The Obama and Biden Administrations' Betrayal of America's Closest Ally in the Middle East: Israel - Majid Rafizadeh

 

by Majid Rafizadeh

The White House actions have bolstered America's adversaries and pretty much extinguished America's credibility as an ally. The universal "optics" are that if America will throw its closest ally, Israel, under the bus, what chance has anyone else got?

 

• What onlookers see, including terrorists and America's enemies and adversaries – when they also factor in the open US southern border across which millions of illegal immigrants have recently poured, including 46,000 Chinese, many of whom are military-aged men possibly "building an army from within" – is that the Biden administration is perfectly content to welcome and support terrorists.

• The White House actions have bolstered America's adversaries and pretty much extinguished America's credibility as an ally. The universal "optics" are that if America will throw its closest ally, Israel, under the bus, what chance has anyone else got?

• Many people in Israel call to "Bring the Hostages Home." The request is wrong, because it is addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been doing his best to do free the hostages, while preventing Hamas ever to be able to strike Israel again – and standing up to US pressure, as he did during the fraudulent Iran nuclear deal. But the hostages are not his to bring home. The cry should be: "Release the Hostages" -- addressed, as well as calls for a ceasefire -- to the people who are holding them: Hamas, Qatar and Iran.

• The US administration would clearly like to replace Netanyahu with new US-handpicked prime minister who would do whatever they tell him to, and appears to have launched a plan to do just that, using Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as its mouthpiece. The Israelis must not fall for it. If they want to preserve Israel, preserve Netanyahu.

• The Palestinian state, even if it were officially "demilitarized," would, of course, be free to enter into military alliances with any countries it wished -- perhaps Russia, China, Iran, North Korea?

• Israel's new US puppet prime minister would presumably be happy to have Qatar – a country that has supported virtually every Islamic terrorist group -- including Hamas, ISIS, Hizballah, the Taliban, the al Nusra Front and Al Shabaab -- "operate" the Gaza pier now being built to bring "humanitarian aid" and Heaven knows what else into Gaza. Above all, of course, the new puppet would presumably agree to Iran being armed to the teeth with nuclear bombs.

• The Biden administration would do far better, especially for November 5, instead of aligning itself with the terrorist groups and the countries that support them -- such as Hamas, Qatar and Iran -- to align itself with those in the Free World, fighting for freedom, human rights and civilization.

The White House actions have bolstered America's adversaries and pretty much extinguished America's credibility as an ally. The universal "optics" are that if America will throw its closest ally, Israel, under the bus, what chance has anyone else got? Pictured: US President Joe Biden meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 18, 2023. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration persists in granting victories to Hamas and its primary supporters, Qatar and Iran, and in a way that only strengthens their positions in support of terrorism.

On March 25, the Biden administration declined to exercise its veto power at the United Nations Security Council, effectively betraying Israel and aligning itself with Hamas. This decision was perceived by Israel's enemies in Iran, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Iraq as the United States finally having abandoned Israel. The American abstention looked as if the US had adopted Hamas's position at long last -- and during the height of the conflict!

The Biden administration, throughout its term, of course, has also been providing, mostly in sanctions waivers, "closer $60 billion" to Iran, topped off by another $10 billion that looked as if it were a reward to Iran and its proxies for having killed three US service members, after attacking American troops in the region more than 150 times just since October.

The Iranian regime has undoubtedly has used this windfall not only to strengthen its own Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which trained Hamas for its atrocities on October 7, but also, to further enrich its uranium -- now, admittedly at 84% purity, close to the 90% purity needed for nuclear weapons-grade material -- to put the finishing touches on its eagerly anticipated nuclear bombs.

The Biden administration has therefore been funding both sides of two major wars it effectively ignited. The first war, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was enabled by Biden's hobbling US energy production his first days on the job, causing the price of oil on the world market to triple – from $40 a barrel at the end of 2020, to $120 a barrel in 2022 -- making Russia rich enough to launch a Ukraine. The US has also been funding Ukraine – which must defeat Russia -- but the entire Russian expedition would not have been possible without this catastrophic US policy.

The second war, Iranian-backed aggression in the Middle East, was enabled by the Biden administration's sanctions waivers to Iran, which, as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, had been in 2020, comfortably for everyone else, destitute. The Biden administration's sanctions waivers gifted Iran the use of up to $100 billion, at least some of which undoubtedly went into training at least 500 Hamas terrorists to attack Israel.

Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton, mincing no words in his condemnation of the Biden administration's stance, labeled it "confused" and "dangerous." He pointed out the dangerous precedent the Biden administration had set by allowing Hamas to wield a "terrorist veto" over Israel of the right to defend itself — a move that not only undermines Israel's security but also seriously weakens global counterterrorism efforts.

Senator Bill Hagerty further denounced the administration's actions as a betrayal of both Israel and the American citizens still held hostage by Hamas terrorists.

The apparent willingness by the Biden administration to appease the sponsors of Hamas — Qatar and Iran — at the expense of strategic alliances, underscores a troubling shift in US foreign policy priorities, one that seems to value winning votes in Michigan on November 5 over longstanding geostrategic alliances.

The Biden administration's actions at the UN Security Council additionally dealt a severe blow to efforts aimed at securing the release of hostages held by Hamas. By separating Hamas's demands from the release of hostages, Resolution 2728 significantly worsened the situation for those held captive -- including six remaining Americans -- an outcome that Israel rightly saw as a breach of trust.

Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman drew parallels between the Biden administration's actions and the infamous UNSC Resolution 2334 during the Obama administration — a move that similarly undermined Israel's position on the international stage and encouraged terrorists worldwide.

By failing to condemn Hamas and failing to condition a ceasefire on the release of hostages, the Biden administration handed Hamas and other terrorist groups a monumental diplomatic victory. What onlookers see, including terrorists and America's enemies and adversaries – when they also factor in the open US southern border across which millions of illegal immigrants have recently poured, including 46,000 Chinese, many of whom are military-aged men possibly "building an army from within" – is that the Biden administration is perfectly content to welcome and support terrorists.

The White House actions have bolstered America's adversaries and pretty much extinguished America's credibility as an ally. The universal "optics" are that if America will throw its closest ally, Israel, under the bus, what chance has anyone else got?

The Iranian regime last month celebrated what appeared a weakening of Israel's position, as an opportunity to advance its own agenda in the region. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei held meetings with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders, reinforcing Iran's support for their "world war" in Gaza. The elaborate reception aimed to intimidate adversaries and enhance Iran's image as a steadfast supporter of Hamas, as if to say, "Want to see what loyalty looks like? Watch this!"

