MEDIA OCRITY OF THE WEEK
C2 and the Power of People: Black Lives Matter Co-founder Focused on U.S. Election: T’Cha Dunlevy • Montreal Gazette, Oct. 16, 2020
“I don’t want to sound corny,” she said, “but I think good always prevails. I’m a child of Disney movies, however problematic that is. I love sci-fi and fantasy. I really believe that when people work hard to change something that is terrible, those things can only last so long. We got rid of slavery, Black Codes and so-called Jim Crow laws. We’ve seen a black president. Things just take time. I really believe in the power of the people.”
US Holds Conference on Combating Online Antisemitism: Tara Kavaler, Jerusalem Post, Oct. 26, 2020 — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo kicked off the first-ever US government-sponsored conference on fighting online antisemitism this week by noting results from Israel’s tracking system: In the first eight months of 2020, 1.7 million messages on Twitter and YouTube were identified as promoting hatred toward Jews.
“Three months ago, no one thought this was possible. Even Bibi didn’t know if this was possible, right Bibi?” – US President Donald J. Trump asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after announcing a peace deal that would normalize ties between Israel and Sudan, (Fox News, Oct. 23, 2020)
“The position of the United States is that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria will never be evacuated. We will never ask any community in Judea and Samaria to ever disband,” — US Ambassador David Friedman said in a Kohelet Policy Forum conference on the Abraham Accords, conducted online with the Shiloh Forum and Israel Hayom. “We believe [that] in [the] long run, it is in Israel’s interest and America’s interest to extend [Israeli] sovereignty over these communities.”(Jerusalem Post, Oct. 21, 2020)
“In the two months since I arrived in New York, I have witnessed a jarring dissonance between what this council chooses to focus on and what is actually happening in the Middle East,” — Israel’s UN envoy Ambassador Gilad Erdan told the Security Council. He accused the Council of not recognizing far-reaching changes taking place in the Middle East, including the normalization deals Israel has reached with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan recently. (United With Israel, Oct. 27, 2020)
“… the Middle Eastern landscape is changing when it comes to the Palestinian cause. What was unthinkable before is no longer; the fear that Palestinians could arouse opposition to Arab leaders by claiming they were betraying Palestinian national aspirations is gone. Last week Bandar bin Sultan … engaged in truth-telling about the historic failures of the Palestinian leadership.” – writes Dennis Ross, who served as special assistant to President Obama, as Special Middle East Coordinator under President Clinton, and as director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff in the first Bush administration. (The Hill, Oct. 19, 2020)
“BBC group-think is a hermetically-sealed thought system. Which is why, if whoever takes over at the top wants to restore the once iconic BBC to elementary standards of objectivity, fairness and decency, they will have their work cut out for them,” – writes political columnist Melanie Phillips. She was commenting on indications that the British government wants to pressure the BBC to change due to “public irritation with what is seen as the BBC’s left-wing group-think.” (JNS, Oct. 15, 2020)
“Some foreign governments compound the crisis, using their state apparatus’s full force to spew anti-Semitic disinformation at home and across the globe. As concerning as the spread of anti-Semitism on social media has become — in the first eight months of this year, 1.7 million anti-Semitic posts appeared on Twitter and YouTubealone — the depravity is dramatically worse on the “deep web,” where increased anonymity brings out unadulterated venom,” – writes Elan S. Carr, U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. (The Hill, Oct. 20, 2020)
“The enemy is here,” French Prime Minister Jean Castex told parliament shortly after lawmakers held a minute’s silence in the National Assembly. “Radical Islam has infiltrated our society founded on tolerance.” The Chechen teenager who beheaded a French teacher for showing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in class had contacted a school parent who prosecutors said used social media to whip up a hateful campaign against the victim. Samuel Paty, a 47-yearold history teacher, was beheaded by the 18-year-old Chechen, who was born in Moscow and had been living in France as a refugee. (Vancouver Sun, Oct. 21, 2020)
“The person in charge of France has lost his way. He goes on about Erdogan all day. Look at yourself first and where you are going. I said in Kayseri yesterday, he is a case and he really must be checked up,” — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised speech in the eastern province of Malatya. This was his second sharp criticism of Emmanuel Macron in two days over the treatment of Muslims after a Muslim beheaded a teacher for showing his class caricatures of Mohammad. (Reuters, Oct. 25, 2020)
