The notorious carnival in Belgium featured Jewish stereotypes again, despite widespread condemnation in 2019.
By: Associated Press
The Aalst Carnival parade included stereotypical depictions of Jews for the second year in a row and the Belgian government said that the anti-Semitism in the three-day festival embarrassed the nation and endangers society.
The Carnival was kicked off the United Nations’ UNESCO heritage list last year after a float rife with anti-Semitic symbols raised worldwide condemnation. Yet despite all the warnings, some again targeted Jews.
“Even though Aalst Carnival is much more than that, these facts detract from our values and reputation of our country,” Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Israel called on Belgium to scrap the annual Aalst parade. Yet one group on Sunday walked around the parade dressed up like insects with fur hats worn by some ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.
Festival committee chair Dirk Verleysen said floats or individuals “that exceed all limits” of decency would be taken out of the parade, but offensive elements did appear.
Wilmes suggested that authorities would see if they could take action.
“Belgium is a state of law. It is for the Justice Department and concerned authorities to see if the events during Carnival are in contravention of the law.”
She said that stereotypes that stigmatize “lead to division. It endangers society. Specifically when it comes to repeated and conscious actions.”
Aalst mayor Christoph D’Haese, who has been criticized for taking insufficient action after last year’s offensive float, called Wilmes “otherwordly,” and added that “I did not see an anti-Semitic or racist parade. To the contrary, I saw a high mass of free speech and creativity.” He took time to pose with a Carnival reveler wearing a stereotypical hooked nose.
Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, countered D’Haese’s view and said that “the satirical procession with anti-Semitic tropes in Aalst, Belgium, are extremely offensive and abuse the power of free speech which is such an essential ingredient in any liberal democracy.”
The EU office of the American Jewish Committee immediately called on the European Union to investigate the parade.
“Belgian authorities did nothing to prevent the outright anti-Semitic costumes, which clearly violate the EU’s founding values, built on the lessons of the Holocaust and World War II,” said Daniel Schwammenthal, director of the AJC Brussels-based Transatlantic Institute.
The overwhelming majority of the 75-plus official entries in the parade’s 92nd edition may have touched on anything from town hall politics to Brexit and global climate change, but several again highlighted the theme which caused such an uproar.
Carnival groups claims their three-day festival has a right to mock everything, even those hurtful to others. But even the president of the northern Belgian Flanders, where the festival is held, warned against insulting or excessively mocking people.
One float was about the “Aalst Tribunal” of what is acceptable as humor and carried three puppets on their float each carrying some stereotypical depictions of a Jew, Muslim and a Roman Catholic priest. Some smaller groups also relied on Jewish stereotypes for their presentations.
The Carnival in the industrial city of Aalst has its roots in the Middle Ages and often features satirical floats that take shots at local politicians and the powerful.
Last year’s festivities featured one float depicting Jews with exaggerated features and side locks standing over bags of money. The caricatures recalled anti-Semitic tropes of the Middle Ages and Nazi Germany.
Aalst is one of Europe’s most famous carnivals and usually is a celebration of unbridled, no-holds-barred humor and satire. Politicians, religious leaders and the rich and famous are relentlessly ridiculed during the three-day festival ahead of Roman Catholic Lent.
UNESCO, Jewish groups and the EU condemned last year’s float as anti-Semitic, with the EU saying it conjured up visions of the 1930s. (AP)
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and his wife Jane at a campaign rally in El Paso, Texas on February 22. Photo Credit: AP
By: Steve Peoples, Michelle L Price, Jonathan J Cooper & Brian Slodysko
Bernie Sanders scored a commanding victory in Nevada’s presidential caucuses on Saturday, cementing his status as the Democrats’ national front-runner but escalating tensions over whether he’s too liberal to defeat President Donald Trump.
As Sanders celebrated, Joe Biden was in second place with votes still being counted. Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren trailed further behind. They were all seeking any possible momentum heading into next-up South Carolina and then Super Tuesday on March 3.
Nevada’s caucuses were the first chance for White House hopefuls to demonstrate appeal to a diverse group of voters in a state far more representative of the country as a whole than Iowa and New Hampshire. Sanders, a 78-year Vermont senator and self-described democratic socialist, won by rallying his fiercely loyal base and tapping into support from Nevada’s large Latino community.
In a show of confidence, Sanders left Nevada for Texas, which offers one of the biggest delegate troves in just 10 days on Super Tuesday.
“We are bringing our people together,” he declared. “In Nevada we have just brought together a multigenerational, multiracial coalition which is not only going to win in Nevada, it’s going to sweep this country.”
Saturday’s win built on Sanders’ victory earlier this month in the New Hampshire primary. He essentially tied for first place in the Iowa caucuses with Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who has sought to position himself as an ideological counter to Sanders’ unabashedly progressive politics.
But for all the energy and attention devoted to the first three states, they award only a tiny fraction of the delegates needed to capture the nomination. After South Carolina, the contest becomes national in scope, putting a premium on candidates who have the resources to compete in states as large as California and Texas.
While Sanders’ victory in Nevada encouraged his supporters, it only deepened concern among establishment-minded Democratic leaders who fear he is too extreme to defeat Trump. Sanders for decades has been calling for transformative policies to address inequities in politics and the economy, none bigger than his signature “Medicare for All” health care plan that would replace the private insurance system with a government-run universal program.
Trump gloated on social media, continuing his weeks-long push to sow discord between Sanders and his Democratic rivals.
“Looks like Crazy Bernie is doing well in the Great State of Nevada. Biden & the rest look weak,” Trump tweeted. “Congratulations Bernie, & don’t let them take it away from you!”
Buttigieg congratulated Sanders, too, but then launched an aggressive verbal assault on the senator as too divisive.
“Before we rush to nominate Senator Sanders in our one shot to take on this president, let’s take a sober look at what is at stake for our party, for our values and for those with so much to lose,” he said. “Senator Sanders believes in an inflexible, ideological revolution that leaves out most Democrats, not to mention most Americans.”
For Biden, a second place finish in Nevada could be the lifeline he needed to convince skeptics he still has a path to the nomination as the primary moves to more diverse states. He took aim at Sanders and billionaire Mike Bloomberg, who wasn’t on the Nevada ballot, but has emerged as a threat to Biden in contests that begin next month.
“I ain’t a socialist. I’m not a plutocrat. I’m a Democrat,” Biden declared.
Warren, who desperately needed a spark to revive her stalled bid, ignored Sanders and instead took a shot at Bloomberg’s height as she thanked Nevada “for keeping me in the fight.”
Rallying supporters in Seattle, she said she wanted to talk about “a big threat — not a tall one, but a big one: Michael Bloomberg.”
Also still in the fight: Billionaire Tom Steyer, who spent more than $12 million on Nevada television and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who hoped to prove her strong New Hampshire finish was no fluke.
Klobuchar, campaigning in her home state of Minnesota Saturday night, claimed Nevada success no matter her poor showing.
“As usual I think we have exceeded expectations,” she said.
The first presidential contest in the West tested the candidates’ strength with black and Latino voters for the first time in 2020. Nevada’s population aligns more with the U.S. as a whole, compared with Iowa and New Hampshire: 29% Latino, 10% black and 9% Asian American and Pacific Islander.
Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who dominated the political conversation this week after a poor debate-stage debut, wasn’t on the ballot. He’s betting everything on a series of delegate-rich states that begin voting next month.
The stakes were high for Nevada Democrats to avoid a repeat of the chaos in the still-unresolved Iowa caucuses, and it appeared Saturday’s contest was largely successful.
Unlike state primaries and the November election, which are run by government officials, caucuses are overseen by state parties.
Nevada Democrats sought to minimize problems by creating multiple redundancies in their reporting system, relying on results called in by phone, a paper worksheet filled out by caucus organizers, a photo of that worksheet sent in by text message and electronic results captured with a Google form.
In addition, it appeared Nevada Democrats were able to successfully navigate a complicated process for adding early voting to the caucus process. Nearly 75,000 people cast early ballots over a four-day period, and the party was able to process those in time for Saturday so they could be integrated into the in-person vote.
At the Bellagio casino caucus site, 41-year-old Christian Nielsen, a scuba diver for the Cirque du Soleil show “O,” said he backed Sanders because he believes the country needs a “major change in the White House.”
“We need somebody in the White House who has been on the right side of history for their entire career, somebody who stands with the working class, and will make things more fair for everybody,” Nielsen said.
The Democrats’ 2020 nomination fight shifted beyond Nevada even before the final results were known.
Only Biden, Buttigieg and Steyer were still in the state when news of Sanders’ victory was announced.
Sanders and Klobuchar spent the night in Super Tuesday states, and Buttigieg was headed to a third, Virginia. Warren, who began Saturday in Las Vegas, was to finish the day in Washington state, which hosts its election on March 10 but has already begun offering early voting. (AP)
National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien. Photo Credit: Alex Brandon/AP
By: Deb Riechmann
President Donald Trump’s national security adviser said he’s seen no intelligence to show that Russia is interfering in the U.S. presidential campaign in hopes of reelecting President Donald Trump.
