The West is abandoning Israel

 Spiked (spiked-online.com) Melanie Phillips on the military and moral assault on the Jewish State.

These are people who were still barbarically slaughtered. And yet to many in the West, they are not deserving of any human sympathy. That level of callousness and indifference, particularly among Western liberals, over the years was absolutely devastating to live through.

 . . ."But I also wasn’t surprised at the reaction of many leftists in the West following 7 October. People immediately came out either to support the Hamas ‘resistance’ effort and call Israel’s resistance ‘genocide’, or just to pretend the massacre didn’t even happen. That didn’t surprise me at all.

"O’Neill: What is the attitude in Israel to the war?

"Phillips: Israelis are determined to see the operation succeed because they understand that if it doesn’t the genocidal onslaught on Israel will continue. Not just from Hamas, either, but also by their paymasters in Iran and other Islamist threats like Hezbollah.

"When it comes to the operation in Gaza, it’s not possible to say precisely what’s happening due to military censorship. But Israel has made much faster strides than anyone thought – and with a lower level of casualties than expected. That’s not to say there haven’t been casualties. There are funerals for young soldiers all the time. But none of us in Israel wanted this war. Nobody in Israel wants to hurt the Palestinian people. But the West, including Britain, is simply not acknowledging the extraordinary lengths to which the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) are going to in order to try to preserve civilian life."

"Take the current operation at al-Shifa Hospital. If you only listened to the mainstream Western media, you would think that the hospital is under sustained onslaught by Israeli forces, hell-bent on taking the lives of helpless patients and doctors inside. And yet the very opposite is the case. Israel has gone to enormous lengths to tell everybody at al-Shifa to evacuate. They have also concentrated the fighting around the hospital, rather than at the hospital itself.

"According to Israeli forces, the explosions seen around the hospital are largely caused by Hamas, which has been using the hospital as a nerve centre for its terrorist operations. Israel has since entered al-Shifa equipped with incubators, baby food, medicine, doctors and Arabic translators.

"It looks like some of the hostages taken by Hamas were held in and under the hospital in tunnels. The Israelis say that they have already found evidence of weapons and / or Hamas military activity in the hospital."... Below; Is America still worth fighting for?

Fremont High School in Oakland, California REMOVES U.S. flag and replaces it with a Palestine flag

Progressive Racist and The Most Shameless Liar on Television

"Hamas’ slaughter in Israel has revealed American progressives reveling in racism here.  For racism to be acceptable to them, it need only fit into the ideological justification of self-styled “progressives:” determinism." 

The Most Shameless Liar on Television - YouTube   "The most shameless liar on television today is MSNBC's Joy Reid. Every issue, every controversy, can be attributed to some type of racism.

Via Bode Lang - YouTube

American Progressivism’s Determined Racism – Issues & Insights   "Hamas’ slaughter in Israel has revealed American progressives reveling in racism here.  For racism to be acceptable to them, it need only fit into the ideological justification of self-styled “progressives:” determinism. 

"Since October 7, America’s progressives, such as the far-left House Members known as “the Squad,” have proved this repeatedly among our so-called elites — on college campuses, among politicians, and in journalists’ print. They have also implicitly shown that their ultimate target is not just Israel and Jews, but America and its values.

"The latest example of progressives’ regression came from within our own house: the House of Representatives.  On Wednesday, October 25, its eight ultra-left members known as “the Squad” refused to vote to condemn Hamas’ attack on Israel.  Six (Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y.; Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa.; and Cori Bush, D-Mo.) of the eight voted against the legislation, while two Squad members (Rep. Greg Casar, D-Tex., and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.) just voted “present.”  For progressives, the Squad’s regression from moral clarity to amoral opacity is mild in comparison to compatriots who have been forthrightly anti-Semitic in their expressions.    

"The aftermath of the Hamas terror attack has proved that today’s self-proclaimed “progressives” of America’s left are, in fact, extremely regressive.  They willingly embrace age-old racism if this racism will embrace progressives’ current ideological justification for it. Thus blessed, the most atrocious racism is not only not condemned but condoned.  Here within the left’s vanguard, racism finds more than the absence of scrutiny; it finds sanctuary." . . .  

Trumps gag order; Biden's Israeli conundrum (Parody)

 What is a gag order? : NPR   . . ."Merchan said he would not impose a gag order at the arraignment hearing even if it had been requested, arguing that it's among "the most serious and least intolerable on First Amendment rights." And he seemed especially disinclined to muzzle a candidate running for president, as Trump is, lest the move appear political or infringe on a candidate's ability to propagate a message.". . .

