OneJerusalem.com

a different side of Israel

Tag: Prime Minister

Prime Minister Netanyahu Praises Journalists who Support Military Action Against Iran

A mall in Jerusalem was crowded with shoppers over the weekend. However, the patrons were not there to shop for the latest brand of clothes. They were there to purchase gas masks and other survival gear as they embrace for a possible chemical strike by Iran.

Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has publicly announced that a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities is imminent. There are talks that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are contemplating a strike within the next six months and possibly before the U.S. presidential election in November.

In light of the announcements, media sources have critically slammed the Prime Minister for being overly hawkish. Opinion pieces and Media analysts from Israel, U.S., and Europe have openly expressed their dismay at Netanyahu’s apparent eagerness to resort to military force. His critics have harshly condemned him as a war monger.

However, Netanyahu has openly praised two journalists who came to his defense. The journalists were Professor Eyal Winter of Israel and Colbert King of the U.S. who writes for Washington Post. Both writers received a personal phone call from the Prime Minister who thanked them for their support in Israel’s right to defend itself against a nation that has fervently vowed to wipe Israel off the map. Netanyahu has also invited Winter to his office and has plans of making the same arrangement for King in September.

Both the U.S. and Europe have urged the Prime Minister to exercise a little more patience to give negotiations and diplomacy a chance. Netanyahu, however, balks at the idea of further talks and says that doing so will only give Iran more time to build up its nukes. Netanyahu has also announced Avraham Dichter as the new civil Defense Minister. Dichter could play a pivotal role in deciding whether Israel proceeds with its plans of a military strike.

The Republic of Splintered Cedars Part II: Why Saad Said He Is Sad and Meet Miqati

Hassan Nasrallah & Najib MikatiMuslims in the Middle East can’t win for trying. Former Lebanese prime minister, Najib Miqati, after being the candidate of Syrian/Iranian proxy, Hezbollah’s choice, will undertake the daunting task of reforming the Republic of Splintered Cedars. With the forces of terror on his side he should succeed.

Senor Miqati, the billionaire businessman, won 68 seats in Lebanon’s 128-member Parliament – against Saad Hariri’s 60.
Miqati, and his wife, May, have three children. Born in 1955, Mikati was educated at the American University of Beirut, at INSEAD, and at Harvard University.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan & Najib MiqatiHere’s a bit from his bio:

“He is the co-founder of M1 Group, a multi-billion dollar privately-owned financial and industrial conglomerate with interests in telecom, asset management, luxury retail trade, real estate, transport, as well as oil and gas…
Before entering politics, he co-founded INVESTCOM, a leading telecom family business which pioneered telephony in emerging markets and was later merged into MTN after its shares were listed on both the London and Dubai stock exchanges, in what was the largest international listing of a Middle Eastern company.”

Moderate protesters, supporters of Hariri demonstrated in the streets, burning tires and clashing with police.

Said Saad:

“I understand the shouts of anger that have come out of your chests…But it is not right that this anger leads us to what is against our values and upbringing and our belief that democracy is our only resort and the only way we express our political stance. … Raise the Lebanese flag high above your head and know that I will always be with you…”

Officials of Hezbollah – who have rearmed since the 2006 Jewish offensive with more than 40,000 far-reaching rockets stockpiled – are waiting to be named in the indictments, by a United Nations-backed tribunal, on the assassination of Rafik Hariri.

According to our friends at al-Jazeera:

“Nasrallah has accused the Netherlands-based tribunal of being under US-Israeli control…Nasrallah has also said he expects the tribunal will implicate Hezbollah members and warned of grave repercussions.”

We will wait and see just what Nasrallah intended by “grave repercussions.”

Plausible Political Victory for a Dutch Jew

Job CohenMazel Tov to Job Cohen, the Mayor of Amsterdam. He is the likely candidate to be the Dutch prime minister in their upcoming elections. Mr. Cohen announced that he will be running for the office of Labor Party chairman after its current leader, Wouter Bos, announced that he would resign his post.

News agencies in Holland reported that Cohen had more than 50% of votes, giving him a substantial advantage over his two opponents, Christian Democrat leader and leaving Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, and far-right PVV leader Geert Wilders.

A poll conducted by Maurice de Hond sees that Cohen has 55% of votes, Balkenende 25%, and Wilders 17%.

Another poll of 16,000 people by TV show EenVandaag showed 52% of voters would prefer Cohen as prime minister, compared with the 17% and 15% for Balkenende and Wilders, respectively.

Wouter Bos submitted his resignation over the controversy surrounding his placement of Dutch forces in Afghanistan. He says that he is leaving politics to devote more time to his family.

The two polls show a percentage of backing for the three candidates, not support for their parties, but a win for Cohen is expected to see more votes for the floundering Labor Party and shift public backing from Wilders’ far-right party.

Cohen, who is known for his inter-culture politics, helped relieve tensions in Amsterdam in 2004 after the assassination of the anti-Muslim filmmaker Theo Van-Gogh. The mayor met with Muslim leaders and quelled threats of rioting, following his death.

Should he win, Job Cohen will not be wearing a kippa at the inauguration ceremony – he is a “non-practicing Jew.”

© 2023 OneJerusalem.com

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