Tag Archive for: war

Must-Read Vatican Document Slams Surrogacy, Gender Theory, War and Abortion

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Earlier this week the Vatican published a 16,000-word document reaffirming Catholic condemnations of a wide range of moral issues, from war to surrogacy and human trafficking. Dignitas Infinita, or “Infinite Dignity”, is both a philosophical and a theological essay, appealing to open-minded people of all faiths and none.

Seldom has there been so much media coverage about a Vatican document which contains so few surprises. It’s no secret that the Catholic Church opposes abortion and euthanasia. Perhaps both the fans and foes of Francis thought that he might open up a crack for sex changes or for surrogacy.

But almost nothing has changed. Under Francis the Church is as severe as ever on life issues. Over at the New York Times, columnist Ross Douthat opined that the Pope’s “style has been to consistently push at the boundaries of his office, testing how far a pope can go in altering Catholic teaching”. He sounded mortified to report that Dignitas Infinita was “a clearer-than-usual line against developments in progressive thought and culture”.

Controversial issues

Here are some notable highlights.

Dignitas Infinita condemns surrogacy, first as a violation of the child’s dignity and second as a violation of the surrogate mother’s. It says:

the legitimate desire to have a child cannot be transformed into a “right to a child” that fails to respect the dignity of that child as the recipient of the gift of life … in this practice, the woman is detached from the child growing in her and becomes a mere means subservient to the arbitrary gain or desire of others.

The document also rejects gender theory. In a few perceptive sentences, it criticises the transhumanist impulse to “self-determination”, describing it as “a concession to the age-old temptation to make oneself God”. Furthermore, it describes the difference between male and female as “foundational”.

In the male-female couple, this difference achieves the most marvellous of reciprocities. It thus becomes the source of that miracle that never ceases to surprise us: the arrival of new human beings in the world.

Sex-change interventions are also condemned. The document quotes the Pope: “creation is prior to us and must be received as a gift. At the same time, we are called to protect our humanity, and this means, in the first place, accepting it and respecting it as it was created.”

One possible innovation in Dignitas Infinita is its approach to war. While lamenting the cruelty and senselessness of wars, the Catholic Church has traditionally supported the possibility of a “just war”. However, with weapons of mass destruction, asymmetric warfare and terrorism, perhaps the nature of war has changed. The document quotes the Pope — “it is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a ‘just war.’ Never again war!”

Does this mean that requirements for a just war will be updated? Possibly.

Explaining human dignity

Even though there appears to be little novelty in Dignitas Infinita, it was five years in the making. The Pope’s top theologian, fellow Argentinian Cardinal Victor Fernández, explains in an unusual preamble that the document went through several versions, because the Pope had ordered some significant changes. He wanted the list of violations of human dignity to include issues like poverty, the wretchedness of migrants, violence against women, human trafficking, and war.

This is consistent with Francis’s impatience with what he feels is some Catholics’ single-minded focus on abortion and other pro-life issues. Dignitas Infinita endorses the notion that Catholic moral teaching is a “seamless garment” and that abusing migrants and abortion are both horrendous violations of human dignity.

But what is human dignity? The first half of the document offers a very helpful and thoughtful exploration of the topic.

It begins with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights whose 75th anniversary occurred last year. After the barbarism of World War II, the UDHR was a high-minded commitment by its signatories to restore a respect for human dignity. Its opening sentence asserts “the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family”. John Paul II described the UDHR as “one of the highest expressions of the human conscience”.

However, it’s obvious that the concept of human rights has become so muddled that it is almost meaningless. Accompanied by claims to be advancing human dignity, rights have multiplied and morphed. Nowadays internet access, air conditioning and same-sex marriage are claimed as human rights, along with a right to abortion.

Although this is a very complex question, one reason for this proliferation is that people base their approach to human dignity on different foundations.

The Church’s approach is ontological; human dignity flows from the very fact of being a human being created by God. This means that all humans have dignity, not just those who possess privileges like awareness or intelligence or autonomy. Notoriously, Peter Singer (and other philosophers) say that “the life of a newborn is of less value than the life of a pig, a dog, or a chimpanzee.”

In a brief, but very insightful observation, Dignitas Infinita analyses Singer’s notion of human dignity (without naming him):

Some people propose that it is better to use the expression “personal dignity” (and the rights “of the person”) instead of “human dignity” (and the rights “of man”) since they understand a “person” to be only “one who is capable of reasoning.” They then argue that dignity and rights are deduced from the individual’s capacity for knowledge and freedom, which not all humans possess. Thus, according to them, the unborn child would not have personal dignity, nor would the older person who is dependent upon others, nor would an individual with mental disabilities. On the contrary, the Church insists that the dignity of every human person, precisely because it is intrinsic, remains “in all circumstances.”

As well, the document deploys a very important concept: that we humans are relational beings. Fundamentally, none of us are individuals. We are all bound up in a web of relations with other humans, past, present and future: “Indeed, there is an ever-growing risk of reducing human dignity to the ability to determine one’s identity and future independently of others, without regard for one’s membership in the human community.”

The document condemns “a self-referential and individualistic freedom that claims to create its own values regardless of the objective norms of the good and of our relationship with other living beings” Unless one grasps this, it may be hard to appreciate why the Church rejects surrogacy, transgenderism, euthanasia and so on.

Dignitas Infinita may contain no surprises, but its clarity and consistency are admirable. It’s a good springboard for responding to today’s ethical challenges.

Does the Catholic Church have anything valuable to say about human rights? Leave a comment in the box below.

AUTHOR

Michael Cook is editor of Mercator.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Mercator column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Israel Passes Law To Temporarily Shut Down Al Jazeera

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The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, passed a law Monday that would allow the government to temporarily close foreign news networks deemed a national security threat, The Times of Israel reported.

