Obama exacts endorsement from Netanyahu for military package (that phases out Israeli industry)

Netanyahu knows Obama will soon be unrestrained against Israel (Getty Images)

After acquiescing to Obama's golden (military) handcuffs terms, at press-conference with Obama, Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu indicates Obama's pro-Islamist obsession will continue outside of office, with less encumbrance.


Transcript (courtesy The Times of Israel) 

PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: Mr. President, it’s very good to see you again. First, I want to thank you for the Memorandum of Understanding that we signed last week. It greatly enhances Israel’s security. It fortifies the principle that you’ve enunciated many times that Israel should be able to defend itself, by itself, against any threat.

Secondly, I want to thank you for the extensive security and intelligence cooperation between our two countries. I don’t think people at large understand the breadth and depth of this cooperation, but I know it. And I want to thank you on behalf of all the people of Israel. 

Third, I want to thank you for the many meetings we’ve had in which we discussed how to confront common challenges and how to seize common opportunities. The greatest challenge is, of course, the unremitting fanaticism. The greatest opportunity is to advance a durable peace. That’s a goal that I and the people of Israel will never give up on.

We’ve been fortunate that, in pursuing these two tasks, Israel has no greater friend than the United States of America, and America has no greater friend than Israel. Our alliance has grown decade after decade, through successive presidents, a bipartisan Congress, and the overwhelming support of the American people. It’s an unbreakable bond based on common values, buttressed by common interest, and bound by a shared destiny.

And I want to thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to once again discuss how we can shape that destiny together.

And I’d like to add, if I may, one final point. As you conclude your presidency, I know you’re going to be busy with many, many things, much more than improving what I hear is a terrific golf game. (Laughter.) Your voice, your influential voice will be heard for many decades. And I know you’ll continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself and its right to thrive as a Jewish state. So I want you to know, Barack, that you’ll always be a welcome guest in Israel.

And, by the way, I don’t play golf, but right next to my home in Caesarea, in Israel, is a terrific golf course.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: We’ll set up a tee time. (Laughter.)

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Well, it’s good to once again welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu and his delegation here. I want to start by just sending a message that all of the American people, my entire administration, and me, personally, are thinking about Shimon Peres — a great friend, a hero, and giant in the history of Israel. And we are hopeful that he will have a speedy recovery.

I’ve always joked whenever I’ve seen Shimon that I wanted to see what he ate and what he did, because he’s always looked so good. I know this has been a challenging time for him and his family, but I wanted to make sure that I relay my gratitude to him for his friendship and his leadership, and helping to forge a strong U.S.-Israeli bond.

As Prime Minister Netanyahu mentioned, the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable. It is based on common values, family ties, a recognition that a Jewish state of Israel is one of our most important allies, and a guiding principle throughout my presidency — one that I’ve expressed often to the Prime Minister — is, is that it is important for America’s national security to ensure that we have a safe and secure Israel, one that can defend itself.

And so the Memorandum of Understanding that we recently signed I think is indicative of that. What it does is provide an assurance and a foundation for the kinds of ongoing military and intelligence cooperation that has been the hallmark of our relationship. It allows I think Israeli planners the kind of certainty in a moment where there’s enormous uncertainty in the region. It is a very difficult and dangerous time in the Middle East, and we want to make sure that Israel has the full capabilities it needs in order to keep the Israeli people safe and secure.

This will give us an opportunity to talk about the challenges that arise out of situations like Syria. I’ll also be interested in hearing from the Prime Minister his assessment of conditions within Israel and in the West Bank. Obviously, our hearts go out to those who have been injured, both Israeli and Palestinian. Clearly, there is great danger of not just terrorism, but also flare-ups of violence. We do have concerns around settlement activity, as well. And our hope is that we can continue to be an effective partner with Israel in finding a path to peace.

Obviously, I’m only going to be President for another few months. The Prime Minister will be there quite a bit longer. And our hope will be that in these conversations we get a sense of how Israel sees the next few years, what the opportunities are and what the challenges are in order to assure that we keep alive the possibility of a stable, secure Israel at peace with its neighbors, and a Palestinian homeland that meets the aspirations of their people.

But obviously, these are challenging times. One thing I can say about Prime Minister Netanyahu is he has always been candid with us, and his team has cooperated very effectively with ours. We very much appreciate it. And I guarantee you that I will visit Israel often, because it is a beautiful country with beautiful people. And Michelle and the girls I think resent the fact that I’ve not taken them on most of these trips, so they’re insistent that I do take them. Of course, they will appreciate the fact that the next time I visit Israel I won’t have to sit in bi-lats — (laughter) — but instead can enjoy the sights and sounds of a remarkable country.

