Posts

Israel Suggests It May Ignore Joe Biden on Iran, After Biden Ignores Netanyahu

Israel may ignore U.S. President Joe Biden in dealing with Iran if he pushes toward reviving the nuclear deal, according to Ambassador to the U.S. Gilad Erdan.

Biden campaigned on restoring the Iran deal, even though it allowed the regime to pursue nuclear weapons after roughly a decade, and did not include provisions preventing Iran’s development of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles or its support for terrorist proxies in the region and around the world.

Israel may be forced to pursue its own strategy, according to a report in Israel Hayom on Tuesday:

Israel held out the possibility on Tuesday that it would not engage with US President Joe Biden on strategy regarding the Iranian nuclear program, urging tougher sanctions and a “credible military threat.”

“We will not be able to be part of such a process if the new administration returns to that deal,” Ambassador Gilad Erdan told Israel’s Army Radio.

(Read more from “Israel Suggests It May Ignore Joe Biden on Iran, After Biden Ignores Netanyahu” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE and MeWe HERE

WATCH: White House Won’t Say Whether Israel Is a U.S. Ally in Latest Biden Disaster

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki committed a major foreign policy fumble on Friday as President Joe Biden faces continued criticism that he is giving the cold shoulder to the country’s most crucial Middle East ally, Israel. . .

During Friday’s briefing, a reporter asked Psaki, “Can you please just give a broad sense of what the administration is trying to achieve in the Middle East? For example, does the administration still consider the Saudis and the Israelis important allies?”

“Uh, well, uh,” Psaki quickly replied before launching into a signature Psaki Circle Back, which is to say, she proceeded to do anything but actually answer this incredibly pertinent question.

(Read more from “WATCH: White House Won’t Say Whether Israel Is a U.S. Ally in Latest Biden Disaster” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE and MeWe HERE

240 People Diagnosed With COVID Despite Receiving Vaccine

Among the nearly one million Israelis vaccinated against coronavirus so far, some 240 Israelis have been diagnosed with the virus days after getting the shot, Channel 13 News reported Thursday.

The figure underscores the need for individuals to continue to protect themselves for weeks after being inoculated, as the body takes time to develop effective antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.

The Pfizer vaccine is not made with the coronavirus itself, meaning that there is no chance anyone could catch it from the shots. Instead, the vaccine contains a piece of genetic code that trains the immune system to recognize the spiked protein on the surface of the virus and create antibodies to attack if it encounters the real thing.

But this process takes time, and studies of the vaccine so far have shown immunity to the virus rises only some 8-10 days after the first injection — and then only to around 50 percent effectiveness.

This is why the second dose of the vaccine, given 21 days after the first, is critical: It strengthens the immune system’s response to the virus, bringing it to 95% effectiveness and ensuring that immunity lasts. This level of immunity is only reached about a week after the second dose — or 28 days after the first. (Read more from “240 People Diagnosed With COVID Despite Receiving Vaccine” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Omar and Tlaib Headline Anti-Israel Hatefest

Democratic representatives Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), and Betty McCollum (Minn.) headlined a conference this weekend run by one of the nation’s most prolific anti-Israel advocacy groups, lending their support to an organization that champions boycotts of Israel and has partnered with individuals tied to terrorism.

The lawmakers, known for their anti-Israel rhetoric and promotion of anti-Semitic materials, appeared at the American Muslims for Palestine’s (AMP) annual conference, which was held virtually over Thanksgiving weekend. The conference featured outspoken critics of Israel, including those with reported ties to the Hamas terror group. AMP, which itself has been tied to terror financiers, is a leading promoter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which seeks to wage economic warfare on Israel by boycotting Jewish-made goods.

The lawmakers gave remarks alongside speakers such as Tarek Hamoud, executive director of the Palestinian Return Center, which has reportedly been linked to Hamas. Other speakers included Huwaida Arraf, a BDS promoter and lawyer who represented a Palestinian terrorist. AMP has also employed individuals who worked for the Holy Land Foundation, which was probed by the FBI in 2001 for illicitly funneling upward of $12 million to Hamas. AMP’s founder, Hatem Bazian, is the creator of Students for Justice in Palestine, a notoriously anti-Semitic campus group that has harassed and assaulted Jewish students.

During the three-day conference, speakers from across the pro-Palestinian advocacy scene discussed their efforts to push the incoming Biden administration into adopting a more hardline stance against Israel that includes rolling back critical U.S. security aid. Organizations like AMP are fighting for a seat at the table in Joe Biden’s White House, as lawmakers such as Omar and Tlaib work to mainstream anti-Israel voices.

Tlaib, in her remarks, lashed out at American “supporters of the occupation,” a reference to pro-Israel organizations in America that support Israel’s right to exist. She claimed these groups are “working to criminalize our right to boycott and organize—literally our freedom of speech and First Amendment.” (Read more from “Omar and Tlaib Headline Anti-Israel Hatefest” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Anti-Israel Radical Named as Biden’s Deputy White House Press Secretary

On Sunday, Joe Biden’s transition team announced that Karine Jean-Pierre would become the principal deputy White House press secretary. Previously, Jean-Pierre was both a senior advisor and chief of staff to Kamala Harris.

However, Jean-Pierre is also notoriously anti-Israel.

In 2019, as a national spokesperson for the radical-Leftist group MoveOn.org, Jean-Pierre commended the 2020 Democrat presidential candidates for boycotting the annual American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference. She wrote in Newsweek at the time that “AIPAC’s policies are not progressive policies. AIPAC’s values are not progressive values.”

Jean-Pierre criticized AIPAC for hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, writing that “under his leadership of Israel, according to the United Nations, Israel may have committed war crimes in its attacks on Gazan protesters.” She has also accused the group of “severely racist, Islamophobic rhetoric.”

