MEDIA-OCRITIES OF THE WEEK
The Inescapable Realities of the Islamic World: Sam Sweeny, National Review, Oct. 27, 2022
“Today ‘the West’ is no longer a geography, it is a set of imaginary normative mores, a constellation of a colonizing idea, a set of supremacist sentiments, a space of vaguely interrelated cultural convictions and imperatives presumed to be somewhere between Western Europe and North America, with an extension into Australia and New Zealand and a stopover in Israel and, until the end of apartheid, in South Africa. ‘The West’ is in fact more than anything else a metaphor, an allegory, for European colonialism and all its settler colonies.” –Hamid Dabashi, The End of Two Illusions: Islam After the West (University of California Press, 2022), as cited by Sam Sweeny.
Actor Rob Reiner Tells Joy Reid Republicans Are ‘Literally Killing’ People To Win Midterms: Bobby Burack, Outkick, Nov. 8, 2022
“[Republicans] are only interested in power,” Reiner told Reid. “They are only interested, and they will do anything to get the power. And they are willing to kill, literally kill, to get the power. You can’t have a conversation with them.” –“Comedian” Rob Reiner [“Meathead” in the Archie Bunker TV series, interviewed by Joy Reid on MSNBC
“The United States and Israel are not just allies on a military basis, but economically and politically; we’re allies morally, culturally and spiritually and we always will be—at least if I have anything to do about it.” – former US President Donald Trump at the Zionist Organization of America’s 2022 Gala in New York City. He was honored with the organization’s Theodor Herzl Gold Medallion. “There are people in this country that happen to be Jewish who are not doing the right thing for Israel. … As you know, the Democrats get 75% of the [Jewish] vote, which is hard to believe. We can’t let that continue. We see all of the horrible things that have taken place with Biden and [former president] Barack Hussein Obama, and then they get 75% of the [Jewish] vote. What the hell is going on?” Trump emphasized the uniqueness of the Jewish state, calling it“a very, very special place, it’s an amazing place, it’s really a miracle.” (WIN, Nov. 14, 2022)
“I felt obligated to be someone who educated others about the conflict. Call it ego, call it pride — I don’t care. But I eased my way into it. My followers follow me because I love sports. I don’t want to inundate them with content about Israel, but they also need to understand that Israel is a part of who I am.” — Hofstra University student Emily Austin. She skyrocketed to social media fame during the Covid-19 pandemic by launching a live-stream broadcast, titled “Daily Vibes with Emily,” on Instagram. Austin explained that she “posted blue and white cupcakes with the Star of David on them and immediately I noticed that a lot of people unfollowed me. I got a lot of hateful DM’s [direct messages] over it. People called me ‘Zionist pig,’ ‘children murderer’ — I don’t even have to say how nasty it got. But at the same time so many also reached out to thank me for being a voice for the Jewish people.” (Algemeiner, Nov. 11, 2022)
“We really did see, given all the enthusiasm that was in the country, that Republican leadership really failed Republican voters. The ground was very fertile for a big Republican victory, Joe Biden’s approval is in the toilet, 75 percent of the country thinks we’re going in the wrong direction. Just objectively speaking, things are bad in the country. … And that Republican leaders could not turn that into a big victory for Republicans really is an indictment of how they’re running things.” – said Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway during an interview on Fox News. (The Federalist, Nov. 10, 2022)
“Trumpism became entangled in the Jewish camp. This Trumpism twisted the minds of so many yiden. It brainwashed people – and that’s so painful.” — Rabbi Aaron Teitlebaum, the grand rebbe of one the Satmar Hasidic sects, at his yeshiva in Kiryas Joel, north of New York City. He alluded to many Orthodox groups’ backing of Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, who lambasted the state Board of Regents’ vote last month to strengthen oversight of secular studies at Orthodox schools. He warned of Trumpism as a threat to Jews. “It’s not our job to fix America. Our goal is to protect ourselves.” (Forward, Nov. 9, 2022)“Walking toward the door leading to the hallway, I paused, looked the president in the eye, and said, “I guess we will just have to disagree on two things.” “What?” [Trump asked] I referred to our disagreement about Jan. 6 and then said, “I’m also never gonna stop praying for you.” He smiled: “That’s right—don’t ever change.” – Former US VP Mike Pence writing on his last days with Donald Trump. (WSJ, Nov. 9, 2022)
“You know the rules of perception: if they’re black then it’s a gang, if they’re Italian it’s a mob, but if they’re Jewish it’s a coincidence and you should never speak about it. I just feel if you go out to Hollywood you might connect some kind of lines and come under the delusion that the Jews run Hollywood. It’s not a crazy thing to think. But it’s a crazy thing to say out loud at a time like this.” — American comedy superstar Dave Chappelle diving deep into the recent claims of antisemitism surrounding black personalities Kanye West and NBA player Kyrie Irving during his opening monologue as host of Saturday Night Live. (Jerusalem Post, Nov. 13, 2022)
