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Hezbollah has U.S. armored personnel carriers. But how did they get them?

November 18, 2016

Hezbollah has U.S. armored personnel carriers. But how did they get them?

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff

November 16

Source: Hezbollah has U.S. armored personnel carriers. But how did they get them? – The Washington Post

Jordanian Armed Forces M113 armored personnel carriers attack a simulated invasion force during a mission readiness exercise at the JAF’s Joint Training Center on Jan. 17. (Sgt. Youtoy Martin/U.S. Army)

Over the weekend images surfaced online of a Hezbollah parade in Qusair, Syria, featuring U.S. armored personnel carriers affixed with antiaircraft guns. The images prompted a flurry of speculation about the vehicles’ origin and whether the group had pilfered the stocks of the U.S.-supplied Lebanese military.

The armored personnel carrier, known as the M113, is one of the United States’ most ubiquitous armored vehicles and has been in service since the 1960s. The tracked semi-rhombus-shaped vehicle comes in numerous variants and can be outfitted to carry troops and artillery; its chassis was even used as the basis for a nuclear-missile carrier. It has appeared in every major U.S. conflict since the Vietnam War and is used by U.S. police departments and dozens of others countries’ militaries around the world.

https://twitter.com/tobiaschneider/status/797881849850695680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

As a prominent political and military entity in Lebanon, Hezbollah’s possession of the vehicles could support the theory floated by the defense analyst Tobias Schneider, who tweeted that the personnel carriers were probably taken from the Lebanese Armed Forces, a major recipient of U.S. military aid.

[U.S. accidentally delivered weapons to the Islamic State by airdrop, militants say]

Over the summer, the Lebanese military took possession of dozens of pieces of artillery, armored vehicles, semiautomatic grenade launchers and 1,000 tons of ammunition — all worth about $50 million — as part of the United States’ ongoing efforts to bolster the country’s capacity to fight extremists. The shipment, overseen by the Pentagon and the State Department, brought the amount of U.S. military aid sent to Lebanon in 2016 to $221 million, according to U.S. Ambassador Elizabeth H. Richard.

While Lebanese smugglers have helped move weapons and ammunition to opposition groups in Syria, cases of Lebanese military equipment appearing in the conflict have been rare. In a tweet, the Lebanese military denied that the M113s were taken from its stocks, a claim backed up by a State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the issue.

“The Lebanese military has publicly stated that the M113s depicted online were never part of their equipment roster,” the official said. “Our initial assessment concurs: The M113s allegedly in Hezbollah’s possession in Syria are unlikely to have come from the Lebanese military. We are working closely with our colleagues in the Pentagon and in the Intelligence Community on to resolve this issue.”

After comparing the “structual analysis of the vehicles in the picture,” Pentagon spokesman Chris Sherwood said that the Pentagon had ruled out the possiblity of Hezbollah taking the M113s from the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Closely aligned with Iran and Syria, Hezbollah has been fighting alongside Syrian government troops since the beginning of the conflict.

The Hezbollah M113s appear to be an older variant, and U.S. officials said they are inclined to believe that vehicles came from the disintegration of the Southern Lebanese Army, or SLA. The SLA was an Israeli-allied and supplied Christian militia that fought during the Lebanese civil war. Its military equipment was ultimately absorbed by Hezbollah in the early 2000s when Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon.

[Hezbollah ally elected as Lebanon’s new head of state]

In 1985, Israel supplied 20 M113s to the SLA, according to arms transfer data provided by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. From 1984 to 1996, Israel provided more than 130 armored vehicles, tanks and artillery pieces to the SLA, according to the data. Another possibility, as pointed out by Schneider in subsequent tweets, is that Hezbollah took them from Syria’s recently renamed al-Qaeda affiliate, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra. It is unclear where al-Nusra got its M113s.

U.S. equipment falling into the hands of extremist groups and regional opponents has been a recurring theme in the Middle East and southwest Asia for the past 15 years as American wares have been distributed wholesale to those willing to fight for U.S. causes. Armored vehicles, weapons, night-vision devices and body armor have been diverted from places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, subsequently showing up on battlefields throughout the region.

The post has been updated to reflect a comment from the Pentagon.

