Contents: | Weekly Quotes | Short Takes | On Topic Links
Two Sons Killed in Combat, Two Different Responses: Howie Carr, Boston Herald, Aug. 2, 2016
The Democrats’ Challenge: White Working-Class Men: Clifford Orwin, Globe & Mail, July 30, 2016
Ignoring Terrorism Against Jews Will Lead to More Against Everyone: Abraham Cooper and Harold Brackman, Algemeiner, Aug. 2, 2016
One Year to the JCPOA: The Slippery Logic of Iran Deal Supporters: Emily B. Landau, Times of Israel, Aug. 3, 2016
WEEKLY QUOTES
"After shelling, besieging and killing civilians and perpetrating war crimes on them, the Assad regime has resorted once again, and in breach of UN resolutions 2118 and 2235, to using chemical substances and toxic gases…The daily reality confirms that all the international agreements and previous security council decisions, be they about chemical weapons or otherwise, are meaningless for the Assad regime." — Spokesman for the Syria Civil Defence (SNC), a rescue service operating in rebel-held territory. SNC said on Tuesday a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter had been shot down hours earlier. The group accused President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack. Assad has denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons. The SNC spokesman said 33 people, mostly women and children, were affected by the gas, which they suspect was chlorine. (Globe & Mail, Aug. 2, 2016)
“For me it is clear: we will stick to our fundamental principles…These principles mean we will give asylum to those who are politically persecuted and we will give protection to those who flee war and expulsion according to the Geneva Refugee Convention.” — German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel’s comments were her first after a suicide bombing in southern Germany last week that capped a week of violence that rattled the country’s sense of security. The bombing in the town of Ansbach, which injured 15, and an ax attack earlier last week that injured five, were both carried out by asylum applicants who were apparently followers of radical Islam. Merkel warned against an overreaction, even as politicians to her right renewed their criticism of her refugee policy. “Fear cannot be the guide for political action,” she said. “We cannot and need not allow our way of life to be broken by such people who have no goal but to scare us and to destroy our cohesion.” (Wall Street Journal, July 28, 2016)
“Through its history and its geography—open as it is to the Mediterranean and Africa, and through its immigration, France maintains very strong ties with Islam…This is the second-largest religion in our country. Millions of French Muslims live here without necessarily identifying themselves as an Arab-Muslim culture…It is for these very specifically French conditions, in addition to our old Christian roots, the long Jewish presence, the important role of Freemasons, and because our country was the inventor of secularism, that France has become the target of the Islamic State.” —French Prime Minister Manuel Valls. “A terrible poison is spreading,” he cautions, “many Muslims in France are taken hostage by the fundamentalist Salafism, the Muslim Brotherhood, who use their worship as a banner, a weapon against others.” (Jewish Press, July 31, 2016)
“I think it is not right to identity Islam with violence…This is not right and this is not true.” — Pope Francis, in response to a terror attack in northern France last week. Two Muslim men, armed with knives, burst into a church during mass and slit the priest’s throat. I.S. quickly claimed responsibility for the attack. Francis said “in nearly all religions there is always a small fundamentalist group…We have them,” referring to Catholicism. “I don’t like to talk about Islamic violence because every day when I look at the papers I see violence here in Italy – someone killing his girlfriend, someone killing his mother-in-law. These are baptized Catholics…If I speak of Islamic violence, I have to speak of Catholic violence. Not all Muslims are violent…I know it(‘s) dangerous to say this but terrorism grows when there is no other option and when money is made a god and it, instead of the person, is put at the center of the world economy…That is the first form of terrorism. That is a basic terrorism against all humanity. Let’s talk about that.” (Breaking Israel News, Aug. 1, 2016)
