An American in Paris? Not Paris Hilton, however.
Have you given much thought to your retirement? If you’re young, beyond being vaguely
aware that you’ll one day receive Social Security benefits, probably not. But if your retirement plan is to rely on Social Security, you’re in for an unpleasant surprise. Why? Because Social Security is going broke. And even if it weren’t going broke, it could never cover the cost of a decent retirement. Watch this week’s video with a financial expert and bestselling author Chris Hogan to understand why and to learn what you can do instead.
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Yes, Trump was probably the most unqualified of all the Republican candidates to be
president and when he took office the first six months of his administration and the manner in which The White House was run was disastrous.. Since then, things have settled down, His Chief of Staff has brought a semblance of order and matters are running in a calmer and more traditional manner .
So why was Trump even elected? You have read about Clinton's lousy campaign and,
except for the bar bell states, Americans were dissatisfied and seeking something beyond the usual because the times are more unusual. Americans wanted a fighter, unlike Romney, who should have possibly won but was/is a patrician patsy.
Because we live in a different time and thus, need a president for the times, Trump fits the
bill more than Jeb and those others Trump defeated for the nomination. Consequently, his detractors are behind the curve and though he has given them many reasons to complain and oppose him, he is more suitable because the traditional no longer fits the criterion.
Furthermore, I believe the degree of scrutiny, the risk of having your reputation utterly
destroyed, the political negativism and untruthful "gotcha" mass media mean we are less likely to have suitable and/or traditional people offer themselves for public service. Why should they? Who needs this kind of aggravation? It takes a lot of patriotism and ego to surmount the road blocks and risks
Terrorism, challenges to a weakened and more vulnerable America require someone
different, someone unlike what we have been used to, less like Obama, who proved to be an unmitigated disaster. So Trump it is, warts and all. Get used to him because he is not going to bow to the Demwits desire to be impeached. He is not likely to be found guilty of anything impeachable by Mueller and he certainly "ain't" going down without a fight which he, most likely, would win. Much the same with Renoir, whose biography I am reading, in that, his initial Impressionistic Art, was not embraced. In fact it took many years for collector's and critic's taste to discover and embrace the inherent beauty. What the eye had become accustomed to needed time to re-adjust. Perhaps Trump and some of his successes will find favor with more over time. Committed diehards never change, however.(See 1 and 1a below.) Look who is obstructing justice by stonewalling Congress. Hold him in contempt? (See 1b below.)
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Is the Arab Street losing its importance, impact and clout among its own brethren? Ralph Peters gives his reasons but I believe he failed to mention that eventually even bullies and cowards lose ther audience as rational thinking and pendulums return. Eventually people tire of what is boringly unsustainable because it is based on a pile of lies supported/driven by terror. Wanton killings have a way of boomeranging and undercutting those who engage. (See 2 below.) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As we approach a new invesment year the domestic market remains richly valued and should The Fed raise rates, as expected, due to rising employment and a healthier GDP, it could be a precursor of inflation which would mean heightened volatility which has been absent most of 2017. As for sectors I continue to favor the financial, energy and health sector and a few selected industrials. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Corny Holiday Humor: My wife and I had words, but I didn't get to use mine. Frustration is trying to find your glasses without your glasses. God made man before woman so as to give him time to think of an answer for her first question. Every morning is the dawn of a new error. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bibbi's response to Trump and his desire for the E.U to be Israel's fair friend. That is not likely to happen. Why? Because, in my opinion, Europe is too conflicted trying to accomodate the enormous influx of Muslims and cannot escape the control Muslims have over Europe. Europe is history. Europe is toast. [ Parenthetically, Lynn's great great uncle helped train Bibbi for politics.] (See 3 and 3a below.) +++++++++++++++++++++
Dick
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1) Can a President Obstruct Justice?
Yes, but not by doing any of the things we know Trump to havedone.
David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey
Speculation about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation has turned toward obstruction of justice—
specifically, whether President Trump can be criminally prosecuted for firing James Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or for earlier asking Mr. Comey to go easy on onetime national security adviser Mike Flynn. The answer is no. The Constitution forbids Congress to criminalize such conduct by a president, and applying existing statutes in such a manner would violate the separation of powers.
The Constitution creates three co-equal branches of government, and no branch may exercise its authority in
a manner that would negate or fundamentally undercut the power of another. The power to appoint and remove high-level executive-branch officers, such as the FBI director, is a core aspect of the president’s executive authority. It is the principal means by which a president disciplines the exercise of the executive power the Constitution vests in him.
