Israel spying on its friends. Well I never..
It’s alright everybody, pathological liar, Netanyahu says it’s not true. We can sleep easy
CNN ANALYST: WHITE REPUBLICAN MEN ARE ‘GREATEST TERRORIST THREAT’ IN US
Triggered by the word ‘hijacking’
AUGUST 21, 2019
CNN Analyst Angela Rye told a Republican strategist on air this week that ‘the greatest terrorist threat’ in the US are white men who think like he does.
GOP campaign strategist Patrick Griffin argued that the so called “Squad” of Democrats, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has “hijacked” the Democratic Party.
“It’s so interesting that you use the term — the only two Muslim women in Congress, the term you chose to use, sir, is ‘hijacking,’” Rye, the former Congressional Black Caucus executive director, ridiculously responded.
“It has nothing to do with whether they’re Muslim or not,” Griffin hit back, “Nothing to do with that… They’ve hijacked from their own principles.”
“That’s a real interesting word choice, and you understand why,” Rye continued, insisting that Griffin used the term to connect the Democrats to terrorists.
“You can talk over me all you want to but the bottom line is the greatest terrorist threat in this country is white men, white men who think like you. That is the greatest terrorist threat in this country.” Rye blurted.
Griffin described Rye’s remarks as “silly rhetoric.”
“No, it’s not!” Rye responded.
“You know what’s silly? The fact that you’re on here knowing how dangerous times are right now defending this nonsense.” she added.
CNN, bringing the nuanced debate as usual.
Democrat Ilhan Omar: Israel Is NOT an Ally and is NOT a “Democracy” – Must Give Palestinians Freedom of Movement into Israel (VIDEO)
By Jim Hoft
Anti-Semitic Democrats Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) lashed out at the Israeli government on Monday in a joint press conference in Minnesota.
On Thursday Democrats Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar were banned from entering Israel after months of their frequent attacks on the Jewish state and their promotion of the anti-Semitic BDS movement.
Their trip was planned by the antisemitic, pro-terror Miftah organization.
On Monday the radical Democrats lashed out at Israel for blocking their entry.
** Rashida Tlaib lashed out at the Israel security wall that eliminated terrorist attacks in their country.
The two Democrats also threatened US aid to the Jewish State.
Rep. Ilhan Omar: We give Israel more than $3 million in aid every year. This is predicated on them being an important ally in the region and (airquotes) “the only democracy” in the Middle East. But denying a visit to duly elected members of Congress is not consistent with being an ally and denying millions of people freedom of movement, or expression or self determination is not consistent with being a democracy. We must be asking as Israel’s ally the Netanyahu government stop the expansion of settlements on Palestinian land and ensure full rights to Palestinians if we are to give them aid. These are not just my views.
Iran Navy Begins “Massive Drill” Stretching Across World’s Key Oil Chokepoints
By Tyler Durden
Iran’s navy has begun a three day war game exercise on Friday in the Persian Gulf, in an expansive area encompassing Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, to the Sea of Oman and even stretching to northern parts of the Indian Ocean, state media reports. Some reports indicate the games could go on for as much as a week, but all emphasized the “large-scale” nature of the drills in which Iran’s navy will showcase the Fateh-class submarine — a domestically built sub carrying cruise missiles and torpedoes, as well as its Sahand destroyer.
The cruise missile-firing capable Fateh, or “Conqueror”, was launched for the first time at the start of this week and has been touted as “state-of-the-art” and with the ability to stay underwater for five weeks at a time. Crucially, the large exercises come after last week’s US-sponsored Warsaw conference in which both Israeli and US officials made threats of war with Tehran. Indeed during the conference Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu openly stated that he was attending the summit with an aim to “advance the common interest of war with Iran.”
The games also come at a time when even foreign policy establishment insiders, such as the Council on Foreign Relation’s Steven Cook, increasingly acknowledge that the White House’s “march to war against Iran” is now “echoing the drumbeats” of the lead up to the 2003 Iraq invasion.
Writing in Foreign Policy, Cook warns:
Taken together—the Warsaw conference, Pence’s bullying of the Europeans, Bolton’s threatening video, and the broader background noise in Washington—the events of the past week were familiar in a foreboding way. The chatter about Iran has not become the war fever that gripped Washington in 2002 over Iraq, but the echoes of that year are not hard to miss in the Trump administration’s effort to shape the domestic and international debate about Iran.
Iran’s drills in the coming days will further involve battleship exercises and amphibious and anti-amphibious warfare maneuvers, according to Iranian military statements.
Though there’s general agreement that Iran’s navy poses no match of US superiority on the sea and in the skies, Iran seeks to be a significant disruptor of American Persian Gulf capabilities.
Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, commander of Iran’s navy, reflected this in comments announcing the inauguration of the games: “For the first time, these weapons will be tested seriously and we can make the maritime region unsafe for the enemy in any way possible,” he said. He said the games, formally called “Velayat 97,” will begin 2km from the Strait of Hormuz and extend 10 degrees north of the Indian Ocean, in an extended zone some analysts worry may indicate broader intentions regarding Oman and Yemen.
As the Jerusalem Post summarizes of this concern, “In Yemen Iran has supported the Houthi rebels who have used Iranian technology to target Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles.” And recently, “In addition Oman enjoys decent relations with Iran but Oman also hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year and has sought to play a role in the Israel-Palestinian peace efforts.”
In the past, Iranian war games have resulted in close encounters with US warships traversing parts of the Persian Gulf. But this somewhat “routine” occurrence could potentially spark a major incident considering the high level of aggressive rhetoric coming out of Washington at this time.
PROGRESSIVE ANTI-SEMITISM IS ON THE RISE
By Alex Titus
Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar is back in the news after defending a 2012 tweet she wrote stating that “Israel has hypnotized the world.” In a recent CNN clip, she questioned how her comments could be construed as “offensive to Jewish Americans.”
Yes, comparing the Jewish state to some sort of manipulative global force — how could anyone possibly find that offensive?
Omar’s comment alone is striking, but what is more concerning is that her comment represents a growing strand of casual anti-Semitism in progressive politics. Activists and politicians on the far-left are continually finding themselves embroiled in controversies related to remarks on Jews and the Jewish state. Clearly, it’s time for progressives to get their house in order.
Jews are right to be concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism in America.
In 2017, incidents related to anti-Semitism increased by a whopping 57 percent in the United States according to the Anti-Defamation League. Making up only 2 percent of the population, Jews faced more physical attacks than all other religions combined in 2017. The notorious Boycott, Sanction, and Divestment (BDS) movement is gaining steam across the country.
Despite this growing problem, some progressive politicians and activists seem to have no concern espousing the historically hateful rhetoric that leads to wide-scale anti-Semitism. Omar’s 2012 tweet is a great example. As Bari Weiss noted in a recent op-ed for the New York Times, Jews “hypnotizing” the public was the very plot of Jud Süss, a popular Nazi propaganda film.
The Jew as a “manipulator” has also made its way into the public discourse after Trayon White, a Democratic Member of the D.C. City Council, stated in a Facebook video last year that Jews were responsible for controlling the weather.
“Y’all better pay attention to this climate control, man, this climate manipulation … And that’s a model based off the Rothschilds controlling the climate to create natural disasters they can pay for to own the cities, man. Be careful,” White noted in the video.
The Rothschilds frequently play boogie man in a host of other anti-Semitic conspiracies.
Anti-Zionism also makes up an important facet of this brand of progressive politician and activist. Sure enough, Omar supports the deeply flawed BDS movement meant to harm the Jewish state.
Omar’s anti-Israel views are backed by Michigan Congresswoman and progressive firebrand Rashida Tlaib. A widely circulated picture of a map in her Congressional office showed a sticky note of the word “Palestine” covering Israel’s existing borders. References to Palestine engulfing Israel are a not so subtle hint at the dissolution of the Jewish state.
Tlaib also makes no qualms paling around with Abbas Hamideh, a known pro-Hezbollahactivist. Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist organization, frequently hosts rallies where supporters chant “Death to Israel!” Choice exerts of Hamideh’s tweets include clamoring against the “criminal Zionists” and praise for Samir Kuntar, a convicted terrorist, and murderer.
Prominent left-wing grassroots activists have also had their fair share of controversy. Tamika Mallory, the President of the Women’s March, has become embroiled in scandals related to her stances on the Jewish state and who she chooses to associate with.
In a recent interview on PBS’ “Firing Line,” Mallory refused to answer whether Israel should have the right to exist. “I just don’t feel that everyone has a right to exist at the disposal of another group,” she noted during the back and forth. After being pressed, Mallory angry stated that she was “done talking” about the subject.
Mallory also refuses to disavow her association with Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan who she once dubbed “The greatest of all time.” Yes, this is the same Farrakhan who proudly compared Jews to “termites” and that “Lying, murderous Zionist Jews” were behind the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Asked to condemn Farrakhan’s blatant anti-Semitic remarks in an interview on ABC’s “The View” by Meghan McCain, Mallory refused based on the grounds that McCain’s line of questioning was “racist.”
The past few months make clear that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has work to do. Progressives can either choose to stop associating with politicians and activists who spew hate towards Jews or continue down a dangerous path of mainlining anti-Semitism. For the Jewish people and America’s sake, we should hope they choose the former.
CFR’s Martin Indyk Slams Trump: Soon He May Be Asking ‘Why Are We Giving Israel So Much Money?’
By Chris Menahan
Martin Indyk, two-time US Ambassador to Israel and current Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, attacked President Trump on Twitter Wednesday for saying Israel will be okay despite the US pulling out of Syria because we give them “billions of dollars.”
“This cavalier attitude is deeply worrying,” Indyk said. “Ignores the role of US as force multiplier for Israeli deterrence. From here it’s a short step to Trump asking: why are we giving Israel so much money?”
Here’s Trump’s full comments as reported Thursday by the Times of Israel:
Speaking with reporters, Trump was asked about criticism that the move could put Israel in jeopardy by allowing Iran to expand its foothold in Syria.
“Well, I don’t see it. I spoke with Bibi,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I told Bibi. And, you know, we give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And they’re doing very well defending themselves, if you take a look.”
“So that’s the way it is,” Trump said, according to a White House transcript.
“We’re going to take good care of Israel. Israel is going to be good. But we give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And we give them, frankly, a lot more money than that, if you look at the books — a lot more money than that. And they’ve been doing a very good job for themselves,” he added.
Here’s some of the top responses to Indyk’s tweet:
Indyk has a rather fascinating history according to his Wikipedia page (click through for source links):
In 1982, Indyk began working as a deputy research director for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group in Washington.[4][5] From 1985 Indyk served eight years as the founding Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a research institute specializing in analysis of Middle East policy.[6]
[…]He served as special assistant to President Bill Clinton and as senior director of Near East and South Asian Affairs at the United States National Security Council. While at the NSC, he served as principal adviser to the President and the National Security Advisor on Arab–Israeli issues, Iraq, Iran, and South Asia. He was a senior member of Secretary of State Warren Christopher’s Middle East peace team and served as the White House representative on the U.S. Israel Science and Technology Commission.
He served two stints as United States Ambassador to Israel, from April 1995 to September 1997, and from January 2000 to July 2001. He was the first and so far, the only, foreign-born US ambassador to Israel.
He has served on the board of the New Israel Fund.[7] Indyk currently serves on the Adivsory Board for DC based non-profit America Abroad Media.[8]
On July 29, 2013, Indyk was appointed by President Barack Obama as Washington’s special Middle East envoy for the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.[9] Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas favored his appointment.[10] He resigned from this position June 27, 2014, returning to the Brookings Institution as its vice president and director for foreign policy.[11][12]
Controversy
In 2000, Indyk was placed under investigation by the FBI after allegations arose that he improperly handled sensitive material by using an unclassified laptop computer on an airplane flight to prepare his memos of meetings with foreign leaders.[13][14][15] There was no indication that any classified material had been compromised, and no indication of espionage.[16]
Indyk was “apparently … the first serving U.S. ambassador to be stripped of government security clearance.”[16] The Los Angeles Times reported that “veteran diplomats complained that Indyk was being made a scapegoat for the kinds of security lapses that are rather common among envoys who take classified work home from the office.”[16] Indyk’s clearance was suspended but was reinstated the next month, “for the duration of the current crisis,” given “the continuing turmoil in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza [Strip] and for compelling national security reasons.”[16]
Criticism
Receiving donations from Qatar
In 2014, Indyk came under scrutiny when a New York Times investigation revealed that wealthy Gulf state of Qatar made a $14.8 million, four-year donation to Brookings Institution, in order to fund two Brookings initiatives,[17] the Brookings Center in Doha and the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World.[18] The Times investigation found that Brookings was one of more than a dozen influential Washington think tanks and research organizations that “have received tens of millions of dollars from foreign governments in recent years while pushing United States government officials to adopt policies that often reflect the donors’ priorities.”[17] A number of scholars interviewed by the Times expressed alarm at the trend, saying that the “donations have led to implicit agreements that the research groups would refrain from criticizing the donor governments.”[17]
The revelation of the think tank’s choice to accept the payment from Qatar was especially controversial because at the time, Indyk was acting as a peace negotiator between Israel and the Palestinians, and because Qatar funds jihadist groups in the Middle East and is the main financial backer of Hamas, “the mortal enemy of both the State of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party.”[19] Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal, who directs Hamas’s operations against Israel, is also harbored by Qatar.[17] Indyk defended the arrangement with Qatar, contending that it did not influence the think tank’s work and that “to be policy-relevant, we need to engage policy makers.”[17] However, the arrangement between Qatar and Brookings caused Israeli government officials to doubt Indyk’s impartiality.[20]
Jeb Bush On Syria: ‘Donald Trump Is Bad For Israel… Hopefully Our President Will Reverse His Decision’
By Chris Menahan
Failed presidential candidate Jeb Bush said Wednesday on Twitter that he hopes President Trump will “reverse his decision to abandon Syria” because it’s “bad for Israel.”
He linked to an article from the New York Times by neocon Bret Stephens which said “that the ultimate long-term threat to Israel is the resurgence of isolationism in the U.S.”
“What Israel most needs from the U.S. today is what it needed at its birth in 1948: an America committed to defending the liberal-international order against totalitarian enemies, as opposed to one that conducts a purely transactional foreign policy based on the needs of the moment or the whims of a president.”
Stephens said the idea “neoconservatives always put Israel first” is an “invidious myth”:
Contrary to the invidious myth that neoconservatives always put Israel first, the reasons for staying in Syria have everything to do with core U.S. interests. Among them: Keeping ISIS beaten, keeping faith with the Kurds, maintaining leverage in Syria and preventing Russia and Iran from consolidating their grip on the Levant.
President Trump said Wednesday that we give Israel billions of dollars every year and they can defend themselves.
From the Times of Israel:
Speaking with reporters, Trump was asked about criticism that the move could put Israel in jeopardy by allowing Iran to expand its foothold in Syria.
“Well, I don’t see it. I spoke with Bibi,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I told Bibi. And, you know, we give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And they’re doing very well defending themselves, if you take a look.”
“So that’s the way it is,” Trump said, according to a White House transcript.
“We’re going to take good care of Israel. Israel is going to be good. But we give Israel $4.5 billion a year. And we give them, frankly, a lot more money than that, if you look at the books — a lot more money than that. And they’ve been doing a very good job for themselves,” he added.
Stephens’ column made no mention of the billions in foreign aid America gives Israel every year.
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