Is This the Beginning of a New Cold War – Between Biden and Israel?by Jonathan S. Tobin: editor in chief of JNS–Jewish News Syndicate. Follow him on Twitter @jonathans_tobin.
As far as Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid are concerned, this week has brought a perfect storm of circumstances that threaten to complicate their hopes for a better relationship with the United States. Both men, each for their own reasons, see establishing a good rapport with President Joe Biden and his administration as one of the main goals of their coalition government that took office in June. But blistering criticism was issued by the US State Department on two issues: its renewed commitment to reopening a US consulate in Jerusalem and settlement building in the West Bank. On top of that is the news that Iran is returning to nuclear talks in Vienna. These were body blows to hopes that their ousting of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is viewed by Biden’s team as the devil incarnate, would ensure the president’s goodwill and protect them against the kind of hostility that was the hallmark of US attitudes towards Jerusalem the last time Democrats were in power.
The question Bennett and Lapid need to be asking themselves is whether, even without having Netanyahu as their antagonist, this administration is really prepared to return to the situation between the two countries that existed in December 2016. If so, the Jewish state is in for a rough ride in the coming years. The arguments for a worst-case scenario for a rapid and steep decline in amity between the two nations are strong.
…former defense secretary Robert Gates admirably summed up his career, Biden has been wrong about every important foreign policy issue for 40 years. He always tells listeners how much he loves Israel, but also thinks he knows better than its leaders and its people what is in their best interests. He believes in applying “tough love” to naughty Israelis who need American guidance. Biden also doesn’t take kindly to criticism.
Biden has grown even more thin-skinned since then, as his consistently short-tempered responses to non-sycophantic questions from citizens and journalists alike have shown in the last two years.
…Unlike Obama, who had political capital to burn on futile Middle East policies and a pointless feud with Netanyahu, Biden has none to spare.
Israelis can only hope that he is wise enough not to waste any on equally foolish spats with whoever is running Israel in the coming years.
LEBANON WOULD BENEFIT FROM PEACE WITH ISRAEL
I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (GEN 12:3 NKJV)
In a recent column in the London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Nadim Koteich, a Shi’ite Lebanese journalist and media figure known for his opposition to Hizbullah, wrote that this organization is holding Lebanon hostage and is beggaring the country, for instance by preventing it from reaching an agreement with Israel that would enable it to exploit its natural gas resources. Referring to the deal that is currently under discussion, for alleviating Lebanon’s energy crisis by importing gas from Egypt and electricity from Jordan, Koteich wondered why, as a country on the shores of the Mediterranean, Lebanon could drill for its own offshore gas.
What prevents this, he said, is Hizbullah’s culture of perpetuating the conflict with Israel in order to justify its existence as an armed organization. It is this ‘conflict first’ strategy, he explained, that keeps Lebanon from reaching understandings with Israel on the demarcation of the maritime border, which would enable it to drill for gas. Koteich called on the Lebanese to free themselves of Hizbullah’s grip and sign a peace agreement with Israel, since there is no ideological dispute between them but only technical problems that can be resolved. (MEMRI, 11/2/2021)
—————————————————
ANTI-TURKISH ALLIANCE FORMING IN NATO by Burak Bekdil, Ankara-based political analyst and a fellow at the Middle East Forum
The emerging military pact within NATO that brings together the allies Greece, United States and France is bad news for Turkey — that is, if its President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan intends to fuel tensions in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas as part of his campaign strategy before presidential elections in 2023.
In recent months, Greek diplomacy has made a number of smart moves on the difficult chess board called the Aegean. These moves, coupled with Turkey’s increasingly pressing problems at home and on foreign fronts, will restrict Erdoğan’s aggression to “aggressive rhetoric” only, and rule out “aggressive action.” (MEF, 10/29/2021)
——————————————————–
PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN CHINA
Christianity has significantly grown in China since the Communists seized power in 1949. What began as a population of less than half of a million Chinese Christians has since expanded to as many as 130 million followers of Jesus Christ in China.
But the marginal toleration of Christianity that existed in China for decades has since been destroyed by General Secretary Xi Jinping as the Party’s abuse against Christians reaches its highest level since the Cultural Revolution.
.The influence of Christianity in China is deeply feared by the atheist CCP. According to state media, Christianity is seen as a “foreign religion” that has “long been controlled and utilized by colonialists and imperialists.”
The free practice of Christianity, from the perspective of Party leaders, undermines the absolute authority of the Chinese Communist Party. The dictatorship has witnessed the role that faith played in the fall of communism during the Cold War, namely through the resilient leadership of Saint John Paul II. (Ambassador Callista L. Gingrich, 10/30/2021)
———————————————————————
EU RAPID REACTION FORCE
Ideas for a European Army have long been debated within the EU, which has as its purpose a civilian alliance – thus many have long argued it doesn’t need a military force – which would also be controversial as a parallel force to NATO.
