Israeli jets strike outside Damascus – Syrian media

Posted February 22, 2017 by Joseph Wouk
Categories: Uncategorized

Source: Israeli jets strike outside Damascus – Syrian media | The Times of Israel

Hezbollah weapons convoy reportedly targeted near Lebanese border; Israel stays mum

By Judah Ari Gross February 22, 2017, 7:55 am
An Israel Air Force F-15 flies overhead during an exercise in the Golan Heights on February 23, 2014. (Gu Ashash/Israel Air Force/Flickr)

An Israel Air Force F-15 flies overhead during an exercise in the Golan Heights on February 23, 2014. (Gu Ashash/Israel Air Force/Flickr)

Syrian media reported that Israeli aircraft targeted a Syrian Army convoy bearing weapons for the Hezbollah terrorist group early Wednesday morning.

The strike was said to have occurred northeast of Damascus, in the Qalamoun Mountains, along the Lebanese border.

No injuries were reported.

The pro-government al-Masdar news service quoted a Syrian Army source as saying that the Israeli aircraft flew first through Lebanon and then into Syria.

An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson refused to comment on the strike.

Israel has said in the past that it will conduct airstrikes in Syria and Lebanon in order to prevent Hezbollah from getting its hands on “advanced weaponry.”

Earlier this week, it was reported that Hezbollah had obtained advanced Russian Yakhont anti-ship missiles.

In December, Syria blamed Israel for a missile strike on the Mezzeh Military Airport, located in a suburb of Damascus, which was apparently being used as a weapons depot.

A general view shows flames and smoke at the Mezzeh military airport on the southwestern outskirts of the capital Damascus following an explosion early on January 13, 2017. (AFP)

A general view shows flames and smoke at the Mezzeh military airport on the southwestern outskirts of the capital Damascus following an explosion early on January 13, 2017. (AFP)

In recent days, Hezbollah and Lebanon have ratcheted up their rhetoric against Israel.

Last week, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened the Jewish state, warning that his group’s missiles could reach Israel’s nuclear reactor in Dimona.

He doubled down on those comments on Tuesday, saying there would be “no red lines” in a future conflict with Israel.

“In the face of Israel’s threats to destroy Lebanon’s infrastructure, we will not abide by red lines, especially regarding Haifa’s ammonia and the nuclear reactor in Dimona. Hezbollah possesses the full courage for this,” he said, according to an English translation of his comments reported by the Naharnet website.

And Saturday, Lebanese President Michel Aoun — an ally of Hezbollah — warned that his country would meet any perceived threats by Israel with an “appropriate response,” after the Israeli ambassador to the UN complained about his statements regarding Hezbollah.

“Any attempt to hurt Lebanese sovereignty or expose the Lebanese to danger will find the appropriate response,” Aoun said in an official statement, according to Reuters.

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Iran’s Leader Urges Palestinians to Launch Violent Uprising

Posted February 21, 2017 by danmillerinpanama
Categories: Intifada, Iran and Israel, Iran and Palestinians, Iranian proxies, Israel, Khamenei
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Iran’s Leader Urges Palestinians to Launch Violent Uprising, Investigative Project on Terrorism, February 21, 2017

Ayatollah Khamenei’s latest call for the Jewish state’s destruction is much more than political bluster. His remarks are a direct signal to ignite widespread terrorist violence.

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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is urging Palestinians to launch another violent “intifada” targeting Israelis, Reuters reported.

Speaking at a recent conference in Tehran, Khamenei called for Israel’s destruction and referred to the Jewish state as a “cancerous tumor.”

“… by Allah’s permission, we will see that this intifada will begin a very important chapter in the history of fighting and that it will inflict another defeat on that usurping regime,” Khamenei said, according to a transcript of the remarks featured on his website.

“The Palestinian intifada continues to gallop forward in a thunderous manner so that it can achieve its other goals until the complete liberation of Palestine,” the Ayatollah added.

For years, senior Iranian figures have called for Israel’s destruction. These statements, however, are not just rhetoric to invigorate domestic audiences. Iran has invested considerable resources to prop up terrorist proxies, including Hamas and Hizballah, to militarily confront Israel. Iran also finances and explicitly encourages Palestinians to engage in individual terrorist initiatives.

Sanctions relief in the 2015 Iran nuclear enabled Iran to enhance terrorist operations and increase funding for Palestinians who attack Israelis. Last year, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon confirmed that every Palestinian terrorist’s family will receive $7,000 for attacking Israelis and $30,000 if a family’s home is demolished by the Israel Defense Forces. Financial transfers would be distributed through the Palestinian branch of Iran’s 25-year-old “Shahid Institutions.”

“The martyrs’ blood will release the entire Palestine, from the river to the sea,” Ambassador Mohammad Fathali said.