“We are all shocked by the vicious terrorist attack in France last week. I have heard about a French government discussion on preventing the foreign financing of bodies that harm the security of French citizens. This sounds familiar to us.” — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Netanyahu, France funds several organizations that engage in incitement, call for a boycott of Israel and who don’t recognize Israel’s right to exist: “Terror is everywhere and incitement is incitement, which apparently encompasses the world. Governments must be united as possible in dealing with it.” According to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), France funds the PA general budget, even though this money is used to pay the salaries of terrorists such as Abdallah Barghouti, whose bombs murdered 67 people. PMW reported that every month, the PA pays over $12 million in monthly salaries to terrorist prisoners. According to PMW, France’s 8 million euro financial assistance to the PA covers approximately three weeks of terrorist salaries. (Jerusalem Online, Aug. 1, 2016)
“As ludicrous as it was for the Obama administration to obscure the Islamist origins of the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, at least it annoyed the jihadists. From now on, al-Qaeda wrote in a supplement to its magazine, Inspire, Islamists should “avoid targeting places and crowds where minorities are generally found,” for that way they can avoid having their attacks buried or labeled as “hate crimes.” Instead, would-be martyrs should focus on “areas where the Anglo-Saxon community is generally concentrated.” Terrorists adapt to our security measures, and also to our weird politics.” — Editorial (National Review, Aug. 1, 2016)
"Revelation of Saudi government’s relations with Zionist regime was stab in the back of Islamic Ummah." — Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei slammed Saudi Arabia on for allegedly tightening its ties with Israel. While Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have formal relations, media reports have suggested that common interests, such as a fear of Iran's nuclear program and Tehran's efforts to gain influence in the Middle East, have drawn the Kingdom and the Jewish state closer together. Khamenei suggested that the Saudi move to warm up to Israel, as well as the Kingdom's involvement in Yemen's conflict, were being guided by the U.S. "Today, #Saudi government is in hands of unwise people, but close scrutiny shows US hands are behind all these issues," he tweeted. (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 1, 2016)
“Our convention next weekend will be the first time in decades that any Canadian political party has permitted a discussion on Israel’s foreign policy. This is not a sign that we are anti-Israel. Rather, it is proof that we have faith in respectful democratic discourse and free speech. What has been sorely lacking in Canadian political discourse is an acceptance of the plight of the Palestinian people. Why is it taboo for Canadians to discuss foreign policy in the Middle East, unless they omit certain aspects of Israeli policy? We can criticize any other country’s decisions respectfully and diplomatically, why not Israel’s?” — Elizabeth May, MP and the leader of the Green Party of Canada. (National Post, Aug. 2, 2016)
“If (Hillary Clinton) has a theme, it’s about expanding opportunity, shattering ceilings. But the universe of discriminated-against minorities — so vast 50 years ago — is rapidly shrinking. When the burning civil rights issue of the day is bathroom choice for the transgendered, a flummoxed Fishtown (fictional white working-class town created statistically by social scientist Charles Murray in his 2012 study “Coming Apart.”) understandably asks, “What about us?” Telling coal miners she was going to close their mines and kill their jobs only reinforced white working-class alienation from Clinton. As for the chaos abroad, the Democrats are in see-no-evil denial. The first night in Philadelphia, there were 61 speeches. Not one mentioned the Islamic State or even terrorism. Later references were few, far between and highly defensive. After all, what can the Democrats say? Clinton’s calling card is experience. Yet as secretary of state she left a trail of policy failures from Libya to Syria, from the Russian reset to the Iraqi withdrawal to the rise of the Islamic State.” — Charles Krauthammer (Washington Post, July 28, 2016)
“In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier’s parents. He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States — to say nothing of entering its service…I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump’s statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates.” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). McCain, who has shied away from criticizing Donald Trump even after the GOP presidential nominee questioned his military service last year, sharply criticized Trump on Monday for his handling of criticism from the parents of a Muslim Army captain who was killed in Iraq in 2004. McCain praised Capt. Humayun Khan for his valor and sacrifice and thanked his parents, who spoke against Trump at the Democratic National Convention last week, for immigrating to the U.S. “We’re a better country because of you,” he said. (Washington Post, Aug. 1, 2016)