Hamas leaders expressed gratitude for Iran's backing since the October 7 attack. Ismail Haniyeh, chair of Hamas's political bureau, thanked Iran for its support, positioning the country as a champion: "Iran stands at the forefront of supporting the cause and people of Palestine," said Haniyeh, he extending his appreciation to Iran's leadership and its people.

Sadly, the Biden administration's Middle East policy appears to have disastrous from the start, beginning with President Barack Obama's illegitimate and lethal Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or "nuclear deal" in 2015, which permitted Iran to have as many nuclear weapons as it liked presumably, according to Obama, so long as "Iran will not get a nuclear weapon on my watch."

As the columnist Amir Taheri wrote in 2018:

"To start with the 'deal' isn't legally binding because it was negotiated by the P5+1, an informal group with no legal existence, no mission statement and answerable to no one. They produced a press release, titled 'Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action' (JCPOA) in 176 pages, in three different versions, which was neither signed by anyone nor approved by any legislative authority in any of the countries concerned."

The previously year, Taheri wrote:

"A vague text was established, fudging the issue, and declaring victory for both sides. The participants in the game agreed to keep the text away from their respective legislatures so as not to risk scrutiny of the witches' brew they had cooked...

"Legally speaking, the so-called deal doesn't exist and thus cannot be 'torn up' by anybody...

It was not formally and legally appointed by anybody, had no written mission statement, implied no legal commitment for members and was answerable to no one."

To set the record straight, if someone were to brutally attack your family or community, resulting in the deaths of several members, the rape of others, and the abduction of hostages, would you decide to empower them to strike again? It was Hamas that initiated the attack on October 7th, launching a barrage of rockets at Israel while approximately 3,000 terrorists crossed the Gaza-Israel barrier and assaulted Israeli military bases and civilian communities. This onslaught resulted in the murder of approximately 1,200 people in Israel; Jews, Muslims, Christians; Israelis, tourists and foreign workers. The horrific atrocities included Hamas's sustained gang rape and torture of men, women and children, and included babies beheaded and burned alive, and the seizure of 240 hostages who were abducted and taken to Hamas's tunnels in Gaza.

Now Israel finds itself embroiled in a multi-front conflict against Iran and its proxies, fighting for its very survival.

Israel has the right to self-defense, to once and for all eradicate the threat of 20 more years of attacks from Hamas terrorists. This defense entails defeating the four Hamas battalions that remain in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. There are rumors that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza – not, like the other Hamas leaders, living as billionaires in 5-star hotels in Qatar -- has surrounded himself with many of the remaining hostages, being used as human shields to protect him.

Many people in Israel call to "Bring the Hostages Home." The request is wrong, because it is addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been doing his best to do free the hostages, while preventing Hamas ever to be able to strike Israel again – and standing up to US pressure, as he did during the fraudulent Iran nuclear deal. But the hostages are not his to bring home. The cry should be: "Release the Hostages" -- addressed, as well as calls for a ceasefire -- to the people who are holding them: Hamas, Qatar and Iran.

The US has failed to put any pressure whatever on Hamas, Qatar or Iran to demand that the hostages be immediately released. The Biden administrations seems to be all about protecting Iran and Qatar, who are protecting Hamas. Instead of being pressured, Iran is being paid billions of dollars – probably as a bribe not to make trouble before the US presidential election November 5. When several members of Iran's IRGC were killed in a pinpoint Israeli airstrike in Syria last week, the Biden administration rushed to tell the Iranians that it wasn't the US that did it, and please not to attack US assets.

Qatar was invited to operate the Gaza pier; how is that for pressure?

The US administration would clearly like to replace Netanyahu with new US-handpicked prime minister who would do whatever they tell him to, and appears to have launched a plan to do just that, using Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as its mouthpiece. The Israelis must not fall for it. If they want to preserve Israel, preserve Netanyahu.

The US seems, for the moment at least to have selected a former defense minister, Benny Gantz, who was invited on an unauthorized visit to Washington last month and has now called for "September elections." The new US puppet, in exchange for the job promotion and its concomitant limelight, would presumably be happy to do whatever the US orders him to, allowing a terrorist Palestinian state to be established next door to Israel, ruled by the people who have already vowed to attack Israel time and again until it is annihilated. The Palestinian state, even if it were officially "demilitarized," would, of course, be free to enter into military alliances with any countries it wished -- perhaps Russia, China, Iran, North Korea?

Israel's new US puppet prime minister would presumably be happy to have Qatar – a country that has supported virtually every Islamic terrorist group -- including Hamas, ISIS, Hizballah, the Taliban, the al Nusra Front and Al Shabaab -- "operate" the Gaza pier now being built to bring "humanitarian aid" and Heaven knows what else into Gaza. Above all, of course, the new puppet would presumably agree to Iran being armed to the teeth with nuclear bombs.

Netanyahu enjoys support from Israel's public, who realize that he has the brass to stand up to the US administration, as he has before.

The Biden administration would do far better, especially for November 5, instead of aligning itself with the terrorist groups and the countries that support them -- such as Hamas, Qatar and Iran -- to align itself with those in the Free World, fighting for freedom, human rights and civilization.

• Follow Majid Rafizadeh on X (formerly Twitter)
  

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20547/obama-biden-betray-israel

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Did Barack turn Biden against Israel? - Jeannie DeAngelis

 

by Jeannie DeAngelis

The man behind the curtain strikes again.

 

Former president Barack Obama has never kept it secret as to whom he sides with in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Obama’s palpable dislike for Israeli prime minister Bibi Netanyahu is also widely recognized.  That’s why it must have been challenging for Obama to appear alongside perceived Israel-supporter Joe Biden at a recent fundraiser that attracted Hamas protesters.

Obama, as well as the whole Democrat left’s treatment of Israel and its failure to condemn the current climate of anti-Semitism, smacks of unstated agreement that Israel is an oppressor that deserves what it got on October 7. 

In a November speech, Obama publicly condemned Hamas’s actions.  But somehow Obama always finds a way to elucidate his statements by insisting that additional clarification is needed on his part as to why women and children were mercilessly raped and hacked to death in their beds. 

Barack is adept at the tactic of accepting personal blame as a manipulative vehicle to point the finger at those he secretly considers the enemy.  Rather than condemn the perpetrators, whose slaughter included Holocaust victims, he acts as though he alone embodies the ultimate insight to steer the Middle East discussion toward fairness and truth.