The same is true of Mr. Trump’s request, as purported by Mr. Comey: “I hope you can see your way clear . . .
to letting Flynn go.” The FBI director wields core presidential powers when conducting an investigation, and the president is entirely within his rights to inquire about, and to direct, such investigations. The director is free to ignore the president’s inquiries or directions and risk dismissal, or to resign if he believes the president is wrong. Such officials serve at the president’s pleasure and have no right to be free of such dilemmas.
A law criminalizing the president’s removal of an officer for a nefarious motive, or the application of a general
law in that way, would be unconstitutional even if the president’s action interferes with a criminal investigation. Such a constraint would subject every exercise of presidential discretion to congressional sanction and judicial review. That would vitiate the executive branch’s coequal status and, when combined with Congress’s impeachment power, establish legislative supremacy—a result the Framers particularly feared.
Mr. Trump’s critics claim that subjecting the president’s actions to scrutiny as potential obstructions of justice
is simply a matter of asking judges to do what they do every day in other contexts—determine the purpose or intent behind an action. That is also wrong. The president is not only an individual, but head of the executive branch. Separating his motives between public interests and personal ones—partisan, financial or otherwise— would require the courts to delve into matters that are inherently political. Under Supreme Court precedent stretching back to Marbury v. Madison (1803), the judiciary has no power to do so. And lawmakers enjoy an analogous immunity under the Speech and Debate Clause.
The president’s independence from the other branches does not merely support “energy” in the chief
executive, as the Framers intended. It also ensures that he, and he alone, is politically accountable for his subordinates’ conduct. If officials as critical to the executive branch’s core functions as the FBI director could determine whom and how to investigate free from presidential supervision, they would wield the most awesome powers of government with no political accountability. History has demonstrated that even when subject to presidential authority, the FBI director can become a power unto himself—as J. Edgar Hoover was for decades, severely damaging civil liberties.
There are limits to presidential power. The Constitution requires the Senate’s consent for appointment of the
highest-level executive-branch officers—a critical check on presidential power. The Supreme Court has upheld statutory limits—although never involving criminal sanction—on the removal of certain kinds of officials But the decision to fire principal executive-branch officers like the FBI director remains within the president’s discretion. A sitting president can also be subjected to civil lawsuits—but only in a carefully circumscribed fashion, to avoid impeding his ability to discharge the powers of his office.
The ultimate check on presidential power is impeachment. Even though Mr. Trump cannot have violated
criminal law in dismissing Mr. Comey, if a majority of representatives believe he acted improperly or corruptly, they are free to impeach him. If two-thirds of senators agree, they can remove him from office. Congress would then be politically accountable for its action. Such is the genius of our Constitution’s checks and balances.
None of this is to suggest the president has absolute immunity from criminal obstruction-of-justice laws. He
simply cannot be prosecuted for an otherwise lawful exercise of his constitutional powers. The cases of Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton —the latter impeached, and the former nearly so, for obstruction of justice— have contributed to today’s confusion. These were not criminal charges but articulations of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” the constitutional standard for impeachment.
And in neither case was the accusation based on the president’s exercise of his lawful constitutional powers.
If a president authorizes the bribery of a witness to suppress truthful testimony, as Nixon was accused of doing, he can be said to have obstructed justice. Likewise if a president asks a potential witness to commit perjury in a judicial action having nothing to do with the exercise of his office, as Mr. Clinton was accused of doing.
Although neither man could have been prosecuted while in office without his consent, either could have been
after leaving office. That’s why President Ford pardoned Nixon—to avoid the spectacle and poisonous political atmosphere of a criminal trial. In Mr. Trump’s case, by contrast, the president exercised the power to fire an executive-branch official whom he may dismiss for any reason, good or bad, or for no reason at all. To construe that as a crime would unravel America’s entire constitutional structure.
Messrs. Rivkin and Casey practice appellate and constitutional law in Washington. They served in the White
House Counsel’s office and Justice Department in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. 1a) George Soros Funded Group Readying Trump’s Sexual Harassment AccusersTo Push For Congressional Investigation"Their disturbing allegations came to light before the post-Weinstein era of accountability for sexual misconduct and the rise of the #MeToo movement."
A far-left activist group funded by George Soros is readying the women who
accused President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct to demand a
congressional investigation. The women had made their accusations just before
the November 2016 election.
The women will speak on Monday at 10:30 a.m. ET to call for "accountability and
an investigation by Congress of sexual misconduct." They had accused Trump
of "groping, fondling, forcibly kissing, humiliating and harassing women."
Women who have publicly accused President Trump of sexual harassment and assault will unite for the first time to speak out about their experiences on Monday, December 11, at 10:30 AM. At the press conference, hosted by Brave New Films, the women will call for accountability and an investigation by Congress of sexual misconduct by the president.
The group behind this obvious new attempt to force Trump out of the White
House, Brave New Films, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that claims to be
“non-partisan” — a claim that becomes laughable upon a
review of their donors and partners which include left-
wing hit groups like Media Matters For America and
Democracy For America.
election or defeat of candidates for public office,” a statement that
is not even remotely accurate looking at just some
of the propaganda-style videos they created,
including:
One of Brave New Films' donors is Open Society Foundations, a leftist
organization whose founder and chairman is George Soros, who has given
“over $32 billion to fund the Open Society Foundations, which work in over 100
countries around the world.”
George Soros is a Democrat megadonor who "donated or committed more than
$25 million to boost Hillary Clinton and other Democratic candidates and causes,
according to Federal Election Commission records and interviews with his
associates and Democratic fundraising operatives," Politico
In the wake of Trump's election win, Soros gave $18
billion to his Open Society Foundations, as he called
for immediate action against Trump.
1b) Christopher Wray’s FBI Stonewall The new director hides behind a phony excuse for refusing to answerCongress’s questions.By The Editorial Board
Christopher Wray was supposed to bring a new candor and credibility to the FBI after the
James Comey debacle, but the country is still waiting. The director’s testimony Thursday to the House Judiciary Committee suggests he has joined the Justice Department effort to stop the public from learning about the bureau’s role in the 2016 election.
Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte invited Mr. Wray to answer the multiplying questions
about the bureau’s 2016 political interference. This includes the role that the Steele dossier— opposition research financed by the Clinton campaign—played in the FBI’s decision to investigate the Trump presidential campaign. The committee also wants answers about reports that special counsel Robert Mueller demoted Peter Strzok, a lead FBI investigator in both the Trump and Hillary Clinton email investigations, after Mr. Strzok exchanged anti-Trump texts with his mistress, who also works at the FBI.
Mr. Wray spent five hours stonewalling. The director ducked every question about the FBI’s
behavior by noting that the Justice Department Inspector General is investigating last year’s events.
Is Mr. Wray concerned that Mr. Strzok edited the FBI’s judgment of Mrs. Clinton’s handling
of her emails to “extremely careless” from “grossly negligent” in a previous draft? The grossly negligent phrase might have put Mrs. Clinton in legal jeopardy, but Mr. Wray said he couldn’t answer because that is subject to the “outside, independent investigation.”
Is Mr. Wray taking steps to ensure his top ranks are free of political “taint”? He couldn’t say
because of the “outside, independent” investigation.
Ohio Republican Jim Jordan noted that the only way for Congress to know if the FBI used the
Steele dossier to obtain a warrant to spy on the Trump campaign is for the FBI to provide its application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. “Is there anything prohibiting you from showing this committee [that application]?” Mr. Jordan asked.
Mr. Wray’s answer was dismissive. “I do not believe that I can legally and appropriately share
a FISA court submission with this committee,” said Mr. Wray. “When I sign FISA applications, which I have to do almost every day of the week, they are all covered with a ‘classified information’ cover.”
This is an excuse, not a serious reason. The IG is a watchdog created by Congress to
investigate executive misbehavior. It was never intended to supplant congressional oversight, much less be an excuse for executive officials to protect their decisions from scrutiny.
As for hiding behind “classified information,” the House Intelligence Committee that is
investigating Russian campaign meddling has appropriate clearances. Mr. Goodlatte reminded Mr. Wray that the Judiciary Committee also has primary jurisdiction over the FISA court.
The FISA application is central to the issue of Russian meddling and whether the FBI used
disinformation to trigger a counterintelligence investigation of a U.S. presidential candidate. Congress and the U.S. need to know not only if Trump officials were colluding with Russians but also if Russia and the Clinton campaign used false information to dupe the FBI into intervening in a U.S. election. Yet the FBI and Justice have been stonewalling House Intelligence for months.
The lack of cooperation has become more troubling amid reports that senior career Justice
officials have a partisan motivation. Judicial Watch last week released emails showing that Mr. Mueller’s top lieutenant, Andrew Weissmann, praised Obama holdover and acting Attorney General Sally Yates in January for defying Mr. Trump on his travel ban.
Justice also confirmed a Fox News report last week that one of its top lawyers, Bruce Ohr,
was in contact with Christopher Steele (the dossier author) before the election, and after the election with Glenn Simpson, the founder of Fusion GPS, the opposition-research firm that hired Mr. Steele. Mr. Ohr was demoted, which suggests his contacts were unauthorized.
By the way, the chief law enforcement officer of the United States is the President. This
means he has the legal authority through his deputies at the White House and Justice to see the FISA application. AG Jeff Sessions is recused from the Russia probe, which complicates his access because we don’t know the extent of his recusal. But Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein supervises the FBI when Mr. Sessions does not.
Mr. Rosenstein can and should order the FBI to meet Congress’s document requests including
the FISA application. If he refuses, then Mr. Trump through White House counsel Donald McGahn can order him to do so. Mr. Rosenstein could choose to resign rather than comply, but he will not have the law on his side.
The easy way to solve this standoff is for executive officials, including the FBI, to do their
duty and cooperate with the duly elected Members of Congress. If they don’t, sterner measures like a finding of contempt of Congress will be needed.
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2) Why the ‘Arab street’ didn’t just explode In the wake of President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last week, the “experts” crowding the media predicted strategic calamity: Vast, violent protests and a wave of terror would sweep the Muslim world in the coming days.
Instead, the largest demonstration anywhere this weekend was the funeral
procession for Johnny Hallyday, the “French Elvis.” Nothing in the Middle East came close.
We have witnessed, yet again, the carefully phrased anti-Semitism of the
pristinely educated; the global left’s fanatical pro-Palestinian bias; and the media’s yearning for career-making disasters. disapproval from otherwise-occupied Arab governments; demonstrations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip that, combined, barely put a thousand activists in the streets; and yes, four deaths: two demonstrators and two Hamas terrorists hit by an Israeli airstrike.
Sunday did see a smallish protest outside the US Embassy in Lebanon, but it
was hardly Benghazi under Barack Obama. Predictably, Turkish President and self-appointed sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan (officially our NATO ally) didn’t miss the chance to spew venom toward Israel, the US and Europe. But even in Turkey, things were all quiet on the Bosporus front.
An act of justice for Israel did not ignite Armageddon.
A generation ago, a US president’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
would, indeed, have led to mass demonstrations and widespread violence. But now? While the endlessly recycled experts snoozed, the Middle East changed profoundly.
Once upon a time, the Palestinians were the only game at the propaganda
casino, a marvelous tool for Arab leaders to divert attention from domestic failures. Then came al Qaeda. And Iraq. Iranian empire-building. The Arab Spring. The oil price collapse and the rise of ISIS, with its butcher-shop caliphate. The civil war in Syria, with half a million dead. And, not least, the region-wide confrontation between decaying Sunni power and rising Shia might.
Nor did it help the Palestinians that many of them sided with the Assad regime,
alienating former partners from Amman to Beirut.
But by far the most significant factor is that Israel has become an indispensable,
if quiet, ally of Sunni states against Iran. Although well-armed, Saudi Arabia remains inept on the battlefield, bogged down in Yemen and terrified of Iranian gains in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Israel doesn’t need Saudi Arabia, but Saudi Arabia definitely needs Israel.
Nor does the United States automatically do Riyadh’s bidding these days.
As for Iran, the regional ambitions of Israel’s top enemy have ironically made it
Israel’s unintentional benefactor. To the Arabs, yesteryear’s Israeli boogeyman now looks more like Caspar the Friendly Ghost. “Palestine” is so over . . .
And blame the Palestinians, not Israel, for their lack of statehood. Since the
failed 1948 Arab assault on newly reborn Israel, the Palestinians have had literally dozens of opportunities for an advantageous peace. Yet even Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton — no friends to the blue-and-white flag — ended up frustrated as Palestinian leaders, on the cusp of peace time and again, decided that three-quarters of the pie was insufficient.
Inevitably, the pie got smaller over time — but the Palestinian leadership
continued to profit from “occupied” status. Now it’s too late for anything that looks like a viable Palestinian state. It’s time we all faced that reality.
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3)Benjamin Netanyahu's response to Trump's Jerusalem announcement is just beautiful........blished by: Dan Calabrese on Thursday December 07th, 2017
Best thing you'll see all day.
Enjoying the meaningful support of another world leader has been a rare experience for
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was especially rare during the Obama
Administration, when even the one country that is nominally Israel's best friend is
backstabbing it at the UN and in negotiations with Iran that completely disregard all of
Israel's security concerns.
Some friend we were then.
But the sad truth is that Israel has very few friends in the world, since anti-Semitism is
such a pernicious force, and most nations that are not overtly anti-Semitic themselves are
far too afraid of those who are, and see no reason to stand up to their threats and attempts
at coercion.
So when Donald Trump announced yesterday that the United States would finally keep its commitment and move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem - the true capital
of Israel as U.S. law has officially recognized since 1995 - Netanyahu could hardly contain
his glee. And who could blame him?
Trump's decision is much more than mere symbolism. It turns the tables on those who
have, via constant threats of violence, denied Israel the right to choose its own capital.
There is no reason this should be the slightest bit controversial. Jerusalem is very much a
part of the political entity known as Israel, with borders set out via United Nations
resolutions in 1947. Every other country in the world chooses its own capital from within
its borders and no one thinks it's an issue - because it's not. Only in Israel to outsiders
claim to have a veto over the use of a city, backed by the threat of terrorism and missile
attacks from other countries.
Trump's announcement was met, unsurprisingly, with widespread condemnation from
throughout the world. But you'll notice that the condemnation doesn't include claims that
the siting of the embassy itself will cause any problems. The expected problems come in the
form of violence from Israel's enemies, and therein lies the problem. People who would
commit murder over the location of an embassy might now have the excuse they need, and
this is the fault of the man who merely made the choice to establish an embassy in a capital
city?
Nonsense. If people commit violence over this, that's on them and on no one else. What
Trump has done is refuse to allow such threats to dictate U.S. policy toward one of its most
important and best allies - and in so doing he has reversed the willingness of all his recent
predecessors to cave in the face of such threats.
World "leaders" and squirrely diplomats routinely throw Israel under the bus in the name
of "stability," because they know that if violence occurs it won't be Israel committing it. It
will the Palestinians, or the Iranians, or Hamas, or Hezbollah, or some other hater of Jews
and of freedom in general will be perpetrating the evil. Rather than deal with that, the
global cabal of weasels prefers to keep telling Israel to shut up and not cause trouble - even
though Israel has no interest in causing any trouble. It only wants to live freely and at peace.
The antipathy toward Israel was never more blatant than what we saw at the UN in
January, days before the inauguration, when the Obama Administration stood by and
refused to veto a resolution that turned perfectly innocent Israel officials into international
war criminals. It was one of the worst betrayals of an ally ever seen in international
relations, but Obama took very little heat for it because most of the media hate Israel too.
On Wednesday, Trump established that the U.S. government will no longer play this game,
and will no longer accept that failed conventional wisdom that those who advocate for
Israel's strategic interests are the problem. Those who refuse to let Israel live in peace are
the problem, and what the Israelis need in an ally is recognition of that fact, and actions
that comport with that recognition. At long last, that happened yesterday. No wonder
Netanyahu was smiling. Indeed, everyone who truly loves peace and freedom should be.
3a) Europe, Be a Fair Friend
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Europe on December 9, 2017,
where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron on December 10
and will meet with European Union foreign policy chief Federica
Mogherini and have breakfast with the foreign ministers of all 28 EU
member states on December 11. Former member of the Italian Parliament,
Fiamma Nirenstein, wrote this letter to European officials the Prime
Minister is likely to meet.
Today, the Jewish people, along with all people of goodwill, are
commemorating an event that has finally given historical justice to an issue
that is 3,000 years old: Jerusalem has been recognized by the United States
as the State of Israel’s capital. It was the recognition of a de facto reality for
which we express our deep gratitude to both the American people and its
president.
How many times have you, European officials, visited Israel and crossed the
threshold of our Knesset in Jerusalem, the only temple of democracy in the
entire Middle East; met in government offices in Jerusalem with our
ministers; visited the Supreme Court in Jerusalem; explored archaeological excavations in Jerusalem that testify to the city’s great Jewish past; and
seen the academic, cultural, and medical institutions in Jerusalem that
provide scientific discoveries and cultural and artistic initiatives for the
future?
You have visited the shrines of the three monotheistic religions, and you
have noticed how, without precedent in the city’s history, each one – from
the Holy Sepulcher to the Western Wall to the Dome of the Rock where our
ancient Temple once stood – is entrusted to its own worshipers, visited by
tourists, and the world’s faithful. Never before, over the centuries, has this
happened. Today, Israel diligently preserves the fragile status quo allowing
freedom of religion to all faiths, despite ongoing attacks that predominantly
target Jews and jeopardize the delicate balance in this sanctum sanctorum
area of Jerusalem’s Old City.
Israel’s democracy is the basis of the peace in which we all pray, hope, and
desire. It has its roots in the Jewish people’s 3,000-year presence in
Jerusalem. President Trump has simply recognized a reality and entrusted
the parties to negotiate to determine the future of not only the region but
also of Jerusalem itself.
Donald Trump’s gesture was one of wisdom, courage, and truth. The
international objections to his decision on behalf of the Palestinians in
recent days and calls for a new intifada, painfully remind us of all the
innocent Jewish victims of terrorist attacks over the last 100 years and the
one single message: “this isn’t your home, leave!”
The Palestinian narrative rejects the indivisible relationship between the
Jewish People, its homeland, and its capital, Jerusalem. That unyielding
rejection has led any peace process into a deadlock.
Europe knows this firsthand because it has always considered itself an
apostle and a guarantor of any future solution. But Europe has witnessed all
the failures in the process, including daring territorial sacrifices made by
Israel over the years. Therefore Europe, too, should recognize reality and
that the time has come to change course.
It is unthinkable that the mantra of the “return to 1967 borders” and the
tireless repetition of the term “Israel occupation” are still dogmatic beliefs
for those who truly want peace.
The truth is Jerusalem, the Jewish People’s beloved capital and at the same
time the city where three monotheistic religions maintain their sacred sites,
disproves the senseless canards about Israel, including the libel that it is an
“apartheid state.” Demolishing this bastion of the biased also means
convincing Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to lead his
people wisely to recognize the Jewish People’s historical legitimacy. First and foremost, he must cease incitement to violence against Israel and Jews. And
as soon-to-be mandated by American law, he must cease financing
imprisoned terrorists and their families with monthly cash stipends that predominantly come from European aid allocations to the Palestinian
Authority.
This road of truth is the one that will lead to peace, and it is a real pity that
on December 9, 2017, UN Security Council members condemned President
Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. [A formal UNSC
condemnation will undoubtedly be vetoed by the United States.] A joint
statement by the ambassadors of Britain, Sweden, France, Germany, and
Italy declared the American action was “not in line with Security Council
resolutions and was unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region.”
The UN Security Council must restore justice after its Resolution 2334 of
December 23, 2016, deemed Jerusalem’s Jewish holy sites as “occupied
territory.”
Do great countries like England and France really want to repeat this lie?
Does Europe want to go along the shameful path voting in favor or
abstaining on anti-Israel UNESCO resolutions that disavow Israeli
sovereignty in Jerusalem? European actions will never encourage the
Palestinians to abandon their aggression, cease their absolute denial of
Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state or stop following their unproductive
road of criminalizing and delegitimizing Israel.
We still have hope and even observe various signs that countries of the
European Union will eventually change course and that they will decide to
renew their commitment to peace, and place themselves on the right side of
history – recognizing the reality that Jerusalem is forever Israel’s capital and
that Israel democratically respects all religions.
Europe Is the Cradle of Zionism and the Grave for Millions of Jews
The ties between the State of Israel and Europe are not only deeply linked
with Israel’s history but are also ingrained within the souls of many of its
citizens. “Zionism” itself was conceived in Europe, and almost all of Israel’s
Founding Fathers spoke European languages and grew up in European
countries. Europe, in fact, is the continent that championed the Balfour
Declaration. It led the way for the League of Nations to ratify a state for the
Jewish People, and later for the historic 1947 UN General Assembly’s vote.
Unfortunately, Europe is also responsible for the Holocaust, and the source
of vicious pogroms and hatred with which Jews have been persecuted over
the centuries. The Arch of Titus in Rome serves as testimony to the
deportation from our eternal capital, Jerusalem. Yet, despite the many
tragic experiences, the ancient seeds of the Jewish culture and tradition –
both humanistic and spiritual – were never lost and they went on to foster
democracy, scientific progress, art, and love for life itself.
Israel’s Great Contribution
Today, Israel provides important services and innovations for the entire
world. Its thousands of cooperative agreements with Europe reflect the
world’s recognition: our capabilities in high-tech advance the world’s
cybernetic activity, our advancements in medicine allow for breakthroughs
to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer, our agricultural research offers
solutions that can benefit the entire world, especially Africa and Asia.
Israel-Europe’s economic relations are continually growing – with Israel’s
current exports totaling $15 billion and imports $21 billion annually. Only a
few days ago, joint military exercises took place in Israel with the air forces
of France, Germany, Italy, and Greece.
On December 5, 2017, a memorandum of understanding was signed by
Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and Italy to lay a 2,100 km underwater gas pipeline
connecting gas fields off the shores of Israel to the three European countries,
making Israel an important player in the European energy market,
strengthening the energy security of the EU, and diversifying Europe’s
sources of supply of natural gas.
The EU Accusations against Israel
And yet, if we take a close look at the relationship between the European
Union and Israel we immediately hear a tune that is off-key. For years, the
relationship between Europe and Israel has been strained. Europe tends to
criticize Israel for simply defending itself against the continual threats and
terrorist attacks it faces on all its borders and inside its cities. Europe too
often disregards not only Israel’s most evident attempts to bring about peace
such as its disengagement from Gaza but also chides it for its cautiousness
when considering what solutions are risky and which will truly ensure the
security of its citizens.
The EU has never recognized the dangers that Hamas and Hizbullah pose,
as well as many other jihadist groups, including those backed by Fatah. The
EU constantly blames Israel in its Commission and Assembly decisions,
resolutions, papers and “non-papers,” letters and appeals. Some of Europe’s
most important figures insist that sanctions against the “territories” are
necessary – a political stance that will certainly not bring about a solution to
this conflict that we – the Israelis – would sincerely like to resolve. Israel has
repeated many times that it is ready for direct negotiation without
preconditions with the Palestinians. No answer has been received.
Unrealistic Solutions
The European Union continues to put forth unrealistic solutions to the
Palestinian-Israel issue, and the results have only led to unnecessarily
aggravating the situation further. Such was the case in 2015 when it
sanctioned Israeli companies and businesses in the territories over the
Green Line, forcing them to close down industrial centers that provided
work to hundreds of Palestinians. The Europeans promoted the harmful
idea that delegitimizing Israel can be accomplished through international
pressure and that negotiations and direct talks with Israel can be avoided.
Europe Cannot Be an Honest Broker as Long It’s One-Sided
Europe has largely ignored many aspects of the conflict’s reality, including,
first and foremost, the Palestinian’s support for terrorism, which is explicitly
expressed in documents, TV programs, school texts, public statements of the
PA, and Mahmoud Abbas’ policy of paying convicted terrorists, along with
their families (often with funds provided by European taxpayers for
“humanitarian” purposes).
Europe ignores the Palestinians’ rejection of the very existence of a Jewish
State, which is often linked to the Islamist religious positions that aim to
subjugate both Jews and Christians. In short, the Europeans tend to ignore
that the Palestinian rejection of Israel is a national commitment and a
religious imperative, and the consequence is a continuous campaign of delegitimization that includes political, cultural, and institutional assaults.
The consequence is that Europe, while pressuring Israel on territorial issues,
ignores the necessity of pressuring the Palestinians to abandon its
unwavering warfare that includes terror, incitement, assaults, and BDS.
It sometimes seems that some European nations are influenced or
intimidated by the most extreme Islamist aspirations of Muslim immigrant communities hosted in their cities. This week, Sweden, where a synagogue
was firebombed, comes to mind. This attitude precludes Europe serving as
an honest broker in any peace negotiation.
Times Are Changing
Times are changing quickly, and there is an urgent need to overcome the
old, unsuccessful, outdated, and misleading positions that nowadays only
damage the possibility of peace.
In the 1980s, Europe developed the idea that it would weaken its relations
with the Arab world if it showed sympathy and friendship to Israel.
Objectively, this concept has come to an end. Today, the Arab world shares
common interests with Israel, especially with the terrible Syrian War, the
rise of Al Qaeda/Islamic State terrorism, and the hydra-like Iranian
imperialism.
ISIS and Iran
The Arab world now finds itself having to tackle the same major dangers as
those of Israel and Europe: ISIS is the extreme jihadi force carrying out
attacks in the streets of Europe, the Arab world, and against civilian
populations everywhere. Israel, with its decades-long experience combatting terrorism, can provide concrete aid in this struggle. Israel is the country that represents a line of defense for the democratic world, as well as moderate
Arab countries.
The other deeply felt risk that connects Arab interests to those of Israel and
Europe is the regional instability, which has led to the flight of hundreds of
thousands of people, panicked by Sunni and Iran-backed Shiite terrorism.
Indeed, Iran itself, using its own Revolutionary Guards and proxies, is
currently waging war for Shiite hegemony throughout the Middle East.
Iran carries out the highest number of executions in the world and doesn’t
hesitate to hang homosexuals in its squares. Iran discriminates against
women and persecutes dissidents; it displays a genocidal hostility towards
Israel and the West; and it hides its quest to acquire nuclear weapons after
the conclusion of a sham nuclear deal.
Iran’s imperialist designs now touch all of Israel’s borders and puts the
entire world at risk of a disastrous war while its closest proxy, Hizbullah,
armed with hundreds of thousands of missiles, proudly presents the most
explicit terrorist threat.
Europe must confront these risks for the benefit of its citizens, first by
placing Hizbullah on its list of terrorist organizations and secondly, by
reconsidering and revising its relationship with Iran. The Iranian nuclear
deal, in which Europe played a major role, has allowed Iran to become
increasingly aggressive, and not vice versa.
Europe embraced the deal with Iran, agreeing to large business proposals
that will provide billions of dollars to Iran. Europe must decide if it will
continue to invest in morally and economically questionable deals when
Tehran is violating the spirit of the nuclear deal, if not the letter. Tension is
increasing in the Sunni-Shiite arena, and it could lead to an explosion also
pulling Israel into the conflagration. Where does Europe want to find itself?
Israel Can Help the World
Despite the fact that it poses considerable risks, Israel opts to carry out
rescue operations whoever the wounded are – including Syria. Israel’s value
for human life is apparent in its willingness to help those who are suffering
– women, men, and children. “All of those suffering would like to come to
Israel” a Syrian woman recently stated.
The instability caused by those fleeing from war in the Middle East and
hunger in Africa has caused a historic assault on the shores of Europe. Israel
is at the forefront alongside Europe both in the war against terrorism and as
a partner to improve living conditions for hundreds of thousands of people
through its knowledge in the fields of agriculture, education, and health.
Israel is a powerful and respected actor who can help in Africa and Asia to
deter the flight towards Europe by fostering development.
Europe’s path to renewed friendship and cooperation with Israel requires
Europe to give up on obsolete peace schemes.
The New Anti-Semitism in Europe
The chill wind that sometimes flows from the EU towards Israel is squall
that can develop into a tsunami releasing a monstrous wave of anti-Semitism
which flourishes in Europe today, much to our dismay. The great historian
Robert Wistrich wrote, “The Nazi poison was by no means extinguished,
having infiltrated (in its day) the Soviet Union and especially the Arab
Muslim world, where hard core anti-Semitism systematically defamed Israel
and the Jews and was widely and officially propagated.”
The old European culture of hatred continues to permeate books, magazines,
newspapers, sermons, Internet, TV, and radio on an unprecedented scale
not seen since Nazi Germany’s heyday.
Europe must become aware of the demonic images circulating in much of
the Islamic world which are sufficiently radical in tone and content to
constitute a warrant for genocide. Europe, in the wake of its problems caused
by immigration and the economy, is also infected with political difficulties
that have led to widespread discontent and populism. Furthermore, it suffers
overall from an anti-Semitic bigotry that can’t be understood in terms of the
Arab Israeli conflict, but instead through the myths and conspiracy theories
that the Nazi model propagated. The “perfidious Jewish influence” is again a
myth that brings murder in Paris, Toulouse, and elsewhere. In short,
terrorism is the same enemy everywhere. There is no difference between the
myths of Jews seeking to the Mosque of Al Aqsa and the idea that the West
is evil incarnate.
Europe, Become Our Best Friends
Remember, Europe: Israel’s fight for its survival and the survival of the
Jewish people is also your battle. In addition, Israel has a love for democracy
and social justice just like you. If you want to be part of a peace process, help
us to stop the Palestinians from using incitement, criminalization, and
demonization; stop them from fueling terrorism and violence; and invite
them to come back to the negotiation table.
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