So thank you very much.

PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: Thank you.

On Independence Day / Entebbe Rescue anniversary- Netanyahu & filmmakers on what Americans and Israelis share

On America's 200th birthday in 1976, Benjamin Netanyahu's IDF officer brother, Yonatan, helped lead a mission to to rescue 105 Israelis kidnapped and being held at Entebbe Airport in Uganda. Bibi drove from Boston to tell his father Bentzion, teaching in Ithaca, NY, that Yoni had been killed leading that rescue mission. On July 1st, 2016, Prime Minister Netanyahu gave this address at the US Ambassador to Israel's residence, prior to flying to Uganda, where Idi Amin's son Jaffar welcomed Anat Shomron Bukai, the only daughter of Dan Shomron, who commanded Operation Thunderbolt.

Debbie Schlussel, Zionist blogger and film critic, characterizes Israel's July 4th 1976 raid on the Entebbe Airport in her Israel’s Raid on Entebbe, 40 Years Ago Today – Defeat of Jihadists. 

"the heroic, successful Israeli Army rescue of passengers that hijackers working for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist group (and Germany’s Baader-Meinhoff Gang/Red Army) had taken hostage to Uganda. America was jubilant in celebrating its special birthday and independence, and its closest ally in the world, Israel, was also jubilant in the rescue of people taken hostage on an Air France flight because they were Jews and flying from Israel. Israel paid special tribute and had parades in honor of its ally, America’s 200 years of independence. But Israel also had its own celebration going on–that Israel had successfully rescued so many Jewish lives threatened by Palestinian terrorists. I say Palestinian–and not Muslim–because the PFLP was not an Islamic organization. Its leader, George Habash, and his deputy, Wadih Haddad, were Christian Arabs. 

The Israeli commandos at Entebbe carried out a secret mission planned on the previous Jewish Sabbath to rescue the passengers. All but four passengers were rescued. Three were shot by the pro-Palestinian hijackers, and an elderly Jewish lady was murdered by Muslim Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s henchmen, as she sought medical treatment at a Ugandan hospital. The operation’s commander, Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu a/k/a Jonathan Netanyahu–whom many say was the superior Netanyahu brother to current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was killed in the raid. Other than this casualty, the operation was carried out with surgical accuracy and success. Although the flight contained 248 passengers, as is usual for bigoted Palestinians and their supporters, the non-Jewish passengers were freed, and 103 Jewish hostages were rescued by Netanyahu and his fellow IDF commandos. The Israeli commandos also killed all three hijackers and 45 Ugandan soldiers (have fun with those 72-revirginized, chumps!), and they blew up 11 Soviet MiGs. An awesome achievement." Read more of  Israel’s Raid on Entebbe, 40 Years Ago Today – Defeat of Jihadists. 

At the L.A. Jewish Film Festival screening of  a biography of Cannon Films director Menachem Golan, Austrian actress, Sybil Danning, relates how she managed to get Germans to finance Menachem Golan's hoped-for, Hebrew-language dramatization of Operation Thunderbolt, "Mivtza Yonatan," depicting the Netanyahu brother's frontline role in the Entebbe rescue mission.


Watch "Operation Thunderbolt" ("Mivtza Yonatan" in Hebrew) featuring Klaus Kinski and Sybil Danning, produced by Yoram Globus, directed by Menachem Golan.  


(Click Settings cog to activate subtitles in English).

"Golan: A Farewell to Mr. Cinema- L.A. Premiere Documentary, UK/Israel, directed by Christopher Sykes

This film is the final chapter in the extraordinary life and career of Menahem Golan, Israeli movie director, producer, mogul and madman. Golan and his cousin Yoram Globus, pursued the American Dream and turned the Hollywood power structure upside down, producing over 300 films and becoming the most powerful independent film company in the world; Cannon Films. Golan produced movies featuring such stars as Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Charles Bronson. In his eighties and living in Jaffa, Golan looks back to his great days in Hollywood, forward to a new blockbuster, and dreams of the Oscar he has always wanted.


Sybil Danning and assistant director, Sam Firstenberg discuss life with legendary Israeli director Menachem Golan at the "Golan" documentary, post-screening at Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival in May, 2016.