Following the October terror attack, Obama said, “If you want to solve the problem, then you have to take in the whole truth.  And you then have to admit nobody’s hands are clean, that all of us are complicit to some degree.”  And no one knows the “whole truth” about what justifies the blood on Hamas’s hands more than Barack Obama.  Why?  Because if anyone is complicit, it’s not “us”; it’s Obama. 

The former president’s public dislike for Netanyahu, the dissension he stirred up over Israeli settlements in the West Bank, his implicit defense of Islamic terrorism, and his undercover deal with Iran are what emboldens terrorist groups like Hamas.  Furthermore, it was Obama who agreed to release $150 billion in Iranian assets — not to mention a $1.7-billion cash payment to Iran in foreign currency, millions of dollars of which amounted to ransom used to leverage the release of four Americans held captive in Iran.  As a result of those actions, Iran has used Obama-sanctioned money to finance worldwide terrorism.  Then, in the middle of a war with Israel, Obama’s front man, Joe Biden, compounded the former president’s recklessness when he too unfroze billions in Iranian assets.

Is it possible that, despite all of his pontificating and supposed scholarly insight, Obama still hasn’t figured out that placating and enriching terrorist states leads to only more terrorism?  Or did he send pallets full of foreign currency to Iran because secretly, or not so secretly, Obama considers Israel the real tyrant?

Fast-forward to March 2024, and Obama, Clinton, and Clueless Joe are at a star-studded Democrat fund raiser held at Radio City Music Hall.  During the event, Gaza war protesters showed up outside as well as inside the music hall.  Always the relevant one, Obama attempted to subdue a dissenting activist’s comments by saying, “You can’t just talk and not listen. ... That’s what the other side does.”  That sort of sly rhetorical ploy is exactly how Obama exposes what he really believes and manages to extend sympathy (for Hamas) while tacitly insulting those he pretends to defend (Israel).  And he’s masterful at it.

Obama responded to the protester, saying, “It is possible for us to understand that it is possible to have moral clarity and have deeply held beliefs, but still recognize that the world is complicated, and it is hard to solve these problems.”  Translation:  I believe that your side possesses moral clarity, but because of Israel’s insistence on responding to October 7, right now it is “hard to solve” this complicated problem.

One week after that interaction, Bumbling Joe Biden, who couldn’t find his way to the changing station in the woman’s restroom if his adult diaper depended upon it, all of a sudden comes out with two strong statements warning Israel of a “sharp shift in his policy over the Gaza war.”  Unexpectedly, self-proclaimed Zionist Joe Biden became frustrated with the guy he bear-hugged on his recent trip to Israel.  Coincidentally, that guy is the same guy Obama left sitting alone in a White House meeting room because he wouldn’t conform to Obama’s demand to immediately halt new settlement construction in east Jerusalem.

While the war in the Ukraine rages on, sounding more like she was chiding Joe for sniffing a baby, even Dr. Jill voiced her opinion concerning civilian casualties in Gaza when she allegedly instructed Joe to “Stop it, stop it now.”  Don’t Barack and Mr. and Mrs. Biden know that dead civilians are an unfortunate casualty of war?

This week, while reading off colored cue cards in a “listen, man” telephone call to Netanyahu, tough talking Biden purportedly lowered the boom on Bibi by making it “clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by [America’s] assessment of Israel’s immediate action” to curtail killing civilians and U.S. aid workers.  During that call, Biden informed the Israeli prime minister that the U.S. “ will no longer support Israel” if he doesn’t comply.  Are Americans supposed to accept that it’s Joe who made U.S. aid to Israel contingent on Israel ceasing strikes on Gaza?  Or Joe who cooked up the idea to order U.S. air drops of aid into Gaza, as well as allowing a “UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire”?

Once again, what is patently clear here is that the Israel-hating charlatan who enthusiastically followed Joe Biden down the steps of Air Force One and guided him to the motorcade last week is the one who believes that giving billions to Iran to fund state terrorism is somehow justified, as is chastising Israel for civilian casualties that occur while fighting a war it didn’t start.

Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannieology.us.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

 
Jeannie DeAngelis

Source: https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/04/did_barack_turn_biden_against_israel.html

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

The Right Take Audio: Alan Dershowitz on Why He’s Not Voting for Biden - Frontpage Editors

 

by Frontpage Editors

"I can no longer consider myself a Democrat."

 

 

On the latest episode of The Right Take podcast with Mark Tapson

,  ,  

In this short audio clip from a recent episode of the Freedom Center’s podcast The Right Take, host Mark Tapson asks legal scholar and bestselling author Alan Dershowitz why he’s considering not voting for a Democrat presidential candidate for the first time in over 60 years.

 

Video Player

00:00

03:58

 

Get the full episode and subscribe to The Right Take at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube 

,  ,  

Frontpage Editors

Source: https://www.frontpagemag.com/the-right-take-audio-alan-dershowitz-on-why-hes-not-voting-for-biden/

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

New 'Revitalized' Palestinian Authority, Same as the Old Palestinian Authority - Bassam Tawil

 

by Bassam Tawil

63% of Palestinians believe that the level of corruption in the PA institutions has increased. The most common forms of corruption: favoritism and nepotism, embezzlement of public funds, breach of trust, abuse of power, bribery and money laundering.

 

• The new Palestinian government... does not seem at all different from previous ones, especially regarding combating corruption and inciting violence against Israel.

• According to AMAN, a Palestinian non-governmental organization that seeks to combat corruption and promote integrity, transparency and accountability in Palestinian society, 63% of Palestinians believe that the level of corruption in the PA institutions has increased. The most common forms of corruption: favoritism and nepotism, embezzlement of public funds, breach of trust, abuse of power, bribery and money laundering.

• Abbas and his close aides, who have long had an opportunity to make changes in the PA, substantial or otherwise, also do not appear interested in doing so. They seem quite comfortable with the current structure of the PA: no elections, no transparency and no accountability.

The new "revitalized" Palestinian Authority (PA) government includes Minister for Religious Affairs Muhammad Mustafa Najem, who openly called for terror attacks in a sermon on official PA TV, and demonized the Jews as "characterized by conceit, pride, arrogance, rioting, disloyalty, and treachery," adding that "Allah turned them into apes and pigs." Pictured: Najem is sworn in as minister on March 31, 2024, in Ramallah. (Photo by Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)

As part of a US plan to "revitalize" the Palestinian Authority (PA), a new PA government headed by Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa was announced in late March. While the US administration has not clarified what it means by the "revitalization" of the PA, one can only assume that refers to the need to implement financial and administrative reforms in all PA institutions and see the emergence of new leaders in Ramallah who would work to improve the living conditions of their people and prepare them for peace with Israel.

