Free Republic

Every summer for several years, a delegation of British MPs and human rights advocates have attended an international gathering in Paris organized by the foremost Iranian pro-democracy opposition group. Sadly, the event had to be cancelled this year, another victim of the coronavirus pandemic. However, that did not stop the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) from providing an international platform for those critical of the theocratic regime in Tehran. Nor did it prevent British supporters of the NCRI contributing to those calls. As with the prior gatherings, the virtual event - dubbed the Free Iran Global Summit -...

With one stroke of a pen, President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- nationalist, conservative world leaders much-maligned by our sclerotic global elites as bigoted warmongers -- did more last week to advance durable peace in the Middle East than did generations of Washington's failed "peace process," "two-stater" professional classes. Peace between Israel and the oil-rich Gulf state, the United Arab Emirates, represents a profoundly impactful act of statesmanship and reifies an ascendant, transformative paradigm. In a just world (which we do not presently inhabit), the Norwegian Nobel Committee would be knocking on their doors. In the...

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA—A teary-eyed Obama reported he was horrified that Trump has taken the first step toward peace in the Middle East with an agreement between Israel and the UAE. Obama condemned Trump for doing the un-presidential work of actually trying to broker peace in foreign countries rather than just exploding them. "My drone strikes -- all for nothing!" he cried as he read the news on his iPhone. "This is horrible!" The former president addressed the nation in a video message recorded in his seaside mansion, slamming Trump for his willingness to suddenly overturn years of presidential precedent. "Look,...

Turkey and Qatar have reiterated their support for Libya's internationally recognised government during a trip by their defence chiefs to the capital, Tripoli, where Germany's foreign minister also paid an unexpected visit... The country has been split since 2014 between factions based in the east and west, and regional powers have aligned themselves with the competing sides. While Turkey and its regional ally Qatar support the GNA, forces in the east led by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar have received backing from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia. "We believe that we will achieve the wanted results by supporting...

Editor's Note: This piece was coauthored by Bruce Abramson.It’s hard to miss the stakes for America in November’s election. President Trump and the GOP base inhabit a starkly different world than do Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and progressive Democrats. That difference transcends mere policy debate; America’s political parties operate on different moral planes. In no foreign context is that moral divergence clearer than the Middle East. Two recent events illuminate the gap: The Biden-led 2020 Democrat Platform, and the UAE/Israel pact that President Trump brokered. The election will determine whether the Middle East continues on the path towards stability and...

August 16, 2020 Israeli TV Kan11 reports as ldo on the trauma of residents of Sderot from Arab Palestinian attacks from Gaza. The mental toll on Sdetot residents. Many are treated.. [Hebrew] https://youtu.be/b7rfHzaaKBk&t=3m42s _____ Sderot's children are suffering post-traumatic stress - Haaretz Jun 12, 2006 · ... their mental health -- whether in Gaza or Sderot-- is reaching new alarming high. (Although Sderot kids are .https://www.haaretz.com/amp/1.4915343Rockets raining on Sderot take physical and mental toll on cityH JOURNALCOMMENTARYBLOGSNEWSCALIFORNIAISRAELUNITED STATESWORLDWIDERockets raining on Sderot take physical and mental toll on cityBy Orit ArfaMay 25, 2007It’s a smooth car ride to Sderot.There’s very little traffic...

President Trump is destroying Obama’s insane Middle East policies one day at a time and the world is a much safer place. Politico Magazine surprisingly uncovered and released a report critical of the Obama Administration shortly after the 2016 election entitled, “The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook“. The long piece started: In its determination to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, the Obama administration derailed an ambitious law enforcement campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, even as it was funneling cocaine into the United States, according to a POLITICO investigation.The campaign,...

Iran’s political and military leadership in Iran is escalating its threatening tone towards the UAE following the signing of last week’s historic diplomatic agreement with Israel. The Islamic Republic is warning the UAE of the negative consequences that will result from the expansion of Israeli activity and influence in the Emirates. In a detailed Hebrew-language piece written for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) by Lt. Col. Michael Segal, the author noted that the recurring theme in the Iranian speakers’ statements is that of the “betrayal” by the United Arab Emirates of the Palestinian Authority and their Muslim brethren,...

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned of a “dangerous future” for the United Arab Emirates over a U.S.-brokered agreement that sees the UAE open up diplomatic relations with Israel. That comes after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised address that the UAE had made a “huge mistake” in normalizing ties with Israel and that it would allow the U.S. ally to gain a “foothold in the region.” The Iranian Foreign Ministry had released a statement Friday in which it decried the “shameful move to normalize relations with the fake, illegitimate and anti-humane Zionist regime” calling it a “dangerous measure.” President...