Obama activated military & spies to deter Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear weapons development

Breitbart reports:  Instead of supporting Israel in a planned raid against Iran’s nuclear program, the Obama administration utilized the nation’s premier espionage resources to engage the regime in Tehran and keep Jerusalem in the dark, a Wall Street Journal report recounted.

“Nerves frayed at the White House after senior officials learned Israeli aircraft had flown in and out of Iran in what some believed was a dry run for a commando raid on the site,” the report said, explaining that Israel’s activities in 2012 led to a “mutual distrust” that created a divide between the Obama White House and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel.

Spy vs. Spy: Inside the Fraying U.S.-Israel Ties  Distrust set allies to snoop on each other after split over Iran nuclear deal; each kept secrets

By Adam Entous  in the Wall St. Journal Oct. 22, 2015

The U.S. closely monitored Israel’s military bases and eavesdropped on secret communications in 2012, fearing its longtime ally might try to carry out a strike on Fordow, Iran’s most heavily fortified nuclear facility.

Nerves frayed at the White House after senior officials learned Israeli aircraft had flown in and out of Iran in what some believed was a dry run for a commando raid on the site. Worried that Israel might ignite a regional war, the White House sent a second aircraft carrier to the region and readied attack aircraft, a senior U.S. official said, “in case all hell broke loose.”

The two countries, nursing a mutual distrust, each had something to hide. U.S. officials hoped to restrain Israel long enough to advance negotiations on a nuclear deal with Iran that the U.S. had launched in secret. U.S. officials saw Israel’s strike preparations as an attempt to usurp American foreign policy.

Speeches, crowd of 10,000 at Times Square rally to Stop Iran Nuclear Deal call Democrat congressmen, Senators to accountability

Over 10,000 marched on Times Square in opposition to Obama's Iran sanctions / nuclear deal. Experts and luminaries delivered impassioned remarks. 

Watch addresses by Col. Allen West, Alan Dershowitz, Caroline Glick, Monica Crowley, Mort Zuckerman, Steve Emerson, NY Gov. George Pataki, British Col. Richard Kemp, Wiesenthal's Rabbi Abe Cooper, Helen Freedman, and former Manhattan district attorney Robert Morganthau, among others.

Original video by Democracy Broadcasting News.

Congressional competitors convey views at gathering organized by Persian-Jewish civic group

Candidates Wendy Greuel and Elan Carr share a moment

30 Years After held its 7th Annual Pre-Election Mixer to introduce the civic group to candidates for both L.A.'s 3rd Supervisoral District and L.A.'s 33rd Congressional District, to succeed the retiring congressman Rep. Henry Waxman. The supervisoral candidates attending were Bobby Shriver (former Santa Monica Mayor and City Council member) and John Duran (West Hollywood City Councilmember and former Mayor).


The presenting congressional candidates: Elan Carr (deputy District Attorney prosecutor of gang-crimes), Wendy Greuel (former LA City Controller), Matt Miller (liberal radio host and author), and Ted Lieu (Calif. State Senator representing the city of Torrance).  The other major candidate, Marianne Williamson, did not attend.

The primary election will be held on Tuesday, June 3rd.  No particular party registration is required for you to vote for any candidate. The two candidates that receive the most votes will face each other in November.




DemoCast was on-scene to convey the candidates' views to the general public. 


Sam Yebri: 'Why 30 Years After mixes with the candidates.'



Wendy Greuel on the issues for L.A.'s 33rd District in Congress and her experience for Washington office.



Elan Carr for Congress: 'How my justice expertise internationally will benefit L.A., America, and the Middle East.



Calif. State Sen. Ted Lieu stumps on his anti-Iran, pro-Israel record.



Political-office newcomer, Matt Miller, a center-left radio commentator explains his perspectives for reforming education and the GOP-dominated House of Representatives.



Former City Controller, Wendy Greuel, conveys her affinity for Persian-Jewish issues for the June 3rd election.



How is Elan Carr oriented towards preserving California against nefarious elements? Communications Director, John van Winkle:



Why community leader, Dr. James Elist opened his home to invite L.A. political candidates to meet Persian-American Jewish youth.



Former Beverly Hills Mayor Jimmy Delshad explains the new, Persian-Jewish, civic activism.

What Palestinian behavior has revealed to Israelis - and what the West might learn from it. Jerusalem Post diplomatic columnist in exclusive 2010 DemoCast video interview

Palestinian responses to Israeli acts of peace and negotiation (e.g. withdrawal from Gaza, direct peace negotiations) expose true Islamist crusade to conquer lands to be placed under Islam - which Obama strives to whitewash from Western understanding.

