“… listen with your ears to this sub-headline summary of the state of play at Times of Israel: “Administration seeks to soften blow of FBI investigation into Palestinian-American reporter’s killing, Israeli official say, speculating that ramifications will be minimal.” That’s a line from a good cop/bad cop dialogue. Speculating about “ramifications” at all is first and foremost a signal that there could be ramifications. It’s not reassurance; it’s a warning. Coming at a time when the U.S. is urging Israel to appoint cabinet ministers whom the U.S. can work with, it’s a threat that doesn’t bother to veil itself. Put it bluntly: the Biden administration opened this investigation in order to have an “official” process to dangle Israel with – through “leaks” and innuendo – in the coming days. Kind of like the mafia informing you that they’ll have to come around twice a week for a while, instead of once, to check on you for your own safety.” – retired US naval intelligence officer J.E. Dyer on why the FBI opened a probe into Shireen Abu Akleh’s death. (Optimistic Conservative, Nov. 22, 2022)
“This morning in Tokyo, we agreed to take a first step toward the signing of a free trade agreement between Israel and Japan, which means discounts for products and goods from Japan for the benefit of the Israeli market and increasing Israeli exports to Japan, the third-largest economy in the world. … This is an important achievement for Israel’s economy and Israel’s standing in the world.” – Israeli PM Yair Lapid (MFA, Nov. 22, 2022)
“I don’t care what the State Department says, they [Judah and Samaria] are not occupied territory, it is disputed territory. Because we understand history, we know those are thousands of years of connection to the Jewish people.” – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) leadership conference.. (Algemeiner, Nov. 21, 2022)
“Appointing a special counsel isn’t about pursuing a legitimate indictment. It’s about keeping a politically convenient process going. (There may even be an eventual indictment, but with every day that passes, the likelihood that it wouldn’t result in a conviction, and would probably be framed to encourage a plea from Trump, increases.)… the discussion about avoiding a conflict of interest (i.e., Biden and Trump are both declared candidates for 2024) is a red herring. … if, in either matter, the DOJ and FBI had a court-worthy case against Trump, whom they’ve already been “investigating” for at least 18 months (and indeed have been scrutinizing closely for seven years), they could just file it.” — retired US naval intelligence officer J.E. Dyer on Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of US Attorney Jack Smith as special counsel to “investigate” former President Trump in two separate matters: the 6 January 2021 riot at the Capitol, and the material with classification markings recovered from Mar-a-Lago. (Optimistic Conservative, Nov. 22, 2022)
“We have a population that is not reproducing on its own with the same level that it used to. The only way we’re going to have a great future in America is if we welcome and embrace immigrants, the dreamers and all of them, because our ultimate goal is to help the dreamers but [also] to get a path to citizenship for all 11 million or however many undocumented there are here.” — U.S. Senate speaker Chuck Schumer (Dem.-NY). (This is a clear admission of commitment to an “open border” position, and a marked under-counting of illegal Immigrants already in the U.S., now estimated at between 20 and 30 million. Over three million have arrived on just the southern border this year alone. It also ignores the Democrats’ embrace of late-term abortion, which reinforces the low American birth rate. — Ed.) (NY Post, Nov. 20, 2022)
“Ya. Hehe. I had to be. It’s what reputations are made of, to some extent. I feel bad for those guys who get f—ed by it, by this dumb game we woke westerners play where we say all the right shibboleths and so everyone likes us.” — FTX bitcoin founder and CEO and major Democrat donor Sam Bankman-Fried, 30, whose billion-dollar company filed for bankruptcy days after the midterm elections. (American Greatness, Nov. 20, 2022)
“Mysteriously, only after the conclusion of the midterm elections, did we suddenly learn that this left-wing “philanthropist” and benefactor of Democratic politics, this megadonor to the quid pro quo puff-piece media, this con artist protected from federal securities regulators, had drained off, lost, hidden, or spent billions of dollars of other people’s money. As a result, the Bahamas-basking, tax-avoiding, polyamorous sybarite, and heartthrob of progressive moralists, now claims he has no wherewithal to honor his financial commitments to his own investors. Preliminary postmortem auditors sigh that they have never encountered a greater financial mess than what Bankman-Fried has left in his wake.” – historian and classist Victor Davis Hanson. (American Greatness, Nov. 20, 2022)
“The second-largest donor to the Democrats [after George Soros) was Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX fame [who donated over $40 million]. His ill-gotten gains help fund some political candidates whose policies will result in slower growth, less opportunity and more hardship. The extent to which his contributions pushed them over the finish line in close contests provides a textbook example of corruption fueling more misery.” — Richard W. Rahn,chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth and MCon LLC. (Washington Times, Nov. 21, 2022)
