The White House and its supporters are using Muslims in Michigan to justify a slew of deeply hostile policies against Israel. Will that matter come fall?

Posted on May 3, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
The Jewish vote is up for grabs, and it may decide the election
Caroline Glick
May 3, 2024

…The Muslim vote, on the other hand, is always in contention. For the past decade or so, Muslim Americans have demanded that Democratic candidates earn their votes in every electoral cycle by adopting hostile positions on Israel and opposition to tough counterterror laws. Beginning in 2006, anti-Israel activists from the Marxist-Islamic bloc have repeatedly ousted pro-Israel Democrats from office and replaced them with virulent opponents of the Jewish state… There haven’t been any public polls taken of Jewish voter sentiment since November, when Biden was widely viewed as the greatest friend Israel had ever had in Washington. But anecdotal evidence is piling up that the Jewish vote is in contention like it hasn’t been in more than 40 years. Moreover, American Jewish voters may well turn out to be the demographic that determines the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. READ MORE

JPOST Prominent Reform rabbi to Democrats: Don’t take American Jews for granted The Democratic Party should not take the vote of American Jews for granted in the US elections, prominent American Reform Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch cautioned in a Friday sermon at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York…Hirsch said he had spoken to many American Jews in recent months who had expressed to him their anxiety about the Democratic Party, and their perception that it had not only become increasingly hostile against Israel but also tolerant of antisemitism and anti-Zionism within its ranks.

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Few Jews still believe the Jewish establishment has done a good job defending and protecting the community from the rhetorical onslaught against Israel that has morphed into a full-on assault against American Jewry

Posted on May 3, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Some in the Jewish establishment, even now, dilute our pro-Israel voice
Charles Jacobs
April 17, 2024

…From the start, the “establishment”—the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Federation system, the Jewish Community Relations Councils and many rabbis—failed to understand that the obsessive, intense, continuous “criticism of Israeli policies” that appeared almost daily in the media was a new form of antisemitism. They failed to defend Jewish students on campus who were intimidated and harassed by the leftist academia and then subjected to continuous vigorous attacks by woke student groups. The establishment told us to embrace all the leftist groups’ causes so that presumably these groups would reciprocate and have our backs, too. We followed this advice: We supported blacks and feminists, gays and Latinos, and even Muslims, and then all of them stabbed us in the back. To this day, neither local nor national establishment leaders have given an accounting of this colossal and perhaps lethal failure. Worse, they refuse to do a difficult rethink of the unthought-out policies that brought us all down to this dark alley where we seem to be dangerously trapped. READ MORE

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What’s old is new again: “In the 1990s, every time an Israeli built a room on a house on the West Bank, the settler policy was said to be “isolating” Israel from the international community”

Posted on May 3, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

COMMENTARY
Israel’s Splendid Isolation
John Podhoretz
May 2024

Six months into the war against Hamas, and we’re told Israel is more isolated than ever. But is it, though? Israel has been engaging in self-defense against marauding or rocket-firing Palestinians intermittently over the past 60 years. In almost every instance, the word “isolated” has been incessantly deployed in media to describe the Jewish state’s standing after it acts to protect its own people among the “world of nations” or the “international community”—or whatever descriptor you might wish to use for those people and nations discomfited not merely by the existence of the Jewish state but by its intermittent and potent displays of Jewish martial force. Pull back a little and view the relations of Israel with the rest of the world through a historical lens and you can see why the desire of the sclerotic “international community” to declare Israel isolated is without limit. READ MORE

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Possible arrest warrants for Israeli leaders expose the utter perversity of the ICC

Posted on May 2, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Now is the time for choosing
Caroline Glick
April 26, 2024

…Early this week, rumors began to swirl that ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan is poised to act on these groundless complaints [charging Israel with genocide] and issue international arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces. If Khan proceeds as reported, Israel’s top leaders will be unable to visit any of the ICC’s 120 member nations without first securing bilateral agreements with authorities in each country not to arrest them during their stay. This is terrible in and of itself, of course. But the wider implication is even more dire. If Khan goes through with his plan, he will essentially declare Israel a criminal state with no right to self-defense. READ MORE

FDD Orde Kittrie: Possible arrest warrants for Israeli leaders expose the utter perversity of the International Criminal Court The perversity of targeting Israeli leaders for justly attempting, as any other nation would, to free the hostages and prevent future Hamas atrocities is precisely why two decades of US presidents, from both parties, have refused to join the International Criminal Court. Members of Congress from both parties are making clear that ICC arrest warrants for Israeli officials — a move the court is reportedly considering — would end US cooperation with the ICC and result in US sanctions on ICC officials. Such warrants would be legally and factually baseless, endanger US personnel and torpedo negotiations to free the hostages and build Middle East peace.