The new Palestinian Authority government, however, is unlikely to achieve any of these goals: it does not seem at all different from the previous ones, especially regarding combating corruption and inciting violence against Israel.

Like his predecessor, Mohammad Shtayyeh, the new prime minister, Mustafa, is a longtime loyalist of PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Until recently, Mustafa served as an economic advisor to Abbas since 2005. Between 2013 and 2014, he served as deputy prime minister of the PA and minister for national economy. Mustafa has also served as chairman of the Palestinian Investment Fund, an independent investment company established in 2003 with the aim of strengthening the Palestinian economy.

As such, it is hard to say that Mustafa represents new leadership in the PA. He belongs very much to the old guard of the Palestinian leadership, seen by many Palestinians as incompetent and corrupt.

Although Mustafa has held several key economic jobs in the PA, it is also hard to say that the Palestinian Authority economy has improved, if at all, during his tenure. According to the World Bank, the PA's budget deficit in 2021 was $1.26 billion, with a financing gap of $940 million (namely, the deficit minus international aid donations). This gap is attributable to four main factors: a bloated and inefficient public sector, a massive drop in budgetary aid, the withholding by Israel of clearance revenues in response to the PA's policy of paying terrorists who murder or wound Jews, and impaired domestic revenue collection.

A public opinion poll published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in September 2023 found that 87% of Palestinians believe corruption still exists in PA institutions.

According to AMAN, a Palestinian non-governmental organization that seeks to combat corruption and promote integrity, transparency and accountability in Palestinian society, 63% of Palestinians believe that the level of corruption in the PA institutions has increased. The most common forms of corruption: favoritism and nepotism, embezzlement of public funds, breach of trust, abuse of power, bribery and money laundering.

The ongoing economic crisis and the deepening belief among Palestinians that the PA and its institutions are corrupt shows that Mustafa did not do a particularly outstanding job as economic advisor to Abbas or as minister for national economy. Why, then, should anyone assume that he will succeed in changing the situation for the better as prime minister? Mustafa was unable to bring about changes in the past because he was subordinate to Abbas and his inner circle, who retain the final say on political, economic and security matters.

Abbas and his close aides, who have long had an opportunity to make changes in the PA, substantial or otherwise, also do not appear interested in doing so. They seem quite comfortable with the current structure of the PA: no elections, no transparency and no accountability.

For Abbas and his aides, the Palestinian Authority is a private fiefdom. Anyone who dares to challenge them or speak out against the lack of democracy or demand an end to corruption, is punished by losing his or her job or being expelled from key Palestinian decision-making bodies, such as the PLO Executive Committee and the Fatah Central Committee.

Mustafa is undoubtedly aware that he would likely meet the same fate if he dared to challenge Abbas's autocratic rule and exclusive control of the PA's finances. Mustafa did not challenge Abbas in the past, and he is unlikely to do so now that his boss has appointed him prime minister.

There is also good reason to believe that the new prime minister and his cabinet ministers are not going to stop the massive incitement to violence against Israel and the demonization of Jews.

In his first speech at the cabinet meeting in Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinians, Mustafa repeated the libels of his predecessor by accusing Israel of carrying out "genocide and extrajudicial killings." Mustafa was referring to the war in the Gaza Strip, which erupted after thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping more than 240 others, half of whom are still held hostage inside the coastal enclave. Mustafa also did not see fit to condemn Hamas for initiating the war and bringing catastrophe on the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip.

Further evidence that the new "revitalized" Palestinian Authority government is not headed toward promoting peace with Israel surfaced on March 31, when Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) revealed inflammatory statements made by two of the newly appointed cabinet ministers.

According to the PMW report, Muna al-Khalili, the new PA Minister of Women's Affairs, is an outspoken terror supporter, having publicly glorified the murder of 37 Israeli civilians, among other effusions. As chairwoman of the PLO General Union of Palestinian Women, al-Khalili spoke at an event honoring Dalal Mughrabi, who led the most murderous terror attack in Israel's history prior to October 7, 2023. On March 11, 1978, Mughrabi led a team of PLO terrorists who hijacked a civilian bus and murdered 37 civilians, including 12 children and, on another occasion, the American photographer Gail Rubin.

In her speech, al-Khalili praised the terror attack as a "quality resistance operation" and said that Mughrabi "proved that Palestinian women are capable of carrying out the most difficult missions."

Ten days after Hamas's October 7 massacre, al-Khalil honored Palestinian convicted murderers as "heroic prisoners." The General Union of Palestinian Women, which al-Khalili heads, held a vigil calling for the release of terrorist prisoners just 10 days after the Hamas atrocities. Al-Khalili sat right behind four posters featuring the names and pictures of different terrorist murderers imprisoned in Israel for past terror attacks, each with the text: "Freedom for the heroic prisoner."

The new "revitalized" government also includes religious leader Muhammad Mustafa Najem, who was appointed as minister of religious affairs.

Palestinian Media Watch revealed that Najem had openly called for terror attacks in a sermon on official PA TV: "O servants of Allah, be the ones through which Allah will afflict the Jews with the worst torment."

Najem went on to demonize the Jews with toxic antisemitism. He said they are "characterized by conceit, pride, arrogance, rioting, disloyalty, and treachery," and adding that "Allah turned them into apes and pigs."

PMW urged Israel and the US, which has led the call for a "revitalized" PA, to demand that Najem, al-Khalili and any other terror supporters in the new PA government be immediately replaced, adding:

"If the previous PA terror-supporting government is replaced by a new terror-supporting government, the PA is making a mockery of the US demand for "revitalization.'"

It remains to be seen whether the Biden administration will act on this information – or, instead, pretend that Abbas has taken real steps to "revitalize" the PA.

Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. The work of Bassam Tawil is made possible through the generous donation of a donor who wished to remain anonymous. Gatestone is most grateful.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20546/new-revitalized-palestinian-authority-same-as

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Pro-Israel Americans need to stop cowering and start protesting - Jonathan S. Tobin

 

by Jonathan S. Tobin

After months of biased news coverage and open antisemitism, friends of the Jewish state need to take back the streets and tell Biden that he should worry about them.

