Churchill Lives

Sometimes we (I’m one of the worst) paint with too broad a brush. Washington is seedy, so that means there are no good men and women in politics. That sort of thing.

For me, Israel is always a black-and-white issue. I tend to dismiss groups that are not exactly on the right side of history regarding Israel and the Palestinians. It’s a tension I live with. Another example is the Palestinians themselves. I know some good ones, including a biblical pastor. I can see with my own eyes when I visit sweet Arab children playing outside. Many Palestinian families only want what we all want: to be left alone to raise their families and find meaningful work.

I’ve always been interested in the relationship between Great Britain and the Jews. Of course we all know the story of British politician Arthur Balfour. A former prime minister, he was serving as foreign secretary in 1917 when the famous “Balfour Declaration” was issued; the document gave Britain’s consent for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. In the middle of WW 1, people expected this to happen quickly. It would take more than 30 years, but it was proof that there were pro-Israel people in that government.

The UK of course has had an uneven relationship with Israel in the past few decades. Post-war, anti-Semites burrowed into Parliament, and the Royal Family isn’t exactly Zionist. Current PM Boris Johnson has made pro-Israel statements, but I was most heartened this week to hear that current Home Secretary Priti Patel wants to ban Hamas and marginalize the group for what it is, a terrorist entity. She does not differentiate between its “military and political wings.”

According to a report from CTV News:

“Home Secretary Priti Patel, who is in charge of law and order issues, said she would proscribe the group ‘in its entirety, including its political wing.’

“’This is an important step, especially for the Jewish community,’ Patel said during a speech in Washington. ‘Hamas is fundamentally and rabidly antisemitic.’”

Now, this has to pass in Parliament, no certain thing, but it signals that people are starting to find their courage after three decades of the Oslo disaster. Perhaps it’s part of the Trump Effect—the ability to find reality in the fairy tale world of international diplomacy.

A Hindu and member of the Conservative Party (her hero was Margaret Thatcher), Patel seems to understand the world. As early as 2015, she supported PM David Cameron’s decision to bomb ISIS targets in Syria.

Predictably, Al Jazeera in reporting on this, took a swipe at Patel:

“In 2017, Patel was forced to resign as Britain’s international development secretary after she failed to disclose meetings with senior Israeli officials during a private holiday trip to the country.

“She met then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-opposition leader Yair Lapid.”

Big deal? So she met with them. The Left does far worse than that every second. Remember all of the traitor John Kerry’s illegal meetings with thugs and dictators that work to harm the U.S.? No accountability at all for the anti-American former senator.

Israeli PM Naftali Bennett took to Twitter to applaud the move by the Brits:

“Hamas is a radical Islamic group that targets innocent Israelis & seeks Israel’s destruction. I welcome the UK’s intention to declare Hamas a terrorist organization in its entirety — because that’s exactly what it is.”

All this shows that Israel is not completely without friends.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com

What Up, Ayatollah?

Iran has been a threat to humanity since 1979, when Jimmy Carter’s mind-numbing foreign policy lost the alliance with the Persians.

I never believed Carter was that stupid. I do think he was one of the most mendacious presidents ever. He’s just a mean guy, always has been. The toothy grins, the embarrassing fireside chats, the attention to goofy detail (while letting global bad actors walk all over you)…all these things made Carter a disaster. But when he distanced himself from the Shah of Iran, jihadists-in-exile saw a chance to make a move.

For 40 years, Iran has sponsored terrorism around the world. From the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, to the nuclear threats against Israel today, Iran’s regime has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. By the way, Haman, Hitler, and Nasser say hi.

For some years now, Israel and Iran make public statements about the other, centered on Iran’s nuclear program. While the ayatollahs make existential threats toward the Jewish state, Israel vows not to let it happen. Most of us have been waiting for western leaders to knock-out Iran’s nuclear capabilities. An airstrike, complex and extremely dangerous, has so far not been tried by Israel or the Americans.

But how long will that remain so?

This week came news that Israeli fighter jets have been escorting American bombers through the Middle East.

“According to the Israel Defense Forces, the fighter jets accompanied two B-1B heavy bombers and an American KC-10 refueling jet through Israeli airspace as they headed west from the Persian Gulf.

“’The joint flight demonstrates our continued cooperation, which is crucial to the security of Israel and the Middle East,’ the IDF said in a statement.”

The thing is, the B-1 bombers in these exercises can carry the bunker-buster bombs that could take out Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.

Sadly (for people that advocate true peace-through-strength), western threats to eliminate Iran’s nuclear aims come ahead of the Washington regime’s insistence on reviving Obama’s disastrous “Iran deal” that allows Tehran to continue operating. So the question can be asked: how serious are we about preventing a second Holocaust if at the same time the pro-Iran “nuclear deal” is on the table?

We already know that Joe Biden—who has always touted his “close friendship” with “my friend Bibi” cares nothing about Israel. He is a cold, career grifter whose appeasement policies his entire career endanger all of us.

At the same time we are working with Israel on these exercises, Gulf states are coordinating with American and Israeli navies in the Red Sea—again, a signal to Iran that their aggression will be kept in check. In fact, this will be the first time that Israel and Bahrain are conducting such exercises together. This of course is a tremendous legacy for Donald Trump.

Since earlier this year, a “shadow war” of sorts has been taking place in the region, as Israeli and Iranian ships have come under attack. These low-grade confrontations don’t generate much news, but are proof that Iran’s belligerence is real.

One thing that has remained consistent is Israel’s declaration that Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons. Naftali Bennett is the latest PM to say such a thing. Remember how we thought George W. Bush might do it? Bibi? The absence of action does not mean it will never happen. I do believe Israel will act at some point to keep their pledge. As complex as such a strike would be, the Israelis come to a rare moment when their very existence is in jeopardy.

Apart from their giant threats, Iran is involved in terrorism in myriad ways. Only days ago, terrorists operating in the Sinai killed two Egyptian soldiers. This occurred in el-Arish, in the northern Sinai…near to Israel. We have no idea the operations the Israelis undertake every day in order to preserve the life of the nation. We hear the big headlines but don’t know about these smaller activities. It’s a heavy reminder that Israel must be alert every single second.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com