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March 2017

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JUNCKER BRACING FOR EU’S DOWNFALL, PRESENTS 5 FUTURE SCENARIOS By Vincent van den Born

By on March 2nd, 2017

Before its official presentation by one the EU presidents, Jean-Claude Juncker, this afternoon at 15.00, the White Paper that presents the EU Commission’s vision of the future of the EU has already been leaked. Politico has been able to get a hold of what looks like a final draft version of the document and published it (PDF). The report offers five possible scenarios.

Scenario 1, carrying on, mostly means ‘more of the same’. Especially a sentence such as “there is incremental progress on improving the functioning of the single currency in order to drive growth and prevent shocks starting at home or abroad” indicates the same sort of ‘creeping barrage’ of further centralisation we see now.

Scenario 2, is nothing but the single market, in which the EU would secede federal control over immigration, security and defence. However, it should be called ‘nothing but the single market, and the shared currency that’s dragging it down’, because it says “the euro facilitates trade exchanges but growing divergence and limited cooperation are major sources of vulnerability.” Those that were hoping for construction similar to the EEC will be sorely disappointed.

Scenarios 3 and 4 are more or less hybrids, where the EU either divests itself from tasks, or from countries.

In scenario 5, the so-called “Verhofstadt option,” the sovereignty of member states is severely limited, with the EU taking over foreign policy and building up a European Defence Union.

This scenario also claims a “significantly modernised and increased [EU budget], backed up by own resources; a euro area stabilisation function is operational,” effectively leading to the formation of some sort of European Superstate at the EU level.

Commenting on the White Paper, Pieter Cleppe, the head of the Brussels office of the Open Europe think-tank, is summarised in the Telegraph as saying:

“the Juncker blueprint was shaping up to be a repeat of tired old EU dogma, rather than a genuine attempt to address the EU structural issues,” and quoted as saying it presents “a lost opportunity for the EU to reinvent itself after Brexit. Turning it into a mere trade-facilitating arrangement could have increased popular support.”

According to Reuters, Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said that

“After [the March 25 summit in] Rome we want to launch a public debate on these options (…) this has to be about the people and we very much hope that the leaders will launch such a process.”

Which is a bit rich, coming from a Commission that has time and time again, decided to ignore the wishes of the people made clear in referenda. The people have already spoken and it does not seem they will be taken in by these five scenarios.

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

This Week in Israeli History: Joseph Trumpeldor and the Battle of Tel Hai

By on March 2nd, 2017

http://www.jpost.com/Blogs/My-Nation-Lives/This-Week-in-Israeli-History-Joseph-Trumpeldor-and-the-Battle-of-Tel-Hai-446621

Joseph Trumpeldor was born in Russia in 1880. After hearing news of the First Zionist Congress in 1897, the teenage Trumpeldor became entranced with the Zionist idea and even opened up a local Zionist club. In 1902 he was drafted to the Russian Army upon the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War. During the fighting Trumpeldor lost his left hand to shrapnel, but still insisted on returning to the front lines, reasoning “but I still have my other arm…” He re-entered the war and fell into Japanese captivity after the Russian Army surrendered at Port Arthur. Upon his release, he received four decorations for bravery, making him the highest decorated Jewish soldier in Russia and the first Jew to receive an officer’s commission in the Russian Army.

After the war Trumepldor moved to the Holy Land and worked in agriculture. With the outbreak of World War I, he was expelled by the Ottoman authorities and sought refuge in Egypt where he met Ze’ev Jabotinsky. Together they advocated for the creation of a Jewish unit within the British Army that would assist in liberating the Land of Israel from Turkish rule.

The British were reluctant to accept their proposal and instead formed a transport unit called the Zion Mule Corps that consisted of 650 Jewish soldiers. With Trumpeldor as Deputy Commander, the Zion Mule Corps fought admirably in the Gallipoli Campaign. The Mule Corps’ Commanding Officer, John Henry Patterson, later said of Trumpeldor: “Many of the Zionists whom I thought somewhat lacking in courage showed themselves fearless to a degree when under heavy fire, while Captain Trumpeldor actually revelled in it, and the hotter it became the more he liked it …”

After the Mule Corps was disbanded, Trumpeldor and Jabotinsky travelled to London and successfully lobbied the British government to form the famed Jewish Legion.

