Microsoft pulls the plug on Israel—and shoots itself in the foot

 https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/b10xzudrxg

Microsoft, the world’s second most valuable public company, recently took the unprecedented decision to disable Azure cloud and AI services for Israel’s military intelligence, known as Unit 8200.  

The decision was applauded by BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) activists, who have long sought to drive companies out of Israel to demonize and delegitimize the world's only Jewish state. The “No Azure for Apartheid” campaign declared victory and vowed to intensify pressure until Microsoft ends all “complicity in the Israeli economy of genocide, occupation, and apartheid.” 

Microsoft insists that its standards apply universally, regardless of geography. Yet, this appears to be the first time the company has unilaterally suspended services to a government under its own policies. (Microsoft restricted services in Russia, but only when legally required by government sanctions—not voluntarily based on any human rights assessments).

This decision singling out Israel stands in stark contrast to Microsoft’s operations in countries with troubling human rights records, from China’s persecution of Muslims and Christians to South Africa’s rampant crime and policing failures. If Microsoft has curtailed services in those markets based on human rights concerns, such actions remain largely unknown. 

A company with Microsoft’s global influence does not act in a vacuum. By pulling the plug on Israel to appease activists, Microsoft has shot itself in the foot—emboldening further demands and undermining the trust that sustains its business, a precedent that will haunt the company for years to come.

Vance Says International Security Force Will Take Lead on Disarming Hamas

 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/world/middleeast/rubio-israel-gaza.html

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that an international security force that has yet to be formed would take the lead on disarming Hamas, which has been one of the thorniest issues when it comes to reaching a lasting peace in Gaza.

The cease-fire deal that came into effect earlier this month was based on a proposal outlined in September by President Trump, which includes a stipulation that a “temporary International Stabilization Force” be deployed in Gaza. But several countries have hesitated to commit troops to such a force because its exact mission in the devastated Palestinian enclave was unclear. The possibility that such a force might be drawn into direct conflict with Hamas fighters has also been a worry.

While they smear ‘No Kings’ rallies, Trump and his GOP can’t escape their own ‘Nazi’ problem

 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-no-kings-protests-gop-nazi-b2849718.html

Republicans suffered a key defeat as one of Donald Trump’s nominees went down in flames on Tuesday.

An embarrassing spectacle played out over the course of several days on the Hill as the president’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel saw members of the GOP come out one by one to oppose his nomination. Paul Ingrassia withdrew his bid Tuesday evening after it became clear he was not going to receive enough votes for even a simple majority in a chamber where Republicans hold 53 votes out of 100 seats.

The reason for Ingrassia’s unpopularity was obvious: reports revealed that Ingrassia allegedly claimed to have “a Nazi streak” in texts sent to other Republicans. He is also accused of using racist slurs and allegedly referred to Martin Luther King Jr., the American civil rights champion, as “the 1960s George Floyd,” adding that “his ‘holiday’ should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs.”

US weighs which side’s red line to cross as it seeks to implement Gaza deal’s 2nd phase

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-weighs-which-sides-red-line-to-cross-as-it-seeks-to-implement-gaza-deals-2nd-phase

Saudi, UAE, Jordan, Egypt conditioning assistance on PA role, which Israel rejects, while Qatari help has fewer strings attached; MBS Nov. 18 DC visit seen as decision deadline

The four Arab countries have indicated willingness to either contribute funds to this effort or assist in the establishment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) that will gradually replace the IDF in Gaza, the Arab diplomat and a US official said.

But Israel has made clear that it will condition the IDF’s continued withdrawal on the disarmament of Hamas, which the terror group has shown little indication that it is prepared to carry out.

Haredi draft dodgers complain about detention conditions

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/416692

Nahum Mikler, a married yeshiva scholar from Modi'in Illit who was arrested about a month ago at the airport on his way to Uman and was held for 13 days in the military prison, described the detention conditions this morning (Thursday), calling them a "spiritual danger."

"Eight people in one room - seculars, Druze, front-line soldiers. A very difficult atmosphere, especially for someone who comes from the world of Torah," he described the initial cultural shock in an interview with Kol Chai.

Trump’s Muslim ambassador pick faces GOP backlash over anti-Israel, antisemitic posts

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/416753

After Amer Ghalib became the most prominent Muslim politician in the country to endorse Donald Trump for US president last year, he did so on pro-Palestinian grounds. And he was rewarded with a plum position: the administration’s ambassadorship to Kuwait.

But the mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan, had to get through Senate approval first. And at Thursday’s confirmation hearing before the foreign relations committee, multiple Republicans broke rank and took Ghalib to task for his past social media posts and actions about Jews and Israel.

“It appears you have a deep-felt and passionate view about the Middle East,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told Ghalib. “But it is a view that is in direct conflict with the policy positions of President Trump and this administration.”

Cruz grilled the Yemen-born mayor on Hamtramck becoming the first American city to adopt a boycott, divestment and sanctions policy against Israel; on his previous “liking” of Facebook posts comparing Jews to monkeys; and on his past stances opposing the Abraham Accords.

Trump insists he can strike alleged drug traffickers without Congress declaring war

 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/23/politics/trump-drug-traffickers-congress-venezuela

President Donald Trump on Thursday insisted that he could continue to launch strikes against alleged drug traffickers abroad without Congress first passing an official declaration of war.

“I’m not going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” he said. “I think we’re just doing to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We’re going to kill them, you know, they’re going to be like, dead.”

Trump’s dismissal came as he suggested his administration would soon begin targeting those deemed as cartel members within countries like Venezuela, in addition to continuing to strike alleged drug boats in international waters.

The lethal strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and east Pacific have unnerved some lawmakers, given the little evidence the administration has presented proving that the targets were so-called narco-terrorists.

On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted that the military has confirmed that each targeted boat is trafficking drugs. Still, he defended the decision to return two survivors of a recent strike as “standard” practice in war.

Trump’s teardown of White House’s East Wing raises questions of authority

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5569609-white-house-east-wing-trump-demolition-authority/

But the enthusiasm over the ballroom isn’t widespread among the public. On Wednesday, a YouGov America poll found that 53 percent of Americans somewhat or strongly disapprove of the East Wing’s demolition. Fifty percent disapproved of the plans to build the ballroom.

Frustrations boil over as Vance delivers ‘firm’ message to Netanyahu

 https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/23/frustrations-boil-over-as-vance-delivers-firm-message-to-netanyahu-00621213

The mounting frustrations come as a succession of senior officials are passing through Israel this week looking to keep a fragile ceasefire in place. They see some recent developments — the Israeli Defense Force’s counter-attack in Gaza on Sunday, and the Knesset’s vote in favor of West Bank annexation, which Trump has ruled out — as detrimental to the already fragile agreement between Israel and Hamas.

That so many administration officials criticized Israel so unequivocally less than two weeks after Trump landed to a hero’s welcome and promised eternal friendship and peace underscores how frustrated the White House is with the Netanyahu government.

This is how Israel has become a US protectorate

 https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/10/21/this-is-how-israel-has-become-a-us-protectorate

In the Gaza War, the war against Iran, and now during the ceasefire, it increasingly appears that Israel is losing its freedom to maneuver, as Washington takes the wheel. Alongside diplomatic backing, here are four points showing how Israel seems to have become America's 51st state.

Read the Full Transcript of Donald Trump’s Interview on the Gaza Ceasefire With TIME

 https://time.com/7327689/trump-israel-gaza-deal-interview-transcript

You told Netanyahu you will not allow him to annex the West Bank. There are still forces in his coalition who are pressing for it. I'm just wondering what, what are the consequences if they move forward?

It won't happen. It won't happen. It won’t happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. And you can't do that now. We've had great Arab support. It won't happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries. It will not happen. Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened.

Well, Marwan Barghouti is seen by many as the one figure who could unite Palestinians behind a two-state solution. He tops most polls amongst Palestinians for whom they would vote for in a presidential election. But he's in prison, and Israel has refused to let him out. He was arrested in 2002. Ron Lauder, a big support of yours, recently encouraged Israel to let him out. Do you think Israel should release him from prison?

I am literally being confronted with that question about 15 minutes before you called. That was the question. That was my question of the day. So I'll be making a decision. 

Trump is self proclaimed ruler of Isael

 https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-871430

Israel will lose all support from the United States if it decides to annex the West Bank, US President Donald Trump told Time Magazine in an interview published Thursday afternoon. 

"Israel would lose all of its support from the United States if that happened," he said. "It won't happen because I gave my word to the Arab countries."

When asked about the possibility of Marwan Barghouti being a top candidate to lead a Palestinian state, Trump said that it is his "question of the day," and that he'll "be making a decision."

*Elijah Zvi Soloveitchik, The Bible, the Talmud, and the New Testament: Elijah Zvi Soloveitchik’s Commentary to the Gospels*, ed. Shaul Magid (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019)

 https://www.academia.edu/41218586/_Elijah_Zvi_Soloveitchik_The_Bible_the_Talmud_and_the_New_Testament_Elijah_Zvi_Soloveitchik_s_Commentary_to_the_Gospels_ed_Shaul_Magid_Philadelphia_University_of_Pennsylvania_Press_2019_

Elijah Zvi Soloveitchik’s maternal grandfather was Hayyim Volozhin, the disciple of the Vilna Gaon, who founded the great yeshiva in Volozhin. And his brother, Isaac Zev Soloveitchik, was the father of a rabbinical dynasty. That dynasty began with Isaac Zev’s son, Joseph Dov Soloveitchik (the Beit ha-Levi), who was the father of Hayyim Soloveitchik (the Brisker Rav), who was the father of the next Isaac Zev Soloveitchik (Velvele Brisker) and Moses Soloveitchik (a distinguished rabbi who emigrated from Volozhin to Khislavishi to Warsaw to New York, where he taught at Yeshiva University), who was the father of Joseph Dov Baer...

Elijah Zvi Soloveitchik’s commentary on the New Testament, particularly the Gospels, offers a unique intersection of Jewish and Christian texts. This work emphasizes the importance of Soloveitchik's insights into the relationship between Hasidism and Christianity. The book serves as a comprehensive exploration of Soloveitchik’s writings, contextualizing his interpretations within both Jewish and modern Christian perspectives.

Trump says East Wing being demolished for White House ballroom: ‘We had to take down the existing structure’ - Trump lies again surprised?

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5568467-trump-white-house-east-wing-ballroom

The entire East Wing of the White House is being demolished to make way for President Trump’s planned massive ballroom.

“In order to do it properly we had to take down the existing structure,” Trump, flanked by renderings of the ballroom, told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday. 

Shortly after the project was originally announced in July, the president said that the construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom wouldn’t “interfere with the current building.”

“It’ll be near it, but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of,” Trump said.