“The Reserve pilots are a cornerstone of the Air Force’s operational ability to reach its goals, and their contribution to Israel’s security is significant. At present, the Air Force is fully capable and ready to operate. Failure to report for an extended period may put the [Israel Defense Forces] and the Air Force in a state of decreased competence and readiness for war.” (Eyal Naveh, a reservist officer in Israel’s elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal, and a leader of the “Brothers in Arms” protest organization, who said the group has signed letters of intent from a list of thousands of reservists ready not to report for duty to protest government Supreme Court judicial policy.] — Dov Leiber. (WSJ, Aug. 3, 2023)
“I truly believe that there are ages and places in the history of mankind when genius just bursts forth. Athens 300 B.C. for philosophy, Florence for art in the Cinquecento. One of those places was America in the 18th century. Brilliant perception of the principles of political science. . .James Madison, Alexander Hamilton. . .John Marshall. . .Why not just say the Framers, OK?” — The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. (Washington Times, Aug. 5, 2023)
“In Turley’s view, this is “shaping up to be one of the greatest corruption scandals in the history of Washington, and that is saying a lot.” Indeed it is. And note how the administration has responded. Damaging news is released on the Bidens. The next day, another indictment for Donald Trump. Really. The timing is remarkable. On March 17, Hunter admits the laptop is his. On March 18, news breaks about Trump being indicted. On June 8, a leaked FBI document alleges that Hunter and Biden each received a $5 million bribe. On June 9, Trump is indicted. On July 26, Hunter’s plea deal collapses. On July 27, Trump is indicted. On July 31, Devon Archer testifies before the Congressional Oversight Committee. On August 1, Trump is indicted. Coincidence? I remember Auric Goldfinger’s warning. “Once is a happenstance, Mr. Bond. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is enemy action.” – Roger Kimball. (American Greatness, Aug. 6, 2023)
“The worst institutional failure, though, is the press’s handling of the collusion hoax—a failure of intelligence, judgment and character by many reporters and editors. The failure has continued in matters related to Hunter’s laptop and Biden family influence-peddling.” – Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. (WSJ, Aug. 4, 2023)
“Your column might be the best thing written in the New York Timesin the past seven years. You’ve undoubtedly been subjected to a fair amount of abuse for it. You should probably never have written it if the comments are any indication. But those are people in the bubble. They don’t represent either the majority or the future. They think they do, but they don’t. Your question, “Are we the bad guys”? The answer is yes. You are the bad guys. You have systematically dehumanized half the country because they dared to want to be represented by someone you don’t like. You have gone along with a warped distortion of who Donald Trump actually is, and you have perpetuated that lie to your own detriment.” – Sasha Stone (Sasha Stone Substack, Aug. 6, 2023)
“We already knew Vice President Kamala Harris is a cheap-shot artist. Now we also know she’s a coward. She is a coward because she refuses to debate an issue that she herself, quite dishonestly, turned into a national line of attack. It was Harris more than anyone else who catalyzed the most recent national media frenzy against Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), alleging that educational standards he implemented in Florida taught that “enslaved people benefited from slavery.” We have shown multiple times in these pages that the claim is a malicious lie. Harris and her mendacious chorus took a single sentence completely out of context.” – (Washington Examiner, Aug. 6, 2023)
NO COMMENT!
