Operation Breakwater has involved “a sustained campaign of nearly nightly raids into the West Bank, and more than 2,000 arrests since the launch of the operation in the spring”

Posted on October 21, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

TOWNHALL
Israel is Fighting to Prevent a Third Intifada
Enia Krivine
October 27, 2022

On Tuesday Israeli forces killed five Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank including Wadee al-Houh, leader of a new terror group, the Lion’s Den. The battle was part of Operation Breakwater, the biggest IDF operation in the West Bank since the Second Intifada. The sustained violence and mounting Palestinian casualties have some media outlets to speculating that Israel may be on the verge of a third intifada. Those, like myself, who lived in Israel during the Second Intifada, which lasted from 2000-2005, remember the fear of riding buses and gathering in public places. The most infamous of the Second Intifada terror attacks was a suicide bombing at a Passover dinner in Netanya, which killed 30 and injured 140. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

“Jewish teaching on cancellation must be widely disseminated and understood in synagogues, day schools, and Jewish organizations”

Posted on October 21, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

SAPIR
Jews and Cancel Culture
Bret Stephens
Autumn 2022

It may not be obvious why Sapir should devote an issue to the theme of cancellation. Doesn’t the phenomenon already get more than enough attention elsewhere? Isn’t this a problem for liberal democracy in general, rather than for Jews in particular? The essays in this volume aim to convince you otherwise. Cancel culture is a cancer at the heart of liberal society — and Jews, of all people, cannot safely be indifferent to the health of liberalism. Cancel culture also rests on a set of attitudes and practices that, whether from Left or Right, are uniquely anathema to Jewish culture, teachings, and habits of mind. Even statehood: Is it really such an accident that the enemies of free thought are so often the same people who want to cancel the Jewish state. READ MORE

Posted in Jewish, Politics | Leave a comment

“The Biden administration has taught both Hezbollah and Iran that Washington stands ready to deliver concessions from America’s allies, including Israel”

Posted on October 21, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

HUDSON INSTITUTE
Seven Myths about the “Historic” Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Agreement
Michael Doran
October 19, 2022

Commentators in the United States and Israel have hailed the agreement on the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon, which the Biden administration recently brokered, as a great success. They liken it to the Abraham Accords and claim that it is a major step toward normalizing relations between the Jewish State and a historic Arab foe. But a close examination of the agreement simply does not support this view…In summary, the United States encouraged Israel to concede to all of Hezbollah’s demands. In return, Lapid claimed that Israel had avoided conflict, acknowledging that under pressure he compromised for a period of quiet that will last until Hezbollah, who is under no obligation to anyone, decides to end it. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“The growing and distinctly western Mediterranean olim are a boon to Israel but a dark omen for the future of France”

Posted on October 21, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

TABLET MAG
Israel’s French New Wave
Matti Friedman
October 26, 2022

The rumblings of Jewish history take many forms, and in this case the form was a disk of lemon filling, the dough brittle, meringue slightly browned. I was at Gagou de Paris. Across the street was the rival patisserie L’Artisan. I was called jeune homme by a manager graciously rounding down, and heard French at three of the four outdoor tables adjacent to mine. But hurrying by us on the sidewalk were the familiar capotes, the e-bikes, the skinny jeans on Arab teens, the religious girls with hair wrapped like African queens—it was Jerusalem. READ MORE

Posted in Israel & Middle East, Jewish, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

By embracing anti-Semitism, Kanye has become the author of his own demise.

Posted on October 21, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

THE ATLANTIC
Kanye West Destroys Himself
Yair Rosenberg
October 27, 2022

“Hatred destroys the hater.” When it comes to anti-Semitism, the questionable cliché is sometimes literally true. That’s because societies that spend their time pursuing and persecuting Jewish bogeymen fail to address the real roots of their concerns, whether they are political, economic, or personal. In practice, this means that those who embrace the conspiratorial currents of anti-Semitism are frequently the authors of their own demise, flailing against phantoms instead of overcoming their challenges. This week, Kanye West became the latest anti-Jewish conspiracy theorist to be undone by his own delusions. What began with a few unhinged social-media posts from the artist, who now goes by Ye, culminated in a week-long whirlwind of anti-Jewish invective. READ MORE

HIPHOPDX Kanye West Explains Why He’s Jealous of Jewish Culture About halfway through the heated exchange, Kanye West said that he wanted to “hug every Jewish person,” and explained that he was jealous of several aspects he associates with Jewish culture.

BILLBOARD Kanye West Loses Billionaire Status After Adidas Cuts Ties Over His Antisemitic Comments Kanye West is no longer a billionaire, according to Forbes. The publication reported Oct. 25 that the rapper lost his spot on its list of billionaires after being dropped by Adidas for his string of antisemitic rhetoric.