Robert O’Brien’s comments come after conflicting accounts emerged from a recent closed-door briefing by intelligence officials, who spoke to lawmakers about Russian interference in the 2020 campaign. One intelligence official said that lawmakers were not told that Russia was working to directly aid Trump.
But other people familiar with the meeting said they were told the Kremlin was looking to help Trump’s candidacy. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discussed the classified briefing.
“The national security adviser gets pretty good access to our intelligence,” O’Brien said. “I haven’t seen any intelligence that Russia is doing anything to attempt to get President Trump re-elected.”
O’Brien’s comments were released Saturday in a transcript of an interview with ABC’s “This Week” set to air on Sunday.
A nearly two-year investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller concluded there was a sophisticated, Kremlin-led operation to sow division in the U.S. and upend the 2016 election by using cyberattacks and social media as weapons. Intelligence officials have warned Russia is doing the same in 2020.
But it’s a sore subject for Trump, who has played down the findings and said they are an attempt to de-legitimize his victory. And Sen. Bernie Sanders acknowledged Friday that he was briefed last month by U.S. officials about Russian efforts to boost his chances for becoming the Democratic presidential nominee — something that could be seen as beneficial to Trump’s reelection prospects.
O’Brien claimed he had not seen any intelligence or analyses indicating that Russia was aiding Trump and neither had top leaders in the intelligence agencies.
“All I know is that the Republicans on the side of the House hearing were unhappy with the hearing and said that there was no intelligence to back up what was being said,” O’Brien said. “But here’s the deal: I don’t even know if what’s been reported as being said (by the briefers) is true. You know those are leaks coming out of that hearing.”
O’Brien also denied reports that Trump became angry when he was told about the briefing and that he confronted former acting national intelligence director Joseph Maguire and subsequently replaced him with the U.S. ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell.
O’Brien said Trump was not angry with Maguire and would have liked Maguire to stay in government in a different role. He said Maguire’s time as acting director of national intelligence was up in early March and the White House needed an individual — someone who had already been confirmed by the Senate — to temporarily replace him.
“Ambassador Grenell is there for a temporary period of time,” O’Brien said, adding that Trump was expected to announce a nominee to be quickly confirmed by the Senate as full-time director. The president has said he is considering three or four candidates. (Associated Press)
Voters register to cast their vote in Iran. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
The Iranian regime prevented more than 7,000 candidates from running in recent elections, most of whom were reformists and moderates.
By: AP
Iranians voted for a new parliament Friday, with the disqualification of more than 7,000 potential candidates, most of them reformists and moderates, raising the possibility of lower-than-usual turnout.
Among those disqualified were 90 sitting members of parliament who had wanted to run for re-election.
Voting was extended for five hours, but there was no official announcement on turnout after the polls finally closed late Friday.
Initial results were expected to be announced Saturday. Presidential elections are expected to take place in 2021.
The election comes at a time of growing economic hardship for many in Iran. The U.S. imposed sanctions on Iran due the regime’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and its policy of funding and arming terror proxies throughout the region to thr tune of hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
Sanctions have strangled Iran’s ability to sell its oil abroad, forcing its economy into recession.
Also looming over the election is the threat of the new coronavirus. Many voters headed to the polls with face masks on.
Coronavirus threat looms in Iran
As of Saturday evening, Iranian health authorities confirmed five deaths from the virus, which first emerged in China in December, from among 18 confirmed cases. Authorities say all the cases have links with city of Qom, where the first two elderly patients died on Wednesday. Concerns over the spread of the virus prompted authorities in Iran to close all schools, universities and Shiite seminaries in Qom.
Iran’s leadership and state media urged people to show up and vote, with some framing it as a religious duty.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cast his ballot at a mosque near his Tehran office shortly after polls opened at 8 a.m.
Earlier in the week, Khamenei said high voter turnout will thwart “plots and plans” by the U.S. and supporters of Israel against Iran.
After the disqualifications, thousands of candidates were left vying for a place in the 290-seat chamber across 208 constituencies.
Tensions with the United States strengthened hard-liners who reinforcing long-held hatred of the West. A parliament stacked with hard-liners could favor expanding the budget for the Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terror group according to the U.S., Israel, and other nations.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who had initially criticized the disqualification of so many moderate would-be candidates, cast his ballot on Friday and urged the public to stage another “victory” by voting in large numbers. “Our enemies will be disappointed more than before,” he said
‘Maximum pressure’
On the eve of the vote, the Trump administration ratcheted up its campaign of pressure on Iran by imposing sanctions on two senior officials of the Guardian Council, the body of clerics and judges that decides which candidates may run in elections. The U.S. also sanctioned three members of Iran’s elections supervisory committee, saying all those targeted were responsible for silencing the voice of the Iranian people by rejecting thousands of people from running.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized the election as a “sham” and a vote that “is not free or fair.”
The 92-year-old head of the Guardian Council, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who was among those sanctioned on
Thursday, mocked the U.S. decision and its apparently limited impact. “I am thinking what to do with the money that we have in American funds. Also, we cannot go there for Christmas and other occasions,” he was quoted as saying in local media.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted in official media saying the election showcases that Iranians are choosing their own fate and “do not allow a person sitting in Washington to make decisions for them.”
Ali Motahari, one of the pro-reform lawmakers who were barred from defending their seats in this election, said the incoming parliament will not be truly representative of the people. Still, he urged people to vote.
“We should still try to find moderate and clear-headed candidates from the existing ones and vote for them,” he said.
The parliament in Iran does not have power to dictate major policies, but it does debate the annual budget and the possible impeachment of ministers. Power in Iran ultimately rests with Khamenei, who has final say on all key matters.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington spiked after a U.S. airstrike in January killed Iran’s top general, Qassem Soleimani. The strike led to a tense confrontation in which Iranian forces accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane after it took off from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board. Most of those killed were Iranian.
The shoot-down, and attempts by officials to initially conceal the cause of the crash sparked public anger and protests in Iran.
Meanwhile, Iranians have seen the price of basic goods skyrocket, inflation and unemployment rise and the local currency plummet since President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear agreement with world powers and imposed sanctions.
The economic woes faced by ordinary Iranians fueled anti-government protests in November. International human rights groups say at least 300 people were killed in the protests.
Neda Ghorbani, a 31-year-old mother, said she was not voting Friday because she’s disappointed with Rouhani and other moderates in government.
“We voted in the 2017 (presidential) election hoping that our country’s situation would improve under Rouhani’s presidency, but we were wrong and we accept that we made a mistake (by voting),” she said. (AP)
Medical personnel at quarantine ward in Tel HaShomer Hospital on Feb. 20 (Flash90/Avshalom Sassoni)
The coronoavirus has infected nearly 78,000 people globally and a group of eighth graders was recently quarantined in Israel after exposure to the deadly virus.
By: AP & WIN Staff
180 Israeli students are now in isolation after being exposed to South Korean tourists who tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a report done by Channel 12.
The JPost reported that the South Koreans returned home on February 15th from an eight-day visit to Israel. While it’s unknown whether the group contracted the virus before or after their return to South Korea, the Health Ministry is operating on the assumption that they arrived in Israel as carriers of the virus, which has a 14-day incubation period during which those infected are asymptomatic.
The students and several teachers were sent into “isolation” on Saturday night in addition to several teachers, Times of Israel reported.
According to the Education Ministry, the students will continue their studies and receive assistance from counselors at home, said the Times.
The group of Koreans to which the Israel teens were exposed visited Israel from February 8-15, with nine confirmed coronavirus diagnoses announced upon their return to their home country.
Currently, Israel is refusing entry to tourists arriving from South Korea, in addition to several other Asian countries.
South Korea has reported 433 cases, with two deaths.
In yet another development, the AP reported that one of the 11 Israelis who were flown home after being quarantined on a cruise ship in Japan has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, the first case to be reported inside Israel, the Health Ministry said Friday.
The Israeli cruise ship passengers, who had all initially tested negative, arrived on a charter plane overnight. They were met by medics in protection suits and immediately taken to the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, where they will be kept in quarantine.
Another four Israelis were hospitalized in Japan after testing positive for the virus.
The COVID-19 virus has infected more than 76,000 people in 27 countries and caused more than 2,200 deaths since it was first reported in China’s Hubei province in December.
The Diamond Princess ship docked at a Yokohama port has the most COVID-19 cases outside of China, with 634 confirmed by late Thursday. Two former passengers have died.
Dozens of foreign passengers were flown back to their home countries on flights chartered by their governments.
Israel has canceled all flights to and from China and is requiring Israelis returning from China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore or Thailand to be quarantined at home for two weeks. (World Israel News, AP & JPost)
Virginia Congressional candidate and Georgetown University graduate student Heerak Kim. Source: @Heerak4Congress/Twitter
By: JNS
A Republican vying for the U.S. House of Representatives this year, who is a graduate student at Georgetown University, has come under fire for past anti-Semitic social-media posts.
Heerak Kim is running in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District.
