Trump the Best Defence Against World Becoming Playpen of Nuclear Powers: Conrad Black, National Post, Sept. 22, 2017
Watch: A Capella Group Details History of Jewish Music in 5 Minutes: Philip Terzian, Weekly Standard, Sept. 11, 2017
Israel Endorsed Kurdish Independence. Saladin Would Have Been Proud: David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, Sept. 22, 2017
Prof. Gerald Steinberg, speaking at the UN HRC (Video): NGO Monitor, Sept. 26, 2017
WEEKLY QUOTES
“It is a new day at the UN. What you are now seeing is…the Israel-bashing has become more balanced. You've got a United Nations that's action-orientated…I think that the pleas that (President Trump) made in terms of trying to see change at the United Nations have been heard.”— Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the UN. Since she began her term in office, Haley has continuously blasted the organization for its anti-Israel bias. Trump has been similarly critical of the UN, saying that the global body causes problems instead of solving them. Haley also cited the UN’s passing of sanctions on North Korea and its agreement to some reforms. “We've passed two resolutions on North Korea just in the last month. And you also have a United Nations that is totally moving towards reform. You have a secretary-general who's come out with a massive reform package,” she said. “We said that we needed to get value for our dollar. And what we're finding is the international community is right there with us in support of reform.” (New York Times, Sept. 20, 2017)
“In the entire history of the UN, there has never been a more straight forward criticism of the unacceptable behavior of other member states…(Trump’s) UN speech showed that he will not live with the half measures and compromises (with)…North Korea that have failed for the past 25 yrs.” — Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton. Bolton praised Trump’s speech at the U.N. General Assembly last Tuesday. "There are a lot of people in the UN who have never heard anything like that from an American president," Bolton said. "I think this was an outstanding speech, and I think it will serve the president very well." (Townhall, Sept. 19, 2017)
“Back home, we have a saying: The dog barks, but the caravan continues…If he thought he could scare us with the noise of a dog barking, well, he should be daydreaming.” — North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho. Ri ridiculed Trump for threatening to “totally destroy” his country if it persists in its nuclear and missile threats. During his speech at the UN last week, Trump called North Korea a “band of criminals” and its leader, Kim Jong-un, “Rocket Man” on “a suicide mission.” When asked about Trump’s comments, Ri said: “I am sorry for his aides.” (New York Times, Sept. 21, 2017)
“We will increase our military power as a deterrent…We will strengthen our missile capabilities. We will not seek anyone’s permission to defend our land. Not only will we fortify our missiles, but our ground, navy and air forces will always be supported by the people.” — President Hassan Rouhani of Iran. As he spoke at a military parade in Tehran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps unveiled a ballistic missile with a range of about 1,250 miles, making it capable of reaching much of the Middle East, including Israel. Rouhani’s speech and the show of force were a direct display of defiance toward Trump, who signed a bill in August imposing mandatory penalties on those involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program and anyone who does business with them. The unveiling of the new missile, called the Khoramshahr, comes two months after Iran launched a missile into space, prompting a new round of sanctions and criticism from the United States. (New York Times, Sept. 22, 2017)
“Rouhani is playing hardball…By promising to step up Iran’s ballistic missile program, Rouhani seeks to gain support from Iranian hard-liners who have long been critical of the nuclear deal, and who have repeatedly accused him of being soft in international relations. Moreover, hard-liners, such as Iran’s supreme leader, believe compromise with the United States is a futile exercise…History and the experience of other rogue states such as North Korea has also shown the Iranian government that it is only from a position of strength that regimes such as Iran’s can be protected.” — Sanam Vakil, an Iran scholar at Chatham House. Although United Nations provisions seek to limit ballistic missile technology, the nuclear agreement negotiated in 2015 by Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., does not prohibit Iran from developing such weapons. The Trump administration has called the omission of ballistic missiles a central flaw of the agreement, which Trump may try to revisit — or scrap altogether, as he has threatened in the past. (New York Times, Sept. 22, 2017)
