70,000 Hindus in India rally for Israel under Hindu Samhati banner

Kolkata, India: Israel surrounded by hostile allies has become synonymous to survival, creativity and economic boom.  This is despite envious enemies trying to undermine the tiny Jewish state.  While Islamists and communists around the world regularly rally to wipe out the Jewish state, the ability of the Jewish people to survive despite all odds has found  strong resonance in India. To show solidarity with the Jewish people and the state of Israel, Hindu Samhati a organization based in India came out with a massive rally in support of Israel as part of its foundation day on February 14th.
70,000 Hindus Rallying for Partnership with Israel
In 2014, when terrorism against Israel was on the rise and rockets were being thrown at Israel by Hamas with women and children being used as human shields, Israel was forced to strike back in self-defense. While the world urged Israel to be tolerant towards the intolerant, it was Hindu Samhati who had staged the biggest pro-Israel rally outside Israel with 20,000 people in show of solidarity. The founder of Hindu Samhati , Sri Tapan Ghosh had then urged the entire Hindu world to stand strongly with Israel.
Even in present times, when a movement urging the Indian government to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is on in India and many world governments including the United States have agreed to move their embassy to Jerusalem – the eternal capital of the Jewish people, it is Hindu Samhati which made a statement today by rallying 70,000 Hindus behind this cause.
Moving our Embassy to Jerusalem will honor Israel’s long-standing commitment to peace, and strengthen the bond between our two ancient peoples,” said said Mr. Tapan Ghosh, the founder of Hindu Samhati. He therefore urged the Indian government to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State. A resolution to this effect was passed by a voice vote. 
Mr. Devdutta Maji, the Vice-President of Hindu Samhati, mentioned the first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion at the occasion, citing the founding father of the modern Jewish State as a role model for today’s Hindu leadership along with Mr. Tapan Ghosh. He also spoke in favor of relocating the Indian Embassy to Jerusalem.
The meeting was attended by Gen. GD Bakshi, noted pro-Israel journalist Vijeta Uniyal and host of other speakers. The crowd rallied with placards saying,  “Israel -India partners for peace”, “India – Israel . Ancient Cultures . Modern Miracles”,”India – Israel . Friendship Forever”,”India – Israel represents —- honoring women’s rights, freedom of speech, respect for human rights, liberty and equality for all, Democracy.” India stands with Israel and Hindus Love Israel resonated in the air.
Vijeta Uniyal mentioned that in today’s world when anti-Semitism is on the rise in Europe , millions of Hindus in India and in the diaspora are ready to stand with the Jews as brothers and sisters and speak out against the anti-Semitism. Zionism the movement of Jewish Liberation is an inspiration for the Hindus as we unite our country and the community.

Sri Tapan Ghosh also urged the crowd to bless the alliance. He pointed out that Jews for the last 2000 years like the Hindus are fighting a battle for existence in West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand , in the villages of Deganga, Bardman, Kaliachak , Medinipur, Baduria similarly Jews are fighting for their existence in little Israel, surrounded by a sea of Islamist neighbors. This struggle for survival, shared cherished values of reverence for education, mutual respect, women’s’ rights, unites Hindus and Jews apart from the 2500 years of glorious history that binds both the communities.

Hindu Samhati which was founded 10 years back to serve the poorest of poor Hindus in rural heartland of Eastern Bharat plagued by Islamist violence, insecurity and thereby poverty, has today emerged as a force to recon with. The rally was attended by Hindus and Buddhists from the states of Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand. The gigantic crowd of 70,000 volunteers, and may thousands others prevented from attending by nefarious forces against the Hindu -Jewish global alliance, is testimony of the fact that Hindus believe in this alliance despite attempts to create divide. Such a huge turnout in a non-political rally, shows the deep trust of the Hindus from the Eastern part of Bharat in the Hindu Samhati leadership. Their influence on ground will impact very positively India-Israel relations in times to come.

Treasures from the First Temple Period Unearthed Near Jerusalem

 

Ein Hanniya park was dedicated this morning at a planting ceremony with the participation of Minister of Environmental Protection, Jerusalem and Heritage Ze’ev Elkin,  The Grand Sacristan of the Armenian Apostolic Patriarchate of Jerusalem, His Eminence Archbishop Sevan Gharibian, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Jerusalem Development Authority Director General Eyal Haimovsky, Israel Nature and Parks Authority Director General Shaul Goldstein and Israel Antiquities Authority Director General Israel Hasson.

According to Irina Zilberbod, the excavation director for the Israel Antiquities Authority: “The most significant finding in the excavation is a large and impressive pool from the Byzantine period. This pool was built in the center of a spacious complex at the foot of a church that once stood here. Roofed colonnades were built around the pool that gave access to residential wings.” According to Zilberbod: “It’s difficult to know what the pool was used for – whether for irrigation, washing, landscaping or perhaps as part of baptismal ceremonies at the site.” The pool’s water drained through a network of channels to a magnificent and very special structure, the first of its kind known in Israel – a fountain (nymphaeon).”

Settlement in the area of Ein Hanniya apparently began at the time of the First Temple and perhaps even earlier. The most outstanding find from this period uncovered in the excavation is a fragment of a proto-Ionic capital – an artistic element typical of structures and estates of the kings of the First Temple period. The image of such a capital appears on the Israeli 5-shekel coin. Similar capitals have been found in the City of David in Jerusalem, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, and at Ramat Rahel, where one of the palaces of the kings of Judah was found. Such capitals were also found in Samaria, Megiddo and Hazor, which were major cities in the Kingdom of Israel. According to the archaeologists, the site at Ein Hanniya may have been a royal estate at the time of the First Temple. After the destruction of the First Temple, settlement was renewed at the site in the form of an estate house that was inhabited by Jews.