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi praised the newly-announced agreement of normalization between the United Arab of Emirates and Israel under the US brokerage. “I followed with great interest and appreciation the tripartite joint statement between the United States of America, the […] United Arab Emirates and Israel regarding the agreement to stop Israel's annexation of the Palestinian territories,” said President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on his official Twitter on Thursday. He praised this move as it would “bring peace to the Middle East,” Saying “I value the efforts that were exerted by those who in charge of this agreement in...

Turkey bashes UAE for normalizing ties with Israel, calling the move as "betrayal," while underlining that the diplomatic relations with Abu Dhabi are at risk The United Arab Emirates (UAE) betrays the Palestinian cause by inking a deal with Israel, Turkey said on Friday, emphasizing that the move will be remembered by history as a disgraceful incident while signaling that diplomatic ties with the Emirates are at risk. Turkey may suspend its diplomatic relations with the UAE, or recall its ambassador, President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan said Friday, revealing the scale of the possible after-effects of such a move on part...

2020 saved its weirdest twist for August: Jared Kushner’s going to win a Nobel prize.They’ll never give it to Trump, not even if he negotiates world peace. But Jared, the White House’s foremost Democrat, might be acceptable to the committee. His most intriguing comments this morning after normalized relations between Israel and the UAE were announced haven’t been noticed much elsewhere, to my surprise: “There is a good chance that another country could make a deal with Israel in the coming days,” Kushner said at the White House. Speaking to reporters after he unveiled the historic agreement, Trump suggested...

For nearly four years, Washington foreign policy experts and Obama administration alumni warned that the Trump administration was jeopardizing any prospects for Middle East peace. By withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, we were told, the U.S. would alienate itself from its allies. By moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, it would inflame the anger of millions of Arab Muslims. By recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights, it would estrange the Arab states. By maintaining close relations with the Israeli government, it would imperil the lives of Palestinians. With such a grim record of prediction, Thursday’s historic announcement that...

earlier Kushner said at the White House that "There is a good chance that another country could make a deal with Israel in the coming days"

Speaking during the White House press briefing Monday afternoon, National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien called for President Trump to receive the Nobel Peace prize after brokering a peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emerites.  "What I have said is the President is often known as the greatest deal maker. He wrote the book 'The Art of the Deal.' He's considered a great great deal maker, which he is, but I think history is going to remember the President for being a great peacemaker. He brought peace to Israel and the UAE. His diplomats signed a historic accord in...

On Wednesday, at least 24 fires were sparked by incendiary balloons in southern Israel in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council and in the Eshkol Regional Council. On Tuesday, over 68 fires were sparked by incendiary and explosive balloons throughout the Gaza envelope, burning about 200 hectares of land. "We won't allow Israel to change the rules of the game; we will respond to every attack by it," said the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group on Wednesday. "Balloon launches are part of the national operations and this will continue in order to place pressure on Israel to carry out what was...

"We're doing it simultaneously. In Russia they decided to do the clinical trial in parallel and collect the data, as is customary in the West, as well as allowing in some cases that we call 'compassion treatments' for some patients" Those words from Dr. Zeev Rotstein, director of Hadassah Hospital in Israel, getting into the details of what's really going on as Russia has announced that its developed the first effective coronavirus vaccine..... Omaha City Council voting unanimously to impose an emergency mask-muzzle order for indoor public places..... Law enforcement in Belarus using live ammunition on people protesting last Sunday's...

Turkey claims it is “breaking a blockade” by sending naval ships under the guise of a research mission to the Mediterranean. For a country that is a member of NATO – and which has sent drones to Libya, is busy bombing northern Iraq and occupies part of northern Syria – Turkey’s narrative that it is under “blockade” is a novel approach to fan its latest maneuvers in the Mediterranean. Never in history has Turkey been less under blockade than it is today, yet it has manufactured a crisis with Greece to lay claim to areas of the Mediterranean, asserting it...

The Jewish people have the absolute historic legal right to this disputed land. I know that there is a lot of information available to the observers of the historical perspectives, and as I am sure that many of you know, much of it is based on disinformation and on outright lies. Therefore, in order to be able to promote honorable causes it is important to clarify the facts.   Before addressing a few issues specifically, I would like to make some very important clarifying points:   1.     The state of Israel is one of the strongest and most reliable allies of...

"My appeal is to be heard in September at some point and I pray that justice is served in the 9th Circuit's decision at that time" That message from Jerry DeLemus one of the men still imprisoned for the 2014 Bunkerville Standoff near Bundy Ranch in Nevada..... Two teenage girls in a shopping center in Australia's Queensland state got a rude awakening to what their nation has become today when they were detained by police in the country's continuing coronavirus crackdown.... Standing up for his rights today Ammon Bundy of People's Rights not wearing a mask or muzzle when confronted...