The U.S. Reassessment of Netanyahu Has Begun”: Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times, July 11, 2023
“. . .the Biden team sees the far-right Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, engaged in unprecedented radical behavior—under the cloak of judicial “reform”—that is undermining our shared interests with Israel, our shared values and the vitally important fiction about the status of the West Bank that has kept peace hopes there just barely alive.
“. . .just hours after Biden mentioned to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria just how “extreme” some of Netanyahu’s Cabinet members were, one of the most extreme of them all, the national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, told Biden to butt out—that “Israel is no longer another star in the American flag.” Nice, eh?. . .Israel has received the most U.S. foreign assistance of any country in the world since World War II, at $146 billion, not adjusted for inflation [which] might have merited a little more respect for the U.S. president from Ben-Gvir, who in his youth was convicted of inciting racism against Arabs.
“There is a sense of shock. . .that Bibi would allow himself to be led around by the nose by people like Ben-Gvir. Israel’s relations with America and with global investors and WOULD BE READY TO RISK A CIVIL WAR IN ISRAEL [sic], just to stay in power with a group of ciphers and ultranationalists. . . .[Bibi’s religious-nationalist coalition treating the West Bank like Israel] is forcing the U.S. to choose. . . to insist that the visas waiver agreement Israel wants from the U.S., which would allow Israeli citizens entry into the U.S. without a visa, including the more than 500,000 settlers living in the West Bank—should apply to all 2.9 million Palestinians of the West Bank as well.
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‘I have no doubt that the U.S. president will arm the [moderate, soon to visit] Israeli president [Herzog] with the message—not of sorrow nor anger—that when the interests and values of a U.S. government and an Israeli government diverge this much, a reassessment of the relationship is inevitable.”
“We are all worried about the future of the State, and fighting to keep Israel a Jewish and democratic state. We disagree on how to do this, and precisely because of this, we went to the polls. I will say here and now: The State of Israel was and always will be democratic. Correcting the reasonableness cause, which legal experts supported, and which is based on the Solberg plan, will strengthen the democracy. The claim that because of the correction of the reasonableness clause, democracy will collapse is disconnected from reality and its whole purpose is to scare the public. To all of those who wave the flag of democracy: In a democracy, the military is subject to the government, and not the other way around.” – Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during a government meeting. He called out those calling for soldiers to refuse to serve in protest of the judicial reform, noting that in a democracy, the military is subject to the government, and not the other way around. (Israel National News, July 17, 2023)
“[Speaking at the Christians United for Israel 2023 summit on Monday in Arlington, Virginia, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) claimed the title of the “most pro-Israel governor” in the U.S.] “So many people run for office and they promise big things, and then they underdeliver on their promises. One thing that I said was that if you elect me as governor in 2018, I would be the most pro-Israel governor in the United States. And we have kept our word and kept our promise.” — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. (Washington Examiner, July 17, 2023)
“The President’s Israel policy has been counterproductive. U.S. aid to anti-Israel international bodies has resumed, and all of the West Bank and East Jerusalem is treated as “occupied territory.” This is now a liberal article of faith, but how does it advance peace to indulge Palestinians in the belief that Jews are interlopers in Judea and at the Western Wall? … This is a startling retreat even from Barack Obama’s position, but with the same ends in mind: staying Israel’s hand and reshaping the region with Iran on board. Alas for the U.S., the enemy gets a say. While Tehran escalates its proxy wars and whittles down U.S. nuclear demands, Mr. Biden carries out diplomatic offensives against Saudi Arabia and Israel.” — Editorial (WSJ, July 13, 2023)
“Words do matter and so it is important that I clarify my statement. I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist. I do, however, believe that Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government has engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies and that there are extreme racists driving that policy within the leadership of the current government.” — Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chair of the 100-member Congressional Progressive Caucus after being pressured to retract her comments calling Israel “a racist state.” Her precise comments at Netroots Nation, a progressive conference in Chicago were: “As somebody that’s been in the streets and has participated in a lot of demonstrations, I think I want you to know that we have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state, that the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and autonomy, that the dream of a two-state solution is slipping away from us, that it does not even feel possible.” (JTA, July 17, 2023)
“There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. COVID-19 attacks certain races disproportionately,” he said. “COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.” – Democratic Presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on comments made regardingCOVID-19 being genetically engineered to spare Jewish and Chinese people. (NY Post, July 18, 2023)