“The people who run Canada’s institutions of higher learning can no longer be trusted to stand up for the very principle for which those institutions exist in the first place. When faced with a choice between defending or silencing open debate on campus, they invariably pick the latter,” – writes columnist Konrad Yakabuski Konrad Yakabuski. (Globe and Mail, Oct. 21, 2020)
IN SHIFT, NETANYAHU APPROVES US SALE OF F-35S TO UAE(Jerusalem) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his government would not object to the sale of “certain weapons systems” to the United Arab Emirates in an apparent reference to the F-35 jets. Netanyahu initially opposed the U.S. sale of the advance fighter jets to the UAE as part of the normalization deal with Israel. In return, America reaffirmed its commitment to Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge and promises to upgrade its military capability. (JNS, Oct. 23, 2020)
SUDAN’S LEADER: ISRAEL DEAL MAKE US ‘MORE WINNERS THAN ANY OTHER PARTY’ (Khartoum) — Sudan’s leader said that the decision to normalize ties with Israel was an incentive for President Donald Trump’s administration to end Sudan’s international pariah status. Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the ruling sovereign council, told state television that without the normalization with the Jewish State now, Sudan would have had to wait until deep into next year to be removed from the U.S.’s list of state sponsors of terrorism. (WIN, Oct. 27, 2020)
OVERWHELMING BIPARTISAN MAJORITY SUPPORT THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS (Washington) — An overwhelming majority of both chambers of Congress have introduced resolutions in support of the Abraham Accords, which normalize ties between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) announced. Ninety-one senators co-sponsored a Senate version of the resolution, which congratulates the governments and people of Israel, the UAE and Bahrain on reaching historic agreements. (Jerusalem Report, Oct. 22, 2020)
US, BAHRAIN SIGN MOU TO COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM AND PLEDGE TO FIGHT RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE (Washington) — In a small ceremony at the Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C., the three-year MOU, which will be eligible for renewal, was signed by U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism Elan Carr and Dr. Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, chairman of the board of trustees of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence in Bahrain. (JNS, Oct. 23, 2020)
REPORT: POMPEO TO DECLARE NGOS ANTI-SEMITIC (Washington) — The U.S. State Department is considering designating several international NGOs that have criticized Israel as anti-Semitic and asking governments around the world to stop supporting their activities. Groups that may be labeled as anti-Semitic include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Oxfam. (WIN, Oct. 22, 2020)
ZOA CONDEMNS ADL FOR ‘DESPICABLE’ DEFENSE OF ANTI-SEMITIC ‘HUMAN RIGHTS’ GROUPS (Washington) — The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) blasted the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in a statement after the ADL condemned a State Department plan to label so-called “human rights” organizations that routinely condemn Israel as anti-Semitic. In a surprise move, the ADL, which under the direction of its CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, has been accused of becoming a Democratic mouthpiece and abandoning its primary mission “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people,” condemned the State Department decision. (WIN, Oct. 27, 2020)
ALMOST ALL OF AMERICAN JEWS SAY ANTI-SEMITISM IS A PROBLEM, ACCORDING TO A NEW POLL. HALF OF AMERICANS DON’T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS. (Washington) — Two surveys published by the American Jewish Committee found that a large majority of Jews consider anti-Semitism a problem, and that most see it as a problem on the right and in the Republican Party. A second survey found that, in a year when 88% of American Jews say anti-Semitism remains a problem in the United States, 21% of Americans overall — more than one in five — say they’ve never even heard of the term. An additional 25% of Americans overall have heard the term but are unsure of what it means. (JTA, Oct. 26, 2020)
LARGE ORTHODOX JEWISH RALLY FOR TRUMP HELD IN BROOKLYN (Brooklyn) — Reflecting a recent poll that found 83% of Orthodox Jews planned to vote to reelect President Donald Trump, a large rally consisting of hundreds of pro-Trump Orthodox supporters was held in Brooklyn’s Marine Park. Boris Epshteyn, an adviser to the Trump campaign and co-chair of Jewish Voices for Trump, organized Sunday’s rally. (WIN, Oct. 26, 2020)
REP. ILHAN OMAR EXPECTS BIDEN TO VEER LEFT IF ELECTED AND HAVE ONLY ‘PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS’ IN HIS CABINET(Washington) — Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) told Axios that she expects a liberal turn if Democratic nominee Joe Biden is elected president, adding that she wants all Cabinet positions filled with progressives. Biden’s transition team has reportedly vetted a handful of Republicans for potential Cabinet positions. While this may reinforce Biden’s image as a unity candidate, it has fueled a backlash among the Democratic Party’s leftmost wing. Asked why Biden is the nominee if he doesn’t support the most radical Democrat policies, Omar said it’s a question of there being a mismatch between policies people support and the leadership qualities they demand from a presidential candidate. (Epoch Times, Oct. 27, 2020)