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Putin: Russia will oppose any attempts to break global strategic balance, incl. NATO missile system

November 18, 2016

Putin: Russia will oppose any attempts to break global strategic balance, incl. NATO missile system

Published time: 18 Nov, 2016 12:07 Edited time: 18 Nov, 2016 13:27

Source: Putin: Russia will oppose any attempts to break global strategic balance, incl. NATO missile system — RT News

Russian President Vladimir Putin © Sergei Karpukhin / Reuters

Russia will oppose attempts to disrupt the strategic balance around the world, such as NATO’s global anti-ballistic missile defense system, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

“Our goal is to effectively neutralize any military threats to Russia’s security, including those of the [NATO] strategic anti-ballistic missile defense system, the prompt global strike concept and information warfare,” Putin told the Russian military.

“We will continue to do everything needed to preserve the strategic balance of power,” he said, adding that the balance was what had prevented a major military conflict between the opposing camps during the Cold War.

Putin was speaking to Russian generals and defense industry captains in Sochi on Friday, concluding a series of defense-related meetings. He said Russia will continue to develop advanced military technology to protect itself.

“Leading world powers are currently using the most advanced scientific knowledge for weapons development. It includes laser technologies, hypersound technologies, and robotics. Russia is conducting such research too,” the president said.

“As we create advanced weapons systems we strictly follow the international obligations that Russia has taken upon itself. But some other nations, as we all know, cancel previous agreements. As was the case with anti-ballistic missile defense,” Putin added, referring to the withdrawal from the ABM Treaty in 2002 by the administration of then US President George W Bush.

Moscow accuses the US and its NATO partners of compromising Russian national security by developing means to counter Russia’s nuclear deterrence, expanding the alliance towards Russian borders and developing advanced conventional strike technology that may be used for a large attack.

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Articles: How to Handle Hillary’s Crimes

November 16, 2016

How to Handle Hillary’s Crimes

By Bruce Walker

November 16, 2016

Source: Articles: How to Handle Hillary’s Crimes

There is a danger that President Trump in January may look back on the rage most Americans felt at the clear criminality of Hillary and her toadies as water under the bridge and see the tactical advantage in putting all that raw sewage behind us.  The lesson the left will draw from that is this: the left can persecute Scooter Libby, rig the prosecution of Ted Stevens, bedevil Tom Delay and Rick Perry, convict David Petraeus, and count on conservatives genially forgiving all the left’s misdoings when they gain power.

If Trump does this out of a desire to begin his presidency with the false glow of leftist acceptance, he will rue that day when the left sees a chance to stick the stiletto into his ribs.  There are several related problems with Hillary’s use of a private email service, her pathological lying about it, her conspiracy to thwart justice and oversight with the minions who would do anything to protect her, and the patent corruption of the criminal justice system.

First, the men and women who risk their lives to acquire classified information and for whose protection tough laws have been enacted must see that these laws are enforced and that there are consequences for violating them.  Once the brave men and women who put themselves on the line around the world in dangerous places believe that they are simply disposal units when domestic political interests are involved, then we will stop learning much of what we must learn to be safe.

Second, if the Department of Justice and the leadership of the FBI have proven willing to twist justice for political ends, then these folks are much worse than just “bad cops.”  If they walk away from this with their reputations intact and no sanctions for the very serious collection of crimes that would go with conspiring to exonerate the guilty, then our criminal justice system at the highest level can no longer be trusted.

Third, if Trump cannot be tough with these folks, then his own credibility will inevitably begin to corrode among those very Americans who trusted him to “drain the swamp.”  While that may not affect his presidency today or tomorrow, it will definitely begin to erode that trust over time, and when he needs it most, many conservatives will have to wonder if they can trust him.

Does this mean that Trump should reopen the criminal investigation by Jim “Inspector Clouseau” Comey and convene grand juries to interrogate the suspects?  Well, if Obama issues a general pardon, then no crimes will be prosecutable for offenses committed before the pardon, and Obama may well do just that.

But what our nation requires is not so much criminal convictions as slobbering confessions of wrongdoing before the nation by miscreants who infested Hillary’s organization and the Justice Department.  In gaining this vital purgative, President Trump and the Republican Congress have several key weapons.

Trump ought to offer a general pardon to everyone involved in these scandals, given the following.  (1) Each person, under oath and penalty of perjury, must offer complete written confessions of all bad conduct the individual committed or knew about.  (2) The individual pardoned testifies before a joint congressional investigative committed and, because of the pardon, cannot take the Fifth Amendment – here, as with the sworn statement, any false or misleading testimony would be cause for instantly seeking indictments for perjury and obstruction of justice.  (3) Every one of these unsavory characters who is also an attorney (which is to say, almost all of them) must submit, at a minimum, to a public reprimand and in egregious cases with suspension of his license to practice law.  (4) Those holdouts who angrily protest their innocence even as everyone around them provides details of bad deeds, including many we will just have learned about, must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

What might happen with this approach?  Well, those suspects involved may decide to get together and work up a common front to stonewall.  If that happens, then the very meetings and discussions are a new and serious felony, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and that is true even if nothing planned was itself technically illegal.  The panoply of the FBI – wiretaps, informers, etc. – could be quite properly used to prove this criminal conspiracy.  What would happen is the small fry, first, at least, would crack, and then those fissures would creep up through the whole rotten structure.

So what if, knowing this, these folks confess their grave wrongdoings before the nation?  The left would probably never try this sort of shenanigans again, and the left would pay a dear political price for its corruption of the federal criminal justice system, which is what we really want.

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NATO Panics As Putin Urges Trump To Force Alliance Withdrawal From Russian Border

November 13, 2016

NATO Panics As Putin Urges Trump To Force Alliance Withdrawal From Russian Border

by Tyler Durden
Nov 12, 2016 9:23 PM

Source: NATO Panics As Putin Urges Trump To Force Alliance Withdrawal From Russian Border | Zero Hedge

While many in the media have speculated that the Kremlin had a hand in Wikileaks’ procurement of hacked Podesta emails – something Julian Assange denied last week – and US intelligence services officially accused Russian government-supported hackers of interfering with the US election (providing zero proof for the allegation), the truth is that Vladimir Putin is delighted with the outcome from the US elections: not so much for Hillary’s loss as that the sharp, neo-con wing in the Pentagon has been muted for the next four years.

And, in the first test of Trump’s willingness to rebuild bridges with Russia, Putin’s spokesman suggested that President-elect Donald Trump should begin rebuilding the U.S.-Kremlin relationship by urging NATO to withdraw forces from the Russian border.  Dmitry Peskov told the Associated Press that such a move  “would lead to a kind of detente in Europe.” Trump repeatedly praised Putin during his campaign and suggested the U.S. abandon its commitment to the NATO alliance.

The request comes at a time of disturbing, relentless escalations in military tensions between NATO and Russia: this week we reported that NATO has placed as much as 300,000 troops on “high alert” in preparation for confrontation with Russia.

Peskov said in the interview that the NATO presence does not make Russia feel “safe.”  “Of course, we have to take measures to counter,” he said.

Additionally, setting the stage for Trump’s official position on Crimea, in a separate interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Peskov insisted that Crimea which became part of Russia after the CIA-sponsored Ukraine presidential coup in 2014, will remain such.   “No one in Russia — never — will be ready to start any kind of discussion about Crimea,” he said, refusing to call it “annexation.”

When asked how Trump could approach the Crimea issue, quoted by The Hill, Peskov said it would take time. “We understand that it will take time for our partners in Europe, for our partners here in the United States to understand that. We are patient enough to wait until this understanding occurs here in Washington, in the States, in Europe,” he said.

* * *

But while the Crimea issue is largely moot, with the West resigned to its concession to Moscow, fears that Trump will indeed follow Russia’s advice and pressure the alliance into standing down, or worse, withdraw US support, has resulted in outright panic, and according to German Spiegel, NATO strategists are planning for a scenario in which Trump orders US troops out of Europe.

Spiegel adds that strategists from NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s staff have drafted a secret report which includes a worst-case scenario in which Trump orders US troops to withdraw from Europe and fulfills his threat to make Washington less involved in European security.

“For the first time, the US exit from NATO has become a threat” which would mean the end of the bloc, a German NATO officer told the magazine. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly slammed NATO, calling the alliance “obsolete.” He also suggested that under his administration, the US may refuse to come to the aid of NATO allies unless they “pay their bills” and “fulfill their obligations to us.”

Of course, this is the same Spiegel which after Trump’s victory has predicted the end of the world.

“We are experiencing a moment of the highest and yet unprecedented uncertainty in the transatlantic relationship,” said Wolfgang Ischinger, former German ambassador in Washington and head of the prominent Munich Security Conference. By criticizing the collective defense, Trump has questioned the basic pillar of NATO as a whole, Ischinger added.

Alternatively, by putting into question a core support pillar behind NATO’s endless provocations and troop buildup at Russia’s border, Trump may prevent World War III.

NATO, however, demands its way or no other way at all, and it why Ischinger demands that the president-elect reassure his “European allies” that he remains firm on the US commitment under Article 5 of the NATO charter prior to his inauguration.

This wasn’t the only criticism launched at Trump by the military alliance: earlier this week, Stoltenberg slammed Trump’s agenda, saying: “All allies have made a solemn commitment to defend each other. This is something absolutely unconditioned.” Perhaps the commitment was only contingent on having a resident in the Oval Office who put the interests of the Military Industrial Complex ahead of those of, for example, the American people?

NATO’s panic has grown so vast that out of fear Trump would not appear in Brussels even after his inauguration, NATO has re-scheduled its summit – expected to take place in early 2017 – to next summer, Spiegel said.

The NATO report likley also reflects current moods within the EU establishment as well, as Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, has called on the member states to establish Europe’s own military. Washington “will not ensure the security of the Europeans in the long term… we have to do this ourselves,” he argued on Thursday. Because Greek troops just can’t wait to give their lives to defend German citizens and vice versa.

Meanwhile, Spiegel admits that despite NATO’s bluster, Trump has all the leverage, and if Trump is serious about reducing the number of US troops stationed in Europe, large NATO countries like Germany have little to offer, Spiegel said. Even major member states’ militaries lack units able to replace the Americans, which in turn may trigger debate on strengthening NATO’s nuclear arm, a sensitive issue in most European countries for domestic reasons.

How will Trump respond? It is unclear: while in his pre-election rhetoric, Trump pushed for an anti-interventionist agenda, and certainly made it seem that NATO would be weakned under his presidency, that remains to be seen as his transition team currently hammers out the specifics of his rather vague policies. We would not be surprised at all to find that for all the anti-establishment posturing, the “shadow government” – now in the hands of the Bush clan – which Ron Paul warned against earlier, manages to regain dominance, and far from a detente, Trump’s position emboldens NATO to pressure Putin even further. We would be delighted if our cynicism is proven wrong on this occasion.  

 

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Donald Trump’s message to Jerusalem rally

November 13, 2016

Published on Oct 26, 2016

http://www.israelnationalnews.com

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Donald Trump Boosts Europe’s Anti-Establishment Movement

November 13, 2016

Donald Trump Boosts Europe’s Anti-Establishment Movement “What America can do we can do as well.”

by Soeren Kern

November 13, 2016 at 5:00 am

Source: Donald Trump Boosts Europe’s Anti-Establishment Movement

 

  • “America has just liberated itself from political correctness. The American people expressed their desire to remain a free and democratic people. Now it is time for Europe. We can and will do the same!” — Geert Wilders, Dutch MP, head of the Party for Freedom (PVV), and now on trial in the Netherlands for free speech.
  • “2016 is, by the looks of it, going to be the year of two great political revolutions. I thought Brexit was big but boy this looks like it is going to be even bigger.” — Nigel Farage, MEP and leader of the UK Independence Party.
  • “The political class is reviled across much of the West, the polling industry is bankrupt and the press just hasn’t woken up to what’s going on in the world.” — Nigel Farage.
  • “In a democracy, when the people feel ignored and despised, they will find a way to be heard. This vote is the consequence of a revolt of the middle class against a ruling elite that wants to impose what they should think.” — Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the French opposition party The Republicans.

Donald Trump’s electoral victory has come as a shock to Europe’s political and media establishment, which fears that the political sea change underway in the United States will energize populist parties in Europe.

Anti-establishment politicians, many of whom are polling well in a number of upcoming European elections, are hoping Trump’s rise will inspire European voters to turn out to vote for them in record numbers.

Commenting on Trump’s victory, Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, wrote: “America has just liberated itself from political correctness. The American people expressed their desire to remain a free and democratic people. Now it is time for Europe. We can and will do the same!”

More than a dozen elections will be held in Europe during the next twelve months, beginning with a re-run of the Austrian presidential election scheduled for December 4. Polls show that Norbert Hofer, of the anti-immigration Austrian Freedom Party, is on track to win that race.

Also on December 4, Italians will vote in a referendum on reforming the constitution. Observers say Trump’s victory will make it more difficult for Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, one the few world leaders publicly to endorse Hillary Clinton, to prevail. They say Renzi’s open support for Clinton will hurt Italy’s relations with the United States. Renzi has said he will resign if he loses the referendum, which calls for curbing the role of the Senate. Most opinion polls show the “no” camp ahead. Renzi says the move will simplify decision-making, but opponents say it will reduce checks and balances.

General elections are scheduled in 2017 for the Czech Republic, France, Germany and the Netherlands, EU countries where anti-establishment candidates are challenging the established order.

Mainstream politicians and the media have sought to discredit populist leaders by branding them as neo-Nazi and xenophobic for their opposition to mass migration, multiculturalism and the rise of Islam in Europe. If Donald Trump can demonstrate that he is able to govern the United States and produce tangible results, especially by growing the economy and curbing illegal immigration, Europe’s political establishment will have a much harder time stigmatizing dissenters.

Anti-establishment politicians in Europe, such as Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders (left) in the Netherlands and UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage (right), have embraced Donald Trump and hope his rise will inspire European voters to turn out to vote for them in record numbers.

What follows is a selection of official European reactions to Trump’s election victory. Anti-establishment politicians have embraced Trump, while establishment politicians have mostly issued pro forma congratulatory statements that are polite but formal and distant.

Austria. The leader of the Freedom Party, Heinz-Christian Strache, congratulated Trump on Facebook. He wrote:

“Little by little, the political left and the out-of-touch and corrupt establishment is being punished by voters and driven from power. This is a good thing, because the law comes from the people. The Austrian mainstream media, which has been campaigning against Trump for weeks and prematurely declared Hillary Clinton the victor, were embarrassed by the voting public.”

Belgium. The populist Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) party congratulated Trump and said his unexpected election victory could be repeated in Europe. Party chairman Tom Van Grieken tweeted: “U.S. election shows again how far politicians are from the people.” In another tweet, he wrote: “The rise of Trump is not an isolated phenomenon. In Europe too, more and more voters want real change.”

Britain. Prime Minister Theresa May said:

“I would like to congratulate Donald Trump on being elected the next President of the United States, following a hard-fought campaign. Britain and the United States have an enduring and special relationship based on the values of freedom, democracy and enterprise. We are, and will remain, strong and close partners on trade, security and defense.”

The leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, who successfully campaigned for the “Brexit” referendum for Britain to leave the European Union, said Trump’s victory did not surprise him. He tweeted:

“2016 is, by the looks of it, going to be the year of two great political revolutions. I thought Brexit was big but boy this looks like it is going to be even bigger.”

He also tweeted: “I hand over the mantle to @RealDonaldTrump! Many congratulations. You have fought a brave campaign.”

Speaking to ITV, Farage said: “The political class is reviled across much of the West, the polling industry is bankrupt and the press just hasn’t woken up to what’s going on in the world.”

Czech Republic. President Milos Zeman said Trump’s election was a victory over “media manipulation.” He said:

“I would like to cordially congratulate Donald Trump. I had, as one of few European politicians, declared public support for this candidate because I agree with his opinions on migration as well as the fight against Islamic terrorism. I appreciate Donald Trump’s public demeanor. He speaks clearly, sometimes roughly, but understandably, and avoids what is sometimes called political correctness.”

European Union. European Council President Donald Tusk wrote:

“Europe and the United States simply have no option but to cooperate as closely as possible. I listened with attention to President-elect Trump’s call for American unity. And I, in turn, would like to call for European and transatlantic unity. I do not believe that any country today can be great in isolation. But I do believe that America and Europe can, should and will work together. It is in our common interest. We have to recognise that this will take major efforts from both sides. The EU is a strong and reliable partner and will remain so. We expect the same from America and its new President.”

France. President François Hollande tweeted: “The American people have expressed themselves. They elected Donald Trump. I congratulate him. I am also thinking of Hillary Clinton.”

The French Ambassador to the US, Gérard Araud, tweeted: “This is the end of an epoch. After Brexit and this vote anything is possible. The world is crumbling in front of our eyes.” He later deleted the tweet.

Former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said: “What’s happening in the US could happen in France.”

Former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said: “The boundaries of reason disappeared with Brexit, the main lesson for France is that Le Pen can win.”

Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the opposition party The Republicans, said: “In a democracy, when the people feel ignored and despised, they will find a way to be heard. This vote is the consequence of a revolt of the middle class against a ruling elite that wants to impose what they should think.”

The leader of the National Front party, Marine Le Pen, tweeted: “Congratulations to the new president of the United States Donald Trump and the free American people!”

Le Pen’s father, party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, tweeted: “Today the United States, tomorrow France.”

Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who did not mention Trump by name, lectured the president-elect on values:

“Germany and America are connected by values of democracy, freedom and respect for the law and the dignity of man, independent of origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views. I offer the next president of the United States close cooperation on the basis of these values.”

Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel was less gracious. He said:

“Trump is the harbinger of a new authoritarian and chauvinist international movement. He is also a warning for us. Our country and Europe must change if we want to counter the authoritarian international movement.”

Foreign Minister Foreign Frank-Walter Steinmeier said:

“We hope that we are not facing greater instability in international politics. During his campaign, Trump was critical not just of Europe, but also of Germany. I believe we must prepare for American foreign policy becoming less predictable. We must prepare for a situation in which America will be tempted to make decisions on its own more often.

“I do not want to sugarcoat it: Nothing will be easier and much will be more difficult. Just as we Germans learned a lot in the past from our American friends, we should now encourage our American friends to stay true to past partnerships and to us.”

Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Trump’s victory was “a big shock” and “not a vote for him but rather against Washington, against the establishment.” She added:

“Of course we Europeans, as a NATO ally, know that if Donald Trump becomes president, he’ll ask: What are you contributing to this alliance? But we’re also wondering, what’s your position on this alliance?”

Justice Minister Heiko Maas tweeted: “The world won’t end. But it will get crazier.”

The leader of the populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, Frauke Petry, predicted that Trump’s victory would result in a political change in Europe too. On Facebook, she wrote:

“It was high time that in the United States of America, people who feel disaffected withdrew their vote for the political establishment. While 93% of voters in Washington, DC voted for Clinton in order to retain their own power structures, the majority of voters across the country want a political new beginning, an economic recovery for the stricken middle class and an end of division in what is still the most powerful country in the world.

“This election result is encouraging for Germany and for Europe, because Trump really has the cards for political sea-change in his hand. I congratulate Donald Trump on his election victory and on this historic chance….

“Like Americans, citizens of Germany must have the courage to put a tick in the ballot box and not remain complacent. Their opinion counts, even if political correctness would appear to have elevated the decreed consensus to the level of a new doctrine.”

Beatrix von Storch, an AfD Member of the European Parliament, wrote:

“Donald Trump’s victory is a clear signal that citizens of the Western world want political change. This is a surprise only to the establishment. In the USA as well as Germany, citizens wish for secure borders, less globalism, and politics that focus with common sense on issues in their own country.”

Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wrote on Facebook: “What great news. Democracy is still alive.”

Italy. The founder of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, Beppe Grillo, hailed Trump’s victory. He wrote:

“This is proof that these millions of demagogues are not the people, they are journalists, intellectuals, anchored to a world that no longer exists. There are similarities between these events in America and our movement…. We are going to govern and they will ask: ‘But how did they do it?’ They channelled the collective anger.”

The Netherlands. Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders said:

“America regained its national sovereignty, its identity, it reclaimed its own democracy, that’s why I call it a revolution.

“Now there is a leader, despite all the negativity spread about him by the political elite and the press, that has only one concern, and that is the national interest of the voters of America who are concerned about immigration, who are concerned about the job loss as a result of globalization, who are concerned about the Islamization of their society. And he tends to say the truth and convince people that if they start moving, anything is possible, and I believe the historical event of yesterday will have an enormous effect on European politics as well.

“The lesson for Europe is, what America can do we can do as well.”

In an essay published by Breitbart, Wilders wrote:

“Yesterday, the American people made it quite clear that they do not want to follow in Western Europe’s footsteps. They do not want to give their country away. They want to preserve their nation, their freedoms, their prosperity. They felt the time for liberation had come.

“The American voters no longer want to be represented by politicians who do not take their concerns seriously. They felt Donald Trump was the only one who listens to them….

“America has just liberated itself from political correctness. The American people expressed their desire to remain a free and democratic people. Now it is time for Europe. We can and will do the same!”

