The Front Page Cover
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened"
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Featuring:
Israel's peace fantasists in action
Caroline B. Glick
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"Know who you are standing with"
"Show me your friends and I'll show you your future"
~~~lll~~~
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PRESS GOBBLES UP HILLY’S SPAM CAMPAIGN
The Clinton campaign is like a funhouse mirror version the nObama White House. Tightly controlled press access has become no press access. Opaque accountability has become concrete-thick secrecy. Augmenting traditional public interactions with, um, unconventional outreach has become a public persona that is just a Spam loaf of stagy interactions. With the help of a cadre of nObama insiders who pioneered the style, Hilly Clinton is on an expedition into the deep space of an airless, utterly contrived campaign. And guess what? It’s working. She and her team are probably delighted in their ability to run for president without actually running and without having to play by the rules (again).
Consider how well it’s working for the presumptive Democratic nominee: She is way out of the mainstream on abortion but issues a statement condemning Republicans for passing a popular a late-term ban on elective abortions – no questions asked of her. She has not complied with the bipartisan request of the Benghazi committee – no questions asked of her. A news anchor who grilled her accuser on using her family foundation to funnel payola is found to be a donor to the foundation – no questions asked of her. She actually voted for the Iraq war that Jeb Bush is getting pelted with clods over – no questions asked of her. She is likely to be the first female major party nominee in American history and yet the current president of her own party is accused of sexism against a prominent senator and potential rival -- no questions asked of her. And on and on and on…
We arrived at the point where a major party candidate soaked in scandals can flout accountability point not because Hilly Clinton is an especially gifted politician (she isn’t) or because she’s oligarch rich (others have been before her) or even because she is a Democrat (no one has even gotten a free pass this size before) but mostly because she is sewing ground plowed already by Barack nObama. The press was at most sulky and at worst codependent about getting locked out, knocked down, lied to and generally ignored by the nObama White House. Now we see what is usually true in politics: The next round is worse. nObama ignored campaign finance norms; Bush is circumventing the rules completely. Bush’s brother ran a somewhat negative re-election campaign of defining a challenger as unfit for command; nObama ran an overwhelmingly negative campaign immolating his challenger’s character. The pendulum only swings one way.
There is no appropriate story about Clinton’s candidacy to cover until she has answered the questions that relate to her fitness for office. It is, in that sense, the only story. Discussing her canned campaign events through any prism other than the scandals that she has flatly refused to address is an invitation to further ignominy. If you go and give her mainstream coverage of her talking points to augment store-bought “messaging” while allowing her to refuse to be accountable, what do you think will happen next? Which direction did nObama go? Certainly not toward accountability and access. For members of a profession that is on the brink of being replaced by “content” synthesizers, those in the political press are certainly not making a very strong argument for their continued necessity. -Fox News
The Clinton campaign is like a funhouse mirror version the nObama White House. Tightly controlled press access has become no press access. Opaque accountability has become concrete-thick secrecy. Augmenting traditional public interactions with, um, unconventional outreach has become a public persona that is just a Spam loaf of stagy interactions. With the help of a cadre of nObama insiders who pioneered the style, Hilly Clinton is on an expedition into the deep space of an airless, utterly contrived campaign. And guess what? It’s working. She and her team are probably delighted in their ability to run for president without actually running and without having to play by the rules (again).
Consider how well it’s working for the presumptive Democratic nominee: She is way out of the mainstream on abortion but issues a statement condemning Republicans for passing a popular a late-term ban on elective abortions – no questions asked of her. She has not complied with the bipartisan request of the Benghazi committee – no questions asked of her. A news anchor who grilled her accuser on using her family foundation to funnel payola is found to be a donor to the foundation – no questions asked of her. She actually voted for the Iraq war that Jeb Bush is getting pelted with clods over – no questions asked of her. She is likely to be the first female major party nominee in American history and yet the current president of her own party is accused of sexism against a prominent senator and potential rival -- no questions asked of her. And on and on and on…
We arrived at the point where a major party candidate soaked in scandals can flout accountability point not because Hilly Clinton is an especially gifted politician (she isn’t) or because she’s oligarch rich (others have been before her) or even because she is a Democrat (no one has even gotten a free pass this size before) but mostly because she is sewing ground plowed already by Barack nObama. The press was at most sulky and at worst codependent about getting locked out, knocked down, lied to and generally ignored by the nObama White House. Now we see what is usually true in politics: The next round is worse. nObama ignored campaign finance norms; Bush is circumventing the rules completely. Bush’s brother ran a somewhat negative re-election campaign of defining a challenger as unfit for command; nObama ran an overwhelmingly negative campaign immolating his challenger’s character. The pendulum only swings one way.
