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Trump doesn't need Israel-UAE peace deal to actually succeed - just viable until election to claim as a victory

Scott Ritter
RT
Fri, 14 Aug 2020 10:40 UTC
Trump and peace deal doc
© Getty Images/Doug MillsU.S. President Donald Trump with leaders of Israel and UAE announcing a peace agreement to establish diplomatic ties with Israel and the UAE, White House, August 13, 2020.
Trump announced that the US, Israel and the UAE have agreed to a plan that would trade an Israeli pause to annex portions of the West Bank for a normalization of relations. But is this all just one more Trump con?

The surprise announcement by President Donald Trump that Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to the "full normalization" of relations took most experts and observers by surprise. Under normal circumstances, this kind of breakthrough announcement is the byproduct of intense negotiation over time that is usually picked up on by a media programmed to look for telling clues, or primed with timely leaks, neither of which was in play here.

Trump's last big foreign policy rollout centered on the announcement of the so-called "deal of the century", a controversial peace plan between Israel and Palestine which appeared to die on the vine primarily over Israeli plans to annex portions of the West Bank ostensibly under Palestinian control.

There were no indications that such negotiations were either in the works, underway, or nearing completion.

Comment: Is the new agreement the end game Israel has been looking for? Hardly. However, the peace publicity is priceless, especially during a time when it is highly suspect of involvement in the Beirut catastrophe and Trump is facing reelection.

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Dollars

'Massive Scandal': EU pays Muslim Brotherhood €36,5 million to 'subjugate Europe'

Jim Hoft
The Gateway Pundit
Wed, 05 Aug 2020 08:54 UTC
MuslimBrotherhood flag
© UnknownMuslim Brotherhood flag
The European Union paid €36.5 million to groups with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, and whose agenda involves the Islamization of Europe, the right-wing I&D Faction in the European Parliament revealed. EU parliament budget committee member Joachim Kuhs (I&D) claims:
"Apparently, the EU has been funding front organizations with our tax Euros which have close ties to extremist, terror-related organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood. This is a massive scandal, and must be stopped immediately."
The figures were unearthed by I&D Vice-Chair Nicolas Bay by searching the EU Financial Transparency System for the years 2014-2019 for the major European Muslim Brotherhood fronts. In these five years, a total of €5,422,678 million went to the European Network against Racism, whose members include the "Forum of European Muslim Youth & Student Organizations" (FEMYSO). FEMYSO is a front organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, the German Bundestag Research Service wrote in 2015.

FEMYSO in turn acts as a lobbying organization in Brussels, protesting against the new EU commission 2019, calling it "not diverse" enough and therefor "far-right." So the EU is paying a Muslim Brotherhood front group via another NGO to lobby itself and accuse EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen of having "adopted steps within the rhetoric and direction of those who vilify the full diversity of Europe" which "feed into nationalist and fascist agendas."

Comment: Is Europe, via the EU, committing financial and heritage suicide? Perhaps those non-member countries made a smart move.

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Arrow Up

Supreme Court sides with Trump administration in asylum cases

Martin Walsh
Conservative Brief
Thu, 13 Aug 2020 00:00 UTC
Ginsburg/Trump
© T.J. Kirkpatrick/The New York TimesSupreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg • US President Donald Trump
The U.S. Supreme Court has given the Trump administration another gigantic immigration victory.

On Thursday, the nation's highest court ruled 7-2 that the federal government can deport illegal aliens, including those seeking asylum, quickly and with only limited judicial review.

The ruling could affect thousands of would-be immigrants now present in the United States.

Liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sided with the Trump administration on the case. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elana Kagan, both liberals, were the two dissenters.

Justice Alito wrote in the opinion. Fox News reported.:
"In a decision in the case of Dept. of Homeland Security v. Thuraissigiam, the court ruled that the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) - which prevents judicial review of the credible fear determination - does not violate the Constitution's Suspension Clause, which protects habeas corpus privileges that allow courts to determine if a person should be released due to unlawful detention.

"In 1996, when Congress enacted the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) ... it crafted a system for weeding out patently meritless claims and expeditiously removing the aliens making such claims from the country. It was Congress's judgment that detaining all asylum seekers until the full-blown removal process is completed would place an unacceptable burden on our immigration system and that releasing them would present an undue risk that they would fail to appear for removal proceedings."
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Dollars

Brainard says Fed is conducting e-money tests for research

Craig Torres
Bloomberg
Thu, 13 Aug 2020 03:13 UTC
Lael Brainard
© Andrew Harrer/BloombergFederal Reserve Board of Governors member Lael Brainard
The Federal Reserve is conducting experiments with a hypothetical digital dollar for research purposes, though it hasn't yet committed to issuance that would require a formal policy process involving the government and other stakeholders, Governor Lael Brainard said Thursday.

In addition to the Fed's own internal work, research teams from the Boston Fed and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are engaged in a "multi-year effort to build and test a hypothetical digital currency oriented to central bank uses," she said.

"Lessons from this collaboration will be published, and any codebase that is developed through this effort will be offered as open-source software for anyone to use for experimentation," Brainard said, according to the text of her remarks prepared for delivery to a virtual technology event.

James Cunha, the senior vice president at the Boston Fed overseeing the project, said the first stage will be technologists from the reserve bank and MIT working together to build "an engine and the software that can meet the needs" of a digital currency for a country the size of the U.S. There are multiple challenges, Cunha explained, from the sheer volume of transactions to security and privacy.

Comment: The fact that they are announcing the exploration of creating a federal digital money platform in conjunction with banks, suggests they are farther along in this process than they say.

See also:

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Target

Best of the Web: Extensive foreign interference in Belarus attempts to 'destabilize' country, but it's not coming from Moscow - Russian MFA


RT
Thu, 13 Aug 2020 18:56 UTC

Comment: It looks like this is another color revolution after all. No doubt Lukashenko's decision to thumb his nose at Covid-19 and the planetary lockdown factored heavily into the Masters of the Universe's decision to target Belarus...


Maria Zakharova
© Getty Images/EuropaNewswire/GadoSpokeswoman Maria Zakharova
The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said on Thursday that Moscow has seen evidence of outside meddling in the unrest currently engulfing neighboring Belarus. But Maria Zakharova said Russia is not one of the guilty parties.

The diplomat told a briefing that "unprecedented pressure" is being exerted by individual foreign actors. She insisted that their goal is to destabilize the situation and split society in the landlocked Eastern European country.

At the same time, however, Zakharova emphasized that Moscow is concerned about the violence witnessed on the streets of Belarusian cities and towns since last Sunday's controversial presidential elections. She added that Russia is seeking the resolution of issues surrounding 33 Russian private security contractors who were arrested in Minsk last month.
"We expect that professional cooperation by the investigative committees, prosecutor generals' offices and other agencies of the two countries will help clear up the situation involving the detention of 33 Russian citizens as soon as possible. It is important to stress that the attempts to find a 'Russian connection' to the latest unrest in Belarus are groundless."

Comment: This is the first time the Russian govt has hinted at the protests in Belarus being part of a 'Maidan-like' operation. Thus far, they have, like their western counterparts, actually been critical of the Lukashenko govt. Time will tell how far their assessments of what's going on there diverge.

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Star of David

Sara Netanyahu compares protests against Bibi to sexual violence

Max Gorbachev
Sputnik
Wed, 12 Aug 2020 20:06 UTC
Benj and Sara Netanyahu
© Reuters/Amir CohenIsraeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and wife Sara
In 2018, Sara Netanyahu was charged with fraud and breach of ethics in a case that her lawyer branded as an attempt to bring down her husband, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She eventually admitted to the misuse of funds and paid a $15,000 fine.

Sara Netanyahu, wife of embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declared that the ongoing protests against her husband had traumatized her and the family. "I am a battered woman and my children are battered", she claimed, referring to demonstrations during which people have demanded that her husband resign. The 61-year-old also stated that she had experienced sexual violence, referring to penis balloons carried by some protesters, as well as placards with vulgar and aggressive statements and online posts.

"I certainly feel that I have experienced sexual violence," Sara Netanyahu told Channel 12, adding that she felt unsafe and concerned for her welfare. The former flight attendant filed a police complaint against alleged sexual harassment by protesters.

Comment: 'Always the victim' is the Israeli tool for the purpose of manipulation. It works for for both the Jewish state and prominent individuals as the ultimate accusatory attention-getter. However, like 'crying wolf', there comes a point of 'no return' on false exploitation. The people are wise to these ploys.

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Magic Hat

A selection of Joe Biden lies, tailored for the Black Vote

Eric Zuesse
The Duran
Thu, 13 Aug 2020 18:21 UTC
joe biden
Joe Biden
Joe Biden was one of the U.S. Senate's leading segregationists; and he was condemned by the NAACP for it in 1977 hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, but he has claimed instead to have participated in anti-segregation sit-ins, which were led by black ministers all of whom were conveniently deceased at the time when he made those assertions, and so they could not be asked whether he had participated.

He was making those assertions while running against Bernie Sanders, whom the Chicago Tribune showed in their photo during the 1960s being arrested as a college student for his peacefully demonstrating against Chicago's segregationist policy at the time. Sanders in his Presidential campaign didn't brag about it; only Biden bragged about his anti-segregationist activity, though it was fictitious. So Biden swamped Sanders in the South Carolina primary on February 29th — the turning-point in the 2020 Democratic Presidential primaries — where most of the voters were Blacks, who had been deceived by Biden's claims and who didn't know that Biden had actually been a leading northern segregationist.(Biden had even backed an anti-integration bill by North Carolina Republican segregationist Senator Jesse Helms to prohibit the federal government from requiring school districts to be or become desegregated in order to qualify to receive federal funds and to allow instead 'separate-but-equal' education of Black and White children.)
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Star of David

Dems VP pick Harris: "More AIPAC than J Street"

Michael Arria
Mondoweiss
Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:55 UTC
Kamala Harris speaks at the AIPAC policy conference
© AIPACCalifornia Senator Kamala Harris speaks at the AIPAC policy conference in Washington, D.C., March 28, 2017.
It's Kamala

With protests against police brutality raging and activists pushing for criminal justice reform, Joe Biden picked a former tough-on-crime prosecutor as his running mate. The selection of Senator Kamala Harris isn't exactly surprising, but it's a reminder of how disconnected the Democratic establishment is from this current moment.

What does Senator Harris's record on Israel look like? Perhaps JTA's Ron Kampeas summed it best when he wrote that "she's more AIPAC Than J Street."

Upon arriving in the Senate she criticized former President Obama for failing to veto a UN Security Council resolution on Israeli settlements, then cosponsored a bill that challenged the right of the United Nations to condemn settlement expansion. In 2017, she attended AIPAC's annual policy conference and told the audience, "Our defense relationship is critical to both nations, which is why I support the United States' commitment to provide Israel with $38 billion in military assistance over the next decade. And that's why I am fully committing to maintaining Israel's qualitative military edge."
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Star of David

IDF airstrikes, tanks target alleged Hamas sites across Gaza in third day of bombing


Sputnik
Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:11 UTC
israel jet
© AP Photo / Ariel SchalitIsraeli Air Force F-15 plane
Several explosions were reported across the Gaza Strip on Friday local time for the third consecutive night, as multiple Hamas sites were targeted.

Explosions were reported east of the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza and Khan Younis, as well as in Deir al-Balah. There were also reports of artillery fire and helicopters.

Artillery strikes were reported in Sufa, east of An Nahda, Sharabul Asal and Fukhari. Three missiles struck defense sites east of Khan Younis, while chopper strikes were reported east of Shujaiya.

​According to some reports, a Hamas defense site was also targeted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Israeli helicopters are also firing missiles at various targets.
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Star of David

Trump: UAE to open relations with Israel, halting West Bank annexation UPDATES

Laura Kelly, Brett Samuels
The Hill
Thu, 13 Aug 2020 11:01 UTC
MB Zayed, Trump, Netanyahu
© Jerusalem Post1 Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
President Trump on Thursday announced the U.S. is helping to support the full normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, a breakthrough in relations in the Middle East and part of the administration's efforts to shore up support against Iran.

The move will also halt efforts by Israel to annex territory in the West Bank that was outlined in Trump's plan for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, but widely opposed by the international community and Arab world, according to the announcement on Twitter. The statement read:
"As a result of this diplomatic breakthrough and at the request of President Trump and with the support of the United Arab Emirates, Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President's Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Muslim world."
The Trump administration has made Israel a cornerstone of its foreign policy, frequently touting its decision to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital and its recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.

But Thursday's announcement represents more of a diplomatic breakthrough than a unilateral action, giving the president something to hang his hat on less than three months before Election Day.

Comment: Other aspects and remarks on this Middle East development include the 'elated', the 'doubters' and the 'betrayed':
The agreement will include establishing embassies and exchanging ambassadors, investments into the Israeli economy, trade, direct flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, and cooperation in matters of energy and water. An important element of the deal for the UAE is the expectation that its citizens would be able to visit the Al-Aksa mosque in Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deal
"full, formal peace" with "one of the strongest countries in the world. Together we can bring a wonderful future. It is an incomparably exciting moment. I have the great privilege to make the third peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country, the UAE."
Trump said in a statement posted to his twitter account:
"Opening direct ties between two of the Middle East's most dynamic societies and advanced economies will transform the region by spurring economic growth, enhancing technological innovation, and forging closer people-to-people relations."
In subsequent remarks in the Oval Office, Trump alluded to "many more countries" in the region normalizing ties with Israel, and "some very exciting things including, ultimately with the Palestinians." Bahrain is likely to be next, to the extent that there was a chance they would have announced normalization before the UAE.

Netanyahu touted a formula of "peace for peace," based on shared interests, emphasizing economic cooperation, and peace that comes from a position of strength, rather than peace in exchange for concessions. However, bin Zayed presented the matter as though he had exacted concessions from Israel, emphasizing the suspension of sovereignty plans over normalization.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah a-Sisi similarly called it
"the agreement to stop Israel's annexation of the Palestinian Territories and taking steps to bring Peace to the Middle East."
Netanyahu said that he still plans to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. He said he "did not and will not remove sovereignty from the agenda... I will never give up on our right to our land."

A senior Likud source remarked that
"the Israeli and international Left always said we can't bring peace with Arab states without peace with the Palestinians, that there is no other way than withdrawing to '67 lines, evacuating settlements, dividing Jerusalem and establishing a Palestinian state. For the first time in history Prime Minister Netanyahu broke the paradigm of 'land for peace' and brought 'peace for peace.'"
Yamina leader Naftali Bennett praised the normalization, saying "relations between the countries are no longer held hostage by Palestinian recalcitrance," but slammed Netanyahu for suspending sovereignty plans.
"It's unfortunate that Netanyahu gave up a once-in-a-century chance to apply sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, Ma'aleh Adumim, Bet El and the rest of Israeli settlements. It is tragic that Netanyahu did not seize the moment and didn't have the courage to apply sovereignty to a centimeter of the Land of Israel, but sovereignty over the parts of our homeland will come from somewhere else."
Joint List MK Mtanes Shihadeh accused the UAE of a
"betrayal... no less than a knife in the back of the Palestinian people and the Arab nations. Netanyahu and Israel never really meant to annex, but in order for him to abandon the plan, the UAE agreed to make its secret relations open. Nothing will change and anyone who thinks the Palestinians will disappear are mistaken."
Given the most recent explosions and tragedy in Beirut, Netanyahu's 'exciting peace moment' may bring to mind those dancing Israelis of 9/11.

Update 13/8/2020: The 'annexer-in-chief' still has his eye on the prize, awaiting 'full coordination with the US'. Palestinian leaders are livid:
The Palestinian ambassador to the UAE is being recalled over Abu Dhabi's decision to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called "treason."

He has called on the UAE to reverse Thursday's decision, which formalizes years of sub-rosa rapprochement between Israel and the oil-rich state, and urged other Arab nations not to follow its example "at the expense of Palestinian rights."

Hamas, which rules Gaza, also denounced the agreement, calling it a "stabbing in the back of our people. The UAE is using its gravitas and promise of a relationship to unscrew a time bomb that is threatening a two-state solution," Emirati official Anwar Gargash told reporters.
Update 14/8/2020: More international responses from the Muslim world are coming in. Iran's foreign ministry called the move a "tragic mistake" and a dagger in the backs of all Palestinians and Muslims that will "only lead to the strengthening of the resistance, unity and solidarity against" Israel. Turkey said history will not forgive this hypocrisy, calling it a betrayal of the Palestinian cause. Erdogan threatened to cut diplomatic ties with UAE and shut its embassy.

Trump has called the delay of West Bank's annexation a "great concession, smart" by Israel.

Mossad reportedly played an instrumental role in the deal. Wonder who they had to blackmail or threaten in order to so?

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