 

An anti-Israel protest and a pro-Israel counter-protest ensued in Teaneck, N.J., after a synagogue hosted an event featuring firsthand accounts by ZAKA representatives detailing the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 in southern Israel, April 1, 2024. Credit: The Jewish Link.

The debate going on in the United States about Israel’s war against Hamas took a new and disturbing turn in the last week. But there was one thing missing from the discussion. Many of the Jewish state’s enemies talk a lot about the mythical power of the “Israel lobby” and nefarious Jewish influence over Washington, which betrays the antisemitism that runs through much of their discourse. But mobs chanting for Israel’s destruction and terrorism against Jews in the streets of American cities and on college campuses have become commonplace. And those advocating for a ceasefire in the war that will let the perpetrators of the Oct. 7 massacres get away with mass murder also seem to have enormous, even decisive influence with the Biden administration.

But there seems little indication that the legacy Jewish organizations that claim to speak for American Jewry are using much or any of their vaunted influence to halt the momentum of those working to destroy the U.S.-Israel alliance. Nor is there much sign that the organizers who helped turn out 300,000 people for a “March for Israel” in November have seriously contemplated what it means for the Jews and other pro-Israel Americans to concede the streets and campuses to extremist Jew-haters as has largely happened in recent months as a surge of antisemitism continues to grow.

After months of slowly moving away from its initial position of strong support for Israel, the Biden administration took a crucial step towards pleasing its left-wing critics. So-called “progressives” have been calling for President Joe Biden to put the screws on the Jewish state to make it stop the war against Hamas. As a result, the president has abandoned his previous positions on Hamas and is now clearly more worried about losing left-wing voters in his campaign for re-election—particularly in the state of Michigan, which has the highest Arab population in the United States—than he is about eliminating the perpetrators of the Oct. 7 massacres or the influence of Iran.

Who does Biden fear?

It’s not just that he is in thrall to a vocal ideologically woke anti-Israel protest movement that commands the support of most of the activist wing of the Democratic Party and the liberal corporate media. Biden also seems to think that he will pay no political price for abandoning Israel.

Related Articles

‘Unprecedented’: Members of Congress slam Biden ultimatum to IsraelApril 5, 2024

Netanyahu warns Iran: Israel knows how to defend itselfApril 5, 2024

Kids not rattled by quake interrupting science exam … on earthquakesApril 5, 2024

That was the context for Biden’s phone conversation this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Though supposedly a response to the accidental killing of seven aid workers in Gaza, Biden’s threats and demands seemed to make it clear that he was prepared to do as leftist allies bid him.

That means that if Israel continues its necessary campaign to eradicate Hamas and seeks to finish off the last terrorist strongholds in Rafah in the southernmost part of the Strip, as well as failing to make even more dangerous concessions in the hostage ransom talks which Hamas has been emboldened to stonewall, Biden appears ready to punish it with a cutoff of military aid. On the other hand, if Netanyahu—buffeted by criticism from home and abroad, and worried about whether his nation can stand alone—bows to these demands, then he will essentially be conceding defeat in the war begun by Hamas on Oct. 7 with the largest mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust. And that is a decision that would guarantee even more horrors in the future from Israel’s array of regional enemies.

It’s hard to imagine any Israeli government, no matter who led it, being willing to let Hamas win in this manner. Israelis elected Netanyahu in November 2022 but are deeply divided about his continued hold on power. Nevertheless, they overwhelmingly support the war on Hamas and want their government to finish off the terrorists in Gaza, and then neutralize the threat from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the north by one means or another. But should the United States join the growing movement to isolate the Jewish state, it would be foolish to think that the consequences would be anything but dire.

This would seem to be the cue for the pro-Israel community to find its voice again. Yet outside of the usual staunch voices like that of the Zionist Organization of America, Jewish leadership is largely silent. Mainstream entities can be counted on to denounce antisemitism, as is their job; however, their leaders and likely many of their main politically liberal donors are too invested in support for Biden’s re-election campaign to be willing to speak out against the administration’s pivot away from its initial post-Oct. 7 positions.

Many Jewish liberals—always inclined to be critical, if not outright hostile to both Israel and Netanyahu—have gone silent in the face of the deluge of biased coverage of the war from the corporate media. They either believe the claims that falsely depict Israel’s war efforts as “genocide,” accepting bogus Hamas claims about civilian casualties and the plight of those in Gaza, or they are too fearful of going against the political fashion of the day to challenge these lies. Or they are afraid to face increasingly violent groups of demonstrators.

Still others, like the leftist Forward newspaper, have joined those demanding that the war stop, even if that means that Hamas wins and the 100-plus Israeli hostages who are still in their hands continue to undergo torment.

Under the circumstances, a repeat of the mass turnout for another Washington rally seems unlikely, if not impossible. By the time of the Nov. 14 rally—already six weeks after the slaughter in southern Israel—much of the media had already flipped the narrative about the conflict from one about the Oct. 7 pogroms and the orgy of murder, rape, torture, kidnapping and wanton destruction that began the war to one about a “disproportionate” Israeli response. But things are worse today, with outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post and MSNBC already mainstreamed antisemitic advocacy for Israel’s destruction, added to the chattering classes and popular culture embracing the idea that the only real victims of the war are the Palestinians who themselves cheered the Oct. 7 crimes when they happened and still support them.

The need for supporters of Israel not merely to speak up but to do so in as loud and public a way as possible is now far greater. Jews and their allies in the Christian community must return to the streets.

Jewish-day school students from across the United States came out in full force for the “March for Israel” rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 14, 2023. Credit: Prizmah.

Fearful of confrontations

It is understandable that Jewish groups want to avoid confrontations with their opponents out of fear of potential violence and because they believe that their influence is best employed in the corridors of power. But by effectively abandoning the public square to antisemites, the Jewish community has not only encouraged those screaming for violence against Jews, especially Israelis but has also created a dynamic whereby it seems as if there is only one side to the argument about whether a war against a genocidal terrorist group is justified.

Equally important, the lack of public clamor on behalf of Israel and against the pro-Hamas ceasefire advocates has sent the message to the administration that there is only one side in the debate about the war that they should listen to or fear.

This was made abundantly clear early in the Democratic primaries when Biden showed that he was far more interested in appeasing pro-Hamas voters in Dearborn, Mich., than those who advocate for Israel. In the last two months, even after Biden secured the Democratic presidential nomination, he has continued to go out of his way to avoid antagonizing Israel-haters.