The most significant find from this period is a rare silver coin, one of the most ancient so far discovered in the Jerusalem area – a drachma, minted in Ashdod by Greek rulers between 420 and 390 BCE.

The coins, pottery, glass, roof tiles and multicolored mosaic tesserae from the Byzantine period unearthed in the excavation attest to the fact that it was during this period (4th–6th centuries CE) that the site reached its zenith. According to Jerusalem District Archaeologist Dr. Yuval Baruch: “We believe that some early Christian commentators identified Ein Hanniya as the site where the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized, as described in Acts 8:26–40. The baptism of the eunuch by St. Philip was one of the key events in the spread of Christianity. Therefore, identifying the place where it occurred occupied scholars for many generations and became a common motif in Christian art. It’s no wonder that part of the site is still owned by Christians and is a focus of religious ceremonies, both for the Armenian Church (which owns the property) and the Ethiopian Church.”

Rare silver coin from the 4th century BCE, one of the most ancient ever discovered in the Jerusalem area. Photo: Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority.

The Jerusalem Development Authority, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Israel Antiquities Authority undertook conservation and development work at the site over the past few years. The result is an extraordinarily beautiful site incorporating archaeology, an ancient landscape and a unique visitor experience. The conservation work was carried out by a team from the Israel Antiquities Authority Conservation Administration. The team was headed by conservator Fuad Abu Ta’a, with architectural planning by architects Avi Mashiah and Yehonatan Tzahor. The work included restoration of the ancient water systems, which are now functioning once again. The original spring that fed the pool discovered in the excavation had dried up over the years, and major efforts were invested in channeling water from the existing spring to replenish the pools. The work revealed additional water sources under an impressive stone arch whose surroundings have been restored as a shallow wading spot.

A great deal of attention was paid to restoring the imposing fountain structure (nymphaeon), including cleaning and replacing stones in its façade based on historic photographs and paintings.

Content provided by the Israel Antiquity Authority

Praising Pence: An Israeli View

Yesterday concluded Vice President Mike Pence’s first official visit to the Holy Land. After his previous planned Middle East trip was delayed by the all-important Congressional Tax Reform, using his Vice Presidential tie-breaking vote to pass it, he has kept his promise to make an official visit. After two months have passed since President Trump confirmed what the Jewish people have known for over 3,000 years, that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the State of Israel; now his Vice President has met with Egyptian, Jordanian, and Israeli officials at a vital turning point in the Middle East.

Since the Trump Administration’s announcement, there has been some push back, which was generally accepted to happen. Though, the push-back on recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel 20 years ago could have started a major conflict against Israel. Today, we have seen a sharp change in the region, with the Sunni Arab states inching closer to normalisation with Israel, the push-back has only come from the misguided Palestinian Authority.

Over his trip, Vice President Pence gave his address to the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament in Jerusalem. He spoke on the recognition of Jerusalem, Iran’s destructive actions in the region, the strength of the US-Israel relationship, and on bringing about a final peace agreement between Israel and their Arab neighbors. He also met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Rivlin, another great opportunity for these world leaders to speak on the challenges facing Israel and region. Not to mention the Vice President’s solidification that the United States is keeping their promise to move their embassy to Jerusalem by 2019!

On the Vice President’s scheduled to visit Yad VaShem, Israel’s memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, he was able to pay his respects. A visit that many world leaders make, understanding the lessons of the Holocaust is of global importance. As a proud Jew, I thank the Vice President for taking the time to learn about the atrocities that in the modern era has heavily impacted the decisions of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

Since President Trump’s historic decision to give full American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital, there has been tension and much banter between the Trump Administration and the Palestinian Authority. Now the Vice President has finished his first state visit to Israel. As the Israeli people embraced the decision, we welcomed the Vice President with open arms. I praise Vice President Pence on keeping his trip, especially when he has had many opportunities to cancel, mostly due to Congressional votes and backlash from the Palestinian Authority. I hope the Vice President has had an enjoyable and productive trip, I know that there will be another visit here, where he will be able to complete his tour with a trip to Bethlehem and much more of the Land of Israel!

Originally Published in Times of Israel

Mike Pence, Israel, and the Final Redemption

There are moments when we recognize that the world is shifting and that something momentous is happening. We all have our view of the future and what it will be.  Those of us who are believers tend to have varied accounts of the End of Days.  Despite the many interpretations of Biblical passages dealing with the final Redemption all agree on the main points.  These involve a return of the people of Israel to their ancestral homeland within the borders of their ancient Kingdom.  This return appears to occur after millenia of years wandering in exile.  The Land which lay fallow suddenly sprouts again and more than that the People of Israel become a leading force for good throughout the whoe world.  Of course there are prophecies and accounts of trepidation as envisioned in multiple chapters in Zecharia and Ezekiel, but there is not saying to what extent these prophecies must occur because each prophet spoke in generalities.

Most of the prophecies detailing the return of the Jewish people to their Divinely ordained homeland have occurred.  The miraculous wars fought against all odds and the continuing ingathering of the exiles and now the next stage which appears to be about locating and integrating the lost tribes back into Israel is already well under way.

The 70th Year Marks a Crossing Point

The number 70 in Judaism is a critical number.  Our sages recognize it as an end of one stage and a beginning of the next.  70 played an important role at the end of the first exile when it was clear that King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Israel after 70 years just as the prophets said he would.

