Puppet MastersS


Telephone

During call last year, Trump bluntly asked Netanyahu: 'Do you actually care about peace?'

Jonathan Swan
Axios
Sun, 22 Apr 2018 00:00 UTC
Trump Net
© Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty ImagesIsraeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump at the White House in March 2018.
In a phone call last year with Bibi Netanyahu, President Trump said something that shocked some of the people who helped prepare his briefing materials for the conversations. According to three sources familiar with the call, Trump asked Bibi bluntly if he actually cares about peace or not.

The details: Trump was pressing Bibi on the importance of striking a "deal" for Mideast peace. He'd read news reports about Bibi planning to build additional settlements to please his conservative base in Israel. Trump thought Bibi was unnecessarily angering the Palestinians. So, in the course of a longer conversation that was mostly friendly and complimentary, he bluntly asked Bibi whether or not he genuinely wants peace.
  • When Axios shared the details of this conversation with the White House before publishing, a senior official said: "The President has an extremely close and candid relationship with the Prime Minister of Israel and appreciates his strong efforts to enhance the cause of peace in the face of numerous challenges."
  • And Press Secretary Sarah Sanders added: "The President has great relationships with a number of foreign leaders but that doesn't mean he can't be aggressive when it comes to negotiating what's best for America."
Between the lines: According to a host of sources familiar with the president's thinking, Trump views foreign policy as a question of relationships. The way he crafts American foreign policy is almost entirely dependent on his personal rapport with world leaders.

Comment: Trump has, from the get-go, gone off the page as far as being a traditional leader with predictable habits and responses. One of his debatable strengths/weaknesses is his propensity to be himself 'in the moment' with other dignitaries, utilizing observation and spontaneity to see what happens.

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Blue Planet

Best of the Web: Russian Defense Minister at SCO: 'US is pushing the world towards a new arms race'


Sputnik
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 07:35 UTC
Sergei Shoigu
© Sputnik / Sergei GuneevRussian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that Washington was not ready for partnership on an equitable basis even with its own traditional allies.

According to the Russian senior defense official, the United States demonstrates readiness to use all means, including military ones, in a bid to retain the role of a hegemon in international relations by pushing the world toward a new arms race.

"Today, we are witnessing the transformation of international relations, their transition to a multipolar system, which is characterized by the redistribution of spheres of influence and stiffer competition for regional and global leadership. In these conditions, the United States wishes to preserve the role of a hegemon in international relations, exercising all means, including military ones, and pushing countries [of the world] toward a new arms race," Shoigu said during the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) defense ministers.

According to the minister, the United States, "without embarrassment," declares readiness to "correct" trends in world politics and economy which it deems unfavorable through the use of military force.

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Dollar Gold

Rohani warns Trump to stay in JCPOA deal or 'face severe consequences'


RFE/RL
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 10:20 UTC
Rohani
© RFE/RLIranian President Hassan Rohani
Iranian President Hassan Rohani has warned U.S. President Donald Trump not to pull out of a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, saying that the United States will face "severe consequences" if it violates the pact.

"I am telling those in the White House that if they do not live up to their commitments, the Iranian government will firmly react," Rohani said in a speech broadcast live on state television on April 24.

Trump has given the deal's European signatories a May 12 deadline to fix what he calls its "terrible flaws," threatening to effectively withdraw the United States by refusing to extend waivers on U.S. sanctions if they do not do so.

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

Israeli Justice Ministry directly involved in secret international 'lawfare' activities against BDS movement

Jonathan Ofir
Mondoweiss
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 18:30 UTC
Ayelet Shaked
Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked
For several years, Israeli government ministries have been debating who is authorized to deal with countering the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement abroad. While it has long been suspected that this effort was being led by the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry for Strategic Affairs, a recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request reveals that the Israeli Justice Ministry has been directly involved in hiring international law firms to combat European BDS activists and NGOs.

In September 2016, Attorney Eitay Mack filed a FOI request on behalf of several Israeli human rights activists to the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry for Strategic Affairs in an attempt to discover their links with possible funding of foreign bodies to combat BDS. To their surprise, it was revealed that the Justice Ministry is directly involved.

Comment: Countering BDS is critical to Israel. Otherwise, how will Ayelet Shaked's goal be realized?
"Behind every terrorist stand dozens of men and women, without whom he could not engage in terrorism. "They are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads. Now this also includes the mothers of the martyrs, who send them to hell with flowers and kisses. They should follow their sons, nothing would be more just. They should go, as should the physical homes in which they raised the snakes. Otherwise, more little snakes will be raised there." -- Uri Elitzur, quoted by Ayelet Shaked


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Briefcase

Cambridge Analytica inquiry: Aleksandr Kogan wants to play down the fake-news scandal


RT
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 09:52 UTC
Aleksandr Kogan
© RuptlyAleksandr Kogan
Cambridge University researcher Aleksandr Kogan, creator of the app that harvested data from the accounts of millions of Facebook users for Cambridge Analytica, is giving evidence to the Commons committee investigating fake news.

Kogan, a social psychologist and academic, told the fake-news inquiry in his written statement that his "work focuses on wellbeing, kindness, and compassion." He told MPs that in order to study these topics, he and his lab uses a variety of methods "including surveys, behavioral studies, and social media."

The Cambridge academic told the Commons committee that Facebook handed data over to him for research purposes, which eventually inspired a personality quiz app to compliment the dataset handed over by the social media giant.


Comment: See also:

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Rocket

From 'little rocket man' to 'very honorable', Trump wants to meet Kim 'as soon as possible'


RT
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 15:50 UTC
MadMen
© Mike Luckovich
US President Donald Trump has praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and said he wants a meeting with him "as soon as possible." Trump also called Kim "very honorable."
"We have been told directly that they would like to have the meeting as soon as possible, and we think that's a great thing for the world," Trump told reporters during a meeting with French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron at the White House. "We're having ... very good discussions. Kim Jong Un, he really has been very open and I think very honorable from everything we're seeing."
The comments mark a distinct change in rhetoric from Trump, who referred to Kim as "little rocket man" on Twitter last year.

Comment: Trump's crazy asset is his unpredictability. It keeps him stage center with the ability to upset the balance or become reasonable any time he chooses.

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Snakes in Suits

Macron wants in on new nuclear deal with Iran


RT
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 17:08 UTC
MacronTrump
© Politico EuropeGame Changer?
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he believes discussions with US President Donald Trump have made it possible to forge a new agreement on Iran.

Macron made the comment during a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.

It was a surprising turnaround for Macron, who was expected to use his visit to Washington to push Trump into remaining in the Iran deal, which was signed in 2015.

The deal limits Iran's nuclear program in return for economic sanctions relief. Trump has said the deal "was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."

Macron had previously said that ending the Iran deal would be a "grave error" and that it was "essential to peace at a time where the risk of an infernal conflagration cannot be excluded."

Comment: Anyone else think Macron is on a personal power trip and Trump is his ticket? Up until now, JCPOA changes have been a Trump-thumper issue. Macron changes this dynamic.

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Bad Guys

New report reveals: Israel and UK engaged in secret arms deals


PressTV
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 19:16 UTC
Israeli troops take part in training in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
© Photo by AFPIsraeli troops take part in training in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on April 11, 2018
A recent report has revealed that the United Kingdom has licensed the sale of arms to Israel worth $445 million since the 2014 war in occupied Palestinian territories.

The Middle East Eye online news service reported on Tuesday that figures compiled by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) indicating that the arms included components for drones, combat aircraft and helicopters along with spare parts for sniper rifles.

The report has raised fresh concerns that the weapons made by Britain are being used by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank, amid fears that components in sniper rifles used to kill scores of Palestinian civilians in recent weeks could have been made in the UK.

Comment: See also:

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Document

Russian Duma to pass bill criminalizing compliance with anti-Russia sanctions


RT
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 17:22 UTC
Russian duma
© Sputnik
The Russian parliament will soon pass an amendment introducing criminal responsibility for executing sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States, a high-ranking member of the parliamentary majority caucus has said.

The idea was proposed by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin last week, when the parliament discussed legislation to counter the latest round of anti-Russian sanctions introduced by the United States. Volodin suggested imposing some responsibility on people who comply with various foreign restrictions while acting in Russian territory. Notably, he did not rule out introducing criminal responsibility for acting in line with US sanctions.

On Tuesday, deputy head of the majority caucus United Russia, Andrey Isayev, told reporters that the proposal would be drafted, considered and most likely passed by the parliament before July 29, in the course of the current spring session.
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Rocket

Panic over Russian S-300s in Syrian hands? CENTCOM general makes 'secret and unprecedented' visit to Israel

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 18:32 UTC
Undated file photo of S-300 air defense missiles launched at Ashuluk
Undated file photo of S-300 air defense missiles launched at Ashuluk shooting range in southern Russia
Increasingly it appears that the recent US coalition missile strikes on Syria have utterly backfired: instead of weakening Syria or degrading its military capabilities, the attack may have actually served to strengthen Syria's defenses.

Since the massive strike which involved the US, UK, and France launching over 100 cruise missiles, Russia is rumored to be moving forward on delivery of its advanced S-300 missile defense system, which would be a monumental upgrade allowing Syrian defenses to far surpass current capabilities which utilize the Soviet-made S-125 and S-200 air defense systems.

Crucially, S-300s have a range of up to 150-200 kilometers (or 120 miles), bringing Syrian deterrent reach easily to within Lebanese airspace (as Israel has routinely struck targets inside Syria while firing over "neutral" Lebanese airspace in recent years), and could even extend airspace coverage into Israel itself.

Could this be the reason for some major behind-the-scenes diplomatic scrambling?

Comment: The Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman told Ynet News on Tuesday that if Syria uses any Russian missiles against the Israeli military, they will act.
"What's important to us is that the defensive weapons the Russians are giving Syria won't be used against us," Lieberman stated.

"If they're used against us, we'll act against them," he added.

Lieberman's comments were made in response to a question about Syria acquiring the Russian-manufactured S-300 system.
By the way, Al-Manar TV network has reported that a new American military column, including several vehicles, arrived in Hasaka city and later moved toward the town of al-Shadadi in southern Hasaka.
The network quoted field sources as reporting that the US convoy of armored vehicles moved towards al-Shadadi from a military base north of Khabour Dam.

Al-Manar further said that three military vehicles under French flags entered a Kurdish militia base in al-Aliyeh silos region south of the town of Ra'as al-Ein in northwestern Hasaka.


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