“Most adults responding to the Gallup poll see the Biden administration as unethical, driven by historically low marks from Republicans. . .59% of respondents. . .found the ethics of ‘top Biden administration officials’ to be ‘poor’ or ‘not good’, compared to 42% who described them as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. The remainder—about 3%–were unsure.” — Sean Salai. (Washington Times, Aug. 3, 2023)
SHORT TAKES
NETANYAHU IS AN ‘IRANIAN SPY’ – ISRAELI LAWYER TO N12 (Jerusalem) — Lawyer Ofer Bartel, who was once a candidate for the High Court of Justice and the state prosecution, accused PM Benjamin Netanyahu of being an Iranian spy, causing outrage on N12 on Monday night. Bartel’s comments were said in relation to Netanyahu refusing to commit to abiding by the High Court no matter what it rules on the reasonableness clause in a number of interviews he gave recently. “I think, and forgive me for being blunt, I think Bibi is an Iranian spy. If there’s anything that harms the country’s security, economy, society, and every other basic thing in the country, it’s the prime minister. The damage done is so much more harmful than if Iranian rockets were falling here.” (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 7, 2023)
ISRAEL ESTABLISHES DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH SOUTH PACIFIC ISLAND OF NIUE (Jerusalem) — Israel last week established diplomatic ties with the island country of Niue in the South Pacific Ocean. Israeli Ambassador to New Zealand Ran Yaakoby last Monday traveled to Niue, where he signed a joint communique with Premier Dalton Tagelagi officially establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, local website BCN News reported. “The State of Israel welcomes our new partner in diplomacy as we come together to pave the way for a promising future of friendship, understanding and cooperation between the two nations,” Yaakoby said in a statement. (United With Israel, Aug. 7, 2023)
11,000 TRAPPED JEWISH DESCENDANTS IN ETHIOPIA AWAIT RESCUE(Gondar) — As violent clashes escalate between the Ethiopian Army and the FANO militia in the Amhara province, over 150 Israelis find themselves trapped in the Gondar region of Ethiopia. Israel’s Foreign Ministry is actively monitoring the situation and working to ensure the safety and evacuation options for its citizens and eligible immigrants. The ministry is in direct contact with 160 Israelis and 54 individuals who are eligible to immigrate to Israel. These efforts are being coordinated even as Foreign Minister Eli Cohen receives updates while on a diplomatic visit to Moldova. The situation room at the Foreign Ministry maintains communication with Israelis and Jews in the conflict-ridden area, aiming to ensure their safety and exploring potential evacuation avenues. (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 8, 2023)
IN ISRAEL WITH FELLOW DEMOCRATS, REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES SAYS JUDICIAL LEGISLATION WON’T AFFECT US AID (Jerusalem) — The Israeli government’s effort to weaken the country’s judiciary will not affect American military aid to Israel, Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries told reporters on a visit to Jerusalem on Monday. Jeffries, the Brooklyn congressman and House minority leader, was leading a delegation to Israel of 24 Democratic members of Congress. He spoke to reporters following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said he also seeks broad agreement but has pledged to press ahead with the judicial overhaul, despite ongoing mass street protests. (JTA, Aug. 7, 2023)
JEWISH GROUP DENOUNCES RISE IN ANTISEMITIC TROPES IN POLISH MEDIA (Brussels)–European Jewish Congress condemns politically-motivated antisemitic tropes in Poland, denounces lies of government officials. As the general election in Poland approaches, the European Jewish Congress (EJC) has noted a surge in antisemitic tropes in mainstream Polish media and denounced attacks on the Jewish communities of the European Union. “In what can only be regarded as a coordinated media campaign, Polish officials systematically single out the long-term president of the EJC, Dr Moshe Kantor, and blatantly and baselessly accuse him of using the office of president of the EJC for personal gain. This outrageous claim is a conspiracy theory, which is nurtured and amplified by antisemitic stereotypes,” the EJC said.” (Israel National News, Aug. 7, 2023)
BERLIN POLICE APPEAL FOR WITNESSES TO ANTISEMITIC ATTACK ON ISRAELI TOURIST (Berlin) — Police in Berlin have issued an appeal for witnesses to an antisemitic attack in the German capital’s Kreuzberg neighborhood on Saturday night, during which a young Israeli tourist was beaten up by three Arabic-speaking men. (Algemeiner, Aug. 8, 2023)
AUSTRALIA WILL REFER TO WEST BANK AS ‘OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES’ (Melbourne) — The Australian government once again considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be in violation of international law, and will return to using the term “occupied Palestinian territories,” Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong told parliament on Tuesday. Still, Wong said, Australia would remain a “committed friend of Israel.” (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 8, 2023)
BRITISH CITY OF YORK, SITE OF A MEDIEVAL POGROM, GETS ITS FIRST RABBI IN 800 YEARS (York) — For the first time in 800 years, the British city of York, whose Jewish population was decimated in a medieval pogrom, will be home to a rabbi. Rabbi Elisheva Salamo arrived in York from California last week after decades of pulpit work in the United States, Switzerland and South Africa. She will take a part-time pulpit at the York Liberal Jewish Community, which is affiliated with a denomination akin to the American Reform movement. The congregation was founded in 2014 and now has about 100 members. Her hiring is a milestone for York, a city in northern England whose medieval Jewish community was wiped out in a pogrom in March 1190, on the Shabbat before Passover. Seeking protection from antisemitic rioters who intended to either forcibly convert the Jews to Christianity or kill them, York’s Jews sought refuge in a tower in the king’s castle. (JTA, Aug. 7, 2023)