But Germany along with four other European Union countries are now a new EU “rapid reaction force” in order to respond quickly to any future military crisis. (https://www.dw.com/en/germany-4-eu-states-launch-military-reaction-force-initiative-report/a-59574641) The group including Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Slovenia is pursuing the initiative, citing the lessons learned from Afghanistan and the disastrous pullout which saw many European nationals get stranded in the Taliban-controlled country, with not enough flights or personnel available to evacuate them.
German media outlet dpa days ago confirmed the plan after it obtained new internal documents, describing that the five countries are aiming “to expand the existing EU battle groups, which are multinational military units of 1,500 personnel each on standby to respond to crises.”
“The new force is expected to include space and cyber capabilities, along with special forces and air transport,” indicated. (https://www.dw.com/en/germany-4-eu-states-launch-military-reaction-force-initiative-report/a-59574641)
Currently, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is in favor of the initiative, saying in a recent interview that EU forces within NATO are only able to conduct defensive operations within the context of United States support. Thus there’s a desire for a more independent force that can deploy rapidly without seeking broader US and NATO approval first, or going through NATO hurdles. (zerohedge 10/26/2021)
———————————————————————
WEST LOSING INFLUENCE IN WEST AFRICA
The West’s significant loss of influence in Mali is affecting the debate on the future of the Bundeswehr mission in the Sahel. While Berlin – in light of the defeat in Afghanistan – is suggesting that the intervention in the Sahel should not become “the next 20-year mission,” the transitional government in Bamako is contemplating recruiting mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group, as Plan B, in case there is a partial or complete western withdrawal. Plan B is linked to the expansion of military cooperation between Mali and Russia launched in June 2019, with the signing of an agreement. The prospect of closer cooperation with Moscow is met with growing sympathy within the Malian population. At the same time, Turkey is also consolidating its position in the Sahel by expanding its economic and cultural influence and training Malian officers. Following Syria and Libya, Mali is, therefore, the next country, where the Western powers are losing their influence while Russia and Turkey are enhancing theirs. (German Foreign Policy, 9/24/2021)
—————————————————
TO THE POINT
- “Consider. The world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide is China, which burns half of the world’s coal and is building new coal-fired plants even as the 30,000 summiteers gather in Glasgow… Neither Chinese President Xi Jinping nor Russian President Vladimir Putin will even be present in Glasgow.” (11/2/2021)
- How many prime ministers has Queen Elizabeth had? — The Queen has had over 170 individuals serve as her realms’ prime ministers throughout her reign, the first new appointment being Dudley Senanayake as Prime Minister of Ceylon and the most recent being Philip Davis as Prime Minister of Bahamas; some of these individuals have served multiple non-consecutive terms in … (wikipedia)
- NIGERIA IS NUMBER 2 – India has long been the world’s biggest producer of movies in the English language, beating Hollywood many years ago. For some time, Hong Kong was in second place. Now Nigeria has replaced Hong Kong as the world’s second biggest producer of English language movies. But don’t expect your local cinema to change its program soon!
- Bosnia is in danger of breaking up, warns top international official – Exclusive: high representative says threat by Serb separatists to create their own army risks return of conflict. by Julian Borger: The Guardian, World affairs editor, 2 Nov 2021 — The international community’s chief representative in Bosnia has warned that the country is in imminent danger of breaking apart, and there is a “very real” prospect of a return to conflict. In a report to the UN seen by the Guardian, Christian Schmidt, the high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that if Serb separatists carry out their threat to recreate their own army, splitting the national armed forces in two, more international peacekeepers would have to be sent back in to stop the slide towards a new war. International peacekeeping duties in Bosnia are currently the task of a residual EU force (Eufor) that is 700 strong. Nato retains a formal toehold with a headquarters in Sarajevo. The year-long mandate for both is up for renewal this week at the UN security council, but Russia has threatened to block a resolution unless all references to the high representative are removed, potentially undermining Schmidt’s authority as the overseer of the 1995 Dayton peace deal. In his first report since taking up the post in August, Schmidt, a former German government minister, warned that Bosnia was facing “the greatest existential threat of the postwar period.” The Bosnian Serb leader, Milorad Dodik, is threatening to pull out of state-level institutions, including the national army built up with international assistance over the past quarter century, and reconstitute a Serb force. (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/02/bosnia-is-in-danger-of-breaking-up-warns-eus-top-official-in-the-state)
- Neo-Nazi And White Supremacist Groups In U.S., Europe Host Summer Camps Geared Toward Youth And Families Featuring Speeches Promoting White Supremacist Ideology And Intensive Training In Combat, Firearms, Drones, And Martial Arts (Memri, 10/28/1021)
- Polish Antisemitic Film About Global Jewish Conspiracy Airs In Warsaw Cinema, Promoted By Leading White Supremacist, Ultranationalist, And Neo-Fascist Channels, Including Channel Operated By Government-Funded Party (Memri, 10/7/2021)
For those employed by mainstream media, Norway is a country that’s north of mainland Europe, on the left.
MEL RHODES' PLACE . . . world news that matters 
I’m not sure where you sourced the Norway Covid cases info.
My checks showed Norway had a 7 day moving average of 1098 cases per day
as of Nov 2nd
I checked and your figure is correct. But there’s still been only one death as per the sign I posted.