At the conclusion of the war Trumepldor returned to British-ruled Mandatory Palestine and assisted in protecting Jewish settlements from marauding Arabs who would often attack and rob them of their day’s labor. One day Trumepldor received word from the village of Tel Hai requesting for backup due to the deteriorating security situation in the region. He immediately rushed to the village with a handful of others to help protect the villagers.

On March 1, 1920, several hundred Arabs arrived at Tel Hai, demanding to search the fort for fleeing French officers. A verbal dispute broke out and a battle ensued. Joseph Trumpledor was killed in the battle along with seven others. When the doctor arrived and asked Trumpeldor how he was feeling, he said his famous last words that were immortalized within the annals of Israeli history: “Never mind, it is good to die for our country.”

Kiryat Shmona (lit. Town of the Eight), one of the largest cities in northern Israel, is named after Joseph Trumpeldor and the seven mighty fighters that perished defending Tel Hai

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BOOKS, ISRAEL Comments turned off

Is Israel a Military Superpower? By: Yaakov Katz (Video)

By on March 2nd, 2017

Israel is an exceptional nation, and this is certainly true when it comes to the Israeli military. Tested by war, heroic in its self-defense, Israel is leading the way in developing the most advanced weapons technologies and re-imagining the new realities of the modern battlefield in an ever-changing Middle East. In an important new book—The Weapon Wizards: How Israel Became a High-Tech Military Superpower— Jerusalem Post Editor Yaakov Katz tells this story from the front lines of Israeli military innovation and with the analytical eye of a master journalist. He brings us into the fascinating world of Israeli weapons development—from drones to satellites, missile defense systems to cyber warfare—and he looks beyond the technology to consider what Israel’s edge means for its larger geopolitical strategy.

On February 6, 2017, Mr. Katz joined an exclusive audience at the Tikvah Fund for a fascinating exploration of how Israel became a military superpower, and what this means for the future of the Jewish state. He also discussed some of the major developments in current Israeli politics and world affairs, offering his insight as one of Israel’s veteran journalists and keenest analysts.

Press play below to listen to the talk, which can also be downloaded in the iTunes Store or streamed via Stitcher.

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FOREIGN POLICY, ISRAEL Comments turned off

No Obama ‘Legacy’ on Israel By Dan Calic

By on March 2nd, 2017

Donald Trump has been president for just over five weeks. Yet on many fronts there is little doubt a new era has been birthed. One of the most obvious is relations with Israel compared to the previous eight years under Barack Obama.

From the beginning of the Obama administration he was determined to put the U.S. on a different path with regard to the Muslim world. Indeed, the first foreign leader he called was Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority. Obama even made a point of telling Abbas his was the first call to a foreign leader, emphasizing his intent to signal a new direction for the U.S.

Obama furthered his effort at a new direction by making his first international speech in Cairo. During his speech he lamented about how the Palestinians suffer “humiliation under occupation,” and criticized Israel for building “settlements.”

Plus, throughout his two terms, it was clear Obama did not like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Right up to the bitter end, the Obama administration went out much as it began, with a slap at Israel. The final kick in the stomach was UN resolution 2334, which singled out Israel’s construction of settlements as the main obstacle to peace. Not a word was mentioned about ongoing Palestinian terrorism and murder of innocent Israeli civilians. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the U.S. has veto power and could have killed the resolution. However, knowing this would be his last opportunity to make a statement against Israel, Obama directed the U.S. to abstain from the voting, thus allowing it to pass.

Contrast this against the early stages of the Trump administration. Throughout his campaign he made it clear that the U.S. had treated its closest Middle East ally terribly. Since Trump has taken office, the difference can only be described as startling.

For example, he has called the Iran nuclear deal “the worst deal ever negotiated,” and has already imposed new sanctions on Iran.

His Secretary of State Rex Tillerson criticized former Secretary of State John Kerry for how he handled Israeli-Palestinian issues. “Israel is, always has been, and remains our most important ally in the region” according to Tillerson. He characterized UN resolution 2334 as an effort to “coerce” Israel to change course, further stating, “that will not bring a solution.”

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