"Coming to America:" http://www.gopusa.com/oregon-
Derrick Wilburn is a black journalist, who writes: "I can't fault them for wanting to live in a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood. It's the hypocrisy that gets me. Campaign against the top 1% and then lose and fall in line with the top 1%."
Something STRANGE happens when Democrats leave the White House..." (See 2 below.)
Something STRANGE happens when Democrats leave the White House..." (See 2 below.)
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This from a dear friend and fellow memo writer. (See 3 below.)
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John Stossel and the New York Times. (See 4 below.)
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Dick
John Stossel and the New York Times. (See 4 below.)
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Dick
By GIL HOFFMAN
|
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first reaction to Trump decision may take place at The Jerusalem Post’s Diplomatic Conference. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu purposely did not react to US President Donald Trump’s plans to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and start the process of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem Tuesday, and his ministers said the Prime Minister’s Office instructed them to stay silent as well.
But Netanyahu made a point of adding an appearance at The Jerusalem Post’s Diplomatic Conference Wednesday morning, where he is expected to react for the first time to Trump’s decisions. A formal response from Netanyahu will follow Trump’s long-awaited speech about the Middle East hours later.
Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat, who will also speak at the conference, returned from Washington where he participated in a number of events and meetings with senior US government officials and Jewish leaders, with the goal of strengthening Jerusalem.
“On behalf of the city of Jerusalem, the beating heart and soul of the Jewish people for more than 3,000 years, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your commitment and intention to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” Barkat said. “This historic step will send a very clear message to the world that the United States stands with the Jewish people and the State of Israel. In Jerusalem, we don't cave to pressure and we don't let threats or violence stop us from doing what is right. President Trump, I encourage you to do the right thing: recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and bring the US Embassy home to Jerusalem."
Netanyahu’s former number two in Likud, Gideon Sa’ar, told the Post that he welcomed Trump’s apparent decision and said he believes the threats of violence from Arab and Muslim countries would not impact the president.
“These are historic steps to strengthen the international recognition of Israel’s eternal capital,” Sa’ar said. “I hope this will be the first step toward the US embassy moving.”
Transportation Minister Israel Katz (Likud), who will also speak at the conference, said the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was even more important than moving the embassy.
But Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On warned US President Donald Trump that moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem could enflame the entire region. She warned that such a unilateral move could distance peace.
"Jerusalem is the Israeli capital and will continue to be with or without the US embassy," Gal-On said. "Moving the embassy could serve Netanyahu but could bring about an unnecessary explosion."
Ayman Odeh, Chairman of the Joint List, said: “Trump is a pyromaniac who could set the entire region on fire with his madness. The last few days prove decisively that the United States cannot remain the sponsor or arbitrator in negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. If the Israeli government wants the world to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, all it has to do is recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.”
Joint List MK Ahmed Tibi called Trump's decision a "political attack."
“This is a decision whose voice goes against international law," Tibi said. "It is unthinkable that President Trump's election promise would become a 'political attack' that would seriously damage the two-state vision. The American administration proves this time that they are part of the problem and not part of the solution."
But Netanyahu made a point of adding an appearance at The Jerusalem Post’s Diplomatic Conference Wednesday morning, where he is expected to react for the first time to Trump’s decisions. A formal response from Netanyahu will follow Trump’s long-awaited speech about the Middle East hours later.
Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat, who will also speak at the conference, returned from Washington where he participated in a number of events and meetings with senior US government officials and Jewish leaders, with the goal of strengthening Jerusalem.
“On behalf of the city of Jerusalem, the beating heart and soul of the Jewish people for more than 3,000 years, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your commitment and intention to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” Barkat said. “This historic step will send a very clear message to the world that the United States stands with the Jewish people and the State of Israel. In Jerusalem, we don't cave to pressure and we don't let threats or violence stop us from doing what is right. President Trump, I encourage you to do the right thing: recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and bring the US Embassy home to Jerusalem."
Netanyahu’s former number two in Likud, Gideon Sa’ar, told the Post that he welcomed Trump’s apparent decision and said he believes the threats of violence from Arab and Muslim countries would not impact the president.
“These are historic steps to strengthen the international recognition of Israel’s eternal capital,” Sa’ar said. “I hope this will be the first step toward the US embassy moving.”
Transportation Minister Israel Katz (Likud), who will also speak at the conference, said the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was even more important than moving the embassy.
But Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On warned US President Donald Trump that moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem could enflame the entire region. She warned that such a unilateral move could distance peace.
"Jerusalem is the Israeli capital and will continue to be with or without the US embassy," Gal-On said. "Moving the embassy could serve Netanyahu but could bring about an unnecessary explosion."
Ayman Odeh, Chairman of the Joint List, said: “Trump is a pyromaniac who could set the entire region on fire with his madness. The last few days prove decisively that the United States cannot remain the sponsor or arbitrator in negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. If the Israeli government wants the world to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, all it has to do is recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.”
Joint List MK Ahmed Tibi called Trump's decision a "political attack."
“This is a decision whose voice goes against international law," Tibi said. "It is unthinkable that President Trump's election promise would become a 'political attack' that would seriously damage the two-state vision. The American administration proves this time that they are part of the problem and not part of the solution."
1a)
Why It’s Precisely the Right Time for Trump to Recognize Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel
by Dovid Efune
Ahead of his expected recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump has faced a virtual torrent of criticism.