The law — known as the Al Jazeera law — is geared towards shutting down the popular Arabic news channel Al Jazeera in Israel, according to the outlet.

The law itself will reportedly allow shut downs for a period of 45 days but could be extended in additional 45-day increments, the outlet reported.

“There will be no freedom of speech for Hamas mouthpieces in Israel. Al Jazeera will be closed in the coming days. We have brought an efficient and quick tool for action against those who use the freedom of the press to harm Israel’s security and IDF soldiers and incite terrorism in times of war,” Israel’s Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi tweeted in Hebrew.

“We will act immediately!” Karhi vowed.

“Al Jazeera harmed Israel’s security, actively participated in the October 7 massacre, and incited against IDF soldiers. It is time to remove the shofar of Hamas from our country. The terrorist channel Al Jazeera will no longer broadcast from Israel. I intend to act immediately in accordance with the new law to stop the channel’s activity,” Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted in Hebrew.

Al Jazeera, a Qatar-based news network, is particularly accused by Israeli officials of glorifying Hamas and terrorism against Israelis.  One example cited by critics of the Arabic news outlet’s protection of Hamas was when one of its reporters attempted to cut off an elderly wounded Gazan who was speaking critically of Hamas for hiding among civilians, according to the English translation.

AUTHOR

ILAN HULKOWER

Contributor.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

RFK Jr. Comes Out Against Gaza Ceasefire

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Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. strongly questioned the wisdom of a ceasefire in Gaza during an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.

“I don’t even know what that means right now,” Kennedy, who is running as an independent, told Reuters in response to a question about a temporary ceasefire.

Kennedy argued that Hamas had used every previous ceasefire to merely “rebuild and then launch another surprise attack,” the outlet noted.

“So what would be different this time?” Kennedy asked Reuters.

Kennedy argued that Israel had not chosen to fight the current war and blamed Hamas for rejecting a two-state solution and for its history of aggression.

“Any other nation that was adjacent to a neighboring nation that was bombing it with rockets, sending commandos over to murder its citizens, pledging itself to murder every person in that nation and annihilate it, would go and level it with aerial bombardment,” he said. “But Israel is a moral nation. So it didn’t do that. Instead, it built an Iron Dome to protect itself so it would not have to go into Gaza.”

Kennedy told Reuters that the Oct. 7 attack — which killed over 1,200 people and left some 250 as Hamas hostages — left Israel with no other option but to invade Gaza.

“[T]he scale of these attacks means it is likely that Israel will need to wage a sustained military campaign to protect its citizens,” Kennedy tweeted the day of the terrorist attack. “Statements of support are fine, but we must follow through with unwavering, resolute, and practical action. America must stand by our ally throughout this operation and beyond as it exercises its sovereign right to self-defense.”

Kennedy’s rejection of a ceasefire with Hamas puts the ex-Democrat at odds with an increasing number of prominent politicians in his former party.

A group of House Democrats, including Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, introduced a ceasefire resolution on Oct. 16, 2023; Democratic Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley wrote an article backing a ceasefire on Nov. 20; and Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed an “immediate ceasefire” on March 3.

AUTHOR

ILAN HULKOWER

Contributor.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

What is War, and How Are We to Wage It?

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There is an entire portion in the Torah that begins “when you go to war” (Ki Teitzei, Deut. 21:10)… not “if”, but “when.” We are given specific rules about what we can and cannot do throughout the Torah, Talmud, and later texts.

But in today’s world, the lines of “war” are not as clear. We’re clearly in the midst of war, but with whom? How should we act? These are not easy questions, and worth looking at as we are beginning our sixth month of war in Israel.

Some things are clear. We are to destroy Amalek completely. If we experience perpetrators on the weak, sick, old, young… we can define that perpetration (both externally as a physical enemy and internally as addiction) as Amalek; and it must not be negotiated with, but utterly destroyed.

Given the events of Oct. 7, it is clear that Hamas is a modern Amalek and must be destroyed.

That example is pretty self-evident.

When at war, we are to be compassionate as well with enemies who are not Amaleks. The Torah teaches how we are to treat people other than Amalek, and the underlying concept is that our goal in war is not victory per se, but lasting peace.

This is one of the reasons that many of us were hesitant to believe that any IDF soldiers fired in civilians last week who were trying to aid from convoy trucks in Gaza. Our suspicions have now been totally confirmed thanks to footage from multiple drones. The IDF never fired at any person heading to the trucks. Footage shows that the only shots fired by Israel were at people who were attacking the soldiers: not heading towards the convoy at all, but violently charging the soldiers. Again, the reports of Hamas were lies, and proven to be so by now released drone footage.

What about Hezbollah? Like Hamas, they have vowed to destroy Israel and obliterate all Jews in the worldwide caliphate they seek to create. They send rockets almost daily into northern Israel, and displaced almost 100,000 Israelis from their homes. But despite their verbal vows, they have not enacted “Amalek-type” behavior as Hamas did on Oct. 7. They attack haphazardly, but not with the conscious intent of specifically targeting children and the weak. Based on the conflict in the north, it is the hope that a miracle can happen, and that a lasting peace can be created without needing their complete destruction. Unlike Hamas, they have not crossed the Rubicon, and it is still the hope and prayer that a lasting peace can be structured with them.

While the news was filled today with the State of the Union speech, there was also a small bit of news that radically affects Israel, and potentially the US/Israel relationship. Although any student of history or geo-politics realizes that a “two state solution” is a philosophical and practical impossibility, the President made it clear in his speech that this is his intention. He even went as far to say that the US will be building a port in Gaza. But to build a port or base in a foreign country without permission is actually considered an act of war. By that accepted definition, Biden declared an intention of a war act against Israel… Gaza is recognized as part of Israel even by the UN, so wouldn’t building a port or base there without Israel’s permission be an act of war? And is it the intention of the U.S. to build and man a port on foreign soil? And for how long? These are questions that many Israelis and international political scientists have been discussing since President Biden made the announcement of his intended port today.

