Understanding Israel’s Destruction of Hamas’ “Metro” and Who won?

JERUSALEM POST
Israel or Hamas: Who won?
by Daniel Pipes
June 7, 2021

Who won the recent round of fighting between Hamas and Israel? The war of words that followed the air battles finds pro-Israel voices deeply divided and anti-Israel ones claiming a famous Hamas victory. But it’s too early to tell. On the pro-Israel side, for example, Efraim Inbar and Dan Schueftan argue for Israel’s success based on the pain Hamas experienced. Doron Matza, Seth J. Frantzman, and Hanan Shai argue for its failure based on nonmilitary issues, such as uniting Palestinians against Israel and finding international support. READ MORE

NATIONAL INTEREST Seth Frantzman: How Israel Targeted Hamas Underground (And What It Could Do Next) The importance of demolishing the Metro system was to prevent Hamas from being able to easily move rockets around underground and set up the mass barrages that can be coordinated and linked to centralized command and control.

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Israel bans sale of fur to fashion industry, first country to do so; “loophole exempts ultra-Orthodox Jews, who often wear cake-shaped sable hats known as shtreimels”

TIMES OF ISRAEL
PETA hails Israel as first country to ban fur, but major exceptions remain
by Staff
June 9, 2021

Animal rights group PETA on Wednesday hailed Israel as “the first country in the world to ban the sale of fur” after Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel signed the move into law. “This historic victory will protect countless foxes, minks, rabbits and other animals from being violently killed for their skin,” the statement said…Despite the accolades, critics say the new law is mostly toothless, as it continues to allow the import of fur for religious reasons, their main use in Israel. PETA honorary director Pamela Anderson was among the first to bare all for PETA’s “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign. READ MORE

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Bal Harbor Mayor: The Honeymoon Period for the Jewish Diaspora is Over

JNS
For American Jews, the honeymoon is over
by Gabriel Groisman
June 4, 2021

Unfortunately, we’ve also allowed this era to soften us as a people. We let our collective guard down. We began intellectualizing away our identity in an ill-fated attempt to fit in. From the comfort of our American-style homes, we spent the last few decades losing our connection to our roots, our Jewish history, our peoplehood, our religion, our land and our identity. Many have simply forgotten who we are. But for what it’s worth, you can always count on the anti-Semites to remind those of us who need to be reminded. While the anti-Semites say this with disdain, I say it with pride: No matter how successful, how connected, how Americanized you think you are, you are always a Jew. READ MORE

Bal Harbor Mayor Groisman’s remarks at the Antisemitism Rally organized by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation

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“Jewish pride has replaced the humiliated Jew of history, but where Israelis are entrenched in the trappings of Jewish identity, American Jews must choose”

TIMES OF ISRAEL
American Jews, how ‘Jewish’ are you?
by Yedidia Z. Stern
June 6, 2021

…What attributes make one Jewish in the eyes of American Jews? Along with the memory of the Holocaust (76%) and caring about the State of Israel (45%), Judaism in the US is identified with leading a moral life (72%) and being committed to social justice and equality (59%). This is the Judaism that resonates with the morality of the prophets — at its center is a commitment to human rights, and there is a lesson in this for Israelis. Still, one cannot help but be amazed that humor is considered by our American brethren to be much more of a Jewish identifier (34%) than the observance of Jewish law (15%). READ MORE

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One Democratic congressman calls out Democrat anti-Israel voices.

JTA
Jewish Democratic lawmakers consider condemning Ilhan Omar for likening Hamas to Israel and US
by Ron Kampeas
June 9, 2021

Jewish Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives met Wednesday to discuss antisemitism. The 25 members of the unofficial caucus ended up fulminating about a fellow Democrat, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, for appearing to liken Hamas and the Taliban to Israel and the United States…There appeared to be unanimous frustration with Omar’s comment, but not about how to address it. Among those pressing to condemn Omar by name were Brad Schneider of Illinois, Brad Sherman of California and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a leading progressive, appeared to be hesitant, but did not outright oppose a statement, the sources said. READ MORE

JNS Combating anti-Semitism in Congress In a district that has one of the highest concentrations of Jews in Illinois, Congressman Schneider (IL-10)—who is Jewish—unsurprisingly attracted the majority of the Jewish vote. As a Jewish constituent, I have been waiting patiently for him to speak up and out against the rabid and unending stream of anti-Semitic attacks vented by Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

JTA Rep. Ted Deutch blames Democratic colleagues who oppose Israel for spike in antisemitism Rep. Ted Deutch, a Jewish Democratic congressman from Florida, blamed anti-Israel congresspeople in his own party for the recent spike in antisemitism.

Sign this petition Remove Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee

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Politicians are quick to shout “systemic racism,” though Black elected officials hold top positions of power in Chicago and Cook County

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
That thin line between order and chaos in Chicago and other towns
by John Kass
June 5, 2021

There is a thin line in big cities like Chicago, New York, Detroit and Los Angeles and small towns too. In just about every place you can think of where human beings choose to live together, there is that line. They think hard about it and make their decisions accordingly. You won’t find it on a map. There is no committee to bend it or redraw it to satisfy some politician’s ambitions. Yet all who live on its borders know its critical importance. It is delicate, thin, tenuous: It is the line between order and chaos. READ MORE

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EVENT Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin

StandWithUs presents
Zionist Movie Club Discussion
Upheaval: The Journey of Menachem Begin
June 15, 2021
9 AM PT / 10 AM MT / 11 AM CT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM UK / 7 PM Israel

The film costs $10 and is available June 12 at 8:15PM CDT. Once you begin, you will have 72 hours to finish watching Join us for a discussion with Jonathan Gruber, Writer/Director of Upheaval, and Professor Elie Rekhes, Crown Visiting Professor in Israel Studies, Northwestern University Register for the discussion HERE

Watch the Trailer HERE    Watch the film HERE

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PM-designate Bennett defends deal with Lapid: ‘My core vow was to get Israel out of the chaos’; retracts charge that Ra’am’s Abbas is ‘terror supporter,’ calls him honest, brave

TIMES OF ISRAEL
Bennett: ‘I told my kids their father will be the most hated person in Israel’
by Raoul Wootliff
June 4, 2021

In his first interview since signing an agreement that would see him lead a government to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yamina chair Naftali Bennett on Thursday defended his decision to form a power-sharing coalition with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, saying he did it “for the sake of the country” Speaking with Channel 12 news, prime minister-designate Bennett pushed back on criticism from some on the right that he broke his promise not to join a government in which Lapid would serve as prime minister. In the new coalition, Bennett is set to become prime minister for the first two years, followed by Lapid for the latter two. READ MORE

JERUSALEM POST Bennett under attack by Evangelical leader for helping oust Netanyahu Israel’s pending power change has split the US Evangelical Christian community, with one of its top leaders launching a scathing attack on Yamina Party head Naftali Bennett, although others believe that the community’s support goes beyond Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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“In meeting with senior White House officials in Washington, Defense Minister Benny Gantz calls for greater oversite of Iranian nuclear project”

ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
Gantz tells US officials military option necessary for Iran
by Lilach Shoval
June 4, 2021

Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with a series of senior US administration officials at the White House, Thursday, in the first such visit by an Israeli politician since US President Joe Biden took office. Among the officials Gantz met with were National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Gantz was also set to meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon. In his meetings with the US officials, Gantz emphasized the need to consolidate a military option vis-à-vis Iran and increase oversight of Iran’s nuclear armament. READ MORE

JERUSALEM POST Gantz demands cancellation of flag march in Jerusalem Gantz held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the the Jerusalem Day flag march which has been rescheduled for Thursday in the Old CityBoth Israeli politicians and Hamas have been warning against allowing the Jerusalem Day flag march.

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“Western analysts will go to any absurd lengths to fabricate symmetry between Israel and Hamas, because symmetry is our new goddess of right and wrong”

JNS
How did Hamas become the darling of the West?
by Judea Pearl
June 3, 2021

In February 2009, I wrote an essay about a symposium at UCLA that marked the beginning of Hamas’s penetration into academic circles. I also described the culture of fear that had overtaken many of my colleagues, who felt it was unsafe to admit to supporting Israel. Twelve years later, in the wake of the most recent conflict between Israel and Gaza and the ensuing antisemitism on our campuses and in our streets, I have revised and updated my original essay, which is just as relevant today as it was when it was first written. READ MORE

Judea Pearl is the father of murdered Wall Street Journal writer Daniel Pearl

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