‘We were hated. We were literally hated overnight’

Posted on April 22, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

COMMON SENSE
A Cop’s-Eye View of Seattle’s Undoing
T.A. Frank
April 25, 2022

This February, Bruce Harrell, newly installed as mayor of Seattle, made it official: His city is in decline. “The truth is the status quo is unacceptable,” Harrell said in his first state of the city address. “It seems like every day I hear stories of longtime small businesses closing their doors for good or leaving our city.” But it’s not just small businesses. Much of Seattle’s core looks like a pockmarked ghost town. Storefronts on both sides of Third Avenue, a major thoroughfare, are boarded up. Blocks from the Four Seasons hotel and the Fairmont Hotel, tents crowd the sidewalks, and drug users sit under awnings holding pieces of foil over lighter flames. READ MORE

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Bennett message to #CNN’s #Amanpour: Stop lying

Posted on April 21, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

JPOST
Bennett to CNN: Zelensky asked me to speak with Putin on Ukraine war
Staff
April 21, 2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to meet counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia, Bennett said in a televised interview given to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday evening. The prospects of Russia’s war on Ukraine ending soon are “not looking good,” Bennett admitted, adding that Israel is willing to re-enter serious mediation efforts at Zelensky’s request.  Bennett defended his and his government’s stance on Russia, stating that Israel has “condemned Russian aggression many times” and voted for Russia’s suspension from the UN Human Rights Council, in response to Amanpour’s question on whether Israel has taken a strong enough stance against Putin’s regime. READ MORE

i24 NEWS Bennett accuses Amanpour of misleading viewers in tense interview Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday accused CNN’s Christiane Amanpour of not giving viewers a complete picture of the ongoing riots at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. During the tense interview, Amanpour asked Bennett why Israeli security forces sometimes enter the Al Aqsa Mosque. “There you go again, starting the story in the middle,” Bennett fired back. The premier noted that Israeli police entered the Al Aqsa Mosque only after rocks were thrown at officers from inside the building and to restore order to the holy site for the thousands of peaceful Muslim worshippers. 

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“Transferring ownership of the land could cause diplomatic trouble for Israel at a time when its Western allies have been sanctioning Russia over its invasion of Ukraine”

Posted on April 15, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

JPOST
Putin demands Russia gain control of Jerusalem church as promised
Lahav Harkov
April 18, 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that Israel grant his country control of the Alexander Courtyard in Jerusalem as the previous Israeli government had promised, in a letter delivered to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday. Putin’s letter came barely a day after the Foreign Ministry in Moscow slammed Foreign Minister Yair Lapid for accusing Russia of war crimes in Ukraine, saying that Israel is using Ukraine to cover up for its own conflict with the Palestinians. The Russian Foreign Ministry also summoned Israeli Ambassador Alexander Ben Zvi for a reprimand on Sunday. READ MORE

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VP Harris aide says wine choice ‘not an expression of policy’

Posted on April 15, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
VP Harris serves wine made in West Bank settlement at Passover seder
Jacob Magid
April 17, 2022

US Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff served wine made in a West Bank settlement at their Passover seder on Friday. The surprising choice in spirits, given the Biden administration’s critical stance toward Israeli settlements, was spotted on the vice president’s seder table in photos posted on Twitter by Harris and Emhoff. The bottle was from the Psagot Winery, a company based in the West Bank north of Jerusalem that has made headlines in recent years. The winery challenged a 2016 French court ruling that said goods made in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights must be labeled as originating in an “Israeli settlement.” READ MORE

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“And now, with Moscow playing a key role, the new nuclear agreement will ultimately enable Iran — for decades, the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans — to cast its own nuclear shadow over the Middle East”

Posted on April 15, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

THE HILL
It’s time to end the Iran nuclear deal once and for all
Chuck Wald and John Bird
April 19, 2022

The nuclear agreement currently being finalized with Iran will directly endanger the national security of the United States and our regional partners. Having already offered Iran too many concessions and opportunities to take yes for an answer, the Biden administration is long overdue in walking away from this deal. If a deal nevertheless is reached, Congress must reject it. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine already is making painfully clear what little can actually be done to confront naked aggression by a nuclear-armed adversary…That’s why we joined 46 retired U.S. generals and admirals in opposing it in an open letter organized by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). READ MORE

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“Tens of thousands of Palestinians dispersed peacefully on Friday afternoon after prayers in Jerusalem. The hundreds who clashed with police earlier, by contrast, had come to fight”

Posted on April 15, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
Just look at their feet: The ‘defenders’ of Al-Aqsa are desecrating it
David Horovitz
April 17, 2022

…And as with Hamas in Gaza, while ostensibly guarding their religion and its third-holiest shrine, the rioters were actually dishonoring it. You only had to look at their feet: The stone-throwers who clashed with Israeli security forces in and around Al-Aqsa Mosque had their shoes on — in breach of the respectful Islamic tradition to remove impure footwear when entering the house of prayer…Nobody looking at what unfolded on Friday can reasonably doubt that, in contrast to the tens of thousands who prayed at the same contested spot later in the day, the Palestinians who had gathered at Al-Aqsa on Friday morning were bent on confrontation. READ MORE

NY SUN Benny Avni: Jordan Emerges as Two-Faced Provocateur in Holy Site Violence In the annual rite of clashes at Jerusalem’s holy sites, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has emerged as top arsonist even while donning a firefighter disguise.

GATESTONE Bassam Tawil: How Palestinians Desecrate Everyone’s Holy Sites, Including Their Own Unless the US administration makes it unmistakably clear that the Palestinians will pay dearly for continuing to reward terrorists and their families, the Palestinians will not even slow down either desecrating holy sites or committing their terror attacks.

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Israel’s 71% favorability rating attests that most Americans “identify Israel as a reliable, democratic and productive ally, and view the Palestinian Authority as a member of the rogue entities of the world, associated with terrorism”

Posted on April 15, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

ETTINGER REPORT
Israel sustains high-favorability among Americans
Yoram Ettinger
April 20th, 2022

According to the February 2022 annual Gallup poll of country favorability, 71% of Americans accord Israel a “very favorable” and “mostly favorable” rating. It matches Israel’s average favorability since 2013, compared to 58% in 2002, 71% in 2012, 69% in 2019 and 75% in February 2021. Israel’s all-time high favorability was in February 1991 – 79% – in the aftermath of the January-February Iraqi Scud Missiles striking Tel Aviv. Israel is ranked 7th among countries rated by Gallup, trailing Canada, Britain, France, Japan, Germany and India. However, none of these countries have been targeted – as has Israel – for daily criticism by the State Department (which fiercely opposed Israel’s establishment in 1948), the United Nations, the NY Times, Washington Post, L.A. Times, CNN, MSNBC and many of the political and social science departments on US campuses. READ MORE

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Attn: #NYT, an historical fact: “Throughout the centuries, Jews dwelled from Hebron to Hyrcania, Nablus to Naaran, Susya to Shuafat, Jericho to Jerusalem, and across the biblical heartland”

Posted on April 15, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

CAMERA BLOG
The New York Times Erases Jews. (Again.)
Gilead Ini
April 13, 2022

Once again, the New York Times has taken aim at Jewish history. Once again, in doing so, the paper has shown that, given the choice between embracing anti-Israel narratives or straightforward, factual journalism, it too often chooses the former. In an April 10 story, Times reporter Raja Abdulrahim turned a historical fact into a dubious allegation, writing about the cradle of Jewish history: “Israel insists that there has been a Jewish presence in the West Bank for thousands of years.” Of course, the sustained Jewish presence in the area, long known as Judea and Samaria, isn’t a mere claim. It is a historical fact, and one that historians and archeologists — not to mention serious journalists — would have no problem attesting to. READ MORE

ALGEMEINER New York Times Writer Charged as Iranian Agent Is in ‘Ongoing Plea Negotiations’ A frequent New York Times opinion writer facing federal criminal charges of being an unregistered foreign agent of the government of Iran said in a letter to the court that he is negotiating over a possible plea deal in the case…Prosecutors say Afrasiabi was paid approximately $265,000 by the Iranian United Nations mission since 2007 and also received health insurance benefits…He has insisted that his writings represented his own views as a public intellectual and were not Iranian government-directed propaganda. The New York Times has yet to mention the case in its news columns, according to a search of its online archives. 

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US-Saudi decades long alliance at risk over disagreements regarding oil production levels, security concerns and the invasion of Ukraine

Posted on April 15, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

WALL STREET JOURNAL
How U.S.-Saudi Relations Reached the Breaking Point
Stephen Kalin, Summer Said and David S. Cloud
April 19, 2022

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, wearing shorts at his seaside palace, sought a relaxed tone for his first meeting with President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, last September. The 36-year-old crown prince ended up shouting at Mr. Sullivan after he raised the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The prince told Mr. Sullivan he never wanted to discuss the matter again, said people familiar with the exchange. And the U.S. could forget about its request to boost oil production, he told Mr. Sullivan. The relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia has hit its lowest point in decades, with Mr. Biden saying in 2019 that the kingdom should be treated like a pariah over human-rights issues such as Mr. Khashoggi’s murder. READ MORE

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BLM’s “Defund The Police” campaign led to staggering increase in minority victims

Posted on April 15, 2022 by ArchitectGuy

NEW YORK POST
Leftists’ anti-police policies have led to a startling number of black, Latino crime victims
Michael Goodwin
April 19, 2022

A Fox News story reports there was a staggering 43% increase in the murders of black Americans in 2020 compared to the past 10-year average. The finding is shocking — but not surprising. After all, New York proved decades ago that reducing crime disproportionally benefited blacks and Latinos because they comprise most of crime’s victims. Fewer crimes mean fewer victims of all races, but the drop is most pronounced among nonwhites.  If we didn’t know it before, we now know the opposite is also true. More crimes mean more black and Latino victims…Although blacks make up only 13% of the US population, they often are a majority of murder victims and perpetrators. READ MORE

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