…I had tried to arrange a visit to the city’s synagogue for weeks ahead of my trip to Manama [Bahrain] for the US-led economic workshop, but the local Jewish community was initially hesitant to open its doors to Israeli journalists. Aware of the acute sensitivity of being a Jew in a Muslim country that does not have formal relations with Israel, I sent several messages, through different channels, to community leaders asking for a private visit, to no avail…Jews, mostly of Iraqi origin, have been living in Bahrain since the 1880s, which is why the country claims to be home to the Gulf’s only indigenous Jewish community. READ MORE
…After so many rejections, one might conclude that the Palestinian Authority’s leaders simply aren’t interested in peace. Had they accepted any of the peace offers, they would have immediately received the rarest of all geopolitical prizes: a new country, with full international recognition. To be sure, in each proposal they found something not quite to their liking. But the Palestinians are perhaps the only national independence movement in the modern era that has ever rejected a genuine offer of internationally recognized statehood, even if it falls short of all the territory the movement had sought. READ MORE SUBSCRIPTION CONTENT
ALGEMEINER Sean Durns: The Bahrain Conference and the Big Omission The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Foreign Policy Magazine, and others reported on the PA’s refusal to participate, but failed to note that it was in keeping with a long history of Palestinians rejecting opportunities for peace.
…As nodes in its nuclear-weapons program, Iran’s nuclear facilities are the crown jewels of the Islamic Republic. The JCPOA is the fortress that surrounds them. The waivers, in turn, have been the cornerstones of that fortress. Pompeo, on May 3, crashed the gates. Khamenei will therefore fight to preserve the JCPOA almost as hard as he will fight to retain the nuclear facilities themselves—and he will fight just as hard to reinstate the two nuclear waivers and preserve the other five. READ MORE
This Friday, the world’s leading economic powers will gather in Osaka, Japan, for the G20 summit, and though it won’t be on the official agenda, the rising tensions between Iran and the United States will loom large over the gathering. Since May, the Islamic Republic has carried out half a dozen acts of sabotage and violence against the U.S. and its allies. What is the story behind Iran’s escalating provocations? Is it looking for war? Is America?Listen to Michael Doran on America’s Standoff with Iran from The Tikvah Podcast
…In his earliest speeches Adolf Hitler made clear that his primary mission was to make Germany, and then all Europe, judenrein—free of Jews. He failed only because of the Allied victory but today, slowly, inexorably and, for the most part, legally and largely unconsciously, Europe is fulfilling the Nazi aspiration. It is not only in Germany but in England, France, Hungary and elsewhere across the continent, that the many forms of European anti-Semitism—far right, left-wing anti-imperialist, and Islamist—are not only multiplying but moving closer toward controlling the official levers of power.READ MORE
An electric plane capable of flying up to 650 miles with nine passengers made its debut at the Paris Airshow on Tuesday, with its manufacturer targeting regional commuter routes such as the French capital to the southern city of Toulouse. Eviation Aircraft said the plane – called Alice – was a radical rethinking of the cost, experience and environmental impact of regional travel. The impact of air travel on the environment has become a key focus of climate campaigners and airlines have long been looking at ways to address emissions and their costs through new designs and cleaner technologies. READ MORE
The debates over two nights showed a party that has changed significantly since Hillary Clinton won the nomination in 2016. Back then, Bernie Sanders’s socialist positions were insurgent, outsider stances. Now, they are mainstream positions among top-tier Democratic candidates. That’s certainly true for Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. Joe Biden and Sen. Amy Klobuchar have tried to resist, but they, too, are being pulled left by party activists, where all the energy and campaign donations lie. READ MORE
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Marc Thiessen: The debates’ biggest losers? American taxpayersBut where things get really expensive is the nexus between the Democrats’ spending plans and their immigration policies. During the first debate, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro said he would decriminalize illegal border crossings. When the candidates in the second debate were asked how many supported his plan, nearly every candidate’s hand went up.
Now, more than ever, Israel and the Jewish community need friends who stand with us. For six years, StandWithUs has joined forces with Christian Zionists to celebrate the miracle of Israel and to reaffirm our unified support.This year’s program is outstanding with inspiring speakers and gifted musicians, including Cantor Stoehr, Beth Shalom, and Chinese-American violinist Charles Li rendering his version of Hatikvah. Speakers include Ariella Rada, Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Midwest and John Somerville, Cowboy/Scholar/Marine/Christian Zionist. For more information call 773-230-1340 or email kathie.wellman@yahoo.com NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED
…While the Bahrain show plays out, the real Deal of the Century is being discussed in Jerusalem, by the national security advisers of the U.S., Russia and Israel. Ostensibly the Jerusalem conference was convened to discuss the situation in Syria and Iran’s role there. But its tacit agenda was broader. It is part of a process in which the U.S. and Russia are attempting to divide the Middle East into spheres of influence. It has come about because the West’s two superpowers have interests in the region that seem best served by cooperation. READ MORE
JEWISH JOURNAL Bahrain Foreign Minister on Israel: ‘The Jewish People Have a Place Amongst Us’“Israel is a country in the Middle East. It is part of the heritage of this region, historically,” Al-Khalifa said. “The Jewish people have a place amongst us.” Al-Khalifa also said the Palestinians erred in refusing to partake in the conference because they are missing “an opportunity” to help “alleviate the lives and the troubles of people.”
I24 Yishai Fleisher: “The PA is a violent thuggish organization which suppresses the will of decent Palestinian people who want to live in peace with Israel…” which is why the Palestinians in Bahrain this week have to “fly under the radar”
In a statement Monday, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum disavowed comparisons between the Holocaust and other events. The statement follows the recent media storm surrounding Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s comments, referring to U.S. immigrant detention centers for as “concentration camps.” The Museum’s statement reaffirmed its standing position on the matter…The Holocaust Museum’s statement was prompted in part by an employee of the organization who reportedly endorsed Ocasio-Cortez’s analogies to the Holocaust [see the employee’s rebuttal here]. READ MORE
When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared, during the lead-up to the country’s March 31 municipal elections, that “whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey,” he couldn’t have imagined that the catchy campaign slogan was going to energize his rivals and bode ill for his own continued reign of terror…Indeed, if Erdoğan’s motto about Istanbul was correct, Turkey might be on the verge of wresting itself from Erdoğan’s stranglehold, and resume the moderate traditions and statesmanship of Kemal Atatürk, when the republic that he founded in 1923 was a burgeoning industrial democracy genuinely allied with the United States, Europe and Israel. READ MORE
ArchitectGuy on Israel 