But the greatest war is always our individual war with our own “yetzer hara”…our personal “evil inclination”. We must do what must be done, but we must never take joy in it. We must destroy Hamas, but feel the sadness of having to kill anyone…even the Hamas terrorists who have surrendered their own souls in their quest for a caliphate. And at the same time, we need to remember that the yetzer hara can be manifest just as easily as a desire for mercy when there should be none. Amalek must be destroyed, even though doing that is painful.

We must remember that our greatest ally in any war; both with an external enemy or with our inner yetzer hara, is always God. He brings us to victory over external enemies as well as the ally that allows us to rid ourselves of things like addictions, evil behavior, or any problem in our lives both individually and collectively.

As these wars continue, may we all find within them the opportunity to deepen our relationship with God and each other.

EDITORS NOTE: This Newsrael column by Rabbi Michael Barclay is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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Prime Minister Netanyahu: Israel ‘weeks away from victory’ once IDF begins Rafah Operation

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February 25, 2024 / JNS — Once the IDF launches its military operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, it will be “weeks away from total victory,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS News on Sunday.

Plans for the IDF offensive in Rafah, Hamas’s last stronghold in the Gaza Strip, will be reviewed by the political echelon on Sunday, the premier said in an interview with CBS‘s “Face the Nation.”

The potential hostages-for-ceasefire deal under discussion in Doha won’t stop the IDF from operating in the city, Netanyahu added.

“If we have a deal, it will be delayed somewhat, but it [the Battle of Rafah] will happen. If we don’t have a deal, we’ll do it anyway,” he stated.

“We very much want to achieve another [hostage] release and we are prepared to go far, but we are not prepared to pay any price, certainly not the delusional prices that Hamas is demanding of us, the meaning of which is the defeat of the State of Israel,” said Netanyahu last week.

“I speak with world leaders every day. I tell them decisively: Israel will fight until we achieve total victory. And indeed, this includes action in Rafah, of course after we allow the civilians found in the combat zones to evacuate to safe areas,” said Netanyahu.

“Whoever wants to prevent us from operating in Rafah is telling us in effect to lose the war. I will not allow this. … We will not surrender to any pressure. We will not surrender, because we are a people of heroes. We will not surrender because we are a people that desires life. We will not surrender because we must—must—defeat the evil,” he added.

The comments came after U.S. President Joe Biden demanded a temporary ceasefire to secure the release of hostages in Gaza, claiming that a deal “has to” go through before Israel launches a military operation in Rafah.

In a call on Thursday with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Lloyd Austin, the U.S. secretary of defense, raised “the need for a credible plan to ensure the safety of and support for the more than one million people sheltering in Rafah before any military operations proceed there.”

“We have worked out a detailed plan to do so. And that’s what we have done up to now,” explained Netanyahu. “We are not cavalier about this. This is part of our war effort, to get civilians out of harm’s way. It’s part of Hamas’s effort to keep them in harm’s way. But we’ve so far succeeded and we are going to succeed again.”

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EDITORS NOTE: This Newsrael column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Reflections on Russia-Ukraine War — 2 Years Later

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This is a repost of an article authored by a priest in the Orthodox Church of America whose wife is Ukrainian and still has family in Ukraine. The article was written two years ago, just as the war broke out, and as I read over it, it struck me how it could have easily been written yesterday. Truth is like that. It ages well. Below is an excerpt from his article, published February 25, 2022, under the title A Reflection on Ukraine, America, Russia, and War

A Reflection on Ukraine, America, Russia, and War

By Fr. Zachariah Lynch

Few it seems have cared, up until now, that the faithful of Ukraine are being subjected to spiritual violence (which has manifested physically). Few it seems have cared that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is in open and full communion with unrepentant schismatics.

(To educate yourself on the Ukrainian government’s pernicious work to divide the Orthodox in that country and use one side to commit violence against the other, see my article from last year, U.S./NATO-funded proxy war in Ukraine fueling hatred, persecution of ancient Christian community.)

So spiritual violence has been ravaging Ukraine, and few have said much. We value a nominal “peace” above true peace, for true peace cannot be had in communion with false brethren. Now major physical violence is taking place, but what is worse for the soul, spiritual or material violence?

Could it be that the assault on the spiritual peace of Ukraine has affected its physical peace?

How many Americans have been aware that there has been an effective civil war in eastern Ukraine since 2014? How many of us were concerned when Ukrainians were shooting at and killing Ukrainians? Was that okay?

As an American, I will speak to my country. I’m not in Russia. I don’t support the attack. But, we, as Americans, should ask ourselves – is Russia doing anything much different than our own country has done? When in the 21st century alone have we “respected” other nations’ sovereign boards? (Look at our southern border at current!)

At the end of the 20th century, it was a US-led NATO that dismantled Yugoslavia. New borders, created by the US and friends, were established. These borders served US interests. Let us look at the Middle East, when did we respect borders there? The US has stated and acted upon the notion – if a leader is deemed bad and against “freedom and democracy,” it is a duty to overthrow such a leader and carve up the country as the Western powers see fit. When we do it, it is “good.” When Russia does the same thing, it is bad. (Again I’m not justifying anything, I’m making an analogy.) The US government is the epitome of the pot calling the kettle black, as are most of the European powers. Let us as Americans reflect that in this century alone our government waged almost none stop war since 2001. The US government has been in conflict with some countries or states for two decades. If we go back and count the years starting from the end of World War II, the number of years of war or conflict involving the US government is much more than the number of years with no conflict. And we are going to lecture the world on peace? All that to say, we are guilty of the very things we accuse Russia of doing. I guess that is called hypocrisy. The finger we are pointing at Russia is dripping with blood. Maybe we should wash our own hands first.

