The "Middle East and Terrorism" Blog was created in order to supply information about the implication of Arab countries and Iran in terrorism all over the world. Most of the articles in the blog are the result of objective scientific research or articles written by senior journalists.
From the Ethics of the Fathers: "He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it."
Officials told the Post that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir told ministers: “The blockade of Iran is highly effective. The economic crisis there is getting worse.”
US forces operating in the Strait of Hormuz, July 17, 2026.(photo credit: Screenshot/X/@PeteHegseth)
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States is in control of the Strait of Hormuz.
"The USA has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT! Our Naval Blockade
is being called, by everyone, 'A WALL OF STEEL,' and there is nothing
Iran can do about it," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, their remaining soldiers are unpaid, the IRGC is decimated and fleeing, and their 'Leadership'
is uncertain, at best!" Trump continued. "They have No Money - Their
country is “shot.” All they have is FAKE NEWS and 300% INFLATION, and
getting worse! Iran is all talk and no action, the Bully of the Middle
East No Longer."
"Praise be to Allah!" Trump concluded.
US
President Donald Trump answers questions from the media after signing
an executive order, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington,
DC, US, August 3, 2026 (credit: REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN)
Israeli officials believe blockade is wrecking Iranian economy
Israel
is highly satisfied with the continued US maritime blockade of Iran,
assessing that it is having a dramatic impact on the Iranian economy.
Two Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post
that during a Security Cabinet meeting about a week ago, IDF Chief of
Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir told ministers: “The blockade of Iran is
highly effective. The economic crisis there is getting worse.”
One
of the blockade’s most significant effects has been on Iran’s ports and
maritime trade routes. Because the Iranian economy depends heavily on
those routes to import and export goods, raw materials, fuel, and other
essential products, the blockade has caused sustained disruptions to
port operations and supply chains.
The
growing difficulty of exporting goods is also expected to worsen Iran’s
shortage of foreign currency, making it increasingly difficult for
Tehran to finance imports of essential products, including fuel, food,
and industrial raw materials, even when those goods are brought into the
country overland.
Experts
estimate that Iran’s economy could contract by a staggering 5.6% this
year, which would mark its sharpest decline since 1988.
As
the blockade continues, declining revenues combined with rising import
and reconstruction costs are expected to further limit Tehran’s ability
to finance day-to-day government operations, rebuild damaged
infrastructure, develop its military capabilities, and continue
supporting its proxies.
Iranian
citizens have largely remained off the streets since the protests in
January, which were brutally suppressed by the regime and resulted in
the deaths of thousands, and possibly tens of thousands, of people, with
only isolated demonstrations taking place since then.
That
relative calm has persisted despite annual inflation reaching 88.6%,
according to Iranian authorities, while food prices have surged 130%
over the past year. The rial has also fallen to a new low, losing
approximately 20% of its value since the beginning of the war.
Israeli
and US assessments are that the deteriorating economic situation will
intensify domestic pressure on the Iranian regime. Long lines recently
seen at gas stations are one indication of growing concerns over fuel
supplies.
The
Iranian government has sought to avoid cutting subsidies on basic
goods, a step that helped trigger major waves of protests in 2017 and
2019. Nevertheless, Tehran has been unable to fully shield the public
from significant price increases. The price of bread, for example, has
risen by approximately 150%.
The
assessment in Israel is that the longer the blockade remains in place,
the greater the cumulative damage to Iran’s economy will become. That
could set off a chain reaction in which worsening economic conditions
place greater pressure on the Iranian public, which in turn increases
pressure on the regime.
US has mine swept entire Strait of Hormuz, Trump tells reporters
Trump said on Monday that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz and had swept the strategic oil waterway for Iranian mines.
"Look,
the only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the
United States Navy," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We've
mine-swept the entire strait."
Shipping traffic through the
Strait of Hormuz fell to six that day, compared with a 10-day average of
about 11 vessels, shipping data showed, amid fading hopes of a peace
deal between the US and Iran.
Four
commodity vessels, including two empty oil product tankers, entered the
waterway, data from Kpler showed on Tuesday. Two vessels - a small
tanker laden with liquefied petroleum gas and another carrying residual
fuels - exited the Strait, the data showed.
In pre-war days, about 130 to 140 ships typically transited the strait.
Iran fears economic sanctions more than military strikes, Trump's UN envoy says
Iran
is more afraid of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent than Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth, Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
“When
they’re coming to the table with our negotiators, they are talking
about cash, cash, cash. Because they’ll absorb the bombings," he said.
Trump also emphasized the economic pressure on Iran in a phone call with Axios on Sunday.
"We
are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its
huge inflation and the fact they have no money," he stated.
One
US official told Axios that during active warfare, Tehran can
temporarily avoid dealing with the economic consequences of the
fighting. But as strikes have paused, it is forced to confront the
reality of its economic situation, with no solution easily available.
Leo Feierberg Better, Esther Davis, and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
Dr. Ron Schleifer says mysterious leak is fueling fear among Arab leaders and showcasing Israel’s intelligence capabilities.
