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Netanyahu: Abbas Lied to President Trump

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called out Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas for lying to President Donald Trump during their meeting Wednesday.

The leader of the anti-Semitic Palestinian Authority came to the United States as President Trump seeks a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine.

“I want to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians,” Trump told Reuters last week. “There is no reason there’s not peace between Israel and the Palestinians — none whatsoever.”

During a joint press conference with the president, Abbas expressed a desire for peace and claimed that Palestinian children are brought up in a “culture of peace.”

“Mr. President, I affirm to you that we are raising our youth, our children, our grandchildren on a culture of peace,” Abbas told Trump. “And we are endeavoring to bring about security, freedom and peace for our children to live like the other children in the world, along with the Israeli children in peace, freedom and security.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu called out Abbas’ egregious lie.

“I heard President Abbas yesterday say that they teach, Palestinians teach their children peace. That’s unfortunately not true,” Netanyahu said Thursday. “They name their schools after mass murderers of Israelis and they pay terrorists.”

President Trump is mistaken if he believes Abbas is genuinely interested in finding peace. The Palestinian leader has a series of ties to terrorist organizations and has previously motivated his people to commit acts of violence against the Israeli people.

Despite Abbas’ history as a bad actor, PM Netanyahu reserves hope that peace can be achieved.

“But I hope that it’s possible to achieve a change and to pursue a genuine peace. This is something Israel is always ready for. I’m always ready for genuine peace,” Netanyahu said.

President Trump has previously criticized the Palestinian authority for teaching their children hate “from a very young age.”

(For more from the author of “Netanyahu: Abbas Lied to President Trump” please click HERE)

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What’s at Stake in Trump Meeting With Palestinian Leader

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President Donald Trump will meet with the leader of the Palestinian Authority this week, ahead of his first trip to Israel expected later this month.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will visit the White House Wednesday, with a U.S. president that seems decidedly pro-Israel, while also genuinely interested in a Middle East peace deal.

“The president’s ultimate goal is to establish peace in the region and so I think that’s obviously the goal and the discussion he’s going to have with the head of the Palestinian Authority,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told The Daily Signal during the White House press briefing on Monday.

“That’s going to be a relationship he’s going to continue to work on and build with the ultimate goal that there is peace in that region between Israel and the Palestinian Authority,” Spicer added.

Still, considering the political problems Abbas is facing among his own people, experts have a mixed view on whether the visit will have any significance.

As a candidate, Trump pledged to relocate the Israeli Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move that could spark rage among Palestinians.

The Daily Signal asked Monday if Trump will talk about moving the embassy during his Wednesday meeting with Abbas.

“That is still being discussed by staff,” Spicer told The Daily Signal.

In an interview last week, Trump told Reuters, “ask me in a month on that,” about moving the embassy to Jerusalem.

“I want to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians,” the president added. “There is no reason there’s not peace between Israel and the Palestinians—none whatsoever.”

The meeting presents a major opportunity for Abbas, said Robert Danin, a senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“President Trump is not interested in peace process or in negotiations for negotiations’ sake. He is interested in a deal,” Danin told The Daily Signal in a phone interview. “There are a lot of questions about Abbas and his political standing. He has to convince the president that he can close the deal. It’s a big challenge, but it’s also a tremendous opportunity.”

Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February. During a joint press conference with the two leaders, Trump predicted a “bigger and better” Middle East peace deal than anyone expects. He asked Israel to hold back on settlements, and said he is open to a two-state solution or one-state solution, whichever is more likely to bring peace.

Trump has said that his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, would be in charge of reaching a peace deal.

Danin added that Trump could be in a stronger position than previous presidents, and could even put pressure on Israel that President Barack Obama couldn’t.

“The people of Israel believe Trump is on their side,” Danin said. “President Trump doesn’t believe settlements and settlers are bad guys. He believes the settlements are part of the answer, but he hasn’t demonized the settlers as President Obama did. They believe he wants to move the embassy to Jerusalem, no matter what he does.”

At this stage, Abbas has little influence as a leader, said Jim Phillips, a senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs with The Heritage Foundation.

“I think the Abbas visit will yield little results. Abbas is unwilling and unable to reach a comprehensive peace agreement with Israel on acceptable terms,” Phillips told The Daily Signal.

Abbas, 82, is facing a tough political climate at home. Though his term was supposed to expire in 2009, he remained in power without an election nor designated successor. His party, Fatah, is also divided.

“He has no control over Hamas, which is virulently opposed to Israel’s existence, let alone negotiations, and it would torpedo any final accord he would sign,” Phillips said. “Even many of his own supporters within Fatah have abandoned him. He is yesterday’s man and is increasingly irrelevant to what happens tomorrow.”

Trump did the right thing in reaching out to Abbas for a meeting, said Clare Lopez, vice president for research and analysis at the Center for Security Policy, a conservative foreign policy think tank in the District of Columbia. However, she said no one should expect a breakthrough on a peace deal.

“I’m not exactly sure why the U.S. keeps trying. Every time, the Palestinians were offered a deal, a good deal, under President [Bill] Clinton, under President [George W.] Bush, they walked away,” Lopez told The Daily Signal. “Whether it’s Hamas in Gaza or Fatah in the West Bank, this is Islam, it’s not political.”

Lopez said that any Palestinian leader who wanted to recognize Israel’s right to exist would be marginalized, accused of apostasy, and likely to face threats to his life. (For more from the author of “What’s at Stake in Trump Meeting With Palestinian Leader” please click HERE)

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No Refuge on Good Friday: Palestinian Stabs Young Christian Woman to Death in Israel

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A 23-year-old Christian tourist was stabbed to death by a Palestinian man as Christians gathered to celebrate Good Friday, ABC News reports. The attack comes as Christians around the world commemorate the day Jesus Christ was crucified and died, rising from the dead three days later on Easter — the highest Christian holy day.

The attack took place on a tram close to the Old City, where tourists from around the world have come to commemorate Easter and Passover. The woman died shortly after she was brought to a medical facility, despite efforts to save her. The 57-year old Palestinian attacker was apprehended by police.

Local media quoted witnesses as saying the man stabbed the woman multiple times. Reports said a pregnant woman was injured when the light rail came to a sudden stop. The attacker was apprehended by officers at the scene, police said.

Reports indicate two others were injured as well.

According to ABC News, Palestinians have killed 42 Israelis and two visiting Americans since September 2015. The Palestinian Authority regularly incites violence and acts of terror against Christians and Jews in Israel.

Governments around the world are taking steps to prevent attacks by radical Islamic terrorists over the Easter holiday. Authorities in Kosovo claim they have already intercepted plans for such an attack. (For more from the author of “No Refuge on Good Friday: Palestinian Stabs Young Christian Woman to Death in Israel” please click HERE)

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GOP-Led Congress Looks to Protect Israel and Check Iranian Power

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Aiming to prove their commitment to Israel, senior U.S. lawmakers are backing bipartisan legislation that would slap Iran with new sanctions while maintaining rigorous enforcement of the landmark nuclear deal.

The measures, unveiled at the opening of the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, seek to build consensus among Republicans and Democrats who are so often bitterly at odds on domestic issues. The AIPAC meeting continues Tuesday with appearances by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

During Monday’s session, House Speaker Paul Ryan declared the U.S. commitment to Israel “sacrosanct.” Ryan also derided the nuclear deal an “unmitigated disaster” that gives Iran “a patient pathway to a nuclear weapons capability.” (Read more from “GOP-Led Congress Looks to Protect Israel and Check Iranian Power” HERE)

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US-Israel Partnership Just Added Something Revolutionary

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The defense partnership between the United States and Israel is set to reap the benefits of perhaps its greatest combined innovation to date.

Israel will soon add a revolutionary new missile defense system to its defense arsenal, a senior Israeli Air Force official said Monday. Known as “David’s Sling,” or “Magic Wand,” the joint U.S.-Israel creation will become fully operational at the beginning of April.

David’s Sling will protect Israel from medium-range missiles, as part of its three-tier defense system that also guards the country’s citizens from smaller short-range rockets and long-range ballistic threats.

Iron Dome, which achieved incredible success (with a 90 percent interception rate) in Israel’s latest flare-up with the Hamas terrorist group in 2014, guards the country against short-range threats. Multiple Iron Dome batteries are often activated amid conflict so Israel can deter threats aiming to overwhelm the systems.

Its Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 systems protect against long-range ballistic threats. The newly deployed Arrow was used for the first time on Friday to intercept a 440-pound missile fired from Syria. According to the Associated Press, the Syrian missile targeted Israeli jets returning from a strike on a Hezbollah weapons convoy.

David’s Sling, Iron Dome and Arrow have all been developed jointly by Israel and the United States, highlighting the successes and innovation produced by the defense partnership.

“In the next two weeks we will declare operational the David’s Sling and at that time we will have completed our multi-tier (defence capability),” an Israeli official said. “I’m sure that together with the Iron Dome and the Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 it will enhance our ability to deal with threats.”

David’s Sling has been jointly developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the American defense company Raytheon. It is promoted as a more advanced version of the U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air missile.

Much of the $3.1 billion in annual aid Israel receives from the United States goes toward bolstering the aforementioned missile defense projects. The defense shield can fire upon and target both enemy aircraft and incoming cruise missiles. David’s Sling has a range three times that of the Iron Dome, and the integrated system can undergo constant upgrades.

Israel faces a variety of threats from several local terrorist groups and enemy states, which include Syria, Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and ISIS, to name a handful. (For more from the author of “US-Israel Partnership Just Added Something Revolutionary” please click HERE)

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Anti-Israel Hate Is a Symptom of the UN Human Rights Council’s Cancerous Corruption

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The U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is corrupt to its core, and its lashing out at Israel is a manifestation of the group’s immoral, corrupt structure. Tasked a decade ago with promoting and defending human rights around the world, the UNHRC has failed to carry out its founding mission.

The U.S. delegation to the council, led by Erin Barclay, threatened America’s departure from the prominent U.N. subdivision Wednesday, claiming the international organization’s unhealthy “obsession” with the state of Israel threatens the group’s credibility and “makes a mockery of this council.”

In Geneva, Barclay, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, stated: “The U.S. also remains deeply troubled by the council’s consistent, unfair and unbalanced focus on one democratic country, Israel.”

“For this council to have any credibility, let alone success, it must move away from its unbalanced and unproductive positions,” she said. “As we consider our future engagements, my government will be considering the council’s actions with an eye to reform, to more fully achieve the council’s missions to protect and promote human rights.”

The UNHRC has long been a group that has overlooked worldwide atrocities in favor of singling out Israel with rhetorical aggression and condemnation.

But the UNHRC not only has an Israel problem — the institution’s membership roster itself shows why it could never truly promote human rights. After all, how can an organization have any credibility on human rights when its members are a who’s who of the world’s foremost violators of universal ideals?

Ruthless authoritarian countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, China, Cuba, Venezuela, and many others are tasked with upholding the UNHRC’s core mission to promote and protect human rights.

In 2015, the council chose Saudi Arabia’s ambassador Faisal bin Hassan Trad to chair the UNHRC panel on selecting human rights experts. In the ambassador’s country, women are treated as second-class citizens. They cannot go out in public without a male companion, and need to wear clothing that covers them head-to-toe, with only their eyes and hands permitted to be uncovered. In Saudi Arabia, Islam is the only recognized religion, and the country follows an extremely harsh penal code to punish violations of Shariah law.

The U.N. Human Rights Council has long abandoned the promotion of actual human rights and has dedicated the last decade to delegitimizing Israel – the only free country in the Middle East.

From 2006 to 2016, the UNHRC adopted 135 resolutions condemning countries. An incredibe 68 (over half) of those resolutions singled out the Jewish state for criticism.

However, Israel is only a symptom of the cancer that is the UNHRC. If the United States wants the UNHRC to foster an environment that campaigns for true human rights, the U.N. body needs to purge the forces of evil from within it. (For more from the author of “Anti-Israel Hate Is a Symptom of the UN Human Rights Council’s Cancerous Corruption” please click HERE)

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Christian Group: Israel Is Key to Christian Presence in Middle East

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In the past decade, millions of Christians have fought to escape persecution and violence in the Middle East. Many have died, while others have traveled to Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere in search of safety.

According to Robert Nicholson, Executive Director of The Philos Project, two of the keys to a continued Christian presence in The Holy Land include a continued U.S. military presence in Iraq and a thriving Israel.

“It is imperative that the United States continue to support the existence of the State of Israel,” Nicholson told The Stream at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). “It is imperative that we not withdraw from Iraq after its liberation, as that will create a power vacuum which will be filled by another insurgency.”

The U.S. has led a coalition of nations against terrorist actors and others in Iraq for nearly 15 years. Some say the terrorist group ISIS, which in recent years has been the focus of U.S. anti-terrorism efforts, arose because former President Barack Obama drew down the U.S. presence in the nation. Others say ISIS wouldn’t exist if former President George W. Bush had not launched the invasion in the first place in 2003.

Christians make up between five and 10 percent of the Syrian population, but just one-half of one percent of the refugees accepted from Syria in the 2016 fiscal year. Nicholson told The Stream that U.S. policy on the Middle East should aid both Christians who want to come to America and those who wish to stay in their homelands.

I support the prioritization of Christian and other minority refugees whose lives have been destroyed by the Islamic state. After being forced from their homes, they are often the victims of further discrimination in neighboring Arab countries who have been aiding in the refugee crisis. It is imperative, however, that by favoring certain minorities, U.S. policy does not inadvertently drain the region of Christianity. At-risk minority communities in Iraq and Syria must be preserved.

“I see a deep need to protect minority interests on the ground in Iraq and Syria,” Nicholson continued. “Christianity and Judaism is quickly disappearing from the Arab world – the cradle of both those religions. The Philos Project seeks to reinvigorate thoughtful discussion on sustainable solutions to preserve minority heritage in the region.”

The Philos Project hosted a panel at CPAC is entitled, “Why Disengagement Isn’t an Option in the Middle East.” Nicholson said his group is aiming “to inform and educate Christian leaders and future leaders to have a holistic understanding of the complex situations in the Middle East.”

“We recognize that many leaders who care about Israel and Christianity in the Middle East come to the CPAC conference,” concluded Nicholson, who said the CPAC panel “will explore strategies for sustainable U.S. policy in the region.” (For more from the author of “Christian Group: Israel Is Key to Christian Presence in Middle East” please click HERE)

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Did Obama Just Hack President Trump’s Statement on Israel?

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The final major policy fight of Obama’s presidency was his public dispute with Israel over their right to build homes in their biblical homeland. The country was rightly appalled that Obama and then-Secretary of State John Kerry chose to focus on a few thousand Jewish homes in the foothills of ancient Samaria at a time when Islamic mayhem is breaking out all over Western Civilization. In many respects, this parting shot from Obama epitomized the moral dyslexia of his entire presidency.

At the time, conservatives and even some intellectually honest liberals breathed a sigh of relief that a new a president would soon be welcomed — one who stopped condemning our ally as a way of apologizing to the Islamic world. We thought we could finally break away from the global elite’s maniacal obsession with the illogical and incoherent distraction of the two-state solution and focus on the root problem: Islamic supremacism.

Thus, naturally, this statement from the Trump White House was shocking:

The American desire for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians has remained unchanged for 50 years. While we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal. As the President has expressed many times, he hopes to achieve peace throughout the Middle East region. The Trump administration has not taken an official position on settlement activity and looks forward to continuing discussions, including with Prime Minister Netanyahu when he visits with President Trump later this month.

At first I thought this was a hoax, or that it was drafted by an Obama holdover.

Some might suggest that at least Trump’s White House put some distance between this administration and his predecessor by recognizing some right for Jews to live in part of Judea and Samaria.

Really folks? Is this the soft bigotry of low expectations? Are we aiming for pale pastels, haggling over a few inches in an area virtually invisible on a map compared to the mass of land controlled by Islam? At a time when the entire premise of this two-state solution has been countermanded by reality, are we going to continue the same failed recognition of the PLO terrorists the way Clinton, Bush, and Obama did?

What exactly does it mean to “achieve peace” and why is the creation of a 23rd Arab state in our best interest? Why should we continue to invest our diplomatic capital into the foreign policy version of Obamacare? I spent the entire week robustly defending Trump’s immigration policy from a legal, political, historical, and philosophical perspective precisely because we don’t want to endanger our land with Islamic supremacism. Why is the Trump White House asking Israel to do something he wouldn’t want to do himself?

Moreover, this is the very stupidity that embodies the anger people felt against the political establishment and why they voted for Trump. While on the campaign trail, President Trump boldly decried the “stupid” politicians who are “pathetic losers” and perpetuate failed policies that are devoid of common sense. There is nothing that better fits this description than the globalist elite obsession with creating a PLO terror state west of the Jordan River; one which will become saturated with ISIS and Al Qaeda elements within days.

The two-state solution is the Obamacare of foreign policy. Much like Obamacare has locked up our economy and job market on the domestic front, the PLO nonsense has paralyzed our leverage in the Middle East and has consumed our foreign policy for 23 years. It is rooted in an apologetic concession to Islam instead of confronting the reality of Sharia-based Islam. Now, Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Brotherhood know that any time they want to leverage Trump into making a concession, they will call upon Hamas and the PLO to ratchet up attacks on Israel and criticize the presence of Jews in Jewish territory. We have lost our leverage now that they know we “fear the Arab street” as it relates to moving the embassy and our ally building homes wherever they damn please.

What happened to the tough negotiator? Is this coming from his meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan today? A tough negotiator would tell Abdullah, “listen buddy, you create an Arab terror state on your western border and your country will fall to the Islamists within weeks. We won’t be there to save you.” Jordan would be just as adversely affected by such a dumb move as Israel.

Finally, there is a background here that is probably missed in the media. The reason Israel announced more construction in Samaria today is because, thanks to Israel’s crazy Supreme Court [Robert Bork wrote a lot about it during his lifetime], the Israeli government just dismantled an entire community of Jews in a town called Amona and sent their own army in to kick out their own families who have been living there for 20 years. This is something, to my knowledge, no other nation has done in history. So the building of more homes was somewhat of a domestic compromise for kicking those people out. For the Trump administration to then issue a statement on the same day and rip that wound wide open is appalling to the many religious Christians and Jews who so enthusiastically supported him on the premise that he wouldn’t follow such policies.

The bottom line is there was absolutely no reason to even focus on this issue at a time like this or issue any such statement. Silence in the face of Israel building homes would have been the refreshing change we all expected.

It’s disappointing that Trump is willing to get us sucked into the foreign policy cause célèbre of the very political establishment he claims to detest. On the one hand, he (rightfully) proclaims that our political leaders have been stupid to try to create democracy in the Middle East among existing Arab nations. Yet at the same time, he is willing to expend American capital creating a new Arab state that hates America, exports terrorism, destabilize the region, strengthen the Muslim Brotherhood, and will become a client-state of Iran?

We know you are better than this, Mr. President. Return to the inner voice of common sense and ignore the foreign policy elites. (For more from the author of “Did Obama Just Hack President Trump’s Statement on Israel?” please click HERE)

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The Start of a New U.S.-Israel Relationship? President Trump Invites Netanyahu to DC

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington, D.C., in February to meet with President Donald Trump.

President Trump extended the invitation to the prime minister during a telephone conversation that took place on Sunday, a conversation that Netanyahu described as “very warm” in a Facebook post.

“The Prime Minister expressed his desire to work closely with President Trump to forge a common vision to advance peace and security in the region, with no daylight between the United States and Israel,” the post reads.

Among the issues discussed between the two leaders were the nuclear deal with Iran, peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and “other issues.”

Late Sunday the White House confirmed reports that the Trump administration is in the “beginning stages” of discussing a plan to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israeli news earlier cited an unnamed source that said the president’s team would make an announcement regarding their plans for the embassy move on Monday.

A White House statement made no indication that the two leaders discussed the embassy over the phone.

“The President emphasized that peace between Israel and the Palestinians can only be negotiated directly between the two parties, and that the United States will work closely with Israel to make progress towards that goal.” (For more from the author of “The Start of a New U.S.-Israel Relationship? President Trump Invites Netanyahu to DC” please click HERE)

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Israeli Soldiers: Hand of God Protected Them Through Pillar of Cloud During Battle With ISIS

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Israeli soldiers captured on video a pillar of cloud that strangely hovered over the boundary between Syria and Israel, protecting the soldiers from ISIS during a battle.

The Israeli soldiers videotaped the phenomenon that occurred during a battle with ISIS in the Golan Heights. The men called the pillar of cloud the “hand of Hashem,” or the hand of God, which protected them.

According to Israel News Online, the cloud was comprised of dust, cloud and rain and “did NOT cross the border fence into Israel. It sat like a barrier between ISIS and Israel.” Israelis have called the storm “divine intervention,” reported Israel Today.

“Huge miracle! Notice how God stopped this enormous storm exactly on the border,” Yifat Romano posted on Israel News Online‘s Facebook page. “Thank you, Father!”

Nissim Nahoum wrote, “The Creator of the world is protecting us.”

When asked about how the cloud protected the soldiers, Israel News Online responded, “Well there have been no ISIS attacks since then. I wonder what they thought of it. That may be the case if the cloud was there or not as we retaliated at the time. Impossible to say for sure.”

Here is the video, which was captured by an Israeli soldier:

(For more from the author of “Israeli Soldiers: Hand of God Protected Them Through Pillar of Cloud During Battle With ISIS” please click HERE)

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