“Does anyone honestly believe the Secret Service would simply throw their hands up less than two weeks after it was found and say, “Oh, well, we tried.” Of course not. And foreign adversaries likely watched this story unfold, with no consequences for anyone, and concluded that it actually might be quite easy to penetrate what is supposed to be one of the most secure buildings in the world without those paid to protect the commander-in-chief having the ability to stop it. In a related story, trust in institutions is at an all-time low in this country, and understandably so. … the fact that the Secret Service couldn’t stop this substance from entering what is supposed to be an air-tight White House, and can’t solve the case either, should alarm all Americans — who, it seems clear, already have major misgivings about the institutions which many once held dear.” — Joe Concha (The Messenger, July 15, 2023)
“Meanwhile, Mr. Biden has chosen to boycott the NATO dinner tonight, which is unheard of for an American president — leading not only the largest country and the biggest military powerhouse in the alliance, but also its principal financier. He’s saying “no” to Ukraine NATO membership — okay, he may have a point there — but he’s not even going to talk to President Zelensky and the others about this decision. This bad-boy behavior comes right after his treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, was caught on camera bowing and scraping before the no. 2 Chinese Communist. So, let me get this right: We’re bowing to the Chinese, and boycotting our allies? Does anybody get that? ” — Larry Kudlow (Fox Business, July 11, 2023)
“The Secret Service concluded its inquiry Thursday without identifying a suspect, citing “a lack of physical evidence” after FBI forensic testing yielded no fingerprints and insufficient DNA evidence.” –John Christenson and Larry Celona. (NY Post, July 13, 2023)
BIDEN, NETANYAHU TO MEET IN US AFTER FIRST PHONE CALL IN MONTHS(Jerusalem)–The two leaders spoke by phone after months of increasing tension between them over Israel’s judicial reform, which Biden has opposed. (Jerusalem Post, July 18, 2023)
PRESIDENT HERZOG DEPARTS FOR THE US, WILL COMMEMORATE ISRAEL’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY (Jerusalem)—President Isaac Herzog set off on a diplomatic visit to the United States late Monday night to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the State of Israel. As a highlight of his visit, Herzog will address both houses of the American Congress, which will convene in a special session dedicated to honoring this significant milestone. The trip is meant “to strengthen the relations and the partnership between the US and Israel and to reflect the deep ties between the countries which are placed above all controversy,” the president’s office stated. Herzog’s visit comes the week after US President Joe called the current Israeli government the “most extreme” he has ever seen, citing its ministers’ support for Israeli Jews living in Judea and Samaria. Biden has publicly declined to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington over the government’s policies, including judicial reform, which US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides repeatedly called to slow down. The visit follows invitations extended by former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and current Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. (During his stay, his second visit to the US since taking office, Herzog is scheduled to meet with President Biden at the White House.) ( Jerusalem Post,July 18, 2023).
NETANYAHU SNUBS ZELENSKY, DECLINES INVITATION TO VISIT UKRAINE(Jerusalem) — Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky said that he had invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Kyiv and complained that the premier had not traveled to the embattled eastern European country in a statement to Hebrew-language media. (WIN, July 13, 2023)
TWITTER USERS TARGET ISRAEL 38 TIMES MORE THAN IRAN (Boston) — witter is heavily slanted against Israel, research presented to the Knesset suggests. According to the study, titled “Antizionism, Antisemitism and The Polarization Pendulum” and carried out by the Network Contagion Research Institute in partnership with the Ruderman Family Foundation, Twitter users accuse the Jewish state of violating human rights more frequently than any other country. The Network Contagion Research Institute analyzed almost 100 million tweets posted between Jan. 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022, and discovered that Israel is targeted 111 times more than North Korea, 55 times more than Russia, 38 times more than Iran, and 12 times more than China. (VIN News, July 17, 2023)
SWEDISH POLICE GRANTS PERMIT TO BURN HEBREW BIBLE OUTSIDE ISRAELI EMBASSY, DRAWING WIDESPREAD CRITICISM (Stockholm) — Israeli officials and Jewish leaders are pushing back after Swedish police granted a permit to someone who plans to burn a Hebrew Bible in front of the Israeli embassy in Stockholm this weekend. The man reportedly applied for a permit to burn the book in response to a demonstration in June during which a Quran, the Muslim holy book, was set ablaze. The man also plans to burn a Christian Bible, the police said when they revealed the application several weeks ago. (JTA, July 14, 2023)
