Miracles and Faith in the Face of Terrorism: Father and Grandfather Speaks

Posted on December 21, 2018 by ArchitectGuy

FACEBOOK
Words from Chaim Silberstein father of terror victim Shira Ish-Ran
December 18, 2018

I would like to share with you my reflections on the tremendously tumultuous period that my family and I experienced this past week. It was marked by the two extremes of the death of our three-day-old grandson at the hands of murderous Arab terrorists, and the absolutely miraculous survival of our daughter Shira from the same attack. Shira’s husband Amichai Ish-Ran was also wounded in the terrorist shooting onslaught – surviving three bullets to his leg. Paying no heed to his own condition, he began the process of saving Shira’s life by stopping her heavily bleeding wound with his hands. A Magen David Adom ambulance medic named Betzalel Ben-Hamu, with Shira’s cooperation even as she fought off unconsciousness, continued the miracle. READ MORE

To help support the couple financially, please click here Friends of Shira & Amichai Rehabilitation Fund

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“Trump’s Syria pullout was last straw for Mattis; others may quit Pentagon”

Posted on December 21, 2018 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
Departing Mattis said to cancel Israel trip, as Israel feels ‘betrayed’ on Syria
by Staff
December 21, 2018

US Defense Secretary James Mattis has cancelled a trip to Israel planned for next week after submitting his resignation in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull US forces out of Syria, Israeli television reported Friday…The TV report described the US move as “a slap in the face” for Israel, noting that the US presence in Syria was “the only bargaining chip” in Israel’s efforts to persuade Russia to prevent Iran deepening its entrenchment in Syria… Channel 10 news reported Wednesday that Netanyahu tried in vain to persuade Trump to change his mind, and that there was tremendous “disappointment” in Jerusalem over the pullout, which is regarded as a victory for Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. READ MORE

TIMES OF ISRAEL Trump’s Syria pullout was last straw for Mattis; others may quit Pentagon His departure was immediately lamented by foreign policy hands and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who viewed the retired Marine general as a sober voice of experience in the ear of a president who had never held political office or served in the military. Even Trump allies expressed fear over Mattis’ decision to quit, believing him to be an important moderating force on the president.

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“Estimated net reduction in Illinois’ population this year is 45,116 residents. Every other state in the Midwest is growing”

Posted on December 20, 2018 by ArchitectGuy

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
How bad does the ‘Illinois Exodus’ have to get?
Editorial Board
December 19, 2018

When he takes office in January, Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker will have fewer constituents than he might have expected. Unfortunately he’ll also have fewer constituents working and paying taxes to support Illinois’ state and local governments. Every time a worker departs, the tax burden on those of us who remain grows. The release on Wednesday of new census data about Illinois was alarming: Not only has the flight of citizens continued for a fifth straight year, but the population loss is intensifying. This year’s estimated net reduction of 45,116 residents is the worst of these five losing years. READ MORE

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“The US didn’t have a massive troop presence, but it still managed to keep Tehran’s weapons from the Iraq-Syria border region; now even Netanyahu can’t hide his disappointment”

Posted on December 19, 2018 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
Trump pullout from Syria leaves Israel alone to battle Iran’s likely resurgence
by Raphael Ahren
December 19, 2018

The US administration’s planned complete withdrawal from Syria is bad news for Israel both militarily and diplomatically, experts said Wednesday, since it will be leaving a vacuum in the war-torn country that will very likely be filled by Iran. While the US military had only some 2,000 troops in Syria, mostly in the eastern part of the country, and did not actively participate in Israel’s ongoing efforts to prevent the Islamic Republic from entrenching itself there, Iran, and its Russian allies, will likely interpret the American move as an admission of defeat and feel emboldened to act in Syria as they please. READ MORE

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Nikki Haley delivers remarks on Arab-Israeli conflict at her last UN Security Council meeting

Posted on December 19, 2018 by ArchitectGuy

THE NATIONAL
Nikki Haley says US peace plan will upset Israelis as well as Palestinians
by Arthur MacMillan
December 19, 2018

The long-talked-about but as yet unpublished White House plan for peace between Israelis and Palestinians contains unprecedented solutions that can end 50 years of diplomatic failure, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Tuesday, calling on other countries to support it. In a cryptic last address to the UN Security Council’s monthly meeting on matters in the Middle East, Ms Haley spoke about the eagerly awaited proposals of Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, saying that she had read them. “Unlike previous attempts at addressing this conflict this plan is not just a few pages containing unspecific and unimaginative guidelines,” said Ms Haley…READ MORE

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Can Gideon Levy explain why “If Arabs can live in Israel, then why can’t Jews live in the West Bank?”

Posted on December 18, 2018 by ArchitectGuy

ALGEMEINER
According to Israeli Writer, West Bank Jews Have It Coming
by Dexter Van Zile
December 18, 2018

Gideon Levy hates Jews living in the West Bank. He hates them so much that he feels no sympathy for them when they are murdered by Palestinian terrorists. He even blames them for their own murder. He made this perfectly clear in an article published in Haaretz five days after a newborn baby died after being shot in his mother’s womb in a drive-by shooting by a Palestinian terrorist. In the piece, Levy declared that Jews living in the West Bank “brought it on themselves.” READ MORE

HAARETZ Gideon Levy’s Views on Dead Settlers Are Incomprehensible, Inexcusable and Unforgivable It is clearly possible to bear vehement political hostility to the political settlement movement, but not to murdered settlers. That Levy is no longer able to do so indicates he’s lost his humanity

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“It is in the United States’ national security interest” for Israel to maintain sovereignty over #GolanHeights

Posted on December 18, 2018 by ArchitectGuy

DAILY WIRE
Cruz, Cotton Submit Resolution Urging Israeli Sovereignty Over Golan Heights
by Hank Berrien
December 18, 2018

U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) have introduced a Senate resolution urging the United States to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights…The resolution states that the leaders of Iran often state their intention to eradicate Israel; Iran and its proxies have repeatedly attacked Israel from within the boundaries of Syria, and that “in December 2014, Congress unanimously resolved that the United States supported the sovereign right of the Government of Israel to defend its territory and its citizens from attacks against Israel by Hamas, which is supported by Iran.” READ MORE

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Airbnb: We’re definitely not into BDS however we do employ some of their tactics

Posted on December 17, 2018 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
Israel says Airbnb walking back settlement boycott; company denies it
by Jacob Magid
December 17, 2018

Amid a confusing series of statements and clarifications, Airbnb on Monday rejected an Israeli government assertion that it had agreed to walk back its decision to remove listings from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. “The reports issued earlier today are inaccurate,” the company said in a statement issued by its press secretary, Nick Papas. This apparent denial came shortly after the Tourism Ministry issued a statement of its own, saying Airbnb had told officials that it would not be implementing its policy — a move the ministry called “a step in the right direction.” READ MORE

JNS Airbnb officials visit Samaria amid controversy over rentals and settlement homes Delegation led by vice president of short-term rental firm visits Samaria after vowing to delist rentals over opposition to Jewish settlements • Airbnb denies change of heart, as was earlier reported.

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“The cultural establishment has spent years” ignoring author Alice Walker’s antisemitism, on display again in the NYT

Posted on December 17, 2018 by ArchitectGuy

TABLET MAGAZINE
The New York Times Just Published an Unqualified Recommendation for an Insanely Anti-Semitic Book
by Yair Rosenberg
December 17, 2018

Over the weekend, the New York Times Book Review published a full-length interview with Alice Walker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple. The very first question: “What books are on your nightstand?” Walker replied with four, the second of which was: “And the Truth Shall Set You Free,” by David Icke….”This passed without comment from the New York Times interviewer, and the publication passed it on to the readers without qualification. This is rather remarkable because the book is an unhinged anti-Semitic conspiracy tract written by one of Britain’s most notorious anti-Semites. READ MORE

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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison: “Canberra formally recognizes “West Jerusalem” as Israel‘s capital”

Posted on December 17, 2018 by ArchitectGuy

ALGEMEINER
Israel Signals Displeasure at Australia’s ‘Mistaken’ West Jerusalem Move
by Reuters and Staff
December 16, 2018

Israel signaled displeasure on Sunday with Australia’s recognition of western Jerusalem as its capital, with a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying it was a mistake to gainsay Israeli control over the whole city. The premier, for his part, stayed silent on Canberra’s move at a weekly Israeli cabinet meeting that is usually his opportunity to hold forth in public on major diplomatic developments. Israel captured eastern Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it as its capital in a moved not recognized internationally. Palestinians want eastern Jerusalem as capital of the state they hope to found in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. READ MORE

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