I’m an American. I honor my country, but I do not support the agenda of war and violence driving much of foreign policy. I’m very grieved by it. Let us take care of our own house first. As in many places, I do not think the government always reflects the people. I think most people want peace and to live their daily lives in calm. Sadly, there are many in power who are hell-bent on stirring up conflict and trouble for the world and people at large. We should also realize that US foreign policy has also played a role in cultivating the current events in Ukraine.

I think that a part of what is transpiring is the typical distraction tactic. The Covid crisis has revealed that the “free” West is not as “free” as it claims. Many Western countries went full dictator mode, thus revealing their true colors. Oh, yes, of course, to keep us all safe because they care for us from their million-dollar mansions. America is in deep crisis and turmoil, much of it fed by certain agendas that are actively seeking to encourage fear, hatred, and division. Our own house is tumbling and corroding away. Oh, but look! That dastardly Putin! He’s a new Hitler. I guess it takes one to know one. In America, the attempt is being made to distract us again. And yes some are insane enough to pursue a war with Russia to do so. I don’t know how far the events will go, but I do know from history that war is a great distraction and even a wonderful tool for “rebuilding” the world.

Of course, one could wander down the labyrinth of geopolitical agendas. I’m familiar with a number of them. I won’t do that right now. The historic discrimination of the Western world against Orthodoxy could be noted as an aspect also. But that is a big subject.

In closing to this my few thoughts, I will return to the spiritual aspect.

What can we as Christians do? Repent. Russia, for all its problems, is not our enemy.

Have we in America repented of the many wars and atrocities perpetrated in the name of our country? Should we not start there? Are we repenting for the “legal” slaughter of babies in their mother’s womb? Are we repenting for the open promotion, in the name of our country, of numerous forms of debauchery and immorality? Are we repenting for the epidemic of drug abuse and suicide in our nation? Are we repenting for being the top exporter of corrosive “culture” and “values?” Are we repenting for the destruction of the family and the explosion of divorce, adultery, fornication, and porn? This list could go on. It seems our own house is full of enemies.

Read the entire article here.

Copyright 2024. Leo Hohmann. All rights reserved.

LeoHohmann.com is 100 percent reader supported, not beholden to any corporate ads or sponsorships. If you appreciate the independent analysis you see here and would like to support my work, you may send a donation of any size c/o Leo Hohmann, P.O. Box 291, Newnan, GA 30264, or via credit card HERE. Thank you.

OAN VIDEO: Xi Allegedly Told Biden He Plans To Take Taiwan ‘Peacefully’

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We have been reporting on how “Beijing” Biden and his foreign policies have lead to war in Europe between Russian and Ukraine, in the Middle East between Israel and Iran’s proxies Hamas and Hezbollah and in South America with the invasion of Guyana by Communist Venezuela.

Now we have this breaking news about yet another potential war in the far East between China and Taiwan.

One America News reports, “During President Biden’s meeting with China’s Xi Xinping last month, the Chinese leader allegedly told him China still intends on taking Taiwan.”

One America’s Chief White House Correspondent Monica Paige breaks down the details in the below video.

WATCH: Xi Allegedly Told Biden He Plans To Take Taiwan ‘Peacefully’

©2023. One America News. All rights reserved.

U.S. Army BG (Ret.) John Adams: Will Biden Administration continue support or obstruct Israel’s victory over Hamas in Gaza?

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Jerry Gordon, a Senior Editor of The New English Review, invited retired U.S. Army Brigadier General John Adams (Ret.) for this fourth in a series of discussions on Israel Defense Force military doctrine and strategic options in the conduct of the Jewish state’s civilizational war with Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group in Gaza. He addresses the conflict given his extensive background as a 30-year veteran of combat, staff and international military diplomatic assignments and post-service informal analysis and discussions with former Senior IDF commanders.

Among the issues covered in this wide-ranging discussion are:

  1. Biden Administration attempts to force Israel to “scale down” Gaza operations conflicts with IDF objective of destroying and displacing jihadist Hamas.
  2. Biden Administration “day after” two state solution, modeled on failed 1993 Oslo Accords, is rejected by the Netanyahu government because of national security concerns. PLO – Fatah was routed by Hamas in 2006 Gaza elections and both groups share same objective: destruction of Jewish state.
  3. Discovery of massive Hamas tunnel near Israeli Erez Gaza crossings and failure of border high tech Iron Wall in Hamas breach on October 7th – Israel’s “Maginot Line” – are priorities to be investigated in post-conflict intelligence failures investigation.
  4. Hamas discussions with Egyptian intelligence on new round of pauses include release of 40 to 50 of remaining Israeli captive in exchange for longer pause and increased humanitarian aid and release of Israeli Palestinian security prisoners.
  5. Other “Day After” solutions reviewed include “One State” proposal by noted Israeli geo-political commentator Caroline Glick based on Arab Clan governance of municipalities and pathway to Israeli citizenship and New State proposal of former Senior IDF officers- an expansion of Gaza into Egyptian Sinai – “Singapore” on Mediterranean Coast.
  6. Iran is behind proxy Yemen’s Houthi rebel drone and ballistic missile attacks in support of Hamas in Gaza threaten global war and maritime risks in Red Sea and transit via Suez Canal. USS Destroyer Carney successfully repulsed Houthi drone and missile attacks.  Defense Secretary Austin announced formation of international maritime task force in Operation Prosperity Guardians composed of US, Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.
  7. Iran is also behind Hizballah as it threatens rocket and precision guided missile barrages to northern and central Israel. Hizballah has an inventory of upwards of 150,00 rickets and missiles. The IDF has conducted air attacks, in response to rocket and mortar attacks. Israel has evacuated an estimated 200,000 from both northern and southern communities. Defense Minister Gallant announced possible limited incursion of 18 kilometers to Litani river in Southern Lebanon to destroy Hizballah positions. The Biden Administration maintains one US Navy Carrier Battle Group offshore Lebanon (another CBG is in the Persian Gulf) to prevent a widening war in the Middle East.
  8. Israel needs to complete its mission of destroying or displacing Hamas without significant delays to avoid rising costs to its economy.

