MEDIA-OCRITIES OF THE WEEK
Complacent Canada is Changing — And Our Politicians Haven’t a Clue: Kelly McParland, National Post, Feb. 20, 2022“New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh. . .announced his willingness to grant the government the extraordinary powers it sought [through its Emergencies Act], to clear the laneways around Wellington Street, but stipulated they must never be used against ‘indigenous land defenders, climate change activists, workers fighting for fairness.’ Insisting that the rights of some Canadians deserve greater protection than others isn’t normally a position you associate with Singh’s party.”
When ‘Freedom’ Means the Right to Destroy: Paul Krugman, NY Times, Feb. 14, 2022So this isn’t a grass-roots trucker uprising. It’s more like a slow-motion Jan. 6, a disruption caused by a relatively small number of activists, many of them right-wing extremists. At their peak, the demonstrations in Ottawa reportedly involved only around 8,000 people, while numbers at other locations have been much smaller… The B.L.M. demonstrations were a reaction to police killings of innocent people; what’s going on in Canada is, on its face, about rejecting public health measures intended to save lives. Of course, even that is mainly an excuse: What it’s really about is an attempt to exploit pandemic weariness to boost the usual culture-war agenda. I assume that the reopening of the Ambassador Bridge is the beginning of a broader crackdown on destructive protests.”
When ‘Freedom’ Means the Right to Destroy: Paul Krugman, NY Times, Feb. 14, 2022So this isn’t a grass-roots trucker uprising. It’s more like a slow-motion Jan. 6, a disruption caused by a relatively small number of activists, many of them right-wing extremists. At their peak, the demonstrations in Ottawa reportedly involved only around 8,000 people, while numbers at other locations have been much smaller… The B.L.M. demonstrations were a reaction to police killings of innocent people; what’s going on in Canada is, on its face, about rejecting public health measures intended to save lives. Of course, even that is mainly an excuse: What it’s really about is an attempt to exploit pandemic weariness to boost the usual culture-war agenda. I assume that the reopening of the Ambassador Bridge is the beginning of a broader crackdown on destructive protests.”
WEEKLY QUOTES
“This [Iran] deal will bring war. … This region will become a nuclear tinderbox. This will bring war, and then another war. … we are going from a bad deal to a worse deal.” – former Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations’ Leadership Mission during their visit to the Knesset. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters negotiations could be exhausted “within weeks.” (JNS,Feb. 22, 2022)
“Ukraine for us is not just a neighboring country, it is an integral part of our own history, culture, and spiritual space…external forces” [have promoted separatist governments in Donetsk and Luhansk, striving to] dissolve the traditional bonds between Russia and Ukraine and distort the consciousness and historical memory of millions of people, entire generations living in Ukraine, [leading to] aggressive Russophobia and neo-Nazism.” – Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking in Moscow and challenging the post-Cold War international order. (NYTimes, Feb. 21, 2022)
“Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belonged to his neighbors? This is a flagrant violation of international law, and it demands a firm response from the international community.” – US Pres. Joe Biden commenting on the situation in Eastern Ukraine. (Real Clear Politics, Feb. 22, 2022)
“The West has two problems in countering Mr. Putin. The first is a problem of will. The West does not want a confrontation with Russia and in any crisis the goal remains to calm things down. That basic approach not only makes appeasement an attractive option whenever difficulties appear; it prevents us from thinking proactively. When Russia stops bothering us, we stop thinking about Russia. The second is a problem of imagination. Western leaders still do not understand Mr. Putin. Most of them see that he is not just another colorless timeserver who thinks that appointing a record number of female economists to the board of his central bank constitutes a historic accomplishment. They are beginning to see that he is in quest of bigger game and that he means what he says about reassembling the Soviet Union and reviving Russian power. But they have not yet really fathomed the gulf between Mr. Putin’s world and their own—and until they do, he will continue to confound their expectations and disrupt their agendas.” – Conservative political columnist Walter Russell Mead. (WSJ, Feb. 21, 2022)
“Just listen to this crowd. “If you are a member of a pro-Trump movement who is donating hundreds of thousands of dollars, and millions of dollars to this kind of thing, then you ought to be worried.” That’s Canada’s Attorney General, David Lametti. Making an offer Canadians can’t refuse. What is he thinking? Are there Brinks trucks trundling up Parliament Hill? “Hundreds of thousands of dollars, and millions of dollars to this kind of thing?” Might there not be a few “non-Trumpians” making donations? Canadians even, who threw in a $20 bill to back their fellow workers? I guess they “ought to be worried,” too. This latter is the language of pure threat and intimidation by state power. And this crowd laughably claims we’re still being protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” – political columnist Rex Murphy criticizing PM Trudeau’s invoking of the Emergencies Act, an action many MPs and provincial premiers have claimed was way over the top and uncalled for. (National Post, Feb. 18, 2022)
“How much vitriol do we have to see of ‘Honk Honk’ – which is an acronym for ‘heil Hitler’ – do we need to see on social media?” — Canadian Liberal MP Ya’ara Saks stated that the onomatopoeia “honk honk” was a coded message meaning “heil Hitler.” She gave her testimony before Parliament. Honk honk” has become an unofficial slogan of the Freedom Convoy – a reference to the protesters’ use of horns to pester and annoy residents and government officials until pandemic mandates are lifted. Saks received strong backlash on social media from users accusing her of fabricating the hypothesized link between “honk honk” and “heil Hitler.” (Fox News, Feb. 22, 2022)
“If you are white, male, or someone privileged by the racial and gender structures of our society to have your voice easily voiced and heard, we will often ask you to hold off on your questions or comments to give others priority and will come back to you a bit later or at another time.” — SUNY- Binghamton University sociology professor Ana Maria Candela, in her “Social Change” course syllabus. (NY Post, Feb. 21, 2022)
ISRAEL TO MOVE EMBASSY FROM KYIV TO LVIV AS THREAT OF RUSSIAN INVASION GROWS (Jerusalem) – Israel will evacuate the Israeli embassy in Kyiv and move diplomatic staff to consular offices, which opened in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine amid preparations for a potential Russian invasion. The consular office will issue travel documents and passports to Israeli citizens who want to leave the country, primarily through land border crossings to neighboring countries. (Algemeiner, Feb. 21, 2022)
KNESSET MOVES TO ADOPT ANTISEMITISM DEFINITION(Jerusalem) — Israel’s Knesset will adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance’s widely accepted definition of antisemitism. Lawmakers unanimously agreed to address the matter following a proposal by New Hope MK Zvi Hauser. Although the Israeli government endorsed the definition in 2017, the Knesset never did. (United With Israel, Feb. 20, 2022)
REPORT: 2/3 OF ARAB RIOTERS IN MIXED CITIES ARE OFFSPRING OF FAMILY UNIFICATION (Jerusalem) — The Israel Cities Organization, established following the May 2021 Operation Guardian of the Walls by Jewish residents in mixed (Arab and Jewish) cities, mapped Arabs arrested in the riots. They discovered that about 60% of the detainees on suspicion of harming Jewish citizens and/or the security forces during the May riots have family ties with PA Arabs who became Israeli citizens via family reunification. (Jewish Press, Feb. 20, 2022)
PUBLIC DISASTER LOOMS IN FORM OF MAJOR EARTHQUAKE IN ISRAEL (Jerusalem) — Israel today faces a looming threat of a massive, imminent earthquake that could happen at any time. Israel sits on the Syrian-African rift fault line—a junction of the major African and Arabian tectonic plates, which run through the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, and Jordan Valley up to northern Syria. A smaller rift also branches west through Israel’s Carmel region. On Feb. 7, Israel formally launched a national earthquake early warning system (EEWS) named TRUAA that could alert Israel’s Home Front Command within seconds once it detects earthquake signs. (JNS, Feb. 21, 2022)
UNVACCINATED TOURISTS TO ENTER ISRAEL BEGINNING MARCH 1 (Jerusalem) — Unvaccinated tourists will tentatively be allowed to enter Israel beginning March 1. Unvaccinated tourists will be required to take two PCR tests, one before takeoff and one upon landing in Israel. Israeli citizens entering the country will only be required to perform a PCR test upon landing. (WIN, Feb. 20, 2022)
ISRAEL TO EXPORT GAS TO EGYPT VIA NEW ROUTE THROUGH JORDAN (Jerusalem) — According to a report in Globes, the fuel would first travel through a pipeline to Jordan, passing near Beit She’an, and then on to Aqaba and Egypt. Currently, Israel exports 3 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to Jordan and 5 billion to Egypt through a pipeline from Ashkelon to Sinai. Israeli gas should start flowing through the new route to Jordan and then to Egypt later this month. (Israel Hayom, Feb. 17, 2022)
ISRAELI SINGER NOA KIREL NAMED AMONG ‘TALENTED EMERGING ARTISTS’ OF 2022 BY PEOPLE MAGAZINE (Jerusalem) — People Magazine named Israeli pop singer Noa Kirel was named among the 20 “talented emerging artists making their mark in 2022.”. The list includes actors, singing duos, rappers, K-Pop stars, country music singers, and musicians from Grenada, Sweden, and Argentina. Kirel, 20, who served in the Israel Defense Forces, has won MTV’s Europe Music Award for “Best Israeli Act” four years running. She also starred in her own television series “Double Take,” which recently finished its fifth and final season. (Algemeiner, Feb. 21, 2022)
INTEL ACQUIRES ISRAELI CHIPMAKER FOR $5.4 BILLION (Migdal Haemek) – Tower Semiconductors, the Israeli company, which manufactures, among other things, chips for the trendy field of vehicles, is expected to report revenues of $1.5 billion in 2021. The acquisition of Tower is another significant move in the new strategy announced by Pat Gelsinger, Intel’s relatively new CEO. Tower’s location, far from the Far East, also responds to Intel’s strategy of diversifying manufacturing capabilities and shifting some of the center of gravity of the chip industry from the East to the U.S. and other regions. (United With Israel, Feb. 16, 2022)
