“Jerusalem, Israel” on The Daily Caller

“Let the Jews have Jerusalem. It is they who made it famous.” (more)

Former President George W. Bush said Monday that he did not make a mistake in his initial and often-ridiculed assessment of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, when they first met in 2001 and Bush said he got “a sense of [Putin’s] soul.” (more)

It seems as though every single peace process must begin and end with Israel.  At least that is the position of the Obama administration, the EU and the UN.  But this narrative is why the peace process has failed after more than seven wars and countless peace agreements and UN resolutions. The idea that Israel has all of the cards and that it is up to Israel to deliver peace shows that the international community and the US still fundamentally do not understand the roots of the conflict and why peace can only be achieved under specific circumstances. (more)

With his remarks in Jakarta, Indonesia, President Obama made history once again. Sadly, it’s a most unenviable title. I believe he is the most anti-Israel president in U.S. history. (more)

This is vile even by UN standards. (more)

Prominent Jewish voices are speaking out against the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee’s (ADC) decision to honor former White House reporter and harsh critic of Israel, Helen Thomas, with their Mehdi Courage in Journalism award. (more)

The Family Research Council boasted an all-star conservative lineup Friday morning at its 2010 Value Voters Summit in Washington with big-name potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence and South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint. (more)

Yet again the world is pressuring the Palestinians and the Israelis to negotiate to create a lasting peace.  But the very reason why talks continue to fail is because the world simply does not understand what type of climate must exist before legitimate talks can take place. (more)

Sixty-five years ago, Friedrich Hayek asked whether there was “a greater tragedy imaginable than that, in our endeavor consciously to shape our future in accordance with high ideals, we should in fact unwittingly produce the very opposite of what we have been striving for?” Sadly, the Obama administration’s Middle East policy is a Hayekian tragedy in the making. The administration’s attempt to pressure Palestinians and Israelis into negotiations — undertaken, no doubt, in pursuit of peace — may well cause another outbreak of violence in the Holy Land. (more)

Everything starts with a point of view. Turkey’s orientation – or rather– Orientalism is causing quite a discussion and is creating a wide split among policy makers, analysts, and journalists concerning whether or not the Islamist based ruling party, Justice and Development (AKP), is changing Turkish values. In the past, there was no doubt that Ataturk’s Turkey was destined to look toward the West. Now, there is talk about a whole new Turkey. Are the ones who warn of Turkey sliding away from the West creating a storm in a teacup? Or is there reason to wonder about Erdogan’s vision for the future of this first secular experience in a nation of Muslims? (more)

I’ve steered clear of the “Ground Zero mosque” story because, I thought, it’s both (1) a misnomer (neither actually at “Ground Zero” nor technically a “mosque”); and (2) so much of it has been a tempestuous belaboring of the obvious.  Of course private property owners in Manhattan have a legal right, subject to zoning laws and building codes, to build whatever they wish on their property, and of course erecting a 13-story Muslim cultural center two blocks away from Ground Zero is insensitive.  Let the games conclude please. (more)

By most calculations, Michael Bloomberg has been one of America’s decent mayors.   From reducing crime to improving public education, he has done a solid job as Rudy Giuliani’s successor in New York. (more)

ADEISSEH, Lebanon – Lebanese and Israeli troops exchanged fire on the border Tuesday in the most serious clashes since a fierce war four years ago, killing four people including two Lebanese soldiers and an Israeli army officer. (more)

Imam Feisal Adbul Rauf and his wife, Daisy Khan, the two halves of the public – and outwardly, “peaceful” – face of the Ground Zero Mosque effort, have proved themselves extremely competent practitioners of modern day media interaction; soft-spoken and articulate, they are faithfully “on-message” with their aspirations to help “bridge” the cultural divide, and to be regarded as the “anti-terrorists.” (more)

A Palestinian man, Sabbar Kashur, was recently sentenced to 18 months in jail for rape.  He met a woman in downtown Jerusalem, they started talking, they felt a mutual attraction, they went to a nearby building, and had sex.  Rape?  Imprudent, sure; reckless, probably; stupid, works for me — but… rape? (more)

JERUSALEM — Israel’s military failed to prepare adequately for what turned into a deadly raid on a Gaza aid flotilla, according to findings of a military inquiry quoted by the Israeli media on Monday. (more)

Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said an investigation had proved that eight Irish passports used in the operation were forgeries. (more)

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JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected international criticism of a deadly raid against a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza earlier this week, saying the blockade of the Palestinian territory is needed to prevent missile attacks against Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. (more)

JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli naval commandos stormed a flotilla of ships carrying aid and hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists to the blockaded Gaza Strip on Monday, killing nine passengers in a botched raid that provoked international outrage and a diplomatic crisis. (more)