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The Other Olympics, Where Israel Stands Out Winning more medals than students from all 57 Muslim countries put together. by Hugh Fitzgerald

Posted By on August 2nd, 2024

https://www.frontpagemag.com/the-other-olympics-where-israel-stands-out/

Israeli athletes may not stand out in the Paris Olympics, which measures physical prowess, though it remains to be seen how many medals the tiny Jewish state’s athletes will be able to win, as compared to other competitors, such as those from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and a competitor called “Palestine.” But in the mental Olympics of Mathematics and Physics, the Israeli competitors were outstanding again this year, their results rivaling those of entrants from much larger countries, including the United States, Russia, and China. More on that competition, and the Israeli triumph, can be found here: “Israeli students win 11 Olympic medals in mathematics, physics,” All Israel News, July 25, 2024:

Israeli student national teams earned 11 Olympic medals in mathematics and physics in two separate events in July: The International Mathematical Olympiad in the United Kingdom and the European Physics Olympiad in the country of Georgia.

The Israeli math team won two gold, two silver and two bronze medals amid fierce competition from 609 participants representing 108 countries. The Israeli physics team secured one gold medal and four silver medals during the competition against 256 participants from 55 countries….

In April, an Israeli student team won gold, silver and bronze medals at the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) in Slovenia. The female students won all three top slots in a competition with 214 participants from 56 countries.

Israeli students have also proven their skills in robotics competitions. In May, an Israeli high school team won first place in an international robotics competition held in Houston, Texas.

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Europe’s Recipe for Disaster: The Von der Leyen Program by Drieu Godefridi

Posted By on August 2nd, 2024

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20822/eu-von-der-leyen-program

[T]his reduction [of greenhouse gas emissions] structures and determines the whole of the Commission’s program, because all human activity — industrial, commercial and private — emits greenhouse gases. In fact, in a program document published by the Commission in February 2024, already under the aegis of von der Leyen, are plans to invest 1.5 trillion euros per year in decarbonizing the European Union, and to this end take authoritarian measures in all areas of human activity. The amount is equivalent to 10% of Europe’s GDP — every year. Apparently this policy is the uncompromising model found in every party in Germany, but apart from a war effort, there is no objective of any kind that has ever required the diversion of 10% of a continent’s GDP by political decree.

European funds, which are distributed to EU member states in various ways, will henceforth be “conditional on respect for the rule of law”… In other words, any deviation from the EU’s ideological line, in any area, will be subject to financial sanctions – as is already happening with Hungary. This new direction for the EU will lead to the ideology of Western Europe being imposed on Eastern Europe: “open borders”, environmentalism, the fight against “hate” — but only “hate” from the right of the political spectrum.

In particular, the aim is apparently to penalize social media networks that refuse to censor their users or, more precisely, that refuse to penalize their users in the way the EU wants… either X submits to the EU’s ideology and censorship, or X will have a part of its global revenue confiscated.

Again and again, the suggestion is set forth to build a European army, essentially supported by states such as Germany and Belgium, which… would already be incapable of defending their own borders without American assistance.

[I]n accordance with the ECHR’s case law, any illegal immigrants intercepted in the Mediterranean, even within sight of the African coast, must be brought to the European Union to exercise their “rights.” A tenfold increase in the number of border guards would do nothing to change the law in force; as long as the law is not reformed, unlimited and unvetted migration in Europe will continue.

[A] whole series of new regulations with global ambitions are announced, confirming the EU’s claim to legislate not just for Europe, but for the world. For instance, a “European Oceans Pact” — note the “s” in Oceans – is declared: evidently the EU claims to regulate all the world’s oceans, whereas it only dips its toes in one.

Of these groups, the center-right is by far the largest…. [But] It is the demands of the smallest group — environmentalists — that dominate….

By refusing on principle ever to govern with real right-wing parties, the center-right guarantees that the left remains forever in power.

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US Jewish students transfer to friendlier schools post-Oct. 7 By David Isaac

Posted By on August 2nd, 2024

https://www.jns.org/us-jewish-students-transfer-to-friendlier-schools-post-oct-7/

In the wake of the anti-Israel protests that swept across U.S. college campuses following the Hamas invasion on Oct. 7, anecdotal evidence suggests that Jewish students have started voting with their feet and decamping from the worst-offending schools. 

“We’ve seen an unprecedented number of students from top-tier institutions transfer to Yeshiva University, including from Columbia, Cornell and Barnard,” Yeshiva University President Rabbi Ari Berman told JNS.