“As a veteran, I watched your comments at the Democratic National Convention with a mixture of sadness, and anger. The United States has a military comprised of volunteers. Every single member has made the conscious choice to join the military and serve. There is not a single service member who has been forced into service…Does it matter whether Mr. Trump has sacrificed “…nothing and no one?”…has Ms. Clinton “sacrificed” for this nation? How about Mr. Obama? Your comment stating that Mr. Trump “…has sacrifice no one” is alarming. Are you intimating that YOU sacrificed? Sir, your son willingly sacrificed himself. As a father I cannot imagine the pain you must feel but his sacrifice is his own. He was not forced to serve…I am troubled that you would allow a party that has little more than contempt for the US Service Member to parade you into the DNC to denounce Donald Trump. Did you watch when protesters at the DNC booed and heckled Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Florent Groberg? Did you notice your party interrupting the moment of silence for slain police officers? Your own hypocrisy in not denouncing these acts and instead using the DNC as a platform to make a political point is disgraceful. […] Your condemnation of one person for a statement while standing idly as your party disparages veterans and police officers is the height of hypocrisy…The irony of your son’s own death at the hands of these very people in Iraq should not be ignored. I have little doubt that your son would have recognized the need to protect our country from these very people. In fact, he held his own troops back so that he could check on a suspicious car. Your son understood sacrifice and how to protect “his people”…’his soldiers’….’his fellow Americans’…As you continue to make the media circuit and bask in the glow of affection cast upon you by a party that has little regard for your son’s own sacrifice, and veterans in general, I would ask you to consider your comments and your position more closely.” — Former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper Chris Mark. (Truth Revolt, Aug. 1, 2016)
SHORT TAKES
US LAUNCHES AIRSTRIKES ON I.S. IN LIBYA (Tripoli) — The U.S. has expanded its airstrikes against I.S. into Libya, bombing targets in the coastal city of Sirte. The attacks mark the beginning of an ongoing U.S. air campaign in Libya, a Pentagon spokesman said. The U.S. airstrikes came at the request of the Libyan Government of National Accord, or GNA, to support forces trying to quash I.S. in its primary stronghold in Libya. The terror group has devastated residents in Sirte, diverting food, medicine, fuel and cash to its members and seized homes from residents who fled. (CNN, Aug. 2, 2016)
‘GROWING EVIDENCE’ RUSSIA IS USING CLUSTER BOMBS IN SYRIA: REPORT (Moscow) — After a breakdown of the recent cease-fire in Syria, Russian and Syrian air forces have resumed a bombing campaign that has extensively used cluster munitions, killing and maiming dozens of civilians. A report by Human Rights Watch documented 47 different cluster munition attacks across three Syrian governorates since May. The majority of the attacks focused on Aleppo, where Syrian government forces backed by Russian air support have fought doggedly to dislodge opposition fighters located in the city. Cluster munitions are banned by 119 countries, but Russia and Syria are not party to the convention that prohibits their possession and use. (Washington Post, July 28, 2016)
IRAN AND RUSSIA DISCUSS INCREASING MILITARY TIES (Moscow) —Iranian and Russian defense officials discussed improving defense ties in a meeting in Moscow. “Iran and Russia have the needed capacities to broaden their mutual cooperation in the defense field,” Brig.-Gen. Vali Madani said during a meeting with the Russian Defense Minister. They met after the International Army Games 2016 began. Contingents from Iran’s army, Islamic Revolutionary Guards, Basij militia and police are taking part in the competition in Russia and Kazakhstan, Russian state news reported. Teams from 30 member countries, including China, Belarus and Azerbaijan, are participating. (Jerusalem Post, July 31, 2016)
AIR FORCE DECLARES F-35A READY FOR COMBAT (Washington) — The F-35 stealth fighter, described by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “far from working,” has been declared by the U.S. Air Force as ready for combat. Tuesday, U.S. Air Force Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, said the air force version of the aircraft has met all key criteria for reaching initial operational capability. The F-35A is the aircraft once considered by Canada and could in future be a potential contender for any CF-18 replacement. During last year’s election campaign, Trudeau promised Canada would not purchase the F-35, an aircraft he said was too expensive and unnecessary for the country’s needs. (National Post, Aug. 2, 2016)