“No good deed goes unpunished, they say. So, for having the genius to produce the ideas, create the economic system and develop the capital that has in. a little more than a century given the world unimaginable prosperity, eliminated deadly diseases that once killed millions, reduced infant mortality, extended life expectancy and lifted hundreds of millions of people out of hunger and poverty, we must now be made to pay.” –Gerard Baker. He notes that President Biden has signed the U.S. up to a “breakthrough’ ‘loss and damage” agreement at the COP27 Climate meeting in Egypt, which would have the “advanced” industrial nations pay a form of reparations to undeveloped states as compensation for the former’s damage to the climate. (Both Republican and Democratic Administrations had previously opposed such a plan, as an “open-ended scheme to funnel American taxpayer money to beacons of planet-saving good governance like South Africa, Pakistan, and Indonesia”). (WSJ,Nov. 21, 2022)
SHORT TAKES
TEENAGER KILLED, 22 INJURED IN JERUSALEM BUS STOP BOMBINGS, THE FIRST IN YEARS (Jerusalem) — Two bombs rocked bus stops at crowded entrances to Jerusalem this morning, killing a teenager and sending about 20 people to the hospital, some in serious condition. The fatality was a 16-year-old yeshiva student named Aryeh Shtsupak from Har Nof, a largely Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem. He may have held Canadian and American citizenship. This was the first time in years that terrorists used bombs in a deadly assault against Israelis. The police say the bombs were probably detonated remotely. (JTA,Nov. 23, 2022)
IRAN COMMANDER THREATENS TO KIDNAP AND ENSLAVE NETANYAHU(Tehran) — Mojtaba Fada, the Iranian regime’s commander of the Revolutionary Guards in the province of Isfahan said that the theocratic state seeks to kidnap Benjamin Netanyahu and bring him to the Islamic Republic as a slave. He also urged the destruction of the Jewish state, calling it “the child-murdering regime [of] Israel.” (Jerusalem Post, Nov. 22, 2022)
ISRAEL’S MOSSAD TIPPED OFF MI5 ABOUT IRAN TERROR THREATS – REPORT (Jerusalem) — The Mossad tipped off England’s MI5 homeland security agency about terrorist threats to British citizens, especially journalists, in recent weeks. MI5 Director General Ken McCallum confirmed that Iran had tried to kidnap or kill at least 10 UK-based individuals since January. The leaked taking of credit for thwarting terrorism aimed at allies is part of an increasing trend in recent years in which Israel and the Mossad have gotten more public about their assistance to close allies, such as England and Australia, and countries it has complex relations with, such as Turkey. (Jerusalem Post, Nov. 22, 2022)
ISRAELI COURT RULES FORMER PM OLMERT DEFAMED NETANYAHU (Tel Aviv) — An Israeli court ruled that former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert defamed his successor, Benjamin Netanyahu, and ordered Olmert to pay damages to the former leader and his family. Netanyahu sued Olmert for remarks he made in 2021, after a series of inconclusive parliamentary elections. The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court dismissed Olmert’s claim that he was “expressing an opinion in good faith” by saying Netanyahu exhibited “crazy behavior” and that his wife and son suffered from “mental illness.” (VIN News, Nov. 21, 2022)
US ARMED FORCES AWARDS IDF CHIEF OF STAFF PRESTIGIOUS AWARD(Washington) — The U.S. Armed Forces awarded the Legion of Merit to Israel Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi in a ceremony at Fort Myer in Washington, D.C. The medal was awarded in honor of Kochavi’s achievements in “establishing Israel’s position as a leader of groundbreaking operational capabilities in the Middle East,” and enhancing the Israeli-American strategic alliance, according to an official statement. Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley presented the award on behalf of the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. (WIN, Nov. 22, 2022)
ISRAELI WOMAN BEATEN UP BY BIDEN SECRET SERVICE AGENT SUES(Jerusalem) — Tamar Ben-Haim is suing an American Secret Service agent for allegedly assaulting her outside of a Jerusalem pub on July 12. The off-duty agent was reportedly in town preparing for President Joe Biden’s visit the following day. According to the lawsuit, the assailant, who was intoxicated, “held Tamar tightly, hit her on her chest, repeatedly, slapped her, causing her earring and earphone to fall to the ground.” (WIN, Nov. 22, 2022)
IRAN BEGINS ENRICHING URANIUM TO 60% AT FORDOW NUCLEAR SITE(Tehran) — Iran has begun enriching uranium to 60% at its underground Fordow nuclear site. It had sent a letter to the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency informing the nuclear watchdog of the move as a “strong response” to the IAEA board of governors’ adoption of a resolution calling on Iran to cooperate with the agency’s probe into uranium traces discovered at three undeclared sites. (WIN, Nov. 22, 2022)
U.S. NAVY SEIZES 70 TONS OF IRANIAN MISSILE FUEL FROM A SAILBOAT TO YEMEN (Washington) — The U.S. Navy found 70 tons of a missile fuel component hidden among bags of fertilizer aboard a ship bound for Yemen from Iran, the first-such seizure in that country’s years-long war as a cease-fire there has broken down. The Navy said the amount of ammonium perchlorate discovered could fuel more than a dozen medium-range ballistic missiles, the same weapons Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have used to target both forces allied to the country’s internationally recognized government and the Saudi-led coalition that supports them. (NPR, Nov. 15, 2022)
