On Some Things, Americans Can Agree: Peggy Noonan, WSJ, June 4, 2020 “… As to the president, this week he altered his position in the political landscape. Something broke. He is no longer the force he was and no longer lucky. In some new and indelible way his essential nature was revealed…faced with protests around the White House, he hid… On Monday he spoke in the Rose Garden, “I will protect you…I am your president of law and order.” This was…unsubtle… Then…protected by a phalanx of police, Secret Service, sharp-shooters and what looked like a Praetorian Guard with shields, he marched to [fire-bombed] St. John’s, the church of the presidents[where] he brandished a Bible like—who in history?—the devil.…He has maxed out his base…proud of his many billionaire friends [but when they begin to think he won’t be re-elected they will turn, and it will be bloody and on a dime…This will not end well. With his timing he’d know it. He should give up the Oval Office address announcing he’s leaving: “America, you don’t deserve me”. Truer words have never been spoken in that old place….”
WEEKLY QUOTES
“After Shabbos there was close to no police around, and for sure none of them doing anything, and it was wild, it was crazy; there was no enforcement whatsoever. You had all the small businesses in the neighborhood with their livelihoods being stolen out of the front of their stores by these people with no regard for anything. … To quote the officer I spoke to while they were robbing my store … ‘We’re focusing on loss of life before we focus on the goods.’ And in my case I said, ‘ … I own a pharmacy and they’re stealing all the drugs, which eventually is going to become your problem. And he said ‘Loss of life comes first, we’re focusing on that; your store is your problem, not ours,” — said Los Angeles store owner Jonathan Friedman regarding the riots and looting that took place after the George Floyd killing by a Minneapolis police officer. (Arutz Sheva, June 2, 2020)
“I will take his [Al Sharpton’s] message here seriously, when he stands before congregation like that of black — people in America … and says what Black Americans can do to get out of the situation that we’re in. No one from the president on down anywhere, says … What’s going wrong with Black America? Why are they so dependent on White America, on the government? That all they can think of is themselves as victims, which then, of course, deflates them as human beings, undermines their best energies, their best intentions, … — and so, after 50-60 years now, past the civil rights bill, we’re worse off in many socio-economic categories than we were 60 years ago back then. … White America’s live under this accusation that they’re racist, they need to prove that they’re not racist. In order to prove that you’re not racist, you need to take over the fate of black people and say, go with us, we’ll engineer you into the future, we’ll engineer you into equality. Life doesn’t work like that. We have to engineer ourselves. Period,” – says Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Shelby Steele to Bret Baier on Fox News. He spoke on race relations following the death of George Floyd. (Realclearpolitics, June 8, 2020)
“I have to say— I thought there was at least one or two things that the Democrats wouldn’t stoop to for the black vote, but there is a apparently nothing. Dressing in African garb and getting on their knees for a photo op because it’s Monday, & only 4 months to November,” – tweeted Blexit founder Candace Owens mocking US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and former presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who wearing African kente cloth scarfs, took a knee together for eight minutes and 46 seconds, a nod to the death of George Floyd. (Daily Wire, June 9, 2020)
“Our prime ministers, Gantz and Netanyahu, how dare you cancel the order preventing the transfer of funds to murderers? How dare you give a tailwind to terrorism? I call upon you to pull yourself together before the next murder, and stop the transfer of the funds to the murderers of Jews,” – said MK Matan Kahana (Yamina). He criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz for repealing the order targeting Palestinian Authority banks which are used to transfer funds to terrorists and their families. (Arutz Sheva, June 9, 2020)
“We oppose the creation of a Palestinian state. In order for me to support this plan, it needs to have several changes. First of all, we need to change the map. On the maps that I saw, there is a Palestinian continuum and Israeli enclaves. It needs to be the reverse – an Israeli continuum and Palestinian enclaves. In addition, according the map we have, 100,000 Palestinians will receive Israeli citizenship. If we are talking about annexation of all of Area C. If we’re talking about annexing all of Area C, then we can handle granting citizenship to 100,000 people. But when we’re applying sovereignty only to 30% of the area, it’s not worth it,” – said MK Ayelet Shaked (Yamina). She voiced concerns regarding US President Trump’s “Deal of the Century.” (Arutz Sheva, June 5, 2020)
CLOSE TO HALF OF ISRAELIS BACK ANNEXATION, LESS THAN A THIRD THINK IT’LL HAPPEN (Jerusalem) — Asked whether they back annexation in the near future, 44.7 percent of respondents to an Israel Democracy Institute survey said they support or strongly support the move. The poll found 31.8% oppose annexation, and 23.5% didn’t know or didn’t answer. (Times of Israel, June 9, 2020)
PALESTINIANS SAY THEY WILL DECLARE STATE ON 1967 BORDERS IF ISRAEL ANNEXES PARTS OF WEST BANK (Ramallah) — If Israel annexes parts of the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority will declare a state on the 1967 borders with a capital in eastern Jerusalem, the P.A. prime minister said. Mohammad Shtayyeh made the remarks in Ramallah to members of the Foreign Press Association. Shtayyeh called annexation as “existential threat” to Palestinians, and said such a move also would mean the end of the Palestinians’ recognition of the State of Israel. (JTA, June 9, 2020)
CANADIAN FM: WE WILL PRESSURE ISRAEL TO ABANDON ANNEXATION ON WORLD STAGE IF GIVEN THE CHANCE (Ottawa) — Canada’s foreign minister said if given the chance, he would pressure Israel to abandon its plan to annex parts of Judea and Samaria, reports the Palestinian Authority’s WAFA news outlet. During a telephone conversation on Monday, Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne told PA Foreign Affairs chief Riyad Malki that if Canada joins the UN Security Council, it “will not remain silent” and will “speak out for peace and stability in the Middle East,” the report says. Later in June, a vote will be held among UN member states on whether to grant Canada a seat on the Security Council. Many political pundits do not believe Canada will be granted a seat due to its general irrelevance on the world stage. Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned Israel’s plan to annex parts of Judea and Samaria. (WIN, June 9, 2020)
CANADA CAN STRENGTHEN ITS BID FOR A UN SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT BY AVOIDING FUNDING PALESTINIAN NGOS THAT ATTACK JEWS AND ISRAEL (Ottawa) — Canada is campaigning for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, a bid which could be strengthened if funding is withheld from Palestinian non-governmental organizations with links to terrorism or which inspire hatred against Israel. In a recent report, the highly respected research institute, NGO Monitor, details how UN-coordinated international funds earmarked for emergency responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are going to Palestinian organizations with links to terrorism. (Bnai Brith Canada, June 5, 2020)
B’NAI BRITH DENOUNCES HYPOCRITICAL LETTER TO PM ON ISRAEL (Ottawa) — B’nai Brith Canada is denouncing a highly publicized open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as both hypocritical and unjustified. The letter was written by a group of retired Canadian diplomats who objected to hypothetical Israeli government plans to extend its legal jurisdiction to areas of the West Bank, and calls on the Canadian government to strongly oppose it. The letter is rampant with double standards, one-sidedness, and apparent historical ignorance, the antisemitism watchdog says.. (Bnai Brith Canada, June 4, 2020)
TEHRAN OFFICIAL SPIES ON IRANIANS WHO FOLLOW ISRAEL ON TWITTER (Tehran) — Director General of Israel’s Foreign Ministry Yuval Rotem noted “that the Iranian regime blocks social media for Iranians, then follows Israel to hear what they’re saying; let me tell you, it’s not good.” Israel’s digital diplomacy team last week celebrated a milestone in its social media campaign to the Farsi-speaking world, and specifically Iran, when it reached 500,000 followers of its Instagram account. (United With Israel, June 8, 2020)
ISRAEL NAMED THIRD-SAFEST NATION IN THE WORLD IN NEW CORONA RANKINGS(Jerusalem) — In a recently published 250-page report, the Hong Kong-based Deep Knowledge Group ranked Israel third in the world in its list of the safest countries during the coronavirus crisis. Israel was evaluated in addition to 199 other countries and regions, using 11,000 data points based on economic factors, lockdown policies, and other health metrics. Switzerland and Germany took the top two spots. (United With Israel, June 9, 2020)
‘SECOND JAPANESE SCHINDLER’ DISCOVERED WHO RESCUED JEWS FROM NAZI PERSECUTION (Tokyo) — Saburo Nei — who served as Imperial Japan’s consul-general in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok during World War II — issued transit visas for Jews escaping persecution from Nazi Germany to pass through Japan. Nei is now being compared to the diplomat dubbed the “Japanese Schindler” — Chiune Sugihara, who provided hundreds of visas to Jews in Lithuania, where he was stationed. (United With Israel, June 9, 2020)
SUSPECT ON TRIAL FOR RAPE, MURDER OF 19-YEAR-OLD ORI ANSBACHER CONFESSES(Jerusalem ) — Arafat Irfaiya, who is on trial for the nationalistically motivated rape and murder of 19-year-old Ori Ansbacher a year-and-a-half ago, confessed to the deeds in court. In a court appearance last December, Irfaiya refrained from admitting to the brutal attack, even though his lawyer acknowledged that his client had perpetrated them. Ansbacher’s body was discovered in the Ein Yael Forest southeast of Jerusalem on Feb. 7, 2019. Forensics determined that she had been raped and stabbed. Security forces mounted a manhunt for the killer, eventually arresting Irfaiya some 36 hours later in Ramallah. (JNS, June 9, 2020)