AMY CONEY BARRETT SWORN IN TO REPLACE RUTH BADER GINSBURG ON THE SUPREME COURT (Washington) — Barrett, a conservative Roman Catholic who replaces Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the liberal Jewish justice who died last month, was sworn in Monday evening by Justice Clarence Thomas at an event where President Donald Trump presided. Barely an hour earlier, the Senate approved her in a 52-48 vote. The sole senator to cross party lines was Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican who joined Democrats in voting against Barrett. (JTA, Oct. 26, 2020)
SOUTH AFRICAN COURT’S GUILTY VERDICT AGAINST ANTISEMITIC WRITER FOR ONLINE RANT HAILED BY JEWISH COMMUNITY (Johannesburg) — A court in South Africa has pronounced the first-ever criminal verdict in a case of antisemitism, after it found a freelance journalist guilty of posting abusive tweets targeted at the Jewish community on Twitter. Matome Letsoalo — a former contributor to the online South African outlet News24 — was found guilty following a hearing at Randburg Magistrate’s Court near Johannesburg. (Algemeiner, Oct. 27, 2020)
JEWISH COMMUNITY APPLAUDS ONTARIO’S ADOPTION OF IHRA DEFINITION OF ANTISEMITISM (Toronto) — the Government of Ontario became the first province in Canada to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, as endorsed by consensus at the 2016 IHRA plenary. The IHRA definition was adopted by the governments of more than 30 countries in 2016. The European Union and the United Nations both support it, as do governments across the globe representing every political stripe. The IHRA definition is strongly supported by the Jewish community in Ontario. B’nai Brith Canada, the Centre for Israel, and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, and JSpace Canada applauded the announcement. (Bnai Brith Canada, Oct. 27, 2020)
IRAQ EMERGES AS NEW FRONT FOR ENFORCEMENT OF IRAN OIL SANCTIONS (Baghdad) — Persian Gulf waters off Iraq have become a new, important waypoint for Iranian oil smugglers looking to avoid U.S. sanctions, according to American officials, who expressed frustration that Baghdad and other allies aren’t acting more aggressively to enforce curbs on commerce with Tehran. Iranian tankers now regularly transfer crude to other ships just miles offshore the major Iraqi port of Al Faw. The oil is then mixed with cargoes from other places to disguise its origin, and it eventually ends up on sale in world markets, (WSJ, Oct. 23, 2020)
IRAN TO IMPORT NORTH KOREAN MISSILES IN 25-YEAR MILITARY DEAL WITH CHINA (Tehran) — Following the end on the 18th of October of the 13-year United Nations’ embargo on Iran buying or selling weapons, the roll-out of the military component of the 25-year deal between China and Iran will begin in November. After a series of meetings in China on the 9th and 10th of October between Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Zarif, and his China counterpart, Wang Yi, this military component may now also feature the deployment in Iran of North Korean weaponry and technology, in exchange for oil. (OilPrice.com, Oct. 19, 2020)
BEIJING SANCTIONS US DEFENSE MANUFACTURERS OVER ARMS SALES TO TAIWAN (Beijing) — The Chinese regime will impose unspecified sanctions on Lockheed Martin, Boeing Defense, Raytheon, and other U.S. companies it says are involved in Washington’s arms sales to Taiwan. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Oct. 26, the move was to protect the regime’s national interests, but did not specify what form the sanctions would take. The Chinese Communist Party considers self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and refuses to recognize its sovereignty. Beijing has never ruled out using force to bring it under the Party’s control. (Epoch Times, Oct. 26, 2020)
What ‘The Forward’ Should Acknowledge About Erekat: Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt, JNS, Oct. 27, 2020 — Editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren’s recent article in The Forward about Saeb Erekat mentions “a single Israeli protester” and a few members of Knesset who objected to Erekat being treated for COVID-19 at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
Tucker Carlson Tonight 10/27/20 | Tucker Carlson Oct 27, 2020 – The Bobulinski Interview: Hunter Biden’s Ex-Partner talks with Tucker Carlson.. Parts 1, 2 and 3, RealClearPolitics
Republicans Chip Away At Democrats’ Advantage In Early Voting Totals: World Israel News, Oct. 26, 2020 — With eight days before Election Day, more people already have cast ballots in this year’s presidential election than voted early or absentee in the 2016 race as the start of in-person early voting in big states led to a surge in turnout in recent days.
Alex Newman: False History Taught in Schools Incites Children to Hate America: Ella Kietlinska, The Epoch Times, Oct. 27, 2020 — The history taught in public schools is “a complete and total reversal of reality” and the root cause of the civil unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis that has spread across the nation, said Alex Newman, an author, and award-winning international journalist.
