Reps. Brad Schneider and David Schweikert ask White House ‘to explain’ lack of exemption

Posted on September 26, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

JEWISH INSIDER
Exclusive: Congressmen press Trump on Israeli steel tariff waiver
by Jacob Kornbluh
September 26, 2019

Congressmen Brad Schneider (D-IL) and David Schweikert (R-AZ) have asked the Trump administration to explain why Israel has not been granted a waiver on new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. In a letter sent to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Wednesday and obtained by Jewish Insider, the two lawmakers — both members of the House Ways and Means Committee — noted that while the administration has granted exemptions to a number of key allies, including South Korea, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Mexico, the tariffs remain on imports from Israel, an ally and reliable strategic partner. READ MORE

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Bibi seemed to be saying: “Look, I can’t do this by myself, and General Gantz can’t do this by himself. So we’re going to have to end up, one way or another, doing it together”

Posted on September 26, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

NEW YORK SUN
Of the 3 Dramas That Grip the Globe, Israel’s May Take the Cake
Editorial
September 26, 2019

Of the three political dramas gripping the world right now, the most astounding may be in Israel, where President Rivlin, after the second election stalemate in five months, has just invited the incumbent prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to try to form a government….To complicate matters, it looks like Mr. Netanyahu is about to get indicted for bribery and other matters. He would be immune while he’s prime minister, but could not remain as premier — or any other minister — if he’s under indictment. No one wants to go back to a third election, no matter how vibrant Israel’s democracy. So what does Mr. Rivlin, the head of state of the Jewish state, see as a way forward that will thread all of this. READ MORE

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Muslim Brotherhood goal: “return the Muslim world to the time of Islamic Caliphate”

Posted on September 26, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

GATESTONE
The Muslim Brotherhood Must Be Confronted
by Tawfik Hamid
September 27, 2019

The White House has, since April, been considering officially designating the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). This designation would follow in the footsteps of countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, which have first-hand experience and understanding of the serious threat the MB represents. The MB’s modus operandi typically works through four stages: Preaching, sharing, use of violence, full control. It would therefore be wise to confront them sooner rather than later, before they manifest their full power. READ MORE

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“As the year 5780 begins, political division is the predominant theme in both Israel and the United States”

Posted on September 26, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Can you forgive your political foes? And can they forgive you?
by Jonathan  S. Tobin
September 27, 2019

…In Israel, two attempts to elect a Knesset in one year may not have been enough. The stalemate that has prevented the formation of a new government is not so much about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies as it is about him. That has been complicated by the re-emergence of the ongoing conflict between secular and religious Jews. But that may not be as bad as what’s happening in the United States. Americans seem divided into two warring camps that don’t merely disagree about whether President Donald Trump should remain in office as much as they simply cannot tolerate each other’s existence. READ MORE

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“Netanyahu had the best chance to form a government,” Rivlin said in a speech alongside the prime minister.

Posted on September 25, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

JERUSALEM POST
Rivlin gives Netanyahu mandate to form government
by Gil Hoffman
September 26, 2019

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been given the chance to form a government for the sixth time on Wednesday, after succeeding in his five terms in office but not having the opportunity to do so following the April election. President Reuven Rivlin formally gave Netanyahu four weeks to form the government, after a meeting at the President’s Residence with Blue and White leader Benny Gantz failed to bring about a breakthrough. The deadline will be October 24…A Channel 12 poll broadcast Wednesday night found that the public prefers Netanyahu go first in a rotation with Gantz. READ MORE

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If Gantz “becomes prime minister, American Jews will have some cause to celebrate”

Posted on September 24, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

NEW YORK TIMES
Benny Gantz Can’t Heal the Rift Between U.S. Jews and Israel
by Daniel Gordis
September 23, 2019