“New coal plant construction has not suffered due to a lack of reliability but rather a loss of viability—owing to the pledges to kill coal made by Mr. Biden, and Barack Obama before him. Aside from its dictatorial nature, the White House war on coal is, in the words of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin from coal-country West Virginia, “divorced from reality”. Coal currently generates 23% of the nation’s electricity. . .In 2050, coal is forecast to still produce a 10% share. . .Americans should simply tune out Mr. Biden’s silly energy pronouncements. And count on fossil fuels to play a central role in the nation’s energy future.” — Editorial (Washington Times, Nov. 8, 2022)
SHORT TAKES
25TH KNESSET SWORN IN (Jerusalem) — Israel’s twenty-fifth Knesset was sworn in on Tuesday, featuring 23 new lawmakers elected for the first time in the general election two weeks ago. Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu had hoped to bring his new coalition government to the Knesset for approval already immediately after the swearing-in ceremony, but has thus far failed to resolve lingering questions regarding the allocation of key ministerial positions, chief among them, Religious Zionist Party MK Bezalel Smotrich’s demand he is appointed Defense Minister (Israel National News, Nov. 15, 2022)
ISRAEL BLASTS UKRAINE FOR BEGGING FOR ARMS WHILE SUPPORTING UN CRIMINALIZATION OF ISRAELI ‘OCCUPATION’(Kyiv) – The Israeli ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, took Kyiv to task after the Ukrainian delegation to the United Nations voted in favor of a draft resolution in the General Assembly’s Special Political and Decolonization Committee backed by the Palestinian Authority’s delegation. The resolution, which passed the committee by a margin of 98 to 17 with 52 abstentions, accused Israel of denying Palestinian Arabs the right to self-determination, negated Israel’s historical connection to the Temple Mount, and urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to render an opinion against Israel’s presence in Judea and Samaria. The countries that voted with Israel in opposing the resolution were Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Liberia, Lithuania, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and the United States. The United Kingdom and France abstained. All of the Arab states, including Israel’s new allies Bahrain and UAE, approved the anti-Israel measure, along with both Ukraine and Russia. (WIN, Nov. 13, 2022)
GEORGIA STOPS IRANIAN ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE ISRAELI (Tbilisi) — Georgia foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate an Israeli. Two people, one with dual Iranian-Georgian citizenship and another who is a Pakistan citizen, were arrested in connection to the attempted crime and an Iranian organizer of the attempted murder was identified. (Jerusalem Post, Nov. 15, 2022)
3 DEAD IN SAMARIA TERROR ATTACK, 4 WOUNDED (Ariel) — Three people were killed and four more wounded in a stabbing attack at three separate locations in and around the Israeli city of Ariel in Samaria Tuesday morning. (Israel National News, Nov. 15, 2022)
QATAR ALLOWS ISRAELI SOCCER FANS TO FLY DIRECT FROM TEL AVIV – ON ONE CONDITION (Doha) — Direct charter flights will fly between Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and Hamad International Airport in Doha for the duration of the sporting event, which kicks off November 20, FIFA announced. Doha and Jerusalem do not share diplomatic ties and as such Israeli visitors will need to enter the country with a fan ID in lieu of an entry Visa. Tens of thousands of Israeli soccer fans are expected to travel to the country. (WIN, Nov. 11, 2022)
HEZBOLLAH USING HONORARY CONSULS TO SMUGGLE, LAUNDER FUNDS – REPORT (Beirut) — Hezbollah has used special diplomats known as “honorary consuls” to smuggle and launder cash, according to an investigation published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and ProPublica. Honorary consuls are private citizens, such as businesspeople, celebrities and former politicians, appointed by their governments to serve their interests in foreign countries and are afforded some of the privileges that career diplomats receive. (Jerusalem Post, Nov. 15, 2022)
JEWISH GROUPS WELCOME UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SESSION ON IRAN AMID ESCALATING VIOLENCE (NYC) — The American Jewish Committee (AJC) and B’nai B’rith International lauded the organizers of an upcoming special session of the UN Human Rights Council on Iran as the regime continues to crack down on protesters. The request for a special session was submitted to the UN’s Human Rights Council in Geneva by Germany and Iceland. (Algemeiner, Nov. 14, 2022)