On Jan. 17, he tweeted that the “FBI should investigate US politicians in both Republican and the Democratic party with ‘questionable’ ties with Israel. It is strange that there is such a pro-Israel voting by Republicans and Democrats. There seems to be corruption involving bribery by Israel for US politicans [sic].”
That same day, in response to a Republican Party leader in Delaware being ousted for blaming Jews for being behind the impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump, Kim tweeted, “American citizens should work toward curtailing the power of Jewish lobby groups and other Jewish groups that seek to practice ‘Witch Hunt’ against Americans who they see as a ‘threat’ to Jews, like they did with Jesus Christ. Americans are NOT SLAVES!”
“Is the Natioanal [sic] Republican Party going to become a SLAVE of the JEWS and go after every Republican leaders whom the Jews call ‘anti-Semitic’? Jesus is anti-Semitic because Jesus Christ called Jews ‘Children of the Devil’ in the Gospel of John! Will you oust Jesus from America?” Kim also tweeted on Jan. 17
On Dec. 18, Kim also posted a series of anti-Semitic tweets.
“Judiciary Chairman Jerrry [sic] Nadler in the US House of Representatives has a Jewish Agenda! Nadler is choosing to identify himself as the Voice of the Jews in the US Congress. Nadler disrespects our President Trump, it is time that we disrespect Nadler!” he tweeted.
“The loyalty of all Jews in the US Congress and the US Senate are suspect. The majority American citizens are Christians who love Jesus and want to celebrate Jesus’ birthday! Jews in Congress refuse to celebrate Jesus’ birthday with their majority voters. We are watching!” tweeted Kim.
“Jews love their country, “The Jewish Nation of Israel”, more than the United States of America. That is why all these Jewish Congressmen want to crucify the pro-Christian President Trump. This is about Judaism versus Christianity! Jews have declared a war on Christianity!” tweeted Kim.
Kim, who was born in South Korea, is pursuing a master’s degree in nursing at Georgetown, where he was elected to the Graduate Student Government’s executive board in March 2019.
In response to his anti-Semitic and other bigoted tweets, the rest of the executive board unanimously condemned Kim.
“These messages are absolutely incompatible with his role as Vice President and GradGov’s broader mission of creating a safe and welcoming campus environment,” they wrote in a letter to the Georgetown graduate student community.
An impeachment hearing scheduled for Thursday was postponed following Kim filing a complaint with the university that he’s being discriminated and harassed based on his political and religious views.
“It is wrong that I am discriminated against by GradGov and the Office of Graduate Enrichment of The Graduate School, based on my RELIGION (conservative evangelical Christianity) and my POLITICAL AFFILIATION (Republican Party),” wrote Kim in his email to the university’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Affirmative Action, obtained by the school’s student newspaper, The Hoya. “It is wrong that I was treated with violence (physical assault) because of my religion and political affiliation. The physical assault by Mr. Lewis May represents Hate Crime against me.”
Kim graduated in 1990 from the University of Pennsylvania and conducted research in Jerusalem for doctoral dissertation, including attending Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School.
He is one of four Republicans looking to face incumbent Democratic Rep. Don Beyer in a district that is safely Democratic.
The Republican Jewish Coalition also criticized the language used by Kim.
“If it wasn’t for his abject anti-Semitism, his campaign could have been the funny joke it seems he was setting up. His anti-Semitism has no place in our party, and shouldn’t have a place in American society,” RJC spokesperson Neil Strauss told JNS. “Mr. Kim should end his candidacy and put his focus back into his continuing education.” (JNS)
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman (2-L) visits Efrat in Judea, Feb. 20, 2020. (Flash90/Gershon Elinson)
According to settlement leaders, the peace plan provides “genuine potential to greatly advance Israel’s interests while significantly improving the lives of many more throughout the Middle East.”
By: Aaron Sull
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman met with settlement leaders in Judea and Samaria on Thursday to discuss President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century.”
During the meeting, Friedman received direct feedback regarding the settlement annexation aspects of the plan from the mayors of Efrat, Ariel, Elkana, Karnei Shomron, Alfei Menashe, and Oranit.
In a joint statement, the mayors said that Trump’s peace plan “safeguards Israel’s security, ensures Israel will be able to apply its sovereignty to all the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, and provides the region with a realistic path toward peace.”
The plan provides “genuine potential to greatly advance Israel’s interests while significantly improving the lives of many more throughout the Middle East,” they said.
Since January’s release of the “Deal of the Century,” they have been pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act swiftly and annex the settlements, despite Friedman’s constant warnings to hold off until a U.S.-Israeli panel is formed to work through the logistics.
Last week, settlement leaders led a rally of several thousand demonstrators outside of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence to protest his reluctance to apply immediate sovereignty over settlements in Judea and Samaria.
During the rally, Jordan Valley Regional Council David Elhayani said failure to act swiftly will hurt Netanyahu in the upcoming elections.
“They love you. They believe in you. They are asking that you stand by your promise to apply sovereignty on the Jordan Valley, the northern Dead Sea and the settlements in Judea and Samaria. They are the ones that can determine if you will achieve the necessary 61 mandates to form a right bloc. Listen to them,” he said at the time.
In order to appease his right-wing base before the election, Netanyahu is trying to gain support to annex some part of Judea and Samaria as a “symbolic move.” (World Israel News)
A temporary truce between the United States and the Taliban took effect on Friday, setting the stage for the two sides to sign a peace deal next week aimed at ending 18 years of war in Afghanistan and bringing U.S. troops home.
If successfully implemented, the weeklong “reduction in violence” agreement, which came into force at midnight Friday local time (1930 GMT, 2:30 p.m. EST), will be followed by the signing of the peace accord on Feb. 29, wrapping up America’s longest-running conflict and fulfilling one of President Donald Trump’s main campaign promises.
Friday’s announcement of an agreement on terms for a peace deal follows months of negotiations between the two sides that have broken down before. Yet both parties have signaled a desire to halt the fighting that began with the U.S. invasion after the September 11, 2001, attacks by Osama bin Laden’s Afghanistan-based al-Qaida network.
Should the truce stand, the U.S.-Taliban deal would be followed within 10 days by the start of all-Afghan peace talks that could result in the formation of a new government in Kabul, a pledge from the Taliban not to allow terrorist groups to operate in the country, and the phased withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign troops over 18 months.
The plan is a gamble for Trump, who retweeted several news accounts of the agreement. If it’s successful, he will be able to claim to have taken a first step toward meeting his 2016 campaign pledge to bring American troops home. But if it fails, Trump could be painted by his Democratic adversaries in an election year as being naïve and willing to sacrifice the security of U.S. soldiers and American interests for the sake of political expediency.
For the Taliban, the successful completion of the truce and Afghanistan peace talks would give the group a shot at international legitimacy, which it lacked at the time it ran the country and gave bin Laden and his associates safe haven.
The truce, to be monitored by American forces, will likely be fragile and U.S. officials have noted the possibility that “spoilers” uninterested in peace talks could disrupt it. Determining who is responsible for potential attacks during the seven days will therefore be critical.
Both sides were cautiously optimistic in announcing the agreement that had been previewed a week ago by a senior U.S. official at an international security conference in Munich, Germany. The announcement had been expected shortly thereafter but was delayed in part because of Monday’s release of the results of Afghanistan’s disputed September 2019 elections that showed President Ashraf Ghani winning by an extremely narrow margin.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the peace agreement, to be signed in Doha, Qatar, by U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives, will eventually lead to a permanent cease-fire. The deal also envisions guarantees from the Taliban that Afghanistan will not be used to attack the U.S. or its allies.
“We are preparing for the signing to take place on February 29,” Pompeo said. “Intra-Afghan negotiations will start soon thereafter, and will build on this fundamental step to deliver a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire and the future political road map for Afghanistan.”
The Taliban, meanwhile, said in a statement that the agreement is intended to achieve nationwide peace and and end to the foreign troop presence in the country.
The statement said both sides “will now create a suitable security situation” ahead of the agreement signing date, invite international representatives to a signing ceremony, arrange for the release of prisoners, structure a path for peace talks, “and finally lay the groundwork for peace across the country with the withdrawal of all foreign forces.”
The Taliban added that they will not allow “the land of Afghanistan to be used against security of others so that our people can live a peaceful and prosperous life under the shade of an Islamic system.”
But the road ahead is fraught with difficulties, particularly as some Taliban elements and other groups have shown little interest in negotiations. An attack that killed two Americans last September disrupted what at the time was an expected announcement of a peace deal.
The Taliban have refused to talk to Ghani’s government and also denounced the election results, saying they will talk to government representatives but only as ordinary Afghans, not as officials. Germany and Norway have both offered to host the all-Afghan talks, but no venue has yet been set.
Pompeo did not say who would represent Kabul, only that talks “will build on this fundamental step to deliver a comprehensive and permanent cease-fire and the future political road map for Afghanistan.”
Under the terms of the ‘’reduction in violence” — which covers all of Afghanistan and also applies to Afghan forces as well as the United States and Taliban — all sides have committed to end attacks for seven days. For the Taliban, that includes roadside bombings, suicide attacks and rocket strikes.
The Taliban military commission issued instructions to its commanders “to stop attacks from Feb. 22 against foreign and Afghan forces until Feb 29.”
The peace deal also calls for the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners, most of whom are being held by the Afghan government. Although the U.S. has already discussed the prisoner release with government representatives, there has been no public announcement about it from Ghani’s government.
Neighboring Pakistan, which has long been accused of backing the Taliban, welcomed the reduction-in-violence plan.
“’We hope the Afghan parties would now seize this historic opportunity and work out a comprehensive and inclusive political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region,” said a Pakistan Foreign Ministry statement. Pakistan hosts more than 1.4 million Afghan refugees.
During any withdrawal, the U.S. would retain the right to continue counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan, which have been focused mainly on an Islamic State group’s affiliate and al-Qaida, according to Pentagon officials.
Ghani said in a statement that “for the week of Taliban’s reduction in violence, our defense and security forces will remain in defensive mode” and continue operations against the Islamic State, al-Qaida “and other terrorist groups except Taliban.”
The Pentagon has declined to say whether the U.S. had agreed to cut its troop levels in Afghanistan to zero. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said if the truce is successful and the Afghan peace talks begin, the U.S. would reduce its troop contingent “over time” to about 8,600. There are more than 12,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Yet Suhail Shaheen, the spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha, tweeted that the Taliban expect a complete withdrawal. In a Pashto language tweet, he said, “based on the agreement with the U.S., all international forces will leave Afghanistan and the invasion will end and no one will be allowed to use Afghan soil against others.”
In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the developments. The U.S.-led military alliance has some 16,000 troops in Afghanistan helping to train the country’s security forces, but it could draw down on its operation to accommodate any firm peace agreement. More than 8,000 of these alliance troops are American.
“This is a critical test of the Taliban’s willingness and ability to reduce violence, and contribute to peace in good faith,” Stoltenberg said in a statement. “This could pave the way for negotiations among Afghans, sustainable peace, and ensuring the country is never again a safe haven for terrorists.” (Associated Press)
By: Aamer Madhani, Deb Riechmann & Mary Clark Jalonick
President Donald Trump on Friday minimized new warnings from U.S. intelligence experts that Russia is interfering in this year’s election campaign, and revived old grievances in claiming that Democrats are determined to undermine the legitimacy of his presidency.
Intelligence officials told lawmakers in a classified briefing last week that Russia is meddling with the hope of getting Trump reelected, according to officials familiar with the briefing.
But Trump pushed back against the notion that Russia is working again to help him win and accused Democrats of trying to politically damage him.
“Another misinformation campaign is being launched by Democrats in Congress saying that Russia prefers me to any of the Do Nothing Democrat candidates who still have been unable to, after two weeks, count their votes in Iowa. Hoax number 7!” Trump tweeted.
The fresh intelligence warnings about Russian interference came in what has been a tumultuous stretch for the intelligence community.
A day after the Feb. 13 briefing to the House Intelligence Committee, Trump berated the acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire in a meeting at the White House. Then this week, Trump abruptly announced that Maguire would be replaced by Richard Grenell, a Trump loyalist who also will hold the job in an acting capacity.
Trump tweeted Friday that he was considering four candidates to serve as permanent intel director and expected to make a decision within the next few weeks. He told reporters Thursday evening that Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia was among those he’s considering.
But Collins, who is vying for one of Georgia’s Senate seats, said Friday he’s not interested in the job overseeing the nation’s 17 spy agencies.
The installation of Grenell, even in a temporary role, has raised questions among critics about whether Trump is more interested in having a loyalist instead of someone steeped in the complicated inner workings of international intelligence.
Grenell has a background that is primarily in politics and media affairs. Most recently, he’s been serving as Trump’s chief envoy to Germany.
The Democratic chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, dismissed Grenell as someone who, “by all accounts, rose to prominence in the Trump administration because of his personal devotion to Donald Trump and penchant for trolling the President’s perceived enemies on Twitter.”
From the start of his presidency three years ago, Trump has been dogged by insecurity over his loss of the popular vote in the general election and a persistent frustration that the legitimacy of his presidency is being challenged by Democrats and the media, aides and associates say. He’s also aggressively played down U.S. findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
In addition to those findings by the major intelligence agencies, a nearly two-year investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller concluded there was a sophisticated, Kremlin-led operation to sow division in the U.S. and upend the 2016 election by using cyberattacks and social media as weapons.
Moscow has denied any meddling. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that the newest allegations are “paranoid reports that, unfortunately, there will be more and more of as we get closer to the elections (in the U.S.). Of course, they have nothing to do with the truth.”
But in the U.S., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted that, “American voters should decide American elections — not Vladimir Putin.” She added that all members of Congress “should condemn the President’s reported efforts to dismiss threats to the integrity of our democracy & to politicize our intel community.”
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted: “We count on the intelligence community to inform Congress of any threat of foreign interference in our elections. If reports are true and the President is interfering with that, he is again jeopardizing our efforts to stop foreign meddling. Exactly as we warned he would do.”
Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, said of Trump and the new warnings: “Putin’s Puppet is at it again, taking Russian help for himself.”
“He knows he can’t win without it. And we can’t let it happen,” she said on Twitter.
The U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia interfered in the 2016 election through social media campaigns and by stealing and distributing emails from Democratic accounts. They say Russia was trying to boost Trump’s campaign and add chaos to the American political process.
Mueller concluded separately that Russian interference was “sweeping and systematic,” but he did not find a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Republican lawmakers who were in last week’s briefing by the director of national intelligence’s chief election official, Shelby Pierson, pushed back by saying Trump has been tough on Russia, according to one of the officials describing the meeting.
While Trump has imposed severe economic sanctions on Russia, he also has spoken warmly of Putin and withdrawn troops from areas including Syria, where Moscow could fill the vacuum. He delayed military aid last year to Ukraine, a Russian adversary — a decision that was at the core of his impeachment proceedings.
The tumult caused by the sudden ouster of Maguire adds a new chapter to Trump’s fraught relationship with the intelligence community. He has derided intelligence officials as part of a “deep state” of entrenched bureaucrats who seek to undermine his agenda.
In addition to feuding over the Russian interference, he’s claimed that members of the intelligence community unfairly accused him of unlawfully pressuring Ukraine’s president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, another central element of the impeachment drama.
At times, Trump has mocked the intelligence community, which he sees as obsessed with Russia. During a meeting with Putin on the sidelines of an international summit in Japan last year, Trump jokingly turned to Putin and playfully told him, “Don’t meddle in the election, President.”
Pierson told NPR in an interview that aired last month that the Russians “are already engaging in influence operations relative to candidates going into 2020. But we do not have evidence at this time that our adversaries are directly looking at interfering with vote counts or the vote tallies.”
Pierson, appointed in July 2019 by then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, works with intelligence agencies including the CIA, the FBI, the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to identify anyone seeking to interfere with U.S. elections.
Pierson said it’s not just a Russia problem.
“We’re still also concerned about China, Iran, non-state actors, hacktivists and frankly — certainly for DHS and FBI – even Americans that might be looking to undermine confidence in the elections.”
At an open hearing this month, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House Judiciary Committee that Russia was engaged in “information warfare” heading into the November election, but that law enforcement had not seen efforts to target America’s infrastructure. He said Russia is relying on a covert social media campaign to divide the American public. (Associated Press)
Drawing on his experience in intelligence and counter-terrorism, Mitchell D. Silber aims to better safeguard Jewish institutions, hardening targets and raising awareness of threats to the community in the Greater New York region.
By: Jackson Richman
Mitchell D. Silber. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Mitchell D. Silber, former director of intelligence analysis at the New York City Police Department, started as the executive director of the Community Security Initiative at the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York on Feb. 3 to help secure Jewish institutions in the New York region.
The move was done in partnership with the Paul E. Singer Foundation, Carolyn and Marc Rowan, and several foundations, according to UJA in a statement announcing the move.
In his new role, Silber, 50, will lead a team of an additional five new security professionals to help provide protection to Jewish religious and cultural institutions in all five boroughs of New York City, in Westchester and on Long Island. This will include developing the infrastructure to support and train professionals in synagogues, Jewish community centers and schools.
JNS talked with Silber by phone on Feb 11. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: What are your goals in your new position?
A: My goals are to vastly improve the security profile that covers Jewish life in the Greater New York City Area to include those institutions like synagogues, schools, camps, JCCs, as well as the Jewish security in the streets in and around those institutions. And really to reduce the climate of fear that unfortunately exists now.
Q: Why did you decide to take on this challenge?
A: I’m not really a person who sits on the sidelines watching the action happen. I’m much better as a participant. After 9/11, I left a career in corporate finance to get into the world of counterterrorism to protect in the city. I had a societal obligation to step up, so this was a very similar decision.
Q: Compared to late last year, what’s the current safety situation in the New York Jewish community?
A: That’s a difficult question to answer because there are multiple elements to it. On one side, it’s what the threat is. After 9/11, we knew there was a threat from Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and their homegrown followers. We’ve always known there’s been an Iran, Hezbollah threat against Jewish institutions in the United States.