WATCH: Will Biden Administration continue support or obstruct Israel victory over Hamas in Gaza War?

About BG John Adams, USA (Ret.)

Brigadier General John Adams retired from the US Army in September 2007. Currently an independent defense consultant, he is also studying toward a PhD in Political Science at the University of Arizona, with a research focus on European security institutions. His final military assignment was as Deputy United States Military Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium, the highest military authority of NATO. He worked closely with military representatives of NATO and Partnership for Peace member nations to develop policy recommendations for the political authorities of the Alliance, and helped coordinate the transfer of authority in Afghanistan from US to NATO control.

Born and raised in the Washington, DC, area, General Adams was a Distinguished Military Graduate and received a Regular Army commission from North Carolina State University Army ROTC in 1976. As a Foreign Area Officer, Military Intelligence Officer, and Army Aviator, his more than thirty years of service in command and staff assignments includes nearly eighteen years in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, including assignments with US Embassies in Belgium (1994-1997), Rwanda (1996), Croatia (1998-2001), and South Korea (2002-2003), where as an Army Foreign Area Officer and military attaché, he provided political-military advice to US Ambassadors, combatant commanders, US Government authorities in Washington, visiting US Government delegations, and represented the United States with foreign government officials regarding national and regional issues. As an Army Aviator, he has more than 700 hours as pilot-in-command in fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft including the UH-1D, OV/RV-1D Mohawk, and RU-21 Guardrail Special Electronic Mission Aircraft.

On September 11, 2001, he was stationed at the Pentagon as Deputy Director for European Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and directly participated in immediate disaster recovery operations at the crash site as well as coordinated international support for the US diplomatic and military response. He is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm (1991), Operation Guardian Assistance in Rwanda (1996), and served and traveled extensively on official business throughout the Balkans from 1998-2003. He traveled on temporary duty to both Iraq and Afghanistan in 2004.

General Adams holds Masters in International Relations (Boston University), English (University of Massachusetts), and Strategic Studies (US Army War College). He taught English at West Point from 1988-90. He is proficient in French, Dutch, German, and Croatian.

John and his wife, Laura Magan MD, make their home in Tucson. They enjoy sailing, hiking, and cooking. He has two daughters, the oldest who graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2008 and now works as a program coordinator with Operation Smile in Norfolk, Virginia, and the youngest who is a senior at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

©2023. Jerry Gordon. All rights reserved.

REPORT: U.S. Warship, Multiple Commercial Ships Under Attack In Red Sea

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An American warship and several commercial ships came under attack Sunday in the Red Sea, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

“We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available,” the Pentagon said, without identifying the source of the attack, per the AP news report.

The attack began at about 10 a.m. in Sanaa, Yemen, and had lasted as long as five hours, with the Carney intercepting at least one drone during the attack, some unnamed U.S. officials reportedly told the AP.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the Iran-linked, Yemen-based Houthi rebels said the Houthis took responsibility for attacking two Israeli ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden with a drone and a missile, The Times of Israel reported. The Houthis reportedly did not mention the attack on the Carney but reportedly added that the attacks would continue for as long as the Israel-Hamas war lasts.

The British military simply said there were drone attacks and explosions in the Red Sea, per the AP.

A rocket hit a Bahamian-flagged British vessel sailing off Yemen’s western coast, per the Times of Israel.

Before the reported attack on the Carney, there reportedly were at least 38 similar attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks on Israel.

The reported attack occurred a day after the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rallied Saturday for American leadership on the world stage in his keynote address at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California.

“The world built by American leadership can only be maintained by American leadership,” Austin said. “From Russia to China, from Hamas to Iran, our rivals and foes want to divide and weaken the United States — and to split us off from our allies and partners. So at this hinge in history, America must not waver. … [T]he cost of abdication has always far outweighed the cost of leadership.”

AUTHOR

JOHN OYEWALE

Contributor.

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GAZA: Mis-Conceptualizing the Conflict, Miscomprehending the Enemy

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One of the reasons that the conflict with the Palestinian-Arabs in general and Gazan Arabs in particular, has dragged on for years, is that Israel has failed to conceptualize the conflict correctly.

There is a prevailing myth that the general population in Gaza is the hapless victim of its radical leadership. This is demonstrably false.

Crucible, not victim

Indeed, the population in Gaza is not the victim of its Islamist leaders! On the contrary, it is the crucible in which that leadership was forged and from which it emerged.

Nothing can underscore the gruesome truth of that assertion more indelibly than this excerpt from a chilling telephone conversation between an elated Gazan terrorist and his enthralled parents—rejoicing over the slaughter of Israeli civilians.

TERRORIST: Hello Dad. Dad Open your WhatsApp right now and see…how many I killed with my own hands. Your son killed Jews.

FATHER: God is great God is great. May God protect you.

TERRORIS: [F]ather. I am talking to you from the phone of a Jew, I killed her and her husband, I killed ten with my own hands.

FATHER: God is great.

TERRORIST:       I killed ten. Ten! Ten with my own bare hands. Their blood is on my hands, let me talk to Mom.

MOTHER: Oh, my son, may God protect you.

TERRORIST: I killed ten all by myself, mother.

MOTHER: I wish I was there with you.