ISRAELI-CANADIAN BILLIONAIRE SYLVAN ADAMS WINS CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN SCOTLAND (Edinburgh) — Israeli-Canadian billionaire and philanthropist Sylvan Adams, a key figure in the development of Israeli competitive cycling, won a world championship of his own in the sport’s 65-69 age group. At the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland, Adams, who owns the Israel-Premier Tech Cycling Team, finished first in the Masters 65-69 age group on Friday. Then on Monday, Adams, who turns 65 in November, also finished first in his age bracket in the championship’s individual time trial. (JTA, Aug. 7, 2023)
NEW ADL REPORT SHOWS ANTISEMITISM WIDESPREAD ON EUROPEAN LEFT (NYC) — Brazen expressions of anti-Zionism and hostility towards the State of Israel that spill over into antisemitism continue to be visible among socialist and far left political parties in Europe, according to a new assessment published on Tuesday by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The report, titled “Antisemitism and Radical Anti-Israel Bias on the Political Left in Europe,” draws on contributions from four Jewish or pro-Israel institutions in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. It examines how “anti-Israel actions and calls for the application of BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) against Israel are increasingly common in leftist political circles in Europe.” The report further notes that their “rhetoric influences, and draws inspiration from, some left-leaning activist movements in the US.” (WIN, Aug. 8, 2023)
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY DENOUNCES ACADEMIC BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL (NYC) — New York University (NYU) on Friday denounced the American Anthropological Association’s (AAA) endorsement last month of a full academic boycott of Israeli academic institutions. “It is regrettable that the AAA, a scholarly organization meant to promote the advancement of knowledge throughout the discipline, an organization that has reaffirmed its commitment to academic freedom, has taken a step seemingly at odds with those objectives,” said a statement issued by NYU president Linda G. Mills and interim provost Georgina Dopico. “We urge them to reconsider.” (Algemeiner, Aug. 7, 2023)
ORTHODOX JEWISH RECRUIT IS VALEDICTORIAN OF NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT’S TRAINING ACADEMY (NYC) — Samuel Winsbacher didn’t acknowledge that he was wearing a kippah under his police cap as he delivered his valedictory address Tuesday at the NYPD Academy’s graduation ceremony. Winsbacher earned the speaking role at the graduation ceremony by finishing his training with the highest grade-point average of all new officers and winning two of the eight prizes handed out to new officers: the Mayor’s Award and the First Deputy Commissioner Award. He is now joining a division that patrols part of the Bronx. (JTA, July 27, 2023)
SAUDI ARABIA CHARTS SOLO PATH ON OPEC POLICY (Riyadh) —Saudi Araba, at odds with other members of the OPEC+ oil monopoly, is extending a one million barrels a day production cut, in. a move beginning to raise the price of oil and gasoline but which threatens to split the alliance by forcing smaller producers to join. (OPEC counts for almost a half of the world’s oil production.) (WSJ, Aug. 4, 2023)
PAKISTAN CONVICTS OPPOSITION FIGURE IMRAN KHAN, SIGNALS ELECTION DELAY (Islamabad) — Pakistan’s democratic crisis deepened as a court sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to prison, and the government indicated that elections scheduled for this year would be delayed. Khan, ousted from power in 2022, is the leader of Pakistan’ biggest opposition party and was convicted of corruption and sentenced to three years. He claims he is innocent, and will appeal the conviction. (WSJ, Aug. 5, 2023)
‘HIGHLY PROVOCATIVE’: US SENT DESTROYERS AFTER STUNNING RUSSIA, CHINA JOINT NAVAL OPERATION OFF COAST OF ALASKA (Beijing, Moscow) — China and Russia conducted a joint naval operation near the coast of Alaska earlier this week in a “highly provocative” move amid the war in Ukraine that triggered a robust US military response. Eleven Russian and Chinese ships neared the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska earlier this week near the maritime boundary Russia shares with the US, but the fleets never entered US waters, according to The Wall Street Journal. The fleet of ships have since left, and were tailed by four US destroyers and P-8 Poseidon aircraft, officials confirmed to the newspaper. “It is a historical first,” Brent Sadler, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a retired Navy captain, told the outlet. “Given the context of the war in Ukraine and tensions around Taiwan, this move is highly provocative.” (NY Post, Aug. 6, 2023)
ALEXEI NAVALNY HANDED 19 MORE YEARS IN JAIL, WEST CONDEMNS RUSSIA (Moscow) — Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny had an extra 19 years added to his jail term on Friday in a criminal case that he and his supporters said had been trumped up to keep him behind bars and out of politics for even longer. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest domestic critic, is already serving sentences totalling 11-1/2 years on fraud and other charges that he says are also bogus. His political movement has been outlawed and declared “extremist”. (Business Standard, Aug. 4, 2023)
CHINA SCHOOLS BIDEN, KERRY AGAIN ON CLIMATE CHANGE (Beijing)—Last week, even as President Biden’s climate czar, John Kerry. . .visited China, Mr. Xi stated that his country would not be bound by the Paris climate accords or international pressure to control emissions. Without China and India, a global strategy on climate is impossible. (Washington Times, Aug. 4, 2023)