We are now at an important inflection point in world history.  This is the 70th year since Israel’s founding and we have a President and Vice President in America that not only won the election last year in miraculous fashion, but seem to understand that they are meant to play a pivotal role in history.

Mike Pence knows the Bible and with this knowledge it is no surprise that when he spoke at the Knesset yesterday he mentioned the number 70 and its connection to the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital.

Mike Pence spoke on this fact with the following words:

“Seventy years ago, the United States was proud to be the first nation in the world to recognize the State of Israel.  But as you well know, the work we began on that day was left unfinished, for while the United States recognized your nation, one administration after another refused to recognize your capital.

But just last month, President Donald Trump made history.  He righted a 70-year wrong; he kept his word to the American people when he announced that the United States of America will finally acknowledge Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. 

The Jewish people’s unbreakable bond to this sacred city reaches back more than 3,000 years.  It was here, in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, that Abraham offered his son, Isaac, and was credited with righteousness for his faith in God.

It was here, in Jerusalem, that King David consecrated the capital of the Kingdom of Israel.  And since its rebirth, the modern State of Israel has called this city the seat of its government.”

The Vilna Gaon said that the final redemption will occur in a similar fashion as the redemption during the Second Temple period. That is up until the very end.  Pence paid homage to the very fact that the people of Israel are the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He made a clear connection to the miraculous rise of the Nation of Israel in its historic homeland to the final redemption.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev clearly states that the end will not begin on Pesach, but rather Purim.  He is not talking about actual dates, but concepts. Purim is about the miraculous wrapped within the guise of the mundane.  So too now.  What seems like simple politics is the Redemption literally unfolding in front of our eyes.

Esav’s Head Can Be Rectified While Its Body Dies

Our sages teach us that the Roman Empire and the subsequent Catholic Church and now the decadent morality of the Western World are the outgrowth of Esav, Jacob’s brother.  Yet there is a curious midrash, which details the burial of Jacob and the subsequent decapitation of Esav (who tried to stop it).  Esav’s head mysteriously rolled into the Cave of the Patriarchs along with Jacob’s body.

We know from extra biblical sources that Esav knew and believed in Torah and the Creator, but his body’s lusts and drives overtook his reasoning and drove his decisions.  The midrash I detailed above indicates that at the end Esav’s head can be and will be redeemed and come to Jacob’s aid.

There is no question about it. America is far different from any other nation aside from Israel.  In the cosmic archetype structure of the universe, the European drive to destroy Israel as well as individual freedom appears to be analogous to Esav’s body.  Juxtaposed to this is America, which sought out to redeem and return Christianity to its original source.

Pence said the following in regards to America’s special reverence to the Bible and Christianity’s Hebrew roots:

“My country’s very first settlers also saw themselves as pilgrims, sent by Providence, to build a new Promised Land.  The songs and stories of the people of Israel were their anthems, and they faithfully taught them to their children, and do to this day.  And our founders, as others have said, turned to the wisdom of the Hebrew Bible for direction, guidance, and inspiration.

America’s first President, George Washington, wrote with favor to “the children of the stock of Abraham.”  Our second President, John Adams, declared that the Jews, in his words, “have done more to civilize man than any other nation.”

And your story inspired my forebears to create what our 16th President called a “new birth of freedom.”  And down through the generations, the American people became fierce advocates of the Jewish people’s aspiration to return to the land of your forefathers to claim your own new birth of freedom in your beloved homeland.” 

With Esav’s cosmic head now severed from its decadent European body, the American ideal can be restored to its true roots.  While European leaders deny the miraculous return of the Jewish people to their homeland, Americans do the opposite.  Mike Pence said as much with the following:

“The Jewish people held fast to a promise through all the ages, written so long ago, that “even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens,” from there He would gather and bring you back to the land which your fathers possessed.

Through a 2,000-year exile, the longest of any people, anywhere, through conquests and expulsions, inquisitions and pogroms, the Jewish people held on to this promise, and they held on to it through the longest and darkest of nights.  A night that Elie Wiesel proclaimed “seven times sealed.”  A night that transformed the small faces of children into smoke under a silent sky.  A night that consumed the faith of so many and that challenges the faith of so many still.

And tomorrow, when I stand with my wife at Yad Vashem to honor the 6 million Jewish martyrs of the Holocaust, we will marvel at the faith and resilience of your people, who just three years after walking beneath the shadow of death, rose up from the ashes to resurrect yourselves, to reclaim a Jewish future, and to rebuild the Jewish state.  

And this April, we will mark the day when the Jewish people answered that ancient question — can a country be born in a day, can a nation be born in a moment? — as the State of Israel celebrates the 70th anniversary of its birth.  

As you prepare to commemorate this historic milestone, I say, along with the good people of Israel, here and around the world: Shehecheyanu, v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu la’z’man ha’zeh.” 

Never during exile have we the Jewish people, the Children of Israel received such praise and admiration and offers of true partnership to fulfill the Creator’s will.  It is precisely this that seems to indicate that we may not be in exile anymore.  The 70 years since the creation of the State of Israel is almost up.  It is this 70 years that was a transition between exile and redemption.

We have been so busy building our nation that it takes rightous gentiles yearning to be part of G-D’s grand plan to tell us what is happening before us.  The Nation of Israel is meant to be a light to the world; a magnet for others to come and join us for the work ahead.  The next stage of the Redemption is this work.

 

Trump’s Jerusalem Declaration has Moved an Entire Nation

Trump , The Seed that will help transition a whole Nation.”
Trump , The ring bearer to the marriage of Jerusalem and Israel!

The declaring of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel ; a historical event yes indeed but also a piece of boldness that will redefine how Jerusalem is looked upon for generations to come. Palestine ! Oh Palestine has been the Goliath, the one who has held Jerusalem in its hands for far too long . Jerusalem has been stagnant because of their unableness to see past the giants.

The questions we ask are:

1)Why has this great moment of making Jerusalem the Capital of Israel been concreted for this time ?
2)Why has no other President heard the inner voice to want to bring peace to a Holy Nation whom has not rested in peace in decades?

Subscribe to Israel Rising Premium!

My observance to the matter is that President Trump has been mandated for a time as this to not beg the bread of the adversary but to go and boldly claim back what the enemy has stolen. Trump has given the people of Israel the “First Fruit Blessing ” on Dec 6th 2017. On that historical day that Jerusalem  was declared the Capital of Israel; it’s purpose and meaning that day meant that everything that was stolen from the people of Israel would now have to be returned . It amazes me how one word from Trump blasted over every Media House that day and delivered into the realm of Israel  that it would shake the Nation’s and scatter every enemy.

“We are indeed set and ready to see great change among the Nations.”

A farmer who plants seed among his soil isn’t bothered by watching to see if the seed will grow, he knows he can leave the seed to grow and he will come back to redeem his  crop without doubt in harvest time. Trumps voice to the Nations was an establishment to create boundaries for all Nations. He sees that a time of desolate and famine is over in his  eyes.

Why must we salt the food that has already been seasoned and ready for consumption? It is a time of Jubilee and restitution upon every enemy camp. In closing; Jerusalem the “Great” will be like the donkey that was said not to be sufficient to stand alone but in the donkey it bore witness to welcome in a King and a kingdom.

While Putin and Bibi Speak, Syria Installs Latest Russian Air Defense System Near Damascus

According to the Israeli media, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Russian President Vladamir Putin held a phone conversation in order to ensure that Russia was kept abrest of Israel’s security needs despite the latter being a part of the Iranian axis.  These types of conversations have been going on for over a year in order to minimize friction between the IDF/IAF and Russian forces in Syria.

These conversations have been promoted to the Israeli public as a way assuage fears by claiming to use Russia to help mitigate the forward movement of the Iranian axis towards the border with Israel.  The challenge with this sort of thinking is that we see that after the fall of Beit Jinn, Russia has done little to keep Iran and Hezbollah outside the deconfliction zone.

The other pervading theory is that Israel has a deal worked out with Putin that the IAF is allowed to attack Hezbollah, Iranian, or even Syrian positions within Syria if they are deemed a threat to Israel. Yesterday’s installation of the Russian S-125 Pechora Batteries (a Soviet-designed system originally built in the 1960s) in the Marj Ruhayyil airbase located south of Damascus puts to rest this line of thinking.

According to AMN the modernized variant in question is reportedly the M2 version of the S-125 Pechora, “which in addition to having an improved kill probability record, is technically capable of tracking and intercepting low-flying cruise missiles.

Why is this important? The assumption has been that the IAF would be able to attack Syrian-Hezbollah-Iranian forces with impunity.  The Russians clearly have other ideas.

Does Putin Want to Destroy Israel?

Not at all. He wants to use the Iranian axis he has been tacitly covering for to hold Israel at bay and force its government to turn to him for its needs. While the situation is not at that point yet, it is rapidly approaching.  The Trump administration of course understands this and appears to be ready to back up Israel.  The Jerusalem announcement was as much part of Trump’s calculus in relation to Russia’s moves as it was a declaration of support that flowed from his own beliefs.  For Trump the two aligned.

With more and more IDF forces quietly being moved North, the stakes are high on both sides of the Golan.  Russia’s play at attempting to militarily isolate Israel by using forces hellbent on its destruction is a gamble that could trigger a far wider war.

The UN vote on Jerusalem: A disturbing diplomatic debacle

When India supports an anti-Israel resolution, while Croatia, Romania, and Ukraine do not—invoking ingrained anti-Semitism rings somewhat hollow, and alternative explanations are called for

The General Assembly …[a]ffirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded … and in this regard, calls upon all States to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem—Excerpt from UN General Assembly resolution ES-10/L.22, December 21, 2017 proposed by Yemen and Turkey, demanding that the US retract its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a measure rejecting the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a stunning rebuke of a U.S. decision that allies and adversaries alike warned would undermine prospects for peace – Washington Post, December 21, 2017

A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individuallyIf Algeria introduced a resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions Abba Eban, Israel’s Foreign Minister, 1966-74.

On Thursday, December 21, 2017, the world—almost unanimously—voted against the Jews and their nation-state, Israel.

Reprehensible resolution

On that day, the United Nations General Assembly, in an Emergency Session, voted by an overwhelming majority in favor of a resolution so absurd that it would be inconceivable in almost any other context in which Jews were not those singled out by it for rebuke.

It was a reprehensible resolution!

Indeed, it flew in the face of historical truth, current reality and any ethical standard of common decency.

Under any other circumstances, it would be unthinkable that a sovereign country would be denied the right to determine which city should serve as its capital—especially when that city is inseparably associated with its history, predating the existence of virtually all its UN critics. Similarly, under any other circumstances it would be inconceivable that another sovereign nation would be singled out for reprimand for recognizing such historical association and acknowledging the city as the designated capital of that country.

To make the phenomenon even more absurd, the alleged rationale for the resolution was that it was designed to prevent prejudging the outcome of the decades-long dispute between Arab and Jew for control over the Holy Land, in general, and over Jerusalem, in particular—and keep open the possibility of somehow resolving the conflict by the establishment of a Judeophobic, homophobic, misogynistic Muslim-majority tyranny in the areas (including the eastern section of Jerusalem) lost by Jordan in 1967 in its failed attempt to annihilate the Jewish state.

