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The White House Abandoned Israel at the UN; Will Jews Abandon Biden?
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan addresses the UN Security Council at UN headquarters in New York City, US, March 22, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
In failing to veto the UN Security Council Resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, the Biden administration has abandoned Israel. Many observers predicted this day would come, having seen the writing on the wall with increasingly hostile rhetoric directed at Israel in general, and Prime Minister Netanyahu specifically.
Optimistic observers dismissed the tough talk as an attempt to appease critics and maintain support within the Democratic caucus ahead of a tough election. Some say the same about the UN vote itself. On Saturday, Biden signed a funding package that eliminated aid for UNWRA until 2025 and provided $3.3 billion for Israel, which will supply its Iron Dome and other defense needs. So many Jews were hopeful that Biden still would stand behind Israel in its efforts to fully defeat Hamas.
That optimism was damaged on Monday, when Israel found itself with no ally on the Security Council. In a stunning display of shortsightedness, Biden capitulated to pressure from his left flank. In analyzing the decision to withhold a US veto, the question is whether this will help Biden in the long run.
If Biden acted to prevent Israel from entering Rafah, then he miscalculated badly. Israel will surely enter Rafah now, and Biden will appear weak because his diplomatic prowess was inadequate to prevent it. It may appease some in his party, but it’s a bad move for all those who believe Israel is justified in removing Hamas from power.
After the vote, Israel recalled the contingent it had planned to send to Washington at Biden’s request to discuss alternatives to a full Rafah incursion. The administration is said to be “perplexed” by what they consider an “overreaction” from Israel. The fact that the administration is perplexed suggests that they do not understand the significance of their actions, which is frightening. For weeks, negotiations towards a hostage deal were taking place, and progress was being made on that front. Hamas had accepted that there would be no permanent ceasefire as a condition of the deal.
Predictably, Hamas responded to the UN resolution on Monday by rejecting the most recent proposal and going back to its original position that Israel must withdraw from Gaza entirely in exchange for the release of hostages. All of the progress that was made to get to the most recent proposal has been undone. By allowing a ceasefire resolution to pass, Biden has materially undermined these negotiations. If a ceasefire can be imposed on Israel without the return of hostages, then Hamas has no incentive to release them. In essence, the UN vote doomed the negotiations and the hostages — not to mention, Israel’s hope of preventing future October 7 attacks in the long-term.
Biden has been walking a tightrope, trying to support our ally in Israel without jeopardizing his political fortunes at home. However, leadership means sticking to difficult decisions despite criticism. A great leader does not succumb to political pressure in making historic decisions. That Biden caved to pressure when leadership was needed most, is a historic blemish on his record that he will most certainly suffer for politically.
Once again, Jews are alone on the world stage. Once again, the US has abandoned Israel in a true time of need. The US’ policy is a huge moral failure, and politics is never more important than doing what’s right.
Kenneth Blake is a former state prosecutor and teaches Critical Thinking and Government in Petaluma, California.
The post The White House Abandoned Israel at the UN; Will Jews Abandon Biden? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Treasure Trove spotlights a menorah designed in the early years of the State of Israel
This laurel branch Hanukkah menorah, designed by artist Maurice Ascalon (1913-2003), won first prize at the 1950 Tel Aviv Design Competition. Between 2,000 and 4,000 of these were made by the Pal-Bell factory in Israel, and they were sold not only in Israel but in select department stores around the world, including Macy’s in New York and Harrods in London.
The shape of the oil containers resembles ancient Roman lamps, while the large pitcher is a reference to the single jug of oil that lasted for eight days that is at the heart of the Hanukkah story.
These hanukkiyot were manufactured out of cast bronze with a green patina that was created using reactive chemicals, a process developed by Ascalon, resulting in an antique verdigris look.
Ascalon, who was born in Hungary and originally named Moshe Klein, immigrated to Palestine in 1934 after training in Brussels and Milan. He started the Pal-Bell Company in the late 1930s for the production of ritual and secular decorative items. “Pal” is short for Palestine and “Bell” is short for bellezza, Italian for beauty and an allusion to his time in Milan where the artist learned and perfected his sculpting skills. During Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, Ascalon designed munitions for the Israeli army and, at the request of the Israeli government, retrofitted his factory to produce arms for the war effort.
Ascalon closed Pal-Bell and moved to the United States in 1956, where he taught sculpture at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and opened Ascalon Studios, which produces large-scale sculptures for public spaces and houses of worship.
The studio, which is now run by Ascalon’s son David and his grandson Eric, was retooled during the COVID pandemic to manufacture safety boxes that allowed health-care workers to assist a patient on a ventilator while minimizing exposure.
Treasure Trove wishes you a happy Hanukkah , which starts on Dec. 25. This year, as Peter, Paul and Mary sang, “Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice, justice and freedom demand. Don’t let the light go out!”
The post Treasure Trove spotlights a menorah designed in the early years of the State of Israel appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd
Magdeburg Christmas market, December 21, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
i24 News – A suspected terrorist plowed a vehicle into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, west of the capital Berlin, killing at least five and injuring dozens more.
Local police confirmed that the suspect was a Saudi national born in 1974 and acting alone.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern about the incident, saying that “reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
Police declined to give casualty numbers, confirming only a large-scale operation at the market, where people had gathered to celebrate in the days leading up to the Christmas holidays.
The post Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister
A person waves a flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, as people gather during a celebration called by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) near the Umayyad Mosque, after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Photo: December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
Syria’s new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency which toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday.
Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group which led the campaign that ousted Assad this month. He led numerous military operations during Syria’s revolution, the source said.
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed “the form of the military institution in the new Syria” during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported.
Abu Qasra during the meeting sat next to Sharaa, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, photos published by SANA showed.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said this week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Assad’s army.
Bashir, who formerly led an HTS-affiliated administration in the northwestern province of Idlib, has said he will lead a three-month transitional government. The new administration has not declared plans for what will happen after that.
Earlier on Saturday, the ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step “comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability.”
Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously led the political department of the rebels’ Idlib government, the General Command said.
Sharaa’s group was part of al Qaeda until he broke ties in 2016. It had been confined to Idlib for years until going on the offensive in late November, sweeping through the cities of western Syria and into Damascus as the army melted away.
Sharaa has met with a number of international envoys this week. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.
Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
Washington designated Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.
The post Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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