After Pittsburgh and Poway, our eyes were shocked open to see there’s a right-wing extremist threat, a white-supremacist threat that now targets Jews. After Jersey City, we learned that there was a—fringe as they may be—Black Israelite threat against Jewish communities in New York, plus neighborhood anti-Semitism, which is the term I use to talk about the phenomenon that is happening in Brooklyn, like that Hanukkah week in December.
The security situation is based on the threats. The threats are a broad spectrum; there are lots of them, and they’re all very different.
And there’s the question of what do we do on the defensive side to protect against them.
The Community Security Initiative is the first step in better safeguarding our institutions, hardening the targets and make our communities more aware of what they need to be doing to protect themselves. We’re just starting this process.
Q: Are the threats against Jews more physical than verbal, vice versa or equally both?
A: Generally, when one looks at anti-Semitic incidents, whether it’s in New York or Europe, the pool of incidents when you include verbal is very large, and physical is a smaller subset of that, so that’s just the nature of these type of things. Fewer people are actually going to act on their thoughts in a violent way. But those are the ones I’m most concerned about.
A woman holds up a sign at a rally in New York City on Sept. 22, 2019. Photo by Rhonda Hodas Hack.
I’m concerned about the physical security of Jews in the Greater New York City area from attacks, from assaults. Preventing people from saying nasty things, I wish it wouldn’t happen but that’s less of a priority for me.
Q: But can’t verbal attacks evolve into physical attacks in which we should stop the threats before they get worse?
A: That sounds good, but the truth of the matter is that you can’t stop someone from a verbal threat. That’s not going to be a focus on my effort. If I focus on everything, I’m not going to accomplish anything. So what we’re focusing on are the physical threats that hurt or damage people. There are other organizations like the Anti-Defamation League that fight anti-Semitism.
Q: In your experience, what has led to this uptick, specifically in anti-Jewish crime? Have you seen other ethnicities targeted in New York as well these past two years?
A: I don’t know the reasons to explain the uptick in anti-Semitism in New York. I’d like to know what’s driving it, where are the catalysts.
Countrywide, we live in a time when conspiracy theories run rampant. Jews are, one way or another, targeted as being responsible. We’re in a national mood, post-2008 economic crisis, where it’s very much anti-economic elites, and Jews are nationally assigned a place among the economic elites even though that’s not entirely true.
We’re also in an anti-immigrant mood in the country and even though Jews aren’t the immigrants these days, Jews, as a community having been immigrants throughout our history, are sympathetic to immigrants, and we are often seen as the enabler of immigrants.
Robert Bowers struck out against the Jewish community in Pittsburgh because they were associated with the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, which was no longer helping Jewish immigrants in the United States, but other immigrants. In his apocalyptic race war, Jews were enabling the browning of America, and therefore, we were a feared target.
Q: Do you think that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are doing enough to protect the Jewish community?
A: Their actions since the end of the year are to be commended, whether it’s the governor for releasing funds that had been allocated for Jewish security, as well as releasing new funds for houses of worship that the Jewish community was seeking. The mayor has been supportive in allocating additional police to the neighborhoods where a lot of these anti-Semitic events occurred.
There is more work to be done, but we’re certainly getting indications that Albany and City Hall realize the threat and want to be helpful in whichever ways they can.
Q: The newly implemented New York bail reform has come under fire from the Jewish community for releasing suspects accused of committing anti-Semitic attacks. What’s your stance on the law?
A: The legislators and the activists who were for bail reform were all with the best intentions, but the way the legislation ultimately came out had flaws. Certainly, we’ve seen those flaws with examples of Tiffany Harris, who assaulted and cursed at three Jewish women in an anti-Semitic attack, and had to be arrested two more times before City Hall decided to intervene. Otherwise, she would have been released another time. So that can’t be the way the designers of this legislation expected it to function.
The question is how can you reform the law in a way that keeps elements of it that were useful, but actually maintain some kind of law-enforcement deterrence that doesn’t encourage people because they think they’re going to be released immediately.
Q: How would you reform the bail law?
A: One way that strikes me is if the infraction has anything to do with hate and if it’s any type of hate-related criminality, I would think there might be some kind of carve-out, and there’s a higher threshold before someone is released and back on the streets.
Q: What more can our elected leaders do? Increase funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program?
A: Both in New York State and at the federal level, there at the Department of Homeland Security, there are security grants. We’ve heard [N.Y.] Senator [Chuck] Schumer talk about increasing the number in the Nonprofit Security Grant Program from $90 million to $360 million; that would be fantastic. Expediting that would be great. The state has already augmented its funding for houses of worship in New York. With law enforcement, special attention needs to be paid to Jewish institutions in jurisdictions these days. It’s an unfortunate aspect of the environment that we’re in with Jewish houses of worship. It’s unfortunately what’s required right now.
Q: Recipients of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program can use up to 50 percent of funds for armed personnel. If they want to use more, they need a waiver from FEMA. Should Congress allow recipients to use up to 100 percent of the money towards such a purpose?
A: When you’re protecting an institution, there are lots of elements. Armed guards are one element of it. Hardening a door, as basic as it may sound, is critical. We see in Germany, this individual attack the Halle synagogue on Yom Kippur. The reinforced door that had been paid for by Jewish organizations saved the day. Similarly, you want to have that blast-mitigation, bullet-resistant, shatter-proof film on the glass on windows.
So there are other elements to it besides armed guards that are as equally as important. We don’t want to neglect infrastructure security.
Q: Besides the job requirements, how has your new role compared to being in the NYPD?
A: In some ways, there are a lot of similarities. Once again, it’s sort of protecting New York from a wide spectrum of threats and knowing as much as we can about what those threats look like will better inform our efforts.
Obviously, at NYPD, I was part of a 35,000-person small army.
Here, we’re a unit, a team of seven, so we’re going to have to punch above our weight to get it done. It’s a little bit of a startup; the NYPD is obviously not a startup. We have our seed funding. If we can deliver results this early, we’ll be able to increase the resources that we can draw upon and build out more holistically.
Many of the same threats that I dealt with at the NYPD in the counterterrorism world are similar threats we have to deal with in the Jewish security world.
Q: Besides the common “If you see something, say something,” what advice do you have for the Jewish community when it comes to being vigilant?
A: One of the things I’d like to put in place is classes not only where people can learn Krav Maga as part of self-defense, but also situational awareness.
Everyone in the community is going to have to play a role in terms of their awareness, noticing things. “If you see something, say something” is great, but we actually need a higher level of understanding of what it is that people should be looking for.
Hopefully, we’ll be able to roll out classes in the Greater New York Area that can provide guidance of what might be suspicious that you might not otherwise think and the mechanism for reporting it, so that we can have better situational awareness and maybe advanced warning if something comes our way.
Q: Is there anything else you wish to add?
A: In this new role, in the Community Security initiative, we’re going to need alliances because we can’t do it all on our own, and there are two organizations that we’re working on setting up alliances with.
One is called the Community Security Service. It’s an organization that provides volunteers who can augment the physical security of institutions where there are another set of eyes and ears that know about surveillance and counter-surveillance, and also little bit about self-defense. We plan on partnering with them in a big way in the Greater New York City Area because we think they’re an important force multiplier.
The second is the Anti-Defamation League and its Center on Extremism, which has a robust online analysis capability. They’ve helped contribute to the identification of half-a-dozen people in the United States since Pittsburgh who gave indications that they were preparing violent attacks against Jews and others. We want to be a beneficiary of their intelligence flow. (JNS.org)
If there is one word to describe The Manipulators, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Big Tech’s War on Conservatives, the excellent new book from Daily Caller editor Peter J. Hasson, it must be “outrageous.” That is not to say that Hasson’s work—staid and thoroughly researched—is outrageous, but that the story he tells should leave any sensible reader, conservative or otherwise, outraged.
The Manipulators represents one of the first major journalistic investigations of the world of big tech written from the right. Using his own beat reporting and others’ work, Hasson takes us inside the Silicon Valley firms that have come to dominate our lives. His research reveals a disturbing pattern of hostility to and silencing of conservative voices, which he links to an all-encompassing, far-left corporate monoculture. The resultant work should leave any reader, conservative or otherwise, concerned.
The first half of the book focuses on Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Google subsidiary YouTube, with each chapter following the same basic schema. Photo Credit: Daily Caller
The first half of the book focuses on Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Google subsidiary YouTube, with each chapter following the same basic schema. Hasson outlines the enormous power these companies have—7 in 10 Americans use Facebook, three in four use YouTube, etc. He then presents the evidence that their corporate cultures are overwhelmingly left-leaning—the infamous post-2016 “all hands” meeting at Google, e.g., or the hate directed at Facebook VP Joel Kaplan after he publicly supported Brett Kavanaugh. Lastly, he shows how these companies’ implementation of ostensibly neutral speech restrictions have reliably resulted in bans for and silencing of conservatives while hard-left speech skates inexplicably by.