Go figure!

Double disgrace

The decision—affirmed by 128 member states and opposed by 9, with 35 abstaining and 21 absenting themselves from the vote—to deem US recognition of Jerusalem (albeit within undefined borders) “null and void” was a double disgrace.

Firstly, it was a mark of shame for all the countries that did not oppose it—including those who abstained and/or absented themselves from the vote. For there is scarcely more honor in refraining from such an ignominious motion than there is in supporting it—especially when such feigned neutrality ensures its overwhelming endorsement.

But there was another element of disgrace attached to the results of UN vote on Jerusalem, and it is one that Israel, itself, must bear—or at least one that those charged with formulating and executing Israel’s strategic diplomacy (assuming any existence thereof) must bear.

For the results of vote reflect a devastating failure of Israeli diplomacy–despite the unwavering backing of the most powerful UN member state, the US.

Indeed, had Israel, over the past near-decade, since the so-called Israeli “Right” regained the reins of power, conducted an effective and adequately funded strategic diplomatic offensive, this kind of international rejection of elementary Jewish rights would have been unthinkable.

I realize that many will find this a highly contentious contention—but I am convinced of its validity and the urgent need to address the peril it portends.

Raining on the parade: What if Hillary had won?

Of course, I do not wish to “rain on the parade” and diminish the significance of the diplomatic victory entailed in the Trump administration’s decision to acknowledge the indisputable facts on the ground and recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital—and to set in motion preparations to transfer the US embassy to the city.

However, this fortunate outcome is hardly the result of Israel’s diplomatic strategy, but rather the unexpected outcome of the 2016 presidential election in the US.

Indeed, one shudders to think of what would have happened, if ,as widely predicted, Hillary Clinton had won—especially given the precedent set by the Obama-administration in withholding the US veto against a virulently anti-Israeli resolution, allowing it to pass unopposed in the Security Council in December 2016. After all, it is far from implausible that, if the elections has gone as expected, Israel would have been facing a very different, and far more hostile, global environment—with the prospect of international sanctions, not merely international censure, becoming increasingly tangible.

Accordingly, with so much at stake, it hardly seems a reasonable or responsible policy to leave such fateful issues dependent on the fortuitous workings of chance. So, perhaps the most important lesson to be derived from the dismal UN vote last week, is something that should have been painfully obvious for years—but sadly has not been: Israel needs to adopt a far more robust and proactive posture in determining is international stature among the nations of the world.

Cold comfort

For the results of vote were in fact far worse than the mere numerical tally—in itself dismaying enough—would suggest.

For the fact that nine nations voted against the resolution is cold comfort indeed. After all, out of those nine, two were Israel and the US themselves, against whom resolution was directed. Of the remaining seven, a majority—four—were tiny and remote islands in the Pacific (Nauru, Palau, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia), whose combined population is less than 200,000, and whose total area comprises under1500 sq km. The remaining three—Togo, Guatemala and Honduras—are, with all due respect, not countries that marshal huge international influence.

Accordingly, it would, in large measure, be accurate to admit that Israel and the Trump administration were left in splendid isolation against the entire world. This should be a matter of serious concern—for there is little guarantee as to the durability of the Trump incumbency or of the political proclivity of any potential successor.

This, then, is a totally unacceptable situation and one on which Israel can ill-afford to be either complacent or fatalistic—complacent in the sense that the resolution has no practical effect and thus there no need for serious concern; fatalistic in the sense that because of inherent anti-Semitism, the dice is inevitably “loaded” against Israel and hence, there is no point in serious concern.

Both these claims should be resolutely rejected.

Inexcusably and inexplicably remiss

For years Israel has been inexcusably and inexplicably remiss in presenting its case to the world and equally remiss in undermining and discrediting that of its Arab adversaries.

This dangerous disregard is best reflected by two grave lacunae: (a) the hopelessly inadequate resources devoted to Israeli diplomacy in general and to public diplomacy in particular; and (b) Israel’s official embrace of “Palestinian nationhood” and its consequent reluctance to delegitimize the fallacious narrative on which it is based, and the mendacious myths that underpin it.

This dereliction of diplomatic duty is having dire consequences on several levels. Arguably, among the two most severe are the growing threat to bi-partisan backing Israel has traditionally enjoyed in the US, and the disturbing erosion of support among the younger generation (i.e. tomorrow’s leaders)—even within the generally overwhelming pro-Israel Evangelical community

For over more than half-a-decade I have warned, constantly and consistently, of the potential perils entailed in this ongoing mindless neglect of the indispensable role  public diplomacy has in the nation’s strategic arsenal, and how defeat in the field of public opinion is liable to lead to setbacks on other, more tangible, battlefields. I have urged that Israel dramatically upgrade the resources devoted to public diplomacy—on which it is currently spending,globally,less than a medium-large sized Israeli corporation would spend on promoting fast food and snacks! Indeed, I have called to allot 1% of state budget – one billion dollars—for a strategic public diplomacy offensive, designed to create a diplomatic “iron dome” to protect Israel from incoming barrages of delegitimization and demonization that precipitate the kind of debacle that occurred last week at the UN.