Meanwhile in Middle East news:

Biden Checks His Latest Poll Numbers To See If Israel Still Has Right To Defend Itself | Babylon Bee  " According to sources, President Biden has been awaiting results from the latest polls to see if giving Israel a right to defend itself is a popular thing or if they should just be annihilated or whatever.

" 'The Biden Administration plans to announce harsh condemnation of Hamas or maybe Israel," said Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, "We're still waiting for pollsters to get back with us on which condemnation is morally just."

"Sources say Presidential approval numbers have dropped in recent weeks, as Biden has been torn between appeasing his supporters who are pro-Israel, and appeasing his supporters who want to shed every last drop of Jewish blood until the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are erased from existence." . . .

Munro: DHS Chief Mayorkas Warns Agents Not to Misgender Border Crossers, but Ask Their Preferred Pronouns

 Breitbart

"President Joe Biden’s border chief is now ordering border guards not to presume the correct sex and corresponding pronouns for illegal migrants.

“ 'We just obtained [Customs and Border Patrol agency] documents directing personnel to only use woke language when encountering individuals invading the United States,” a tweet from the Oversight Project at the Heritage Foundation reads.

"The order from border chief Alejandro Mayorkas directs border guards to ignore the biological distinction between the two complementary sexes. Instead, officers must submit to the political claim that each person’s “gender” is more important than their biological sex and so must allow people to sneak across the male/female border under the disguise of “transgender” pronouns.

"The instructions say:

If a longer dialogue [with a migrant] is occurring, it may be appropriate to ask the individual their preferred pronoun.

For example, state “I would like to be respectful — what name and pronoun would you like me to use when addressing you”? . . .

California, the Great Destroyer

 Victor Davis Hanson › American Greatness

So what happened to the can-do California of former governors Pat Brown, Ronald Reagan, George Deukmejian, and Pete Wilson? They had bequeathed to the Baby Boomer generation a well-run state, renowned for its state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Photo added by TD

 "In 1996, the California legislature created the high-speed rail authority.

"In 2008, voters passed an initial nearly $10 billion bond to build an envisioned 800 mile, $33 billion project eventually to link Sacramento with San Diego.

"Fifteen years later, a scaled-down plan from Bakersfield to Merced remains not even half finished. Yet the envisioned costs will exceed that of the original estimate for the entire project.

"The rail authority now estimates that just the modest 178 mile route—only about a fifth of the authorized distance—will not be completed at least until 2030. Past high speed estimates of both time and cost targets have been widely wrong and perhaps deliberately misleading.

"Total costs for the entire project are now estimated at nearly $130 billion. Many expect that figure to double in the next quarter-century. Planners also concede there will likely not be much high speed rider demand from San Joaquin Valley residents willing to pay $86 to travel at a supposed 200 mph from Bakersfield to Merced.

"Nine years ago voters amid drought and water shortages also passed a state water bond, authorizing $7.5 billion in new water projects and initiatives.

"Some $2.7 billion was targeted for new dams and reservoirs. The current water storage system had not been enlarged since the early 1980s, when the state population was 15 million fewer residents.

"So far not a single dam or new reservoir has been built. And Californians expect more water rationing statewide anytime the state experiences a modest drought." . . .

. . ."The current disaster has many parents.

"A coastal culture of globally rich elites began passing some of the most stringent environmental and zoning regulations in the nation. Such Byzantine roadblocks deliberately stalled construction and skyrocketed costs—all of little concern to the “not-in-my-backyard” wealthy in their secluded coastal enclaves who had ensured the virtual end of infrastructure investments.

California's choice

"The state’s public unions and bloated bureaucracies guaranteed Soviet-style overhead, incompetence, and unaccountability. The more California raised its income taxes—currently the nation’s highest topping out at 13.3 percent—the more it borrowed, spent, and ran up huge annual budget deficits.

"The nation’s highest gasoline taxes along with steep sales and property taxes—coupled with unaffordable fuel and housing, a homeless epidemic, dismal public schools, out-of-control crime, and mass, illegal immigration—soon all led to a bifurcated state of rich and poor.

"The middle class either became poor or fled.

"Indeed, businesses and millions of the middle class hightailed it out of California over the last three decades in one of the greatest state population exoduses in our nation’s history. But they also took with them the very prior experience, expertise, and capital that had once made California the nation’s envy." . . .