The book’s second act zooms out to look at the way that other organizations cooperate with big tech’s censorship project. Hasson savages supposedly neutral groups like Media Matters and the SPLC that have become “trusted flaggers” for social media sites in spite of their clear left-wing bias. He also looks at the way social media have worked to boost left-wing news sources, like Huffington Post and the now-defunct ThinkProgress, while tipping the scales against openly conservative ones.
The whole picture is, in a word, damning. Can we say for certain that Facebook, Twitter, and Google do not allow their overwhelmingly left-wing employee-base to affect their decisions? Certainly, correlation does not imply causation, but it does waggle its eyebrows suggestively.
Against charges of anti-conservative bias—of which there have been many—social media firms have more or less pleaded incompetence. When conservatives identify patterns of bias against themselves, they argue, what they are really doing is stitching together discrete, unrelated failures of the sort that any person who understands content moderation would expect.
Hasson outlines the enormous power these companies have—7 in 10 Americans use Facebook, three in four use YouTube, etc. He then presents the evidence that their corporate cultures are overwhelmingly left-leaning—the infamous post-2016 “all hands” meeting at Google, e.g., or the hate directed at Facebook VP Joel Kaplan after he publicly supported Brett Kavanaugh. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Hasson’s book is subject to this argument, and critics will no doubt make use of it. But, even while The Manipulators does make a compelling case that there is something fishy about big tech, it does not actually need to prove that social media platforms are waging a deliberate war on conservatives. To borrow a phrase from the law, Hasson does not really need to prove overt discrimination, even if he goes a long way toward doing so. Rather, at most The Manipulators needs to prove disparate treatment—that even if Facebook and Twitter and Google are merely incompetent rather than malicious, the net effect is still the silencing of conservatives. Maybe all of the bans are discrete failures, but that leaves unaddressed the question of whether or not the failure rate is too high, or the costs of failure too great.
Hasson’s goal—to document how big tech silences conservatives—is a narrow one, and he fulfills it well. What The Manipulators largely lacks (although not really to its detriment) is an account of what we should do about this. To the extent that Hasson does offer a proscription, it is a personal one, charging readers not to rely on government to control big tech, but to keep fighting the good fight online (and, of course, to report further abuses to him).
Such individual-level approaches are certainly admirable, but they may not be up to snuff. A whole debate currently rages in Washington, as figures on both left and right call for a crackdown on tech firms that they see as examples of monopolistic concentration. Distaste for Facebook is one of the few issues that can even galvanize libertarian conservatives like Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) to suggest that, perhaps, government ought to do something.
The political solutions put forward by these voices—usually the renewed application of antitrust law to Facebook or Google—would make for a bigger hammer, but it is unclear if it is the hammer we need. When it comes to social media in particular, The Manipulators suggests that the problem is not so much economic concentration, but the concentration of speech, and the concurrent power to police it. Over the past decade, much of our democratic life has moved online—but are we better off for it?
Before social media, political conversations were comparatively much harder to have, certainly at the scale that the internet now permits. This meant that they were also much harder to police—the concentration of speech in one place means that it is easier to manage. For much of its early history, the internet was used largely by skilled users with niche interests, able to navigate a more decentralized web. These users tended to prefer a sort of free speech absolutism, which was readily enforced by the ease of “exit” from one chat board to another.
As normal people came online through the late 2000s and 2010s, however, they demanded easy-to-use systems that provided all of their services in one place. They also demanded services that their friends already used—which means that for every user a service got, its probability of getting additional users increased. Firms like Facebook and Google are market dominant in large part because they did such a good job of meeting those demands. At the same time, however, that concentration both created a demand for a more heavily moderated internet—the median user became less interested in radical speech—and made the median user less competent, less willing, and less able to “exit” a platform they did not like.
Recently, YouTube took down videos from its platform that it deemed controversial.
There are enormous discursive, even pro-democratic, benefits to modern concentration. Twitter disintermediates relationships between politicians and constituents, Facebook permits debate and discussion at a mass scale, and Google collects more information than any republic reliant on literate citizenship has ever had access to.
At the same time, as The Manipulators makes clear, concentration permits the exercise of power by private firms over these same channels of information. Even if the resultant abuses are entirely accidental (and some of them are surely not), the effect is the same. Some voices are silenced not because they are wrong, but because they fail the tests of the algorithmic powers-that-be.
The question then with which The Manipulators should leave citizens and policymakers alike is: Are we better off with this kind of power in the hands of so few? Is American democracy healthier because a handful of firms let us talk to each other, while simultaneously silencing certain voices? Or were we better before, when we perhaps had less conversation, but it was also less readily controllable? On this matter, Hasson is largely silent. From the story he tells, however, the answer seems loud and clear. (Washington Free Beacon)
Charles Fain Lehman is a staff writer for the Washington Free Beacon. He writes about policy, covering crime, law, drugs, immigration, and social issues. Reach him on twitter (@CharlesFLehman) or by email at [email protected].
The American Sephardi Federation’s New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival (NYSJFF) will honor iconic fashion designer Elie Tahari, film directors Elie Chouraqui and Keren Yedaya, and actor Dan Yedaya with Pomegranate Awards for Sepahrdi Excellence in the Arts, each sculpted by world-renowned artist Oded Halahmy.
On Opening Night (February 23rd at 6pm), Elie Tahari will receive the Pomegranate Lifetime Achievement Award for Fashion Designer and filmmaker Keren Yedaya (winner of the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival) will receive the Pomegranate Award for Director. The evening will feature the New York première of her film RED FIELDS, starting Sephardi stars Neta Elkayam and Dudu Tassa, followed by a Moroccan After Party.
On the NYSJFF’s Moroccan Night, February 27th at 7pm, French-Sephardi filmmaker and stage director Elie Chouraqui (THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, O JERUSALEM) will receive the Ronit Elkabetz A”H Pomegranate Award for Lifetime Achievement on Stage and Screen. The evening will feature the NY première of WHERE ARE YOU GOING MOSHÉ?.
Dan Hedaya (ADAMS FAMILY VALUES, CHEERS), a member of the Syrian Sephardic commuinty, will receive the Pomegranate Lifetime Achievement Award for Actor on the Festival’s Iraqi Closing Night, which will also feature the world première of THE WOLF OF BAGHDAD.
This 23rd edition of the NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival delivers an action-packed program of 19 films. Showcasing 11 première films, including two world premières (THE WOLF OF BAGHDAD and THE HUG OF DESTINY). The NYSJFF specializes in bringing to NY audiences compelling, Greater Sephardi narratives and documentaries, comedies and critical perspectives that celebrate the beauty, diversity, and vitality of the Jewish experience. 10 filmmakers will be joining the NYSJFF for post-screening Q&As and several stars will be honored with the Pomegranate Award for Sephardi Excellence in the Arts. The Pomegranate Awards are hand-sculpted by world-renowned Baghdad-born artist Oded Halahmy of the Pomegranate Gallery in Soho and Jaffa.
All films and events are taking place at the Center for Jewish History located at 15 West 16th Street except the special screening of LEONA for Mexican Night, which will occur at Instituto Cervantes (211 East 49th Street, New York, NY, 10017).
The complete list of selected NYSJFF films with dates, times, pass and ticket information can be found at www.nysephardifilmfestival.org
Passes or special night tickets may be purchased at https://23rdnysjfilmfestival.bpt.me or by calling the box office at 1.800.838.3006
About ELIE TAHARI
Elie Tahari is the founder, designer, and chairman of Elie Tahari, Ltd. His passion for dressing sexy, sophisticated, feminine, and powerful women over the last four decades has evolved into a $300 million enduring and privately held fashion brand, with a global presence in 40 countries, and more than 800 points of distribution worldwide. Elie Tahari began his self-taught fashion career in 1973 after immigrating to the US from Israel, where he had grown up in an orphanage. Arriving with empty pockets, his desire to work hard translated into selling clothing from a boutique in Greenwich Village.
His determination to learn, and his attraction to the energy of New York’s famous Studio 54 club scene in the 1970’s, inspired the initial designs that propelled him into the world of fashion. Less than one year later, he was one of the first fashion designers to open a boutique on Madison Avenue in 1974 at the young age of 22. Elie Tahari’s collections can be found in every major department store around the world such as Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harrods, Tsum, and Harvey Nichols Dubai. His designs have been worn by celebrities — Angelina Jolie, Bradley Cooper, Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Elizabeth Hurley, Gwyneth Paltrow, and have been featured globally in every major fashion publication such as Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, W, and Elle.
About ELIE CHOURAQUI
Elie Chouraqui is a director, screenwriter, producer, actor and writer, born in Paris to a Sephardi immigrant family. He is one of the most celebrated filmmakers of France. In 1974, his encounter with Anouk Aimée was decisive. For her, he wrote MON PREMIER AMOUR, his first film, which was nominated four times at the French César Award. After directing for French television an adaptation of Emile Zola’s novel Une page d’amour, he wrote and directed QU’EST-CE QUI FAIT COURIR DAVID?, which he also produced, as he produced or co-produced all his films. In 1984, his movie PAROLES ET MUSIQUE, starting Catherine Deneuve, Christophe Lambert, Richard Anconina, and Charlotte Gainsbourg received three César Award nominations. His film HARRISON’S FLOWERS, starting Andie McDowell, Adrien Brody, David Strathairn, Brendan Gleeson, and Elias Koteas was shown at the San Sebastian Festival.