Herb Keinon, columnist and formerly diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, has been at the eye of the Arab-Israeli hurricane for the past 20-years.

In this exclusive interview with DemoCast, Mr. Keinon sheds light on the revelations that peace-seeking Israelis have gleaned from Palestinian immoderation in response to Israeli concessions.




Mr. Keinon has spent years reporting with Israeli prime ministers and foreign ministers. As such, Mr. Keinon has up-close knowledge and an intimate perspective of the current confrontation and the various diplomatic attempts at solving it.

Mr. Keinon feels that the one-time Oslo Accord-embracing Israelis, who sacrificed Jewish Gaza for evidence of Palestinian intentions towards peace, have been "mugged by the reality" of emboldened Muslim aggression towards conquering all of Israel- that ceding a Palestinian state will not necessarily result in safety for Israelis.

Most Israelis know personally a victim of terror from years of terrorist attacks (from Muslims inside and outside of Israel). Being confronted by emboldened Palestinian irredentist (i.e. movement to reconquer Israel for Islamic rule) incitement has shaped the collective consciousnesses of the Israeli people. Keinon, who lives in Ma'ale Adumim (the 3rd largest city on the West Bank) believes Israelis now recognize all too well the very real dangers posed by Obama shepherding Israel to cede territory to the Palestinian front for global Islamists, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Many Israelis have evolved to recognize that they are just the preliminary targets of the Jihadist politico-cultural crusade to dominate all of the West under Islam. Will the rest of the West be willing to learn from their example and adapt to confront and defeat the Islamist 'evolutionary' crusade?

Memorial Day for Israel's fallen - rings close to home for some Jewish-Americans

The Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, opened memorial events ahead of Monday's Yom ha Zikaron, Israel's memorial day for fallen soldiers and victoms of terrorism,by placing an Israeli flag on the grave of the most recent fallen soldier, the late Maj. Eliraz Peretz. Maj. Peretz was a deputy battalion commander in the Golani Brigade who was killed three weeks ago in an exchange of fire in the Kissufim area, and is now buried in the military cemetery at Mount Herzl.


Rabbi Arthur Gross-Schaefer of Santa Barbara, CA remembers his son, American-born Avi Gross-Shaefer, who served in the Israel Defense Force for 3-years specializing in counter-terrorism, and worked with special units in both the Israeli and American military. Avi was killed 2-months ago at Brown Univ in Providence, R.I., hit by a car, while studying and creating a curriculum in Israel-Palestinian conflict resolution.

(A Joo-Tube exclusive production for DemoCast).

Global thinker, George Gilder: 'Every modern individual has a personal stake in protecting Israel's safety'

'It is in the vital self-interest of all Americans to protect Israel - an extension of Silicon Valley and human progress,' attests economist and futurist George Gilder. The microchips of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, so many of which are designed at Intel Corp's design center in Israel is just one of many examples of how vital keeping Israel stable is to the condition of our world.



Mr. Gilder, author of "The Israel Test," elucidates how being an ally to Israel benefits the human condition - via medical research & cures, communications technology, security intelligence, and economic stability. Filmed at Los Angeles' Sinai Temple; interviewed by Rabbi David Wolpe; question and answer period led by AIPAC Southern Pacific Region's Elliot Brandt, concluded by American Freedom Alliance's Avi Davis.  Mr. Gilder emphasizes civilization's interest in safeguarding Israel from delegitimization from political and economic rivals, and the Obama Administration's mid-east policies.

Under threat of Obama pressure against Israel, Netanyahu appeals Israel's case directly to Westerners at AIPAC: 'Will you support us against Obama's force-feeding Israel to the Jihadists?'

Israel under veiled US threat of diplomatic isolation   DEBKAfile Special Report March 24, 2010

The high-stakes conversations Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu held in Washington with President Barack Obama and secretary of state Hillary Clinton on March 23-24 only deepened the crisis marring relations between the two governments, DEBKAfile's Washington sources report.

Netanyahu, defense minister Ehud Barak and their aides, received a strong impression that the White House's hand was behind certain European steps to drive Israeli into a corner on the points at issue. For example, even if the British government needed no encouragement to pick a fight with Israel over an unproven link with the forged passports used by the Dubai killers, Washington knew about the British plan to expel an Israeli diplomat. Its silence was taken by London as a go-ahead and a signal to the Netanyahu government that punishment could be coming from Washington too and that Israel could pay for defying the Obama administration with broad international isolation. France is also considering lining up behind this campaign.
President Obama showed his displeasure with the Israeli government's failure to cave in to his demands - especially after Netanyahu's declaration that Jerusalem is no settlement but "our capital" to the AIPAC conference Monday - by ordering all the Israeli prime minister's meetings in Washington to take place without statements, news coverage or the cameras which normally record smiles and handshakes between friendly leaders.