“If (Massoud) Barzani and the Kurdish Regional Government do not go back on this mistake as soon as possible, they will go down in history with the shame of having dragged the region into an ethnic and sectarian war.” — Turkish President Erdogan. Iraq’s Kurds voted in a historic independence referendum despite fierce opposition from Baghdad and neighboring countries Iran and Turkey. Turnout was 72 percent, with 3.3 million of the 4.58 million registered voters taking part. Results were expected within 24 hours, with an overwhelming ‘yes’ vote not in doubt. Erdogan said no other country would recognize Iraqi Kurds’ independence other than Israel, which had warmly supported the referendum. “Who will recognize your independence? Israel. The world is not about Israel…You should know that the waving of Israeli flags there will not save you,” he said. Erdogan was apparently referring to the appearance of Israeli flags at some pro-Kurdish independence rallies. (Times of Israel, Sept. 26, 2017)
“I address my words to the Palestinian Authority, which claims to be the “sole legitimate representative” of the Palestinian people. I ask: where does your legitimacy come from? The Palestinian people did not elect you, and they did not appoint you to represent them. You are self-appointed. Your accountability is not to your own people. This is evidenced by your total violation of their human rights. In fact, the Palestinian individual and their human development is the least of your concerns. You kidnap Palestinian students from campus and torture them in your jails. You torture your political rivals. The suffering of the Palestinian people is the outcome of your selfish political interests. You are the greatest enemy of the Palestinian people. If Israel did not exist, you would have no one to blame. Take responsibility for the outcome of your own actions. You fan the flames of conflict to maintain your abusive power. Finally, you use this platform to mislead the international community, and to mislead Palestinian society, to believe that Israel is responsible for the problems you create.” — Mosab Hassan Yousef. Yousef, a Hamas member turned humanitarian who addressed the U.N. human rights council on behalf of UN Watch. (Unwatch, Sept. 25, 2017)
“Modern activists often try to silence speakers they consider repugnant. They argue that free speech is being used as a smokescreen for hate and that allowing offensive speech exposes marginalized groups to intolerable and harmful prejudice. Speech itself, they say, is sometimes violence. Universities routinely suppress speech that might offend. Only a few weeks ago, citing safety concerns, Toronto's Ryerson University even cancelled a panel discussion called "The Stifling of Free Speech on University Campuses." It would have featured, among others, controversial University of Toronto psychology professor Dr. Jordan Peterson. Calls for a crackdown on offensive or bigoted speech have grown louder since the events last month in Charlottesville, Va., where a white nationalist rally ended in violence. In the opinion section of (The Globe & Mail), University of Toronto professor Mark Kingwell went as far as to argue that it might be time for new "curbs" on free speech.” — Marcus Gee. (Globe & Mail, Sept. 22, 2017)
SHORT TAKES
3 ISRAELIS KILLED, 1 SERIOUSLY HURT IN TERROR SHOOTING (Jerusalem) — Three Israeli security officers were killed and one was seriously hurt in a terror attack outside the Har Adar settlement near Jerusalem Tuesday. The assailant reportedly opened fire on a group of security personnel, including Border Police officers and private guards. The terrorist, a laborer from the nearby Bayt Surik village, was shot and killed at the scene. The terror attack comes two years after a wave of unrest broke out, mostly in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Since September 2015, some 51 Israelis, two visiting Americans, an Eritrean national, a Palestinian man and a British student have been killed in stabbing, shooting and vehicular attacks by Palestinian assailants. (Times of Israel, Sept. 26, 2017)
MERKEL WINS FOURTH TERM; AFD MAKES BIG GAINS (Berlin) — Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s conservative bloc won a lacklustre victory in Germany’s national election while the anti-migrant, nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party managed a triumphant entry into parliament, projections showed. The outcome puts Merkel on course for a fourth term as chancellor – but means that she has a tricky task in forming a new coalition government. Smaller parties were the chief beneficiaries of the erosion in support for Germany’s traditionally dominant parties – above all the right-wing Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which was set to win up to 13.5 per cent of the vote. AfD capitalized on discontent with established politicians but particularly targeted those angry over the influx of more than 1 million mostly Muslim migrants in the past two years. (Global, Sept. 24, 2017)