Chouraqui wrote, produced, and directed THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, a musical that was seen by more than 1.8 million people in France before touring in Italy, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland, South Korea (where its theatrical trope celebrated surpassing 800 performances in 2007), and the United States. His next musical was SPARTACUS THE GLADIATOR, featuring the music of Maxime Leforestier, which was followed by the film O JERUSALEM, adapted from the best-selling book by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins, and starring Saïd Taghmaoui. He staged “Le Prénom” and then “Miroirs,” a play he co-wrote, in Tel Aviv, where he has lived since 2016. In Israel, an Israeli-American-French television channel, I24NEWS asked Elie Chouraqui to do a live show every Sunday evening “Elie sans interdit.” In this show he interviews international personalities from the political, intellectual, and artistic worlds.
About DAN HEDAYA
Dan Hedaya, a member of the Syrian Sephardic community, has been enjoying a fulfilling career as an actor for many years. He has appeared in some sixty feature films, including BLOOD SIMPLE, THE FIRST WIVES CLUB, CLUELESS, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, HURRICANE, ADAMS FAMILY VALUES, and DICK, in which he portrayed Richard Nixon. On TV he guest starred numerous times on Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue (for which he received an Emmy nomination), Family Ties, and Law & Order. His most notable character was the eccentric Nick Tortelli in Cheers. His stage work includes appearing with Al Pacino in THE BASIC TRAINING OF PAVLO HUMMEL on Broadway, as well as numerous Off-Broadway productions, including many at the New York Shakespeare Festival.
About KEREN YEDAYA
Keren Yedaya is an award-winning Israeli director. She has directed the features OR (Caméra d’Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival, 2004), JAFFA (Cannes Film Festival, 2009), and THAT LOVE- LY GIRL (Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival, 2014), as well as the shorts ELINOR (1994), LULU (1999), and UNDERWEAR (2001). RED FIELDS (2019), her latest feature film, premièred at the Toronto International Film Festival and has won the Israeli Ophir Awards for Best Original Soundtrack and Best Sound Mixing. Yedaya is known as a feminist and activist for women’s rights. Yedaya trained at the Camera Obscura School of Art in Tel Aviv.
Well, the reviews are in — and sadly for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, what happened in Vegas hasn’t stayed in Vegas.
Instead, the entire nation got to see him get his 78-year-old butt kicked back and forth across the stage at the Democrat debate Wednesday night.
The reason is simple. Bloomberg has imperiously tried to buy the party’s nomination even as his history of misogynistic statements, racially-charged policing policies and “let them eat cake” demeanor have made voters bristle.
On the bright side, it’s only Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals and independents – oh, also farmers and the media — who don’t like him.
Can you blame them? Just to be certain, when the debate ended I grabbed a dictionary and looked up the word “elitist.” Sure enough, there was a photo of Bloomberg right next to it. (His photo also graces the pages holding the words “smug,” “contemptuous” and “entitled.”)
Maybe I ought to buy a new dictionary — but then again, it’s the same one that political pundits and insiders across the spectrum are apparently using. Who knew that it was the diminutive former mayor who could finally bring a divided America together.
I wonder if they’ll mention that on Bloomberg News.
As Fox News recounted, “MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ played a montage of Bloomberg’s ‘worst moments’ and Mika Brzezinski said he was ‘hard to watch.’ Lawrence O’Donnell said the billionaire suffered ‘the worst blows’ of the evening and an NBC News article co-bylined by Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Melissa Holzberg said ‘the biggest individual news from the debate was Michael Bloomberg struggling to defend his stop-and-frisk record as New York City mayor, as well as the non-disclosure agreements his company settled with women.’”
“Cringe” doesn’t quite capture the full Ozymandiasistic quality. Remember the classic Percy Bysshe Shelley poem? “And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Uh…… thanks Mike, but no thanks.
Said Joe Scarborough: “For a guy who is worth $55 billion and says he could run the world, he couldn’t even run his own microphone last night.”
CNN’s Van Jones: “It’s unanimous: a horrible night for Bloomberg….” His “dream scenario turned into a nightmare.”
Democrat David Axelrod: “… disastrous debut… the big loser.”
CNN’s Paul Begala: “Bloomberg lost.”
The Huffington Post: “…rude awakening.”
Vox: “… loser.”
Mother Jones: Bloomberg “got lit up.”
CNBC: the former mayor “took a beating.”
Donald Trump, Jr: “He spent half a billion dollars to look like a jerk.”
Ann Coulter: “Bloomberg ad: ‘I led a complex diverse city through 9/11 …’ Um, I think that was Giuliani. Dem primaries are getting to be like Nursing Home Bingo.”
President Donald J. Trump: “… worst debate performance in history.”
Nor did the humiliation end with the debate. The following day, it was reported that Bloomberg’s campaign staffers tweeted out a video of his performance that, as thehill.com phrased it, “was selectively edited to make it appear that his fellow candidates fell into a lengthy silence when he asked if any of them have started their own business.”
“Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
The New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival (NYSJFF) announces its action-packed 2020 program of 19 films. Showcasing 11 première films, including two world premières (THE WOLF OF BAGHDAD and THE HUG OF DESTINY), the NYSJFF specializes in bringing to NY audiences compelling, Greater Sephardi narratives and documentaries, comedies and critical perspectives that celebrate the beauty, diversity, and vitality of the Jewish experience. 10 filmmakers will be joining the NYSJFF for post-screening Q&As and several stars will be honored with the Pomegranate Award for Sephardi Excellence in the Arts. The Pomegranate Awards are hand-sculpted by world-renowned Baghdad-born artist Oded Halahmy of the Pomegranate Gallery in Soho and Jaffa.
Preliminary estimates indicate that the first wave of Jews who settled in Albania were survivors of a shipwreck containing Jewish slaves on their way to Rome as early as 70 CE. Based on original documents and eyewitnesses, HUG OF DESTINY is an illuminating documentary about the history of Jewish people in Albania and Kosovo, including the largely unknown story of Jewish lives saved by Muslims during the Holocaust. Special appearances are made by Edi Rama (Albania’s Prime Minister), Kadri Veseli (President of Kosovo’s Parliament), and Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel’s Prime Minister).
“We are exceptionally proud to present the NY première of RED FIELDS for Opening Night on February 23rd. Keren Yedaya is a Cannes Film Festival favorite and her latest, award-winning cinematic gem features an all-star Sephardi cast, including Neta Elkayam and Dudu Tassa,” said Sara Nodjoumi, Artistic Director of the NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival.
Nodjoumi produced REGGAE BOYZ (Audience Award, Brooklyn Film Festival 2019), WHEN GOD SLEEPS (PBS 2018, Passion for Freedom Gold Award Winner, 2018) and THE IRAN JOB (Shortlisted German Academy Award, 2014) and is a programming alumna of the Tribeca Film Festival.
“New York audiences will be pleased to know that we have films spanning the Greater Sephardi world. These are stories steeped in history, community, and traditions,” said Nodjoumi.
“The 23rd NYSJFF prides itself on providing our patrons with premières, such as THE WOMEN’S BALCONY and LETTERS FROM BAGHDAD, exceptional films that went on to win international awards and have strong theatrical runs,” said Jason Guberman, Executive Director of the American Sephardi Federation.
“The NYSJFF challenges audiences to think outside the shtetel with programs dedicated to exploring Ladino (including a classic film starring Tom Hanks); Greek, Italian, and Balkan Jews in the Holocaust; Portuguese conversos (Crypto-Jews); the Syrian Sephardic community coming to America; and Jewish life in Azerbaijan, Israel, Iraq, Mexico, and Morocco,” Guberman added.
“This year’s edition will bring great films, Q&As, and celebrations. I’m deeply proud to have iconic French film director Elie Chouraqui, popular Syrian Sephardi actor Dan Hedaya, and poetic Israeli storyteller Karen Yedaya joining us to be honored. We will also present a special Moroccan Night After Party and Iraqi Closing Night with many surprises! The NYSJFF is full of wonderful memories and important cultural exchange,” said David Serero, the NYSJFF’s Producer and a Moroccan-French Sephardi opera singer.
Serero, who previously created and starred in the ASF’s successful theatrical seasons (Merchant of Venice, Nabucco, Don Giovanni, Cyrano de Bergerac, Othello, Romeo and Juliet), staged a critical, well-received reading of The Jew of Malta, performed at the ASF for world leaders, including the President of Portugal Marcel Rebelo de Sousa and Mr. André Azoulay, Senior Counsellor to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, and is the co-founder, producer, and artistic director of the ASF’s American Sephardi Music Festival, which has featured such international talents as Yemen Blues, Francoise Atlan, Gerard Edery, and Itamar Borochov. He recently received an Award for Diversity at the UNESCO in Paris.
