Posts

The UN-PA Resolution is the Straw That Broke the Camel’s Back

 As appeared on the Times of Israel Blogs and updated for Arutz Sheva/Israel National News . The almost routine action of the United Nations condemning Israel and inaction of not condemning Hamas, Hezbollah, or their puppet-master Iran for its heinous and barbaric terrorism, has been going on for decades. But the recent Palestinian Authority’s UN resolution is the straw that broke the camel’s back. This resolution, and its list of sponsors and supporters, is a perfect example of taqiyya , an Islamic concept that allows lying to confound and defeat enemies through deception. Three of the four Arab countries, who are signatories to the Abraham Accords, which are bilateral agreements on Arab-Israeli normalization, are among the sponsors of this anti-Israel resolution. Yet all four voted for the PA resolution. This dichotomous behavior is not surprising. If one looks back to the Oslo Peace Accords (a set of agreements between Israel and the terrorist Palestine Liberation Organizati
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Why Negotiate With Liars?

 Appeared in the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) Sept 18, 2024 Newsletter     The current negotiations between Hamas -- an Iran-supported, internationally designated foreign terrorist organization -- and Israel, a legitimate democratic nation-state, is a puzzlement. About 3,800 Hamas terrorists were among the  6,000 Gazans  who invaded Israel on Oct. 7 and committed barbaric, inhumane atrocities. Every inhumane act committed, including the taking of hostages and the firing of thousands of indiscriminate rockets into civilian Israeli towns and cities, is against every law of humanity, conduct under the laws of war and many acts of the Geneva Conventions. Throughout these last 11 months, the Israeli military response has been effective in reducing Hamas’s military abilities. Even though Israel has had to deal with intense and ongoing diplomatic and media pressure, in addition to punitive arms shipment delays, including outright arms contract cancellations from its allies—th
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"United" Nations? Really?

 As appeared on Arutz Sheva/Israel National News and my Times of Israel Blog .   The Palestinian Authority’s ability to recently submit a UN resolution and demand a vote for the “Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria within six months” goes against every core principle in the UN Charter. The fact that UN recently gave the PA, an organization with a terrorist history (PLO) and a pay-for-slay government policy, Member status, also goes against the UN’s foundational principles. Some background. Formed in the aftermath of World War II (1945) by the major Allied powers, the UN now has 193 members. They all must agree and sign onto the foundational agreement known as the Charter of the United Nations. This document established its ideals and purposes. Those ideals and purposes: “…practice tolerance and live together in peace … maintain international peace and security…to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression o
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Cold War II or WW III?

 As appeared in the Jerusalem Post and the Times of Israel blogs.    A new axis of evil has arisen that is actively threatening Western civilization. It is ominous, imminent, active, serious, and deadly. This enemy of Western Civilization is comprised of Russia (and its proxy, the Wagner Group), China, Iran (and its proxies in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza), North Korea, and Afghanistan. Yet, there has been little to no confrontation to stop their growing force and belligerence. There was no U.S. ‘punishment’ meted out after a Chinese spy balloon floated over the USA. No stopping Iran’s imminent nuclear weapons development. No counterattack to Iran’s proxy’s attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Jordan (that have injured and killed U.S. citizens). And no united counterattack or little political support to acts of war against Israel. There have been no counterattacks on Yemen by NATO (only some defensive action by an American-led coalition), whose purpose is to protect Europe. Al
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Context? Let Their *Own* Words Win Your Pro-Israel Debates

As appeared in Future of Jewish    With the Republican and Democratic National Conventions behind us and a new university semester upon us, the political discussions regarding Israel and Hamas, Israel and Palestine, Israel and Iran, Israel and the U.S. Administration…you pick…increase in frequency and intensity. Unfortunately, arguments with friends and family can devolve into shouting matches. How does one discuss, convince, or at least, input an element of doubt into those who have bought into the anti-Israel demagoguery to really understand what those anti-Israel movements are really about and discover their own “aha!” moment of the truth. History is usually written by the victors and academics. History is usually taught by the era (i.e., the rise and fall of the Roman Empire) or the event (i.e., World War 1). History is rarely taught by comparison of commonality (i.e., the Black Plague vs. the Spanish Flu). How can we learn what they really were striving for without the bias of the
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Why did I write a book about Revolutions?

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 As appeared on my Times of Israel blog Aug 11, 2024   While Jews have dealt with anti-Semitism for centuries, if not millennia, the accusations have varied. Jews are rich, poor, capitalists, communists, and even Christ-killers. Therefore, Jews needed to be stopped, converted, exiled, or maybe just killed (pogroms). The latter was true until the Nazi declaration of genocide they called the ‘final solution.’ Today, the rise of the “Palestinian liberation” movement (established c.1964), culminating with the invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, and its continuing aftermath, has brought back these declarations of “death to the Jews” on a scale not seen before. Unfortunately, conversations with friends and family who have bought into the anti-Israel demagoguery can easily devolve into shouting matches. Here’s an idea: Instead of trying to convince them, let them convince themselves. It becomes important for them to really understand what that movement’s cause is really about and discov
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