Superstar singer Ishay Ribo performed for IDF soldiers on the front lines defending the land and the people of Israel.

Ishay Ribo Cheers IDF Soldiers on the Front Lines (collive.com)

Ishay Ribo Cheers IDF Soldiers on the Front Lines - COLlive

WebOctober 13, 2023 – 28 Tishri 5784. Superstar singer Ishay Ribo performed for IDF soldiers on the front lines defending the land and the people of Israel.

 Israeli soldiers break out in song of praise of God with Ishay Ribo at base #israel

Another Israeli Singer Cries Out to God and It Goes Viral - Israel Today    

"How could a prayer song become so popular on mainstream radio?  

As we have reported in the past (here, here and here), several orthodox/religious Israeli singers have become hugely popular in mainstream Israeli music, in spite of the fact that most Israelis are “secular.” Ultra-Orthodox Ribo said, “…complete atheists… write to me and say, ‘I don’t believe in anything, but your songs awaken something in my soul.’ ” His sold-out concerts are deeply-moving emotional and spiritual experiences of seeking the God of Israel.

Haka v. Hamas: Maoris Send Pro-Palestinian Rallies Packing

  RedState

"Last week, Maori activists from New Zealand came to Brisbane, Australia to rally and stand with Israel. That in and of itself is noteworthy, but in the process of showing their solidarity, the Maoris also thwarted a pro-Palestinian rally. That's a definition of Win-Win if there ever was one. The Maoris performed a traditional Haka, a loud, raucous, and intimidating war dance that is meant to put fear in one's enemies, while also building the character of the warrior performing the dance. In terms of the horrors of the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, not to mention a lot of things happening in our world today, we could use both of these.

"Maoris in Wellington, New Zealand performed this indigenous dance in late October in solidarity with Israel after the October 7 blitz attack by Hamas. They did the same in Auckland, New Zealand last week."

🚨Amazing footage of Māori men standing for Israel in the face of Hamas supporters down under
Then they march with an Israeli flag, and for some reason, no one dared to attack

God bless the lot of them pic.twitter.com/A59EvWWdb5

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) November 14, 2023

. . ."The Maoris also spoke about the Biblical and prophetic significance of standing with Israel.

The Destiny Church activists emphasised [sic] their belief in the biblical connection to the Holy Land, stating that the Jews are God's chosen people. They pointed to historical roots and biblical references, rejecting the idea that Palestinians are the original inhabitants.

"Many of the Maori warriors intelligently articulated why they Stand with Israel and will continue to do so. As a man with a "Yeshua Israel Forever" face mask on said, "We Stand with the Jews—All Day." 

Did Israel Steal Palestinian Land?

Introduction to What Justice Demands - AynRand.org

ARI's Resources on Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East (aynrand.org)

"In light of the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, we are publishing a list of ARI’s resources on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Islamic terrorism, and the Middle East. We will be updating this post with new material." . . .

The Hamas War on Israel (aynrand.org)   "In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate, Elan Journo, and Boaz Arad offer the Ayn Rand Institute’s response to the invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023 by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist militant group based in the Gaza Strip.

"Among the topics covered:

• Facts about the Hamas invasion (timeline, casualties, ongoing threats);
• Why the invasion was a predictable consequence of moral agnosticism about Hamas;
• Why U.S. foreign policy is responsible for pressuring Israel to appease Hamas;
• How Israel’s appeasement constitutes “the sanction of the victim”;
• Why the moral corruption of our foreign policy is an application of the evil of altruism;
• The evasion of the difference between the ideas that animate both sides of this conflict;
• The insincerity of calls for Israel’s restraint in the name of peace.

Understanding the Timing Behind Hamas's Invasion of Israel | Victor Davis Hanson - YouTube   In this clip, Victor Davis Hanson unpacks the potential reasons why Hamas chose this particular moment to Invade Israel.

Main Point of 300 Mile Underground Tunnel Came Out of There!

Raptor News

From the comments section:

 "It’s crazy how people here in the States will think the big tunnel under the hospital is an elevator shaft. They are willfully ignorant and have already chosen a side.

Congratulations! Thank you Jesus! God be with you to finish the battle Victoriously and the rescue of all hostages. God’s glorious presences be with you all, more miracles in favor of Israel.Amen

How does Hamas pay for those tunnels?   . . ."As the New York Post reported this week, “While their people languish in poverty and are treated as human shields, the leaders of Hamas live billionaire lifestyles.