ISRAELI AMBASSADOR PROTESTS FRENCH PLANS TO HONOR BARGHOUTI (Paris) — Israeli Ambassador to France Aliza Bin-Noun condemned an initiative by several local councils in France to grant terrorist Marwan Barghouti an honorary citizenship. Barghouti, one of the founders of the Tanzim terrorist group which is affiliated with the Fatah movement, is currently serving five life sentences in Israeli prison for his role in planning suicide terror attacks. He is widely believed to have masterminded the second intifada which claimed thousands of Israeli lives from 2000 to 2005. He has continued inciting terrorism from his jail cell. Two years ago, the Parisian suburb of Valenton named a street after the Barghouti. It was followed by another suburb which granted him honorary citizenship. As well, there has been an ongoing campaign to nominate Barghouti for the Nobel Peace Prize. (Arutz Sheva, July 29, 2016)
PA PEACE NEGOTIATOR CONDEMNS KILLING OF HAMAS TERRORIST (Jerusalem) — The PA’s chief peace negotiator condemned Israel for the death of the Hamas terrorist who killed a rabbi earlier this month. According to a report, Saeb Erekat called the IDF’s raid, in which 29-year-old Muhammad Fakia lost his life resisting arrest, a “crime.” Fakia – whom Hamas referred to as the “hero of the Otniel attack” – shot and killed Rabbi Michael (Miki) Mark while he drove with his wife and two of his 10 children. Fakia had served prison time in the past for his activity in the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad, which included the planning of terrorist attacks against Israelis. It was during his time in jail that he shifted loyalties and became a member of Hamas. (Algemeiner, July 27, 2016)
ASSAD TO NETANYAHU: HELP ME KEEP MY SEAT AND I GUARANTEE YOU A CALM GOLAN (Damascus) — Kuwaiti news cited a source saying Netanyahu has received a message from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in which Assad vowed to keep the Golan as a demilitarized zone, and the rest of Syria committed to a cease-fire with Israel, if Netanyahu commits to not engaging Israel in an effort to topple Assad. Israel is pointing to the fact that the situation on south Syria and south Lebanon has been altered by the five-year civil war, and U.S. notions about returning the Golan to Syria are absurd under these circumstances. Assad apparently wishes to take advantage of an opportunity to strike a deal with the Israelis to secure their neutrality in the war. (Jewish Press, July 30, 2016)
BODIES OF 120 PEOPLE FOUND OFF LIBYAN COAST AS MIGRANT TOLL CLIMBS (Tripoli) — The bodies of 120 migrants believed to have been trying to reach Italy by boat from Libya have been found off the Libyan coast over the past 10 days. Mainly African migrants are taking often unseaworthy boats from Libya to Italy. Nearly 8,000 were rescued at sea between Friday to Monday. More than 257,000 migrants and refugees have already entered Europe by sea this year through July 27, and for the third straight year, at least 3,000 others have died. A total of 4,027 migrants or refugees have perished worldwide so far this year, three-quarters of them in the Mediterranean. The figures represents a 35 percent increase on the global toll during the first seven months of 2015. (CTV, July 29, 2016)
'BLACK LIVES MATTER' MOVEMENT ARRIVES IN ISRAEL (Tel Aviv) — A delegation from the radical “Black Lives Matter” movement arrived in Israel last week to promote what the group called “the fight for dignity, justice and freedom”. During the trip to Israel, the BLM delegation participated in a raucous anti-Israel protest in the Samarian village of Bilin, near Modi’in Illit. Two Arab protesters were taken into custody during the event. The BLM delegation in Israel highlighted the movement’s international goals, expressing its opposition to what it described as the “genocide” of Palestinian Arabs, as well as capitalism, and the “occupation” of Palestine. BLM also expressed its support for the anti-Israel BDS movement. (Arutz Sheva, July 31, 2016)
CONNECTICUT MAN CHARGED WITH MAKING ANTISEMITIC THREATS (New Haven) — A 50-year-old Connecticut man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges he made threats against Jews and synagogues on an internet forum for heavy metal music fans. Prosecutors say Kendall Sullivan posted messages on Metalthrone.net in May, June and this month threatening to “slaughter” Jews and “burn their Synagogue to the ground.” Investigators say they got a search warrant for Sullivan’s Stamford home and found more than two dozen firearms, gun parts, high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. (Washington Post, July 28, 2016)