The stirring annals of Zionist endeavor

What makes a resolution voiding and nullifying Israel’s claim to Jerusalem as its capital particularly galling, is the total obfuscation—indeed, concealment—of the conditions that reigned in the city prior to it falling to Israel in the Six-Day War: When Arab Legion snipers, atop the walls of the old city, shot at random passers-by in the western sector of the city, when Jews were barred from entering the Jordanian controlled portions, when Jewish holy sites were desecrated, and when Jewish gravestones were used as building material. Yet no emergency session of the UN was convened to discuss and denounce these outrageous violations of religious and historic rights. Only today, when religious freedoms are scrupulously observed, does the international community find it fit to express its concern over the situation in the city.

But Israel has been partially complicit—at least passively—in permitting this perverse state of affairs to emerge—at least by default—and allowing pejorative connotations to be attached to the word “Zionism”.

After all, the rebirth of Jewish nationhood and the annals of Zionist endeavor are, undoubtedly, one of most stirring chapters of modern history. It is an enterprise that has achieved remarkable feats against impossible odds. Indeed, Zionism, as the national freedom movement of the Jewish people, has been the most successful of all national freedom movements in the last century. It has attained a combination of political independence, economic prosperity and individual liberties for its people, unmatched in virtually any other country born of the dissolution of the European empires. Beyond its borders, Israel has made amazing contributions to humanity – in medicine, agriculture, computing, communications. It has conducted remarkable humanitarian operations in disaster areas across the globe—from Nepal to Haiti.

Diplomatic incompetence not inherent anti-Semitism?

Yet instead of being held up as a model to be emulated, Zionism is being portrayed as a scourge to be denigrated.

The knee-jerk reaction to all this bitter enmity has been to attribute it to inherent and pervasive anti-Semitism. Now, while I do not want to dismiss—or even downplay—the pernicious impact of innate Judeophobia in many countries today, to attribute all, even most, anti-Israel animosity to it, is a little like searching under the light of a lamppost for the proverbial coin which was lost elsewhere in the dark,.

Indeed, as an explanation, it is a very partial one at best. For when a country like India, whose history is virtually devoid of any anti-Semitism, disappointingly supports the resolution, while countries like Croatia, Romania, and Ukraine, whose histories are replete with such infamy, do not, then invoking ingrained anti-Semitism rings somewhat hollow—and alternative, or at least supplementary, explanations are called for—like diplomatic incompetence for example.

The two, however, might not be totally unrelated. Indeed, as I have pointed out elsewhere “[c]ontinued impotence and incompetence in the (mis)conduct of Israel’s public diplomacy is becoming not only a strategic threat to the country but is beginning to imperil Jewish communities abroad.” For when the Jewish state allows itself to be so vilified, so too are those seen to be associated with it—i.e. the Jewish communities abroad.

“Israel…has vacated the battlefield of ideas”

In an incisive and insightful interview on Israel television several years ago, prominent British journalist, Melanie Phillips, excoriated Israel’s public diplomacy (hasbarah) as a “joke” and contended that in that, in the fight for world opinion, Israel had “vacated the battle field of ideas

Today’s leadership should heed her words, and launch a massive assault on international public opinion to ensure that the recent diplomatic debacle at the UN will in the future be impossible—or at least, highly, unlikely.

After all, no-one knows who the next White House incumbent will be—or when his/hers incumbency will begin…

President Trump Aligns US with Israel as the Great Awakening Arrives

The Trump administration decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel solidifies the US-Israeli partnership. Furthermore, US plans to cut $285 million in the United Nations’ 2018 budget not only makes a huge anti-globalist statement but classifies the US as a protector of Israel.

Many US pundits were fearful of a strong anti-Israel response from Arab nations. But, according to one report, the Arab League nations of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are not objecting to the Jerusalem decision as strongly as some would have thought:

‘The Palestinians’ efforts to sway public opinion have been a complete failure, and as a result, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has created a rift between us [the Arab world] and Trump. We are once again left with the demagogic, hollow and inflammatory rhetoric of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.’

Aside from Turkey, most Sunni Arab governments have more reason to worry about the expanding Iranian presence than the Israeli-Arab conflict. That has benefited the US as Saudi Arabia has not faced internal pressure to side with China and Russia to dump the US dollar and kill the petrodollar system.

Political Outcome

From a purely political perspective, the President has strengthened his support from his base. An interesting political alliance pairing Infowars followers with evangelicals and Orthodox Jews has emerged. Those such as Wayne Madsen (investigative reporter who appears on Infowars), who are part of the ‘blame Israel’ crowd and who erroneously accused my friends at Israel Rising of trying to start a world war, are politically isolated. Sadly, there are also many fringe elements who engage in outrageous anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. These misguided individuals have some delusional belief that Jews are so smart that they have an incredible ability to control all world events. While no one is immune from criticism and there are bad people from all religions, there is no justification to infer alleged collaboration with any sort of conspiracy. There is no biblical text that commands Jews to control the world. On the contrary, the role of Jews is to be a ‘light among nations’. Of course, this does not preclude the nation of Israel from defending itself – especially against a crazed Iranian regime that directly threaten its citizens.

In the future, the potential exists for a coalition between Conservative and Libertarian voters that will require each faction to compromise. Conservatives would need to move toward a more non-interventionist foreign policy and Libertarians would need to acquiesce to some sort of socially conservative platform. This coalition could be led by Senator Rand Paul and be a politically effective force.

Biblical Perspective

Perhaps, there was another reason the President felt that it would benefit the US the most (and himself in his battle against his deep state enemies) to side with Israel. As quoted from the book of Bereishit (Genesis), Chapter 12, verse 3, in regards to Israel:

‘And I will bless those that bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you’

It would appear that President Trump has put his faith in G-d over practical considerations. In fact, a vast majority of rabbis in Israel enthusiastically embraced his Jerusalem decision with a letter stating that he ‘realized the vision of the prophets that the honor of Jerusalem rises among the nations’. According to Rabbi Mendel Kessin, President Trump is a transformative figure who will radically change and ‘purify America’ in a positive way.