Behind the leak? Mossad Chief Roman Goffman Roy Avraham/GPO
Dr. Ron Schleifer, a psychological warfare expert, sees the recent publication of the report
about an Arab leader recommending that a different leader sign an
agreement that would "lull Israel to sleep" as part of the Mossad's
psychological warfare.
In
an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Dr. Schleifer
presents different layers to the short report about the discussion
between the two leaders, whose identities are still unknown, and to
Schleifer, it does not really matter who they are. "Israel is probably
eavesdropping on Arab leaders and decided to spread this report. Amit
Segal is the one who received the report; he's the ideal choice since he
has right-wing views and works for Channel 12, which is still the most
popular channel in Israel; that way, you get maximum exposure."
Regarding
the entire move, Schleifer says that it has enormous benefits for
Israel: first, Schleifer points out that two leaders, apparently senior
leaders in Arab countries, are effectively being held by the throat by
Israel. The two "aren't eating, not drinking, out of worry, pressure,
and fear of the huge embarrassment they'll have when their identities
are revealed; and they will be revealed at some point to the Western
audience. They have an enormous amount of worry that prevents them from
directing energy towards advancing their goals."
The
leaders, and probably other Arab leaders, understand now that Israeli
espionage and intelligence agencies are listening to their most secret
conversations, including additional secrets that they keep at various
levels and on various issues, and that too has a significant impact.
An
additional benefit is that Israel again makes its technological
superiority clear to everyone. "You don't need military and technology
fairs to hint at this. One line to a journalist does the job. Another
gain is the increase in the level of anxiety in the Arab world, where
everyone is asking who these two leaders are." The paranoia among Arab
leaders plays into Israel's hands.
Dr. Schleifer notes that
many Israelis understand that such a deception operation is indeed a
legitimate course of action for Arab leadership. Evidence of this can
also be found in the peace treaty signed with Egypt. “We have a peace
treaty with Egypt, but it violated it in the first week after it was
signed, and now the entire Sinai Peninsula has become a platform for
military equipment rather than a means of fighting ISIS. This is clear
to us, but it is still not clear to the Western world."
Dr.
Schleifer concluded by saying: “It is very encouraging to see that the
Israeli security establishment is moving toward psychological warfare. I
understand that the technical aspect is carried out by Unit 8200, and
from there it moves throughout the security establishment. The Shin Bet
deals with matters within Israel, the IDF operates in Gaza, Lebanon, and
Judea and Samaria, and that leaves the Mossad." Schleifer believes that
the Mossad, under the leadership of Roman Gofman, chose to take this
step and reap the security benefits it provides for Israel.
“The
entire Arab world is boiling because of two lines leaked to a
journalist. All of this followed a phone call to a journalist who can be
trusted. This is a good sign. We are in a region where military
activity is different, and we are finally adapting ourselves to these
challenges. It is a very positive sign."
“Calling it ‘settler violence’ is a provocation” which “denies our connection to the land of Israel” and “distracts from constant terrorist attacks against Israelis,” said Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to
the United Nations, briefs reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York
City, July 28, 2026. Credit: Mark Garten/UN Photo.
Israel’s United Nations envoy told the U.N. Security Council on
Tuesday the facts regarding violence in Judea and Samaria contradict the
“rising settler violence” narrative.
The council held a briefing
on Judea and Samaria, as requested by European members Denmark, France,
Greece, Latvia and the United Kingdom, collectively known as the “E5.”
The
briefing was purportedly to condemn the alleged rise of violence by
Jewish residents in the region, which the United Nations refers to as
settlers.
“This May, there were 348 Palestinian terrorist attacks
in Judea and Samaria. Eight pipe bomb attacks, 282 stone-throwing
incidents, 32 fire bomb attacks, 24 arson incidents and two serious car
ramming attacks,” said Danny Danon, Israel’s U.N. ambassador, noting
that the high figure was higher than even the 325 recorded attacks in
April. Over 400 more attacks were stopped by Israeli security forces
preemptively, Danon said.
“How many of you have condemned these
terrorist attacks against Jews? None of these numbers were reported by
the briefers, and none of these attacks were mentioned by any of you,”
he continued. “This is the bias we are confronting today.”
Meanwhile,
Danon said Israel is cracking down on attacks by Jews against
Palestinians, with 354 investigations opened, 20 indictments filed and
35 residents arrested through the first quarter of this year.
“This
has led to a decrease in extremist violence,” said Danon. “That is why
calling it ‘settler violence’ is a provocation. It denies our connection
to the land of Israel. It distracts from constant terrorist attacks
against Israelis and it collectively labels entire innocent communities
for the crimes of the marginal extremist minority.
He drew
attention to the flow of Iranian weapons and funding into Judea and
Samaria, and the Palestinian Authority’s dishonesty about its so-called
pay-for-slay program, which rewards terrorists on a sliding scale based
on the severity of their crimes.
“The Palestinian Authority is
supposed to help us to mitigate this problem,” said Danon, while the
U.S. State Department told Congress that the Palestinian Authority
continues to administer the program, even as Ramallah said it was
converted into a broader social welfare initiative.
Washington’s
representative on Tuesday said that the United States “appreciates the
Israeli government’s condemnation of, and the increased actions to
counter, violence in” Judea and Samaria.
“Israel has taken
specific steps, such as increasing law enforcement actions, to boosting
the IDF presence and to allocating significant financial resources to
counter the violence,” said Jennifer Locetta, U.S. alternative
representative for special political affairs.
She doubled down on
Danon’s pay-for-slay criticism, telling the council that Washington
“will not accept compensation for terrorism under the guise of ‘welfare’
or through any other attempts to evade detection under a different
name.”
But, Locetta took a veiled shot at Israel’s approval this
week of the advancement of plans to build housing units in areas between
northern Jerusalem and the P.A. cities of Ramallah and el-Bireh.
“The United States reiterates its opposition to annexation,” in the area, she said.
Mike Wagenheim is a Washington-based correspondent for JNS, primarily covering the
U.S. State Department and Congress. He is the senior U.S. correspondent
at the Israel-based i24NEWS TV network.
[Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan sees the Muslim communities of Europe as a natural extension of Turkish power, not just the Muslims of Cyprus, Greece, the Balkans, Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Romania, but also the millions of Muslims settled in Western Europe as a result of mass immigration
An empire always seeks to
expand its influence. From this perspective, [Turkish President Recep
Tayyip] Erdoğan sees the Muslim communities of Europe as a natural
extension of Turkish power, not just the Muslims of Cyprus, Greece, the
Balkans, Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Romania, but also the millions of Muslims
settled in Western Europe as a result of mass immigration.
Turkey occupies 37% of Cyprus. Year after year, its officials
there pursue a policy of demographic colonization. Tens of thousands of
Turks, notably from eastern Anatolia and often Islamized, have been
settled in the northern part of the island presumably to alter the
demographic balance.
In 2008, Erdoğan shocked Angela Merkel by declaring that the
assimilation of Turks in Germany constituted a "crime against humanity."
For Erdoğan, asking Turkish Muslims to integrate into the values of
their host countries amounts to attacking the Turks' Islamic identity.
Saudi Arabia was also considering joining [the Abraham Accords],
but in Europe, their reception was largely distorted by the choice of
those Muslim interlocutors who were favored by states and institutions.
The individuals who claim to represent Europe's Muslims are backed
politically and financially by Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, and Kuwait.
Those countries fund and support Sunni associations and mosques linked
to the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the Sunni movements most hostile to
Israel, alongside Turkey's Millî Görüş movement. Both organizations have
close ties to Hamas.
The representation of Europe's Muslims has often been entrusted
to countries, associations, or networks ideologically hostile to Israel:
Qatar, some movements linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, Milli Görüş, or
other radical Islamist organizations. These networks are deeply
anti-Zionist, extremely pro-Palestinian, and sometimes even complacent
toward Hamas. The result is that the Abraham Accords, which should be
seen as a diplomatic, security, and civilizational advance, have been
presented in Europe as a betrayal.
Countries that support Islamist associations linked to the Muslim
Brotherhood, such as Turkey and Qatar, as well as pro-Iranian influence
groups that are highly active within radical left-wing and, at times,
populist political movements, exert pressure on Muslims to regard
countries supportive of the Abraham Accords—such as Morocco and the
United Arab Emirates—as traitors to Islam. Those countries are portrayed
as complicit with an allegedly "satanic" Israel, accused of massacring
Palestinians in Gaza who are associated with Hamas. Hamas, itself a
jihadist organization rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood, is in turn
presented as the purest embodiment of the Islamic cause in its struggle
against the American and Israeli-Zionist "devils."
[Most Muslims] are exposed to a demonizing discourse conveyed by
associations, preachers, or extremely anti-Zionist states such as
Algeria and Qatar. In this discourse, recognizing Israel or cooperating
with it becomes unthinkable.
In fact, some Muslims in Europe are today more radicalized on the
issue of Israel's right to exist than the populations of several Arab
countries. In Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and especially the
Emirates, it is possible to defend the Abraham Accords or to criticize
Hamas. In Europe, in some Muslim circles, such a position becomes much
harder to maintain.
Some Emirati officials have been worried to see their nationals
return from London with Islamist, radical pro-Palestinian ideas, whereas
in their own country—the UAE—they had been protected from these
influences.
Christians now represent 0.3% of the population of Algeria,
Tunisia and Morocco, compared to 95% in 650. The fatal error of the West
is to organize its own dhimmitude in the form of self-racism,
self-flagellation, and self-destruction in a guilt-ridden Europe
inclined to atone for its past by allowing itself to be overwhelmed by
Islamization and extra-European immigration.
This new form of voluntary dhimmitude aims to buy peace. Europe
agrees no longer to criticize Islam, it also agrees to finance mosques,
and to allow a political and religious ideology to enter without
reciprocity.