In January 2016, Hizballah’s Unit 133 tried to coordinate a Palestinian terrorist cell in the West Bank, sending the operatives $5,000 to buy weapons to kill Israeli soldiers. Similar to previous Hamas attempts, Hizballah was trying to escalate Palestinian violence into a full-fledged uprising, seeking to introduce an organized element to a phenomenon that was largely characterized by individual acts.

Acting on Iranian orders, Hizballah was able to direct and coordinate dozens of Palestinian terrorist cells during the second Intifada. From 2002 to 2007, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hizballah directed and coordinated dozens of Palestinian terrorist networks, mostly cells that were part of Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Throughout the 1990s and beginning of 2000s, Hizballah sent Lebanese operatives with foreign passports to Israel via Europe in order to support Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups devoted to sabotaging the Oslo Peace Process and damage the Palestinian Authority.

Ayatollah Khamenei’s latest call for the Jewish state’s destruction is much more than political bluster. His remarks are a direct signal to ignite widespread terrorist violence.

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Dr. Jasser joins Bob Harden discussing the need for reform within Islam 02.20.2017

Posted February 21, 2017 by danmillerinpanama
Categories: "Extreme vetting", "Muslim ban", "Muslim Registry", Islamic immigration, Islamic refugees, Islamist objectives, Islamist organizations, Islamist vetting, Islamists in America, Islamists vs Islam, Muslim Reform Movement, Trump and Islam, Trump and Islamists, Zuhdi Jasser
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Dr. Jasser joins Bob Harden discussing the need for reform within Islam 02.20.2017, AIFD via YouTube

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DHS Removes Obama’s ‘Handcuffs’ on Border Patrol Agents

Posted February 21, 2017 by danmillerinpanama
Categories: Border Patrol, Catch and release, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration law enforcement, Mexico, Trump agenda, Trump and immigration, U.S. southern border
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DHS Removes Obama’s ‘Handcuffs’ on Border Patrol Agents, Breitbart, Bob Price, February 21, 2017

us-border-patrol-stop-640x480File Photo

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) removed “handcuffs” placed on Border Patrol agents by the Obama Administration, freeing them to expand border enforcement operations.

DHS Secretary John F. Kelly lifted most of the restrictions imposed on Border Patrol agents under the previous administration and ordered Border Patrol agents expand their efforts to enforce laws against illegal border crossings. The order came in a memo obtained by Breitbart Texas from DHS officials and discontinued President Obama’s “catch and release” program known as the “Priority Enforcement Program” (PEP) enacted on November 20, 2014. The order leaves in place, President Obama’s deferred action programs for children brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents.

“Except as specifically noted above, the Department no longer will exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement,” Secretary Kelly wrote in the memorandum. “In faithfully executing the immigration laws, Department personnel should take enforcement actions in accordance with applicable law.”

To support the expanded enforcement actions, Kelly ordered the hiring of an additional 5,000 Border Patrol agents and 500 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) officers. “CBP has insufficient agents/officers to effectively detect, track, and apprehend all aliens illegally entering the United States,” Kelly continued. “The United States needs additional agents and officers to ensure complete operational control of the border.”

Leaked Border Patrol training materials released in an article by Breitbart Texas Managing Director Brandon Darby revealed the frustrating requirements placed on Border Patrol agents under the PEP program.

“Nothing says don’t arrest, but it clearly says don’t waste your time because the alien will not be put into detention, sent back or deported,” an official within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told Darby at the time. “There is literally no reason to arrest an illegal alien because they are specifically telling Border Patrol there will be no consequence for the illegal alien. It is a waste of time and resources to arrest someone who is off limits for detainment or deportation and the documents make that fact clear. Border Patrol agents are now being trained to be social workers, not law enforcement.”

After the Obama Administration had put the PEP program in place, a high percentage of migrants apprehended at the border were released with a “notice to appear.”

“[The Obama] administration has handcuffed the Border Patrol,” Babeu told reporters in a March 2016 press conference reported by Breitbart Texas.

This new set of orders from Secretary Kelly effectively removes those handcuffs and ends Obama’s catch and release programs.

“A country has a duty and obligation to secure its border. That didn’t change because Obama was the president,” Jackson County, Texas, Sheriff Andy Louderback told Breitbart Texas on Tuesday. “We are back to the rule of law now, and the gloves are off now, there’s no PEP. We are now allowed to do our job. I am on cloud 80 right now.” Louderback previously served as president of the Texas Sheriff’s Association.

Breitbart Texas was at a press conference when sheriffs from across the state descended upon the Texas Capitol in August 2015 to decry the federal policies of the Obama administration saying, criminal aliens have free rein.

