Russia Advances Missiles Into the Heart of Europe as NATO Tensions Rise

If people thought the tension that has been growing between NATO and Russia would begin to fizzle once Donald Trump won the election think again.  In a move that threatens to destablize Eastern Europe, Russia’s President Putin has moved S-400 surface-to-air missiles and nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles to Kaliningrad. Kalingrad is part of Russia that is detatched from the rest of Russia.  With the Baltic Sea to its north it shares borders with Poland and Lithuania.

A Google Map shows the location of Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave (red marker), sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. GOOGLE MAPS

With NATO growing both adventurous in moving forces close to the Russian border as well as on edge over Trump’s disregard with the necessity of  NATO,  Russia was seemingly compelled to act. After all NATO’s own self preservation may lead it to do some pretty ill advised actions such as ratcheting pressure on its Eastern front. For his part, Putin’s advance is on one hand a deterrent, but on the other hand a preparation for a post Obama world where facts on the ground will have influence on what may be a very different relationship between America and Russia.

Putin himself had this to say in a documentary taped a few weeks about Ukraine and scheduled to air this week:

“Why are we reacting to NATO expansion so emotionally? We are concerned by NATO’s decision making. What should we do? We have, therefore, to take countermeasures, which means to target with our missile systems the facilities, that, in our opinion, start posing a threat to us.”

What Will NATO Do?

With Turkey threatening to bolt and deal with China, Russia moving west, and President-Elect Donald Trump looking to cut NATO free, it is no wonder the EU is considering building an army of its own.  More than likely is the direct possibility of what’s left of NATO and the EU army forming a single entity.  That being said there is tremendous financial gain, power, and prestige still found in NATO.  Don’t expect those forces to stand down as Russia reasserts its dominance.

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With or Without Trump, Israel May Have Already Checkmated Iran

Over the past few years there has been a lot of chatter on Israel-Azerbaijan relations and what it could mean in terms of a possible attack strategy against Iran.  Azerbaijan shares a border with Iran and also strangely as it sounds happens to be an ally of Israel, despite being a Muslim state.  40% of Israel’s oil is said to be provided by Azerbaijan via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhancom (BTC) pipeline. Israel supplies state of the art weaponry to Azerbaijan in its off again on again war with Armenian separatists.

Over the last few years rumors have spread that Israel has a secret staging ground for a potential attack on Iran. Although never confirmed by Israel or Azerbaijan, information about a secret airbase in Southern Azerbaijan was leaked to the media in 2012 via Foreign Policy:

In 2009, the deputy chief of mission of the U.S. embassy in Baku, Donald Lu, sent a cable to the State Department’s headquarters in Foggy Bottom titled “Azerbaijan’s discreet symbiosis with Israel.” The memo, later released by WikiLeaks, quotes Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev as describing his country’s relationship with the Jewish state as an iceberg: “nine-tenths of it is below the surface.” Why does it matter? Because Azerbaijan is strategically located on Iran’s northern border and, according to several high-level sources I’ve spoken with inside the U.S. government, Obama administration officials now believe that the “submerged” aspect of the Israeli-Azerbaijani alliance — the security cooperation between the two countries — is heightening the risks of an Israeli strike on Iran. . . . “The Israelis have bought an airfield,” a senior administration official told me in early February, “and the airfield is called Azerbaijan.”

The republicans quickly blamed the Obama administration for the leak, which was never confirmed or denied by White House.

Since the Iran deal this sort of chatter has quieted down, but the Israel-Azerbaijan relationship keeps growing stronger giving Israel a back door to not only attack Iran, but essentially use its advanced drone technology to learn how close Iran is to  building a bomb or launch it.  The assumption in international circles is that Israel was preparing an attack from Azerbaijan using planes.  Yet, with Israel being in possession of some of the most advanced drones in the world, any attack could take place on Israel’s predetermined timeline and in stealth mode.