An empire always seeks to expand its influence. From this
perspective, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (pictured) sees the
Muslim communities of Europe as a natural extension of Turkish power,
not just the Muslims of Cyprus, Greece, the Balkans, Bulgaria, Bosnia,
and Romania, but also the millions of Muslims settled in Western Europe
as a result of mass immigration. (Photo by Serdar Ozsoy/Getty Images)
Alexandre del Valle is a French author specializing in geopolitics. He is the author of the acclaimed Islamist Totalitarianism: Democracies Under Attack, The Strategy of Intimidation: From Jihadist Terrorism to Islamic Correctness, and The Western Complex: A Short Treatise on De-culpabilization, among other publications.
Read Part I: The Exploding Islamization of the West
Grégoire Canlorbe: Is Erdoğan's Turkey a danger at Europe's gates?
Alexandre del Valle: Erdoğan's Turkey is definitely a danger
-- comparable to the Ottoman Empire. Erdoğan's entire geopolitical and
ideological vision appears to rest on the idea of continuity with that
empire. He seems to see himself as the heir of the Ottoman sultans, even
as the restorer of an empire abolished by Atatürk. He appears to regard
that rupture as being secular and anti-religious.
The movement from which Erdoğan comes,
Milli Görüş, is in some ways the Turkish equivalent of the Muslim
Brotherhood. This international Turkish Islamist organization regards
Atatürk, the founder of modern and secular Turkey, as a traitor who
destroyed a sacred institution, the caliphate. Erdoğan appears to be a
proponent of historical reparation: he wants to reconcile Turkey with
its Ottoman and Islamic past in order to restore imperial greatness to
it.
An empire always seeks to expand its influence. From this
perspective, Erdoğan sees the Muslim communities of Europe as a natural
extension of Turkish power, not just the Muslims of Cyprus, Greece, the
Balkans, Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Romania, but also the millions of Muslims
settled in Western Europe as a result of mass immigration.
Turkey therefore presents itself as the only great Eurasian Muslim
country capable of embodying the leadership of European Islam. After the
fall of Andalusia in Spain and of Muslim Sicily, it was the Ottoman
Empire that long carried political Islam in Europe, especially through
the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Erdoğan seems to view a Neo-Ottoman
Turkey as the natural heir to this European Islam.
That inclination might explain Erdoğan's apparent desire to extend
the influence of networks such as Milli Görüş, but also official
structures such as the Turkish Diyanet, the Ministry of Religious
Affairs, and the German DITIB—
the Turkish Islamic Union for Religious Affairs—its offshoot in
European countries. Through these religious and consular networks,
Erdoğan spreads a neo-Ottoman state Islam that seeks to impose itself as
the protector, sponsor, and leader of Europe's Muslims.
Canlorbe: What importance does Cyprus have in Erdoğan's plans?
del Valle: Turkey occupies 37% of Cyprus. Year after year, its
officials there pursue a policy of demographic colonization. Tens of
thousands of Turks, notably from eastern Anatolia and often Islamized,
have been settled in the northern part of the island presumably to alter
the demographic balance. In the long term, Erdoğan's apparent objective
is to ensure that Cyprus is placed entirely under Turkish influence, or
better, under Turkish control.
The Turkish government also exerts constant pressure on Greece,
particularly around its islands, while instrumentalizing the Muslim
minority present on Greek territory. Turkish officials regularly raise
issues concerning the Muslim minority in Muslim Thrace in its diplomacy
with Greece, advocating for its rights and identity while using these
issues as leverage in broader bilateral disputes.
Turkey also seeks to extend its influence among the Muslim minorities
of Bulgaria, Romania, the Balkans, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia, and
Macedonia -- a considerable geopolitical lever.
For these reasons, the Turkish presence in the Mediterranean
represents a direct threat to Cyprus and Greece. The danger is also
ideological and is promoted among local communities. Through its
religious, collaborative, and consular networks, Turkey exerts growing
influence over the Muslim communities of Western Europe that have
recently emerged from immigration, as well as over the historic Muslim
communities of Eastern Europe.
In 2008, Erdoğan shocked Angela Merkel by declaring that the
assimilation of Turks in Germany constituted a "crime against humanity."
For Erdoğan, asking Turkish Muslims to integrate into the values of
their host countries amounts to attacking the Turks' Islamic identity.
Such a view reveals a policy of subversion that, in the long term,
threatens the sovereignty of European states. Large Muslim
communities—10% on average in industrialized European countries, often
from 20% to 80% in some cities or districts—will become Muslim in
France, Belgium, Sweden, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. In a few
years or decades, depending on the countries, the percentage could go as
high as 20-30% and create loyalty conflicts and risks of partition.
Europe will then find itself undermined from within by a foreign power
that uses religion, demography, and identity as instruments of political
influence, as in many places it already does, such as Molenbeek, Belgium; Malmö, Sweden; Marseille, France, and quite a few cities in the United Kingdom.
Canlorbe: Have the Abraham Accords had a positive effect on
the perception that Islamic populations have of the West, and that small
piece of the West that is Israel?
del Valle: Unfortunately, no. The Abraham Accords are a good
thing, and the United Arab Emirates was one of their pioneers. Saudi
Arabia was also considering joining them, but in Europe, their reception
was largely distorted by the choice of those Muslim interlocutors who
were favored by states and institutions. The individuals who claim to
represent Europe's Muslims are backed politically and financially by
Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, and Kuwait. Those countries fund and support
Sunni associations and mosques linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, one of
the Sunni movements most hostile to Israel, alongside Turkey's Millî
Görüş movement. Both organizations have close ties to Hamas.
The representation of Europe's Muslims has often been entrusted to
countries, associations, or networks ideologically hostile to Israel:
Qatar, some movements linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, Milli Görüş, or
other radical Islamist organizations. These networks are deeply
anti-Zionist, extremely pro-Palestinian, and sometimes even complacent
toward Hamas. The result is that the Abraham Accords, which should be
seen as a diplomatic, security, and civilizational advance, have been
presented in Europe as a betrayal of Islam.
Countries that support Islamist associations linked to the Muslim
Brotherhood, such as Turkey and Qatar, as well as pro-Iranian influence
groups that are highly active within radical left-wing and, at times,
populist political movements, exert pressure on Muslims to regard
countries supportive of the Abraham Accords—such as Morocco and the
United Arab Emirates—as traitors to Islam. Those countries are portrayed
as complicit with an allegedly "satanic" Israel, accused of massacring
Palestinians in Gaza who are associated with Hamas. Hamas, itself a
jihadist organization rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood, is in turn
presented as the purest embodiment of the Islamic cause in its struggle
against the American and Israeli-Zionist "devils."
Most Muslims in Europe therefore do not receive the positive reading
of the Abraham Accords — based on intellectual, strategic, and
geopolitical cooperation with Israel — that are promoted by the
Emirates. On the contrary, they are exposed to a demonizing discourse
conveyed by associations, preachers, or extremely anti-Zionist states
such as Algeria and Qatar. In this discourse, recognizing Israel or
cooperating with it becomes unthinkable.
We are even increasingly seeing the use of the expression "Zionist
entity," intended to deny the very legitimacy of the State of Israel. In
fact, some Muslims in Europe are today more radicalized on the issue of
Israel's right to exist than the populations of several Arab countries.
In Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and especially the Emirates,
it is possible to defend the Abraham Accords or to criticize Hamas. In
Europe, in some Muslim circles, such a position becomes much harder to
maintain.
Some Emirati officials have been worried to see their nationals
return from London with Islamist, radical pro-Palestinian ideas, whereas
in their own country — the UAE — they had been protected from these
influences.
In countries such as the Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, or Egypt, it
remains possible to support the Abraham Accords and condemn the
terrorist group Hamas. In Europe, that view might not go down as well in
the European Muslim community. It is increasingly shaped by a radical
Islamic-Palestinian ideology enormously hostile to any normalization
with Israel.
Canlorbe: You referred to Bat Ye'or earlier. What has been her impact?
del Valle: The theses she developed have had a profound impact alongside the works of Antoine Fattal and Samuel Huntington.
Bat Ye'or developed two key concepts from the history of non-Muslim
minorities in Islamic lands. The first concept is jihad, understood not
merely as holy war, but as a juridical and political doctrine of
expansion — the legal instrument that enabled the expansion of Dar al-Islam [The House of Islam, as opposed to the Dar al-Harb,
the House of War – denoting the rest of the world still to be conquered
for the cause of Islam] from the seventh to the nineteenth century. The
aim was to bring all territories under Islamic law. Peace exists only
after submission or conversion.
The second concept is dhimmitude: the inferior, tolerated legal
status imposed on conquered non-Muslim populations—Christians, Jews,
Hindus, Zoroastrians, and so on. It means a monetary "protection pact":
the dhimma. In exchange for being spared, the dhimmi pays a financial tribute, the jizya ["substitute tax', meaning a sufficient substitute for declining to convert to Islam]. Dhimmis are also subjected to legal discrimination:
a prohibition on building new places of worship; testifying against a
Muslim; criticizing Muhammed or Islam, riding horses, meaning relegated
instead to donkeys, and so on. For Bat Ye'or, this is a "civilization of
religious apartheid" that entrenches the slow disappearance of
minorities through conversion, exile, or demographic attrition.
Bat Ye'or's dramatic conclusion, more of a warning, is that jihad and
dhimmitude form a historical system of civilizational erosion and
replacement, one that caused the Christian civilizations of North
Africa, the Near East, Anatolia, and the Balkans to wither from within
over twelve centuries. Christians now represent 0.3% of the population
of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, compared to 95% in 650. The fatal error
of the West is to organize its own dhimmitude in the form of
self-racism, self-flagellation, and self-destruction in a guilt-ridden
Europe inclined to atone for its past by allowing itself to be
overwhelmed by Islamization and extra-European immigration.
This new form of voluntary dhimmitude aims to buy peace. Europe
agrees no longer to criticize Islam, it also agrees to finance mosques,
and to allow a political and religious ideology to enter without
reciprocity.
The post-1968 West sees itself as guilty of colonialism and elevates
repentance into a state morality. The result is that it disarms its own
right to exist. Western slavery is taught, but not the Arab-Muslim slave
trade. "Blasphemy" against Islam is criminalized in the name of "living
together." That, however, is "Islamic correctness." It is the
reintroduction of dhimmitude — societal self-destruction — but this time
on European soil, and at the request of dangerous European elites whose
wish to preserve their careers is more important than preserving
Europe.
Grégoire Canlorbe, a journalist, currently lives in
Paris. He has conducted interviews for journals such as Man and the
Economy, founded by Nobel Prize-winning economist Ronald Coase, and
think tanks such as Mises Institute and Gatestone Institute. Contact: gregoire.canlorbe@wanadoo.fr
If voters choose to avert their gaze and stick their fingers in their ears, they’ll only have themselves to blame.
Over Easter, Matt Ford suggested Donald Trump might one day soon be
hunted down by the International Criminal Court and put on trial like a
mass-murdering warlord from the Balkans or the Congo.
“There will be no post-presidential peace for Donald Trump,” Ford thundered in the pages of The New Republic, before providing a litany of high crimes and misdemeanors that would justify a meeting with fate at The Hague.
“The shuttering of the Kennedy Center may be the least of Trump’s second-term sins,” Ford opined.
“In the first year since returning to power, Trump and his subordinates have pushed the country toward fascism and oligarchy. He has turned Washington into an orgy of corruption
and self-dealing beyond even the most cynical observer’s imagination.
He has transformed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol
into a lawless paramilitary force that has besieged American cities and killed at least five U.S. citizens and 22 foreign nationals. He has abused Americans and their immigrant neighbors alike simply because he can.”
Given everything that happened to Donald Trump during his first term
and then the four long years of the Biden presidency, it should come as
no shock that his enemies are already thinking of ways they can punish
him, his family, and his supporters as soon as they have the power to do
so.
The plan for retribution—and there is a plan, rather than just a
diffuse sense that Trump must be punished—is now taking shape under the
rubric of “Project 2029.” The name is a knowing wink toward the Heritage
Foundation and its Project 2025, which set the agenda for the second
Trump administration in so many different ways. Although the main focus
is on 2029, there’s no clear frontrunner to lead the party at the
moment, with recent polls suggesting Gavin Newsom might not be the
favorite—a Democratic win at the midterms will allow the process of
retribution to begin in earnest.
Back at Easter, there were some intimations of exactly what might happen if November goes the Democrats’ way, but now Reuters has added some real meat to the bones.
According to Reuters, “Senior Democrats in the U.S. House of
Representatives and committee aides have discussed using hearings,
subpoenas, and document requests to obtain records from entities tied to
Trump’s political and business orbit… It is a bet that investigating
private companies and outside financial players will prove more fruitful
than directly confronting a White House they expect to resist
oversight.”
Impeachment, that bluntest of weapons, is out. Democrats have finally
learned their lesson, it seems. They know impeachment is unlikely to
succeed and that President Trump will be able to turn proceedings to his
advantage, portraying himself as the victim of a merciless witch-hunt
(imagine that!).
“No one wants a failed vote on day one,” a senior Democrat aide said.
“The focus is on building a body of evidence through investigations that can hold Trump accountable.”
Several major companies have already been singled out. Among them are
Apple, Alphabet, Blackstone, BlackRock, and Palantir. Not surprisingly,
companies owned by Elon Musk—whose support was instrumental in
returning Trump to the White House and who oversaw the Department of
Government Efficiency—are also targets.
Reuters continues, “Democrats are expected to examine Department of
Homeland Security contracts, financing for Trump’s planned White House
ballroom, corporate donors, and alleged pay-to-play arrangements, two
sources said. They also plan a probe of Trump-linked financial vehicles,
including 1789 Capital—a venture capital firm where his son Donald
Trump Jr. is a partner—and foreign sovereign wealth funds whose
investments in Trump family-linked entities could raise questions about
administration influence, the sources said.”
Party leaders have now begun sending out letters in advance of
subpoenas after the midterms. These include requests for information
from Paramount Skydance about its dealings with the Trump administration
and the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery deal. They want information
about Alphabet’s $24.5 million settlement with President Trump, and they
also want answers from private prison operator GEO Group and security
company Salus Worldwide Solutions about their contracts with the
Department of Homeland Security. Commodity traders have been asked about
sales of Venezuelan oil since Nicolás Maduro was deposed in January.
At this stage, of course, the letters have no power, and the
recipients are in no way compelled to respond. But they serve as signals
of intent, warnings that the price of cooperation with the Trump
administration could be about to increase steeply. As a strategy, it’s
likely to have some effect, and given Trump’s current low favorability
rating, largely thanks to the Iran war, the warning will be felt. The
Democrats have reason to be confident.
Republicans will be campaigning on accountability too, albeit of a
different sort. In the last couple of days, we’ve also learned the GOP
will focus on the Democrat party’s violent lurch toward the left or
“communism,” as President Trump has described it, and on the inability
or unwillingness of the party’s leaders to stop it.
According to Axios, via Republican sources, the party is going to tell America, “but they’re worse.”
“Yeah, you’ve got your gripes with us—maybe you’re still pissed about
the price of gas, maybe you think things went too far in Minneapolis,
maybe you’re just tired of Donald Trump—but trust us, they’re worse.Muchworse.”
“Better the devil you know” is a risky strategy, and in some sense an
admission of weakness, but then again, I suspect it won’t be too hard
to convince many voters the Democrats really are a much worse sort of
devil this time around. Americans should be scared of DSA-approved
politicians and candidates like Zohran Mamdani, James Talarico, Melat
Kiros, Claire Valdez, and Francesca Hong, a woman who, by her own
admission, would be better off strapped to a bed, listening to soothing
music, rather than running for governor of Wisconsin. Although senior
organizers like James Carville are warning of a “schism” in the party
and vowing they’ll resist the “hostile takeover” of the Mamdanis and the
Talaricos, it really does look like the radicals are winning. They’re
more motivated and angry, they know how to whip up minority voter bases,
and the Democrat establishment is still reeling from the total
embarrassment that was Harris-Walz 2024. The DSA now has well north of
100,000 members and growing.
The Republicans will use their first-ever midterm convention in
Dallas next month to “mount a sweeping, made-for-prime-time case that
Democrats have become captive to their activist left,” Axios says.
Central to that case will be “footage of Democratic figures… that
they’ll use throughout the convention to paint the Democrats as outside
the mainstream.”
That means Americans are probably going to hear Gen Z darling Hasan
Piker tell them the streets must be sluiced with the blood of the
oppressors. “Kill them. Kill those motherfuckers. Murder those
motherfuckers in the street. Let the streets soak in their fucking red
capitalist blood, dude.” His actual words, by the way. They’ll hear him
call for the murder of former governor Rick Scott and tell his viewers
to “gut” their opponents and “slice them up.”
Perhaps they’ll hear the charming clip that resurfaced at the end of
last week, in which Piker laughed about the extermination of white
people and the rape of white American women by immigrants brought into
the country by leftist politicians.
“We’re gonna bring in immigrants to this country just so they can
fuck your sister and then maybe your daughter… We’re gonna destroy the
white race, bitch.” His actual words.
“Our video trove is endless,” a Republican source said.
If voters choose to avert their gaze and stick their fingers in their ears, they’ll only have themselves to blame.
The rule, effective Oct. 13, halts taxpayer dollars for puberty blockers and surgeries for minors while offering a six-month phase-out period for children currently on hormone therapy
The Trump administration has finalized a rule that would end the use
of federal Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program funds for
so-callede "gender-affirming" procedures on children and youth.
“Today, we are ending federal taxpayer funding for
sex-rejecting procedures on children,” Secretary of Health and Human
Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said Tuesday in announcing the
finalization. “These interventions carry serious risks and can cause
irreversible harm. The federal government will no longer use Medicaid
and CHIP dollars to fund procedures that fail to meet the evidentiary
standard our children deserve.”
The ruling by the Department of Health and Human Services,
through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, blocks funding
for such procedures on children as surgical operations or giving them
such drugs as puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones.
CMS said in its press release
that these procedures can result in irreversible damage such as
infertility, impaired sexual function, diminished bone density, altered
brain development, and other lasting physiological effects.
“By cutting off federal funds for these sex-rejecting
procedures, we’re following the science, saving taxpayer dollars, and,
most importantly, protecting children from potentially irreversible harm
so they can truly flourish,” CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said.
As part of the announcement, CMS pointed to international reviews such as the United Kingdom’s Cass Report,
which concludes that clinical evidence for youth gender-affirming
medical intervention is weak and recommends a shift toward holistic
care, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), which has
issued a position statement recommending that surgeons delay gender-related surgeries until a patient is at least 19 years old.
“We are not going to pay for our innocent children to
undergo these barbaric surgeries and practices, which result in
unthinkable and irreversible harm to their young bodies,” President
Donald Trump also posted on social media.
Under the final rule,
scheduled to take effect October 13, federal Medicaid and CHIP funding
will be available for an ease-off period for up to six months from the
effective date of the rule for children who are currently on hormone
therapy. The rule will not affect coverage of mental health services.
Christina Park is a reporter for Just the News. Follow her on X for more coverage.
"Citizenship is not a commodity to be acquired through calculated exploitation and evasion of the immigration laws," the agency warned.
The State Department on Wednesday announced the creation of a task
force dedicated to cracking down on "birth tourism," namely the practice
of traveling to the United States to give birth to secure the benefits
of citizenship for the child.
Traveling to the U.S. for the primary purpose of giving birth is
illegal, though the Supreme Court's recent ruling on birthright
citizenship has left the government with little recourse should an alien
succeed in giving birth on U.S. soil.
In its announcement,
the State Department warned that birth tourism had become a profitable
industry and indicated that the task force would work to review visa
holders and revoke those issued to persons involved in the practice.
"Citizenship is not a commodity to be acquired through calculated
exploitation and evasion of the immigration laws," the agency warned.
"Foreign nationals who abuse the visa system, and those who help them do
so, may lose their visa, their access, and their future in the United
States. This is only the beginning."
Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.
Notably, 19% of Arab Israelis said they support Israel annexing the West Bank, assuming citizenship would be granted to the Palestinians living there.
A new Israeli settlement is seen near the town of Turmus Aya, between Nablus and Ramallah, in the West Bank, February 16, (photo credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)
Nearly two-fifths of Israeli Jews support annexing the West Bank
despite over half supporting sovereignty over the settlements,
according to a poll released by the Jewish People Policy Institute
(JPPI).
The
poll showed that 55% of Israeli Jews want the country to maintain
authority over Jewish settlements in the West Bank in any future
agreement with the Palestinians.
Nearly
two-fifths of Israeli Jews support annexing the West Bank despite over
half supporting sovereignty over the settlements, according to a poll
released by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI). (credit: Courtesy
of JPPI)
Regarding
annexation, participants were given four groups of choices: some 37% of
all Israelis supported full annexation, 30% said the territory should
be divided, while just 10% supported full transfer of sovereignty to the
Palestinians, with slightly more than that saying the situation should
continue as is.
Some
35% of Jewish Israelis said the terrority should be divided, with 22%
of those supporting annexation saying that the Palestinian population
should be transferred to Arab countries. Approximately 14% said that West Bank Palestinians should be given autonomy following Israeli annexation of the territory.
Notably,
less than 1% of Jewish Israeli participants said that Palestinians
should be given full Israeli citizenship upon annexation of the West
Bank.
19%
of Arab Israelis said they support Israel annexing the West Bank,
assuming citizenship would be granted to the Palestinians living there,
according to a JPPI poll. (credit: Courtesy of JPPI)
Notably,
19% of Arab Israelis said they support Israel annexing the West Bank,
assuming citizenship would be granted to the Palestinians living there,
though 23% said a Palestinian state should be established over the
entire territory.
Poll shows Israelis lack faith in BoP Gaza plan
The poll also explored the Gaza Board of Peace (BoP) plan pushed by US President Donald Trump, showing that Israelis are less-than-enthusiastic about what they believe the plan will achieve.
According
to JPPI, most Israelis (58%) believe the situation in Gaza will not
change despite the plan, with the number climbing to 63% amongst Israeli
Jews.
Just
3% of respondents said they believe the plan will achieve all its
goals, including Hamas's disarmament, while no Jewish Israelis agreed
with the sentiment.
JPPI President Professor Yedidya Stern described the findings as indicating "deep pessimism among Israelis" regarding Gaza.
"This
does not indicate a fundamental preference by Israelis for the
continued occupation of Gaza, but rather a deep lack of trust in Hamas'
willingness to relinquish its control over the Strip," said Stern.
"This
means that, in the opinion of most of us, and in the absence of another
plan on the political-security table, Israel is destined to continue to
control most of the Gaza Strip in the long term."
Beirich has also been accused of cohabitating with and dating one of the informants whom she allegedly paid.
Former Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Chief Financial Officer
Heidi Beirich was arrested on Wednesday, with authorities alleging that
she made secret payments to informants in white supremacist groups.
The Department of Justice brought charges against the SPLC earlier
this year over fraudulent payments. Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed the arrest in a press conference.
“I believe she was part of the effort to open bank accounts in
completely fictitious companies’ names and make payments to individuals
for reasons that were not accurate as described,” Blanche told
reporters.
Beirich has also been accused of cohabitating with and dating one of the informants whom she allegedly paid.
In June, the DOJ announced charges against the organization on 11
counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money
laundering.
The agency alleged that the SPLC paid people to remain in neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups to become informants.
Beirich's arrest followed a superseding indictment that added her as an individual defendant, CNN reported.
Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.
The same court in June blocked other portions of Trump's order in 23 states and Washington, D.C. The order prohibited the postal service from delivering ballots in states that had not provided a list of mail-in voters, among other requirements.
A federal district court in Massachusetts issued a temporary
restraining order on the U.S. Postal Service, preventing it from
implementing President Donald Trump's 2026 executive order regarding
mail-in ballots.
The executive order, issued in March of this year, directs
the Department of Homeland Security to compile lists of eligible voters
nationwide, on a state-by-state basis, and seeks to block the U.S.
Postal Service from delivering absentee ballots to voters not on
state-approved rolls.
The same court in June blocked other portions of Trump's order in 23 states and Washington, D.C., ABC News reported. Both injunctions apply only to the Nov. 3 midterm elections as litigation winds through the courts.
Both injunctions also indicated that the plaintiffs would likely
succeed on the merits of their case, which argues the Trump
administration exceeded its authority in attempting to impose election
requirements on states. States, the lawsuits argue, have the primary
responsibility for regulating voting under the law.
The Justice Department last month asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the dispute. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued
that a lower court's injunction on the order was premature and
"extraordinary" because it blocks federal officials from implementing
Trump's order that merely aims to promote election integrity.
