rather it is considering extending sovereignty over the Jordan Valley. It appears that the signatories of this letter are unfamiliar with the uti possidetis iuris doctrine. Put aptly, when new countries emerge from old ones, or from colonial empires, the last official international borders constitute the new boundary lines.
Professor Eugene Kontorovich, of the Antonin Scalia School of Law, <a href="https://en.kohelet.org.il/publication/crimea-international-law-and-the-west-bank?fbclid=IwAR0nNtEkTXFprRQQaXXOwHaju4nlCuD_q2l-QZ8rVfS_kghgETaNnpn_c2U">explains</a> how this doctrine applies in Israel&#8217;s case:
<blockquote>“In 1922, the League of Nations established a new “country” to serve as the Jewish national home. This was the Mandate for Palestine. Under certain provisions of the Mandate, Palestine was partitioned at the Jordan River to create the country of Transjordan (now called Jordan) on its eastern bank. After that, the international frontiers of Mandatory Palestine ran from the river to the sea. The League of Nations Mandate for Palestine provides the legal basis not only for Israel’s borders, but for those of Jordan as well, and indeed for Jordan’s entire existence.”</blockquote>
Whether you support Israel’s decision to extend sovereignty or not, it is imperative to recognize the fallacies of this letter. Not only do the signatories wrongly accuse Israel of, potentially, violating international law, but it paints a misleading image to the majority of Americans who remain committed to the US-Israel alliance.
Yoni Michanie is a Middle East analyst, Israel advocate, and former IDF Paratrooper. He can be reached on Twitter, @<a href="http://twitter.com/yonimichanie">YoniMichanie</a>.
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House Votes On Stimulus Package To Counter Coronavirus Economic Impacts

MICHANIE: Four Things To Know About Ocasio-Cortez’s Letter Placing Conditions On Aid To Israel

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

A letter being circulated in the House of Representatives, by four members of Congress, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), calls for the Israeli

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On Wednesday, protesters identifying with the Black Lives Matter movement marched from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol building reportedly to demonstrate the ties between BLM and the BDS movement that targets Israel. As they marched, the demonstrators chanted, &#8220;Israel, we know you, you murder children, too.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It was only a matter of time before the DC protests turned anti-Semitic. <a href="https://t.co/YTbwwGuOYh">pic.twitter.com/YTbwwGuOYh</a>
&mdash; Nic Rowan (@NicXTempore) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicXTempore/status/1278457182657413120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The march was led by Harvard University student Christian Tabash, accompanied by roughly 200 people, some of whom brandished signs that celebrated either the Palestinian Liberation Organization or Black Lives Matter. Tabash read poetry that listed alleged crimes of Israel against Palestinians, the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/intrinsically-tied-to-black-lives-matter-harvard-student-leads-anti-israel-march-on-capitol">Washington Examiner</a> reported, including one making a conspiratorial suggestion referring to Israel as the &#8220;puppet master of continents.”
The Examiner noted, “While Tabash walked out in front of the marchers, he paused several times to say that the Palestinian movement is ‘intrinsically tied to Black Lives Matter.’” He shouted, &#8216;American capitalism&#8217; and Israel were built on the ‘repression of minorities … And that&#8217;s why we say police from Palestine to Mexico to the United States — police as a whole — need to go!'&#8221;
<a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/black-lives-matter-protesters-chant-in-dc-israel-we-know-you-you-murder-children-too?fbclid=IwAR2YWx2FKjdAomnd4lKEdsmJHcojBdkt3nvkbvGULBzarHi84PL4Tfk0pWc">The Blaze</a> noted, “The anti-Israel chant by BLM protesters comes days after Black Lives Matter U.K. <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8468059/Black-Lives-Matters-UK-twitter-account-sparks-outrage-Free-Palestine-message.html">sparked outrage</a> by publicly declaring on Twitter, ‘As Israel moves forward with the annexation of the West Bank, and mainstream British politics is gagged of the right to critique Zionism, and Israel&#8217;s settler colonial pursuits, we loudly and clearly stand by our Palestinian comrades. FREE PALESTINE.’”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
As Israel moves forward with the annexation of the West Bank, and mainstream British politics is gagged of the right to critique Zionism, and Israel’s settler colonial pursuits, we loudly and clearly stand beside our Palestinian comrades. 
FREE PALESTINE.
&mdash; #BlackLivesMatterUK (@ukblm) <a href="https://twitter.com/ukblm/status/1277177624884850689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) <a href="https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/jewish-watchdog-calls-out-black-lives-matter-for-anti-israel-tweets-633146">fired back</a>, “The Black Lives Matter movement should embrace solidarity from Jews. There have been calls for violence against us from prominent BLM supporters with no official condemnation. Now from the official UK BLM account, we hear the lie that fighting antisemitism has ‘gagged’ legitimate debate. Zionism is the movement for the self-determination of Jews. The right to the ‘self-determination of peoples’ is universal and enshrined in Article 1 of the UN charter. So-called ‘anti-Zionism’ exclusively denies Jews that universal right and is therefore antisemitic.”
They continued, “BLM should aspire to be a movement against racism that unifies people and achieves lasting change, not a movement that spreads hatred and achieves lasting division. Educate yourselves. You cannot fight prejudice with prejudice.”
In 2016, an alliance of groups affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement released a <a href="https://policy.m4bl.org/">40,000-word manifesto</a> accusing Israel of waging “genocide” against Palestinian Arabs.
Noted attorney Alan Dershowitz <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/columns/2016/08/12/black-lives-matter-must-rescind-anti-israel-declaration/EHDYV3gNLwrTTwfp0JA8QN/story.html">blasted the manifesto</a>, noting that it singled out Israel, writing:
<blockquote>No, it wasn’t the Syrian government, which has killed tens of thousands of innocent people with barrel bombs, chemicals, and gas. Nor was it Saudi Arabia, which openly practices gender and religious apartheid. It wasn’t Iran, which hangs gays and murders dissidents. It wasn’t China, which has occupied Tibet for more than half a century. And it wasn’t Turkey, which has imprisoned journalists, judges, and academics. Finally, it wasn’t any of the many countries, such as Venezuela or Mexico, where police abuses against innocent people run rampant and largely unchecked. Nor was it the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, where the police are a law unto themselves who act as judge, jury and executioner of those whose politics or religious practices they disapprove …
In defending its citizens against terrorism since before its establishment as a state in 1948, Israel has killed fewer Palestinians than did Jordan and Syria in two much shorter wars. The relatively low number of civilian deaths caused by Israeli self-defense measures over the past 68 years compares favorably to the number of civilian deaths in other conflicts. This is because, as Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, put it: There has been “no time in the history of warfare when an Army has made more efforts to reduce civilian casualties&#8230;than [the Israel Defense Forces].” Though Kemp was specifically referring to the wars in the Gaza Strip — which are also the apparent focus of the Black Lives Matter Platform — his conclusion is applicable to all wars Israel has fought.</blockquote>
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Black Lives Matter

WATCH: Black Lives Matter Protesters Shout ‘Israel, We Know You, You Murder Children, Too’

On Wednesday, protesters identifying with the Black Lives Matter movement marched from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol building reportedly to

WATCH: Black Lives Matter Protesters Shout ‘Israel, We Know You, You Murder Children, Too’ | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-black-lives-matter-protesters-shout-israel-we-know-you-you-murder-children-too/

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