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PA UN Envoy Threatening to Make Trump’s Life Miserable for Moving Embassy to Jerusalem

November 13, 2016

By: David Israel

Published: November 13th, 2016

Source: PA UN Envoy Threatening to Make Trump’s Life Miserable for Moving Embassy to Jerusalem | David Israel | Sunday, November 13, 2016 | JewishPress.com

PA UN envoy Riyad Mansour
Photo Credit: PressTV

In a priceless demonstration of the Arabs’ 600-year long failure to appreciate new realities, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian Authority’s UN Ambassador, on Friday warned President-elect Donald Trump that if he dared move the US embassy to Jerusalem, he and his ilk would “make life miserable” for the United States at the United Nations.

“If people attack us by moving the embassy to Jerusalem, which is a violation of Security Council resolutions, it is a violation of resolution 181 of the UN general assembly that was drafted by the US … it means they are showing belligerency towards us … If they do that nobody should blame us for unleashing all of the weapons that we have in the UN to defend ourselves and we have a lot of weapons in the UN,” Mansour said.

Mansour did demonstrate that he was still living on Planet Earth by conceding that the Security Council would not vote to condemn such a move by the US, because, well, the US is a veto wielding member of the Security Council. But that did not hold the PA rep back from warning the incoming president. “Maybe I can’t have resolutions in the Security Council but I can make their lives miserable everyday with precipitating a veto on my admission as a member state.”

Mansour, who served as the Deputy Permanent Observer of the PLO to the United Nations from 1983 to 1994, succeeded Nasser al-Qudwa as Permanent Observer for Palestine to the UN in 2005. On November 29, 2012, 65 years to the day after the Arabs forever ruined their chance for a legitimate state in the UN Partition vote, the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations was upgraded to “non-Member Observer State.” Now, it appears, Ambassador Mansour made sure no further upgrades may be coming. Especially when he promised Trump he would drag him to the International Criminal Court of Justice in the Hague.

Taking Trump to court — now, that’ll scare him.

Mansour warned that “it is illegal to defy Security Council resolutions that the US is party to it that the unilateral action by Israel annexing East Jerusalem is illegal and it is null and void. If the US administration wants to defy international law they are doing something illegal.”

Trump’s plan to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem sounds radically different coming from his key advisor Jason Greenblatt than from his other key advisor, Walid Phares. The former has spread enthusiastic promises regarding the move before the election, the latter has told the BBC that the move depended on there being a favorable “consensus.”

On Saturday night’s satirical show Back of the Nation, comic Rotem Abuhav said moving the embassy would be a nightmare, seeing as it would permanently clog the already jammed city traffic, making it impossible for Israelis to receive consular services. Abuhav suggested that from now on, instead of taking a trip to see America, she and her family would just take a trip to the US embassy to take the Visa Application ride.

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Vice President-elect Mike Pence Leading Trump Administration Transition Team

November 12, 2016

Vice President-elect Mike Pence Leading Trump Administration Transition Team

by Alex Swoyer

11 Nov 2016Washington, DC

Source: Vice President-elect Mike Pence Leading Trump Administration Transition Team – Breitbart

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

 

Vice President-elect Mike Pence is heading up President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, assembling a new administration after Trump’s victory earlier this week.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had been in charge of Trump’s transition, but Pence is taking over and will be advised by members of Congress.

Pence will serve as Chairman of the Presidential Transition Team, according to a press release on Friday. It adds:

Dr. Ben Carson, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, USA (Ret.), Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions will join the team’s Executive Committee as Vice Chairs.

According to the press release, the following individuals will serve as leaders on the Presidential Transition Team Executive Committee:

Congressman Lou Barletta
Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi
Congressman Chris Collins
Jared Kushner
Congressman Tom Marino
Rebekah Mercer
Steven Mnuchin
Congressman Devin Nunes
Anthony Scaramucci
Peter Thiel
Donald Trump Jr.
Eric Trump
Ivanka Trump
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus
Trump Campaign CEO Stephen K. Bannon

“Together this outstanding group of advisors, led by Vice President-elect Mike Pence, will build on the initial work done under the leadership of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to help prepare a transformative government ready to lead from day one,” stated President-elect Donald Trump, adding:

The mission of our team will be clear: put together the most highly qualified group of successful leaders who will be able to implement our change agenda in Washington. Together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding this nation – specifically jobs, security and opportunity. This team is going to get to work immediately to Make America Great Again.

Rick Dearborn will serve as the team’s executive director. Dearborn previously served as Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) chief of staff.

