Contents: | Weekly Quotes | Short Takes | On Topic Links
President Trump Isn’t Farfetched: Douglas E. Schoen, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 6, 2016
Raids, Arrests Show 9/11's Lessons Are Global: Abigail R. Esman, IPT News, Sept. 12, 2016
Taking Nuclear Korea Seriously: Editorial, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 9, 2016
The Hunt for ‘Mrs. Terror’ — a British Jihadist Training Female Recruits to Carry Out Attacks on the West: Josie Ensor, Telegraph, Sept. 11, 2016
WEEKLY QUOTES
"Today we mark 15 years since the terrorist attacks on 9/11…We stand with our greatest ally, the United States of America, and with other partners in the battle against militant Islamic terrorism that spreads its fear, its dread, its murder, around the world…Civilized societies must band together to defeat these forces of darkness, and I'm sure we will…The fight against terrorism is also being waged on the social networks, and a senior delegation from Facebook is currently in Israel. The goal here is to improve cooperation against incitement, the incitement to terror and murder, on the social network. The Internet has brought considerable blessing to humanity, but folded within it – to our regret – is also a curse, because terrorists and inciters are using the Internet to attack mankind. We are determined to fight these phenomena and, therefore, I welcome the cooperation, or at least the desire for cooperation, that Facebook is showing, and we hope that these will lead to better results.” — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 5, 2016)
"North Korea will continue to ignore relevant sanctions and pressure, and will continue to improve their nuclear weapons’ miniaturization…I think it is inevitable that North Korea will conduct the sixth or even the 10th nuclear test—it’s only a matter of time.” — Liu Jiangyong, a professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. North Korea’s fifth nuclear test brought calls for action from nations including Russia and Japan, but a deepening schism between the U.S. and China narrows the scope for cooperation on punishing Pyongyang. While Beijing is concerned about Pyongyang’s provocative behavior, Chinese officials don’t see the possibility of a fully functioning nuclear arsenal in North Korea as a direct threat to China. Even if it prompted South Korea and Japan to develop their own nuclear weapons, as many fear, that wouldn’t affect the strategic balance with China as its arsenal is so much larger. What China cares about is the strategic balance with the U.S. (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 9, 2016)
“It is clear the Obama administration’s enforcement efforts are falling short…Most notably, the administration has yet to impose sanctions on any of the many Chinese companies and banks that…continue to support the North Korean regime. This must change.” — Rep. Ed Royce (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Many U.S. experts believe a better use of existing U.S. sanctions authority would pressure Beijing to rein in North Korea. A law passed earlier this year gave the administration authority to impose what are known as “secondary sanctions” against firms that do business with North Korea. Because Chinese companies are virtually alone in dealing with North Korea, they would bear the brunt of any sanctions. (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 9, 2016)
“Almost nothing can be done diplomatically to dissuade North Korea from abandoning its nuclear program…It will consistently cheat on any agreement…Rather than hanging on to the fantasy that Pyongyang can be cajoled into relinquishing its nuclear weapons, the United States should consider adopting a more traditional deterrent policy against North Korea. Washington should state that if Pyongyang launches a nuclear-armed ballistic missile, the United States will respond with a full U.S. attack on North Korea.” — Michael Auslin, director of Japan Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Any lasting solution, Auslin said, must involve getting rid of Kim. “The only sure way of ending North Korea’s nuclear threat is to change the regime in Pyongyang…Denuclearization will not happen as long as Kim and his junta are in power.” (National Post, Sept. 9, 2016)