Perhaps he’s right to believe that Jewish Democrats dislike former President Donald Trump too much to consider defecting from their party. Or that they are more concerned about abortion rights than about defending the Jewish state. But at a time when antisemitism—and the demonization of Israel and its supporters—is escalating, perhaps it’s time for even those who intend to vote for Biden to start showing up at his rallies and speak up about the administration’s abandoning Israel. Jewish Democrats need to say that they expect Biden to stand by Israel in its just war, not to threaten it.

If Biden was made to see, as he should, that there are more votes to be lost in the political center from Americans who back Israel and don’t believe the blood libels being thrown at it, then he might understand that there is a greater political price to be paid for kowtowing to antisemites than for keeping faith with the Jewish state.

Beyond that, Jewish groups around the nation also need to understand that their mission must also include efforts to reclaim the streets.

Teaneck shows the way

A great example of a community that understood what was at stake was on display this past week in Teaneck, N.J. A month ago, an Israel real estate fair at a synagogue in that New York suburb was threatened by an antisemitic mob, egged on by Internet lies about the event. But when another pro-Israel event at a synagogue—this time honoring ZAKA volunteers charged with the gruesome task of handling corpses from the Hamas pogroms—was similarly threatened, the Jews didn’t simply depend on law enforcement to protect them. Neither did they, as sometimes happens elsewhere, cancel the event due to justified fears of violence. Instead, they organized a counterprotest that outnumbered those who were bussed into that town to vent their hatred.

The effort reflected a consensus in that community that, in the words of a spokesman for the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County, “these attacks on our synagogues have to end. Full stop.”

This example needs to be emulated everywhere. Synagogues and other Jewish institutions have been targeted by vandals and antisemitic protests from those seeking to eradicate Israel “from the river to the sea,” falsely accusing Israel of “genocide” while ignoring or even denying Hamas crimes. Yet ever fearful of what a confrontation might lead to, Jewish groups don’t turn out to demonstrate that the streets don’t belong to the hatemongers and their allies. And that needs to change.

Beset by doubts about their place in a society that has embraced woke intersectional myths that marginalize Jews and browbeaten into thinking that the cause of Israel is too controversial to be compatible with a comfortable American life, too many leaders have gone silent at a moment of crisis when they need to speak up loudly that they will not be intimidated or taken for granted by politicians like Biden. They need to understand that even though support for Israel can seem a very lonely, unfashionable position, most Americans stand behind the Jewish state.

Jews need to stop cowering and start protesting. If they don’t, they’ll soon see that the antisemites will only grow bolder in their affronts to Jewish sensibilities—and political leaders will continue to believe that they need not fear losing their support.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS (Jewish News Syndicate). Follow him @jonathans_tobin.

Source: https://www.jns.org/pro-israel-americans-need-to-stop-cowering-and-start-protesting/

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Biden-appointed judge eviscerates DOJ over non-compliance with House subpoenas - Ben Whedon

 

by Ben Whedon

Reyes was appointed to serve as a District Court judge in February of last year.

 

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Friday sharply criticized the Department of Justice for instructing its personnel not to comply with subpoenas from the House Judiciary Committee while pursuing charges against former Trump officials who defied congressional subpoenas.

Reyes, an appointee of President Joe Biden, oversaw a hearing in a legal dispute between the DOJ and Judiciary Committee over subpoenas the panel issued to Mark Daly and Jack Morgan, two attorneys with the DOJ, to testify in their ongoing impeachment inquiry, Politico reported.

The Judiciary Committee sued in March to compel testimony from the two attorneys in the DOJ Tax Division, though the DOJ instructed the pair not to comply.

Reyes, for her part, appeared to accuse the DOJ of hypocrisy, stating, "I think it's quite rich you guys pursue criminal investigations and put people in jail for not showing up" but then order personnel to do the same thing.

She further highlighted the contrast between the DOJ's behavior in this matter and the prosecution and incarceration of former Trump advisor Peter Navarro, reported to prison last month to begin serving his four-month sentence for contempt of Congress after he ignored a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 Committee.

"There's a person in jail right now because you all brought a criminal lawsuit against him because he did not appear for a House subpoena," she added.

She ordered the DOJ to attempt to negotiate a resolution with House Counsel Matthew Berry.

Reyes was appointed to serve as a District Court judge in February of last year.

Morgan and Daly were participants in the tax investigation into first son Hunter Biden that has faced allegations of political interference from IRS whistleblowers who worked on the case.

"To craft effective legislative reforms and to determine whether President Biden has committed an impeachable offense, it must have all the facts," the Judiciary suit stated. "And to uncover all the facts, the Committee requires testimony from both Mark Daly and Jack Morgan, two current or former Tax Division attorneys who have firsthand knowledge of the irregularities in DOJ’s investigation that appear to have benefited Hunter Biden."

"For example, as members of the team that recommended what charges to bring against Hunter Biden, Daly and Morgan initially agreed that DOJ should file charges for tax crimes related to 2014 and 2015. But months later, they gave a key presentation and argued just the opposite—that Hunter Biden should not be charged for tax crimes related to those years," it continued. "DOJ ultimately allowed the statute of limitations for those charges to lapse. Daly and Morgan are thus crucial to the Committee’s investigation."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/biden-appointed-judge-eviscerates-doj-over-non-compliance-house-subpoenas

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

200,000 deportation cases dismissed because DHS failed to file paperwork - Bethany Blankley

 

by Bethany Blankley

Because DHS did not file 200,000 NTAs with their respective courts, the courts had no jurisdiction to hear them and the cases were dismissed.

 

(The Center Square) -

About 200,000 deportation cases have been thrown out by immigration judges, according to a new report published by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

TRAC researchers evaluated data from January 2021 to February 2024 and found that 200,000 asylum or other immigration cases were dismissed because the Department of Homeland Security didn’t file paperwork with the courts in time for scheduled hearings.

TRAC, a nonpartisan, nonprofit data research center, is affiliated with the Newhouse School of Public Communications and Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.

One of the policies implemented by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for which he was impeached relates to changing the detention and removal process. This included mass releasing illegal foreign nationals into the country who were given a Notice to Appear before an immigration court at a future date and location. In 2023, The Center Square first reported that Hondurans who illegally entered the country were being released by Border Patrol agents after giving them NTAs with court dates at an immigration court in North Carolina in 2026.

NTAs state that the individual listed on it is in the U.S. illegally and is subject for removal. A Honduran’s NTA obtained by The Center Square, for example, states: “You are an arriving alien. The Department of Homeland Security alleges that you: 1. Are not a citizen or national of the United States; 2. You are a native of Honduras and citizen of Honduras; 3. On or about May 2, 2023, you applied for admission to the United States at a Brownsville, Texas, Port of Entry; 4. You are an immigrant not in possession of a valid unexpired immigrant visa, reentry permit, border crossing card or other valid entry document required by the Immigration and Naturalization Act.