All films and events are taking place at the Center for Jewish History located at 15 West 16th Street. The special screening of LEONA for Mexican Night will occur at Instituto Cervantes (211 East 49th Street, New York, NY, 10017).
The complete list of selected NYSJFF films with dates, times, pass, and ticket information can be found at www.nysephardifilmfestival.org
Passes or special night tickets may be purchased at https://23rdnysjfilmfestival.bpt.me or by calling the box office at 1.800.838.3006
Sunday, 23 February
1:00PM: Levantine (U.S. Première)
3:00PM: Ma’abarot
6:00PM: Opening Night – Red Fields (NY Première)
Monday, 24 February
1:00PM: Stockholm
5:00PM: Say Amen (NY Première)
7:00PM: Greek Night – Life Will Smile (NY Première); Romaniotes: The Greek Jews of Ioannina
Tuesday, 25 February
12:00PM: Shalom Italia
2:00PM: The Hug of Destiny (World Première)
6:00PM: The Last Jew in the Village (U.S. Première)
8:00PM: Portuguese Night – The Nun’s Kaddish (NY Première); Sefarad (NY Première)
Wednesday, 26 February
1:00PM: Everytime We Say Goodbye
4:00PM: The Final Hour (U.S. Première)
7:00PM – Moroccan Night – Where Are You Going Moshé?
Thursday, 27 February
2:00PM: Wanderings: A Journey to Connect
7:00PM: Iraqi Closing Night – The Wolf of Baghdad (U.S. Première)
Saturday, 29 February
8:00PM: The Syrian Jewish Community: Coming to America (1900-1919)
Monday, 2 March
7:00PM: Mexican Night – Leona
*At Instituto Cervantes
Victoria’s Secret, which once defined sexy with its leggy supermodels in their lacy bras and oversized angel wings, has a new owner.
Now, the big question is whether the once sought after but now struggling brand can be reinvented for a new generation of women demanding more comfortable styles.
The company’s owner, L Brands, said Thursday that the private-equity firm Sycamore Partners will buy 55% of Victoria’s Secret for about $525 million. The Columbus, Ohio, company will keep the remaining 45% stake. After the sale, L Brands will be left with its Bath & Body Works chain and Victoria’s Secret will become a private company.
Les Wexner, 82, who founded the parent company in 1963, will step down as chairman and CEO after the transaction is completed and become chairman emeritus. Wexner has been grappling with his own troubles, including questions over his ties to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was indicted on sex-trafficking charges.
The selling price for Victoria’s Secret signifies a marked decline for a brand with hundreds of stores that booked about $7 billion in revenue last year. Shares of L Brands slid more than 7% Thursday though they recovered somewhat by late afternoon. Shares were down nearly 4%, or 88 cents, to close at $23.42.
In a statement, Wexner said the deal will provide the best path to restoring Victoria’s Secret’s businesses to their ’’historical levels of profitability and growth.” The deal will also allow the company to reduce debt and Sycamore will bring a “fresh perspective and greater focus to the business, ’’ he said.
To successfully turn around Victoria’s Secret, Sycamore will need to change up the corporate culture, reinvent the fashions and redesign the stores to make them more contemporary, experts say. Sycamore manages a $10 billion portfolio including such struggling retailers as Belk, Hot Topic and Talbots.
The management team at Victoria’s Secret essentially was designing what men want, not what women want, said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail.
“The brand is very embedded in the past,” said Saunders. “It was always about men feeling good. It should be about making women feel good about themselves.”
Victoria’s Secret had a long unparalleled run of success. The brand was founded by the late Roy Larson Raymond in the late 1970s after he felt embarrassed about purchasing lingerie for his wife. Wexner, the founder of the then Limited Stores Inc., purchased Victoria’s Secret in 1982 and turned it into a powerful retail force. By the mid-1990s, Victoria’s Secret lit up runways and later filled the internet with its supermodels and an annual television special that mixed fashion, beauty and music.
That glamour has faded and so have sales in the last few years. The show was canceled last year, and shares of Victoria Secret’s parent have gone from triple digits less than five years ago to a quarter of that today.
Victoria’s Secret struggled to keep up with competition and failed to respond to changing tastes among women who want more comfortable styles. Rivals like Adore Me and ThirdLove, which have sprouted up online and marketed themselves heavily on social media platforms like Instagram, have focused on fit and comfort while offering more options for different body types. Meanwhile, American Eagle’s Aerie lingerie chain, which partners with women activists like Manuela Baron, has also lured customers away from Victoria’s Secret.
And in the era of the #MeToo movement, women are looking for brands that focus on positive reinforcement of their bodies.
‘’Victoria’s Secret will need to empower women, not make them spectacles,” said Jon Reily, senior vice president and global head of commerce strategy at digital consultancy Isobar.
Stacey Widlitz, president of SW Retail Advisors, a retail consultancy, said that Victoria’s Secret designs in the last few years were going in the opposite direction of what women wanted, ever sexier and poorer quality.
And while last year Victoria’s Secret started featuring more diverse models, including its first openly tra
nsgender model, the moves fell short.
Victoria’s Secret suffered a 12% drop in same-store sales during the most recent holiday season. L Brands said Thursday that same-store sales declined 10% at Victoria’s Secret during the fourth quarter. Bath & Body Works, which has been a bright spot, enjoyed a 10% increase. The skincare chain represents more than 80% of L Brands’ operating profit.
“The (Victoria’s Secret) brand has lost its way, while the lingerie market is not large or high growth, and has become commoditized,“ Randal Konik, an analyst at Jefferies, wrote Thursday. ”Furthermore, with athleisure taking over, the need for regular bras continues to wane.”
The company has also been beset by allegations of a toxic work environment and its founder recently apologized for his ties to Epstein, who was found hanged in his jail cell after his indictment. L Brands’ Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek resigned last August after making controversial comments about why transsexuals shouldn’t be models at its annual fashion event.
Epstein started managing Wexner’s money in the late 1980s and helped straighten out the finances for a real estate development backed by Wexner in a wealthy suburb of Columbus. Wexner has said he completely severed ties with Epstein nearly 12 years ago and accused him of misappropriating “vast sums” of his fortune.
Wexner offered an apology at the opening address of L Brands’ annual investor day last fall, saying he was “embarrassed” by his former ties with Epstein.
Wexner is the longest-serving CEO of an S&P 500 company. He founded what would eventually become L Brands in 1963 with The Limited retail chain, according to the company’s website. Wexner owns approximately 16.71% of L Brands, according to FactSet.
Mike Robbins, a San Francisco-based corporate culture expert who has advised such chains as Gap and Sephora, said the team at Victoria’s Secret will have to retrain workers and have more people with diverse voices.
“’They have a lot of work to do — within the company and also outside with the customers, ” Robbins said. ”The companies that are able to have great culture attract the best employees.” (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says even if a Democrat is elected president in November, Donald Trump’s Mideast peace plan will still go forward.
But Netanyahu told The Jerusalem Post the only thing that can stop the plan is if he loses his own election on March 2.
“Once the Trump plan is put forward, the goal posts will have been moved, and it will be very difficult for any administration to move them back,” he said. “Any administration, Democratic or Republican, will have to work with the new realities. … I’m sure the next administration, whatever it will be, will have to consider the fact that there’s a new plan.”
But he said he is worried what would happen to Israel if opposition leader Benny Gantz and his centrist Blue and White Party wins the election and forms a new government, even if Gantz approved of Trump’s plan when he met with the president at the White House last month.
Trump’s Middle East peace plan foresees an eventual Palestinian state, but would leave much of the West Bank, where the Palestinians want independence, in Israeli hands. There would also be Israeli enclaves within the new Palestinian state, and only a small and relatively impoverished part of east Jerusalem would be set aside for a Palestinian capital.
The plan does not include a major Palestinian demand — the “right of return” to lands taken from them when Israel was formed in 1948.
Israel and the U.S. cobbled the plan together without the Palestinians. They refused to participate, believing the U.S. would be pro-Israel.
Middle East peace has yet to emerge as a major issue in the Democratic presidential race. But all six major candidates have said the Trump plan is worthless without participation from both Israelis and Palestinians.
Senator Elizabeth Warren said diplomacy without the Palestinians is a sham, while former Vice President Joe Biden called the Trump plan a “stunt.”
Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg accused Trump of making a complex situation worse, while Senator Amy Klobuchar said unilateral implementation will eliminate any chance of a two-state solution.
The two Jewish Democratic candidates — businessman Mike Bloomberg and Senator Bernie Sanders — predict Trump’s peace deal would only undermine the security of Israel, the Palestinians and the United States.
About a week ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a visit to Pakistan, reiterated strong opposition to President Trump’s recently announced Middle East peace initiative, denouncing it as an “occupation project.”
In his address to a special joint session of the Pakistani parliament, Erdogan said that protecting Jerusalem is a “red line” for his country and Ankara will never leave the holy city to the mercy of what he called the invading Israeli state.
“We strongly responded and will continue to give the strongest response to the occupation, annexation and destruction plan announced by the U.S. government,” said the Turkish leader. (VOA)