“But we must remember that [North Korea and Iran] engage in close cooperation where military and space-directed missiles are concerned…It is thus possible that both plans and technology are being transferred regularly from one to the other.” — Tal Inbar, head of the Space and UAV Research Centre at the Fisher Institute for Air & Space Strategic Studies. According to Inbar, photos released by North Korea of its launch of long-range ballistic missiles are the latest proof of the close military cooperation between Pyongyang and Tehran. Inbar said what was new in the photos was the shape of the warheads attached to the Nodong missiles, known in Iran as the Shahab-3. Until now, such warheads — first detected by Inbar in Iran in 2010 — have not been seen in North Korea. “The configuration that we saw [on Tuesday] is identical to what we saw in Iran six years ago. In principle, its penetrating body (warhead) is identical to that of Scud missiles, but is mounted on the Shahab-3, and creates a more stable entity than other Shahab/Nodong warheads,” he said, adding that this was the third time that something of this nature had appeared in Iran before it did in North Korea. (Algemeiner, Sept. 7, 2016)
“In a global and regional proxy war, it may not be up to them anymore…Syria is gone.” — Ibrahim Hamidi, a Syrian journalist. Hours after the U.S. and Russia announced, with great fanfare, a cease-fire to start Monday in Syria, an airstrike hit holiday shoppers in insurgent-held territory. The war’s myriad combatants met the diplomatic developments with skepticism, as government warplanes pounded multiple areas, killing at least 85 people, insurgents declared new offensives and Turkish tanks — which plunged for the first time into Syria just weeks ago — rolled along the border. (New York Times, Sept. 10, 2016)
"Last night I was 'grossly generalistic,' and that's never a good idea. I regret saying 'half' — that was wrong." — Democratic Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. Clinton, under fire for calling half of Donald Trump's supporters "deplorables," said she regretted the remark, but insisted she would not stop calling out "bigotry and racist rhetoric" in the campaign. Clinton earned a firestorm of criticism after she slammed Trump voters at a fundraiser in New York, saying, “You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the ‘basket of deplorables.’ Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it. And unfortunately, there are people like that, and he has lifted them up.” she said. (Newsmax, Sept. 10, 2016)
“You can’t win an American presidential election without the deplorables’ vote. Deplorables are America’s biggest minority. They might even be the American majority. They may or not be racist, homophobic and so forth, but they know they’re deplorable. Deplorable, and proud. They’re the median family whose real income has fallen deplorably by 5% in the past ten years, the 35% of adult males who deplorably have dropped out of the labor force, the 40% of student debtors who deplorably aren’t making payments on their loans, the aging state and local government workers whose pension funds are $4 trillion short. They lead deplorable lives and expect that their kids’ lives will be even more deplorable than theirs.” — David P. Goldman (Asia Times, Sept. 11, 2016)
“While my opponent slanders you as deplorable and irredeemable, I call you hardworking American patriots who love your country.” — Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump. After struggling in opinion polls in August, Trump has erased most of Clinton's lead in national surveys and is competitive again in many battleground states where the White House race is likely to be decided. (Reuters, Sept. 14, 2016)
“Support for Israel now rivals the abortion issue in the political lexicon and the hierarchy of issue concerns of evangelical voters…They will not support a candidate that in their view does not support the state of Israel.” — Ralph Reed, a conservative Christian leader. Trump pleaded Friday with Christian conservatives to rally to his candidacy, but in a high-profile speech to evangelicals made no mention of issues of central importance to them, like abortion, same-sex marriage and Israel. He is ill at ease discussing the issue of abortion — and avoided it entirely when he accepted the presidential nomination in Cleveland — and has been vocal about his hopes that Republicans can win the support of gay voters. And Trump’s unfamiliarity with evangelical Christianity makes it hard for him to articulate the importance of defending Israel. (New York Times, Sept. 9, 2016)
“I don’t think even the Russians have much hope that they are going to make magic…The Palestinians want to give the impression that their issue is still high in the sky and everybody is losing sleep because of the Palestinian question…But I think this is an illusion.” — Zakaria al-Qaq, a professor at Al Quds University in East Jerusalem. With the U.S. pulling back after years of frustrated efforts, Russia is stepping forward with its own drive to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Russia’s newfound Middle East peace push, part of President Putin’s reinsertion of Moscow into the region, seems to be about everything but finding peace in the Middle East. Instead, it is about Moscow’s ambitions and competition with Washington, exemplified by its intervention in Syria. The Palestinians view the Moscow peace bid as a way to keep their cause on the international radar screen. For President Abbas, who faces internal dissent, it is also a way of keeping power. (New York Times, Sept. 9, 2016)
