Daily Briefing: Wednesday’s News of the Week in Review (December 11,2019)

Weekly Quotes 

“Yes, it’s an option. We will not allow Iran to produce or obtain nuclear weapons. If it were the last possible thing to prevent it, we will act militarily.” — Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.  He added, “We believe that U.S. pressure and sanctions are effective. We expect Iran’s attempts to procure nuclear weapons and support terrorist groups to decline, but this will be easier if there is support from European countries. As long as the Iranians delude themselves that they have the support of Europe, it will be more difficult for them to bend.” (WIN, Dec. 8, 2019)

“As Democrats committed to progressive values, we wish we could be praising Senator Bernie Sanders today for standing up to antisemitism.  Instead, we are deeply saddened and completely appalled to see Senator Sanders standing with antisemitism by remaining silent and retaining Linda Sarsour as an ‘official surrogate’ of his campaign after she made yet another antisemitic statement.” — Democratic Majority for Israel President Mark Mellman said. The Democratic Majority for Israel is a top pro-Israel Democratic group. (Algemeiner, Dec. 5, 2019)

“Your donation is of great importance at this time, when people are trying to deny historical truth. These artifacts, which you are generously making available to Yad Vashem, will help convey the legacy of the Holocaust to the next generation who will not meet survivors.” — President Reuven Rivlin told  Abdallah Chatila who he hosted.  The Lebanese-born Swiss businessman bought artifacts associated with Adolf Hitler in an auction two weeks ago, and donated them to Yad Vashem. (Jewish Press, Dec. 8, 2019)

“The Jewish state has never had a better friend in the White House than your president, Donald J. Trump. So many of you voted for people in the last administration.  Some day you’ll have to explain that to me because I don’t think they liked Israel too much.” – President Donald Trump told a raucous and adoring audience at the annual conference of the Israeli-American Council (IAC) in Hollywood, Florida.  (Jewish Press, Dec. 8, 2019)

“Anti-Semitism has become fashionable again, and for too long, American Jews have been silent. It’s time to make our voices heard. It’s time to confront our haters, without fear or apology.  ASAP will finally add real teeth in the fight against anti-Semitism in American politics and culture. All candidates and American cultural leaders who traffic in hatred against Jews should consider themselves on notice,” – said Ronald Lauder, who has been president of the World Jewish Congress since 2007.  He announced a $25 million campaign called the Anti-Semitism Accountability Project (ASAP). ASAP will feature “aggressive political campaigns against federal, state, and local candidates who support or normalize anti-Semitism.” (WIN, Dec. 10, 2019)

“I think our nation was turned on its head for three years based on a completely bogus narrative that was largely fanned and hyped by a completely irresponsible press. I think there were gross abuses …and inexplicable behavior that is intolerable in the FBI.  I think that leaves open the possibility that there was bad faith,” – said US Attorney General Bill Barr during an interview with NBC News.  Barr criticized one Justice Department’s Inspector General’s conclusions that there was no evidence of political bias in the launching of the Russia probe.  Barr also said that his hand-picked prosecutor, John Durham, will have the last word on the matter.  Durham added his voice to Barr’s criticism. “Last month, we advised the inspector general that we do not agree with some of the report’s conclusions as to predication and how the F.B.I. case was opened,” he said.  (NBC News, Dec. 10, 2019)

“But that is not what Schiff did. He didn’t use Part 2 of the report. Instead, he made a mockery of Part 1. He went dirty. He ignored Mueller’s findings. And he made it seem as though the purpose of the impeachment was to prevent Trump from doing something a second time that he didn’t do the first time.” – writes columnist John Podhoretz.  He criticized Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff’s explanation for the rationale for the House’s impending impeachment charges – that not to act now would be to let Donald Trump “cheat in one more election.”  Podhoretz points out that the Mueller report exonerates President Trump and anyone on his campaign from collusion with Russia.  (Commentary, Dec. 10, 2019)

 SHORT TAKES
 
6 KILLED IN JERSEY CITY SHOOTOUT THAT ENDS AT KOSHER SUPERMARKET (New Jersey) — Six people were killed, including a police officer and three civilians, during an hours-long shootout that concluded in a kosher supermarket in Jersey City, New Jersey. Investigators believe that the store was chosen randomly and that the incident was not a hate crime. The gunmen, described as juveniles, had holed up in the JC Kosher Supermarket after shooting a police officer at nearby Bayview Cemetery. That officer, identified as Det. Joseph Seals, died. A third gunman is still at large.  (JTA, Dec. 10, 2019)

ISRAELI LAWMAKERS SUBMIT BILL TRIGGERING UNPRECEDENTED THIRD ROUND OF ELECTIONS (Jerusalem) — With the two largest parties, Likud and Blue and White, unable to form a power-sharing agreement ahead of a Wednesday deadline, Israeli lawmakers from rival sides together tabled a bill to dissolve the Knesset and set the wheels in motion for new elections. It is expected to go to a vote in parliament on Wednesday, setting the date for the next election on March 2. (WIN, Dec. 10, 2019)

NETANYAHU: ‘I’LL WIN BIG!’, AGREES TO PRIMARY VOTE FOR LIKUD PARTY LEADERSHIP (Jerusalem) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to hold primaries for the leadership of his party before new elections, which are set for March 2. So far, only senior Likud MK Gideon Sa’ar has declared his candidacy to run against Netanyahu.  He has called for such a race often over the last few weeks. (WIN, Dec. 10, 2019)

SAUDI TERRORIST TWEETED ABOUT ISRAEL BEFORE DEADLY FLORIDA ATTACK (Florida) — The Saudi gunman who killed three people at a Pensacola naval base posted on Twitter shortly before the shooting to blast U.S. support of Israel and accuse America of being anti-Muslim. Investigators are also trying to establish whether the killer, 2nd Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani, 21, of the Royal Saudi Air Force, acted alone or was part of a larger plot. (United With Israel, Dec. 9, 2019)

ARUTZ SHEVA WRITER RECOGNIZED AS LEADING ANTI-SEMITISM SCHOLAR (Montreal) — Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld, author and frequent contributor to Arutz Sheva was the keynote speaker at the Canadian Institute for Jewish Research’s (CIJR) annual gala in Montreal on December 1. At the gala, Gerstenfeld was presented with the CIJR’s International Lion of Judah award for “distinguished service to Israel and the Jewish people.” The invitation to the evening announced him as the recognized leading international authority in the field of anti-Semitism. (Arutz Sheva, Dec. 8, 2019)

NIKKI HALEY SAYS CANADA MADE ‘DEAL WITH THE DEVIL’ WITH RECENT TURN AGAINST ISRAEL AT UN (NYC) — Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley accused Canada of making a “deal with the devil” by recently voting in favor of an anti-Israel General Assembly resolution. Speaking at the annual UN Watch gala in New York City, Haley said Canada was “trading its integrity for a seat on the Security Council” with its turn against the Jewish state.  (Algemeiner, Dec. 6, 2019)

CORBYN’S TOLERANCE OF ANTI-SEMITISM EXPOSED IN LEAKED DOCUMENTS DAYS BEFORE ELECTION (London) — With just four days left until Britain’s general election, a series of leaked documents is shining light on how Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn tolerates his party’s anti-Semitic behavior, reports the Sunday Times. The leaked documents belong to the Quality and Human Rights Commission, a non-departmental public body responsible for the promotion and enforcement of equality and non-discrimination laws in England. (WIN, Dec. 8, 2019)

JEREMY CORBYN RATED TOP ANTI-SEMITE OF 2019 BY SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER (California) — British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn won this year’s honor of being named the Top Anti-Semitic Person of 2019 by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. The decision was apparently not a difficult one: “No one has done more to mainstream anti-Semitism into the political and social life of a democracy than the Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Party,” the LA-based Center’s director, Rabbi Marvin Hier, told the British Daily Mail. (Jewish Press, Dec. 8, 2019)

US SUSPECTS IRAN IS BEHIND INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED ROCKET ATTACKS ON US BASES IN IRAQ (Baghdad) — The US government believes that Iran is behind a series of increasingly sophisticated rocket attacks on joint US-Iraq military facilities in Iraq. The attacks have taken place as the US has grown increasingly concerned that Iran may be planning new provocations against US troops and interests in the region. (CNN, Dec. 9, 2019)

PENTAGON MULLS SENDING UP TO 7,000 ADDITIONAL FORCES TO MIDDLE EAST, OFFICIALS SAY (Washington) — The Pentagon is considering a plan to add up to 7,000 additional forces to the Middle East to counter what it sees as an increasing threat from Iran, two U.S. defense officials tell Fox News, but Defense Secretary Mark Esper has “not made any decision,” according to the Pentagon’s top policy adviser. (Fox News, Dec. 5, 2019)

TRUMP TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER DEFUNDING COLLEGES THAT FAIL TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM (Washington) — President Trump is expected to sign an executive order that will allow the administration to cut funding from colleges and universities that have failed to quell anti-Semitism on their campuses. Trump’s order will be delivered on Wednesday, according to the New York Times. The order reclassifies Judaism as a race or nationality, affording Jews Title XI anti-discrimination protections under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. (Washington Examiner, Dec. 10, 2019)

PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY WELCOMES HOUSE RESOLUTION BACKING TWO-STATE SOLUTION (Washington) — The Palestinian Authority welcomed a United States House of Representatives resolution that expresses support for the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Friday’s non-binding resolution also warned Israel against any attempts towards annexation of territory in the West Bank. The resolution was adopted 226-188 with two Representatives abstaining. (Jerusalem Post, Dec. 7, 2019)

BIDEN IN IOWA: SANDERS’ NOTION OF LEVERAGING US AID AGAINST ISRAEL ‘BIZARRE’ (Iowa) — Speaking at a rural northeastern Iowa campaign stop, former Vice President Joe Biden, who leads the field of Democratic candidates nationally by 13 points, attacked one of his major rivals, Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, for his hostility to Israel and his bias in favor of the Palestinians. “In terms of Bernie and others who talk about dealing with Zionism, I strongly support Israel as an independent Jewish state,” Biden said, adding, “The idea that I’d withdraw military aid, as others have suggested, from Israel, is bizarre. I would not do that. It’s like saying to France, Because you don’t agree with us, we’re going to kick you out of NATO.” (Jewish Press, Dec. 8, 2019)

SPURRING INTERNATIONAL ACTION TO REMEMBER THE ‘FORGOTTEN’ MIDEAST JEWISH REFUGEES (New York) — Former Miss Iraq Sarah Idan spoke at the United Nations headquarters about Jewish refugees from the Middle East.  Idan, 29, was one of the featured speakers at an event hosted by the Israeli Mission to the United Nations, in coordination with Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa, to commemorate Jewish refugees from North Africa and the Middle East. It took place one day after the annual U.N. General Assembly plenary session commemorating the passage of Resolution 181, also known as the “U.N. Partition Plan,” on Nov. 29, 1947.  (Jewish Press, Dec. 9, 2019)

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL TEAMS WITH RADICALS TO BLAST ISRAEL, INDIA (Dallas) — A local chapter of the global human rights group Amnesty International is teaming with radical anti-Israel groups in Dallas for a discussion equating the “colonial and recent history” of Palestine and Kashmir that “have been embroiled in conflict and military occupation.” (IPT News, Dec. 6, 2019)

OLYMPIC MARATHON HOPEFUL WILL NOT COMPROMISE BELIEFS AND COMPETE ON SABBATH (Jerusalem) — An ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman is deciding to give up her dream of competing in the Olympics because of her determination to properly observe the Sabbath. Bracha “Beatie” Deutsch, a mother of five from Jerusalem, has long dreamt of competing in the Olympics. As the winner of the 2019 Tiberias Marathon and the 2018 Jerusalem Marathon, Deutsch is on the cusp of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, that dream has been challenged after Olympic organizers announced that due to a change of venue, the date of the women’s marathon will be rescheduled from Aug. 2 to Aug. 8. (WIN, Dec. 10, 2019)

ALLAN GERSON, TERROR VICTIMS LAWYER, DIES AT 74(Washington) — Allan Gerson, a lawyer who made it easier for the families of terror victims to sue foreign governments, passed away Sunday at his Washington, D.C., home. His wife, Joan Nathan, the cookbook author and authority on Jewish cuisine, told The Washington Post that Gerson, who was 74, died from complications from the degenerative brain disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob. Gerson helped bring to justice Nazi war criminals.  He was a Reagan administration deputy assistant attorney general whose focus was human rights and a senior counsel to U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations. (Jerusalem Post, Dec. 4, 2019)

HEART SURGERY IN JERUSALEM PERFORMED USING SOUND WAVES (Jerusalem) — The new catheterization was performed with the use of special equipment developed by SHOCKWAVE on a 66-year-old patient with a calcium build-up, and after a previously performed catheterization failed to treat the problem. The treatment entails the deployment of a tiny balloon filled with fluid and tiny balls at the point where there is a build-up of calcium within the artery. After the balloon is in place, sound waves are triggered to create a rapid movement of the balls which create cracks in the calcium inside the artery. The cracks allow for the elasticity of the artery and the insertion of a stent in the same location, without damaging the artery. (United With Israel, Dec. 9, 2019)

                                FOR FURTHER REFERENCE

WATCH: President Trump at IAC 2019:  Arutz Sheva, Dec. 7, 2019, YouTube.

Finally Standing Up to Netanyahu, Gideon Sa’ar Says He’s Ready to be PM:  Raoul Wootlieff and David Horovitz, Times of Israel, Dec. 10, 2019 — In September 2014, Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s interior minister and the second-most powerful figure in the governing Likud party, abruptly left politics.