MEDIA-OCRITY
Only Biden Can Save Israel Now: Thomas Friedman, NY Times, July 23, 2023
“… Fifty years later, Mr. President, this Jewish democracy urgently needs another airlift to save it from being destroyed from the inside. It needs an urgent resupply of hard truths — something only you can provide. And what are those truths? That if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues trying to ram through a bill that would strip Israel’s Supreme Court of its most important legal authority — to check extreme appointments or decisions of Israel’s political echelon — and do so without a semblance of national consensus, it will fracture Israel’s military and undermine not only shared values between the U.S. and Israel but also vital U.S. interests.
“Mr. President, when we met last Tuesday and you gave me your very measured statement urging Netanyahu not to “rush” this legislation through without “the broadest possible consensus” — which he so clearly does not have — it came as an electric shock to the Israeli political system, dominating the news for several days. It was such a shock because a vast majority of Israelis believe — rightly — that you are a true friend and that your advice came from the heart. But I’m afraid this Israeli government needs another dose of your tough love — not just from your heart but from the heart of U.S. strategic interests as well….”
“I say with pain: Not a single one of our compromise proposals was accepted. Not even one. Even today in the Knesset plenum, at the height of the vote, until the last moment, we tried to reach agreements. But the other side continued to refuse. It is possible to continue to debate and argue but it is also possible to do something else: It is possible to reach consensus regarding what comes next. Let us reach agreement. This is my call to you, and I extend my hand and call for peace and mutual respect between us.” – PM Benjamin Netanyahu in a television address. (WIN, July 24, 2023)
“President Biden has publicly and privately expressed his views that major changes in a democracy to be enduring must have as broad a consensus as possible. It is unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority. We urge Israeli leaders to work toward a consensus-based approach through political dialogue.” – the WH in a statement. (WIN, July 24, 2023)
“Joe Biden’s meddling in Israel’s internal politics is unprecedented and inappropriate. He has no business telling one of our most important allies how to govern their own country.” – Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK). He slammed President Joe Biden’s attempts to influence Israeli politics in the aftermath of a vote that Israel’s governing coalition says is the first step in a sweeping plan to reform the country’s judicial system and that has seen the country rocked by mass protests and divided the global Jewish community. (Algemeiner, July 24, 2023)
“I’m a Palestinian peace activist, @AOC, and you’re wrong. The only people calling Israel an apartheid state are trying to promote antisemitism around the world.” — Bassem Eid, a longtime Palestinian Human Rights activist, responded to a tweet by AOC, which claimed that “A broad consensus of UN experts, @amnestyusa @hrw & Israeli human rights orgs have all formally recognized Israel’s treatment of Palestinians as apartheid.” (VIN News, July 21, 2023)
“Today in particular is the darkest day in the history of the entity (Israel). As some of its people say: This day puts Israel on a path to collapse and disappearance, God willing.” — Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Monday, taking pleasure in the protests which started in Israel following the Knesset’s approval of the law that would reduce the use of the reasonableness standard. (Israel National News, July 25, 2023)
“The existence of Israel is an act of war against us. It is not Hezbollah that is instigating war. You spoke earlier about the firing of rockets, and so on. The very existence of Israel is an aggression against Lebanon. A war with Israel can deliver us from our crisis. Some people may ask how a war with Israel may bring us out of this crisis.” — Hizbullah-Affiliated Lebanese Academic Sadek Al-Nabouls (Jerusalem Post, July 20, 2023)
“I had the pleasure of being taught by Ruth Wisse at McGill University in the late 1980s. Prof. Wisse liked that I paid attention in class and invited me for coffee. Over several hours of friendly debate, she politely dismantled my ill-conceived positions, all the while conveying respect for me as a person. It isn’t surprising that 35 years later, Prof. Wisse is voicing arguments against conformist thinking at Harvard (“Harvard’s Stages of Grief Over Affirmative Action,” op-ed, July 7). Perhaps they ought to conclude what I did: She’s right.” — Kim Gullo (WSJ, July 21, 2023)
“[Louisiana Rep. Mike] Johnson then asked him to define disinformation. Mr. [Christopher] Wray declined but said the bureau’s focus is only on “malign foreign disinformation.” Mr. Johnson corrected him. “That’s not accurate,” he said. “You need to read this court opinion because you’re in charge of enforcing it.” Mr. Wray pushed back. “What I would say is the FBI is not in the business of moderating content or causing any social media company to suppress or censor.” Mr. Johnson then pointed out, rightly, that this “is not what the court has found.” It’s difficult to square Mr. Wray’s claims about the FBI with Judge Doughty’s finding that the bureau was part of “a massive effort to suppress disfavored conservative speech.” Mr. Wray’s unpersuasive answers on critical questions about FBI behavior will contribute to the erosion of trust in the country’s premier law enforcement agency.” – editorial on FBI Director Christopher Wray’s testimony at Congress’s oversight committee. “Mr. Johnson asked about the July 4 ruling by federal Judge Terry Doughty that the government “seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth.’” (WSJ, July 13, 2023)