(Read more from “Anti-Israel Radical Named as Biden’s Deputy White House Press Secretary” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

NYT Columnist Who Called for ‘End of Israel’ to Appear With Noted Antisemites

Anti-Israel activist groups are sponsoring a panel discussion on “dismantling antisemitism,” featuring New York Times columnist Peter Beinart who previously called for the “end of Israel” as a panelist.

Despite promoting anti-Israel rhetoric in the past, Beinart, joined by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Barbara Ransby, and Marc Lamont Hill, is slated to speak at a discussion titled, “Dismantling Antisemitism, Winning Justice,” sponsored by anti-Israel groups such as United Against Hate, Jewish Currents, Jewish Voice for Peace, Arab American Institute, and Foundation for Middle East Peace.

Just a few months ago, Beinart openly called for the undermining of Israel and Zionism by creating an equal state shared by the Palestinians in a New York Times op-ed titled “I No Longer Believe in a Jewish State.”

“It’s time to abandon the traditional two-state solution and embrace the goal of equal rights for Jews and Palestinians. It’s time to imagine a Jewish home that is not a Jewish state,” he wrote. (Read more from “NYT Columnist Who Called for ‘End of Israel’ to Appear With Noted Antisemites” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Israel Demands Apology From CNN Anchor for Holocaust Comparison

Israel demanded an apology from CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour on Sunday for her comments comparing the Trump presidency to Kristallnacht, a violent pogrom perpetrated against Jews in Nazi Germany that killed dozens and left synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses destroyed .

“Using the memory of the Holocaust for cheap headlines or a political agenda is concerning and distorts the historical and moral truth,” Diaspora Affairs minister Omer Yankelevich said, according to the Jerusalem Post. She added that CNN “should be a partner in the global effort to fight anti-Semitism and not fuel the fire.” . . .

Following the comments, prominent American and Israeli commentators slammed Amanpour for the analogy. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called the comparison “despicable,” demanding CNN “apologize for trivializing the Holocaust and the tragic genocide of millions of Jews.”

“They must also apologize for slandering the most pro-Israel President in history,” she added. (Read more from “Israel Demands Apology From CNN Anchor for Holocaust Comparison” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Sudan, Israel Agree To Normalize Ties in U.S.-Brokered Deal

Israel and Sudan have agreed to normalize relations, the third such U.S.-brokered agreement in the Middle East in recent weeks, the Trump administration announced Friday.

President Donald Trump announced the deal during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok he hosted in the presence of reporters in the Oval Office.

“This is an incredible deal for Israel and Sudan,” Trump said during the call. “For decades Sudan has been at a state of war with Israel — they have been in a state of war and boycotted Israeli goods. There was no relationship whatsoever.

“Today’s peace agreement will enhance your security and end Sudan’s long isolation from the world.

“It’s peace in the Middle East without bloodshed,” Trump added. (Read more from “Sudan, Israel Agree To Normalize Ties in U.S.-Brokered Deal” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

Kamala Harris’s Ties to Muslim Anti-Israel Group Revealed

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s ties to a leading anti-Israel group are generating scrutiny among Jewish voters, particularly in Florida, a perennial swing state populated by a large number of staunchly pro-Israel voters.

As California’s attorney general and then as U.S. senator, Harris forged a relationship with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the nation’s top anti-Israel groups and advocates for boycotts of the Jewish state. CAIR advised Harris on community issues during her time in California politics, and she later offered the group her “gratitude and admiration” in a 2018 personal letter to the group.

Harris’s association with CAIR is drawing scrutiny ahead of the 2020 presidential election. While Jewish voters overwhelmingly lean Democratic, the party’s recent embrace of anti-Israel causes and activists could make the critical voting bloc think twice. Biden has promised to be a mainstream pro-Israel president, but the Democratic Party’s alliance with anti-Israel leaders threatens to pull the candidate leftward, as evidenced by Biden’s campaign pledge to confront Israel over its continued building of Jewish homes in disputed areas. Recent national polls show around 30 percent support for Trump among Jewish voters, a number that ranks on the high end historically. And CAIR’s support for the Democratic ticket could prove to be a lightning rod for team Biden in states such as Florida, local GOP officials say.

“Every Jewish American should be concerned about a potential vice president who aligns herself with groups that support terrorists,” said Randy Fine, a former Republican Florida state politician who went toe-to-toe with CAIR on several initiatives. “I don’t think we want people in the White House to invite anti-Semites to have a seat at the table.” (Read more from “Kamala Harris’s Ties to Muslim Anti-Israel Group Revealed” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE

‘Jerusalem Is Our City,’ Turkey’s Erdogan Declares

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday implied that Jerusalem belongs to Turkey, referring to the Ottoman Empire’s control over the city for much of the modern era.

“In this city that we had to leave in tears during the First World War, it is still possible to come across traces of the Ottoman resistance. So Jerusalem is our city, a city from us,” he told Turkish lawmakers during a major policy speech in Ankara. “Our first qibla [direction of prayer in Islam] al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem are the symbolic mosques of our faith. In addition, this city is home to the holy places of Christianity and Judaism.”

The Ottoman Empire ruled over Jerusalem from 1516 to 1917. Modern Turkey, its successor state, has long stressed its enduring connection to the holy city, regularly condemning Israel’s alleged efforts to “judaize” it and the US administration’s December 2017 recognition of it as Israel’s capital.

Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel since the country’s founding, and the Jewish people have thousands of years of history in the city, backed up by extensive archaeological finds.

During a lengthy speech at the opening of the Turkish parliament’s new legislative session, Erdoğan spent several minutes lamenting the fate of Jerusalem and the Palestinians’ plight. (Read more from “‘Jerusalem Is Our City,’ Turkey’s Erdogan Declares” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE