MEDIA-OCRITY OF THE WEEK
Menace Enters the Republican Mainstream: Lisa Lerer and Anstead W. Herndon, NY Times, Nov 12, 2021
“…threats of violence are becoming commonplace among significant elements of the Republican Party. Ten months after rioters attacked the United States Capitol on Jan.6 and after four years of a president who often spoke in violent terms…right-wing Republicans are talking more openly and frequently about the use of force as justifiable in opposition to those who dislodged him from power….[H]istorians and those who study democracy [note the] embrace of violent speech by a sizeable portion of one party, including some of its loudest voices inside government and most influential voices outside. In effect, they warn, the Republican party is mainstreaming menace as a political tool. . . .[Sine Jan.6] the Republican acceptance of violence has only spread. Polling indicates that 50 percent of Republicans and 40 percent of people who ‘most trust’ far-right news sources believe that ‘true patriots’ may have to resort to violence to ‘save’ the country—a statement that gets less support among Democrats and independents.”
{This story is the second lead next to the first, a piece on the indictment of Stephen K. Bannon,” a one-time senior aid of former President Donald J. Trump.” It never once, in its 40 paragraphs, mentions Democratic silence and acquiescence across the 2020 “Summer of Violence”, in which BLM and Antifa-led riots resulted in over 30 deaths, thousands of personal injuries, and over $2 billion in property damage due to fire and mayhem. —Ed.]
WEEKLY QUOTES.
“We are dealing with Iran and its proxies, in Lebanon and Syria. It does not matter what occurs between Iran and the major powers. We are concerned by the fact that there is not enough firmness in the face of the Iranian violations; Israel will defend itself, by itself.” – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett while visiting a division-level exercise by the IDF “Ga’ash” Division. (Israel National News, Nov. 16, 2021)
“I had to take my [first] baby to a shelter during one of the military operations we had in Gaza because my city was bombed. So I have experienced much more serious things than this protest. The Israeli resilience is very strong. As people, we don’t tend to be afraid. We stand for our principles. I don’t experience anything that is connected to fear here.” — Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli ambassador to the U.K., who was escorted by police from a talk she had been invited to give to students at the London School of Economics and Political Science on the anniversary of Kristallnacht due to violent protests. (The Telegraph, Nov. 13, 2021)
“It pains me to say it, but I replace my phone every two months due to threats from the left, not the right.” – Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz. (JNS, Nov. 10, 2021)
“So long as we realize we have stakes in the Middle East—whether because of the need to fight terror or manage a transition away from fossil fuels over the next few decades, or to prevent the area from becoming characterized by disorder and refugee flows—the U.S. will depend on regional partners who can help in all these areas. Israel, as the foremost military power in the region— in addition to its tech-driven economy and its advances in water, food, health, and cybersecurity—make it an increasingly valued partner for the U.S. and many of the Sunni state leaders.” – Dennis Ross advising Israel on how to navigate a progressive American landscape. (The Jerusalem Strategic Tribute, Nov. 2021)
“It’s shocking because most of the news and media only talk about the conflict between Hamas and Israel, but not about the culture of the people there and how they think and live. I was shocked by the reality there, by the people. The people told me they don’t want war; they are looking for peace and solutions, but they cannot talk about this.” — Manar Al-Sharif’, a Syrian woman who visited Gaza. She speaks about the day Hamas operatives came to take her to prison. Her crime: helping create a virtual event for Gazans to Zoom with Israelis. (Forbes, Nov. 12, 2021)
“These are good people, who put their lives on the line when we were there in their country, and they took great care of Canadian soldiers, NGOs, and anyone else over there trying to help them secure a future for Afghanistan…. Seeing what happened this past year, it does feel like taking three steps back. We did sacrifice greatly for over a decade in combat operations, and to see the country fall is not an easy pill to swallow as a veteran.” – Canadian Forces Retired Major Stephen Peddle, who is working on getting some Afghan interpreters out of Afghanistan. (National Post, Nov.12, 2021)
“There is nothing about this case that reflects a pursuit of the equal justice under the law. This thing was a scam from the beginning. The committee — the committee — the committee that was convened here was convened exclusively of people who have made prejudgments and announced them publicly. The chair of the committee sued President Trump personally before he was even appointed to his position, determined and put in writing that President Trump was responsible for the events of January 6. This is not an investigative committee. There’s nothing for him to investigate when he’s made a prejudgment. There are other members of the committee who announced their prejudgments well in advance. It’s not equal justice under the law, Mr. Garland, to charge a matter like this criminally. The holder of the privilege in this case, executive privilege, invoked the privilege. Mr. Bannon is a layperson. When the privilege has been invoked by the purported holder of privilege, he has no choice but to withhold the documents. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Mr. Bannon acted as his lawyer counseled him to do by not appearing and by not turning over documents in this case. He didn’t refuse to comply. He made quite clear that if a court ordered him to comply, he would do that. But he had an obligation to honor the privilege that was invoked. And in terms of prosecuting this criminally, it violates settled Department of Justice policy that’s binding on the executive branch. It is outrageous that a criminal charge was brought in this case. It is a misdemeanor, but it’s being treated as if it were a capital case.” — Douglas Schoen, the lawyer to former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, speaking to reporters outside the courthouse. Mr. Bannon was indicted by a grand jury for contempt of Congress last week, so refusing to testify or release documents to the investigative committee. He invoked executive privilege. (Conservative Brief, Nov.16, 2021)
“Last Friday’s indictment of Bannon for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena is a sop to the Democrats’ Trump-deranged base. The criminal-contempt charges, on which Bannon surrendered on Monday, stem from a House January 6 Committee subpoena directing him to testify and produce documents. The Justice Department has rarely brought such an indictment in American history and hasn’t tried to do so in nearly 40 years. Nor has it escaped notice that DOJ has shown no interest in prosecuting government officials who, for example, misled the FISA Court on Russiagate or refused to cooperate in Congress’s probe of such Obama-era scandals as the IRS’s harassment of conservative groups and the ATF’s “gun-walking” debacle. While the Bannon indictment was met with glee in the media-Democrat complex, it will confirm in the minds of half the country that the Biden/Garland Justice Department is a crude weapon of the political Left — with no real interest in “equal justice under the law.” – Conservative columnist Andrew McCarthy. (National Review, Nov. 16, 2021)
SHORT TAKES
MINISTERIAL PANEL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES TERM LIMITS FOR PRIME MINISTER (Jerusalem) — The Ministerial Committee for Legislation unanimously approved legislation, to set term limits for the prime minister of Israel, to a total of eight years. The bill, introduced by Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, is generally viewed as a personal law against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history, with a combined 14+ years of service. The law now heads to the Knesset. This law would not apply retroactively, meaning the 72-year-old Netanyahu could still run again and serve for eight more years. (Jewish Press, Nov. 14, 2021)
ISRAEL POLICE ARREST 65, TAKING DOWN EXTENSIVE GUN-RUNNING NETWORK (Jerusalem) — A two-year undercover operation has resulted in some of the most high-profile arrests of gun smugglers and illegal weapons dealers in Israel. Sixty-five suspects were arrested in raids on 25 localities across Israel, breaking up a large gun-running network. (JNS, Nov. 9, 2021)
ISRAEL, POLAND, CONDEMN HUNDREDS OF POLISH PROTESTERS WHO SHOUTED ‘DEATH TO THE JEWS’ (Poland) — Israeli and Polish officials condemned the Independence Day marchers in Warsaw on Wednesday and in the city of Kalisz on Thursday who chanted anti-Semitic slogans and clashed with riot police. Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski tried to ban the march, declared the capital was not a place for “fascist slogans,” and even got a court to rule for the ban. But the Polish government overruled his authority, declaring it a national ceremony. Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has been courting extremist groups in recent years. (Jewish Press, Nov.14, 2021)
SHEIKH JARRAH FAMILY AGREES TO RETURN HOME TO JEWISH OWNERS (Jerusalem) — An Israeli High Court decision in the Sheikh Jarrah-Shimon HaTzadik eviction dispute is still pending. However, another Arab family living in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood reached an agreement with the Jewish owners of its home to hand over the property. Under the terms of the agreement, the family will vacate the home, but not for several years. The compromise, which received the force of a legal ruling in the Jerusalem Magistrates Court, could serve as a precedent for other local Arab families. Many see this ruling as a blow to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, both pressuring Arab residents of Sheikh Jarrah-Shimon HaTzadik to refuse any proposed deals to vacate the properties. (JNS, Nov. 16, 2021)
FORD: ISRAELI FRESH-WATER TECHNOLOGY MOBILE SYSTEMS TO BE INSTALLED ON VEHICLES (Petach Tikvah) — Ford has approached Israeli Watergen, one of the world leaders in atmospheric water generation, to collaborate as facilitators for its off-grid adventure recreational vehicles. The project will result in Watergen’s Mobile Box, the world’s first onboard water generating system, pre-installed on Ford vehicles. The device extracts clean water from ambient air. The Mobile Box can generate up to 25 liters per day of fresh drinking water, removing the need to carry bottled water and reducing plastic waste. (JNS, Nov. 10, 2021)
ISRAEL APPROVES COVID-19 VACCINATION FOR 5- TO 11-YEAR-OLDS (Jerusalem) — Israel has approved coronavirus vaccination for children aged 5 to 11. The nearly unanimous vote—73 in favor and two against—was reached by the Pandemic Response Team and the Advisory Committee on Vaccines. (JNS, Nov.16, 2021)
ISRAEL HOLDS NATIONAL DRILL TO PREPARE FOR LETHAL ‘OMEGA’ COVID-19 VARIANT (Jerusalem) — Israel began a national drill to test the country’s preparedness for the outbreak of ‘Omega,’ a new, more lethal variant of the COVID-19 virus. The drill will test the country’s ability to coordinate and manage local/regional lockdowns, monitor and oversee the new variant, including vaccine testing, provide economic support for the population, and ensure that the education system can successfully adjust. (JNS, Nov. 11, 2021)