“The terror group’s three top leaders alone are worth a staggering $11 billion between them and enjoy a life of luxury in the sanctuary of the emirate of Qatar.”

"Not only so, but back in 2012, the Gatestone Institute noted that “according to an investigative report published in the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, there are at least 600 millionaires living in the Gaza Strip. The newspaper report also refutes the claim that the Gaza Strip has been facing a humanitarian crisis because of an Israeli blockade.”

"Yes, “The Palestinian millionaires, according to the report, have made their wealth thanks to the hundreds of underground tunnels along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.”...

Israel war: Biden administration gave money to Hamas-linked groups | Washington Examiner  . . ."Trump cut off taxpayer funding to the UNRWA in 2018, but Biden reinstated it, pledging more than $200 million for the organization last year.

Critics have accused the UNRWA of promoting anti-Israel sentiments, allowing Hamas to use its resources, and working with terrorist-linked groups in Palestinian territories.

"The UNRWA has worked closely with a United Kingdom-based charity, the Palestinian Relief and Development Fund, or Interpal, on projects in Gaza. In 2003, the Treasury Department first sanctioned Interpal for its ties to Hamas. The group appears to remain sanctioned in the United States.

"In 2017, the UNRWA faced criticism when the chairman of its Palestinian workers union was allegedly elected to a Hamas leadership position. It was not the first time the group had been accused of employing people linked to Hamas. The agency suspended the union chairman.

"Also in 2017, Hamas-built tunnels, used for transporting fighters and weapons in secret, were discovered under UNRWA schools, sparking calls for stronger oversight of the schools the relief agency was funding.

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the agency to be dissolved.

"Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Sen. James Risch (R-ID) pushed legislation earlier this year that would cut U.S. funding to the UNRWA due to its “long history of employing those affiliated with Hamas” and its alleged promotion of antisemitism." . . .

Critics slam Biden admin for waiver that gives Iran access to $10B fund: ‘absolutely outrageous’ | Fox News

   "We should not be giving Iran one cent because it will be used to fund Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. All enemies of Israel and the United States," Daines added. 

 Biden sending $100M in aid to Gaza, home of Hamas terrorists (americanmilitarynews.com)   "President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that his administration is sending $100 million in “humanitarian assistance” to Gaza and the West Bank for the Palestinian people. The Gaza Strip is home to Hamas, a terrorist organization that recently attacked Israel, killing 1,300 people – mostly civilians – and wounding thousands more." . . .

Jerome Brooks, The Staffer Who Was Called a Fat Ass Stupid Idiot by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is Dead

 Houston Business Connections Newspaper©:  via Revolver News

Jerome Brooks (right) one of the Black male staffers who was berated by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (left), in her infamous audio recording has reportedly committed suicide at 36 years of age according to multiple sources. DEAD SILENCE... As far as we know, the Sheila Jackson Lee for Mayor of Houston Campaign has not said a word about the untimely death of Jerome Brooks, who, according to several sources took his life on Sunday, October 29, 2023, which was only a few days after "LEAKED AUDIO" of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, berating Jerome Brooks and another staffer calling them idiots surfaced."

Part of the conversation contains language as she is recorded: . . ."I don't want you to do a g---amn thing. I want you to have a fucking brain. I want you to have read it. I want you to say, Congresswoman, with such and such date. That's what I want. That's the kind of staff that I want to have. So some stupid other motherfucker did it. And, and I don't have the information. Nobody sent me the information. I need to, uh, ensure my, um, schedule and, uh, you know, if, if Boo Boo did it, shit ass did it, fuck face did it. And nobody knows a g---amn thing in my office. Okay? Nothing. I gave it to you. Your job was to get it on the calendar, imprint it in your brain, or send me the information back saying, “Congresswoman, I made sure that the Ovide Ducantell event that you gave me, uh, for a so-and-so date at seven is on the fucking calendar.” Not to, oh, Jerome has it."

Sheila Jackson Lee • 1:02 - 1:33

"Okay. So when I called Jerome, he only sitting up there like a fat ass stupid idiot talking about, uh, what the fuck? He doesn't know. Okay? Both of y'all are fuck ups [inaudible]. It's the worst shit that I could have ever had put together. Two g---amn big-ass children fucking idiots serve no g---amn purpose. Ain't managing nobody. Nobody's respecting them. Nobody gives a shit about what you're doing and you ain't doing shit. And this is an example of it. I gave it to Jerome. This is not child's work."

