Boris Johnson and the Coming Trump Victory in 2020: Roger Cohen, NYT, Dec. 13, 2019
“That’s the story of Brexit, a national tragedy. That’s the story of Johnson, the man of no convictions. That’s the story of Trump, who makes puppets of people through manipulation of outrage and disregard for truth. That’s the story of our times. Johnson gets and fits those times better than most. He’s a natural.
“Brexit and Trump were inextricably linked in 2016, and they are inextricably linked today,” Steve Bannon told me. “Johnson foreshadows a big Trump win. Working-class people are tired of their ‘betters’ in New York, London, Brussels telling them how to live and what to do. Corbyn the socialist program, not Corbyn the man, got crushed. If Democrats don’t take the lesson, Trump is headed for a Reagan-like ’84 victory.” …
“As my readers know, I am a passionate European patriot who sees the union as the greatest achievement of the second half of the 20th century, and Britain’s exit as an appalling act of self-harm. But I also believe in democracy. Johnson took the decision back to the people and won. His victory must be respected. The fight for freedom, pluralism, the rule of law, human rights, a free press, independent judiciaries, breathable air, peace, decency and humanity continues — and has only become more critical now that Britain has marginalized itself irreversibly in a fit of nationalist delusion.”
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“Enough’s enough. It’s time for Canada to do the right thing and deport this man. Now. No more delays. No more procrastination. This simply cannot be a political issue … As a beacon of human rights and morality in the world, Canada must demonstrate in no uncertain terms that Nazis are still not welcome here and are owed no sympathy, no matter how many years have passed since their vicious crimes took place … Oberlaner was a part of the most evil political movement in human history. The six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust were forever denied a voice with which to seek justice for themselves. We owe it to them, and to the remaining survivors, to make it unequivocally clear that they have not been forgotten and that their murderers did not succeed in destroying their lives with impunity. There are no more excuses. The opportunity that history is now presenting must be seized to offer the smallest bit of justice. Further delay will be to Canada’s eternal shame. Canada must deport Helmut Oberlander. Immediately.” – writes Michael Mostyn, chief executive officer of Bnai Brith Canada. He voiced his frustration with Canada’s seeming inability to legally deport the Nazi Helmut Oberlander (National Post, Dec. 7, 2019)
“There is no place for hate in New Jersey, and we’re dedicating all our resources possible to try and stop this violence, and to stop the trend of anti-Semitic behavior throughout the United States and certainly New Jersey,” — New Jersey Attorney-General Gurbir Grewal said following last week’s horrendous shooting at a kosher supermarket in Jersey City during which Detective Joseph Seals and three innocent bystanders were killed. The mass shooting cast a spotlight on the Black Hebrew Israelites movement that is known for its virulent antisemitism. (WIN, Dec. 16, 2019)
“The Chief Rabbi must be dancing in the street. The pro-Israel lobby won our General Election by lying about Jeremy Corbyn.” — former Liberal Democrat MP, Lady Tonge posted her claims on social media after the Tories major win last week. She was referring to British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mervis’ op-ed in The London Times calling the Labour leader’s claims to be tackling antisemitism in his party a “mendacious fiction.” Lady Tonge’s remarks drew widespread criticism from former cabinet ministers, senior lawyers and leaders of industry and commerce, who wrote a letter published in the Daily Telegraph. (Express, Dec. 16, 2019)
“There might come a situation where we will have to act directly in Iran to stop the Iranians. The world is not ready to act…not NATO, not the US…they prefer to close their eyes… there is a strong connection between a nuclear Iran and the ring of fire around Israel. With a nuclear umbrella, Iran would be free to build a ring of fire around Israel [at which point, it would be too late for Jerusalem to stop either the nuclear program or Iran’s destabilizing behavior in the region] — ex-national security council chief Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) said. He spoke at the INSS annual Arms Control conference in Tel Aviv. (JISS, Dec. 3, 2019)
“The FBI’s handling of the Carter Page applications, as portrayed in the [Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General] OIG report, was antithetical to the heightened duty of candor described above. – wrote Rosemary Collyer, presiding judge with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) in an order released by the court. (The Hill, Dec. 17, 2019)