REPORT: UK CUTS UNRWA FUNDING BY MORE THAN 50 PERCENT DUE TO INCITEMENT (London) — Britain has cut its funding of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees by a little more than 50 percent. Having invested some $57 million in the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in 2020, this amounted to $28 million in 2021. UNRWA Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini tied the move to criticism of the Palestinian Authority curriculum used by UNRWA. (JNS, Nov. 10, 2021)
REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL TO DESIGNATE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AS TERROR GROUP (Washington) — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) reintroduced legislation that urges the U.S. State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization. It requires the State Department to report to Congress whether the Muslim Brotherhood meets the legal criteria for designation. If so, it will enable the United States to take action that could stifle the funding they receive to promote their malign activities. (JNS, Nov. 12, 2021)
NIKKI HALEY GOES AFTER AIPAC FOR HOSTING LAWMAKERS WHO SUPPORT IRAN DEAL (Washington) — Former United States envoy to the United Nations Nikki Halley tore into the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC for hosting politicians who support the Iran nuclear deal. “Stop rewarding bad behavior. It only gets you more bad behavior.” The comments represented rare criticism against one of the most prominent organizations in Washington by a rising star in the Republican party and possible candidate for president in 2024. (Times of Israel, Nov. 16, 2021)
MURDERER OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR MIREILLE KNOLL SENTENCED TO LIFE (Paris) —A French court sentenced Yacine Mihoub to life in prison, with no possibility of parole for 22 years, for the 2018 murder of Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll. A second man, Alexander Carrimbacus, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for theft with anti-Semitic intent. In its ruling, the court said that the murder-robbery had been fueled by “a broader context of antisemitism,” which had led Mihoub to believe Knoll, as a Jew, had “hidden treasures” in her home. Knoll, 85, was stabbed 11 times, and Mihoub, her neighbor, is alleged to have shouted Allahu Akbar (“God is great”) while killing her. (JNS, Nov.11, 2021)
CRIES OF ‘DEATH TO THE JEWS!’ RING OUT AT ANGRY DEMONSTRATION IN POLAND AS FAR-RIGHT AGITATORS BURN ‘SYMBOL OF TOLERANCE’ (Kalisz) — Shouting slogans that included “Death to the Jews” and “LGBT, pedophiles, Zionists — enemies of Poland,” hundreds of ultra-nationalists took over the center of a provincial Polish town. They marked their country’s independence day with a brazenly antisemitic demonstration. Even veteran observers of the Polish far-right were shocked. “In more than 25 years of monitoring antisemitism in Poland, I have never seen anything like this,” Rafal Pankowski – executive director of the “Never Again” Association said. (Algemeiner, Nov. 12, 2021)
SOUTH AFRICA DROPS SUPPORT FOR ‘MISS UNIVERSE’ CONTESTANT FOR REFUSING TO BOYCOTT ISRAEL (Cape Town) — The South African government withdrew its support for its contestant – Lalela Mswane – for the “Miss Universe” pageant to take place next month in the resort city of Eilat. She refuses to abide by a boycott against Israel. (JNS, Nov. 15, 2021)
MONTH-LONG SERIES OF EVENTS CELEBRATES 500 YEARS OF JEWISH PRESENCE IN MEXICO (Mexico City) — The Fundación HispanoJudía (FHJ) and the Centro Deportivo Israelita de México (CDI) have organized a month-long series of events to celebrate 500 years of Jewish presence in Mexico. The events, which relate to history, art, and culture, are running from October 31 to November 28. (JNS, Nov. 15, 2021)
‘LONG OVERDUE’: WASHINGTON POST CORRECTS ARTICLES ABOUT STEELE DOSSIER (Washington) –The Washington Post corrected two articles and altered a dozen others because of discrepancies between its reporting and what was known about the dossier compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele. The Post had long insisted that Sergei Millian, a Belarusian-American businessman, was one of Steele’s sources. But its stories, which relied on two sources it did not name publicly, were increasingly undermined as time went on, most recently a grand jury indictment against Igor Danchenko described as Steele’s “primary sub-source.” (Epoch Times, Nov. 13, 2021)
CHIEF IRGC GENERAL IN SYRIA WAS OUSTED ON ASSAD’S ORDERS – REPORT (Damascus) — Syrian President Bashar Assad dismissed the commander of Iranian forces in Syria Javad Ghaffari. Sources in the presidential palace were dissatisfied with Ghaffari’s actions and went as far as deeming them a “violation of Syrian sovereignty.” Sources said that Ghaffari was dealing with the smuggling of goods and establishing a black weapons market that could compete with the Syrian market. Moreover, the Syrians blamed the Iranians for taking advantage of Syria’s natural and economic resources for its own gain and for evading tax payments to the Syrian regime. (Jerusalem Post, Nov. 10, 2021)
For Further Reference:
U.S. Abstention On Anti-Israel UNRWA Vote Marks’ Dangerous Backslide’ In Policy at UN: Sean Savage, JNS, November 15, 2021 — The United States voted last week to abstain on a resolution concerning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the U.N.’s agency that handles Palestinian refugees—part of several resolutions put forth in the U.N. General Assembly concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that largely targeted Israel for its treatment of Palestinians.