MURDER OF HALIMI MOTIVATED BY ‘ANTISEMITISM’ (Paris) — The Paris public prosecutors’ office has recognized the murder of Sarah Halimi as an antisemitic hate crime. The decision was based on interviews conducted by a psychiatrist with Halimi’s killer, Kobili Traore. On April 4, Traore — who had previously made antisemitic remarks to Halimi — broke into her apartment and beat her while yelling Islamist slogans. Traore threw her out of a third-floor window to her death. According to the psychiatrist, Traore’s assault on Halimi was both “antisemitic” and a “delirious act” influenced by the heavy consumption of marijuana. However, Traore was not sufficiently intoxicated at the time of the attack to be absolved of responsibility — a key demand of Traore’s lawyers. (Algemeiner, Sept. 25, 2017)
TERRORIST LEILA KHALED TO SPEAK AT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT EVENT (Brussels) — Leila Khaled, a Palestinian woman who was convicted of terrorism and advocates violence against Israelis, is slated to speak at the European Parliament about women’s rights. Khaled, who was invited to Brussels to speak by the far-left Izquierda Unida party from Spain, was arrested in 1970 while carrying two grenades in an attempt to hijack an El Al flight. Khaled, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine group, which is blacklisted as a terrorist entity by the EU, will be the keynote speaker at the event “The Role of Women in the Palestinian Popular Resistance.” (JTA, Sept. 26, 2017)
SYRIA SAYS IAF CARRIED OUT AIR STRIKE NEAR DAMASCUS (Damascus) — Syrian media outlets reported that the Israeli Air Force had carried out a strike targeting an ammunition facility near Damascus. It was also reported that the area was engulfed by heavy smoke and that there were no Syrian casualties. The strike may have been Israel's response to the unmanned drone from Syria that tried to infiltrate Israeli territory last week. The aircraft, which was intercepted by a Patriot missile, was reportedly built in Iran and operated by Hezbollah. (Jerusalem Online, Sept. 22, 2017)
INTERPOL VOTES TO ADMIT 'STATE OF PALESTINE' AS NEW MEMBER STATE (Beijing) — The International Police Organization (Interpol) voted to accept “Palestine” as a full member state. The move at Interpol’s annual General Assembly meeting came despite Israeli efforts over the last few weeks to thwart it. The move passed in a secret ballot by a vote of 75 to 24, with 34 abstentions. The Palestinians needed more than two-thirds of the yes-or-no votes counted, and passed that threshold handily. After the UN, Interpol — with 190 member states — is the largest international organization in the world. A Palestinian bid to join the organization fell short last year. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 27, 2017)
POLL: MAJORITY OF PALESTINIANS DEMAND ABBAS’ RESIGNATION (Ramallah) —The latest poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research shows that a majority of Palestinians feel their freedom is under assault by the PA. 67 percent of Palestinians want Abbas to resign, while 27 percent want him to remain in office. Three months ago, 62 percent said they wanted Abbas to resign. Demand for Abbas’ resignation stands at 60 percent in the PA and 80 percent in the Gaza Strip. If Abbas does not nominate himself in a new election, 35 percent prefer Marwan Barghouti to replace him, while 21 percent prefer Ismail Haniyeh and 9 percent support Mohammad Dahlan. Barghouti is serving five life terms in an Israeli prison for leading several terror attacks. (United With Israel, Sept. 25, 2017)
NEW CJH CEO HOLDS RADICAL LEFT VIEWPOINTS (New York) — The new CEO of the Center For Jewish History (CJH), David N. Myers is a leader of The New Israel Fund which openly supports a boycott of Israel, and holds leadership positions of If Not Now, When and J Street. His viewpoints include supporting “some forms” of boycotting Israel, and that Israel should no longer exist as a Jewish state. CJH serves as the biggest repository of Jewish history in the United States, and serves as a centralized place of scholarly research, events, exhibitions, and performances. Myers – who was honored by Peace Now in 2014 – has regularly co-written op-eds with the head of the New Israel Fund, where he calls for Arabs in the settlements to be made citizens. (Arutz Sheva, Sept. 4, 2017)