Mike Lee Isn't Done With Liz Cheney Yet. He Had a Great Question for Her About Those FBI Agents and J6 –

  RedState   . . ."Lee also had a comment about this fascinating video, which shows a "protester" being released, after having been handcuffed, away from other protesters. Many raised the question if this was an undercover agent, since he fist-bumped the police officer. 

I walk through these doors every day—several times a day.
I’ve never seen this happen. https://t.co/nLbOK0k4u1

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) November 18, 2023

"Chances we will get a straight answer while the Democrats are in power? Not high, but Congress should try."  

https://t.co/egMuq3Iq3V

— Not My Vijayjay (@julesfuels1979) November 18, 2023

 Mike Lee Steps in as Liz Cheney Tries to Shame Conservatives with Overplayed Jan. 6 Video (msn.com)   . . ."Given how little transparency was offered from Cheney and her Jan. 6 Committee cohorts, it's little surprise that there was vested interest in this new video dump.

"Cheney's not-so-subtle jab at people who care about Jan. 6 transparency did not go unnoticed, as Utah Sen. Mike Lee swiftly slammed Cheney on X.

"Liz, we've seen footage like that a million times," Lee posted. "You made sure we saw that -- and nothing else. It's the other stuff -- what you deliberately hid from us -- that we find so upsetting. Nice try.

" 'P.S. How many of these guys are feds? (As if you'd ever tell us)."

"Cheney, to her minimal credit, is not one to back down from a verbal altercation and responded to Lee." . . .

The Death of Matthew Perna Should Haunt His Prosecutors Every Day – Twitchy

Jan. 6 Capitol rioter dies by suicide because of 'broken heart' over case (nypost.com)    . . .A Capitol rioter killed himself while awaiting sentencing — dying from a “broken heart” over his case and because “the justice system killed his spirit and his zest for life,” according to kin. 

"Matthew Perna, who pleaded guilty in December to four charges related to the attempted insurrection, killed himself at home Friday.

"“The constant delays in hearings, and postponements dragged out for over a year. Because of this, Matt’s heart broke and his spirit died,” says his obituary in the Herald, a local newspaper in Sharon, Pa.

" 'Matt did not have a hateful bone in his body. He embraced people of all races, income brackets and beliefs, never once berating anyone for having different views,” the obit added." . . .

🚨Newly released footage of Matthew Perna (seen in red sweatshirt) shows Matthew walking calmly in the Capitol shooting video.
Matthew pled guilty to initial charges, believing he may face 6-12 months in prison.
Only after pleading guilty did the DOJ inform Matthew that they… pic.twitter.com/1vu0vrLCFe

— Brandon Straka (@BrandonStraka) November 18, 2023 

SAY THEIR NAMES: Matthew Perna, Jord Meachum, Mark Aungst, Chris Stanton — The J6 Defendants Who Died by Suicide Following the Merciless Harassment by Their Government | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hᴏft

They Razed Paradise And Put Up A Solar Farm –

  Issues & Insights

Simply put, according to one Massachusetts lawmaker, “it’s cheaper at the moment to buy land, clear cut it, and put up solar.”

"We’ve been told with clockwork regularity that in order to prevent a baked planet, we have to generate our electricity through renewable sources, primarily wind and solar. Set aside for now the legitimate questions about the reliability and cost of both and consider this: Do we even have enough room for the equipment necessary to produce enough power to meet the demand?

"Both wind and solar power are voracious land hogs. Wind or solar can need 90 to 100 times more acreage than a natural gas plant to generate the same amount of electricity. And let’s not forget the large swaths of land that will have to be appropriated, and in heavily forested areas clear cut, to build transmission lines that connect solar and wind farms to distribution lines.

"Yes, there is a lot of open land in this country on which to build wind and solar projects. But don’t think the NIMBYs are going to let the renewables sites just roll over without not just a fight but a war.

"A recent report from Mass Audubon and Harvard Forest says that it’s possible that solar can grow at the same time that “the nature we have” is protected. But before they can make their case, the authors had to acknowledge:

The current trajectory of deployment of large ground-mount solar is coming at too high a cost to nature. Concerns about impacts to nature are partly responsible for erosion of public support for solar, with many communities now seeking to slow or entirely stop new ground-mount solar systems.