“Twenty per cent of Gen Z now identifies as LGBTQ+, but Ivy League numbers ae higher: Brown, 38%; Princeton, 35%; Yale, 29%; Harvard, 28.5%; Cornell, 21.4%; Penn, 15% (numbers for Columbia and Dartmouth are not public.) – Rikki Schlott (NY Post, July 20, 2023)
“I’m turning up the heat on the Biden Administration to pull the plug on their ridiculous regulations and make Washington bureaucrats think twice before imposing arbitrary rules on Americans. If they believe I’s good enough for hardworking Americans they should be ready and willing to lead by example and follow their own guidelines.” Sen. Joni Ernst (Rep.-Iowa) issuing legislation requiring the Energy Department and Environmental Protection Agency to do for their DC offices what they want to require Americans do generally for their homes and offices—set air-conditioning to 78 degree upon waking up, and 82 degrees when sleeping, regardless of how hot it is outside.” – Ramsey Touchberry. (Washington Times, July 20, 2023)
KNESSET APPROVES FIRST PHASE OF JUDICIAL REFORM (Jerusalem) — The Knesset plenum on Monday afternoon approved changes to the reasonableness standard, passing the bill with a majority of 64 Knesset members. As the bill passed its second and third Knesset readings, opposition MKs yelled, “shame!” and “destruction!” The reasonableness standard bill is an amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary, and limits the ability of the court to rule against the validity of elected official’s decisions that in a justice’s subjective opinion are beyond the scope of what a reasonable authority would undertake. The reasonable standard had no legal basis in Israeli law but the bill to limit it is to be part of a Basic Law. It passed its first Knesset reading earlier this month, and is now being prepared for its second and third Knesset readings. (Israel National News, July 24, 2023)
OPPOSITION TO PETITION HIGH COURT AGAINST ‘REASONABLENESS BILL’ (Jerusalem) — Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) will petition the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Tuesday after the Knesset voted into law a bill to restrict judges’ use of the “reasonableness” standard. On Monday afternoon, all 64 members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition voted in favor of the key judicial reform legislation. Opposition lawmakers boycotted the third and final vote. (WIN, July 24, 2023)
THE NEXT STEP IN JUDICIAL REFORM: THE JUDICIAL SELECTION COMMITTEE (Jerusalem) — Deputy Finance Minister Michal Woldiger (Religious Zionism) on Monday called for the Knesset to reach broad agreements on the other sections of the judicial reform. “The next goal is the Judicial Selection Committee,” she added, “but we definitely want to do this with a broad consensus.” (Israel National News, July 24, 2023)
NETANYAHU FITTED WITH PACEMAKER: ‘I’M FEELING EXCELLENT, BUT I’M LISTENING TO MY DOCTORS’ (Jerusalem) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent successful surgery early Sunday morning to receive a pacemaker and is expected to be released from a central Israel hospital later in the day ahead of a critical Knesset vote, his office announced. (WIN, July 23, 2023)
IRAN MEDIA CELEBRATES POSSIBLE ISRAEL ‘CIVIL WAR’ AND NETANYAHU’S ‘CRISIS’ – ANALYSIS (Tehran) — Pro-Iran media on Sunday feasted on Israel’s apparent crisis, focusing on the protests and internal divisions in Israel. Iran’s pro-regime media has for months sought to highlight the protests sweeping Israel, portraying them as an existential crisis for the “Zionist regime.”Iran, which usually boasts of threats to Israel, not believes the real threat is internal. No longer does Iran have to pretend Israel will collapse from conflict, it now believes Israel may collapse internally, and therefore all Iran has to do is sit by the proverbial river and wait. (Jerusalem Post, July 23, 2023)
NETANYAHU TO VISIT ANKARA, FIRST PREMIER TO DO SO SINCE 2008(Jerusalem) –Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Turkey for an official visit on July 28, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Thursday. Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan plan to discuss bilateral ties and steps to improve relations, Erdoğan’s office added in a statement, in what is set to be the first-ever meeting between the two leaders. No Israeli premier has visited Turkey since Ehud Olmert in 2008. (United With Israel, July 21, 2023)
FORMER BARCELONA MAYOR FACING COURT INVESTIGATION OVER DECISION TO SEVER ISRAEL TIES (Barcelona) — A legal complaint filed against former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau by the pro-Israel advocacy organization ACOM is being handled by Barcelona’s investigating court number five, the Spanish daily El Pais reported on Wednesday. The complaint charges that Colau exceeded her powers when she told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an open letter that the Barcelona municipality was “temporarily suspending” its twinning agreement with Tel Aviv, along with all other connections with Israel, in protest at what she called the “systematic violation of the people of Palestine’s human rights.” (United With Israel, July 23, 2023)
EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR FREEZING PALESTINIAN AID (Brussels) — A cabinet member of the European Commission, a body within the executive of the European Union, has expressed support for suspending aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if its leaders continue refusing to remove antisemitic and violent themes from schoolchildren’s textbooks. EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi made the comments on Friday, following the European Parliament’s passing last Wednesday two resolutions insisting “that all antisemitic references be deleted and that examples that incite hatred and violence be removed.” (Algemeiner, July 19, 2023)
ROALD DAHL MUSEUM APOLOGIZES FOR LATE BRITISH AUTHOR’S ANTISEMITISM, CALLING IT ‘UNDENIABLE AND INDELIBLE” (Buckinghamshire) — The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre released a statement this week apologizing for antisemitic remarks made by the late British author of children’s books. The museum and charity — located in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, in England — said in a post shared on its website that it supports an apology that the Dahl family and Roald Dahl Story Company issued in 2020 regarding its namesake’s antisemitic views about Jews. (Algemeiner, July 21, 2023)
‘A DARK DAY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION’: AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ENDORSES BDS AFTER REFERENDUM () — Members of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) overwhelmingly voted to approve a resolution calling for a full academic boycott of Israeli academic institutions. Just 37 percent of AAA’s approximately 10,000 members participated in the referendum on the resolution via electronic ballet, with 71 percent voting in favor of the resolution and 29 percent voting against it. In announcing the results the organization said Israeli institutions will be barred from being listed in the organizations “published materials,” advertising in its publications, attending the AAA graduate school fair, participating in AAA conferences, and republishing and reprinting AAA written works from its journals. (Algemeiner, July 24, 2023)
LEGENDARY SINGER TONY BENNETT, WHO HELPED LIBERATE A NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP, DIES AT 96 (NYC) — Tony Bennett, the award-winning iconic vocalist whose singing career spanned eight decades, died on Friday morning in New York City at the age of 96, leaving a rich legacy of memories that included his participation in the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp near the notorious Dachau death camp as a young US soldier who served during World War II. (Algemeiner, July 21, 2023)
FORMER TORONTO PRINCIPAL BULLIED BY EQUITY CONSULTANTS FOR HIS ‘WHITENESS’ COMMITS SUICIDE, LEAVES FAMILY AND FRIENDS ‘REELING’ (Toronto) — Richard Bilkszto, a former principal with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), died by suicide last week in a tragic act that came after he was subjected to racist bullying by diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultants hired by the school district. (National Review, July 24, 2023)
CHINA AND RUSSIA TRAIN TOGETHER TO SINK US SUBMARINES (Beijing)–Naval and air forces from China’s People’s Liberation Army and Russia’s Pacific Fleet have just completed four days of exercises in the Sea of Japan. New exercises will now occur out in the Pacific Ocean. These exercises are designed to do more than send a message to the U.S. and its allies over Taiwan. They are designed to enable better combat cooperation between China and Russia in war. Underlining that point, many of the forces deployed were anti-submarine warfare specialists in nature. Their number included three Russian anti-submarine warships and the PLA’s Z-20 anti-submarine helicopter. Though they have not said so, Russia and the PLA may have also deployed submarines for the exercise. Still, the submarine point is the key. Beijing is well aware that the U.S. retains a key, though diminishing, advantage in undersea warfare. (Washington Examiner, July 24, 2023)
RUSSIA DEFIES SANCTIONS, SELLS OIL ABOVE CAP (Moscow) — Russia scored an important point recently, selling its most coveted Urals grade above the $60. a barrel cap imposed by U.S.-backed Western countries. This demonstrated Moscow’s ability to evade Ukraine-related sanctions, in part by selling its oil to India and China. The new higher price will help Moscow pay for the Ukraine war (oil-export revenues, its major source of income, had previously dropped to half their year-ago level). (WSJ, July 23, 2023)
NEW RUSSIAN WARSHIP WITH HYPERSONIC MISSILES JOINS BLACK SEA FLEET – REPORT (Moscow) — The Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet has welcomed a new warship, the missile corvette Tsiklon, TASS reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry last week. Other reports have noted that the Tsiklon warship will be able to fire hypersonic missiles. (Jerusalem Post, July 16, 2023)
FBI TOLD TWITTER HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP WAS REAL ON DAY IT WAS CENSORED(Washington) — Laura Dehmlow, the now-section chief of the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF), confirmed in a closed-door deposition that when Twitter asked whether the laptop was real, an official said: “Yes, it was.” An FBI lawyer on the call then promptly jumped in and said: “No further comment.” According to Dehmlow, internal deliberations were held after that call in which the decision was made that FITF would say “no comment” going forward. Later on the same day, there was a call between the FBI and social-media company Meta in which the agency declined comment when asked if the laptop was real. (National Review, July 20, 2023)