“Policies that facilitate the release of removable aliens apprehended at and between the ports of entry, which allow them to abscond and fail to appear at their removal hearings, undermine the border security mission,” Kelly stated. “Such policies, collectively referred to as ‘catch-and-release,’ shall end.”

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Russian Reactions To Flynn’s Resignation

Posted February 21, 2017 by danmillerinpanama
Categories: General Flynn, Putin and Trump, Russia and Trump, Russia and U.S., Russian media, Trump administration, Trump agenda
Tags: , , , , , ,

Russian Reactions To Flynn’s Resignation, MEMRI, February 21, 2017

(Please see also, Is a Trump-Putin Detente Dead? — DM)

While part of Russian officialdom dodged comment on Michael Flynn’s resignation from the post of national security adviser or downplayed its importance, the consensus view was that this represented a negative signal for Russia. Russia would have to retrench its hopes for improved Russia-US relations under President Trump as the new president was finding it difficult to exercise control over an anti-Russian establishment. Some commentators believed that an anti-Russia cabal was behind Flynn’s ouster and that Flynn was merely the appetizer with Trump being the main course. These rogue officials backed by the media would not rest till they had ousted Trump and set back Russian-American relations.

We present a sampling of official and press reactions to the Flynn resignation.

trumpandflynn1Source: Gazeta.ru)

Senator Pushkov’s Tweetstorm

Senator Alexey Pushkov, a member of the Russian Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs and an avid tweeter, took to Twitter to present his categorical assessment of the forces behind the resignation and their motivation:

“Flynn ‘was forced out’ not due to his missteps, but due to a vast aggressive campaign. “Russian –get out ” clamored the newspapers. This is paranoia and witch hunt.”

(Twitter.com/Alexey_Pushkov, February 14, 2017)

“Flynn leaves, but the Russian problem at Trump’s White House persists” – his enemies write. Flynn’s banishment was only the first act. Now – Trump is the target.”

(Twitter.com/Alexey_Pushkov, February 13, 2017)

“Flynn’s departure is probably the earliest resignation of a US National Security Advisor in history. Yet, Flynn was not the target, relations with Russia were.”

(Twitter.com/Alexey_Pushkov, February 13, 2017)

“It’s not going to end  with Flynn’s resignation. Trump’s enemies with the help of the security special services and media will eradicate him ( Trump) until the impeachment. Trump himself is now the objective.”

impeach(Twitter.com, February 14, 2017)

“Lots of money invested in the new cold war against Russia. Those who oppose the war are at high risk. Flynn’s massacre is clear evidence.”

(Twitter.com, February 14, 2017)

push-shove(Alexey Pushkov, Source: Pravda-tv.ru)

Senator Kosachev: ‘Russophobia Has Already Engulfed The New Administration From Top To Bottom’

Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev, who chairs the Russian Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs, wrote on his Facebook page: “Dismissing the national security adviser for contacts with Russia’s ambassador (ordinary diplomatic practice) is not just paranoia, but something much worse.” He then added: “Either Trump has not gained the desired independence and he is being consistently (and not unsuccessfully) pushed into a corner, or Russophobia has already engulfed the new administration from top to bottom.”

(Tass.com, February 14, 2017)

kosKonstantin Kosachev (Source: Rt.com)

Valery Garbuzov, Director of the Institute for US and Canada Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Russian news agency TASS: “I believe the Russian issue is one of the most difficult for the U.S. administration in the sense that it has not yet developed recipes for tackling the Russian issue in general and in particular. These are the issues of sanctions, the issue of Ukraine, Crimea and so on.” He then said: “The U.S. president’s national security adviser is a significant figure who, along with the US secretary of state, takes part in shaping the country’s foreign policy. Flynn’s resignation indicates that internal contradictions, perhaps, internal struggles, begin to appear in the emerging US administration. Flynn’s resignation was a manifestation of this struggle. He was considered if not a pro-Russian member of Trump’s team, then a person who was committed to resuming pragmatic dialogue with Russia.”

(Tass.com, February 14, 2017)

The Deputy Chair of the Duma’s International Affairs committee, Alexey Chepa: “Flynn has just begun working, he did not have an opportunity build himself a reputation. Before the inauguration he’d had some consultations with our ambassador Kislyak. I don’t know to what extent he informed his superiors regarding the consultations. I don’t know either how it could lead to a possible blackmailing… In general, there was not enough time to arrange improved contacts, so I think this [resignation] won’t strongly affect [our relations with the US]”

(Ria.ru, February 14, 2017)

Presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov declined comment on Flynn’s resignation: “We do not want to comment on it in any manner. It’s America’s internal affair, the Trump administration’s internal affair. It’s not our business.”

(Ria.ru, February 14, 2017)

The Resignation Reduces Russia’s Confidence In The Trump Administration

According to Leonid Slutsky, chair of the Duma’s International Affairs Committee: “The situation regarding the resignation of national security advisor Michael Flynn, bears a provocative character. This is a form of negative signal concerning the building of a Russia-US dialog. It’s obvious that Flynn was forced to write the resignation announcement under pressure. Trump received this resignation. The excuse, which was chosen, is contacts with the Russian ambassador, though it’s common diplomatic practice.  In these circumstances, the conclusion arises that the Russia-US relations were the set target. This erodes confidence in the US administration”.

(Ria.ru, February 14, 2017)

The TASS agency quotes Slutsky a bit differently: “Flynn’s resignation might be a provocation – it could well be that he will pop up again in US public administration. At the moment, it looks like a thrust and a sort of  negative signal towards Russia, implying that we had discussed something improper with the US national security advisor, for which he paid for with his job … It’s an incredible assumption that Flynn, a very experienced person, divulged some state secrets”. According to Slutsky, “the whole buzz is aimed at Russia’s positioning as a strategic opponent amongst the American establishment”.

(Tass.ru, February 14, 2017)

slutLeonid Slutsky (Source: Polytika.ru)

According to Vladimir Batyuk, head of the Center for Military-Political Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ US and Canada Institute and professor of world politics at the Higher School of Economics :

“Flynn’s resignation is a powerful blow to the US administration. Flynn, as a national security advisor, was one of the key figures. Given that this man turned out to be undisciplined and incompetent, it’s a definite blow to the administration’s authority and to US-Russia relations. Moscow, from now on, will have far less confidence in the new administration and its ability to conduct confidential negotiations on delicate international matters and problems of bilateral relations. It will have negative consequences for the future Russo-American dialog.”  Representatives of the Russian Federation will now fear approaching Trump administration officials. “When Ambassador Kislyak communicated with Flynn he was completely sure that he was talking to the Trump’s representative, rather than to private person, Mr. Flynn. Now, it’s not the case as it turns out and this is a blow to Moscow’s trust in the new administration. This trust usually carries high importance in diplomacy.”

(Ria.ru, February 14, 2017)

The Russian government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta published an article by Igor Dunaevsky, where the author assumes that Flynn’s resignation was initiated by the secret services:

“It can’t be excluded that Flynn was “taken out” by the secret services. His Russian connections presented themselves as an excuse and were not the real reason. According to local media publications, Flynn, who headed MOD intelligence department in the Obama administration, was not popular in the American intelligence community and he reciprocated this attitude.  Flynn’s resignation will not extensively affect White House’s approaches towards a dialog with Russia, but rather it will prove instrumental for those who want to impede that process.”

(Rg.ru, February 14, 2017)

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Trump Is Completely Right About the Crisis in Sweden

Posted February 21, 2017 by danmillerinpanama
Categories: Islam and females, Media and Islamist terror, Media and Trump, Sweden, Trump and Islamic terrorism, Trump and Islamists, Trump and Sweden
Tags: , , , , , ,

Trump Is Completely Right About the Crisis in Sweden, PJ Media, Robert Spencer, February 21, 2017

(This Pat Condell video from November of 2015 seems appropriate:

Please see also, Welcome to Sweden, Eldorado for Migrants!  The linked copy here at Warsclerotic includes the Fox video to which President Trump referred and which has caused leftist consternation– DM)

riotsinswedenRiots in Stockholm, Sweden – Feb 2017 (Rex Features via AP Images)

President Trump unleashed an international storm of ridicule Saturday when he said:

Here’s the bottom line, we have to keep our country safe. When you look at what’s happening in Germany, when you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden — Sweden. Who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers, they’re having problems like they never thought possible.

But once again, those attacking Trump didn’t care to do their homework. The chorus was immediate and shrill. Wrote Vox:

The only problem is that nothing happened the prior night in Sweden.

Asked former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt:

Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking?

But those who are cackling today about the idiot Trump and his imaginary terror in Sweden should pause to examine some recent headlines. Trump himself tweeted:

“My statement as to what’s happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden.”

And:

“Give the public a break – The FAKE NEWS media is trying to say that large scale immigration in Sweden is working out just beautifully. NOT!”

On Friday night, according to Heat Street:

Fox News host Tucker Carlson interviewed documentarian Ami Horowitz about his upcoming film about violence involving migrants in Sweden. Horowitz claims that the Swedish government is downplayingan uptick in violence that followed a wave of refugee migration into the country.

…

Horowitz’s film shows a country that is deep in denial about a growing problem of migrant violence — including a sharp uptick in rape over the last five years. Horowitz claims that the increase correlates directly to Sweden’s refugee acceptance program; the country has taken in more than 190,000 Muslim immigrants in the same time frame.