“On the basis of the forgoing it is charged that you are subject to removal from the United States pursuant to” several federal laws listed.

By law, DHS is required to file the NTA with the court listed on it. DHS issuing an NTA “simply gives notice to the individual that they may be placed in removal proceedings,” the Immigrant Legal Resources Center explains. The actual process for removal does not begin until DHS files the NTA with an immigration court. “Once an NTA is filed with the immigration court and removal proceedings officially begin, an immigrant is on the path to potential removal from the United States,” it states.

TRAC explains, “DHS’s duty to file NTAs in Immigration Court is an essential step in the immigration enforcement process.” It also notes that of the one million cases already initiated in fiscal 2024, 97% are removal cases for which DHS must file an NTA.

Ten years ago, DHS’s failure to file an NTA before the first scheduled hearing “was rare,” TRAC notes. “However, the frequency increased once Border Patrol agents and other DHS personnel were given access to the Immigration Court’s Interactive Scheduling System,” creating a range of problems.

TRAC researchers found that DHS personnel were scheduling immigration court hearings before NTAs were filed. As a result, DHS blocked off courts’ “valuable limited time by scheduling hearings for cases that do not legally exist, because DHS has not filed the required NTA before the hearing.”

Because DHS did not file 200,000 NTAs with their respective courts, the courts had no jurisdiction to hear them and the cases were dismissed. Dismissed cases need new NTAs to start the process over.

“These large numbers of dismissals and what then happens raise serious concerns,” TRAC says.

TRAC evaluated data to determine which removal proceedings were dismissed but restarted within a year. It found that “only around a quarter of these individuals who had their cases dismissed for lack of a filed NTA had their Court cases restarted within one year by DHS issuing a new NTA. This suggests that in three-quarters of these 200,000 cases, the immigrant was effectively left in legal limbo without any way to pursue asylum or other means of relief.”

TRAC researchers also identified a pattern: NTA-related monthly case dismissals averaged more than 6,600 in fiscal 2022 and more than 5,700 a month in fiscal 2023.

The largest number of dismissals were in Houston, Miami, Los Angeles and El Paso, according to the data.

“The Houston, Texas, Immigration Court and the Court’s Dedicated Docket in Miami, Florida, are clear standouts,” the report notes, with 50% or more of new cases dismissed because DHS didn’t file NTAs since fiscal 2021.

The next greatest number of dismissals for the same reason were at the El Paso Dedicated Docket and the Los Angeles Dedicated Docket, with dismissal rates of 30% and 26%, respectively.

The data evaluated also shows that the refiling rates were low.

TRAC concluded, “the almost total lack of transparency on where and why these DHS failures occurred” is “troubling” as is “the lack of solid information on what happened to these many immigrants when DHS never rectified its failure by reissuing and filing new NTAs to restart their Court cases.”

In response to its findings, two U.S. House committees launched an investigation.

 
Bethany Blankley

Source: https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/200000-deportation-cases-dismissed-because-dhs-failed-file-paperwork

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

RFK Jr. vows to appoint special counsel to examine Jan. 6 prosecutions - Ben Whedon

 

by Ben Whedon

"January 6 is one of the most polarizing topics on the political landscape. I am listening to people of diverse viewpoints on it in order to make sense of the event and what followed. I want to hear every side," he said.

 

One day after disavowing a fundraising email that appeared to defend participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released a statement in which he vowed to appoint a special counsel to investigate the government's handling of the prosecution of the incident's participants.

"As President, I will appoint a special counsel — an individual respected by all sides — to investigate whether prosecutorial discretion was abused for political ends in this case, and I will right any wrongs that we discover," he declared. "Without the impartial rule of law, there is no true democracy or moral governance."

"January 6 is one of the most polarizing topics on the political landscape. I am listening to people of diverse viewpoints on it in order to make sense of the event and what followed. I want to hear every side," he said. "Like many reasonable Americans, I am concerned about the possibility that political objectives motivated the vigor of the prosecution of the J6 defendants, their long sentences, and their harsh treatment."

"That would fit a disturbing pattern of the weaponization of government agencies — the DoJ, the IRS, the SEC, the FBI, etc. — against political opponents," he added. "One can, as I do, oppose Donald Trump and all he stands for, and still be disturbed by the weaponization of government against him."

The statement appears to be something of an about-face after the campaign on Thursday denounced a fundraising email that referred to the "J6 activists sitting in a Washington DC jail cell stripped of their Constitutional liberties." The email highlighted the cases of Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, while also mentioning Jan. 6 defendants as examples of wrongful government actions against Americans. 

"That statement was an error that does not reflect Mr. Kennedy’s view. It was inserted by a new marketing contractor and slipped through the normal approval process," a campaign spokesperson said at the time. It later severed its relationship with the contractor.

 

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.

Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/rfk-jr-vows-appoint-special-counsel-examine-jan-6-prosecutions

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Nadler Claims No Men Are in Women’s Sports - Robert Spencer

 

by Robert Spencer

A model the Left wants us all to emulate.

 

[Order a copy of Robert Spencer’s forthcoming book, Muhammad: A Critical Biography, by clicking here.]

As leftists go about remaking reality to suit themselves or fooling themselves into thinking they’re getting away with doing so, there are still a few pockets of resistance here and there. But Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-New York SSR) has just done his part to shore up the party line, insisting that “men do not compete in women’s sports.” Back in the real world, meanwhile, men who demand that the world treat them as women have now won nearly 300 titles in female sporting events.

LifeSite News reported Tuesday that during a recent congressional hearing, Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) “wanted to enter into the record stats on females injured by male athletes as well as stolen titles.” This was reasonable; after all, for decades, Roger Maris’ single-season home run record carried an asterisk, because he took 162 games to hit 61 home runs, while Babe Ruth had hit 60 in just 154 games. If the record books could remind the public of such distinctions, why not notify them also when the holder of a women’s sports title was really a dude?

Nadler, however, was having none of it, declaring peremptorily that “men do not compete in women’s sports.” How could Manhattan’s legislative hero claim such a thing? Well, you see, trans women are women, in Jerry’s conformist world, and so as far as he is concerned, all those men pretending to be women in women’s sports are really just women. He did, however, go so far as to add a small caveat: “Transgender women [sic] may compete in women’s sports.” He also huffed, in reference to Hageman’s attempt to put statistics about men winning women’s sports titles into the congressional record, that he objected to filling the official account of the learned disquisitions of our patriotic elected officials with “mistruths.”

It was Nadler, not Hagman, who was filling the congressional record with falsehoods by pretending that men could become women and indeed, champion female athletes. But Nadler is a party man, and the party line is that a hulking bruiser who comes down with a case of “gender dysphoria” is and henceforth will always be a woman, and anyone who breaths even the slightest hint of a contrary opinion will be demonized as a bigoted “transphobe” and driven from polite society.

Since leftists are totalitarians who can’t abide dissent, it drives them crazy that there are still some people who believe that men can’t become women or women men. But there are. In fact, The Washington Stand noted last week that “25 (going on 26) states” have “stepped in to stop this madness from overtaking their girls at the pool, track, court, field, and gym.”

The very fact that any state has done this sends a devastating message to Nadler and to the left in general: a massive segment of the American public isn’t willing to play pretend, close our eyes, and proclaim that all these guys flooding into and dominating women’s sports are just ordinary women. Nonetheless, Nadler and Co. certainly seem to have won the day, as what should have been a bizarre phenomenon that was stopped after it happened just one time has now become increasingly commonplace. LifeSite points out that “there are at least 12 examples in 2024 alone of female athletes losing out to men who claim they are women.” And it’s only April.

LifeSite also points out that “in 2022 and 2023, there were numerous other examples. Male athletes beat out women in sports where physical differences would clearly make a difference, including cross-country running, track and field, and golf.” The real women’s sports advocacy group SheWon.org “calculates that beyond titles, men have taken nearly 900 awards, scholarships, or other honors from female athletes across 428 competitions in 29 sports.” These include “297 stolen first place titles, 263 second place titles, and 250 third place titles.”

This is happening largely because the fascist gatekeepers of opinion don’t hesitate to punish dissidents as severely as possible. The presence of men in women’s sports is bad enough; even worse is that even the victims of this lunacy are expected to play along with a smile — or else. The steady diminishment of freedom of speech and the inability to question the hegemony of the woke agenda is not just a concern for the future; it’s already here. Nadler is not just a fool and a company man — he’s a paradigm, a model the left wants us all to emulate.

Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is author of 28 books, including many bestsellers, such as The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades), The Truth About Muhammad, The History of Jihad, and The Critical Qur’an. His latest book is Muhammad: A Critical Biography. Follow him on Twitter here. Like him on Facebook here.

Source: https://www.frontpagemag.com/nadler-claims-no-men-are-in-womens-sports/

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Biden facing pushback after stating Key bridge to be fully paid for without congressional approval - Nicholas Ballasy

 

by Nicholas Ballasy

An official cost estimate for the collapsed bridge has still not been determined. Any legislation for the bridge "must not become a pork-filled bill loaded with unrelated projects and the House of Representatives must adhere to the ‘single subject’ rule," the House Freedom Caucus said.

 

President Biden is receiving some pushback after repeatedly declaring that the federal government will pay for the "entire" collapsed bridge before making a formal funding request to the U.S. Congress.

An official cost estimate for the collapsed bridge has still not been publicly released by either the Biden administration or the Maryland Transportation Authority.

Just the News confirmed on Friday with a senior GOP congressional source that a funding request has not been sent to Congress from the White House.

"I fully intend, as the governor knows, to have the federal government cover the cost of building this entire bridge, all of it," Biden said on Friday after viewing the damage on-site.

Biden confirmed that $60 million in "emergency federal funding" has already been allocated for Maryland.

The conservative House Freedom Caucus has said there should be conditions tied to any federal funding to pay for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed after a cargo ship slammed into it on March 26. The lawmakers in the caucus also said Congress should find ways to cover the repair costs rather than borrow money to pay to complete the project.

"Before Congress considers any emergency supplemental funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, it’s important that (1) we first seek maximum liability from the foreign shipping companies upfront and (2) the Port of Baltimore draws upon already available federal funds," the caucus said in a formal statement released on Friday.
 
"If it proves necessary to appropriate taxpayer money to get one of America’s busiest ports back online, Congress should ensure it is fully offset and that burdensome regulations (such as NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, the Davis Bacon Act, project labor agreements, etc.) are waived to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs," read the statement. 
 
Any legislation for the bridge "must not become a pork-filled bill loaded with unrelated projects and the House of Representatives must adhere to the ‘single subject’ rule," the caucus also said in the statement. 
 
The lawmakers also argued that the project should be connected to the Biden administration’s "pause on approvals of liquified natural gas export terminals." They said that the pause, like Baltimore harbor closure, has "severe implications for foreign trade" and it "must be lifted before Congress considers appropriating any funding for the bridge reconstruction."

Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., has suggested that Biden should shift electric vehicle infrastructure funding to the collapsed bridge.

"There's no thought, just spend, that's their motto," the congressman continued. "At least even pull from some ridiculous EV expenditures that are planned as well, I mean, billions in EV charger ports and all," he said.

"Maryland received the money, actually, it was close to $7 billion," he also said, referring to funding in the bipartisan infrastructure bill that Congress previously passed under Biden. "These funds need to be utilized for modernization purposes and certainly repairing bridges. This is a crisis situation but it needs a plan, not a knee-jerk spend reaction."

After the collapse, some bridge engineering experts have said the Key bridge didn't have any pier protection devices installed to help the structure withstand a ship crashing into one of its support columns.

For comparison, the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) is overseeing a $95 million upgrade to the pier protection system at the Delaware Memorial Bridge to prevent such an accident like the one that occurred in Baltimore. The Delaware Memorial Bridge is older than the Key Bridge. The eastbound section opened on August 15, 1951 and westbound opened in 1968.

Some experts have estimated that it could take as little as 18 months or as much as 10 years to rebuild the Key bridge and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the Associated Press.

The Federal Highway Administration informed Just the News that the original design requirements for the Key Bridge did not contain "vessel collision" because there weren't any national standards for pier protection until the 1980s after the collapse of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

When asked whether or not the Key bridge could have been retrofitted with pier protection, the Federal Highway Administration referred Just the News to the Maryland Transportation Authority. The agency hasn't not returned repeat requests for comment.

Since the collapse of the Key bridge, experts have said other bridges such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland lack adequate pier protection.

Nicholas Ballasy

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/biden-faces-pushback-after-declaring-collapsed-bridge-fully-paid-asking

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter