John Kerry, “haughty from his success in the Pyrrhic victory of the Iran nuclear deal, said things he probably now wishes he could take back”

MIDDLE EAST FORUM
History Proves John Kerry Wrong … Again
by A.J. Caschetta
September 22, 2020

Conventional wisdom took one on the chin last week when the Trump administration did what the establishment said couldn’t be done. No chin took a harder hit than former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s, when one clever social media user unearthed and isolated 44 seconds of him assuring the world that no Middle East peace deal will be possible without the Palestinians. “There will be no separate peace between Israel and the Arab world. I want to make that very clear to all of you,” he stated. The clip was from December 4, 2016, when Kerry made some of his final remarks as secretary of state to the Brookings Institution’s annual Saban Forum. READ MORE

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Trump “managed to jump historic, emotional and ideological hurdles that many, including this writer, believed could not be crossed in the foreseeable future”

GATESTONE
Trump and Nobel Prize: Make Deals Not War
by Amir Taheri
September 20, 2020

Do Norwegian politicians have a sense of humor after all? Or are they being deliberately provocative by nominating President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in the middle of the biggest campaign of character assassination faced by any Western politician in recent times? At first glance, Trump may actually have a claim to the dynamite-maker’s prize. He has brokered normalization between Israel and two of its erstwhile Arab enemies, with more expected to follow. He may have also cleared the last foyer of conflict in former Yugoslavia by mediating a settlement between Serbia and Kosovo. READ MORE

REAL CLEAR POLITICS MSNBC’s Donny Deutsch: What Is The Difference Between Trump And Hitler? “I’m Not Saying There’s A Holocaust” Advertising executive Donny Deutsch compared President Trump and Adolf Hitler Wednesday morning on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “If you are a Jew in this country and you are supporting Donald Trump, you are not looking back at our history,” he said. “And you are blind and you are walking like a lemming off a cliff. It is time to wake up. I’m sorry. This is where we are.”

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5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Chuck Norris and Israel

Every year, the StandWithUs “Campus Champions” Gala makes possible our vital work. On November 1, we are going forward with an amazing and inspirational online gala, honoring “Women of Valor.” It’s time to declare your “Championship!

StandWithUs Midwest presents
The 9th ANNUAL CAMPUS CHAMPIONS VIRTUAL GALA
Sunday, November 1, 2020
To become a Campus Champion, click here.

StandWithUs is an international and non-partisan Israel education organization that inspires and educates people of all ages and backgrounds, challenges misinformation and fights antisemitism. SWU empowers and energizes students and communities with leadership training and educational programs on hundreds of college campuses, high schools, and middle schools. SWU informs through social media, print and digital materials, films, weekly newsletters and missions to Israel.

And now a word from Chuck Norris about StandWithUs

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“The story of the unlikely Ginsburg-Scalia friendship is a symbol of political bridge-building and old-school decency”

THE FEDERALIST
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Was A Great American
by David Marcus
September 19, 2020

…No one of us, no group of us can ever truly define America. America is in fact the process of coming to that definition. Ruth Bader Ginsburg had definite ideas about that, most of which conservatives balk at. But the way she went about it, the respect and even love she had for those with whom her disagreements could not be more fundamental, needs to be a beacon for us now. Now that we hate each other and end friendships and feel the dark cloud of disdain for our neighbors, we need to look to Ginsburg and remember it does not have to be this way. READ MORE

NEW YORK POST Inside Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia’s unlikely friendship  Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg kept a surprising photograph on display in her chambers — a picture with her political polar opposite. The image showed the late trial-blazing judge and Justice Antonin Scalia smiling and waving together on the back of an elephant during a trip to India in 1994, according to ABC News. Against all odds, the pair had a warm, decades-long friendship despite disagreeing on everything from same-sex marriage to gun rights.

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“I don’t like President Trump. I don’t think he is a good man, and I didn’t think he was the best choice for Republicans in 2016”

THE FEDERALIST
President Trump’s Stupid Tweets Are A Heck Of A Lot Better Than Joe Biden’s Evil Policies
by Nathanael Blake
September 2, 2020

I don’t like President Trump. I don’t think he is a good man, and I didn’t think he was the best choice for Republicans in 2016. I certainly don’t like everything he does, says, or tweets. But I am still going to vote for him, and I don’t think I’m the only one. Unlike four years ago, Trump is now a known political quantity. He has fought to keep his promises on the issues I care most about: abortion, religious liberty, and the rule of law. Meanwhile, the radicals running the Democratic Party have demonstrated that they will do anything for power — and that they view people like me as enemies to be punished and destroyed. READ MORE

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With Israel having one of the highest daily infection rates per capita in the world, there are only two nations where Israelis can currently travel without being forced into quarantine upon arrival or return

TIMES OF ISRAEL
Tens of thousands take advantage of flights to flee Israel’s closure
by Staff
September 19, 2020

Tens of thousands of Israelis are taking advantage of the opportunity to flee Israel’s new national lockdown and to enjoy a more relaxed holiday season abroad. Despite the national closure, which began Friday and is expected to last at least three weeks in its most stringent form, the government decided earlier this week that any previously scheduled flights for the coming weeks will take place as planned. According to a Channel 12 report Saturday, some 15,000 flew out in recent days, with 7,000 more expected to travel over the course of the Friday-Sunday Rosh Hashanah holiday, and another 40,000 set to depart over the next two weeks. READ MORE

JNS Israelis brace for High Holidays in shadow of second lockdown The Ministry of Health says 5,238 new cases have been confirmed between Thursday and Friday, setting yet another negative record. Restriction on movement is somewhat relaxed from 500 yards from one’s home to 1,000 yards. Israel is facing a national three-week lockdown slated to go into effect at 2 p.m. Friday (Israel time), as the government seeks to curtail the spread of the virus that has continuously grown in numbers.

ISRAEL HAYOM Israel’s population hits 9.2 million on eve of Rosh Hashanah According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 88.8% of the population is satisfied with their lives. During the past year, 49,410 couples got married and 170,000 babies were born.

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“Until recently, it was unimaginable to see Arabs openly admitting that they had been mistaken in their belief that Israel was the enemy of the Muslims and Arabs”

GATESTONE
Arabs: Israel Is Not Our Enemy
by Khaled Abu Toameh
September 17, 2020

…It is remarkable to see how an increasing number of Arabs are airing their views regarding Israel and the Palestinians in the public sphere. The message coming from these Arabs: “We helped the Palestinians for many years; we gave them money; we gave them weapons, and some of us even fought wars with Israel because of them. In the end, we discovered that our Palestinian brothers are ungrateful, obstinate, lack good leadership and are refusing to move on with their lives.” The Arabs are telling the Palestinians: “You no longer have a veto on peace with Israel.” READ MORE

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Shortly after explosion at Iranian nuclear enrichment facility—destroying 3/4 of the compound—“Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi hinted at Israeli involvement”

JERUSALEM POST
Goal of Natanz explosion was to send ‘clear’ message to Iran
by Yonah Jeremy Bob
September 17, 2020

An explosion two months ago at a key Iranian uranium enrichment facility in Natanz was meant to send a message of determination to stop the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The purpose of the attack was to send an unambiguous deterrent message that progress toward a nuclear weapon beyond certain redlines would not be tolerated. In addition, the Post has confirmed foreign reports that the explosion was caused by physical sabotage. READ MORE

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In case you missed this week’s US Holocaust Memorial Museum annual Chicago event, view it here

Tuesday’s luncheon was the first ever “virtual” event and this year the Museum honored my friend Mally Rutkoff for her years of service to the organization. The featured speaker was Former White Nationalist  R. Derek Black who was raised in a prominent White Supremacist family and spent his teenage years helping his father expand the world’s first online racial hate community, Stormfront. In the video link below, you’ll hear his amazing firsthand account of how he came to renounce the White Supremacist movement and philosophy he was raised in. It’s a moving story, very much worth a few minutes of your time. His story begins at 20:30.

Please consider making a gift to the Museum to help them in their vital work. Thanks to a generous donor, any gifts that have increased from your 2019 donation will be matched dollar for dollar and gifts made at the same level as last year will be matched $0.50 on the dollar. To contribute to the USHMM, click here. For more information on the Museum, contact the Midwest Regional Office at 847.433.8099 or midwest@ushmm.org.

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Council on Foreign Relations to host Iranian Foreign Minister “days after Iran tortured and executed popular Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari over his participation in a peaceful protest”

FREE BEACON
U.S. Think Tank Under Fire for Hosting Top Iranian Official
by Adam Kredo
September 15, 2020

A U.S. think tank is under fire from the Trump administration and its allies in Congress for hosting Iran’s chief propagandist in an upcoming event that legal experts say runs afoul of American sanctions laws. The Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan U.S. think tank that employs numerous former government officials, is scheduled to host next Tuesday Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif, the regime’s top spokesman and architect of the landmark nuclear accord, for a virtual conversation on the Zoom meeting platform. READ MORE

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