Medrash Shmuel (Avos (02:11) One who steals from others is like one who steals from G-d since G-d makes restitution
Friday, May 17, 2024
Learning from nature
Devarim Rabbah (05:02) Solomon said, ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. ‘ So do you, too, Israel prepare for yourselves religious deeds in this world for the World to Come. And what is the meaning of, ’Consider her ways, and be wise’? The Rabbis say: Consider her good conduct, how she keeps away from robbery.
Abbott pardons man who fatally shot Black Lives Matter protester
The former soldier said he acted in self-defense, claiming he fired his pistol when Foster, who was legally carrying an AK-47, pointed the rifle at him. Witnesses testified that they did not see Foster raise his weapon, and prosecutors argued that Perry could have driven away without shooting.
Weapons shipment delayed by US arrives in Israel
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/390097
Despite the US administration's threat to freeze arms shipments to Israel, due to the IDF's ground maneuver in Rafah, the arms shipment that had recently been delayed has arrived in Israel, Kan 11 News reported on Thursday.
A US official said that the decision to resume the transfer of weapons was made after Israel undertook to inform the United States in advance before expanding the ground maneuver in Rafah.
Thursday, May 16, 2024
U.S. Fixation on Nuclear Deal Let Iran Loose on the Middle East
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/04/25/us-iran-israel-hamas-war-nuclear-deal-biden-trump-obama/
But even the administration of former President Donald Trump did not deviate much from the path set by Obama and now followed by President Joe Biden. In 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA and announced the start of a so-called maximum pressure campaign toward Iran. Yet his administration did not come up with any plan for dealing with the ballistic missile program or regional interventions—despite Iran’s activities in Syria having become more extensive than they were during Obama’s time in office.
Trump’s Iran Failures Left Biden With No Choice But to Make a Deal
https://time.com/6146540/trumps-iran-failures-biden-deal/
Once President, Trump’s closest national security advisors begged him not to tear up the deal. They told him the deal was working. Iran had lived up to its promises, shut down major parts of its nuclear program, and allowed the inspectors in. And that unlikely coalition Obama had constructed on Iran policy—America, Europe, China and Russia—was now assembled and ready to get to work on Iran’s other malevolent behavior, like its support for terrorist groups in the region. America was safer with the deal in place, they told him.
Iran: Background and U.S. Policy
Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution that ushered in the Islamic Republic, Iran has presented a major foreign policy challenge for the United States, with successive U.S. Administrations identifying Iran and its activities as a threat to the United States and its interests. Of particular concern are the Iranian government’s nuclear program, its military capabilities, its support for armed factions and terrorist groups, and its partnerships with Russia and China. The U.S. government has condemned the Iranian government’s human rights violations and detention of U.S. citizens and others, and has wrestled with how to support protest movements in Iran. The U.S. government has used a range of policy tools intended to reduce the threat posed by Iran, including sanctions, limited military action, and diplomatic engagement. Despite these efforts, Iran’s regional influence and strategic capabilities remain considerable and have arguably increased.
Biden Admin. denies withholding Hamas leaders' locations from Israel
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/389891
A National Security Council official told the New York Post today (Monday), “We have already been helping Israel target Hamas’ leaders, and that work continues on an ongoing basis."
“We’re not holding anything back,’’ the official said. “We believe Sinwar should and indeed must be held accountable for the horrors of the October 7 attack.”
Last week, the Washington Post reported that the Biden Administration was using the intelligence on the locations of Hamas leaders as leverage to stop Israel's operation in Gaza.
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
House GOP pushes bill to force Biden to continue weapons transfers to Israel
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-gop-pushes-israel-weapons-bill/story?id=110228315
New York Rep. Dan Goldman, a pro-Israel Jewish Democrat, called it a "misleading" measure brought by Republicans he said were seeking to score election-year political points.
Goldman said the "Republicans' latest messaging bill does nothing to materially help Israel's security, fundamentally mischaracterizes the President's statements and steadfast support for Israel since October 7, and simply requires commitments that the Administration has repeatedly made."
"As an American Jew, I am offended by the politicization and partisan manipulation of these very serious issues," Goldman said.
Stealing from Students
Sanhedrin (91b) Whoever witholdeth a halachah from his disciple is as though he had robbed him of his ancestral heritage, as it is written, Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob: it is an inheritance destined for all Israel from the six days of Creation. R. Hanah b. Bizna said in the name of R. Simeon the Pious: Whoever withholds a halachah from a disciple, even the embryo in its mother's womb curses him.
Most people steal!
Bava Basra (165a) Most people are guilty of robbery, a minority of lewdness, and all of slander. Of slander? How could one imagine such a thing! But implied slander is meant.
Johnson’s ‘intuition’ clashes with data on illegal voting
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/4657038-mike-johnson-illegal-voting-voter-fraud/
The GOP unveiled a bill last week to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections — prohibiting something that’s already illegal to address a problem lawmakers can’t prove exists.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was candid last week in telling reporters that Republicans are motivated by intuition in seeking another law that would limit voting to U.S. citizens.
“We all know, intuitively, that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections. But it’s not been something that is easily provable. We don’t have that number. This legislation will allow us to do exactly that — it will prevent that from happening. And if someone tries to do it, it will now be unlawful within the states,” Johnson said in a Wednesday press conference on the Capitol steps.
UN cuts by more than half the number of women, children ‘identified’ as killed in Gaza
Having previously reported that 9,500 women and 14,500 children had died during the war (some 69% of all fatalities), OCHA is now reporting far lower numbers, stating that among “identified” deaths, 4,959 women have died, along with 7,797 children (or 52% of the total number of identified deaths in the war).
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