There is no appropriate story about Clinton’s candidacy to cover until she has answered the questions that relate to her fitness for office. It is, in that sense, the only story. Discussing her canned campaign events through any prism other than the scandals that she has flatly refused to address is an invitation to further ignominy. If you go and give her mainstream coverage of her talking points to augment store-bought “messaging” while allowing her to refuse to be accountable, what do you think will happen next? Which direction did nObama go? Certainly not toward accountability and access. For members of a profession that is on the brink of being replaced by “content” synthesizers, those in the political press are certainly not making a very strong argument for their continued necessity. -Fox News
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nOBAMA SAYS CHLORINE NOT A CHEMICAL WEAPON
Fox News: “President nObama does not appear to be drawing any more red lines with Syria’s Bashar Assad amid allegations that his regime has returned to using chemical weapons… On Thursday, nObama asserted that it has been verified that the regime already gave up its chemical weapons. However, chlorine gas – which Assad’s government is now accused of using -- was not a part of that agreement. nObama gave a nuanced response Thursday, noting that chlorine isn't an internationally banned chemical weapon. However, he said, ‘when it is used in this fashion, [it] can be considered a prohibited use of that particular chemical. And so we're working with the international community to investigate that. Last week, others in nObama’s administration called for an immediate U.N. investigation into the ‘abhorrent acts’ – without saying what, if any, punishment Assad might face if formally blamed for the string of alleged chlorine gas attacks.”
Fox News: “President nObama does not appear to be drawing any more red lines with Syria’s Bashar Assad amid allegations that his regime has returned to using chemical weapons… On Thursday, nObama asserted that it has been verified that the regime already gave up its chemical weapons. However, chlorine gas – which Assad’s government is now accused of using -- was not a part of that agreement. nObama gave a nuanced response Thursday, noting that chlorine isn't an internationally banned chemical weapon. However, he said, ‘when it is used in this fashion, [it] can be considered a prohibited use of that particular chemical. And so we're working with the international community to investigate that. Last week, others in nObama’s administration called for an immediate U.N. investigation into the ‘abhorrent acts’ – without saying what, if any, punishment Assad might face if formally blamed for the string of alleged chlorine gas attacks.”
-Fox News
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WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE Riley B. King, known and loved the world over as “B.B.,” died Thursday in Las Vegas at age 89. One of the greatest guitarists and blues musicians of all-time, King was born on a cotton plantation outside of Itta Bena, Miss. in 1925. He picked up his stage name as a 20-year-old radio disc jockey and singer in Memphis as “the Beale Street Blues Boy,” later just “B.B.” If you don’t know King from before his mainstream revival (and role as commercial pitchman) following his performance on U2’s 1988 blues/rock/gospel hit “When Love Comes to Town,” you should watch King perform “Three O’Clock Blues,” which was his first hit in 1951 and an enduring live standard. It’s a borrowed blues number King imbues with the country twang and sophisticated jazz arrangement that were the hallmarks of his style.
You’ll also get to see how he seems to be electrified by the current flowing through his guitar. Many great musicians play in such a way that their instruments seem to be extensions of themselves. But King played like a man in the ecstatic thrall of his instrument. King exclusively played Gibson guitars, which he always called “Lucille.” King explained the origin of the name to audiences in an ode: “I was over in Twist, Arkansas … One night the guys started a brawl, started brawling, you know what I mean. The guy that was mad with his old lady, when she fell over on this gas tank that was burning for heat, the gas ran all over the floor. And when the gas ran all over the floor, the building caught on fire and almost burned me up…the lady who started the brawl that night was named Lucille.”