He should pay the critics no heed. The move is not only morally the right thing to do, it’s also a political masterstroke. Let me explain.
Generally, the critics can be divided into two categories.
The first group — among them the Ramallah-headquartered Palestinian Authority and Gaza Strip-ruling terror organization Hamas (along with various Arab and Muslim states, and even the US State Department) — has made the case against recognition as being vital to prevent the inevitable violence and outrage that will follow as a result.
But Arab blackmail doesn’t feel like a compelling argument against implementing American law and doing what’s right — certainly for the United States. In addition, neither of these entities has much of a track record in furthering the cause of peace.
The second group, who are generally supportive of the move, have questioned the timing — ahead of the expected unveiling of a White House peace initiative in the coming weeks.
The timing, however, appears to be very well considered. It’s highly appropriate to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at the outset of a peace push for the following reason:
When Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, whom Trump has tasked with the Mideast peace brief, embarked on their “listening tour” soon after the president took office, they were advised by at least one regional actor that, in the words of Albert Einstein, one can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results. In many ways, it seems that this word of advice — frankly, a matter of common sense — has served as a guiding principle in the nascent peace efforts.
From what we have seen so far, the peacemaking team has sought to implement new approaches on at least four fronts.
Firstly, there’s the “regional approach” concept, which was mentioned by both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump in their first White House meeting. The practical manifestation of this alignment between Israel and the Sunni Arab states has yet to be clearly presented, but remains a constant subject of peace discussions.
Second is the commitment to push the parties to the table without imposing a predetermined outcome. “We’re trying to find a solution that comes from the region, not to impose,” Kushner told attendees at the Saban Forum over the weekend.
Third, there’s the focus on “bottom up” actions, seeking to build cooperation between the Palestinian and Israel people themselves by appealing to interests. This “economic peace” concept was behind the US-facilitated landmark water deal inked in July by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is the administration’s willingness to apply pressure on the Palestinian Authority. Whereas some past presidents have handled PA leaders with kid gloves, Trump has taken a far more forthright approach, bringing up prickly issues like PA payments to terrorists without thinking twice.
This is vital because, as has been very well documented, the greatest obstacle to progress in the region has been Palestinian intransigence. The Israelis have shown — perhaps mistakenly — an incredible capacity to offer painful concessions for the cause of peace, including land transfers, prisoner releases and dangerous security arrangements, often at great political risk. Time and again, these gestures were rebuffed, and the Palestinians were excused as being the weaker, aggrieved, more delicate party.
The Palestinians first introduced the Trump administration to their duplicitous strategies when PA President Mahmoud Abbas told Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in June that they were ending the terror payments, only to recommit themselves to the sponsorship shortly afterwards.
But now we have a White House that favors results over process, and understands that presenting the Palestinians with real, permanent and painful costs for their rejectionism may provide the best opportunity for progress. Both carrots and sticks are necessary, and the White House appears to be preparing one hell of a stick.
There’s the ever present threat to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem; the threat to shut down the PA office in DC; the specter of White House support for the Taylor Force Act, which will see significant cuts to US financial aid to the Palestinians; Trump’s unwillingness to specify the two-state solution as the only solution to the conflict; and eventhe threat to withhold funds from international bodies that give the PA and the PLO full membership, which was circulated in the administration’s early days. In addition, the Palestinians will not be quick to forget that it was a matter of months before they were even able to establish contact with Trump’s team. They should not be taking that access for granted.
The Israelis have long been concerned — with due reason — that the Palestinians have never intended to pursue a genuine peace and that the peace process is seen as a tactic to secure more land from which to launch continued attacks on the Jewish state. Leaders of the PA have paid lip service to the peace initiatives over the years, but the statements in the PA’s founding and guiding documents, its glorification of terrorists, the curriculum taught in its schools and its constant incitement on social media, among other things, have all long-told another story.
Here we have an administration that for the first time seems prepared to call the Palestinians’ bluff. The recognition of Jerusalem at the onset of a peace initiative — and the lining up of further repercussions — shows the Palestinians and the international community just how serious the president is.
It’s a thoroughly worthwhile and commendable move.
Dovid Efune is the editor-in-chief and CEO of The Algemeiner.
1b)
1b)
|
| PA on Trump's anticipated recognition of Jerusalem
as the capital of Israel:
PLO Chief Negotiator:
"By recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel"
the US is "pushing the region...
into the furnace of violence, chaos,
extremism, and bloodshed"
Editorial in the official PA daily:
"If he [Trump]... illegally recognizes Jerusalem
as the occupation state's capital...
[it] will be the opening of the gates of hell in the region,
which will spread the terror in it
even more than the current situation"
By Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Anticipating US President Trump's announcement on American recognition of Jerusalem as
the capital of the State of Israel, and the possible transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem, Palestinian Authority and Fatah leaders and officials have stated that such an act is similar to
a "declaration of war against the Palestinians," and that it will throw the whole region into
"chaos" and "bloodshed."
The following is a collection of current statements made by Palestinian leaders:
In a phone interview on official PA TV, PLO chief negotiator and Secretary of the PLO Executive Committee Saeb Erekat explained what is in store if the US goes ahead with its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital:
"If the US dictates the fate of Jerusalem before the negotiations on the matter - whether
by transferring the embassy [to Jerusalem], or what is even more dangerous, by
recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel - this means the end of the entire peace
process and the pushing of the region - with its peoples and borders - into the furnace of violence, chaos, extremism, and bloodshed."
[Official PA TV News, Dec. 2, 2017]
capital of Israel "will create dangerous international anarchy... whose end will have dire consequences." [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 4, 2017] Similarly, PA and Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas warned that the move will "destroy the peace process and drag the region into more instability and extremism." [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 4, 2017] An editorial by the official PA daily stated that "Jerusalem is a red line - and more than that. " In a verbatim repeat of a threatening Fatah statement exposed by Palestinian Media Watch in January when Trump took office, the editorial also warned that Trump's embassy move will "open the gates of hell":
"US President Donald Trump will not achieve any deal to implement peace in the Middle
East if he follows the path of the extremist Israeli right-wing and illegally recognizes
Jerusalem as the occupation state's capital...
The only significance of destroying the chances for peace will be the opening of the
gates of hell in the region, which will spread the terror in it even more than the current situation. This will not serve the interests of anyone, and particularly [not] the US."
[Editorial in the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 5, 2017]
The editorial went on to say that: "Under no circumstances is there a threat towards any sidein this warning against the severe danger; this warning is simply a statement of human and cultural responsibility, a statement that the State of Palestine... thinks must be spread at this time." While the official paper is claiming the PA's predictions of violence are merely "a warning" and not a threat, PMW exposed in January that Fatah was already in the process of planning a terror campaign in the case of the embassy being transferred to Jerusalem, as a Fatah official let slip on official PA TV. The Fatah cartoon above illustrates this visually. An arm with the end of a keffiyeh (Arab headdress) trailing along it comes down from above with a cleaver and chops off the hand of a Jew reaching towards the Dome of the Rock and leaving scratch marks on it with his long fingernails. The Jew is caricaturized by a large nose, the brim of a black hat, and a Star of David on his sleeve.
Posted text: "We will cut off any hand extended towards you with malicious intent
#Jerusalem_capital_of_Palestine
#HandsOffAlQuds"
[Official Fatah Facebook page, Dec. 5, 2017]
Similarly, Fatah promised violence in the post below showing a masked Palestinian armed
with a machine gun next to the Dome of the Rock and the text:
"We are answering your call, Jerusalem
#HandsOffAlQuds"
[Official Fatah Facebook page, Dec. 5, 2017]
Another post encouraged Palestinians to seek "Martyrdom" in Jerusalem, using a well-known quote by Yasser Arafat:
Text on image: "Good morning
Millions of Martyrs are marching to Jerusalem"
[Official Fatah Facebook page, Dec. 6, 2017]
PLO Executive Committee member Zakariya Al-Agha said that the American administration's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel or transfer of its embassy to it is "a declaration of war against the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nation." He emphasized that "our people will not sit by idly in light of this standpoint, which harms the Palestinian rights and principles." [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 5, 2017] The PA Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced that on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, there would be "rage in all of its schools, as a sign of opposition to the American standpoint regarding Jerusalem." The ministry emphasized that "activities will be held in condemnation [of this standpoint], with the participation of students, the entire education community, and the national institutions in all of the schools in the homeland." [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 5, 2017] The Fatah Movement's Spokesman Osama Al-Qawasmi "warned against the consequences," and said: "An American decision to transfer the US embassy will ignite the region and block all of the paths that lead to a political process." [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 4, 2017] An op-ed in the official PA daily described Trump's move as having the effect of "a volcanic explosion that emits lava in every direction":
"For the thousandth time one can direct the attention of [US] President Donald Trump
and the heads of his administration to the danger of transferring the American embassy
to Jerusalem. A decision like this is no joke or [mere] tactical matter from the Palestinian
point of view; it is a central and essential matter in the Palestinian national struggle. No Palestinian leader is able to relinquish Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Palestine. If the US wants to preserve its interests in the region, if it is concerned about Israel,
and if it is interested in fighting terror - it must not consider a decision like this,
because it would be like a volcanic explosion that emits lava in every direction."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 3, 2017]
A Fatah cartoon showed Trump signing the order to transfer the US embassy from Tel Aviv
to Jerusalem. Trump is signing the order with the lit fuse of a stick of dynamite, with many
additional sticks of dynamite next to him. Text: "Transferring the American embassy to occupied Jerusalem."
[Website of Fatah's Information and Culture Commission, Dec. 4, 2017]
An op-ed in the official PA daily expressed the same view:
"The US will find itself... as one who gives a green light to an additional wave of
violence of unknown scope in Palestine and the neighboring Arab countries, and
like one who justifies the crimes and barbarity of the terror organizations that
harmed the US in September 16 years ago (i.e., the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks), the capitals of Europe, and many places in most of the world's countries, if it indeed decides
to recognize Jerusalem - including East [Jerusalem] - as the capital of Israel, or transfers its embassy to [Jerusalem].
If the leaks to the press are correct, the American administration will be viewed as
the one who leads the peace process to the gallows and ties the noose around its
neck... and it will be recorded in history that it caused the crime of peace's
execution."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 3, 2017]
Palestinians leaders have vowed that Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital willbe "the end of the peace process," adding that the US alone will bear the responsibility of the resulting "dire consequences." Supreme Shari'ah Judge and Mahmoud Abbas' advisor on Religious and Islamic Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash stated that "the entire world is liable to pay the price" if the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel:
"Any change in the political reality in Jerusalem means that there will be no agreement at
all and there will be no peace process. The Palestinian people, the Arab and Islamic
nation, and we ourselves will not be obligated to anything. We will not be obligated to anything. The entire world, Allah forbid, is liable to pay the price for any foolishness, such as that which targets Jerusalem."
[Official PA TV News, Dec. 2, 2017]
The PA's Grand Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Hussein echoed this:
"Sheikh Hussein emphasized: 'The attempt to transfer the American embassy to
Jerusalem or to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the occupation state is harming the religious and historical status of Jerusalem, and will destroy any attempt to achieve
peace between the Palestinians and Arabs and the Israelis...'
He noted that 'Everyone will pay the price if Jerusalem is harmed by any reckless
step, which will create a state of anarchy and instability in the region.'"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 4, 2017]
PA Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr also warned the American Consul General Donald Blome as follows:
"[PA] Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr conveyed an official message from the PA to
the American administration... He noted that the transfer of the American embassy to Jerusalem or recognition by the American administration of Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel is 'something unacceptable that encompasses dangers whose end will have
dire consequences.' He warned that 'this would increase the tension and instability
in the entire region.' Abu Amr emphasized: 'Any step in the direction of transferring the
embassy or recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will meet with widespread
protest within the Palestinian territories and in other parts of the Islamic world.' ...He held
'the American administration responsible for the grave consequences' such a decision
would have."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 5, 2017]
The following are longer and additional excerpts of the statements above:Excerpt of an editorial of the official PA daily
Headline: "Jerusalem is a red line - and more than that"
"US President Donald Trump will not achieve any deal to implement peace in the Middle
East if he follows the path of the extremist Israeli right-wing and illegally recognizes
Jerusalem as the occupation state's capital...
The only significance of destroying the chances for peace will be the opening of the gates
of hell in the region, which will spread the terror in it even more than the current situation. This will not serve the interests of anyone, and particularly [not] the US. Under no
circumstances is there a threat towards any side in this warning against the severe
danger; this warning is simply a statement of human and cultural responsibility, a
statement that the State of Palestine... thinks must be spread at this time, and be
examined carefully with objective and responsible analysis before the incident occurs and before that whose end will have dire consequences takes place.
That whose end will have dire consequences is dangerous, very dangerous. Will the US understand this before it will be too late? It must understand this if it truly is interested in establishing peace in the Middle East, and certainly there is no peace in the Middle East
other than the peace that Palestine hopes for... the peace of truth, justice, and dignity; the peace of tolerance and productive coexistence between the peoples and nations; the
peace of Jerusalem, the capital of peace, with its authentic Palestinian identity and with
its firmly established Arab identity, as it has been throughout history."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 5, 2017]
The main headline on the front page of the official PA daily, which appears without an accompanying article, and which is the same as the headline of the official PA daily's editorial in the same edition: 
Front page headline: "Jerusalem is a red line - and more than that"
The headline is presented in red letters against the background of an image showing the
Dome of the Rock and Jerusalem.
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 5, 2017]
Headline: "The PA to the American consul: Any negative decision regarding Jerusalem
will release the [PA] leadership from any previous understandings with the American administration"
"The official contacts and proceedings to prevent a declaration by the US on transferring
its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem or recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel continued on the Islamic, Arab, and Palestinian level.
Regarding this, the PA yesterday [Dec. 4, 2017] officially announced its opposition to any decision to transfer the American embassy to Jerusalem or recognize Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel. [PA] Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr conveyed an official message
from the PA to the American administration during his meeting yesterday in his office in Ramallah with American Consul General Donald Blome.
In an official statement, it was said that Abu Amr notified the American consul of 'the PA's objection to any step or decision the American administration takes to harm the
status quo in Jerusalem.' He noted: 'If the American administration takes such a step,
this will be considered a matter deserving condemnation, which contradicts the role of the American administration as a mediator and patron of the peace process. This will remove
it from this role and close any opening for the continuation of a serious peace process.'
Abu Amr added that the transfer of the American embassy to Jerusalem or recognition
by the American administration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is 'something
unacceptable that encompasses dangers whose end will have dire consequences.' He
warned that 'this would increase the tension and instability in the entire region.'
Abu Amr emphasized: 'Any step in the direction of transferring the embassy or
recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will meet with widespread protest within the Palestinian territories and in other parts of the Islamic world.'
Abu Amr explained to the American consul that if his administration transfers the
embassy to Jerusalem or recognizes [Jerusalem] as the capital [of Israel], this will
release the Palestinian leadership from any previous understandings with the American administration. He held 'the American administration responsible for the grave
consequences' such a decision would have."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 5, 2017]
"Fatah Movement Spokesman Osama Al-Qawasmi warned against the consequences of American recognition of occupied Jerusalem as the capital of the occupation state [Israel] or the transfer of the American embassy to it. Al-Qawasmi said: 'An American decision to
transfer the US embassy will ignite the region and block all of the paths that lead to a
political process.'
...
Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Front [and PLO Executive Committee
member] Wasel Abu Yusuf said that... 'We understand that the American administration
is completely biased in favor of the occupation government, but if this matter reaches
the point of this administration's declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of the occupation
state, this would be a declaration of war against the Palestinian people, which clings to Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state, and this would mean the end of the
peace process.'"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 4, 2017]
Headline: "The [PA] president: Any American step connected to Jerusalem constitutes a
threat to the future of the political process"
"Following contacts that he is making and efforts that he is investing in order to protect Jerusalem and the sites in it that are holy to Islam and Christianity, [PA] President
Mahmoud Abbas yesterday [Dec. 3, 2017] sent many letters to world leaders... in which
he urged them to intervene with the American administration so that it will not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The president emphasized that an American decision such as this will destroy the peace process and drag the region into more instability and extremism...
In a press statement yesterday, PLO [Executive Committee] Secretary, [Fatah Central Committee member, and PLO Chief Negotiator] Saeb Erekat warned that American
recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel 'will create dangerous international
anarchy.'
Erekat said: 'If the US truly intends to make a decision and trample international law... it
bears the political, legal, and moral responsibility for the end of the international system
as we know it today, and for creating a situation of international anarchy whose end will
have dire consequences.' ...
[PA] Minister of Foreign Affairs [and Expatriates] Riyad Al-Malki demanded to convene
two unscheduled meetings, one of the Arab League and one of the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation. Al-Malki said that taking this step [of transferring the US embassy to Jerusalem or recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital] 'will cause the US to lose its role
in the peace process, and will mark it as biased in favor of the occupation state and its aspirations of expansion.'"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 4, 2017]
Headline: "Occupied Jerusalem yearns for those who love it"
"The dangers to which Jerusalem has been subjected lately are not hidden from
anyone's eyes, especially [in light of] the news items that speak about US President
Donald Trump's intention to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the occupation state
[Israel] and to transfer the American embassy to the holy city [of Jerusalem]...
[PA] Mufti of the Holy Lands, [Palestinian Supreme Fatwa Council Chairman, and
Deputy Secretary-General and acting Secretary-General of the PLO Popular National Conference of Jerusalem] Sheikh Muhammad Hussein said in response to this matter: 'Harming Jerusalem is liable to affect the entire Islamic world...'
Sheikh Hussein emphasized: 'The attempt to transfer the American embassy to
Jerusalem or to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the occupation state is harming
the religious and historical status of Jerusalem, and will destroy any attempt to achieve
peace between the Palestinians and Arabs and the Israelis...'
He noted that 'Everyone will pay the price if Jerusalem is harmed by any reckless step,
which will create a state of anarchy and instability in the region.'"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 4, 2017]
Headline: "He warned against the danger of any American decision regarding the holy
city [of Jerusalem] - the [PA] president is in contact with Arab and international bodies in
order to defend Jerusalem and the holy sites"
"[PA] President Mahmoud Abbas has been in contact since last night [Dec. 2, 2017] with
Arab and international bodies, including several world leaders. He briefed them on the
dangers to which Jerusalem is subject, and what is required in order to defend the sites
that are holy to Islam and Christianity.
In this context, the president spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin
Salman. During the conversation, the president asked Saudi Arabia to urgently intervene
on account of the status that it enjoys on the Arab and international levels, in order to
defend Jerusalem and the sites in it that are holy to Islam and Christianity, particularly in
light of the news items in the media outlets regarding American recognition of Jerusalem
as the capital of Israel or the transfer of the American embassy to it. His Honor [Abbas] emphasized that if this happens, it will terminate the peace process.
The president also telephoned Jordanian King Abdullah II and briefed him on the
dangers to which Jerusalem is subject...
In addition, the president spoke by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
and briefed him on the situation in Jerusalem and the urgency of defending it and the
sites that are holy to Islam and Christianity in light of the dangers that are encircling them...
Official [PA] Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said that President Abbas has
held a series of important talks with several Arab leaders and several world leaders in
order to warn about the reports on the transfer of the American embassy to occupied Jerusalem, or on [American] recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of
Israel (a matter which is serious to the same degree) [parentheses in source]...
Abu Rudeina added that the president explained to the [world] leaders... that it is
necessary to act immediately in order to prevent the possibility that such a step will be
taken. He said: 'We emphasize that if this American step is taken, it will put the region
onto a new track and a dangerous stage, whose consequences will be uncontrollable.'
He said that the president will continue to make efforts in the coming hours and days to
thwart this dangerous step. He also emphasized that if this decision is carried out it will
be unacceptable, put an end to any prospect of the political process, destroy the efforts t
o enter a peace process, and heighten the tensions in the region, particularly in light of
the changes and winds of war blowing in the region."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 3, 2017]
Official PA TV News, telephone interview with PLO Chief Negotiator Saeb ErekatOfficial PA TV Host: "How shall we understand the position of the US - the patron of the
peace process between the Palestinian and Israeli sides - which fully favors the Israeli
narrative and position regarding the transfer of the embassy, and [how shall we
understand] the currently perceived threat to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel
? Where is the peace process, and what is the Palestinian position [being conveyed]
through you, Dr. Erekat?"
PLO Executive Committee Secretary, Fatah Central Committee member, and PLO
Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat: "Yesterday [Dec. 1, 2017] the American administration received a written statement on [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas' order, which states that
it will be meaningless for Palestine to be established without its capital being East
Jerusalem with its Al-Aqsa Mosque and [Church of] the Holy Sepulchre. If the US
dictates the fate of Jerusalem before the negotiations on the matter - whether by
transferring the embassy [to Jerusalem], or what is even more dangerous, by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel - the significance of this will be the end of the entire
peace process and the pushing of the region - with its peoples and borders - into the
furnace of violence, chaos, extremism, and bloodshed. There is no interest [in this], the
US has no connection to the matter; it has not happened in history that a state defined
the capitals of other states."
[Official PA TV News, Dec. 2, 2017]
Headline: "Al-Habbash: The entire world is liable to pay the price if the reality changes in Jerusalem"
"[PA] President [Mahmoud Abbas'] advisor on Religious and Islamic Affairs, Supreme
Shari'ah Judge of Palestine, [and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah Justice] Mahmoud Al-Habbash said that these days there is much talk targeting Jerusalem,
among them [reports] that the US wants to recognize it as the capital of Israel as a
prelude to transferring the American embassy to it.
During a speech that he gave yesterday [Dec. 2, 2017] at a ceremony for the birthday of Prophet [Muhammad] at the [PA] presidential headquarters in Ramallah on behalf of President [Abbas] and in [Abbas'] presence, Al-Habbash added: 'The clear position of
the president, the Palestinian people, the Arab nation, and the Islamic nation is that if this occurs, it means the total destruction of the peace process. We say this clearly - if any
change takes place in the political reality of Jerusalem, the entire world will pay the price
of this targeting and change.' He continued: 'Jerusalem is our capital, and we will not
agree to anything else. Any other plan - it would be better that its developers keep it to themselves. This is not only our position; it is the position of the Arab and Islamic nation,
led by our brothers in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan.'"
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 3, 2017]
Official PA TV Newsreader: "In a speech on behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas and
in his presence, during a ceremony in the presidential headquarters in Ramallah for
Prophet [Muhammad's] birth, it was emphasized that the [Palestinian] leadership won't be obligated to anything if the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."
Supreme Shari'ah Judge and Mahmoud Abbas' advisor on Religious and Islamic
Affairs, Mahmoud Al-Habbash: "Any change in the political reality in Jerusalem means
that there will be no agreement at all and there will be no peace process. The Palestinian people, the Arab and Islamic nation, and we ourselves will not be obligated to anything. We will not be obligated to anything. The entire world, Allah forbid, is liable to
pay the price for any foolishness, such as that which targets Jerusalem."
[Official PA TV News, Dec. 2, 2017]
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2) After their exodus from the White House, the Obamas joined another rarified club, that of the ruling liberal elite class owning multiple ultra-expensive homes in highly exclusive communities that none in America can afford, save the one percenters. The very same one percenters whom they rant and rail against as being the greedy, egocentric millionaires who simply have too much - following the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton who (despite Hillary's claim that they left The White House dead broke) somehow managed to educate their daughter at Stanford, Oxford, NYU and Columbia ($500,000?), acquire a $1.7 million estate in Chappaqua and a $2.85 million mansion in Georgetown and then Bernie Sanders who, shortly after ending his 2016 presidential bid, bought his third home, a $600,000 lakefront vacation house on Lake Champlain.
Barack and Michelle have real estate designs of their own. Earlier this year it was revealed that upon his leaving the presidency the Obamas will not be returning to Chicago. They will instead be moving into a $6 million, 8,200-square foot, 9-bedroom 12-bathroom mansion in Kalorama, one of the Washington District's most posh, desirable and exclusive neighborhoods in the heart of one of America's wealthiest zip codes. With daughter Malia off to college, that leaves just Barack, Michelle and Sasha until the younger daughter graduates high school in 2018.
Nothing says they care about climate change, energy consumption and our CO2 footprint more than keeping an 8,200-square foot house heated and air conditioned year round for just three people. The hypocrisy and 'do as I say not as I do' hubris of all these wealthy climate change proponents is sickening. By the way, the Obamas' new home is just two doors down from Clinton campaign manager, John Podesta, who recently lost the most significant campaign of his life.
But that's not the new news. We have now learned Barack and Michelle are the proud owners of yet another home, this one on the west coast. As reported by Page Six and other sources, the Obamas have a new home in Rancho Mirage, California. Rancho Mirage is a popular golf getaway which would explain its attraction to the soon-to-be ex-golfer-in-chief. By some counts this makes the Obamas' fifth home, also from Page Six, The Obamas are also said to have bought a holiday getaway in Obama's childhood home state of Hawaii. How many American families own five of anything, let alone houses in Hawaii that they see once a year or so. Most of us are blessed if able to rent a hotel room or condo in Hawaii once a decade or a life time.
The relocation habits of Democrats leaving office is very interesting. For example, having been voted out of office in 2014, Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu didn't return to Louisiana. Instead she made her 7,300-square foot $2.5 million Washington DC mansion her new home. Rather than returning to Little Rock, when Bill and Hillary left the White House, they chose the liberal, ultra-wealthy haven of Chappaqua, New York with its average household income of $285,801 and average household net worth of $1,564,366 for their new residence
Now it's the Obamas' turn. Are they going back to Chicago to live amongst the little people and take their chances becoming yet another statistic (total number shot as of this writing this year: 3,961)? No, not so much. They, like the others, are moving into a private, secured community to live in a house big enough for five families where they will host cocktail parties for golf buddies and other millionaire and billionaire friends.
Yet like the Sanders, Landrieus and Clintons of the world, they will accept exorbitant five-, six-, even seven-figure speaking fees to give speeches about how the rich in our country are steadily pulling away from everyone else and increasingly isolating themselves. About how the concentration of wealth at the top is allowing some Americans to own multiple houses, vacation when and as they please and live lives most of the rest of the country cannot fathom.
They'll blather on and on about how the rich are a big part of the problems in our country but they gladly join them hoping no one will notice. Well, we did!"
A definite Democrat exception to the rules as below.
(Harry Truman once said, "One cannot become wealthy being a president unless you are doing something
4)My hometown paper drives me crazy.
2) After their exodus from the White House, the Obamas joined another rarified club, that of the ruling liberal elite class owning multiple ultra-expensive homes in highly exclusive communities that none in America can afford, save the one percenters. The very same one percenters whom they rant and rail against as being the greedy, egocentric millionaires who simply have too much - following the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton who (despite Hillary's claim that they left The White House dead broke) somehow managed to educate their daughter at Stanford, Oxford, NYU and Columbia ($500,000?), acquire a $1.7 million estate in Chappaqua and a $2.85 million mansion in Georgetown and then Bernie Sanders who, shortly after ending his 2016 presidential bid, bought his third home, a $600,000 lakefront vacation house on Lake Champlain.
Barack and Michelle have real estate designs of their own. Earlier this year it was revealed that upon his leaving the presidency the Obamas will not be returning to Chicago. They will instead be moving into a $6 million, 8,200-square foot, 9-bedroom 12-bathroom mansion in Kalorama, one of the Washington District's most posh, desirable and exclusive neighborhoods in the heart of one of America's wealthiest zip codes. With daughter Malia off to college, that leaves just Barack, Michelle and Sasha until the younger daughter graduates high school in 2018.
Nothing says they care about climate change, energy consumption and our CO2 footprint more than keeping an 8,200-square foot house heated and air conditioned year round for just three people. The hypocrisy and 'do as I say not as I do' hubris of all these wealthy climate change proponents is sickening. By the way, the Obamas' new home is just two doors down from Clinton campaign manager, John Podesta, who recently lost the most significant campaign of his life.
But that's not the new news. We have now learned Barack and Michelle are the proud owners of yet another home, this one on the west coast. As reported by Page Six and other sources, the Obamas have a new home in Rancho Mirage, California. Rancho Mirage is a popular golf getaway which would explain its attraction to the soon-to-be ex-golfer-in-chief. By some counts this makes the Obamas' fifth home, also from Page Six, The Obamas are also said to have bought a holiday getaway in Obama's childhood home state of Hawaii. How many American families own five of anything, let alone houses in Hawaii that they see once a year or so. Most of us are blessed if able to rent a hotel room or condo in Hawaii once a decade or a life time.
The relocation habits of Democrats leaving office is very interesting. For example, having been voted out of office in 2014, Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu didn't return to Louisiana. Instead she made her 7,300-square foot $2.5 million Washington DC mansion her new home. Rather than returning to Little Rock, when Bill and Hillary left the White House, they chose the liberal, ultra-wealthy haven of Chappaqua, New York with its average household income of $285,801 and average household net worth of $1,564,366 for their new residence
Now it's the Obamas' turn. Are they going back to Chicago to live amongst the little people and take their chances becoming yet another statistic (total number shot as of this writing this year: 3,961)? No, not so much. They, like the others, are moving into a private, secured community to live in a house big enough for five families where they will host cocktail parties for golf buddies and other millionaire and billionaire friends.
Yet like the Sanders, Landrieus and Clintons of the world, they will accept exorbitant five-, six-, even seven-figure speaking fees to give speeches about how the rich in our country are steadily pulling away from everyone else and increasingly isolating themselves. About how the concentration of wealth at the top is allowing some Americans to own multiple houses, vacation when and as they please and live lives most of the rest of the country cannot fathom.
They'll blather on and on about how the rich are a big part of the problems in our country but they gladly join them hoping no one will notice. Well, we did!"
A definite Democrat exception to the rules as below.
(Harry Truman once said, "One cannot become wealthy being a president unless you are doing something
crooked
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3)Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble the football" - John Heisman
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++"I make my practices real hard because if a player is a quitter, I want him to quit in practice, not in a game."
– Bear Bryant / Alabama
"It isn't necessary to see a good tackle, you can hear it!"
- Knute Rockne / Notre Dame
"At Georgia Southern, we don't cheat. That costs money, and we don't have any."
– Erik Russell / Georgia Southern
"The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it."
- Lou Holtz / Arkansas - Notre Dame
"When you win, nothing hurts."
- Joe Namath / Alabama
"A school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall."
- Frank Leahy / Notre Dame
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
- Woody Hayes / Ohio State
"In Alabama , an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in Bear Bryant."
- Wally Butts / Georgia
"My advice to defensive players is to take the shortest route to the ball, and arrive in a bad humor."
- Bowden Wyatt / Tennessee
"I could have been a Rhodes Scholar except for my grades."
- Duffy Daugherty / Michigan State
"Always remember Goliath was a 40 point favorite over David."
- Shug Jordan / Auburn
"I asked Darrell Royal, the coach of the Texas Longhorns, why he didn't recruit me ." He said, "Well, Walt, we took a look at you, and you weren't any good."
- Walt Garrison / Oklahoma State
"Son, you've got a good engine, but your hands aren't on the steering wheel."
- Bobby Bowden / Florida State
"Football is NOT a contact sport, it is a collision sport. Dancing IS a contact sport."