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The Palestinian terror organization refuses to release hostages while clinging to its last stronghold in Rafah. So why is the Biden administration throwing the full weight of the U.S. government at Israel to prevent it from routing Hamas?

Posted on May 2, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

TABLET MAG
Saving Hamas
Lee Smith
May 1, 2024

Reports are circulating that the Israelis are planning an operation in Rafah to eliminate the last Hamas stronghold in Gaza. If so, the Netanyahu government will be acting against the very public wishes of the Biden administration, which has spent the last half year moving heaven and earth to save a terrorist organization from destruction. Bizarrely, the White House’s statements and actions show that Hamas’ survival is more important than the security of a traditional American partner, Israel; more crucial to American interests than the preservation of the U.S.-led order of the Middle East; more precious than the dozens of American lives that Hamas ended on Oct. 7; more valuable than however many Americans and Israelis are still alive in the terror army’s tunnels. READ MORE

CBS NEWS White House considers welcoming some Palestinians from war-torn Gaza as refugees The Biden administration is considering bringing certain Palestinians to the U.S. as refugees, a move that would offer a permanent safe haven to some of those fleeing war-torn Gaza, according to internal federal government documents obtained by CBS News. In recent weeks, the documents show, senior officials across several federal U.S. agencies have discussed the practicality of different options to resettle Palestinians from Gaza who have immediate family members who are American citizens or permanent residents. One of those proposals involves using the decades-old United States Refugee Admissions Program to welcome Palestinians with U.S. ties who have managed to escape Gaza and enter neighboring Egypt, according to the inter-agency planning documents. READ MORE

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Yesterday a photo circulated of a Columbia student holding a sign asking why the school would have them read Edward Said’s works if administrators didn’t want them putting the lessons into practice. Good question!

Posted on May 2, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

COMMENTARY
Where’s Biden’s Anger at the Feckless Universities?
Seth Mandel
May 2, 2024

…A UCLA protester holding a press conference yesterday was asked about the tentifada’s goal of forcing the university to divest from conceivably Israel-related companies. She responded that divestment is only the beginning: “Given that the University of California is founded on colonialism, it’s inherently a violent institution.” And all this violence, she believes, is the fault of the Jews. Therefore, “it’s a divestment from Zionism” itself that she wants, whatever that means. Where might a student have learned such concepts? Well, at UCLA, it’s hard to pin down: The school offers 82 courses dealing with colonialism, including a Jewish Studies graduate course on colonialism and Zionism. If you’re interested in decolonization, as this student seems to be, you might have taken one of UCLA’s introduction to Western civilization or contemporary history courses, or perhaps several of its world history and Middle East-related courses, which cover decolonization. READ MORE

THE HILL Columbia protest leader: ‘Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists’ A leader of the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University had a video emerge on social media this week, threatening violence to “Zionists.” “Zionists don’t deserve to live,” student Khymani James said in a video from January. He is also heard saying “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.” The remarks happened around the time James had a meeting with school officials over a social media post about fighting a Zionist…He added that those comments occurred when he was “unusually upset after an online mob” targeted him for being “visibly queer and Black.”

I24NEWS Columbia expels protester who said ‘Zionists don’t deserve to live’ Columbia University expelled anti-Israeli student activist Khymani James on Saturday, after a video of his saying that Zionists don’t deserve to live went viral, reports claimed.

REAL CLEAR POLITICS Charles Lipson: Five Ways Campus Turmoil Hurts Democrats and America Higher education is sinking lower and lower. That’s bad news for our country, which has benefited enormously from having the world’s best system of higher education. And it’s bad news for Democrats, who face a tight election. Their party is closely tied to education at all levels, especially at elite universities. It is the party of experts, after all, and the party of the left. Universities are both. Moreover, since the Democrats control the Executive Branch, the public holds them primarily accountable for ensuring social order. Their failures are obvious to the average voter. That’s bound to hurt Democratic Party candidates in November.

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Antisemitism Awareness Act overwhelmingly passed by Congress, 320 to 91; Naftali Bennett gives the history of Zionism in 3 minutes

Posted on May 1, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

NEW YORK POST
Four out of five Americans favor Israel over Hamas, most back Rafah operation: poll
Ryan King
April 29, 2024

Americans favor Israel in its war against Hamas by a margin of four-to-one and nearly three-quarters support a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Four out of five voters (80%) back the Jewish state in its nearly seven-month-old war against the Islamic terrorist group, with the highest levels of support concentrated among older age groups, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris survey released Monday. Meanwhile, 72% of voters say they back an Israel Defense Forces military operation in Rafah to “finish the war,” with 28% saying Israel should “back off now and allow Hamas to continue running Gaza. READ MORE

ASSOCIATED PRESS House passes bill to expand definition of antisemitism amid growing campus protests over Gaza war The House passed legislation Wednesday that would establish a broader definition of antisemitism for the Department of Education to enforce anti-discrimination laws, the latest response from lawmakers to a nationwide student protest movement over the Israel-Hamas war. The proposal, which passed 320-91 with some bipartisan support, would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal anti-discrimination law that bars discrimination based on shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics or national origin. It now goes to the Senate where its fate is uncertain.