R.I.P. -Fox News
You’ll also get to see how he seems to be electrified by the current flowing through his guitar. Many great musicians play in such a way that their instruments seem to be extensions of themselves. But King played like a man in the ecstatic thrall of his instrument. King exclusively played Gibson guitars, which he always called “Lucille.” King explained the origin of the name to audiences in an ode: “I was over in Twist, Arkansas … One night the guys started a brawl, started brawling, you know what I mean. The guy that was mad with his old lady, when she fell over on this gas tank that was burning for heat, the gas ran all over the floor. And when the gas ran all over the floor, the building caught on fire and almost burned me up…the lady who started the brawl that night was named Lucille.”
R.I.P. -Fox News
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foxnewsfirst .come
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Taxpayer Funded Jobs, Job Training and Reintegration For ISIS
(rickwells.us) - As if the misguided pandering to terrorists by the communist leadership in America isn’t bizarre and absolutely insane enough, there’s another country that has left them completely in the dust when it comes to rewarding intolerable behavior... Instead of pursuing and incarcerating their citizens who have chosen to fight as part of ISIS against the rational part of the world’s population, the government of Sweden is joining them in their jihad against intelligence and reason by offering job training, jobs and the reintegration into society. It’s a package that not even their soldiers fighting ISIS get upon their return and the proposal is getting some serious debate in the halls of Sweden’s leadership. As Paul Joseph Watson says in the closing, stick a fork in Sweden, they’re done. We just need to learn from their mistakes, as he so succinctly points out, “what happens when governments become afflicted with the mental disorder of extreme liberalism.” http://rickwells.us/taxpayer-funded-jobs-job-training-and-reintegration-for-isis-fighters-one-nation-might-be-that-stupid/
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ISIS terrorists are being smuggled into Europe by posing as refugees
(themuslimissue.wordpress.com) - The EU has tied the hands of the Italian coast guards who initially (rightfully) wanted to down ships trying to trespass onto Italian waters. Instead they were forced to allow them on shores... After 24 hours they are let fee to roam and half of all smuggled terrorists disappear into the country and into Europe. Its due to EU laws terrorists have such an easy time starting hate schools (with government funding), bringing in more illegals, expanding terrorism, implementing sharia laws. The decision makers in the European Union need to be made legally liable for terrorism and arrested and jailed for conspiracy to terrorize when the next bomb shred innocent children, women and men who never asked for Muslim immigration. https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2015/05/17/libyan-security-adviser-isis-terrorists-are-being-smuggled-into-europe-by-posing-as-refugees/
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Iranian Ayatollah: We ‘Will Never Allow’ Inspections of Nuke Sites
(gopthedailydose.com) - Iran will never allow Western powers or the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect Tehran’s military sites as part of a final agreement with the P5+1 world powers... Iran’s Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani said Friday in an address to Tehran University students. He said that the West, and particularly the United States, “are hallucinating” if they think that Iran would allow inspection of its military apparatus, according to Iran’s state-controlled Fars News agency. Those who wish for Iran to recognize the State of Israel as part of a final agreement should “bury their dreams,” the Ayatollah added. http://gopthedailydose.com/2015/05/17/iranian-ayatollah-we-will-never-allow-inspections-of-nuke-sites/
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Saudi Rapist Says Sex Offender Program is Against His Religion
(Daniel Greenfield) - Rape however isn’t against his religion. Homaidan al-Turki’s entire defense strategy from the beginning was Islam. The member of a prominent Saudi family claimed that the prosecution was Islamophobic... “We are Muslim. We are different. The state has criminalized these basic Muslim behaviors. Attacking traditional Muslim behaviors is a focal point of the prosecution.” He had a point, because the behavior he was charged with was commonplace back in Saudi Arabia. Once in prison, the Saudis tried to get him transferred/released back home, but public outrage stopped that at least temporarily. http://www.frontpagemag.com/2015/dgreenfield/saudi-rapist-in-colorado-says-sex-offender-program-is-against-his-religion/
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Just Say No to Congressional Slush Funds
(Michael Greibrok) - Realizing spending was getting out of hand, Congress passed the 2011 Budget Control Act to cap spending on both defense and nondefense discretionary spending... However, Congress being Congress, they have become adept at finding ways to increase spending beyond the caps without technically going above the caps. One of the ways Congress is doing this is by increasing funding for overseas contingency operations (OCO). This alternative form of defense funding started in 2001 to provide emergency supplemental funds to help fight the War on Terror. These funds were originally designed to be used for true emergencies, such as supporting combat missions or securing embassies, but as major combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have wound down, we have not seen a corresponding decrease in OCO funding. http://www.freedomworks.org/content/just-say-no-congressional-slush-funds
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Ihsaan Gardee, Executive Director of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN)
Beware of the Muslim Brotherhood, expert warns
(Ian Macleod) - Authorities should be concerned about the unseen hand of the Muslim Brotherhood gripping sections of Canada's diverse Muslim community, says a U.S. security expert... The movement has planted its revivalist interpretation of Islam, political ideology and activism among some Muslims here and sees itself as a minder and broker between them and the rest of society, Lorenzo Vidino, who specializes in Islamism and political violence, told the Senate's national security committee recently. "They basically aim to be the gatekeepers to Muslim communities, that whenever politicians, governments or the media try to get the Muslim voice, if there were such a thing, they would go through them, sort of the self‑appointed leaders of Muslim communities," he said. http://www.investigativeproject.org/4852/beware-of-the-muslim-brotherhood-expert-warns
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How did $17 million disappear from Clinton Foundation?