U.S. EXPANDS TRAVEL BAN, RESTRICTING VISITORS FROM EIGHT COUNTRIES (Washington) — The Trump administration announced new restrictions on visitors from eight countries — an expansion of an existing travel ban that has spurred fierce legal debates. The move comes on the day the key portion of Trump’s travel ban, one that bars the issuance of visas to citizens of six majority-Muslim countries, was due to expire. Three nations were added to the list of countries whose citizens will face the restrictions: Chad, North Korea and Venezuela — although the restrictions on Venezuela target that country’s leaders and their family members. (Washington Post, Sept. 24, 2017)
CANADA SANCTIONS 40 VENEZUELANS, INCLUDING MADURO (Ottawa) — Canada has sanctioned 40 Venezuelans, including President Maduro, over what it calls attacks on “fundamental democratic rights.” The new regulations include asset freezes and prohibitions against dealing with the 40 individuals “in any property … or providing financial or related services to them.” Between April and July, there were at least 124 deaths linked to protests against the Maduro government, with security forces responsible for at least 46, according to a UN report. More than 5,000 people were detained during that period, with at least 609 civilians forced to go before military tribunals. (CTV, Sept. 22, 2017)
BODY OF RABBI IN MEXICO PULLED FROM EARTHQUAKE RUBBLE (Mexico City) — Volunteers from Israel’s Zaka search-and-rescue organization pulled the body of a local rabbi from an office building that collapsed in a massive earthquake that hit Mexico. Rabbi Haim Ashkenazi had been working in the office building when the 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck central Mexico on Sept. 19, rocking Mexico City and causing hundreds of buildings to collapse. He served as the rabbi of the Kehillat Magen David synagogue and was an in-law of Rabbi Shlomo Tawil, chief rabbi of the Magen David Jewish community of Mexico. (JTA, Sept. 24, 2017)
IDF EMERGENCY TEAM ARRIVES TO HELP QUAKE-STRICKEN MEXICO (Mexico City) — An IDF emergency team from the Home Front Command arrived Thursday in Mexico, where they began providing assistance after the Central American nation was hit by a powerful earthquake that has killed at least 245 people. The Israeli delegation was made up of 71 soldiers and officers who had already begun providing assistance, an army spokesperson said, but could not yet provide details. The delegation is slated to return on September 29, ahead of the Yom Kippur holiday. (Times of Israel, Sept. 21, 2017)
CLOUSTON RECOGNIZED FOR EFFORTS AT DUNKIRK (Montreal) — The Montreal-born Second World War hero whose efforts at Dunkirk in 1940 saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers was recognized in his hometown on Thursday. Parks Canada unveiled a plaque in honour of Cmdr. James Campbell Clouston, who oversaw the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of British and other Allied troops from France as German forces encircled them. Clouston’s exploits were portrayed in the blockbuster movie, “Dunkirk,” released earlier this year — even if his name wasn’t uttered in film. One of the main characters, a Royal Navy officer played by Kenneth Branagh, was inspired in part by Clouston’s role as pier master during the Dunkirk evacuation. Clouston died in June 1940 on his return to Dunkirk to help co-ordinate the rescue of French and Belgian troops. (Toronto Sun, Sept. 21, 2017)
Trump the Best Defence Against World Becoming Playpen of Nuclear Powers: Conrad Black, National Post, Sept. 22, 2017 —This week I have been having a lively discussion with my very distinguished friend of many years, John Polanyi, winner of a Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1986, one of Canada’s most respected and sociable academics, and a frequent commentator on arms control and nuclear proliferation issues, about current scenarios with North Korea.
Watch: A Capella Group Details History of Jewish Music in 5 Minutes: Philip Terzian, Weekly Standard, Sept. 11, 2017
—If you've ever listened to Yiddish rap, you know that Jewish music has come a long way over the past few hundred years.
Israel Endorsed Kurdish Independence. Saladin Would Have Been Proud: David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, Sept. 22, 2017—With a two-sentence statement supporting the Iraqi Kurds’ plan to hold a referendum on independence this Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put Israel at odds with nearly every other major player in the Middle East.
Prof. Gerald Steinberg, speaking at the UN HRC (Video): NGO Monitor, Sept. 26, 2017