This is the nature of the enemy. This is the human condition—or rather the inhuman condition with which Israel is compelled to contend.

Nothing as practical as good theory

This failure of Israeli society to grasp the true dimensions—the depth, and durability—of Arab rejection of Jewish sovereignty has long been reflected in both its domestic policy and in its foreign policy towards the nation’s Arab adversaries. Nowhere is this failing more glaring than in Israeli policy toward the Palestinian-Arabs in general, and toward the Arabs of Gaza in particular.

At this point, we would do well to recall the wise dictum of eminent social psychologist, Kurt Leven, who observed: “There is nothing so practical as a good theory.” After all, action, without comprehension is a little like swinging a hammer without knowing where the nails are, just as hazardous—and just as harmful. In this regard, good theory creates an understanding of cause and effect and hence facilitates effective policy.

Accordingly, to devise effective policy to contend with abiding Arab enmity, Israel must correctly conceptualize the conflict over the issue of Jewish sovereignty in the Holy Land.

Archetypical zero-sum game

The unvarnished truth is that—correctly conceptualized—the conflict between the Jews and the Palestinian-Arabs over the control of the Holy Land is a clash between two rival collectives, with irreconcilable foundational narratives.

They are irreconcilable because the raison d’etre of the one is the preservation of Jewish political sovereignty in the Holy Land, while the raison d’etre of the other is the annulment of Jewish political sovereignty in the Holy Land—thus generating irreconcilable visions of homeland.

As such, the conflict between the Jews and the Palestinian-Arabs is an archetypical zero-sum game, in which the side’s gains inevitably imply the other side’s loss.

As such it is a clash involving protagonists with antithetical and mutually exclusive core objectives. Only one can emerge victorious; the other vanquished. There are no consolation prizes!

Consequently, as a clash of collectives, whose outcome will be determined by collective victory or defeat, it cannot be personalized. The fate of individual members of one collective cannot be a deciding determinant of the policy of the rival collective—and certainly, not a consideration that impacts the probability of collective victory or defeat.

Grudgingly accepted or greatly feared?

Thus, Israel’s survival imperative must dictate that it forgo any expectation of eventual approval from the Arabs. For the foreseeable future, this seductive illusion will remain an unattainable pipe dream. Rather, Israel must reconcile itself to the stern, but sober, conclusion: The most it can realistically hope for is to be grudgingly accepted; the least it must attain is to be greatly feared.

Any more benign policy goals are a recipe for disaster.

To underscore the crucial importance of this seemingly harsh assessment, I would invite any prospective dissenter to consider the consequences of Jewish defeat and Arab victory. Indeed, a cursory survey of the gory regional realities should suffice to drive home the significance of what would accompany such an outcome.

Accordingly, only once a decisive Jewish collective victory has been achieved, can the issue of individual injustice and suffering in the Arab collective be addressed as a policy consideration. Until then, neither the individual well-being nor the societal welfare of the opposing collective can be considered a primary policy constraint.

After all, had the imperative of collective victory not been the overriding factor of the Allies’ strategy in WWII, despite the horrendous civilian causalities that it inflicted on the opposing collective, the world might well have been living in slavery today.

In weighing the question of the fate of individual members of the opposing collective, it is imperative to reiterate the point made at the start of this column: the Palestinian-Arab collective is not the hapless victim of radical terror-affiliated leaders. Quite the opposite. It is, in fact, the societal crucible in which they were forged, and from which they emerged. Indeed, its leadership is a reflection of, not an imposition on, Palestinian-Arab society.

Accordingly, the Palestinian-Arab collective must be considered an implacable enemy—not a prospective peace partner…and it must be treated as such.

©2023. Martin Sherman. All rights reserved.

VIDEO: ‘ISRAEL AT WAR’ Interview with Lebanese-Israeli Shady Khaloul

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As Israel prepares to launch a ground operation in Gaza to end the curse of Palestinian Hamas, Israel has a watchful eye on our northern border with Lebanon, a beautiful country hijacked and ruined by Hezbollah, and Palestinian terrorists before them.

In recent days, Hezbollah has increased their attacks against northern Israel.

To understand Lebanon, I had a conversation with Shadi Khaloul, Lebanese-Israeli, and a friend.

Shadi is the founder of the Maronite Christian community in the north of Israel.

Many Maronite Christians serve in elite units of the IDF and, despite being proud and loyal Israelis, they mourn the loss of a Lebanon they once knew and loved.

Help raise the Facebook profile of The View from Israel by clicking the friend subscribe button, and by sharing it with others.

©2023. Barry Shaw. All rights reserved.

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Companies like McDonalds and Starbucks Become another Front of the Israeli Conflict

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As officers stood outside the Texas Capitol Thursday evening, waves of people flooded the area for rallies. One group was clad in black, white, green, and red — the colors of Palestine — and the other with white and blue, standing for Israel. While no violence broke out between the two groups, it was a clear demonstration of the increasing division around the world caused by the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group.

In Israel, a McDonalds has given away thousands of free meals to support Israel Defense Forces soldiers (IDF). They posted on Instagram, “[W]e donated 4,000 meals to hospitals and military units, we intend to donate thousands of meals every day to soldiers in the field and in drafting areas.” While it has received support and praise for its generosity, some have expressed their disapproval of McDonalds’ support for Israel and have called for people to boycott.

In America alone, there have been several marches celebrating Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israel. Somewhat surprisingly, there are a significant number of voices openly supporting the terrorism taking place, including Black Lives Matter, various lawmakers, as well as progressive students across college campuses. However, a CNN poll revealed there is far more support for Israel than what may meet the eye.