On April 25, Yeshiva University announced that “in light of ongoing antisemitism and harassment on college campuses,” it would extend its deadline for transfer students until May 31.

Berman said this was the first time the school had received student transfers from Columbia in the middle of the year. There was “no question” in his mind that the students were searching for a safer environment.

Although he wouldn’t share the number of students, he said it was high enough that the school needed to expand its infrastructure to accommodate everyone. “We have more people in our system now than we’ve ever had before,” he said.

Eliana Samuels, 19, grew up in a religious home in New York, graduated high school in 2023 and took a gap year to study in Israel. She’d planned to attend Columbia in the fall. “I applied early decision, which is binding. I didn’t see a problem with that, because I couldn’t really picture myself anywhere else,” she told JNS, noting her mother went to Columbia.

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Two Assassinations and a Transformed War Israel just took out Hamas and Hezbollah leaders deep inside enemy territory. Now Iran is threatening to retaliate. What comes next? Jonathan Schanzer

Posted By on August 2nd, 2024

https://www.thefp.com/p/two-assassinations-hamas-hezbollah-israel?utm_campaign=email-post&r=8t06w&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

The past 48 hours have been the most dramatic and consequential of any since Hamas’s war against Israel began on October 7, 2023. More than that: they could reverse the momentum of this war which, until now, has been dictated by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies. 

Let’s review the news:

On July 30, as the sun began to set in Beirut, Israel launched a precision air strike on Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah military commander. The strike took place in the Dahiyeh neighborhood, which is Hezbollah’s stronghold in the city. Shukr was wanted for decades by U.S. authorities for his role in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. military personnel. But the proximate reason for this hit was Hezbollah’s Saturday rocket attack in northern Israel, which killed 12 Druze children on a soccer field. Milad Bidi, an adviser to the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, was also killed in Israel’s strike. 

Less than ten hours later, more dramatic news came out of Tehran: Israel eliminated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, making him the highest-ranking Hamas official to be killed since the war began. Most significant was how and where he was hit. Haniyeh was taken out in his Tehran apartment in the middle of the night. Yesterday, veteran Israeli journalist Ehud Yaari reported the missile that felled Haniyeh was not launched from the air. According to a New York Times report, Mossad smuggled a bomb into Haniyeh’s home months ago, only to detonate it remotely when the time was right.

These were by far the most high profile of Israel’s strikes on Iranian-backed terror groups and their leadership since October 7. But these are not the only ones. 

Earlier this month, on July 13, the IDF struck Mohammed Deif, Hamas’s top military commander. Deif met his end in an air strike in Mouasi—an area along the Gaza coast—where he attempted to blend in with Palestinians seeking refuge from the destructive war that he himself directed. Deif is credited for transforming Hamas from a tactical annoyance into a terror group that has pushed the Middle East to the brink of a regional war.

So what does all of this mean? 

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Iran’s Ayatollahs and Hezbollah assault on the US homeland Yoram Ettinger

Posted By on August 2nd, 2024

http://bit.ly/3WqvRfu

*The Washington DC-based Wilson Center think tank contends that “the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas against Israel, which killed 1,200 people [equal to 41,000 Americans], including 32 U.S. citizens, …could inspire [Islamic] terrorist attacks in the United States and other regions, including Latin America….

*Iran’s Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani stated that “Latin American countries are of special significance in Iran’s foreign and defense policy, based on the importance of the very sensitive South American region.” 

*According to Arturo McFields, a Nicaragua diplomat in-exile (The Hill, May 2, 2024), the Ayatollahs’ threat to the US homeland cannot be underestimated. In fact, Iran has redoubled its political, technological and military alliance with Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

*A University of Texas at El Paso study concludes that “[the Hezbollah-Mexican drug cartels nexus] is a time bomb waiting to explode in our homeland…. The threat of an attack by Hezbollah against the US has always been present. It has become much more realistic due to the Hezbollah spread of activity and influence in Latin America [including underground tunnel construction along the US-Mexico border]…. Hezbollah has many pieces in place to conduct an act of terror on U.S. interests…. Venezuela and Chile are hosting Hezbollah, and several more Latin American countries have also been supportive. The proximity of Mexico makes it more deadly. [The Hezbollah-Mexican drug cartels collaboration includes training in the areas of car-bombs, suicide bombing and Improvised Explosive Devices]….”   

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“The Election – Character or Issues?” Sydney Williams

Posted By on August 2nd, 2024

http://www.swtotd.blogspot.com

While it appears that we Americans don’t agree on a lot, there is general agreement that our political center has been squeezed by extremists at both ends of the political spectrum. Democrats have moved to the left – toward European-style social engineering. Republicans have become more populist, not in an authoritarian way, but in the sense that they represent ordinary people opposed to elitists in government, labor, finance, business and education. At the far-left are those who fly the Palestinian flag, and sick climate-cultists who destroy works of art to bring attention to their agenda. At the far-right are those who fly the Confederate flag, and xenophobes who would deport illegal aliens. Political choice has become more difficult for those inclined toward a politics of consensus and collaboration.

An emphasis on character by the media has replaced a focus on issues that affect the electorate. While Kamala Harris may have an edge when it comes to character, she is no paragon of virtue. Both candidates are fodder for the tabloids. The crucial differences between them are not in their character; it is their policy prescriptions. Like most politicians, Ms. Harris is chameleon-like when it comes to where she stands, except on issues like abortion, climate change and Hamas. She was, keep in mind, ranked the most liberal of all U.S. Senators in 2019 by GovTrack.us, a non-partisan Congress tracker. In contrast, Mr. Trump, apart from lacking a sense of humor, being a protectionist on trade, and wanting to make America great again, seems devoid of a consistent political ideology. But he has the advantage of not being a pietistic professional politician.

As November draws closer, voters must grapple with multiple issues: the economy/inflation, healthcare, foreign policy/defense, immigration, debt/deficits, abortion, education, climate/environment, entitlements, infrastructure, the Supreme Court, along with myriad concerns regarding the cultural environment, from the role of families, the threat from identity politics, to biological men participating in women’s sports.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

Guest Contributor The World Held Hostage, Day 300: Countering Kamala’s Condescension, Bibi Bombs Away Bob Maistros

Posted By on August 2nd, 2024

https://issuesinsights.com/2024/08/02/the-world-held-hostage-day-300-countering-kamalas-condescension-bibi-bombs-away/

A tragic milestone is reached today: Day 300 of Iran Hostage Crisis II, as reflected on this site.

And developments are moving fast and furious, even if the end of the ordeal has not for five Americans and some 65 other innocent captives still presumed alive.

As the marker approached, dynamic Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an oration for the ages, and took bold, decisive actions that could accelerate a deal to return the women, infants, and men who continue as pawns in Hamas’ cruel machinations.

And dimwitted presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris delivered remarks for the aged (i.e., stepping into the place of her deposed, dementia-ridden boss) that threatened to set the captives’ homecoming back indefinitely.

“The war in Gaza could end tomorrow if Hamas surrenders, disarms, and returns all the hostages,” Bibi boomed during his address before a joint congressional session. “But if they don’t, Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home.”

Yet why would Hamas’ blood-soaked Caesars wave the white flag and cash in their caches of human poker chips given Harris’ winking assurances in her first appearance as de facto diplomat in chief?

After meeting Netanyahu, whom she had already dissed by skipping his speech – and following a dutiful but disingenuous recitation of the usual homilies about supporting Israel – Ms. Harris laid bare where her real sympathies lie as she embarrassed her guest with a regurgitation of warmed-over Palestinian propaganda:

To wit: 

I also expressed with the prime minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians. And I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there, with over 2 million people facing high levels of food insecurity and half a million people facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity.

ANTI-SEMITISM, ISRAEL Comments turned off

Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism If you insist that the Jewish state is the only one that should not be allowed to defend itself against terrorist attacks, you are probably an antisemite. David Benatar

Posted By on August 1st, 2024

An unqualified advocacy of two states, without adequate attention to Israel’s security, would very likely result in repeated threats of the kind Israel currently experiences from Hezbollah in Lebanon and from Hamas in Gaza. Advocating that inhabitants of the only Jewish state should expose themselves to such risks—especially if you would not expect that of any other country—is antisemitic in effect. Unless the political culture of the Middle East outside of Israel changes fundamentally, the likely effect of a binational, unitary, or even a federal state, would be to make things even worse for Israel’s Jews than they already are. As things stand, it is fantastical to suppose that a Palestinian state between “the river and the sea” would be any different from any of the states that currently surround Israel. If such a state were established, the results would be fatal to many Jews currently living in Israel. The events of 7 October 2023 provide ample evidence for this. Any Jews who survived the establishment of a Palestinian state would then be living in the kind of repressive regime that characterises the entire region, outside of Israel. In short, there is no plausible interpretation of “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” that could imply anything other than disaster for Israel’s Jews. If this is your plan to bring liberal democracy to Palestine, you are naïve at best. You may not be motivated by antisemitic prejudice, but your plan is antisemitic in effect.