The migrant violence is just part of the problem. The UK’s Express reported several weeks ago:

Sweden’s Prime Minister was brutalised in Parliament for allowing Sweden to crumble into a lawless state.

This was not hyperbole:

In February 2016, the National Criminal Investigation Service was forced to admit more than 50 areas in were now labelled as “no-go zones” as sex crimes, attacks on police, drug dealing and children carrying weapons were common occurrences.

Malmo, Sweden’s third-largest city, has been so hard hit by crime and car fires, the Social Democrats demanded soldiers should be sent in to reestablish law and order.

Malmo is Sweden’s most Muslim-dominated area. On New Year’s Eve, Muslim mobs there fired rockets at crowds and police. The Express reported in November 2016:

[M]igrant sex attacks against children in the Swedish city of Malmö could increase following a spate of incidents in broad daylight, police have warned. The city of Malmö has seen a huge rise in migrant crimein recent months.

Police spokesperson Ewa-Gun Westford explained:

Some cases concern rapes while in other cases it’s sexual molestation, and we think [this situation] could escalate. We do not want to create a rancorous atmosphere among the public but want to tread carefully. The information we have leads in a certain direction, but it is very sensitive and [these are] difficult issues for the vulnerable.

What?

The “sensitive,” “difficult” nature of fighting back against rape? Westford is referring only to the fact that Muslim migrants were perpetrating these crimes — and no one wanted to discuss the implications of that.

Even worse, Malmo is not the only place where this is happening. Last week in the Stockholm suburb of Rinkeby, which has a high Muslim immigrant population, a gang of thugs attacked and brutalized three police officers on patrol, hitting them, kicking them, and throwing bottles and glass at them. This has been going on for years. In August 2014 in Rinkeby, Muslims lured police in and then ambushed them, with about 200 Muslims stoning the cops and torching cars.

And in January, two Afghan Muslim migrants kidnapped a Swedish woman and streamed their repeated rapes of her live on Facebook.

Peter Springare, a police investigator in Örebro, blamed Muslim migrants for the chaos that was engulfing Sweden:

I’m so f***** tired. What I’m writing here isn’t politically correct. But I don’t care. Our pensioners are on their knees, the schools are a mess, healthcare is an inferno, the police is completely destroyed. Everyone knows why, but no one dares or wants to say why.

When he says “no one,” the chief culprit is the establishment media.

Hard-Left Canadian reporter Doug Saunders claimed that the idea that Sweden was suffering from a rape epidemic “falls apart as soon as you speak to anyone knowledgeable in Sweden.” Saunders admitted that “Sweden does indeed have far more reported cases of sexual assault than any other country.” Then, he asserted:

[I]t’s not because Swedes — of any colour — are very criminal. It’s because they’re very feminist. In 2005, Sweden’s Social Democratic government introduced a new sex-crime law with the world’s most expansive definition of rape.

Saunders quoted Jerzy Sarnecki, whom he identified as “a criminologist at Stockholm University,” as saying:

What we’re hearing is a very, very extreme exaggeration based on a few isolated events, and the claim that it’s related to immigration is more or less not true at all.

We have 50 no-go zones acknowledged by the National Criminal Investigation Service, and a crime wave so severe that Swedish MPs are excoriating the prime minister for “allowing Sweden to crumble into a lawless state.” Because of feminism?

Remember, Trump is supposed to be the idiot.

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Is a Trump-Putin Detente Dead?

Posted February 21, 2017 by danmillerinpanama
Categories: Cold war, Democrats, Democrats and Russia, Never Trumpers, Trump agenda, Trump and Putin, Trump and Russia
Tags: , , , , , ,

Is a Trump-Putin Detente Dead? Rasmussen Reports, Patrick J. Buchanan, February 21, 2017

(Please see also, Highly Classified National Security Information Must Not be Leaked. — DM)

America’s elites still praise FDR for partnering with one of the great mass murderers of human history, Stalin, to defeat Hitler. They still applaud Nixon for going to China to achieve a rapprochement with the greatest mass murderer of the 20th century, Mao Zedong.

Yet Trump is not to be allowed to achieve a partnership with Putin, whose great crime was a bloodless retrieval of a Crimea that had belonged to Russia since the 18th century.

The anti-Putin paranoia here is astonishing.

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Among the reasons Donald Trump is president is that he read the nation and the world better than his rivals.

He saw the surging power of American nationalism at home, and of ethnonationalism in Europe. And he embraced Brexit.

While our bipartisan establishment worships diversity, Trump saw Middle America recoiling from the demographic change brought about by Third World invasions. And he promised to curb them.

While our corporatists burn incense at the shrine of the global economy, Trump went to visit the working-class casualties. And those forgotten Americans in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, responded.

And while Bush II and President Obama plunged us into Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Trump saw that his countrymen wanted to be rid of the endless wars, and start putting America first.