Despite the large number of anti-Semitic protests, the poll reported 71% of Americans “harbor deep sympathy for Israelis,” with at least 50% indicating that they believe Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks is “fully justified.” Twenty percent see it as “partially justified,” and 21% are uncertain, with only 8% claiming it is “not justified at all.” The report also noted that 96% of Americans “express at least some sympathy” regarding the October 7 attacks.

Meanwhile, members of Starbucks Workers United, a worker-led labor union, expressed support of terror attacks on Israel on Instagram. Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) shared on X, “Every American should condemn the atrocities that Iran-backed Hamas terrorists committed in Israel. Boycott Starbucks until its leadership strongly denounces and takes action against this horrific support of terrorism.” And the call to boycott is spreading. Starbucks has denounced the sentiments of the union, stating that they “do not represent the company’s views, positions or beliefs.”

As further example to the backlash pro-Hamas groups are receiving, according to Breitbart, BBC News is “under fire” for reporters who have “praise[d] Hamas terror attacks on Israel.” The British new network has a history of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel content, and now face criticism for their unwillingness to call Hamas terrorists. For instance, a recent BBC article titled “What is Hamas?” dodged the term “terrorist” by saying “Palestinian militant group.” BBC World Affairs Editor John Simpson shared, “It’s simply not the BBC’s job to tell people who to support and who to condemn — who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.”

In response, groups across the U.S. and even the British government are standing up against BBC’s apparent anti-Semitism. Robert Jenrick, the United Kingdom Minister for Immigration, stated, “Let us be clear what the world has witnessed. These weren’t, as some in the media say, ‘militants’ or ‘fighters.’ They were terrorists. They were murderers.”

As the Christian Post’s Michael Brown concluded, “At this moment in history, the first thing that must be done is for all of us to stand together, Muslim and Christian and Jew (and people of other religions and non-religions), Israeli and Palestinian alike, and say, ‘What Hamas did is outright, unjustifiable evil. Plain and simple. We denounce it.’”

AUTHOR

Sarah Holliday

Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2023 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Biden-Equipped Taliban Ask Iran for Passage to Israel to Join The Jihad War Against Israel

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So not only is Biden’s billions to Iran funding this genocidal war, but Biden’s unimaginable militaria left to the Taliban. Billions of dollars in operational US military equipment left behind by the Biden mis-administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden gave them enough militaria to arm and aid a world army.

Taliban has reportedly asked Iran for passage to Israel to help Hamas continue it’s terror against the Jewish state.

Remember how Team Biden got journos to run interference for them and downplay what a catastrophe this was?

“The Taliban won’t be able to use them.” “Where are they going to get spare parts?” “They already had some of these anyway.”

‘Biden” gave them enough militaria to arm and aid a world army. And now family members of suicide bombers who killed Americans will be rewarded with plots of land and cash payments by the new Taliban government in Afghanistan, group leaders announced.

Taliban ‘vows to conquer Jerusalem if Iran, Iraq and Jordan allow passage to Israel’

Hamas terrorists launched a deadly attack on Israel earlier today as at least 198 Palestinians have been killed after Israeli forces retaliated.

By Charles Harrison, The Express, Oct 7, 2023

Taliban supporters parading for the second anniversary of their return to power (Image: Getty)

The Taliban has reportedly asked Iran, Iraq and Jordan to grant them passage to Israel so that they can “conquer Jerusalem”.

Hamas terrorists launched a surprise assault on Israel today, launching thousands of missiles into the country and crossing the border with armed militants.

Israel has retaliated with a series of airstrikes that have killed just under 200 Palestinians, according to latest estimates.

A statement widely circulated online suggests Taliban’s foreign office has contacted Middle Eastern governments requesting passage, seemingly to aid Hamas terrorists and promising to take control of Jerusalem.

Read more.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

‘We Are At War’: Netanyahu Declares Mass Mobilization Following Massive Surprise Hamas Attack

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Islamist group Hamas launched their biggest attack on Israel in years with 5,000 rockets at daybreak Saturday followed by gunmen attacks, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The surprise assault started with a relentless barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, then gunmen reportedly crossing the border, CNN reported. At least 22 people have died, including a 60-year-old woman, according to the AP. As warning sirens blared across southern and central Israel, including the historic city of Jerusalem, the Israeli military swiftly declared a state of war alert. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting of top security officials to address the escalating situation.

The first wave of rockets was reportedly unleashed around 6:30 a.m. local time Saturday, when most Israelis would typically be asleep, per CNN. “Over the last hour, the Hamas terrorist organization had begun a massive shooting of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, and terrorists infiltrated into Israeli territory in a number of different locations,” the Israel Defense Forces said.

Hamas‘ military commander, Mohammad Deif, made an announcement to the world as he declared the commencement of the operation called “Al-Aqsa Storm,” per the outlet. Deif’s call echoed far and wide, urging Palestinians everywhere to join the fight as he said, “If you have a gun, get it out. This is the time to use it — get out with trucks, cars, axes, today the best and most honorable history starts.” Deif also added that their group had “targeted the enemy positions, airports and military positions with 5,000 rockets.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote a statement on X saying, “I wish to offer strength to the commanders and soldiers of the IDF, and to all the security forces and rescue services. I send my encouragement and strength to all the residents of Israel who are under attack.”

Gaza, bordering Irael and Egypt along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the world most densely populated places, with almost 2 million people filling 140 square miles, according to CNN.

The attack comes on the normally joyous observance of Simchat Torah, when Jews finish the yearly cycle of reading the Torah scroll. It also occurred nearly 50 years to the day when, in 1973, a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, according to the AP.

AUTHOR

MARIANE ANGELA

Contributor.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Israel is Fighting the World’s War

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Editor’s note: The piece below is to mark Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, and Yom Haatzmaut, Independence Day – a somber day followed by a day of great celebration held every year in late April or early May on the day (in the Hebrew calendar) which, in 1948, Israel declared its independence. This year, Yom Hazikaron will be commemorated from the evening of Monday, April 24th, and Yom Haatzmaut will be celebrated from the evening of Tuesday, April 25 to the evening of Wednesday, April 26.