B’NAI BRITH CANADA STARTS PETITION TO RENAME IRANIAN EMBASSY STREET AFTER MAHSA AMINI (Ottawa) — Bnai Brith Canada wants to rename Ottawa’s Metcalfe Street, which previously housed the Iranian embassy, after Mahsa Amini, the Iranian woman whose death at the hands of Iran’s controversial morality police sparked protests that have been ongoing for more than two months and have led to hundreds of deaths including dozens of children. (Jerusalem Post, Nov. 22, 2022)
KANYE WEST’S ANTISEMITIC TWEET NEARLY DOUBLED FOLLOWER GROWTH -STUDY (New Jersey) — The rate of growth of US rapper Kanye West’s follower count on Twitter nearly doubled after his threat last month to go “death con 3” on Jews, according to a new analysis conducted by the National Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) in partnership with the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM). The study looked at what it called the “Antisemitism Attention Economy” and found that recent controversial social media posts by West, also known as “Ye,” and NBA basketball star Kyrie Irving metastasized populist Jew-hatred across the ideological spectrum, from white supremacists to Black Hebrew Israelites.(Jerusalem Post, Nov. 22, 2022)
‘THE NEXT PITTSBURGH OR POWAY SYNAGOGUE MASSACRE WAS AVERTED’: WOULD-BE SYNAGOGUE ATTACKERS CHARGED IN NEW YORK(NYC) — The two men arrested Friday for a plot to attack a New York City synagogue were armed to the teeth. Christopher Brown, 21, of Aquebogue, NY, and Matthew Mahrer, 22, of Manhattan, were charged with multiple state felonies, while the FBI said it has not yet made a decision about whether to charge them with federal crimes. Brown, who ran an antisemitic white-nationalist website, admitted to being the mastermind of the attacks. (Algemeiner, Nov. 21, 2022)
DEPAUL UNIVERSITY STUDENT GOVERNMENT DENOUNCES CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM (Chicago) — The Student Government Association (SGA) of DePaul University issued a statement denouncing antisemitism. According to student Barbara Schiffer, an anonymous letter describing a student’s personal experiences with antisemitism on campus prompted SGA to issue the statement and also invite other Jewish students to share their experiences with the senate. (Algemeiner, Nov.21, 2022)
MCCARTHY SET TO BOUNCE DEMOCRATS OMAR, SCHIFF, AND SWALWELL FROM HOUSE COMMITTEES (Washington) -House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he will follow through with his pledge to kick Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota off the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the next Congress because of her antisemitic rhetoric. At least two other House Democrats — Reps. Adam B. Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both of California — can also be expected to be kicked off of committees. (Washington Times, Nov. 20, 2022)
BANKRUPT EXCHANGE FTX OWES TOP CREDITORS OVER $3 BILLION(Bermuda) — The failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX owes more than $3 billion to its largest creditors, according to the failed company’s court filing. A list of the top 50 unsecured claims against FTX gives the public a first glance into the amount of money Sam Bankman-Fried’s companies may owe his customers. The top claim was more than $226 million. Bahamas-based FTX filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11 after the exchange acknowledged that it had used customer funds to cover bad bets by Bankman-Fried’s trading arm, Alameda Research. (VIN News, Nov.21, 2022)
WIFE OF TRUMP SPECIAL COUNSEL PRODUCED MICHELLE OBAMA DOCUMENTARY, DONATED THOUSANDS TO BIDEN (Washington) — United States Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith, a “veteran career prosecutor” as special counsel to lead the ongoing investigations into Donald Trump being conducted by Biden’s Department of Justice. However, his impartiality is being questioned. Records show Smith’s wife, Katy Chevigny, is a “high dollar donor” to Joe Biden and contributed to various high-profile Democrat efforts including antisemitic squad member Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s campaign. She also produced the Michelle Obama documentary Becoming. (Post Millennial,Nov. 21, 2022)
TOUGH TALK: CHINA TELLS U.S. TO TAKE A HIKE WHEN IT COMES TO TAIWAN (Beijing) –Chinese President Xi Jinping bluntly warned President Joe Biden that resolving differences about Taiwan remains a flashpoint for a potential conflict between them. Issues not raised at their closed-door meeting included the controversy over China’s role in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and Beijing’s years-long stonewalling of international investigations into finding the virus’ origin. (Washington Times, Nov. 20, 2022)
TURKEY CONFIRMS DEADLY AIRSTRIKES IN SYRIA AND IRAQ TARGETING KURDISH GROUPS (Istanbul) — Turkey launched deadly airstrikes over northern regions of Syria and Iraq, targeting Kurdish groups that Ankara holds responsible for last week’s bomb attack in Istanbul. (The Guardian, Nov. 20, 2022)
Life Liberty & Levin: Fox News, Nov. 20, 2022 – Mark Levin interviews Bibi Netanyahu