He offered a new foreign policy. Mitt Romney notwithstanding, said Trump, Putin’s Russia is not “our number one geopolitical foe.”

Moreover, that 67-year-old NATO alliance that commits us to go to war to defend two dozen nations, not one of whom contributes the same share of GDP as do we to national defense, is “obsolete.”

Many of these folks are freeloaders, said Trump. He hopes to work with Russia against our real enemies, al-Qaida and ISIS.

This was the agenda Americans voted for. But what raises doubt about whether Trump can follow through on his commitments is the size and virulence of the anti-Trump forces in this city.

Consider his plan to pursue a rapprochement with Russia such as Ike, JFK at American University, Nixon and Reagan all pursued in a Cold War with a far more menacing Soviet Empire.

America’s elites still praise FDR for partnering with one of the great mass murderers of human history, Stalin, to defeat Hitler. They still applaud Nixon for going to China to achieve a rapprochement with the greatest mass murderer of the 20th century, Mao Zedong.

Yet Trump is not to be allowed to achieve a partnership with Putin, whose great crime was a bloodless retrieval of a Crimea that had belonged to Russia since the 18th century.

The anti-Putin paranoia here is astonishing.

That he is a killer, a KGB thug, a murderer, is part of the daily rant of John McCain. At the Munich Security Conference this last weekend, Sen. Lindsey Graham promised, “2017 is going to be a year of kicking Russia in the ass in Congress.” How’s that for statesmanship.

But how does a president negotiate a modus vivendi with a rival great power when the leaders of his own party are sabotaging him and his efforts?

As for the mainstream media, they appear bent upon the ruin of Trump, and the stick with which they mean to beat him to death is this narrative:

Trump is the Siberian Candidate, the creature of Putin and the Kremlin. His ties to the Russians are old and deep. It was to help Trump that Russia hacked the DNC and the computer of Clinton campaign chief John Podesta, and saw to it WikiLeaks got the emails out to the American people during the campaign. Trump’s people secretly collaborated with Russian agents.

Believing Putin robbed Hillary Clinton of the presidency, Democrats are bent on revenge — on Putin and Trump.

And the epidemic of Russophobia makes it almost impossible to pursue normal relations. Indeed, in reaction to the constant attacks on them as poodles of Putin, the White House seems to be toughening up toward Russia.

Thus we see U.S. troops headed for Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, NATO troops being sent into the Baltic States, and new tough rhetoric from the White House about Russia having to restore Crimea to Ukraine. We read of Russian spy ships off the coast, Russian planes buzzing U.S. warships in the Black Sea, Russians deploying missiles outlawed by the arms control agreement of 1987.

An Ohio-class U.S. sub just test-fired four Trident missiles, which carry thermonuclear warheads, off the Pacific coast.

Any hope of cutting a deal for a truce in east Ukraine, a lifting of sanctions, and bringing Russia back into Europe seems to be fading.

Where Russians saw hope with Trump’s election, they are now apparently yielding to disillusionment and despair.

The question arises: If not toward better relations with Russia, where are we going with this bellicosity?

Russia is not going to give up Crimea. Not only would Putin not do it, the Russian people would abandon him if he did.

What then is the end goal of this bristling Beltway hostility to Putin and Russia, and the U.S.-NATO buildup in the Baltic and Black Sea regions? Is a Cold War II with Russia now an accepted and acceptable reality?

Where are the voices among Trump’s advisers who will tell him to hold firm against the Russophobic tide and work out a deal with the Russian president?

For a second cold war with Russia, its back up against a wall, may not end quite so happily as the first.

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US envoy’s pro-Israel speech after UN meeting goes viral

Posted February 21, 2017 by Joseph Wouk
Categories: Uncategorized

Source: Israel Hayom | US envoy’s pro-Israel speech after UN meeting goes viral

After attending her first monthly meeting of the U.N. Security Council, new U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley slams forum’s anti-Israel bias and focus on condemning Israel rather than addressing the “real threats we face in the Middle East.”

Eli Leon and News Agencies
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley speaks to reporters following the U.N. Security Council’s monthly meeting on the Middle East last Thursday

A speech in support of Israel by new U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley went viral on social media on Monday.

Following the U.N. Security Council’s monthly discussion on the Middle East, in which Haley participated for the first time as the U.S. representative, she convened a press conference Thursday at which she said she had been surprised to discover that the discussion had not covered Hezbollah’s illegal missile armament, Iran’s funding and arming terrorist organizations, ways to defeat the Islamic State group, or how Syrian President Bashar Assad could be held accountable for the slaughters of hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians.

“No, instead the meeting focused on criticizing Israel, the one true democracy in the Middle East,” Haley said.