“House Democrats have announced the grounds of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on which they plan to seek the impeachment of President Trump. Neither of these proposed articles satisfy the express constitutional criteria for an impeachment, which are limited to “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” Neither are high or low crimes or misdemeanors. Neither are mentioned within the Constitution,” – writes Alan Dershowitz, prof emeritus Harvard Law School. (The Hill, Dec. 10, 2019)
“While I appreciate your interest in this important issue, I couldn’t disagree more with those two foolish positions,” – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote to Rep. Andy Levin ((D-Mich.). The sharply worded letter was sent in response to one sent by Levin and co-signed by 106 other House Democrats, including Reps. Omar Ilhan, Rashida Tlaib and Maxine Waters. Pompeo was referring to two assertions by Levin. First, that the administration’s decision to reject a 1978 State Department legal opinion that Jewish settlements violate international law “reverses decades of bipartisan U.S. policy on settlements.” The second “foolish” position, according to Pompeo, was Levin’s claim that the administration’s decision “blatantly disregards Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.” (WIN, Dec. 17, 2019)
LIKUD WORKING TO EXPEL ‘NEW LIKUDNIKS’ SEEN AS ANTI-NETANYAHU BEFORE PRIMARY (Jerusalem) — Some 100 Likud members could be expelled from the party the day before the primary for the chairmanship takes place on December 26. Referring to the New Likudniks, the head of the Likud’s internal court, former MK Michael Kleiner, charges that “this group has acted in an ugly way as a fifth column within the party. They told people whom they registered that they don’t have to vote Likud, and they can be leftists who work against the party. Sharing a post that you cannot vote for Likud because it’s corrupt is definitely grounds for being kicked out.” (WIN, Dec. 16, 2019)
REPORT: J STREET PUSHED CUTS IN US MILITARY AID PROPORTIONATE TO ISRAEL’S SPENDING IN THE TERRITORIES (Washington) — In a scathing profile of J Street founder and president Jeremy Ben-Ami, The Intercept’s Maryam Saleh and Ryan Grim reported that this year, J Street has been looking for ways to ratchet up its war against Israel beyond mere anti-Zionist propaganda to inflicting actual harm on the Jewish State (Theory of Change – The Wax and Wane of J Street’s Influence Over U.S.-Israel Policy). According to The Intercept, a letter, which was signed by 35 J Street U board members who had served from 2013 to 2019, recommended “that J Street develop a strategy that moves the organization toward an agenda of selective aid reduction, i.e. every shekel the Israeli government spends on settlements and home demolitions results in a proportional reduction of American military aid.” (Jewish Press, Dec. 17, 2019)
AUSTRIAN, MOLDOVAN POLICE BREAK UP NUCLEAR SMUGGLING RING (Vienna) — Austrian and Moldovan authorities have broken up an organized crime ring suspected of smuggling nuclear materials. Europol, which coordinated and supported the operation, said the ring was attempting to sell “radiological material to an army” for 3 million euros ($3.33 million). The material was purported to be uranium-235, an isotope that can be used as a fuel for nuclear power plants, or also in nuclear weapons. (AP, Dec. 6, 2019)
OPEC, ALLIES FINALIZE DEEPER OIL PRODUCTION CUTS (Vienna) — OPEC and its allies completed a new production pact to deepen their oil-output cuts. The 24-nation consensus coincides with the initial public offering of Saudi Arabia’s state-controlled national oil company, Aramco, and illustrates a renewed assertiveness from the alliance’s de facto leader and Saudi’s new oil minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. The pact means the coalition will hold back a total of roughly 1.7 million barrels a day from global oil markets, deepening the current curb of 1.2 million barrels a day. (WSJ, Dec. 6, 2019)
ADMITTING ITS NAZI PAST, REIMANN FAMILY FIRM DONATES MILLIONS TO HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS (Germany) — Germany’s second-richest family built its multibillion-dollar fortune with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Keurig, Jimmy Choo shoes and Calvin Klein perfume — and forced laborers under the Nazis. They recently announced a $7.3 million donation to survivors of the Holocaust. The donation will be made to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which offers payments to help provide services and care to surviving victims. (National Post, Dec. 12, 2019)
AUSTRIAN PARLIAMENT TO DECLARE BDS MOVEMENT AS ANTI-SEMITIC (Vienna) — The initiative is being spearheaded by Sebastian Kurz, a former (and most likely the next) chancellor of Austria who also leads the center-right Austrian People’s Party (Österreichische Volkspartei, ÖVP). All of the major parties represented in the Austrian Parliament have agreed to support a resolution condemning the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as anti-Semitic. (Gatestone Institute, Dec. 16, 2019)
BORIS JOHNSON TO PUSH LAW BANNING BDS AMONG PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS (London) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is going to make good on the Conservative promise to ban BDS (Boycott, Divest and Sanctions) attempts by any U.K. governmental office, his special envoy for post-Holocaust issues said in Jerusalem. Speaking at an International Institute for Strategic Dialogue conference, Eric Pickles slammed the anti-Israel movement in no uncertain terms. (WIN, Dec. 16, 2019)