ANTISEMITIC BOOK PROMOTED BY KYRIE IRVING REMOVED FROM BARNES & NOBLE (NYC) — “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” an antisemitic book series that prompted the recent suspension of NBA star Kyrie Irving after he promoted the movie version has been removed from Barnes & Noble’s online store. The series, which was later made into a documentary, promotes the notorious antisemitic conspiracy theory peddled by Black extremists and supremacists that “white Jews” are imposters who hijacked black people’s heritage. (WIN, Nov. 14, 2022)
KFC APOLOGIZES FOR KRISTALLNACHT PROMOTION IN GERMANY (Berlin) — KFC in Germany has apologized for urging customers to celebrate Kristallnacht—the 1938 country-wide pogrom which destroyed hundreds of synagogues and Jewish-owned shops–by eating its fried chicken. The fast-food chain apologized and blamed a “system error” for the “inappropriate message.” (NY Post, Nov. 10, 2022)
COLLAPSE OF CRYPTO EXCHANGE FTX ENDANGERS FOUNDER’S PHILANTHROPIC GIFTS (Nassau) — The rapid collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX into bankruptcy last week has shaken the world of philanthropy, due to the donations and influence of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in the “effective altruism” movement. The FTX Foundation — and other related nonprofits mostly funded by Bankman-Fried and other top FTX executives – donated $190 million to numerous causes. Earlier this year, the foundation’s Future Fund announced plans to donate an additional $100 million, with hopes of donating up to $1 billion in 2022. Because of the bankruptcy, that won’t be happening now. (Times of Israel, Nov. 15, 2022)
TRUMP ANNOUNCES 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RUN: ‘AMERICA’S COMEBACK STARTS RIGHT NOW’ (Florida) — Former President Donald Trump announced his long-rumored third presidential run on Tuesday from Mar-a-Lago, ensuring a tumultuous road for the Republican party leading up to the 2024 nomination. (National Review, Nov. 15, 2022)
US SANCTIONS PRODUCTION, TRANSFER OF IRANIAN DRONES TO RUSSIA(Washington) — The United States imposed sanctions on companies and people it accused of being involved in the production or transfer of Iranian drones that have been used by Russia in attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Iranian military entities and industries are already under heavy US sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear development program. (Jerusalem Post, Nov. 15, 2022)
NATO AND POLAND SAY DEADLY BLAST WAS LIKELY UNINTENTIONAL(Warsaw) — Poland’s president and the secretary general of NATO said that a Ukrainian air defense missile most likely caused a deadly explosion on Polish territory a day earlier but emphasized that Kyiv was not to blame for trying to defend itself. President Andrzej Duda noted that Russian forces had launched a barrage of missile strikes on Ukraine on Tuesday. He said that early indications suggested that Ukrainian efforts to counter the barrage had caused an “unfortunate accident” in Poland — not a direct attack on his country. (NY Times, Nov. 16, 2022)
DEADLY EXPLOSION HITS BUSY ISTANBUL PEDESTRIAN STREET (Istanbul) — At least six people are dead and 81 wounded after a deadly bomb blast that rocked a major shopping street in the heart of Istanbul. Turkey’s Vice-President Fuat Oktay said a female had detonated the bomb in an act of terror. (Both Islamic State and Kurdish militants have carried out bombings within Turkey; Istiklal Street, site of Sunday‘s attack, is the cultural and commercial center of Istanbul, Turkey’s capital.) (WSJ, Nov. 13, 2022)
RETIRED GENERAL’S SPEECH SLAMMING CANADA’S CLIMATE CHANGE POLICIES, CANCEL CULTURE AND WEAK LEADERS APPLAUDED BY OFFICERS (Ottawa) — Serving senior Canadian military officers gave a standing ovation to a speech by a retired general who criticized everything from the removal of historical statues and apologies to victims to government climate change policies. Retired Lt.-Gen. Michel Maisonneuve, accepting a top defence award Nov. 9 in Ottawa, also took a swipe at leaders who he claimed divide rather than unite. (National Post, Nov. 15, 2022)
“LIBYAN MILITARY COMMANDER HIFTER DEPOSED IN LAWSUIT (Virginia) — A Libyan military commander who once lived in Virginia sat for a deposition in a U.S. lawsuit in which he is accused of orchestrating indiscriminate attacks on civilians and torturing and killing political opponents. Hifter, commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army, is a defendant in three separate federal lawsuits in Virginia accusing him of killings and torture in that country’s civil war. Once a lieutenant to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Hifter defected to the U.S. during the 1980s and spent many years living in northern Virginia. (US News, Nov. 7, 2022)
BOSTON TO PAY $2 MILLION TO CHRISTIAN GROUP FOR REFUSING TO FLY ITS LATIN CROSS FLAG AT CITY HALL (Boston) — After five years of litigation, the city of Boston has been ordered, by a 9-0 Supreme Court decision, to pay $2 million to a Christian group after refusing to fly its flag over City Hall. (For twelve years, Boston had flown 284 flags of private corporations, but in 2017 refused to fly the Christian group’s flag on Constitution Day. The Court said the flagpole was a public forum and denying one voice while allowing others violated the Constitution’s free speech guarantee). (The Washington Times, Nov. 8, 2022)