“It’s all nonsense…I don’t see any point in a meeting between Abu Mazen and Netanyahu…There were already tens of meetings like this, and they bore no fruit.” — Ziad Abu Zayyad, a journalist and former Palestinian Authority minister. After Putin’s special envoy met with Netanyahu and officials of the PA led by Abbas, Moscow declared that the two had agreed “in principle” to meet. But no date was set, and neither side openly confirmed an agreement to sit down. (New York Times, Sept. 9, 2016)
“I can tell you exactly where I draw the line. If people call Israel nasty, I to some degree agree. If people call Israel the devil incarnate, I think they are obsessed – they are mad. But this is still legitimate. But if they carry on saying that therefore there should be no Israel, that's where anti-Zionism becomes anti-Semitism, because none of them ever said after Hitler that Germany should cease to exist, or after Stalin that there should be no Russia…Saying that Israel should cease to exist, or should not have come into being, this is crossing the line.” — Israeli author and Israel Prize laureate Amos Oz. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 14, 2016)
"Jerusalem is on the map! Truth has indeed overcome lies: The Czech government has reversed its decision and Czech textbooks will correctly teach that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. I'm thankful to the Czech government for making the right choice and for refusing to surrender to Palestinian incitement and lies…The friendship between the Czech and Jewish peoples has deep and historical roots. Future generations of Czech students will continue to learn the truth: Jerusalem is Israel's capital and the heart and soul of the Jewish people." — Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, in the wake of the Czech decision to maintain Jerusalem's status as the capital of Israel in Czech schoolbooks. (IMRA, Sept. 7, 2016)
SHORT TAKES
PERES IMPROVING IN HOSPITAL AFTER MAJOR STROKE (Jerusalem) — Former Israeli President Shimon Peres's condition was showing slight improvements after he suffered a major stroke, with his physicians saying that he had regained consciousness, while the nation rallied in support for the 93-year-old elder statesman and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Peres’s doctor said his condition remained serious Wednesday afternoon, 24 hours after the stroke. But he said Peres's neurological signs were improving. He said that Peres, who had been placed in and out of a medically induced coma, was regaining consciousness from time to time and reacting to stimulation. Over a seven-decade career, he's held virtually every senior political office, including three stints as prime minister and extended terms as foreign, defence and finance minister. He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize. (CBC, Sept. 14, 2016)
RECOVERING AFTER HEALTH SCARE, CLINTON CANCELS CALIFORNIA TRIP (New York) — An ill Hillary Clinton abruptly left a 9/11 anniversary ceremony Sunday and needed to be held up by three people before she appeared to stumble off a curb and was helped into a van. Several hours later, her campaign revealed she had been diagnosed with pneumonia and advised to rest. Donald Trump has spent months questioning Clinton’s health, saying she lacks the stamina to be president. In a statement, Clinton’s doctor said the former secretary of state had become overheated and dehydrated at the event. She later called off plans to fly to California on Monday for two days of fundraising, a public campaign and an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’s talk show. (Times of Israel, Sept. 12, 2016)
SYRIA AID DELIVERIES STALL ON BORDER (Damascus) — Truckloads of humanitarian aid were waiting at the Turkish border on Wednesday while the United Nations sought to negotiate their safe passage to the besieged northern Syrian city of Aleppo. Despite a sharp drop in violence since a nationwide cease-fire brokered by Russia and the U.S. went into effect nearly two days ago, no aid has yet entered Syria. About 300,000 civilians in rebel-held areas of Aleppo are running low on food, medicine and other staples because of intermittent government sieges in recent weeks. The cease-fire accord, which went into effect at sundown on Monday, envisions a week of reduced violence followed by negotiations on a political solution to the conflict, now in its sixth year. (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 14, 2016)