(Jerome R. Corsi) - Before Hilly Clinton completed her first year as President nObama’s secretary of state, Wall Street analyst and investor Charles Ortel calculates $17 million went missing from Clinton Foundation financial reports... “The Clinton Foundation and the nObama Administration presented to the public a false narrative, namely that when Hilly became Secretary of State, the Clinton Foundation had to guard against conflicts of interest,” Ortel explained in a second report he made available to WND exclusively before publication. Ortel says the public record appears to confirm that the Clinton Foundation’s various components were reported as one consolidated entity to the IRS, despite the foundation’s claim that appropriate changes were made when Hilly Clinton became secretary of state. http://www.wnd.com/2015/05/how-did-17-million-disappear-from-clinton-foundation/
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Iran has witnessed the largest Kurdish anti-regime demonstrations in years.
A Tremor in Iranian Kurdistan
(Jonathan Spyer) - The events this week in the Mahabad area of Iran's Western Azerbaijan province cast light on the difficult situation faced by one of the region's least-noticed minorities – the Kurds of Iran... The apparent attempt by an intelligence officer in Mahabad to rape an Iranian-Kurdish hotel worker, 25-year-old Farinaz Khosrawani, and the latter's subsequent suicide by jumping from a fourth-floor window, led to furious protests by Kurds in both Mahabad and beyond. The hotel was burned by protesters; authorities responded heavy-handedly, using rubber bullets and tear gas. There is currently a media and social media blackout from the area, but word-of-mouth reports suggest the situation remains tense. http://www.meforum.org/5244/tremor-iranian-kurdistan
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nObama Issues Despicable Command To Churches Across America
(gopthedailydose.com) - nObama has shown that he has a strong anti-Christian agenda during his six years in office, and now he’s stepping up his game... nObama surprisingly actually admitted that he might sound “self-interested” considering his past disagreements with Christians about abortion and gay marriage. However, he also said he is sure that churches will get more members if they embrace alternative lifestyles. “Nobody has shown that better than Pope Francis, who I think has been transformative just through the sincerity and insistence that this is vital to who we are, this is vital to following what Jesus Christ our Savior talked about,” he explained. Boy, he needs to re-read the Bible. http://gopthedailydose.com/2015/05/18/obama-issues-despicable-command-to-churches-across-america/
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nObama restrictions on distribution of military-style equipment
(foxnews.com) - President nObama is banning local police departments from receiving a range of military-style equipment from the federal government -- from grenade launchers to bayonets to certain armored vehicles... as he implements the recommendations of a panel that examined the controversial gear giveaways in the wake of the Ferguson riots. The White House announced Monday that Washington would no longer provide some military-style gear while putting stricter controls on other weapons and equipment distributed to law enforcement. The details were released as nObama prepares to travel to Camden, N.J., Monday afternoon to meet with youth and law enforcement, and give a speech. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/05/18/obama-announces-restrictions-on-distribution-military-style-equipment-to-police/
Israel's peace fantasists in action
Caroline B. Glick
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Salman's decision is further proof that US-Saudi relations have jumped the tracks. For 70 years the Saudis subcontracted their national security to the US military. Deals were closed with a wink and a nod. That's all over now.
Salman's decision is further proof that US-Saudi relations have jumped the tracks. For 70 years the Saudis subcontracted their national security to the US military. Deals were closed with a wink and a nod. That's all over now.
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nObama has destroyed Washington's credibility. Salman views its gentleman's agreements as worthless. All he wants now is military hardware. And for that, he can send a stand-in.
nObama has destroyed Washington's credibility. Salman views its gentleman's agreements as worthless. All he wants now is military hardware. And for that, he can send a stand-in.
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For 70 years the Saudis have played a double game, maintaining strategic alliances both with the liberal West and the most reactionary forces in the Islamic world. The Saudis pocketed petrodollars from America and Europe and transferred them to terrorists and jihadist preachers in mosques in the US, Europe and worldwide.
For 70 years the Saudis have played a double game, maintaining strategic alliances both with the liberal West and the most reactionary forces in the Islamic world. The Saudis pocketed petrodollars from America and Europe and transferred them to terrorists and jihadist preachers in mosques in the US, Europe and worldwide.
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Although for outsiders the worldview of the theocracy governing Saudi Arabia seems all but identical to the worldview of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Saudis consider the Brotherhood a mortal foe. The Saudis claim that their tribal, top-down regime is the genuine expression of Islam. The Brotherhood's populist, grassroots organization rejects their legitimacy.
Although for outsiders the worldview of the theocracy governing Saudi Arabia seems all but identical to the worldview of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Saudis consider the Brotherhood a mortal foe. The Saudis claim that their tribal, top-down regime is the genuine expression of Islam. The Brotherhood's populist, grassroots organization rejects their legitimacy.
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And so, since the Arab revolutionary wave began in late 2010, the Saudis opposed the empowerment of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Saudis are the primary bankrollers of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's regime.
And so, since the Arab revolutionary wave began in late 2010, the Saudis opposed the empowerment of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Saudis are the primary bankrollers of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's regime.
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During Operation Protective Edge last summer, the Saudis sided with Sisi and Israel against Hamas, the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and its Turkish and Qatari state sponsors. Although Saudi Arabia had previously been a major funder of Hamas, that backing ended in 2005 when, following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas forged strategic ties with Iran.
During Operation Protective Edge last summer, the Saudis sided with Sisi and Israel against Hamas, the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and its Turkish and Qatari state sponsors. Although Saudi Arabia had previously been a major funder of Hamas, that backing ended in 2005 when, following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas forged strategic ties with Iran.
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For the past five years, the Saudis worked against both the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran. But in recent months they began reconsidering their two war approach.
For the past five years, the Saudis worked against both the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran. But in recent months they began reconsidering their two war approach.
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With the Iranian-backed Houthis' takeover of Yemen and the US's conclusion of its framework nuclear deal with Iran, the Saudis apparently determined that weakening Iran takes precedence over fighting the Brotherhood. With its Houthi proxies in Yemen deployed along the Saudi border abutting Shi'ite-majority order provinces, and fighting for control over the Bab el Mandab, Iran now poses an immediate and existential threat to Saudi Arabia.
With the Iranian-backed Houthis' takeover of Yemen and the US's conclusion of its framework nuclear deal with Iran, the Saudis apparently determined that weakening Iran takes precedence over fighting the Brotherhood. With its Houthi proxies in Yemen deployed along the Saudi border abutting Shi'ite-majority order provinces, and fighting for control over the Bab el Mandab, Iran now poses an immediate and existential threat to Saudi Arabia.
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Moreover, as the Saudis see it, the threat posed by the Brotherhood has severely diminished since Sisi began his campaign to destroy its infrastructure in Egypt. So long as Sisi continues weakening the Brotherhood in Egypt and Libya, the Saudis feel safe working with the Brotherhood and its state sponsors Turkey and Qatar in Syria and Yemen. To this end, much to Washington's dismay, the Saudis are willing to back a consortium of rebel groups in Syria that include the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra.
Moreover, as the Saudis see it, the threat posed by the Brotherhood has severely diminished since Sisi began his campaign to destroy its infrastructure in Egypt. So long as Sisi continues weakening the Brotherhood in Egypt and Libya, the Saudis feel safe working with the Brotherhood and its state sponsors Turkey and Qatar in Syria and Yemen. To this end, much to Washington's dismay, the Saudis are willing to back a consortium of rebel groups in Syria that include the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra.
