…The arrival of dozens of world leaders in Jerusalem to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day and commit themselves to fight anti-Semitism represents a spectacular reversal. By coming to Jerusalem the visiting dignitaries embraced the truth at the heart of Zionism: Israel was not founded because of Auschwitz. It was founded because the Jews came home to live in their homeland as a free nation, finally. Had the State of Israel existed in 1939, Auschwitz would never have been built…READ MORE
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received the gift of the century on Thursday when Vice President Mike Pence invited him and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz to the White House for talks next Tuesday about the long-awaited peace plan, otherwise known as the “Deal of the Century.”…President Donald Trump and the peace team led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to present details of the plan to Netanyahu and Gantz and then pave the way for the annexation of the Jordan Valley and possibly even more...READ MORE
TIMES OF ISRAEL Under Trump deal, Israel said to retain security control over Palestinian stateUnder the terms of the soon-to-be released Trump administration peace plan, Israel would retain overall security control of the entire West Bank even if a Palestinian state is established in parts of it, Israeli TV reports said Friday night. Adding fresh ostensible details regarding the content of the plan, Channel 13 said it ultimately provides for a demilitarized Palestinian state in some 80 percent of the West Bank, under overall Israeli control. That state would not be empowered to maintain an army and sign military treaties, and Israel would control its borders…
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met French President Emmanuel Macron in Ramallah late Wednesday evening and expressed his hope that France will recognize the State of Palestine, the official PA news site Wafa reported. Macron arrived in Ramallah some five hours later than originally planned after spending the day meeting Israeli officials in Jerusalem, touring the city and taking part in a dinner at the Israeli President’s Residence…While several EU countries have recognized Palestine, the majority of its members, including France, the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy, have not. READ MORE
THE JEWISH CHRONICLE The BBC has shamed itself with Orla Guerin’s Holocaust reportLast night (and repeated today), BBC News broadcast her latest report from Jerusalem. Even by Ms Guerin’s standards, this was something truly shocking. In all honesty, I cannot recall a more foul – sickening, indeed – report by any journalist, either in print or broadcast.
ARUTZ SHEVA Pomp and circumstanceAs touching as all the speeches for Jews six feet under, the abstaining, Iran-supporting, Abbas-funding Europeans would look authentic if they ended their anti-Israel bias, instead of wiping off that single crocodile tear to the sound of Hatikvah.
President Trump’s strategy to confront Iran is easy to understand: impose maximum pressure to gain maximum leverage ahead of negotiations to dismantle its nuclear program and address its malign activities — all while avoiding a military entanglement or pursuing a policy of regime change. Iran’s leaders, for their part, recognize that Mr. Trump’s strategy has already sent their economy into a tailspin and could bring down their regime if sanctions are not soon lifted. The recent regime-perpetrated murder of about 1,500 Iranian protesters demonstrating against the government’s austerity policy revealed a destabilized Islamic Republic increasingly afraid of its repressed citizens. READ MORE
A group of longtime employees is taking ownership of Milt’s Barbecue for the Perplexed, the popular kosher restaurant here that has been donating its profits to support local charities for seven years. Within months of opening in 2013, Milt’s menu of home-smoked meats and barbecue dishes had made it a hit among both kosher and non-kosher diners. Chicago Magazine named it one of the best new restaurants in the city, and it has been a beloved institution. The consortium of employees bought the restaurant for $1 earlier this month. READ MORE
Selected Israel statistics, 2000 to 2019:
*Population – from 6.2 million to 9.1 million (47% growth);
*GDP per capita – from $21,000 to $44,000 (110% growth);
*Export – from $47BN to $117BN (149% growth);
*Women in the workforce – from 48% to 60% (25% growth);
*University/college students – from 70,000 to 316,000 (351% growth);
*Incoming tourists – from 2.31 million to 4.87 million (108% growth);
*Water desalination – from 2% to 26% (1,300% growth);
*Government debt per GDP – from 77% to 58.5% (24.7% reduction);
*US “aid” per GDP – from 2.3% to 1% (57% reduction);
*Tax burden – from 43% to 32% (26% reduction) READ MORE