- Duffy Daugherty / Michigan State
After USC lost 51-0 to Notre Dame, his post-game message to his team was, "All those who need showers, take them."
- John McKay / USC
"If lessons are learned in defeat, our team is getting a great education."
- Murray Warmath / Minnesota
"The only qualifications for a lineman are to be big and dumb. To be a back, you only have to be dumb."
- Knute Rockne / Notre Dame
"We live one day at a time and scratch where it itches."
- Darrell Royal / Texas
"We didn't tackle well today, but we made up for it by not blocking."
- John McKay / USC
"I've found that prayers work best when you have big players."
- Knute Rockne / Notre Dame
Ohio State 's Urban Meyer on one of his players: "He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear. In fact, I just saw his grades and he doesn't know the meaning of a lot of words."
Why do Tennessee fans wear orange? So they can dress that way for the game on Saturday, go hunting onSunday, and pick up trash on Monday.
What does the average Alabama player get on his SATs? Drool.
How many Michigan State freshmen football players does it take to change a light bulb? None. That's a sophomore course.
How did the Auburn football player die from drinking milk? The cow fell on him.
Two Texas A&M football players were walking in the woods. One of them said, "Look, a dead bird."The other looked up in the sky and said," Where?"
What do you say to a Florida State University football player dressed in a three-piece suit? "Will the defendant please rise."
If three Rutgers football players are in the same car, who is driving? The police officer.
How can you tell if a Clemson football player has a girlfriend? There's tobacco juice on both sides of the pickup truck.
What do you get when you put 32 Georgia cheerleaders in one room? A full set of teeth.
University of Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh is only going to dress half of his players for the game this week; the other half will have to dress themselves.How is the Kansas football team like an opossum? They play dead at home and get killed on the road.
Why did the Tennessee linebacker steal a police car? He saw "911" on the side and thought it was a Porsche.
How do you get a former Illinois football player off your porch? Pay him for the pizza.
4)My hometown paper drives me crazy.
I read The New York Times because it often has good coverage. The newspaper pays to send reporters to dangerous places all around the world.
This weekend, the Times Magazine did a surprisingly fair profile of Sean Hannity, although they chose photos that make him look evil.
But mostly I read the Times because my neighbors read it, and I need to understand what they think.
Sadly, many think dumb things because most every day the Times runs deceitful, biased stories and headlines that mislead.
Opinion columns have license to do that, but these days, Times' smears extend to "news" stories.
A recent headline said that that President Trump's tweets had "united Britain in outrage." Wow. Really? The whole country?
Only if you read the entire story would you learn that the outraged people include "the opposition Labour party," "several" Conservatives and comedian John Cleese.
That's a whole country "united in Trump outrage"? Please.
Another headline said ending President Obama's net neutrality bureaucracy would be "hastening the Internet's death."
Ridiculous. I understand that many statists like the regulation, but all the net neutrality repeal really will do is restore some of the permissionless innovation that allowed the internet to blossom in the first place.
Yet the continuation of the Times story carried the headline "So long to the internet."
Give me a break. That's just irresponsible scaremongering.
Now that the Republicans' tax bill passed the House and Senate, some legislators say they will try to reform entitlements.
Yes! Finally! This is a responsible thing to do. But Times reporters hate Republicans so much that they twisted this new effort at reform into a headline that said: "Next objective -- cut the safety net."
That is just a smear.
Billions in entitlement dollars go to relatively rich people. The Times once applauded entitlement reform. But if Republicans support it, then it's bad. Apparently, Republicans' "objective" is not delaying America's bankruptcy; it's "cutting the safety net."
No wonder President Trump keeps shouting, "Fake news!"
But Trump gets plenty wrong, too. He often talks about "the failing New York Times."
But the Times isn't failing. In fact, they gained readers since he was elected -- 300,000 new subscriptions last quarter.
The Times also makes money selling ads. I find it funny that so much of that money comes from glitzy ads directed at the rich people who Times reporters constantly criticize. The newspaper's magazines are filled with expensive ads for lavish apartments, $2,000 purses and dubious beauty treatments that many people could never afford.
This weekend's fluff included a worshipful feature on Jay-Z by Times' executive editor Dean Baquet. Baquet didn't criticize the rapper for living in an $80 million mansion but instead asked him penetrating questions like, "Would you rather be a trend? Or Ralph Lauren?"
But this week's most disgusting feature was a nearly full-page "Style" section profile of black-clad antifa thugs. The Times made them sound fashionable and fun as they punch people who aren't looking for any physical fight, just spouting their beliefs.
The headline: "What to Wear to Smash the State."
The Times explained what a stylish vandal wears: "Black work or military boots, pants, balaclavas or ski masks, gloves and jackets, North Face brand ... makes it easier for saboteurs to take the offensive against storefronts..."
Gee, thanks, New York Times. I doubt that you'd be so enthusiastic about property destruction if the "saboteurs ... take the offensive against" your storefront.
Fortunately, Times readership is relatively small -- probably less than 1 percent of Americans. Unfortunately, that readership matters because many of those readers work for other media, so what the Times prints gets imitated.
Sometimes that's good. Much of what's in the "paper of record" is important and fact-checked.
Unfortunately, much of it is mean-spirited and absurdly biased.
I'll keep reading it, hoping to separate the good from the bad.
John Stossel is author of "No They Can't! Why Government Fails -- But Individuals Succeed."
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