The Trump Strategy

In interviews from the past thirty years, President Trump consistently remarked how America was getting ripped off – i.e. sold out to foreign interests. For me, there was never much doubt that President Trump would drain the swamp – the only question was timing. He plainly put his reputation on the line with his campaign promise. If, in the future, it was proved that he protected known criminals, he would be considered a con-man and the biggest fraud in the history of the United States. Clearly, that was not his desired legacy.

For those who have been disgusted with the level of corruption in US politics, it was a potentially exciting idea for a Trump administration to make immediate arrests. This would have been the wrong strategy and extremely counterproductive. For example, to have a flourishing garden, one must take out the weeds by their roots and not simply cut them from the surface. Similarly, removal of the few top players would have left the whole deep state apparatus in place. With his strategy of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer (Mueller special council investigation), President Trump has exposed the individual members of the deep state that can now be fired or prosecuted. Also, the more time in office has allowed the President to collect and prioritize valuable data on prior administration activities. Even this past week, we learned about the bombshell story that the Obama administration let Hezbollah ‘off the hook’ to facilitate the Iran nuclear agreement.

This strategy has been enhanced by the left’s blind hatred of President Trump that has skewed their judgement. In fact, every time the left and its compliant media attempt to fact check each of President Trump’s statements, they enable him to set the narrative and push more of the populace toward his side.

What President Trump has done over the past eleven months in office is to expose the unbelievable level of corruption in the political system. They have been excruciating for his political adversaries (including the mainstream media) simply because President Trump did not play by their rules. While misdirecting his enemies (i.e. via Twitter), he was able to accomplish much of his agenda including the elevation of a Supreme Court justice and a historic tax cut.

The Great Awakening

While some view the Jerusalem decision as some sort of precursor to an ‘end of days’ scenario where a great war occurs, most reasonable people do not wish for that. In my opinion, a cataclysmic war can certainly be avoided with a greater awakening of those really responsible for the crimes committed over the years. Fortunately, President Trump has facilitated this awakening. Often, I am asked where I get my information. My answer is very simple – President Trump. For example, last month, President Trump sent a tweetthat pointed to a website called MAGA PILL that listed his accomplishments as President.

The Weekly Standard had a very harsh critique of the site as follows:

‘The website’s name, MAGAPILL, references Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” along with the “red pill” concept popular among the online alt-right and white nationalist movements. Taking a red pill in these circles refers to being awakened to the “reality” of the alt-right worldview, an allusion to a plot device in the 1999 science fiction film The Matrix .…the website’s Twitter page remains active, tweeting out a mix of conspiracy theories, Fox News videos, news articles from mainstream outlets, and retweets of President Trump. In one recent tweet, MAGAPILL put out an unsourced image rife with outlandish conspiracies about the people and entities who control our institutions’

Supposedly, at the time of this tweet, the following post, detailing more outlandish conspiracy theories, was linked at the top of the site. Just to be clear, there is no way the President would have sent out this tweet without prior validation of this MAGA PILL site. So, which is it, are these conspiracies true or is the President a delusional narcissist?

Let’s take a moment to reflect on the Trump presidency. In a February tweet, President Trump vowed to fight the epidemic of human trafficking. Since then, scores of human trafficking rings have been broken up (in the US and abroad) resulting in thousands of arrests. Conversely, prior investigations into the Franklin scandal and affairs within the Clinton State Department were covered up in previous administrations. Then, in a photo op with military personnel on October 5, President Trump stated that it was the ‘calm before the storm’. When asked what that meant, he said ‘you’ll find out’. That same day, the NY Times published the allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Since then, numerous allegations have surfaced against Hollywood figures and DC politicians. Several industry executives (including Google CEO Eric Schmidt) have resigned. There is a willful ignorance, pervasive in our society, for those who cannot see that the swamp is being drained each and every day.

National Emergency

For weeks there have been rumors that thousands of sealed indictments exist across the country. What is even more shocking (in case you didn’t know) is that the US is currently operating under a ‘national emergency’. The following executive order was signed on December 21 and states:

‘I therefore determine that serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat.’

You can draw your own conclusions as to where this is headed. So, back to my initial question – are these conspiracies true or is the President a delusional narcissist? If the conspiracies are true, then we have a President that is taking on dark forces at great personal risk and could arguably be considered a modern-day George Washington. Personally, I wouldn’t bet against the President.

Originally Published in News With Chai.

No Huffington Post, Jews Are Not Crusaders

In a recent article on Huffington Post titled: “First Judeo-Christian Crusade for Jerusalem” the author Liaquat Ali Khan paints a Muslim centric picture of history in the Holy Land by claiming that Jews are essentially recent residents of the Land of Israel or what he would like to call “Historic Palestine.”

Khan’s claim is that evangelical Christians have decided to partner with Jews to launch a crusade to take Palestine from its inhabitants.

Khan states the following early in his article:

“Currently, a Judeo-Christian Crusade is underway to consolidate the territorial claims of Israel, a state instituted by the European Jews with the support of the European Christians, in lands that constitute historical Palestine. Since 1948, the European Jews have occupied some parts of Palestine through a colonial gift from Great Britain and some parts through wars and settlements.”

He then adds:

“It is unclear how to date the first Judeo-Christian Crusade to recapture Jerusalem from Muslims. Some might date it from the November 1917 Balfour Declaration when the United Kingdom, then at war with the Ottoman Empire, promised to establish a homeland for Jews in Palestine, an Ottoman territory. Some might date it from May 1948, when Israel was declared an independent state. Some might date it from June 1967, when the Jews defeated the Arab armies and conquered East Jerusalem and other Muslim territories. Some might date it from December 2017 when the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. November 1917 is most certainly the date for the public declaration of the first Judeo-Christian Crusade. June 1967 is a more realistic date for the actual conquest of Jerusalem. December 2017 is significant because this is when the United States abandoned its false neutrality and openly sided with the Jews against the Muslims.”

“Whatever date is the origin of the Judeo-Christian Crusade, this is the first time that Jews and Christians have come together to take Palestine and Jerusalem away from the Muslims.”

“Even though many Christian nations are divided over the final status of Jerusalem, their support of Israel as a replacement state in Palestine has been loud and clear.”

The problem with Khan’s argument like all other Islamic historical revisionists is that it is not the Jews whether they are European or Middle Eastern that are newcomers to the land, but rather the Arabs themselves.

Claiming that evangelical Christians and Jews have been working together to wrest control of the Holy Land from the so-called Palestinians is a twisting of history.  If that was the case, how could it be that the majority population of Jerusalem in the 1860s according to the Ottoman themselves was in fact Jewish?

More so, it was the Balfour declaration itself that gave the region the distinct name the Arabs claim is connected to them.  It was the British that called it “Palestine.” No such name as a political unit existed before that (except in times of Hadrian) and Balfour used that name to refer to the Jews that had been streaming back home to resettle it.  Afterall, Mark Twain himself noted in his famous travel journal titled “Innocents Abroad” that the Holy Land was mostly desolate.

This is not to say that no one existed in what was known by the Ottomans as Southern Syria.  There were a growing population Jews who had been encouraged by the Ottomans to settle in the Land of Israel as well as Bedouin tribes.

The Jews living in Israel at the time of Mark Twain, were not confined to just a few blocks in Jerusalem.  There were ancient communities in Hebron, Safed, and Tiberius.  These communities existed well before the Islamic conquests of Saladin and before.  Proof of this can easily be mustered by visiting ancient synagogues that were still in use through the 19th and 20th centuries Locations include Hebron, Susya, Safed, Jericho, Samoa, Tiberius, and Jerusalem.

There were also Arab serfs that lived in the land as well.  Some villages like today’s Abu Gosh or rab villages near Haifa were not Arabs at all but Muslim Chechnyans and Bosnians dating only back to the 18th century.

Most interestingly, the Arabs we see today in Israel did not stream into Israel until the early 1900s.  By the time Britain took over, the British government openly encouraged Arab immigration while holding back Jewish returnees by instituting quotas. Moreover, the British worked hand in hand with Arabs to push out Jews that had been living in Jerusalem and Hebron for centuries.

Khan also attempted to focus on the Jews being of “European” descent as if this disqualifies them as “real Jews.”  This line of attack is not special to Khan, but has bubbled up across academia and is being used by various anti-Israel movements.

Of course, this is absurd as it should be noted that the location of Israel places it squarely on the border of three continents, Europe, Asia, and Africa.  This is ultimately the reason how there can be so many colors that share similar DNA within the Jewish nation.  It was the Romans and their predecessors the Greeks as well as the Persians that allowed for Jewish migration throughout their empires.

In fact, those Palestinians who can trace their ancestry back centuries and are not recent immigrants may not be who they claim to be at all.

Professors Ostrer and Skorecki wrote in a review of their findings that they co-authored in the journal Human Genetics in October 2012 the following conclusion:

“The closest genetic neighbors to most Jewish groups were the Palestinians, Israeli Bedouins, and Druze in addition to the Southern Europeans, including Cypriots.”

The research paper goes on to clarify that it is in fact European Jews that have a stronger connection to “Palestinians” than even their Middle Eastern counterparts.

Doesn’t this throw Khan’s assertion that Jews are newcomers to Israel or as he calls it Palestine out the window?

If Jews or let’s say it more accurately, European Jews were never here, how can the Palestinans have such a  close genetic connection?

If one looks at history in a neutral manner, it is not the Jews who are the “crusaders” but rather Muslims themselves. These Muslims came in the 7th and 8th centuries after a series of Roman expulsions of the Jews that ended in the 4th century CE. and forcibly converted the remaining Jewish inhabitants with a decree issued in the name of the Fatimid Khaliph El-Khakem in 1012. This caused the region’s Christians to flee and the Jews who became the majority to convert.

Khan’s ignorance of history is either willful or like many Muslims fabricated to fill their need to turn all history into Muslim history.  Afterall to most Muslims, Abraham, David, and Jesus were Muslims. Khan is not interested in history, but rather creating an alternate history, based not on facts but rather on fiction. Hkan appears to be driven by what he perceives as a loss of a piece of Dar Islam.

Huffington Post has a right to publish any article it wants.  However, if it wants to be taken seriously it should consider refraining from publishing articles that act as catalysts for undermining documented historical norms.

Trump on Jerusalem Resolution in the UN: “Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot.”

President Trump threatend to cut off American aid to any country that votes in favor of a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly denouncing his recent decision to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.




Speaking at his last Cabinet meeting of the year, Trump said:

“All these nations that take our money and then vote against us at the Security Council or the assembly, they take hundreds of millions of dollars and billions of dollars and they vote against us. Well, we’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us, we’ll save a lot. We don’t care.”

President Trump added that “people are tired of the United States — people that live here, our great citizens that love this country — they’re tired of this country being taken advantage of and we’re not going to be taken advantage of any longer.”