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The Muslim Brotherhood and its terrorist offshoots are not the only strange bedfellows the Saudis are willing to work with in their bid to neutralize Iran.
The Muslim Brotherhood and its terrorist offshoots are not the only strange bedfellows the Saudis are willing to work with in their bid to neutralize Iran.
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They have also signaled a willingness to work with Israel.
They have also signaled a willingness to work with Israel.
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While Israel should be willing to reciprocate Saudi overtures, there are institutional impediments to constructive cooperation.
While Israel should be willing to reciprocate Saudi overtures, there are institutional impediments to constructive cooperation.
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For more than 20 years, Israel's policy-making community has been intellectually ensnared by the notion of peace. As a consequence, the concept of joint action based on shared interests has become almost incomprehensible.
For more than 20 years, Israel's policy-making community has been intellectually ensnared by the notion of peace. As a consequence, the concept of joint action based on shared interests has become almost incomprehensible.
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Many senior officials believe that the only way for Israel to collaborate with its Arab neighbors is by first signing a peace treaty with the Palestinians. So long as such a peace treaty eludes us, no real cooperation is possible.
Many senior officials believe that the only way for Israel to collaborate with its Arab neighbors is by first signing a peace treaty with the Palestinians. So long as such a peace treaty eludes us, no real cooperation is possible.
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This is the why Labor head "Buji" Herzog and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid responded to the stunning support Israel received from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE during Operation Protective Edge, not with a simple nod and smile, but with the idea that what we all need to do to follow up with a regional peace conference where the Egyptians, Saudis and the UAE could join the West in condemning Israel for failing to cough up Jerusalem.
This is the why Labor head "Buji" Herzog and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid responded to the stunning support Israel received from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE during Operation Protective Edge, not with a simple nod and smile, but with the idea that what we all need to do to follow up with a regional peace conference where the Egyptians, Saudis and the UAE could join the West in condemning Israel for failing to cough up Jerusalem.
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The problem is that the security establishment is committed to the notion that Israel's international position is a function of the state of our relations with the Palestinians. If we appease the Palestinians, then people will develop ties with us. If not, they will blackball us.
The problem is that the security establishment is committed to the notion that Israel's international position is a function of the state of our relations with the Palestinians. If we appease the Palestinians, then people will develop ties with us. If not, they will blackball us.
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This week, Dr. Mark Heller, a principal research associate at the Institute for National Security Studies, gave expression to this popular assessment in an article he published on the institute's website. Heller claimed that while it is true that Israel and regional actors, including Saudi Arabia, share interests, and it is possible that due to those joint interests "potential may exist for expanded ties," nothing significant can come from those ties so long as Israel refuses to appease the Palestinians.
This week, Dr. Mark Heller, a principal research associate at the Institute for National Security Studies, gave expression to this popular assessment in an article he published on the institute's website. Heller claimed that while it is true that Israel and regional actors, including Saudi Arabia, share interests, and it is possible that due to those joint interests "potential may exist for expanded ties," nothing significant can come from those ties so long as Israel refuses to appease the Palestinians.
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In his words, "Those who reject making such concessions to the Palestinians should at least refrain from indulging in the fantasy that Israeli involvement in a regional response to Israel's challenges - the Iranian threat, Islamist radicalism, American fecklessness, or anything else - is a substitute for movement on the Palestinian issue rather than a consequence of it."
In his words, "Those who reject making such concessions to the Palestinians should at least refrain from indulging in the fantasy that Israeli involvement in a regional response to Israel's challenges - the Iranian threat, Islamist radicalism, American fecklessness, or anything else - is a substitute for movement on the Palestinian issue rather than a consequence of it."
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Not only is this thinking wrong, given the chaos in so much of the Arab world today, it is dangerous. With all the Arab regimes teetering on the edge or seriously threatened by rising jihadist forces, talk of peace treaties, overt ties and normalized relations between Israel and its neighbors is not merely irrelevant, it is dangerous. Going public with ties to Israel could endanger regimes maintaining them.