ISRAEL TARGETS SYRIAN ARMY POSITION AFTER CROSS-BORDER FIRE (Jerusalem) — Israel hit artillery positions in Syria on Tuesday in what its military said was a response to a shell that struck the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Israel denied the Syrian army’s claim that it brought down an Israeli plane and a drone after they targeted one of its positions near the Golan Heights. The Israeli military said two missiles fired by the Syrian military failed to hit its aircraft. The Israeli military said it would respond to any cross-border shellfire, reaffirming a longstanding policy of holding Damascus responsible for any fire on Israeli territory that originates on Syrian soil. Israel has largely refrained from intervening in the fighting in Syria. But in addition to responding to cross-border fire, it is also believed to be behind airstrikes in Syria against arms shipments destined for Hezbollah. (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 13, 2016)
'US, ISRAEL AGREE TO RECORD MILITARY AID DEAL' (Washington) — The U.S. and Israel have reached final agreement on a record new package of at least $38 billion in U.S. military aid and the 10-year pact is expected to be signed within days, sources said Tuesday. The deal will represent the biggest pledge of US military assistance ever made to any country but also includes major concessions granted by Prime Minister Netanyahu, according to officials on both sides. Those include Israel's agreement not to seek additional funds from Congress beyond what will be guaranteed annually in the new package, and also to phase out a special arrangement that has allowed Israel to spend part of its US aid on its own defense industry instead of on American-made weapons. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 13, 2016)
OBAMA TO VETO BILL LETTING 9/11 FAMILIES SUE SAUDI ARABIA (Washington) — The White House confirmed that Obama plans to veto newly passed legislation allowing the families of 9/11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia – laying the groundwork for a showdown with Congress. The administration for months has argued the legislation could harm the country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. But the legislation has widespread support in Congress, and Republican lawmakers ripped Obama for his continued opposition on Tuesday. The House vote comes two months after Congress released 28 declassified pages from a congressional report into 9/11 that reignited speculation over links at least a few of the attackers had to Saudis, including government officials. (Fox News, Sept. 13, 2016)
I.S. USING WOMEN AND CHILDREN TO TERRORIZE FRANCE (Paris) — French authorities prosecuted a female “terrorist commando” Saturday, highlighting the growing I.S. trend of recruiting women and children as potential terrorists. Paris authorities discovered a car September 4, with bottles of diesel fuel and cooking gas rigged to explode near the Notre Dame Cathedral. Paris police now believe that nearly all the terror plotters involved with the rigged car were women who were run by “remote control” by an I.S. terrorist in Syria. Police also arrested a 15-year-old boy who is accused of plotting an “imminent” terrorist attack in Paris. The 15-year-old boy and the female plotters were reportedly in touch with a French I.S. militant in Syria known as Rashid Kassim. (Daily Caller, Sept. 12, 2016)
WORLD VISION CANCELS GAZA PROJECTS & JOBS AFTER HAMAS STEALING (Jerusalem) — The World Vision international humanitarian NGO has laid off 120 Gaza employees and cancelled its project in the region after the head of its Gaza office was indicted by Israel for redirecting project funds into the coffers of the military wing of Hamas. The NGO had rushed to cancel the project just days after Mohammed El-Halabi was indicted. El-Halabi was indicted in Israel on August 4 on charges of infiltrating the charity on behalf of Hamas, and having redirected some $43 million of World Vision funds to the military wing of the terror organization over a six-year period. According to the indictment, the funds were used to build Hamas tunnels and military installations. (Jewish Press, Sept. 10, 2016)
DIMITRI LASCARIS TURFED FROM GREEN PARTY SHADOW CABINET (Ottawa) — The Green Party of Canada has fired its outspoken justice critic, Dimitri Lascaris. The Green Party announced that Lascaris was removed, along with Lisa Barrett and Colin Griffiths, from its Shadow Cabinet because they publicly criticized the leader of the B.C. Green Party, Andrew Weaver. Weaver was critical of his party for considering a policy endorsing BDS. Lascaris has also advocated on behalf of a terrorist who murdered three Israeli civilians in Jerusalem, and suggested Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu should be barred from entering Canada. Lascaris submitted the anti-Israel BDS motion to the Green Party’s Annual Convention in August and was among its main proponents. (B’nai Brith, Sept. 14, 2016)