OBERLIN PLACES ANTISEMITIC PROFESSOR ON LEAVE (Cleveland) — Oberlin College has placed Professor Joy Karega on paid leave pending an investigation into antisemitic statements she made on social media, the college said in a statement today. She will not teach at Oberlin this coming fall semester. Karega attained notoriety over the last year when her anti-Jewish Facebook postings came to light. Among other assertions, Karega dubbed I.S. a “CIA and Mossad operation,” posted a video asserting that Israel perpetrated 9/11, claimed the Jewish state downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, said the Mossad perpetrated the Charlie Hebdo attacks, and shared an antisemitic meme of Jewish banker Jacob Rothschild that declared, “We own your news, the media, your oil, and your government.” (Tablet, Aug. 3, 2016)
NAZI HUNTER TO LITHUANIAN MAYOR: STOP RECREATIONAL CONCENTRATION CAMP USE (Vilnius) — The Simon Wiesenthal Center called on the mayor of Kaunas City, Lithuania, to put an immediate end to recreational activities held at a former concentration camp at the Seventh Fort heritage site. The letter comes following an exposé that the site is used as a wedding venue, in addition to the services offered on the Seventh Fort website which include children's parties and camps, military-themed birthday parties, and themed parties for adults. Critics say this reality is a byproduct of the Lithuanian state’s alleged failures in confronting the country’s dark history during the genocide. The remains of 5,000 murdered Jews are buried at the Seventh Fort in mass graves that are marked by a few poles and rocks. Relatives sometimes light candles in memory of the dead. (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 2, 2016)
HIMMLER’S DIARY DISCOVERED IN RUSSIA (Moscow) — The diary of Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmler was discovered filed in an archive in Russia. The diary, actually a service calendar including dates, meetings and military decisions, was discovered earlier this year in the Russian Military Archive in Podolsk. In an entry in the 1,000-page diary, Himmler writes about witnessing the “effectiveness” of the diesel engines used to gas prisoners at the Sobibor death camp. That same day SS men threw a banquet in his honor, he recorded. He also calls for new guard dogs at the Auschwitz complex “capable of ripping apart everyone but their handlers.” (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 1, 2016)
ROSS URGES END TO POLLARD CURFEW (New York) — Restrictions on Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard’s movement should be rescinded in order to allow him to reintegrate into American society, Dennis Ross wrote in a letter to President Obama last week. Ross, who was an adviser to Obama, came out against Pollard’s parole conditions, which require him to remain in his New York home from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., be monitored by a heavy GPS wrist-device on Shabbat and holidays, and submit his computers to monitoring, which has prevented him from being employed. Among the reasons cited by the US parole commission for the restrictions are that Pollard still poses a security risk, 31 years after his November 1985 arrest, because he could still remember documents he saw back then. (Jerusalem Post, July 29, 2016)
Two Sons Killed in Combat, Two Different Responses: Howie Carr, Boston Herald, Aug. 2, 2016—Two grief-stricken parents, two sons killed in combat with Islamic extremism in the Middle East, two addresses to political conventions on national TV.
The Democrats’ Challenge: White Working-Class Men: Clifford Orwin, Globe & Mail, July 30, 2016—U.S. party nominating conventions have evolved into festive coronations. Yet the gaiety at this week’s Democratic gathering was forced, and the coronation beset by grumbling. Some deemed the new queen insufficiently progressive, others, spooked by recent polls, feared she was a loser. (Oddsmaker Nate Silver had just pronounced Donald Trump a 57.7-per-cent favourite to win the election.)
Ignoring Terrorism Against Jews Will Lead to More Against Everyone: Abraham Cooper and Harold Brackman, Algemeiner, Aug. 2, 2016— In Judaism, every single life — imbued with a spark of the divine — is of infinite value. This is why, according to Jewish tradition, Adam was created alone: because the entire world was created for the sake of a single human being.
One Year to the JCPOA: The Slippery Logic of Iran Deal Supporters: Emily B. Landau, Times of Israel, Aug. 3, 2016—The weaknesses and failings of the JCPOA are easily identifiable – while some issues are more significant than others, taken together the problems underscore that keeping Iran from nuclear weapons, especially after a decade, is anything but ensured.
