Latest Article from Michael Freund

Malarkey detectors and the Temple Mount

July 20, 2017  •  Jerusalem Post

Since the beginning of the week, Palestinian officials have been seeking to stir up violence and controversy, hurling invective at Israel over the decision to install metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount.

The Fatah Central Committee called for "a day of rage," Arab residents of the Old City have denounced the measure as an "act of war" and Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah labeled the move "gross aggression" and "dangerous."

Don't let the overblown rhetoric fool you. The real menace to peace is not tighter security at the holy site, but rather looser lips among the Palestinian leadership.

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Latest Article from Soeren Kern

Germany: Infectious Diseases Spreading as Migrants Settle In

July 14, 2017  •  Gatestone Institute

A failed asylum seeker from Yemen who was given sanctuary at a church in northern Germany to prevent him from being deported has potentially infected more than 50 German children with a highly contagious strain of tuberculosis.

The man, who was sheltered at a church in Bünsdorf between January and May 2017, was in frequent contact with the children, some as young as three, who were attending a day care center at the facility. He was admitted to a hospital in Rendsburg in June and subsequently diagnosed with tuberculosis — a disease which only recently has reentered the German consciousness.

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Latest Article from Ilan Berman

Still A Bad Deal

July 18, 2017  •  U.S. News & World Report

Last Friday marked the two-year anniversary of the Obama administration's signature foreign policy achievement: the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, that agreement was intended as a solution to Iran's persistent nuclear ambitions, and as a vehicle to reboot the Iranian regime's relationship with the world. Two years on, it's clear that the dead has indeed been transformative - for the Iranian regime, at least. For America and its allies, however, it has expanded the gravity of the contemporary threat posed by the Islamic Republic.

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Latest Article from Matthew RJ Brodsky

It's Time for a New Qatar Policy that Puts America's Interests First

July 17, 2017  •  The Federalist

Qatar's promiscuous foreign policy isn't just bad for the region, it's harmful to U.S. interests at home and abroad. To realize the multiple dimensions this challenge presents and only seek to paper over them ensures the same cycle will repeat. Given the goals President Trump laid out in Riyadh, he should seek a change in Doha's duplicitous behavior and bring them back into the fold on terms that align more with his vision. That means the deal worth making is a new one predicated on American interests, not the interests of those addicted to both the money and the status quo.

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Latest Article from Clifford May

Celebrating the values of the West is right because they're the best

July 12, 2017  •  The Washington Times

On various occasions and beginning decades before he was elected president, Ronald Reagan warned that "freedom is never more than one generation from extinction." He understood, and he wanted others to understand, that liberty is not an entitlement. It's a rare and precious commodity that "must be fought for."

In Europe last week, President Trump raised this issue again but he broadened it and framed it more pessimistically. "The fundamental question of our time," he said, "is whether the West has the will to survive."

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Latest Article from Judith Miller

Two President Trumps in Poland - will the @realDonaldTrump please stand up?

July 7, 2017  •  Fox News

Two President Donald Trumps were on display in Warsaw on Thursday. On the first full day of his second international trip, President Trump gave a dark, powerful prepared speech and held a news conference in which his impromptu remarks contradicted key portions of that speech. Will the @realDonaldTrump please stand up?

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Latest Article from Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi

Israel's Relations with the Syrian Rebels: An Assessment

July 3, 2017  •  Middle East Review of International Affairs

In light of media coverage regarding Israeli backing for certain Syrian rebels fighting the Assad regime along the border with Israel in Quneitra governorate, this article provides a wider overview of the situation along Israel's borders with Syria. It also establishes a better context through provision of extra detail not otherwise present in recent media coverage. The article concludes with an assessment of Israeli policies and aims on the border, given the various concerns regarding the situation in Syria.

INTRODUCTION

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Latest Article from Tevi Troy

A Brief History of Presidents Firing People

July 3, 2017  •  Washingtonian

Before he was the President, Donald Trump was most famous for booting people on TV—a habit that has proved hard to quit. So far, acting attorney general Sally Yates, national-security adviser Michael Flynn, and FBI director James Comey (above) have all found themselves on the receiving end of the onetime TV host's catchphrase, "You're fired."

But while Trump might be the first reality star to become President, he's hardly the first President to do high-profile firing. We combed through the history of executive dismissals to see who really stood out.

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Latest Article from Jeff Stier

Is $13.7 Billion a Good Price for Whole Foods?
The brilliant online behemoth absorbs a sometimes careless and deceptive grocery chain.

June 30, 2017  •  National Review

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross called Amazon's recent $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods a "clever move" because it marries Amazon's marketing and distribution expertise with a "high-quality, niche retailer." One suspects that perhaps Secretary Ross, a 79-year-old billionaire investor and art collector, doesn't do a lot of grocery shopping.

More to the point, as to the "high quality" of Whole Foods' operation and reputation, he might wish to check with his government colleagues at the FDA and Department of Justice, because Whole Foods' violations of state and federal law have been escalating: They've gone from defrauding their customers in various ways to adopting food-preparation practices that actually endanger them.

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Latest Article from Jonathan Schanzer

These days, it's the clash of the Arabian Gulf cash in Washington

June 23, 2017  •  The Hill

A nasty internecine conflict has erupted in the Arabian Gulf. Led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a gaggle of Arab states have singled out the tiny emirate of Qatar for backing a wide range of terrorist groups and fomenting regional unrest through its sponsorship of the Muslim Brotherhood. Qatar's opponents have severed diplomatic ties and neighboring states even took the extraordinary measure of cutting off air, land and maritime routes to Qatar.

Both sides have now lawyered-up, and they're taking their battle to Washington. It's the clash of the Gulf cash.

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