…But contrary to conventional wisdom, I believe that any new Israeli prime minister might ultimately make matters worse between Israel and American Jews. That’s because American Jews will discover that some of the policies they detested and associated with Netanyahu are actually supported by a wide spectrum of Israelis. What they thought they disliked about Netanyahu they may find that they dislike about Israel itself. READ MORE

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“As Israeli frustration mounts about violence coming out of Gaza, the idea of a ground invasion, and once and for all to finish with Hamas aggression, becomes more appealing”

Posted on September 23, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

WASHINGTON TIMES
Should Israel Invade Gaza?
by Daniel Pipes
September 23, 2019

...Attitudes toward Gaza are in flux. Efraim Inbar, the strategist who heads the Jerusalem Institute for Security Studies, for years advocated “mowing the grass” as “Israel’s strategy for protracted intractable conflict.” By this, he advocated an occasional reminder to Hamas’ rulers and other Gazans of Israel’s overwhelming power...But Mr. Inbar recently recognized the high costs of this passivity and now calls for a “restricted ground invasion” of the territory: Why? Because “a short-term ground operation will bring better results than Israel’s activity thus far [i.e., mowing the lawn]. We need to maneuver inside enemy territory, locate them, and destroy them, or tie the hands of its members.” READ MORE

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Israel to play baseball in 2020 Olympics “where it will face powerhouse teams such as the United States, Japan, and the Dominican Republic”

Posted on September 23, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

NBC SPORTS
Israel is first nation to qualify for 2020 Olympic baseball tournament
by Olympic Talk
September 22, 2019

Israel’s baseball team, which captivated at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, is headed to its first Olympics next summer. Israel won a joint European-African tournament to become the first nation to qualify for baseball’s return to the Games after the sport was voted off the program after Beijing 2008…Four more countries will qualify — two at the global Premier12 in November, another from the Americas and one more from a last-chance qualifier next year. Israel, ranked 19th in the world, advanced via its best opportunity in Italy this week. It upset the highest-ranked European nations — the Netherlands (No. 8) and host Italy (No. 16) — and wrapped it up with an 11-1 win over South Africa on Sunday. READ MORE

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS Unbelievable: Israel to play baseball in 2020 Olympics A veteran oddsmaker wouldn’t have taken the bet. A Hollywood producer wouldn’t have entertained such a preposterous plot line. No one — except perhaps Israel Association of Baseball president Peter Kurz, the eternally optimistic uncle you might dismiss as delusional — would have believed the Israeli national baseball team could earn a berth in the 2020 Olympics…

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Iran: “Trump must remember a cardinal rule: If we reward aggression, we’ll get more of it”

Posted on September 22, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Submitting to Islamist bullies won’t make America great again
by Clifford D. May
September 22, 2019

John Bolton’s sudden departure from the White House last week cheered progressives who believe America has no enemies, just friends whose grievances we’ve failed to address, as well as those conservatives who believe if we leave our enemies alone, they’ll return the favor. And you thought there was no common ground between left and right!…Bolton’s departure was reportedly precipitated when Trump began to consider giving in to demands from Iran’s rulers to relieve economic pressure on them as a precondition for new talks about their nuclear weapons program, support for terrorists, imperialist aggression and other malign activities.  READ MORE

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Jews and Arabs saving each other’s lives

Posted on September 22, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

ELDER OF ZIYON
Jews and Arabs donate kidneys to each other when original recipients were not suitable
from YNET
September 20, 2019

Twenty-four hours before the dramatic moment the polls opened, two Jewish men and two Arab women faced their own dramatic moment: a chain of operations that saved the lives of two of them. Ido from the religious community of Hoshaya intended to donate a kidney altruistically to Israel, which he did not know before, but unfortunately he was found unsuitable for matching. So did Aida Mashfaram, who intended to donate a kidney to her sister-in-law Hanan, but the results of the tests showed that this would not be possible. At Rambam Hospital, the four proposed a “chain of transplants”, which led to Aida donating her kidney to Israel, while Ido donated a kidney to Hanan. READ MORE

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