Not only is this thinking wrong, given the chaos in so much of the Arab world today, it is dangerous. With all the Arab regimes teetering on the edge or seriously threatened by rising jihadist forces, talk of peace treaties, overt ties and normalized relations between Israel and its neighbors is not merely irrelevant, it is dangerous. Going public with ties to Israel could endanger regimes maintaining them.
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Israel's reason for wanting to work with the Saudis and their neighbors is the same as their reason for wanting to work with us. Together we can weaken Iran more than we can separately.
Israel's reason for wanting to work with the Saudis and their neighbors is the same as their reason for wanting to work with us. Together we can weaken Iran more than we can separately.
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If the Saudis oppose open ties with Israel because they are threatened by jihadists, Israel should oppose ties because they are collaborating with jihadists.
If the Saudis oppose open ties with Israel because they are threatened by jihadists, Israel should oppose ties because they are collaborating with jihadists.
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The greater the expanse of our joint efforts, the greater the threat of blowback. On the other hand, if limited joint operations are successful, then the bilateral impetus for future cooperation will grow.
The greater the expanse of our joint efforts, the greater the threat of blowback. On the other hand, if limited joint operations are successful, then the bilateral impetus for future cooperation will grow.
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As to the Palestinians, suffice it to note that the agenda for nObama's summit with the representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council makes no mention of the Palestinians.
As to the Palestinians, suffice it to note that the agenda for nObama's summit with the representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council makes no mention of the Palestinians.
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If the Palestinians do arise as an issue at nObama's summit this weekend, it will be because the Americans raised it. The Arabs, for their part, will cluck their tongues and denounce Israel in unison for a bit, and then clear their throats and move on to a subject that interests them.
If the Palestinians do arise as an issue at nObama's summit this weekend, it will be because the Americans raised it. The Arabs, for their part, will cluck their tongues and denounce Israel in unison for a bit, and then clear their throats and move on to a subject that interests them.
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And this brings us back to the Israeli diplomatic-security brass and their antiquated notions about what makes our Arab neighbors tick.
And this brings us back to the Israeli diplomatic-security brass and their antiquated notions about what makes our Arab neighbors tick.
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Israel today is confronted by two strategic threats that have little to nothing to do with each other. On the one hand we have Iran. On the other hand we have the international campaign to delegitimize Israel's right to exist.
Israel today is confronted by two strategic threats that have little to nothing to do with each other. On the one hand we have Iran. On the other hand we have the international campaign to delegitimize Israel's right to exist.
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Iran is a regional threat.
Iran is a regional threat.
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The threat of delegitimization emanates mainly from Western countries acting hand in glove with the PLO. What we learn from arguments like Heller's is that many in the top echelons of our diplomatic-security community view them as interconnected.
The threat of delegitimization emanates mainly from Western countries acting hand in glove with the PLO. What we learn from arguments like Heller's is that many in the top echelons of our diplomatic-security community view them as interconnected.
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This is a problem, because treating them as such only makes things worse.
This is a problem, because treating them as such only makes things worse.
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Iran is principally a physical threat. The center of gravity of any strategy for contending with Iran involves physically blocking Iran's territorial advance in the region and its acquisition of nuclear bombs.
Iran is principally a physical threat. The center of gravity of any strategy for contending with Iran involves physically blocking Iran's territorial advance in the region and its acquisition of nuclear bombs.
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Cooperation between Israel and the Gulf states would consequently take place on the ground, far away from television cameras. The public dimension of a strategy of blocking Iran's regional and nuclear advances - continuously sounding the alarm regarding the threat Iran poses to international security - is not an end unto itself. The purpose of these warnings is develop the political maneuver room to enable actions on the ground.
Cooperation between Israel and the Gulf states would consequently take place on the ground, far away from television cameras. The public dimension of a strategy of blocking Iran's regional and nuclear advances - continuously sounding the alarm regarding the threat Iran poses to international security - is not an end unto itself. The purpose of these warnings is develop the political maneuver room to enable actions on the ground.
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In contrast, a coherent strategy for combating the delegitimization threat requires Israel to act almost entirely above ground. To defeat the manifold forces seeking to cast Israel out of the community of nations, Israel must expose and discredit the goals of the campaign, the political forces leading it and their sources of finance.