“I might be new here, but I understand that this is how the Security Council has behaved month after month for decades. I am here to underscore the ironclad support of the United States for Israel. I’m here to emphasize the United States is determined to stand up to the UN’s anti-Israel bias. We will never repeat the terrible mistake of Resolution 2334 and allow one-sided Security Council resolutions to condemn Israel. Instead, we will push for action on the real threats we face in the Middle East.

“We stand for peace. We support a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is negotiated directly between the two parties.”

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Christians in Egypt: Mysterious Deaths, Soldier ‘Suicides’

Posted February 21, 2017 by danmillerinpanama
Categories: Christians in Egypt, Islamic attacks on Christians, Muslim Brotherhood, Sisi
Tags: , , ,

Christians in Egypt: Mysterious Deaths, Soldier ‘Suicides’, Clarion Project, Jennifer Breedon and Shelby Kaus, February 21, 2017

christiansinegyptA woman cries as Christians pray in the street outside the orthodox church of the Virgin Mary during the official funerals for victims of a December church bombing that killed 25, mainly women and children.(Photo: © Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Clarion sources have noted that the military officially lists all mysterious deaths of Christians in the military as “suicides.”  This shows the vast Islamist infiltration throughout Egypt despite President Sisi’s promise to do more for the Christians.

President Sisi fights many fronts and has a more difficult uphill battle than nearly any world leader in modern history. 

No leader has ever spoken up for Christians the way President Sisi has. Sisi has actually done a great deal for Christians, and the Christian community recognizes that and appreciates it.

***************************

Christians have lost another fellow believer in Egypt.  Ishak Ibrahim Fayez Younan, 37, had his throat slit in his Cairo home and was discovered by his brother, marking the fifth murder in only two weeks. Younan is one of many Christians who have had throats slit and been murdered for their faith.

Despite being in his home, nothing was taken indicating there was no motivation to rob Younan. We can assume his death, which follows a similar pattern of other recent murders in Egypt, was the result of his identification as a Christian in Egypt.

Younan had been working at a local factory that distributes soft drinks to grocery stores to support his wife and two children, ages 10 and 12, who now have no father.

Many citizens of Egypt are calling on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to do more for Christians in Egypt, but the underlying and deep-seated Islamist ideology and resentment against Christians seems to go beyond his capabilities as head of state.

Coptic Christians make up 10% Egypt’s population and suffer grave persecution, ranging from denial of jobs, burning of their churches and targets for assassination as in the case of Younan.    In December 2016, a large number of churches were bombed and, according to CNN, more than two dozen people were killed with several more injured.

Likewise, many Christian soldiers in the Egyptian Army are facing the same fate because of their faith.  Several Coptic soldiers have been the victims of mysterious deaths. In June of 2015, Bahaa Gamal Mikhail Silvanus, 23, was found dead in his office at the post where he was stationed.  Silvanus suffered two gunshot wounds and critical blunt force trauma to his head.

Yet, military officials ruled that the cause of death was suicide. Only a few short months later, Baha Saeed Karam, 22, was found dead from four fatal gunshot wounds at his headquarters.  Sources from both Silvanus and Karam’s friends and family say that they had been hassled several times by fellow soldiers to convert to Islam.  Karam had received death threats from Islamic soldiers shortly prior to his death.

Clarion sources have noted that the military officially lists all mysterious deaths of Christians in the military as “suicides.”  This shows the vast Islamist infiltration throughout Egypt despite President Sisi’s promise to do more for the Christians.

President Sisi fights many fronts and has a more difficult uphill battle than nearly any world leader in modern history.  Here are some of the hurdles he faces in a country where Christian persecution has historically been among the worst:

1. Since the Muslim Brotherhood was criminalized, the Salafists in Egypt aligned themselves with Sisi to keep safe.  Yet, their ideological beliefs that allow for violence against Christians remain rampant.

2. Any sudden movement by Sisi to denounce all Islamist oppressive ideology could result in riots and a loss of his popular support, especially considering the presence in Egypt of Al Azhar University, the seat of the world’s leading Islamic thinkers and teachers.Such broad denouncing could also prove more deadly for Egypt’s Christians who may be viewed as the ones to blame for Sisi’s crackdown on Islamists.  No leader has ever spoken up for Christians the way President Sisi has.Sisi has actually done a great deal for Christians, and the Christian community recognizes that and appreciates it.

He has denounced all attacks on Christian churches and has continued to rebuild the destroyed churches in upper Egypt that Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers destroyed in 2013.

3. Brotherhood sympathizers will always hate Sisi, denounce his rule and try to prohibit him from receiving international support. We must never forget that Cairo is the birthplace of Islamist ideology and their genius suppression tactics. These tactics are in full force against the pro-Christian and pro-Israel President Sisi.