SYRIAN REFUGEE CREATES WEBSITE TO THANK ISRAELIS (Jerusalem) — Aboud Dandachi, a Sunni Muslim from the city of Homs now living in Istanbul, has created a website dedicated to the Israeli and Jewish organizations helping Syrian refugees. The website, Thank You Am Israel, highlights the humanitarian aid being given to displaced Syrians and also refutes any reasons why Israelis and Syrians should be enemies. Dandachi, a high-tech project manager, created a blog, Twitter account and Facebook page “in appreciation of the assistance given to Syrian refugees by Israeli and Jewish organizations and individuals.” The site includes news and opinion pieces on the global humanitarian aid being offered by Israeli and Jewish people to the Syrian people. (Israel 21c, Feb. 21, 2016)
FACTS ON ISRAEL – A NEW RESOURCE (Philadelphia) — www.factsonisrael.com is a new website that promotes the truth about Israel, combats pejorative terms and exposes anti-Israel media bias. The homeland right of no people on earth is more misunderstood than that of the Jewish people to their homeland of Israel. This is partly because the mainstream media has adopted the PA narrative, but also in part because well-meaning supporters of Israel ourselves unthinkingly repeat the anti-Israel narrative. FactsOnIsrael.com, Inc. was incorporated in 2016 as a non-profit entity, with a website and other activities to make clear to Jewish homeland supporters the connotations and nuances of words used in Israel-related discussion, and to encourage Israel supporters’ own use of historically-grounded terms, which reflect the Jewish people’s connection to the land of Israel. (www.factsonisrael.com, Sept. 5, 2016)
GERMAN COURT: EX-AUSCHWITZ RADIO OPERATOR, 93, UNFIT FOR TRIAL (Berlin) — A German court says it's shelving a case against a 92-year-old woman accused of accessory to murder for serving as the Auschwitz commandant's SS radio operator, saying she's unfit for trial. The Kiel state court said that Helma M., whose last name wasn't released, was almost fully blind and deaf, and was weakened by a "severe internal illness." She'd been charged with 260,000 counts of accessory to murder on allegations her role helped the death camp function. In another Auschwitz case stalled due to a defendant's health, a 95-year-old former SS medic has gone on trial in Germany after his mass murder trial was postponed three times for health reasons. Hubert Zafke appeared in court in Neubrandenburg accused of assisting in the killing of 3,681 people at the Auschwitz death camp. (CTV, Sept. 9, 2016)
JEWISH WOMAN IN ICONIC WWII TIMES SQUARE KISS PHOTO DIES AT 92 (New York) — Greta Zimmer Friedman, the woman who was kissed by a sailor in Times Square celebrating the end of World War II, has died at the age of 92. Friedman was a 21-year-old dental assistant in a nurse’s uniform on Aug. 14, 1945, known as V-J Day, the day the Japanese surrendered. People spilled out into the streets in New York when they heard the news. That’s when George Mendonsa spotted Friedman, spun her around and planted a kiss on her. The two had never met. The photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt is called “V-J Day in Times Square” but is also known as “The Kiss.” Friedman was born in a town outside Vienna and moved to the US in 1939 as conditions worsened for Jews. (Times of Israel, Sept. 11, 2016)
President Trump Isn’t Farfetched: Douglas E. Schoen, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 6, 2016—To listen to conventional wisdom, Hillary Clinton practically cannot lose the presidential election. The various forecasting services, from FiveThirtyEight to CNN to Predictwise, give the Democrat about a 70% chance of winning the White House in November. Few commentators are betting on Donald Trump.
Raids, Arrests Show 9/11's Lessons Are Global: Abigail R. Esman, IPT News, Sept. 12, 2016—They are known as "the 102 minutes that changed America." Fifteen years later, it is increasingly clear that the 102 minutes of the Sept. 11 attacks also reshaped and changed the world.
Taking Nuclear Korea Seriously: Editorial, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 9, 2016—North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test Friday, following three missile tests on Monday and about 20 so far this year. The accelerating pace of the Kim Jong Un regime’s nuclear and missile testing shows its determination to threaten Japan, South Korea and the U.S. homeland with nuclear weapons.
The Hunt for ‘Mrs. Terror’ — a British Jihadist Training Female Recruits to Carry Out Attacks on the West: Josie Ensor, Telegraph, Sept. 11, 2016 —For more than two years, Sally Jones, the fugitive British jihadist, has been the world’s most wanted female terrorist. Since she fled to Syria to marry Junaid Hussain, an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fighter also from Britain, a handful of social media messages were the only clues to Jones’s life in the terror group’s “caliphate” — and to how she rose to the top of wanted lists around the world.