In contrast, a coherent strategy for combating the delegitimization threat requires Israel to act almost entirely above ground. To defeat the manifold forces seeking to cast Israel out of the community of nations, Israel must expose and discredit the goals of the campaign, the political forces leading it and their sources of finance.
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The problem is that in order to adopt a competent strategy for countering the delegitimization campaign, Israel's senior officials first need to understand what is happening. And here the Palestinians are relevant to the discussion.
The problem is that in order to adopt a competent strategy for countering the delegitimization campaign, Israel's senior officials first need to understand what is happening. And here the Palestinians are relevant to the discussion.
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Ever since the UN's diplomatic pogrom at Durban, South Africa, in August 2001, just a year after the peace process blew up at Camp David, the Palestinian conflict with Israel became part and parcel of a broad-based campaign to deny Israel's legitimacy and right to exist.
Ever since the UN's diplomatic pogrom at Durban, South Africa, in August 2001, just a year after the peace process blew up at Camp David, the Palestinian conflict with Israel became part and parcel of a broad-based campaign to deny Israel's legitimacy and right to exist.
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For 14 years Israel has failed to forge coherent and successful policies for contending with this state of affairs because our senior officials refused to acknowledge what had happened and have instead insistently argued that the campaign against us is somehow related to a future peace with the PLO.
For 14 years Israel has failed to forge coherent and successful policies for contending with this state of affairs because our senior officials refused to acknowledge what had happened and have instead insistently argued that the campaign against us is somehow related to a future peace with the PLO.
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We saw just how absurd this view has become earlier this week when one of the principal PLO negotiators, the terrorist- turned-security boss-turned international soccer aficionado Jibril Rajoub, the current head of the Palestinian soccer federation, made real progress in his longstanding bid to get Israel expelled from FIFA.
We saw just how absurd this view has become earlier this week when one of the principal PLO negotiators, the terrorist- turned-security boss-turned international soccer aficionado Jibril Rajoub, the current head of the Palestinian soccer federation, made real progress in his longstanding bid to get Israel expelled from FIFA.
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Rajoub understands that any success he garners in his operation will have a cascade effect on the overall campaign to expel Israel from the community of nations. Rather than open a counter offensive, based among other things on exposing Rajoub's true nature - he is a man whose hands are anything but clean - and making him persona non grata in polite company, Israel chose instead to pretend he isn't our enemy and to deal with this quietly.
Rajoub understands that any success he garners in his operation will have a cascade effect on the overall campaign to expel Israel from the community of nations. Rather than open a counter offensive, based among other things on exposing Rajoub's true nature - he is a man whose hands are anything but clean - and making him persona non grata in polite company, Israel chose instead to pretend he isn't our enemy and to deal with this quietly.
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The same officialdom that wrongly viewed Rajoub as a peace partner in the 1990s, cannot accept that he is our enemy, hell bent on using political warfare as a means of destroying Israel. The officialdom that still believes Israel's legitimacy is tied to its ability to appease the PLO cannot understand that the PLO has no reason to exist outside the campaign to destroy Israel's legitimacy.
The same officialdom that wrongly viewed Rajoub as a peace partner in the 1990s, cannot accept that he is our enemy, hell bent on using political warfare as a means of destroying Israel. The officialdom that still believes Israel's legitimacy is tied to its ability to appease the PLO cannot understand that the PLO has no reason to exist outside the campaign to destroy Israel's legitimacy.
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The Iranian threat does share two features with the delegitimization campaign. Both threaten Israel's existence, albeit in different ways. And both require strategic operations that contradict the central guidepost of Israeli strategic thinking for the past 20 years.
The Iranian threat does share two features with the delegitimization campaign. Both threaten Israel's existence, albeit in different ways. And both require strategic operations that contradict the central guidepost of Israeli strategic thinking for the past 20 years.
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We don't need open relations with the Arabs. We get more behind the scenes that we will ever receive in front of them.
We don't need open relations with the Arabs. We get more behind the scenes that we will ever receive in front of them.
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And the Palestinians aren't the key to good relations with the West. They are the justification for anti-Semitism.
And the Palestinians aren't the key to good relations with the West. They are the justification for anti-Semitism.
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We have the means to handle both threats. But doing so requires that we first put our long-held delusions behind us.
We have the means to handle both threats. But doing so requires that we first put our long-held delusions behind us.
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