President Netanyahu and Prime Minister Trump

Have you ever seen two politicians so similar as Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump?

The Israeli premier and his counterpart in the White House are vilified by their opponents and beloved by their supporters.

Both are obviously also pro Israel. I believe Trump is genuinely so.

Twenty years ago, a column was written entitled, “The Year of Hating Bibi.” In it, the writer was outlining the media hatred of Netanyahu, then in his first tenure as prime minister of the Jewish state.

Today, Netanyahu is embroiled in an investigation into whether he accepted gifts in exchange for political favors. Trump of course is being attacked based on alleged Russian connections during his presidential campaign. Trump is politically safer, but Netanyahu—though no wrongdoing has been proven—could be driven from office.

“The Zionist Union and Meretz took moves on Wednesday to prepare for an early election, in light of the breakneck developments in corruption scandals involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“In a letter to Zionist Union MKs, party leader Avi Gabbay wrote on Tuesday night: ‘The events of the last two days and recent hours make very clear: The Netanyahu era is over. We must prepare for an election soon.

“’The criminal house of cards the prime minister built in recent years – corrupting the civil service, harming the rule of law, threatening freedom of the press and more than all else, dividing Israeli society – is crashing on him and around him,’ Gabbay added.

Notice how similar is the language of Gabbay to that of Trump’s opponents. Wild accusations, relentless media coverage, and unprecedented personal attacks. This is the tactic of the Left.

Netanyahu of course is hated for putting the brakes on Oslo, for the last 25 years. This has made him a prime target of the Left, and they don’t give up.

Trump’s “Russia” connections have never been proven, but his enemies in Washington are no less committed. And I include in this list Republican Establishment types Senator Lindsey Graham, “conservative” publisher Bill Kristol, and evangelical potentate Russell Moore.

Trump’s enemies will never rest, although removing a sitting president via impeachment is a very remote strategy. I would go so far as to say that if such an effort were successful, we would then be looking at the Second Civil War. Literally.

Still, because Netanyahu and Trump are strong on terrorism and are the greatest champions of “Israel First” and “America First” worldview, they are viciously maligned by the Left, which includes key, entrenched operatives ranging from the political, to media, to religious communities. It is choreographed, very deep, and malevolent.

Frontpage is probably the best source for understanding the attacks on Trump. A recent piece shed light on the Russia probe:

“A Dutch lawyer unconnected to the unproven claim the Trump campaign somehow colluded with Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 election has pled guilty to lying to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators.

“This failure – yet again – to indict a Trump campaign official in connection with the campaign’s allegedly collusive behavior appears to constitute another tacit admission by Mueller that the Left’s electoral collusion conspiracy theory that he was commissioned to investigate is utter nonsense. Charging all these people with lying, instead of with anything related to collusion, is likely a prosecutorial tactic to pressure somebody somewhere into doing something. Mueller’s real target seems to be former Trump campaign manager Paul J. Manafort Jr.”

The probe is similar to that of the one in Israel: Netanyahu’s political enemies are actually spearheading the investigation, including Yair Lapid!

Each leader would no doubt win a “reverse-election” by a landslide, if they could run in the other’s country, and switch places.

This is a Churchill Moment. The vibrancy of both the Trump and Netanyahu camps is that important, as civilization stands on the edge of seismic changes that are not good.

The similarities between the two leaders are striking and historical.

Let us not put too much stock into strictly political solutions to the world’s many problems, but let us resolve to pray even harder for Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com

 

 

 

Hot on the Border

Sometimes we get too caught up in worrying about what might happen to Israel. I’m serious.

Now, look, the Russian presence in Syria is a real problem. So is the Iranian presence. Both are propping-up that scumbag, Assad, and countless innocents have been slaughtered in the process. The Left doesn’t really care about people, or that situation would be front-and-center on the news. But that’s a topic for another time.

What we don’t focus on enough is Israeli resolve and capability. I’ve said many times that the Lord is literally protecting Israel. But let’s do look at things simply from a strategic, geopolitical standpoint for a minute.

Last weekend, the Iranians sent an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) into Israeli airspace. The UAV was launched from the T-4 base at Palmyra, Syria. The IDF blew it out of the sky. Then, according to a report from the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center:

“In response to the breach by the UAV, IDF struck targets in Syria, including the Iranian control center that had launched the drone. During the retaliatory strikes by Israel, the Syrian military fired anti-aircraft missiles, which resulted in the downing of an F-16 jet over Israeli territory. In response to the downing of the jet, the IDF carried out an extensive air campaign against Syrian air defense bases and Iranian targets in Syria. According the IDF’s statement, the Israeli military bombed 12 targets, including three Syrian air defense batteries and four Iranian targets.”

Netanyahu takes considerable heat from all sides. To some he isn’t conservative and tough enough. To others he’s a warmonger. But rest assured, he will do what is necessary to protect Israel.

In today’s upside-down world, political spin has become the Theatre of the Absurd. Notice that Iran sounds like a collective Baghdad Bob in their description of events:

“Iranian officials denied Israel’s claims regarding Iranian involvement in the events in northern Israel and cast the blame on Israel for the escalation. Bahram Qasemi, the Spokesman of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rejected Israel’s claims regarding the breach by the Iranian UAV and reports about Iran’s involvement in downing the Israeli jet, labeling these claims as ‘ridiculous.’ He mentioned that Iran assists Syria only through military advisors in accordance with the request of the legitimate government in Damascus. Qasemi insisted on Syria’s right to protect its territorial integrity and respond to any foreign aggression against it. According to him, the ‘Zionist regime’ can not hide its aggressiveness and its crimes against the people of the region through lies.”

The Iranians claim that the rules of engagement have changed and that Israel will “not be allowed to” enter Syrian airspace anymore for raids.

As if.

Notice that the Russians are not engaging Israel directly, other than to put some window dressing on public statements. But we can be pretty confident that in their several meetings in the last year, Netanyahu has made it very clear to Putin that Israel will defend itself. Should the Iranians flex their muscles even more, expect a withering Israeli response.

And, this should remind all of us how strategic the Golan Heights are for Israel. You can sit at a restaurant near the Sea of Galilee and look up and see where Syrian shells have landed periodically for years on Israeli farms, as harassment. Can you imagine what would happen if Syria was in possession of the Heights?

The Meir Amit report emphasizes what Iran hopes to achieve through a presence in Syria:

• Stabilizing and shaping the Syrian regime while enhancing Iran’s political, economic, religious and cultural clout in Syria.[1] The preservation of the Syrian regime is critical for Tehran as it is a strategic partner for Iran in the Arab world. The downfall of the Assad regime may result in negative ramifications for Hezbollah, as a result of losing its logistic support base in Syria (which is crucial for transferring Iranian assistance to the organization).
• Establishing an Iranian-Shi’ite sphere of influence, stretching from Iran through Iraq and Syria, all the way to Lebanon and the Mediterranean.
• Augmenting pressure levers and threats against Israel so as to create deterrence vis-à-vis Jerusalem.
• Expelling the United States from Syria and the region as a whole. The United States is perceived by Iran as a central threat to its national security and its vital interests.

Notice those last two points: Jerusalem and the re-emergence of American power. Both are significant prophetically, for they signal that while the coming epic battle for Jerusalem is on the horizon, the Trump Era keeps our enemies at bay. It is only when a weak or removed America emerges that Israel will be alone.

The escalations in Syria are serious, and a new thing. They bear watching. Let us continue to pray for Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem!

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com