LONDON STATUE OF WINSTON CHURCHILL VANDALIZED ON D-DAY AMID PROTESTS(London) — A statue of Britain’s most renowned leader Winston Churchill has been vandalized in London as protesters turned out to speak against racism. The vandalism came on the anniversary of D-Day when allied forces — partially led by Churchill — stormed the beaches of Normandy during World War II. Police eventually surrounded the statue in an apparent attempt to protect it from further defacement in Parliament Square, where thousands of protesters had gathered. (Fox News, June 6, 2020)
RUSSIA’S VLADIMIR PUTIN ENDORSES POLICY ALLOWING NUCLEAR RETALIATION AGAINST CONVENTIONAL ATTACK (Moscow) — President Vladimir Putin endorsed Russia’s nuclear deterrent policy, which allows him to use atomic weapons in response to a conventional strike targeting the nation’s critical government and military infrastructure. By including a non-nuclear attack as a possible trigger for Russian nuclear retaliation, the document appears to send a warning signal to the US. (South Sea China Post, June 3, 2020)
AL-QAEDA’S NORTH AFRICA LEADER KILLED, FRANCE SAYS (Paris) — France said its military forces had killed alQaeda’s North Africa chief Abdelmalek Droukdel, a key Islamist fighter that its forces had been hunting for more than seven years, during an operation in Mali. (Globe and Mail, June 6, 2020)
HITLER HOME TO BE REDESIGNED AS POLICE STATION (Vienna) — Austria presented an architectural plan to turn the house where Adolf Hitler was born into a police station in the hope of “neutralizing” the space and ensuring it does not attract neo-Nazis. After decades of debate about what to do with the building in the town of Braunau am Inn on the German border, Austria carried out a compulsory purchase in 2017 and said last year it would be turned into police offices so that it “will never again evoke the memory of National Socialism.” (Windsor Star, June 3, 2020)
ONTARIO WILL ALLOW SYNAGOGUES TO REOPEN (Toronto) — The Ontario government will allow places of worship, including synagogues, to reopen on a limited scale. Starting Friday, most municipalities in the Canadian province except the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area and some other areas will move to Stage 2 of reopening, which includes restaurants, hair salons, shopping malls and public pools. But houses of worship in the whole province will be able to open to group prayers. Attendance at churches, mosques and synagogues will be limited to 30 percent capacity, with appropriate physical distancing. (JTA, June 9, 2020)
BAR REFAELI GETS COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR TAX EVASION, BUT HER MOTHER IS GOING TO PRISON (Jerusalem) — Bar Refaeli will perform community service, but the supermodel’s mother will spend 16 months in prison under a plea bargain they signed Tuesday with Israeli prosecutors for tax evasion. Each will pay a fine of about $720,000 and $2.3 million in back taxes. Tzipi Refaeli was her daughter’s business manager. Bar Refaeli says she didn’t know anything about the efforts made to conceal her earnings in 2009 and 2010. (JTA, June 9, 2020)
THE LARGEST UK JEWISH GROUP HAS COMMISSIONED A REPORT ON THE PREJUDICE BLACK JEWS FACE (London) — The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the largest Jewish communal organization in the United Kingdom has launched a commission aimed at investigating the prejudices that British Jews of color face and to making the Jewish community a “more welcoming environment for its own Black members.” (JTA, June 8, 2020)
ARGENTINA ADOPTS INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE ALLIANCE’S WORKING DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM(Buenos Aires) — Argentina’s ministry of foreign affairs adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism, promising to use it as “a tool to sanction and elimination of behaviors and attitudes based on hostility and prejudice, to reinforce prevention measures and to deepen the education of respect for plurality,” the ministry said in a statement. Jorge Knoblovits, president of the Argentine Jewish political umbrella group DAIA, said it will allow the country to better combat domestic anti-Semitism. (JTA, June 8, 2020)
WATCH: Democrats Kneel in Moment of Silence for George Floyd: BBC, June 8, 2020 — Senior Democratic lawmakers observed the silence for nearly nine moments, the length of time Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck.
Canada’s Justin Trudeau Takes A Knee At Anti-Racism Rally To Protest George Floyd’s Death: YouTube, June 6, 2020 — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended an anti-racism protest Friday and took a public knee in solidarity with demonstrators.
Why US Commentators Blame Small White Fringe Groups for US Protests: Seth J. Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, June 6, 2020 — When protests began sweeping Minneapolis in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by US police the politicians in Minnesota needed an explanation. They decided to blame “drug cartels” and “white supremacists.”
WATCH: New York Police Union Reps Hold Press Conference: YouTube, June 9, 2020 — NYC Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch and representatives from other NYPD unions and law enforcement unions hold a press conference.
