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March 2024

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Larry Hogan: The U.S. Senate Needs Pro-Israel Voices That’s one of the reasons I’m running to succeed Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin. By Larry Hogan

By on March 18th, 2024

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-us-senate-needs-pro-israel-voices-thats-why-im-running-maryland-larry-hogan-19605a8a?mod=opinion_lead_pos8

The Democratic Party is splintering over Israel. Although it isn’t clear what America’s future partnership with our closest ally will look like, the outcome of the race to succeed Sen. Ben Cardin (D., Md.) could signal the direction. Mr. Cardin has been one of Israel’s most important supporters. When he retires next January, the world will be watching to see who picks up his mantle. One reason I am running for this seat is because we need pro-Israel champions in the Senate who will stand up to the loudest, angriest voices.

Though we belong to different parties, Mr. Cardin and I have worked together to do what is best for Maryland. I commend him for being a consistent supporter of Israel. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has worked to protect aid to Israel and to promote a strong U.S.-Israel partnership.

His approach is becoming far too rare in his party. Maryland’s junior senator, Democrat Chris Van Hollen, has become one of the chamber’s most hostile anti-Israel voices. He signed an outrageous letter on March 11 urging President Biden to offer Israel an ultimatum: Expand humanitarian-aid access in Gaza or else lose military assistance.

Both my potential Democratic opponents in this race—Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrook—have similarly demonstrated that they wouldn’t adequately support Israel. Each has demanded a cease-fire. Pushing for an immediate cease-fire is tantamount to urging Israel’s surrender, as it would leave Hamas intact to attack again in the future. The Council on American-Islamic Relations—whose executive director said he was “happy to see” the atrocities of Oct. 7 and whose Maryland director has compared Israel to Nazi Germany—applauded Mr. Trone’s call for a cease-fire in Gaza.

By contrast, my stance is this: We all want the violence to end, but the way to do so is to force Hamas terrorists to release every hostage, to surrender and to be held accountable for their crimes. As governor, I faithfully stood with Israel, including by signing an executive order prohibiting agencies and departments from entering into contracts with any business that boycotts Israel.

Following the Oct. 7 massacre, I also withdrew from two fellowships at Harvard when I saw that the university refused to condemn the protests that justified and celebrated Hamas’s terrorism. That is the kind of leadership I will take to the Senate.

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WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Ukraine: Unintended Consequences by Amir Taheri

By on March 18th, 2024

ttps://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20494/ukraine-unintended-consequences

Though Putin remains personally popular to a degree that would make any Western leader green with envy, the war is clearly losing popular backing. Latest polls, some sanctioned by Kremlin-controlled organs, show that the war enjoys no more than 30 to 40 percent approval among Russians. More interestingly, between 50 and 60 percent of Russians oppose a second wave of military call-up, something that the Kremlin’s military planners regard as imperative if Russia means to stay in the game.

Instead, NATO has found two new members, and not just anyone, because Finland and Sweden built part of their national identity on neutrality. Even worse for Putin, the US-led alliance is seeding up membership procedures for at least four other countries, notably Albania…

Being forced to sell its oil at a juicy discount to China is the last thing that Russia might have wanted, had it not been forced to do so because of Western sanctions.

What is amazing is that all those involved in this tragedy seem to be unable to read the runes even when plainly explained to them, notably that a war fought half-heartedly, almost as a weekend hobby, could go on without producing a winner and a loser, something without which no war can ever end.

Though Russian President Vladimir Putin remains personally popular to a degree that would make any Western leader green with envy, the war against Ukraine is clearly losing popular backing. Latest polls, some sanctioned by Kremlin-controlled organs, show that the war enjoys no more than 30 to 40 percent approval among Russians.

Even a year ago, some Russia-watchers believed that President Vladimir Putin might end his war on Ukraine with something like a victory in time before what could be his last re-election campaign.

However, now as Russians go to the polls, no victory is even remotely in sight.

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

The Strategy of Atrocity in the Gaza War by Michael Hochberg and Leonard Hochberg

By on March 18th, 2024

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20495/hamas-strategy-atrocity-gaza-war

Hamas is perhaps the first regime in recorded history to fight a war designed to maximize casualties among their own population.

Failing to swiftly destroy Hamas and directly punish Hamas’s backers in Iran and Qatar will teach sympathizers in other parts of the Muslim world that strategies of atrocity should be added to the playbook of regimes challenging U.S. allies around the world. Even worse would be for Hamas to actually achieve a strategic victory and gain a Palestinian statehood; such an outcome would ensure that atrocity becomes a standard and widely used strategy for at least a generation to come.

The laws of war — primarily a Western innovation — are being weaponized by the enemies of the West, who do not subscribe to Western culture….. Today, the United States and our allies find ourselves at war with states and non-state entities who do not subscribe to the laws of war.

“[T]he Hamas terrorists killed by Israel in the ensuing war, and civilian non-combatants killed in the Gaza Strip while being used as human shields by Hamas. They are all considered “Martyrs” whose families are eligible to receive stipends of 1,400-12,000 shekels [$375-$3200] per month for life.” — Itamar Marcus; Founder, Palestinian Media Watch, palwatch.org, January 10, 2024.

The popular accusation of disproportionality is, in point of fact, aimed to prevent Western-aligned nations from achieving decisive victories. Even when the allies of the United States have the military capacity to break the will of the enemy, thereby imposing peace on the defeated, they will be forced to resort to fighting forever wars.

Why should the Israelis be compelled to allow aid into Gaza, when Hamas continues to hold hostage not just Israelis but also Americans? Under the guise of benevolence and generosity, international organizations promote forever wars.

If the type of warfare that we have seen from Hamas is allowed to succeed, and is not met with overwhelming violence and utter defeat, it will become the standard approach for those challenging Western dominance. If, however, we want to live in a world where the laws of war mean something, then the penalties for deliberately flouting them need to be terrible. Otherwise more regimes will be tempted to gain advantage through strategies of atrocity.

The US should stop imposing on our allies a doctrine of defeat.

Finally, the day after hostilities end, the Israelis must protect the new Gazan government from being undermined by renewed efforts to support terrorism and remilitarization.

The only path to peace, other than the destruction of Israel, is through a comprehensive Israeli victory and an unconditional surrender by Hamas in Gaza, and a post-war arrangement ensuring that the Gazans will not be able to commit such atrocities in Israel again.

Hamas is perhaps the first regime in recorded history to fight a war designed to maximize casualties among their own population. Pictured: Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen shows a photo of an Israeli soldier posing next to a Hamas weapons cache that was found at Rantisi Hospital in Gaza, at a press conference at the European Office of the United Nations in Geneva, on November 14, 2023. (Photo by Pierre Albouy/AFP via Getty Images)

“People should either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage they will get their revenge; but if you cripple them there is nothing they can do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance.” — Niccolo Machiavelli.

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