The map below shows that Azerbaijan to Arak, Iran where its heavy water plant is situated is within the 1,000 km range of the IAI Harop which is designed to auto detonate when it hits a target.  Israel could conceivably use a few of them to destroy the nuclear facilities at Arak.

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Arak, Iran is within 1,000 km of Azerbaijan – Google Maps

So whether or not Donald Trump is able to roll back Iran’s nuclear program, Israel may have used the passage of the Iran deal to quietly prepare its own solution to the ayatollah’s

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Scotland Reaffirms Ties with Israel

A delegation of Scottish National Party MPs met with a group of young Scottish Jews in Tel Aviv at the end of a successful visit to Israel for the party. The MPs spoke about their trip which included paying their respects to Holocaust victims at Yad Vashem and seeing the Knesset in Israel’s capital of Jerusalem, as well as meeting with a range of public figures and travelling throughout the country.

Angus Robertson MP, who is deputy leader of the party and heads their 54 strong contingent in the House of Commons, stressed that the SNP supports Jewish self-determination, are strongly opposed to the BDS movement and are working hard to combat antisemitism in Scotland. Joining him were MPs Dr Paul Monaghue and Kirsten Oswald – the representative for East Renfrewshire, where more than 50% of Scotland’s Jews live – who said they had been surprised to learn about Israel’s diversity and spoke positively about the country’s world leading work in fields like high-tech, education and diaspora outreach.

The MPs believe that an independent Scotland could learn a lot from Israel and they are keen on strengthening bi-lateral ties between the nations. The group of Scots Jews ranged in age from 18-30 and told the MP’s about their upbringing in Scotland and life in Israel. They spoke with the SNP parliamentarians on a range of issues ranging from Brexit and Independence to antisemitism and Jewish life in Scotland. 

The SNP is the third largest party in the House of Commons and forms the government in the Scottish Parliament. They support independence for Scotland.

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Globalists Continue to Pressure Israel to Destroy Jewish Houses while Building Homes for Arabs

Israel’s Civil Administration, the section of the army in charge of administering Israeli control over Judea and Samaria authorized new Arab buildings near Jewish Susiya.  The government has been under intense pressure to provide building permits for Arabs in Area C, the area of Judea and Samaria under complete Israeli control.

While Arab squatters from Yatta continue to illegally build and set up a fake village on top of the remains of the ancient Jewish village of Susiya, the government in Jerusalem has folded to international pressure and agreed to allow Arabs to build houses nearby.

National Union faction head Uri Ariel was outraged.  Yet, the program is part of Defense Minister Lieberman’s new program of reward for “moderate” Arabs while coming down hard on extreme ones.

“The program’s goal is to do good by those prepared to live in co-existence with us, and on the other hand make things harder for those planning terror attacks,” Liberman said, according to Ha’aretz.

However, this reasoning is dubious as the EU has been publicly advocating for new Arab houses in the area for months as well funding the illegal encampment nearby. More than likely, Lieberman’s carrot and stick policy is coverage for his inability to stand up to international pressure.

Obama and EU Forcing Israel to Kick Jews Out of their Homes

Meanwhile, the Jewish community of Amona slated for destruction has sent the government scrambling for solutions to the ruling of the Supreme Court that insisted on leveling the Jewish community.  Although the government is trying to find a way to legalize Amona in order to prevent a coalition crisis, chances are slim Bibi Netanyahu will be able to stall long enough to find a solution.

The Obama administration has stepped in and urged the Israeli government to knock down the Jewish homes effectively leaving the inhabitants homeless because as State Department spokesman Mark Toner has insisted that the 98 homes of Amona are an impediment to peace.

The government in Israel seems incapable of preventing an infringement of the Jewish people’s basic sovereignty in its historic homeland. Until it understands than any folding against international pressure gives more power to its enemies, more and more Jewish communities will be in danger.

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Hillary Clinton, Israel, and the Collapse of American Hegemony

With the FBI announcing they have decided to reopen the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails a spectre of uncertainty has fallen on the outcome of the upcoming elections.  Never before has a major party candidate been under federal investigation at the time of the elections, but this is where things have gotten to in the USA.

No matter who wins America is in decline.  It’s true Trump would go after the political class like no one before him, but the globalists that have run the system inside the Beltway won’t go quietly.  That fight will paralyze the USA for the forseeable future.

If Hillary wins, her administration will be so tainted by these late game revelations, her ability to rule effectively and lead America through the current series of global conflicts and potential conflicts could be permanently damaged.  This is why America will either continue to recede from the Middle East and the Far East or decide (if its Clinton) to not go down without a fight and literally take on Russia and China.

Where Does this Leave Israel?

With the world heading towards complete chaos, Israel finds itself more and more alone.  This is not to say Israel has no friends; it does. However, America on the downside of its cultural and economic peak means Israel will have to go it alone on all issues or decide to take the leap into the Russian orbit, which it has so far resisted.

With Putin breathing down Israel’s Northern border and a direct conflict between the USA and Russia almost certain, Israel has little time to figure out how to stay neutral in a conflagration that threatens to not only destabilize the Middle East, but the world as we know it.

American Uni-polar Control is Gone Forever

With corruption running rampant in many areas of American governance, a debt of 19 trillion dollars, and the American military embroiled in conflicts throughout the Middle East, its one time post Cold War global control appears to be indefinitely smashed.

Hillary Clinton’s open disdain for the system of law in America is a symptom of something far more wrong and apparantly dangerous than any single threat America faces. Its slide towards mediocrity means it cannot sustain the type of global dominance it once took for granted. Countries like China and Russia are far too willing to capitalize on an America in decline and stake out centuries old claims to regional dominance in their prospective spheres of influence.

Israel will be forced to decide how to partner with a corruption ridden Clinton adminstration if she wins and remains out of jail or Donald Trump who will be busy trying to pull America back together again. The truth is, the multi-polar world we are finding ourselves in has been around for sometime now.  It is in this world that Israel will have to learn how to rise to the challenge of regional leadership without picking a fight with any of the new global powers to be.

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The Decision on Destroying Amona is the Crossroads for the State of Israel

The State of Israel has shown very little problem in destroying flourishing communities over the green line.  Over 11 years ago it destroyed all of Jewish Gaza just to placate the Bush administration.  Settler activists pray that Amona will be different, but with the legal system firmly controlled by the left and the politicians unwilling to take the steps to change it, Amona’s fate appears to be sealed.

However, it does not need to be this way.  Amona is a test case for how the State of Israel views itself.  Will it allow dubious land claims by Arabs who are funded by the extreme left and foreign governments dictate policy or will it chart an “Israel First” course. No other threat to Israel’s existence is as ominous as the precedent about to be set at Amona and if it is destroyed similar cases will pop up all over Judea and Samaria.  We see this in Susiya, which is now claimed by squatters from Yatta a former Jewish city now populated by Arabs.

Amona’s destruction would not only be precedent setting, it would prove it pointless to put one’s trust in state authorities.  Not one of the politicians in the government can and will stop Amona from being destroyed, only the Prime Minister.  Only Bibi can, if he decided that Jewish values trump foreign influence be able to save Amona.

Amona puts the future of the State of Israel on the table and in the hands of unelected judges. Can it be stopped…yes, but only if we are willing to call into question the ineffectiveness of elected officials to stand up to foreign powers.

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When it comes to Israel, Vox Media Makes Up Its Facts

Vox, a left leaning online magazine, which pushes its agenda through a host of articles, podcasts, and well put together short videos decided to use its immense reach and media tools to hammer away at the returning Jewish presence in areas of Jerusalem that were made Judenrein in the 1920’s, 1930’s, and 1940’s.

Below is Vox’s video, which acts more as a hit piece on organizations like Ateret Cohanim and Ir David that work to resettle neigborhoods of Jerusalem whose formerly Jewish residents were replaced by Arab squatters.  Of course this is not how the issue is presented.

Before watching the video, understand that no mention of the former Jewish nature of these neighborhoods is mentioned. Not only that, but an emphasis on the messianic zeal as a prime motivating factor is woven througout the film. “Facts” that are supplied by known European backed leftist organization like Betzelem are used.  This is instead of the actual facts, which are easily available by Jerusalem’s government. It is known that Arab enighborhoods have experienced a comlete overhaul in recent years.  Neighborhoods with returning Jewish populations have lower crime rates and increased stability.

Yet, the biggest issue with the video is that it somehow builds its claims off of the notion that private house purchases by Jews in historically Jewish areas should somehow be made illegal.  If that is not anti-semitic, I don’t know what is.

Watch the video below and be prepared to run out of the room screaming at the complete twisting of reality.

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Showdown in Syria: Russia vs. the West, Leaving Israel Isolated

Russia’s success in dividing NATO by breaking off Turkey from the alliance has not been lost on the European American members of the alliance. There first reaction has been to blame Russia for the failure of the truce to stick, but in reality American attacks on various targets has thrown the onus onto the Obama administration not Putin.

The West’s interest in Syria is twofold.  The first is to prevent Iran from building a Shiite crescent from Iranian soil to the mediterranean.  The second is to push back on Russia’s growing control of the Middle East.  On both of these accounts, Putin’s entrance into the fray last year threw the West off of their playbook and they have been rushing to recalibrate ever since.

The above, coupled with Russia’s move to putting the screws on Washington’s regime change in the Ukraine has divided the alliance and kept it from putting up a real fight against Russia. By blaming Putin for the collpase of the truce, Washington and the countries in NATO that are of like mind are trying to set the stage for their increased involvement in the Syrian theatre.

Israel On Its Own

The last thing Israel wants and needs right now is increased fighting between the West and Russian forces on the ground in Syria.  Although it has supported regime change in Syria from the beginning, the Israeli cabinet and Defense Establishment will not push that at the expense of ruining their détente with Putin. Nothing in the West’s playbook gives them assurances that Israel will be defended from Russian and Iranian aggression if America and NATO stand up to Russia.

According to news reports and other sources, Syria-Hezbollah backed by Iran are preparing to launch the same sort of attacks they have been doing on rebels in the Aleppo area next to the Golan. The presence of the Syrian army and Hezbollah so close to the Israeli border seems to imply that it is in fact Israel which will suffer a response if NATO increases their involvement in Syria.

This is ultimately why Bibi has reached out to Putin to put out any flames that may occur.  The challenge is that it may be beyond Putin to stop the Iranian backed armies of Assad and Nasralla from attacking Israel.  After all Putin needs them to finish the job in the rest of Syria.

With Obama about to leave office and being no friend of the Jewish state anyway, Israel is on its own.

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BREAKING NEWS: Failed Attack on Israeli Embassy in Turkey

 

Reports are conflicting about the attack on the Israeli Embassy in Turkey.  CNN reports that the attacker used a knife against the security guards.  Local accounts on Turkish NTV and other eye witnesses insist it is actually the attacker that used the gun against the security guards.

The attack comes after a series of ISIS related attacks against US targets in an apparant uptick in world wide Jihadist movement.  Both Turkey and Israel recently signed a rapproachment deal which gives ISIS substantial reason toa attack targets there.

BREAKING NEWS: North Korea Ready to Attack the South

Kim Jong Un declared that North Korea is ready to launch a fresh attack on the South against ‘US provocations.’ North Korea has grown increasingly braisen as the world has gone on edge following the North’s latest nuclear test.

North Korea detonated its most powerful nuclear test to date this month. After the test it stated it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile.  If such an advancement was true, the US and its Asian allies have what to be worried about.

South Korea said the North was ready to set off another test at anytime.