Posted in Jewish, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Two weeks before the 2022 midterms, fear of crime is second only to worries over inflation and recession. Both issues — personal security and economic security — affect voters directly”

Posted on October 21, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

REAL CLEAR POLITICS
Violent Crime Is Driving a Red Wave
Charles Lipson
October 25, 2022

…Voters get the point — and they don’t like it. They link the rise in crime to Democratic policies, to their unwillingness to make public safety a high priority, to their refusal to enforce the law. Voters are saying they want more public safety, which means more policing, not less. They don’t think their position is racist because they want fair, unbiased treatment of blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Asians. They don’t want to ignore persistent poverty and crime in inner cities. They want effective programs to deal with them. But they do not believe, as progressives do, that these problems are somehow due mainly to “white supremacy.” On the contrary, voters have witnessed a steep, longterm decline in those noxious attitudes. READ MORE

WALL STREET JOURNAL A More Diverse America Turns Against Racial Preferences 74% of Americans oppose the use of race in college admissions. Even more surprising, 68% of Hispanics, 63% of Asians and 59% of blacks also opposed it.” Even California, a state that voted nearly 2 to 1 for Joe Biden affirmed its opposition to racial preferences.

Posted in Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said due to what he called “limitations” and “a variety of operational considerations,” Israel will not deliver any weapon systems to Ukraine.

Posted on October 18, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

JPOST
Israel won’t give Ukraine weapons, will help make missile warning system – Gantz
Anna Ahronheim
October 19, 2022

Israel has offered to help Ukraine in developing an early-warning system but will not provide weapon systems, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Wednesday. “Our policy vis-a-vis Ukraine will not change – we will continue to support and stand with the West, we will not provide weapon systems. We have asked the Ukrainians to share information regarding their needs, and offered to assist in developing a life-saving early-warning system,” he said…Israel has refused to provide any military platforms to Ukraine due to concerns it might negatively affect the deconfliction mechanism that Israel and Russia have over Syria in order to avoid any unwanted conflict. READ MORE

ASSOCIATED PRESS Russia’s Iranian drones complicate Israel’s balancing act Israel has stayed largely on the sidelines since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February so as not to damage its strategic relationship with the Kremlin. Although Israel has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, it has refused Kyiv’s frequent requests to send air defense systems and other military equipment and refrained from enforcing strict economic sanctions on Russia and the many Russian-Jewish oligarchs who have second homes in Israel.

Posted in Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Oops, Israel forgot to ask Australia’s permission to make Jerusalem its capital

Posted on October 18, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

MEDIALINE
Australia’s Decision To Stop Recognizing West Jerusalem as Israeli Capital Won’t Impact Relations, Expert Says
Mohammad Al-Kassim
October 18, 2022

Israel blasted Australia for reversing its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, with Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday sharply condemning the decision. “Jerusalem is the eternal and united capital of Israel, and nothing will ever change that,” the prime minister said in a statement released by his office. Australia said it would no longer recognize west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, reversing a decision taken by the previous conservative government of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2018…[Foreign Minister Penny] Wong reiterated that Australia’s embassy would remain in Tel Aviv and that Canberra was committed to a two-state solution “in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist, in peace and security, within internationally recognized borders.” READ MORE

Posted in Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Indictment alleges the trio, 2 of whom worked for Cellcom, provided terror group with large volume of information in order to carry out cyberattack on crucial infrastructure”

Posted on October 18, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
3 Israelis charged in Hamas plot to sabotage telecom networks used by IDF during war
Emanuel Fabian and Michael Bachner
October 20, 2022

Three men from northern Israel were indicted on Thursday for allegedly sending a large volume of sensitive information to the Hamas terror group in Turkey, and for plans to sabotage Israel’s cellular network in a future war. According to the charge sheet, the trio were accused of committing “grave security offenses” and rendering the infrastructure of one of the country’s largest telecommunications companies vulnerable to a potential cyberattack. One of the accused — identified only by the Hebrew initials of his first and last names, Resh Ayin — had worked for cellular giant Cellcom since 2004 as a software engineer, the indictment said. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“UN document alleges IDF rights abuses during Operation Guardian of the Walls, but completely fails to mention Hamas or the over 4,000 rockets it launched into Israel during the conflict”

Posted on October 17, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
Zero mentions of Hamas: Israel slams ‘biased’ UN report on May 2021 fighting
Tamir Morag
October 21, 2022

Israel blasted Thursday a report by the United Nations’ ongoing Commission of Inquiry into last year’s 11-day fighting with Hamas that alleged IDF rights abuses. The 28-page document, which is the second one published by the probe, mentions Israel 277 times but fails to mention Hamas. Israel slammed it as biased and dismissive of the terror group’s wrongdoings, as during the conflict, Hamas launched over 4,000 rockets into Israel, sending tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Israelis to shelters. The report also calls on the Security Council to end Israel’s supposed occupation of the West Bank and on individual UN member states to prosecute Israeli officials. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment