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.
Thursday, May 16, 2024
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).
Trump’s Lawyers Are Making Major Mistakes
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/05/14/trump-trial-lawyers-mistakes-00157734
These decisions are so obviously wrong as a strategic matter that it is frankly hard to believe that Trump’s defense team all agreed with them. These lawyers are not a bunch of hacks, and they aren’t dumb either. We may never know what went on within Trump’s legal team headed into this trial — most if not all of that information is likely to remain shielded from public view — but they almost certainly tried and failed to talk Trump down from some of these approaches.
Biden Moves Forward on $1 Billion in New Arms for Israel
The latest weapons package includes the potential transfer of $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds, the officials said. There are still additional steps before the weapons would be approved and delivered.
The decision to proceed with the approval process underscored the Biden administration’s reluctance to deepen its rift with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Rafah operation by restricting longer-term weapons deals with its closest Middle East ally.
After pausing bomb shipment: Biden moving forward with new weapons deal for Israel
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/389958
The Biden administration notified Congress on Tuesday that it is moving forward with more than $1 billion in new weapons deals for Israel, US and congressional officials told The Wall Street Journal.
The latest weapons package includes the potential transfer of $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds, the officials said.
The munitions are intended to replenish stocks used during the war against Hamas, according to the report.
The news comes less than a week after the White House paused a shipment of bombs to Israel due to US opposition to a planned Israeli attack on the Gazan city of Rafah.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Biden administration denies holding intel on Hamas leaders' locations
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-801074
While the White House recently leveraged intelligence information in hopes of stalling an IDF operation in Rafah, it has now begun denying withholding information from its ally, the New York Post reported on Monday.
The initial report that the US attempted to leverage information came from four anonymous sources speaking to the Washington Post.
Monday, May 13, 2024
Stealing with Complications
Tosefta (Bava Kama 10) If one steals from the public he is obligated to make restitution to the public. Stealing from the public is harsher than stealing from an individual. That is because one who stole from an individual is able to placate his victim and return that which he stole. In contrast one who stole from the public can not readily placate the victim and return what was stolen.
Tosefta (Bava Kama 10) One who stole from a non-Jew must return it to the owner. In addition the sin is more serious than stealing from a Jew because it entails chillul HaShem
Wife giving Charity
Sefer Chasidim (1047) If a stingy man said to his wife, know that if you give anything to charity I will beat or curse you. Since the charity collector knows that the husband does not approve he should not take even a small amount from her. But if the community makes a decree to give charity and the husband violates the ban, if the wife gives in compliance with the decree a blessing will come upon her. Furthermore, if the husband steals his wife or son should return the theft.
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