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Northwestern University caves to the Jew-bashers

Posted on April 30, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
ADL slams Northwestern University’s agreement with anti-Israel protesters: ‘Reprehensible’
Jack Birle
April 29, 2024

Northwestern University announced on Monday that it had reached an agreement with anti-Israel protesters, leading to condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League, which called the agreement “reprehensible” and “dangerous.”…The ADL said the encampment is only the most recent example of antisemitism at the university, with the environment at Northwestern becoming “increasingly hostile toward Jewish students. This didn’t start last week or even last year, but it exploded and intensified on 10/7.” The group also downgraded the university to an “F” rating for its antisemitism Campus Report Card. READ MORE

STANDWITHUS ADL, StandWithUs and Brandeis Center Call for the Resignation of Northwestern University President Michael Schill “It is clear from President Schill’s actions that he is unfit to lead Northwestern and must resign. President Schill capitulated to hatred and bigotry and empowered and emboldened those who have used intimidation, harassment, and violence to achieve their ends. Instead of issuing fines and suspensions in accordance with university policies, he awarded protest groups with scholarships, professorships, and a renovated community home. Instead of permanently shutting down the encampment and making campus safe for all, he told protesters they can stay until June 1.”

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John Ondrasik won’t let his industry forget those slaughtered at the Nova music festival on Oct. 7.

Posted on April 30, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

WSJ
Five for Fighting: A Lone Voice Sings for Israel
Matthew Hennessey
April 26, 2024

.. The ability to shine a light on issues and causes that matter is a perk of fame. For John Ondrasik, right now, that’s Israel. The Grammy-nominated American singer and musician, who goes by the nom de chanson Five for Fighting, has been steadfast and outspoken about the Jewish state’s security needs since the Oct. 7 attacks. This has made him a unicorn among his music-industry peers. Most prefer simply to keep their heads down…Mr. Ondrasik, 59, isn’t keeping his head down. He appears on Fox News and on Mark Levin’s radio show. He’s aggressive on Twitter in support of Israel. He is, as his stage name suggests, something of a brawler. On April 13, the night before Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel, he performed at an outdoor concert in Tel Aviv and condemned “the evil that is Hamas.” He sang his Oct. 7-themed song, “OK”—the refrain is “We are not OK”—for the families of hostages still in Gaza. READ MORE

Click here to view “WE ARE NOT OK” viewer discretion advised

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Perspective from a Gaza City Palestinian: Jew-hating protesters are clueless and not helping our cause

Posted on April 28, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

NEWSWEEK
Message From a Gazan to Campus Protesters: You’re Hurting the Palestinian Cause
Hamza Howidy
April 26, 2024

Protests are spreading across the United States at college campuses, where university students are gathering in the name of Palestinian rights and occupying campus spaces with tents. Sadly, not everyone who purports to support Palestinians is truly interested in safeguarding our rights. It pains me to say this as a Palestinian from Gaza. As my home is destroyed and too many killed, I never thought I would find myself criticizing those speaking up. And yet, I cannot be silent about what I am seeing. The truth is that the manner in which many gather to voice their support for Palestinians does more to hurt our cause than help it…But it’s not just the antisemitism that has me despairing. It’s the hypocrisy. Where were these caring young people when Hamas took over Gaza and slaughtered hundreds of Gazans, or when Hamas held 2 million Gazans captive for more than 17 years? READ MORE

GATESTONE Bassam Tawil: U.S. Campuses: Grooming Terrorists “Dear White Americans and Gen Zs who support or tolerate Hamas supporters on US campuses, a gentle reminder from a credible Arab Muslim voice from the Middle East: You are supporting a terror group with the same Islamist/ Muslim brotherhood pathological creed that brought down the twin towers in Manhattan in 2001. You would not survive a day in Gaza under Hamas, which demands that ‘infidels’ live with dignity only if they are subordinate to Islamists. You would not endure a day under the rule of these radicals. You do not understand Arabic, nor do you know Islam well enough to comprehend what awaits you if Hamas prevails (God forbid).”

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