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Hezbollah warns ‘no red lines’ in next war with Israel

Posted February 21, 2017 by Joseph Wouk
Categories: Uncategorized

Source: Hezbollah warns ‘no red lines’ in next war with Israel | The Times of Israel

Terror group chief Hassan Nasrallah advises Jewish state to ‘count to a million’ before starting conflict with Lebanon

By Stuart Winer and Times of Israel staff February 21, 2017, 10:00 am
Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah speaking to Iranian state television, in a clip broadcast on February 20, 2017. (screen capture: Twitter)

Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah speaking to Iranian state television, in a clip broadcast on February 20, 2017. (screen capture: Twitter)

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Monday doubled down on his recent saber-rattling against Israel and warned that his terror group would not hold back from attacking sensitive Israeli targets if the Jewish state goes to war with Lebanon.

During a television interview with the Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, the terror chief repeated a previous threat of firing rockets at Israel’s nuclear reactor in Dimona and at a huge ammonia storage tank in Haifa.

Hezbollah will not keep to any “red lines” in a future war with Israel, Nasrallah cautioned.

“In the face of Israel’s threats to destroy Lebanon’s infrastructure, we will not abide by red lines, especially regarding Haifa’s ammonia and the nuclear reactor in Dimona. Hezbollah possesses the full courage for this,” he said, according to an English translation of his comments reported by the Naharnet website.

He also warned Israel to “count to a million” before going to war in Lebanon.

“We are not advocates of war. We are in the defense position,” Nasrallah said.

This photo taken on September 8, 2002, shows a partial view of the Dimona nuclear power plant in the southern Israeli Negev desert. (AFP/Thomas Coex)

This photo taken on September 8, 2002, shows a partial view of the Dimona nuclear power plant in the southern Israeli Negev desert. (AFP/Thomas Coex)

Israel and Hezbollah fought a punishing war in 2006, but have maintained a tense calm watched over by UN peacekeepers on the border since then, punctuated by several deadly cross-border incidents.

Israeli officials have raised alarms in recent years that Hezbollah may be bolstering its positions in southern Lebanon and in the Syrian Golan Heights, and a court recently ordered an ammonia tank in the city of Haifa to be shut amid fears a missile strike on the facility could sow mass casualties.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who draws support from Hezbollah, recently called for the terror group to remain armed to “resist Israel,” despite a UN resolution forbidding militias in Lebanon.

In other statements reported by IRNA affiliated Press TV Monday night, Nasrallah offered reassurance to the Palestinians that they have not been forgotten. On Tuesday, a two-day international conference on the Palestinians was set to kick off in Iran with the participation of some 80 delegations.

“The most important result and message of this action for the Palestinian nation is that you have not been left alone and that an important and powerful country in the region supports you,” Nasrallah said.

The Hezbollah leader commented on US President Donald Trump’s statements last week during a press conference in Washington with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he said that Washington would no longer pursue only a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and would look at any plan the sides agreed on.

Nasrallah said that Trump’s apparent bucking of decades of previous US policy supporting the two-state scheme was a positive development in that it showed Israel’s true intentions regarding the Palestinians.

Last Thursday Nasrallah boasted that his rockets could reach Israel’s nuclear reactor in the southern city of Dimona, and said he would turn Israel’s reported nuclear arsenal against it.

Nasrallah, who had previously threatened to target an ammonia tank in Haifa, claimed credit for an Israeli court decision to shut down that facility last week and said he would do the same with the nuclear reactor.

An assessment commissioned by the Haifa facility found that a strike on the tank, which holds some 12,000 tons of ammonia, could cause tens of thousands of injuries or deaths in the area.

Haifa's industrial zone. The ammonia tank is visible on the jetty jutting into the sea at the right. (Shay Levy/Flash90)

Haifa’s industrial zone. The ammonia tank is visible on the jetty jutting into the sea at the right. (Shay Levy/Flash90)

In response to Nasrallah’s statement, Minister of Intelligence Yisrael Katz threatened in a statement to target “all of Lebanon,” including infrastructures there, in retaliation for any attack on Israeli population centers or infrastructures. He also called for “debilitating sanctions” on Iran over its support for its “proxy and stooge” Nasrallah.

On Sunday an Arab media reported that Nasrallah’s threats last week came after Israel passed a message to Hezbollah warning it of a forceful response to any attack from Lebanon or Syria, where Hezbollah has been helping prop up Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime by fighting against rebel groups seeking to oust him.

The message was passed along to the Lebanon terror group via an unnamed Arab emissary, according to a report in the Arabic-language London-based Al-Hayat newspaper. It was not clear exactly when Israel sent the message or what prompted it.

International agencies believe Israel has over 100 nuclear weapons. Israel has neither confirmed or denied the existence of its nuclear arsenal, maintaining a policy of “nuclear ambiguity.”

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