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Antisemitism: The Sinister Pattern The enemies of the Jews are the enemies of Enlightenment. Brett Hall (November 2023)

Posted By on August 1st, 2024

https://quillette.com/2023/11/01/antisemitism-the-sinister-pattern/

The enemies of Israel are the enemies of reason and civilisation, and of our traditions of criticism. Those of us who like to think of ourselves as defenders of reason have a responsibility to speak out on this here and now, at one of the darkest times in modern history.

There are 7.2 million Jews living in Israel—73 percent of the population. So, less than three-quarters of Israel’s population is comprised of Jews. But Israel is a Jewish state, a state that exists to protect Jews. This is required because there have been systematic attempts over thousands of years to exterminate Jews. And ever since there have been Jews, there have been Jews in Israel. The first Jews populated the land where Israel is today in around 2,000 BCE. In other words, they have continuously occupied the land for close to 4,000 years.

There are around 15 million Jews living on Earth and of those who live outside Israel, most are found in the US, which has a Jewish population of around 6 million. By comparison there are 2.38 billion Christians and around 2.1 billion Muslims worldwide. Jews comprise only 0.2 percent of the total global population. Christians make up approximately 31.6 percent, Muslims around 25 percent, and Hindus 15 percent—even Buddhists make up around 8 percent. There would be many more Jews but for the continued and sometimes almost successful attempts to exterminate them. There is an asymmetry here.

Mainstream Islam explicitly teaches its adherents that Jews deserve death simply for being Jews. We could illustrate this with many passages from Islamic scripture, but one typical example will suffice, from a Hadith by Ibn ’Umar, reported by Al-Bukhari:

I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying: “You (i.e., Muslims) will fight against the Jews and you will gain victory over them. The stones will (betray them) saying: ‘O Abdullah! There is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him.”

Mainstream Islamic scripture is riddled with Jew hatred. Muslim children are taught this scripture. Of course, not all Muslims are antisemitic, but, again, there is an asymmetry here. Jewish scripture does not teach Jews to hate Muslims—if only because, when the Torah was written, Muslims did not exist. The Hebrew Bible predates Islam by around 2,500 years.

Israel has a population of approximately 9.4 million. Compare this to Egypt’s more than 110 million, Iran’s more than 88 million, Syria’s 22 million and Jordan’s 11.5 million. While Jews comprise only 0.2 percent of the global population, they fill our news reports night after night, years after year, generation after generation. Because they are always under attack: for being Jews and for defending themselves.

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The Horror of an Iranian Nuclear Weapon by Nils A. Haug

Posted By on August 1st, 2024

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20827/iran-nuclear-weapon-horror

Iran has hardly been shy about articulating its genocidal objectives against Israel. Iran’s newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian, in early July, reaffirmed “Tehran’s dedication to destroying Israel.” This aim, he added, is “rooted in the fundamental policies of the Islamic Republic.”

The question, therefore, is what exactly is to be done to prevent a nuclear catastrophe initiated by Iran, one that could arrive at any moment?

“In the Middle East, Iran is virtually behind all the terrorism…. When he founded the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini pledged, ‘We will export our revolution to the entire world. We will export the Islamic revolution to the entire world’… which country ultimately stands in the way of Iran’s maniacal plans to impose radical Islam on the world?… It’s America, the guardian of Western civilization and the world’s greatest power. That’s why Iran sees America as its greatest enemy… Last month…. the foreign minister of Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah… said this: ‘This is not a war with Israel. Israel… is merely a tool. The main war, the real war, is with America.'” — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking before a joint session of the US Congress, July 25 2o24.

“Is this war now with Israel?… My answer is that this is not a war with Israel. Israel is merely a tool. The main war, the real war, is with America.” — Khalil Rizk, Hezbollah’s head of foreign relations on Al-Manar TV, June 17, 2024.

“The greatest tragedy of the Jewish people,” Nobel Peace Prize laureate Eli Wiesel stated, “is that they listen to the promises of their friends and not the threats of their enemies.”

The leaders of Israel should take seriously the threats of their enemies and act to protect both Israel and the Free World from potential imminent disaster.

The primary obligation of any national leader, including Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is to protect the integrity of the country’s borders and to ensure the safety of every citizen. Netanyahu’s legal, political, and moral duty is to ensure that every citizen can live in peace, and be free, prosperous, and independent.