‘BRAZIL WILL MOVE ITS EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM IN 2020,’ SAYS PRESIDENT’S SON (Brasilia) — Senior Brazilian lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro said that Brazil was committed to moving its embassy to Jerusalem in 2020. Speaking at the opening event in Jerusalem for a Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (APEX-Brasil) office, Bolsonaro, who is the son of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, said that he had spoken with his father prior to arriving in Israel and that the president “intends to move the embassy to Jerusalem and… he will do it.” (WIN, Dec. 16, 2019)
ISRAELI STUDENT-BUILT SATELLITE LAUNCHED INTO SPACE (India) — Israel’s aerospace education reached new heights when a satellite built by Israeli students, the “Duchifat-3”, was launched into space from India. The satellite successfully blasted off into space aboard a PSLV-C48 rocket from the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Sriharikota launch site. Duchifat-3, the third satellite in the Duchifat satellite series, is an experimental and educational spacecraft developed by high school students at the Space Laboratory of the Herzliya Science Centre (HSC) and students from the Sha’ar HaNegev High school in Israel’s southern region. (Jewish Press, Dec. 11, 2019)
MOSSAD INTELLIGENCE AGENCY HELPED BUST ISIS CELL IN DENMARK (Denmark) — Israel’s Mossad was the first intelligence agency to track a recently busted ISIS cell, whose members had fought for the Islamic State in Syria. Several of them were born in Denmark while the rest were Pakistanis with relatives in the country. Mossad passed the information to Danish security services, who began tracking the group themselves. The Danes uncovered evidence that the group was in possession of weapons and explosives for use in an imminent attack. According to Hebrew news website Mako, despite the perception that many European countries often take politically hostile positions towards Israel, the Mossad is heavily involved in tracking and interdicting European-born Islamic State members and other jihadist terror operatives who have escaped the onslaught against these groups in Iraq and Syria and returned to Europe. (United With Israel, Dec. 16, 2019)
POLL: 89% OF ORTHODOX JEWS WILL VOTE FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP (NYC) — A poll by the U.S. magazine Ami shows 89% of Orthodox Jews in the United States say they will vote for incumbent President Donald Trump in the next election. The survey covered several states and shows an increase from the previous year’s figures, so that 82% of respondents (Orthodox Jews) said they would vote for Trump. Another poll conducted by the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs in Los Angeles that encompassed about 2,000 California Jews shows more than 70 percent of Orthodox Jews expressing “very firm support” for President Trump. (Arutz Sheva, Dec. 16, 2019)
USA TODAY POLL: IMPEACHED OR NOT, TRUMP LEADS HIS DEMOCRATIC RIVALS FOR ANOTHER TERM (Washington) — President Donald Trump, the first modern president to face impeachment during his first term in the White House, now leads his top Democratic rivals in his bid for a second, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds. The national survey, taken as the House of Representatives planned an impeachment vote and the Senate a trial, showed Trump defeating former Vice President Joe Biden by 3 percentage points, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by 5 points, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren by 8 points. In hypothetical head-to-head contests, Trump also led South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg by 10 points and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg by 9. (USA Today, Dec. 17, 2019)
CNN IMPEACHMENT POLL HAS BAD NEWS FOR DEMOCRATS: SUPPORT AMONG DEMOCRATS DROPS BY DOUBLE DIGITS (Washington) — “Support for impeaching Trump and removing him from office stands at 45% in the new poll, down from 50% in a poll conducted in mid-November just after the conclusion of the House Intelligence Committee’s public hearings,” CNN reported. “Opposition to impeachment and removal stands at 47% in the new poll, up from 43% in November. Support for impeachment and removal among Democrats has dipped from 90% in November to 77% now.” (Daily Wire, Dec. 16, 2019)
WATCH: Abbas: I Will Never Recognize Israel as a Jewish State: United With Israel, Dec. 16, 2019 — Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas recently commented, “A Jewish state is not my affair. I will not recognize it at all, and I will not accept it.”
WATCH: Orthodox Jewish Candidate’s Reaction Behind Corbyn Goes Viral: WIN, Dec. 16, 2019 — Britain is in stitches over a video clip of Yosef David, a Brexit Party candidate, who reacted as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the party “did not descend into the gutter.”