None of the 18 people murdered in Israel by Islamic terrorists so far this year were soldiers.

The dead included a 6-year-old boy and his 8-year-old brother killed in a car ramming attack in Jerusalem, a British mother and daughters gunned down on the road, a 27-year-old from Connecticut traveling to a wedding, and an Italian tourist run over on the beach.

In some countries, the soldiers fight wars, in Israel, they fight to stop a genocide.

Islamic massacres are often defended with some variation of “the occupied have the right to resist”. The Muslim occupiers keep resisting the indigenous Jewish population by killing women and children, and random foreigners whose only crime is being non-Muslim in a land that the terrorists want to reclaim for Islam.

Ever since the “throw the Jews into the sea” era, the agenda has never changed.

After the shooting of two brothers driving through the occupied village of Huwara, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research conducted a poll asking the Arab Muslim settlers if they approved of the terrorist attack. 71% of them supported the killings.

When Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, arrives on Monday evening, it finds a nation at war against a genocidal enemy that has half the world under siege.

In the past several weeks, five terrorists were arrested in Sweden, four in France in yet another plot to carry out an attack the Champs-Elysées, a teenager in the UK will be tried for plotting an attack at the Isle of Wight Festival and an Islamic terrorist leader in Australia was sentenced to 15 years in prison for planning to behead a non-Muslim and drape his body in the ISIS flag.

Stories like these have become so routine and overshadowed that we no longer pay any attention to them. Islamic terrorism unites us all. Its victims include America and Europe, India, China and Russia. It crosses the world from Africa to Asia and ends up on our doorstep.

With so much of the world under siege, it is a wonder that a tiny country so narrow you could walk its width has been the finger in the dike, holding out against a tide of death flooding the world.

The Jihad did not begin in Israel, but it was a warning to the world of what was to come. The prediction that we would one day all be Israelis, that Islamic terrorism would become a part of our everyday lives and we would go on while trying to ignore it, has long since come to pass.

But, as Israel enters its memorial day and red poppies known as the ‘blood of the maccabees’  mark the fallen, followed by Yom HaAtzamut, its independence day, there are still things, both good and bad, that we can learn from the Jewish State. The connection between the two Israeli commemorations, memorial day on Monday night and independence day on Tuesday night, is a powerful reminder that independence can only be maintained through a willingness to fight.

Surrender is not an option, but it has never been an option in a country where it would mean the mass murder, with occasional side mass rape, of the population. Israel has retreated, it has negotiated, but it has never surrendered. The terrorist attacks serve as a constant reminder of an enemy that obsessively kills women and children because its mission is total extermination.

Only 38% of the Israelis killed in Islamic terrorist attacks in 2023 were military age men. 27% were female and 22% were children. The murdered included 6-year-old and 8-year-old boys run down in the street, a 14-year-old boy on the way to synagogue and a 15-year-old British girl traveling with her family.

This is why the Israeli soldier serves. He is there to put his body on the line between Islamic terrorists and the most vulnerable and innocent children whose lives they lust to take.

Islamic terrorists don’t kill children by accident, they see it as their highest calling.

House Democrats recently protested the arrest of Sheikh Rashid Ghannouchi, of Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda Movement, who had called for “unceasing war against the Americans”.

“There are no civilians in Israel. The population—males, females and children—are the army reserve soldiers, and thus can be killed,” Ghannouchi had also declared.

The Islamic cleric has often been described as a “moderate” by the media. Moderate Muslim clerics believe in exterminating all the women and children. What do the “extremists” believe?

Despite Israel’s turbulent politics, Yom HaZikaron, the commemoration of the fallen, briefly clarifies the stakes.

And the stakes are the children. And the world.

The Muslim world convinced the international community to pressure Israel by promising that the Jihad would stop there. “Give us Israel and it will end,” they urged. Despite all those promises, the Islamic war against civilization has spread across the world. Most of the world’s major nations and some of the minor ones have their own Islamic insurgency that plays by the same rules: alternating political demands with brutal massacres in the name of Islamic rule.

Generations of Israelis have gone to an endless war, sacrificed sons and daughters, to hold back the tide. They did it in defiance of the ignorance, hostility and pressures of the world.

They did it because they believed, they did it because they refused to die and they did it because surrendering to an enemy that gleefully butchers children was unthinkable.

Despite everything that has happened in the last generation, the world has learned little. But the Israelis have learned that peace is an illusion and that all they can do is hold the line.

When the torches are lit and loved ones weep, when the ‘blood of the maccabees’ blooms, a nation reckons again with the price that it pays for survival. Whatever myths pacifists may harbor and anti-war activists preach, there is no escape for any nation from paying that price.

Some nations have it paid by others, as the United States of America has done for so much of the globe, but in a world where evil is a reality writ in the black ink of the Koran, there can only be temporary refuges from the reckoning.

Israel still relies on a draft army. The price paid for war is a shared burden, but so is the price paid for appeasement. The fallen and their families come from all walks of life. These men and women, grandmothers, sisters, sons and nephews, have paid the world’s price in tears. They did not do it for the world, but their nation’s memorial day is nonetheless a lesson for the world.

Paying the price for freedom has long since become a cliche. Israelis do not pay the price for freedom. They pay it so that their children, their loved ones and their people are not eradicated from the earth by a brutal enemy that has no concept of mercy and worships barbarism.

The Israelis have come up against a choice that we will all have to make sooner or later. They chose not to die. The day will come when we may face that choice as starkly as they do.

Let us hope and pray that we choose well.

AUTHOR

DANIEL GREENFIELD

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EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.