Others joining Dearborn on the team are:

Kellyanne Conway, Senior Advisor
David Bossie, Deputy Executive Director
Stephen Miller, National Policy Director
Jason Miller, Communications Director
Hope Hicks, National Press Secretary
Dan Scavino, Director of Social Media
Don McGahn, General Counsel
Katie Walsh, Senior Advisor

Pence will continue to have his top senior advisers, Nick Ayers, Josh Pitcock, and Marc Short, work with him on this process.

“President-elect Trump will bring about fundamental change in Washington, and these are the right people to make that happen,” stated Vice President-elect Pence. “This team of experienced leaders will form the building blocks of our Presidential Transition Team staff leadership roster, and will work with elected officials and tireless volunteers to prepare our government for the transfer of power on January 20th.”

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Senior level Trump advisor says settlement building isn’t peace obstacle

November 10, 2016

Trump’s Israel advisor: “Trump doesn’t view settlement building as an obstacle for peace” Jason Greenblatt, one of Trump’s senior level advisors who will likely be appointed as Trump’s Middle East envoy, described the President-elect’s emerging policy: “It’s certainly not Mr. Trump’s view that settlement activity should be condemned.”

Nov 10, 2016, 11:00AM

Judith Abramson

Source: Senior level Trump advisor says settlement building isn’t peace obstacle – World News | JerusalemOnline

Ma’on settlement near Hebron Photo Credit: Moshe Milner, GPO/Channel 2 News

Jason Greenblatt, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s senior level advisors, will most likely be appointed as the US envoy to the Middle East and will rewrite a foreign policy differing from that of US President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. This morning (Thursday), Greenblatt was interviewed by Israel’s Army Radio explaining Trump’s stances and stressed: “He is not going to impose any solution on Israel.”

“It is certainly not Mr. Trump’s view that settlement activity should be condemned,” Greenblatt said during Israel’s Army Radio broadcast this morning. “Building over the Green Line is not an obstacle for peace.”

image description
Trump giving a speech following his victory Photo Credit: CNN/Channel 2 News

“He believes that Israel is in a very tough situation needs to defend itself,” Greenblatt added mere hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump regarding his victory during a phone conversation between the two.

Greenblatt also indicated that Trump’s stance against returning land to the Palestinians derives from Israel’s 2005 Gaza disengagement: “He does not view the settlements as an obstacle for peace. I think he would use the expulsion of Jewish communities from the Gaza Strip as proof of that.”

Contrary to the Obama administration which attempted utilizing various measures in order to renew peace talks, Greenblatt feels that Trump will act differently regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “Peace has to come from both sides and he does not plan on intervening in the matter.”

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Angela Merkel Puts Trump on Notice to Uphold ‘Dignity of Man,’ Including Muslims

November 9, 2016

Angela Merkel Puts Trump on Notice to Uphold ‘Dignity of Man,’ Including Muslims

By Cheryl Chumley – on November 9, 2016

Source: Angela Merkel Puts Trump on Notice to Uphold ‘Dignity of Man,’ Including Muslims – The Geller Report

Germany’s Angela Merkel sent out a blunt statement to Donald Trump Wednesday morning, telling the president-elect that if he wanted to work well with his overseas’ partners – specifically, her – he would recognize the “dignity of man,” regardless of Muslim roots.

The warning came just hours after Trump, who’s vowed to crack down on borders in the United States and make sure those coming in the country aren’t carrying any Islamic-tied terror threat with them, won the White House.

From the Huffington Post:

“Angela Merkel has issued a carefully-worded response to Donald Trump’s election as US President, taking aim at the divisive rhetoric he used during the campaign.

“While Theresa May simply congratulated Trump on his victory, Merkel said she would only offer ‘close cooperation’ dependent on his commitment to equal rights.

“The German Chancellor, who has been the driving force behind the EU’s acceptance of hundreds of thousands of refugees, said her relationship with Trump would only succeed if he upheld “the dignity of man, independent of origin”.

“She said: ‘Germany and America are connected by values of democracy, freedom, and respect for the law and the dignity of man, independent of origin, skin colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or political views.

“‘I offer the next President of the United States close cooperation on the basis of these values.

“‘The partnership with the United States is and remains a foundation of German foreign policy.’”

Merkel also said she had watched the election results as they unfolded in America with “trepidation,” the news outlet reported.

Merkel made the conditional remarks even while Germany’s been fighting off a massive inflow of Muslim refugees, some of whom in recent days have been disciplined, albeit lightly, for sexually assaulting young girls at community swimming pools.

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