A NEW TRANSLATION OF A CLASSIC YIDDISH STORY ATTEMPTS TO ONE-UP SAUL BELLOW (NYC) — For much of his career, Isaac Bashevis Singer carefully supervised the translation of his works from Yiddish to English, handpicking the translators and sometimes making significant changes in acknowledgment of his two very different audiences. But Singer first came to be known to the English-speaking public thanks to a 1953 translation over which he had no say whatsoever, done by Saul Bellow with the assistance of the Yiddish poet Eliezer Greenberg, of his short story “Gimple the Fool.” Julian Levinson reviews a new, stand-alone edition of the story, with an old-new translation: The new, “definitive” edition contains Singer’s original Yiddish text together with Bellow’s version, alongside a new translation by David Stromberg and, remarkably, Singer himself. (Mosaic Magazine, July 11, 2023)
SWC CRITICIZES EVANGELICAL GROUP FOR EVENT WITH IRANIAN MISSION TO UN (LA)–The event in question was on the role of religion and human rights. The Jewish human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) criticized the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) last week for organizing an event with the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran which was called “The Role of Religions in Protection and Promotion of Human Rights.” “It is difficult to put into words the damage done by the World Evangelical Alliance to the cause for human rights and human dignity in Iran by arranging for an opening statement by Iranian Ambassador Ali Bahreini at the United Nations in Geneva,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean and director of Global Social Action Agenda of the SWC. The WEA brought together over 150 of either national or regional evangelical alliances of churches, and identifies itself as the largest organization of evangelical churches. (Jerusalem Post, July 6, 2023)
CHINA CRAFTING WEAPONS TO ALTER BRAIN FUNCTION (Beijing)—There is evidence that China is developing high-technology weapons designed to disrupt brain functions and influence government leaders or entire populations. The weapons use microwave or other directed energy weapons in hand-held or larger weapons firing electromagnetic beams. (Washington Times, July 6, 2023)
OUTSPOKEN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER THREATENS TO TAKE WASHINGTON POST TO COURT OVER UNFLATTERING STORY (Washington) — “I have lost all respect for the Washington Post,” News Africa reporter Simon Ateba told Fox NewsToday. In a statement to Fox News Digital he threatened to take the Washington Post to court “if they fail to retract their character assassination against me,” Ateba said in a statement. “It would be a lesson for them to be balanced and not just do the bidding of the State and the [White House Correspondents Association] to crush the little guy.” Ateba, an outspoken journalist who has repeatedly clashed with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who ignores him during briefings, and who irks his more passive fellow reporters, unleashed on The Washington Post for recent articles on his conduct. (Fox News, July 17, 2023)
TUCKER CARLSON’S NEW SHOW SCORES ADVERTISING DEAL WITH DON TRUMP JR.-LINKED ANTI-ESG COMPANY (NYC)–Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has scored a lucrative advertising deal with a marketing app specifically targeted toward conservative shoppers that has deep ties to investors such as Donald Trump Jr. Carlson signed the seven-figure advertising deal with Public Square, a newly developed shopping app that allows consumers to vet companies before purchasing their products to avoid supporting businesses with “woke” agendas. The app specifically targets companies that utilize environmental, social, and governance policies, or what’s known as ESG. The agreement is the first advertising deal Carlson has secured since launching his own show on Twitter and hints at the kind of conservative audience he is hoping to attract. The deal has already garnered the support of several high-profile investors, including Trump Jr. (Washington Examiner, July 17, 2023)
NYC TO PAY $1.8 BILLION IN LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT OVER ‘RACIST’ TEACHING EXAM (NYC) — New York City will pay nearly $2 billion to minorities who wanted to teach in public school but failed the “racist” teacher exam. As part of a lawsuit settlement, the city is compensating blacks and Hispanics for a supposedly bigoted hiring criteria. However minorities performed poorly on more recent exams as well, indicating the test results were accurate. (VIN News, July 17, 2023)
ELECTRIC CARS MIGHT NOT EVEN LOWER CARBON EMISSIONS, REPORT FINDS (NYC)–The large amount of carbon emissions associated with producing—and even charging—electric vehicles means the cars might not even help the environment, according to a new report. (Washington Free Beacon , July 14, 2023)
HEAT WAVES ADD BURDEN TO ELECTRIC VEHICLE OWNERS (Washington)—EVs meant to curb climate change and extreme heat may be contributing to it. During heat waves EV owners are advised to avoid long-term damage to their cars’ batteries, to avoid. Parking in the sun, avoid rapid charging, charge during cooler times of the day, use air-conditioning sparingly [and avoid cold weather driving, which reduces range, and never drive in flooded areas—high water can cause batteries to burn—Ed.]. It is increasingly evident that the Administration’s forced deadline of 2030 for automakers to produce primarily electric cars is impossible to achieve, and is running into legal difficulties. (Washington Times, July 14, 20230
BAA-GAIN? ICONIC SHEEP SWEATER WORN BY PRINCESS DIANA COULD FETCH $50,000 AT AUCTION (NYC) — A red sweater adorned with a flock of sheep worn by the young Princess Diana is expected to sell for more than $50,000 at auction. The playfully patterned wool jumper featuring a single black sheep amid a pattern of white ones headlines Sotheby’s online Fashion Icons sale in September. The 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer was photographed in the garment at a polo match in June 1981, soon after her engagement to Prince Charles, who was then heir to the British throne. (VIN News, July 17, 2023)