HOUSE DEMOCRATS VISIT ISRAEL AFTER AOC CLAIMED JEWISH STATE ‘CAGES’ PALESTINIAN KIDS (Jerusalem) — Fourteen House Democrats visited Israel and expressed their love for the Jewish state — a week after socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggested Israel cages Palestinian kids. (NY Post, Feb. 21, 2022)
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO STUDENT UNION ADOPTS BDS MOTION (Toronto) — The University of Toronto’s Student Union voted to divest from and sanction companies involved in Israeli administration of the disputed territories. The motion passed 299 in favor to 143 against. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 17, 2022)
AUSTRALIA TO DESIGNATE HAMAS AS A TERROR ORGANIZATION (Canberra) — Australia said it would list the entire Hamas movement as a terrorist organization, the latest Western nation to do so. Canberra had previously only designated Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. (Times of Israel, Feb. 17, 2022)
UKRAINE TO DECLARE STATE OF EMERGENCY, GRANT CITIZENS RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS (Kiev) — Preparing for the possibility of a large-scale Russian invasion, the Ukrainian government has moved to declare a 30-day state of emergency, grant citizens the right to bear arms, and conscript military reservists between the ages of 18 and 60, adding nearly 200,000 troops to the country’s defense as Russian troops continue to enter the Donbas region. Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelensky said in a televised speech that there was no need for a “general mobilization” of civilians, however “we need to promptly replenish the Ukrainian army and other military formations.” (National Review, Feb. 23, 2022)
GERMANY HALTS NORD STREAM 2 PIPELINE CERTIFICATION IN RESPONSE TO RUSSIAN AGGRESSION (Berlin) — Germany will halt the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in response to Russia’s recognition of two separatist Ukrainian enclaves. Nord Stream 2, controlled by a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned energy corporation Gazprom, is completed and filled with gas but has not yet come online. Germany expected to double natural gas imports from Russia via the pipeline. (National Review, Feb. 22, 2022)
BIDEN PENTAGON LET 50 AFGHANS POSING SERIOUS SECURITY RISKS INTO THE UNITED STATES, WATCHDOG FINDS(Washington) — The Biden administration failed to use all available screening data to vet Afghan refugees brought to the United States last year, allowing at least 50 individuals posing “potentially significant security concerns” to make it inside America’s borders, the Pentagon’s chief watchdog warns. To make matters worse, the Defense Department inspector general reported to Congress that 28 of 31 Afghan evacuees with known “derogatory information” can no longer be located. (Just the News, Feb. 19, 2022)
CANADA’S HOUSE OF COMMONS PASSES GOVT’S EMERGENCIES ACT MOTION; VOTE SPLIT ALONG PARTY LINES (Ottawa) — Voting along party lines, a majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted to approve the extraordinary and temporary measures in the Emergencies Act. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the action in response to ongoing protests and blockades. The governing Liberals and the New Democratic Party (NDP) voted to pass the motion to confirm the declaration of emergency. The Conservatives and Bloc Québécois voted against it. The motion passed with 185 MPs voting for it and 151 voting against it. (Epoch Times, Feb. 21, 2022)
CANADIAN CIVIL LIBERTIES ASSOCIATION TO SUE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVER EMERGENCIES ACT (Ottawa) — The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) announced plans to sue the federal government over its decision to invoke the Emergencies Act. CCLA executive director Noa Mendelsohn said use of the act “seriously infringes on the Charter rights of Canadians.” (CBC, Feb. 18, 2022)
CANADIAN PREMIER TO SUE TRUDEAU OVER INVOKING EMERGENCY POWERS (Edmonton) — The Premier of Alberta – Jason Kenney – announced his government is filing a court challenge against Justin Trudeau for invoking the “unjustified” Emergencies Act last week. “The federal government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act is an unnecessary and disproportionate measure that can violate civil liberties, invades provincial jurisdiction, and creates a very precedent for the future,” he says in a video posted on Twitter. (Sky News Australia, Feb. 21, 2022)
Caroline Glick: ‘Biden’s Foreign Policy Is Juvenile’: Jonathan S. Tobin, JNS ‘Top Story,’ Ep. 37, Feb. 21, 2022 — U.S. foreign policy empowers Iran and undermines the country’s credibility in the Middle East, author and analyst Caroline Glick tells JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan S. Tobin on this week’s “Top Story.”
WATCH: ‘Plot Against the President’: Amanda Milius Gives Inside Story of Trump White House: Ellie Cohanim, JNS, Feb. 22, 2022 — In this week’s episode, Ellie Cohanim hosts Amanda Milius, the director behind “The Plot Against the President,” which tells the story of the operation to bring down Donald Trump.
Biden Administration Kills Israel-To-Europe Gas Pipeline – Analysis: Soeren Kern, Gatestone Institute, Feb. 15, 2022 — The Biden administration has abruptly withdrawn American support for the Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed) pipeline, a project aimed at shipping natural gas from Israel to European markets.
