Summary: Imagine perceiving the future when you cannot see the present nor recognize the past. One of the most famous paintings in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is by Pietro Perugino, entitled “Christ Handing the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter”. The painting itself is notable for several …
Read More »First.One.Through
The Arguments over Jerusalem.
Summary: In considering the arguments that Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews each make for Jerusalem as their capital, only one party makes a truly compelling case. Jerusalem has long been considered the thorniest issue in the Israeli-Palestinians Question. In 1947, when the United Nations put forward a plan to partition the …
Read More »Cause and Effect: Making Gaza.
Summary: The media frequently touches on the suffering that takes place in Gaza. Yet, the depth of their coverage of Arab misery never approaches any level of analysis on the root cause for the Israeli-Arab conflict. The Atlantic published an article on May 2, 2015 called “Gaza is Hell” (all in …
Read More »Actions and Adjectives: Cluster Bombs.
Summary: When it comes to reporting on the death of civilians, it is interesting to review how and when some media outlets choose to simply report facts, rather than delve into critical reporting. Here is a comparison of the New York Times discussion of cluster bombs being used by Syria and …
Read More »Pictures Tell a Story – Whitewashing the World (except Israel)
Summary: The New York Times continued to minimize pictures of attacks on civilians and assassinations around the world by burying small pictures deep inside its paper. The precious front page ink was only reserved for portrayals of Israel as the aggressor. The Every Picture Tells a Story series reviewed media’s deliberate …
Read More »From Promised Land to Promised Home.
Summary: God is the original Zionist. Judaism is a unique religion in many respects: Every other religion is based primarily on faith. Judaism is based primarily on lineage. Every other religion is based on belief. Judaism is based on action. Every other religion is not geographically-bound. Judaism is tied to the …
Read More »The Waqf and the Temple Mount.
Summary: According to Muslims, the Temple Mount is held in “trusteeship” by the Islamic Waqf, which assures its use and access as a mosque. The role of the Waqf has nothing to do with sovereignty of the land on which it resides. The most sensitive issue of the Israel-Arab conflict …
Read More »The Termination Shock of Survivors.
Summary: As survivors of the Holocaust decline rapidly in numbers, the attacks on the veracity of the Holocaust, and on Jews and the Jewish State begin to rapidly escalate. Survivors’ stories are not just reminders of evil actions, but serve as protection from evil ideas. Like the sun’s solar winds beating …
Read More »Israel, the Liberal Country of the Middle East.
Summary: Israel is by far the most liberal country of the entire Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). It is also probably the most liberal country from Western Europe to Australia and down to South Africa. Diversity of population. Israel has a diverse population. The majority, 75%, are Jewish, about …
Read More »Israel: Security in a Small Country
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Israel as “a small country, one of the smallest”. That is true, but only part of the story. As Bibi added “Israel is strong, but it’s much more vulnerable [than the US].” Size: Israel is about 20,000 square kilometers, using the 1949 Armistice Lines, or 22,000 …
Read More »A “Viable” Palestinian State.
Summary: Pundits parrot Palestinian propaganda and state that Jews living in homes on the west bank of the Jordan River (WBJR) threaten the viability of a Palestinian state, Jodi Roduren of the Times being the latest. As Shakespeare wrote “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” The New York Times’ …
Read More »Red Herrings on the Red Line.
Summary: Obama’s anger at Israel’s Netanyahu was about Netanyahu’s anger at White House policy on Iran. All of the other excuses that Obama threw out proved inaccurate. However, Obama’s actions have introduced a partisan split over Israel into DC politics. US President Obama took umbrage with Republican House Speaker John …
Read More »Hidden Reactor, Silent Reaction.
Summary: As the world negotiates with Iran about their nuclear program, it is worth remembering lessons from Syria’s nuclear plant in 2007. In September 2007, something significant happened in the Middle East. While the details were very murky as the news reports were cryptic, it was clear that a major …
Read More »Jews in the Midst.
Summary: Jews are vulnerable members of society. They are not on the fringe on the one hand, nor are they just a regular part of the broader community, on the other. As such, they must be actively protected by governments and citizens alike. No Canary in the Mine Well-meaning people …
Read More »Netanyahu – On Accepting Invitations.
Summary: While Obama can pretend to be insulted by Netanyahu’s failure to follow protocol in accepting an invitation to speak to a joint session of Congress, Obama did much worse to Netanyahu in 2013. It shows that if you are a friend, you forgive, and if you want to be angry, …
Read More »Why the Media Ignores Jihadists in Israel.
Summary: According to the NY Times, terrorists in Europe and Israel are very different and have different motivations. If they weren’t, the hope that two states (Israel and Palestine) could live side-by-side in peace would obviously disappear. The New York Times has taken to breaking the universe of Islamic terrorists …
Read More »The International Criminal Court for Palestinians and Israelis.
The International Criminal Court defines itself as “an independent, permanent court that tries persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The ICC is based on a treaty, joined by 122 countries.” The ICC uses the following definition for genocide: …
Read More »Palestinians not “Resorting to Violence”; Murdering & waging war
The 78-year Civil War While pro-Palestinians and Palestinian PR personnel describe Arabs killing Jews as a “natural” or “spontaneous” action, the facts are clear that the Arabs are actively looking to murder Jews. Any person or media outlet that uses language that the Arabs are “resorting to violence” is simply lying. …
Read More »Palestinians are “Desperate” for…
On January 1, 2015, the New York Times editorial page led with a piece titled “The Palestinians Desperation Move.” The opinion piece advanced the case that acting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas must be frustrated in his mission to create a new Palestinian State. …Creating a State? Desperate people take …
Read More »Helping Refugees: Shutting the UNRWA, Funding the UNHCR
The Fleeing Refugees There is a mass migration occurring in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). People are fleeing their home countries due to turmoil and are crossing land and sea to escape to more stable societies. Fleeing Syria: Over 3 million people have poured into Lebanon, Jordan, …
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