The warm public bipartisan welcome he received on Capital Hill was followed by the cold, peremptory shower given him at the White House.

"We in Congress stand by Israel," the Democrat leader of the House, Nancy Pelosi, said. "In Congress we speak with one voice on the subject of Israel."

"We have no stronger ally anywhere in the world than Israel," said the House Republican leader, John Boehner. "We all know we're in a difficult moment."

At their first 90-minute encounter, the president made clear what he expected the Israeli prime minister to do on Jerusalem, West Bank settlements and Iran and where he drew the line. Every effort by Netanyahu and, behind the scenes, Barak and their advisers, to ease the pressure fell on deaf ears.

As the tension climbed in the Oval Office, Netanyahu asked to consult privately with his staff and after an hour, asked to see Obama again. A second 35-minute conversation followed, after which the Israeli leader left without achieving any breakthrough on their differences.

DEBKAfile's Middle East sources report that this latest turn of events in US-Israeli relations makes naught of American leaders' constant affirmations of commitment to Israel's security. Iran, Syria, Hizballah, Hamas and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas are acutely sensitive to the slightest crack in American support for Israel and ready with tactics for widening the rift. They will now drive hard to separate the Obama administration from America's historic military backing for the Jewish state.
Debka also reports: Netanyahu flies home amid disagreement with Obama on key issues
US president Barack Obama kept on turning the screw on Israeli minister Binyamin Netanyahu Wednesday, March 24, after their harsh conversation in the White House Tuesday: Netanyahu was told bluntly to issue a White House-dictated public pledge before leaving Washington for home to eschew further construction in East Jerusalem, or else face a US presidential notice condemning Israel and holding its government responsible for the failure to restart indirect Israel-Palestinian talks.
Reporting this, DEBKAfile's Washington sources add that Netanyahu's public renunciation of Jerusalem construction was required to include also the large Jewish suburbs of the city and remain in force for the duration of negotiations. He must also pledge further concessions to the Palestinians.
As part of the ultimatum, the US president warned the Israeli prime minister that he also intended formulating in detail for the first time the settlement the US government sought for solving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
Netanyahu flew out of Wednesday night without reaching common ground with the president on the key points at issue. He and defense minister Ehud Barak spent their last hours in the US capital working on a statement that might satisfy the White House. Barak worked out of the Israel embassy with the president's special adviser Dennis Ross at the National Security Council's office at the White House. Middle East envoy George Mitchell shuttled between them in an effort to save his mission.
A high-ranking US official categorized the current crisis in US-Israeli relations as the most acute in 54 years, ever since 1956 when President Dwight Eisenhower gave David Ben-Gurion an ultimatum to pull Israeli forces out of Sinai - certainly more serious than the impasse over the Madrid conference between the first President Bush and Yitzhak Shamir in 1992.
A US presidential notice condemning Israel and predetermining the shape of an Israeli-Palestinian settlement would be tantamount to a US diktat and put the lid on negotiations, direct or indirect, because Israel would be dragged to the table in handcuffs to face an Arab partner who would accept nothing less than the terms Washington imposed in advance on Israel.
Such a notice would put a clamp on the close dialogue which has historically characterized US-Israeli ties - to the detriment of Israel's international standing.
The Washington Post laid the blame for the crisis squarely on President Obama, whom it accused of treating Netanyahu "as if he were an unsavory Third World dictator, needed for strategic reasons but conspicuously held at arms length."
The WP went on to say: "Obama picked a fight over something that virtually all Israelis agree on, and before serious discussions have even begun.
"A new administration can be excused for making such a mistake in the treacherous and complex theater of Middle East diplomacy. That’s why Obama was given a pass by many when he made exactly the same mistake last year. The second time around, the president doesn’t look naive. He appears ideological -- and vindictive."

Amb. Michael Oren to address AIPAC Policy Conference; offers 2nd-chance dialogue with anti-Zionist UCI Muslim students

Ambassador Michael Oren to Speak at the 2010 AIPAC Policy Conference, March 21-23

Amb. Oren will address more than 6,000 conference delegates.

The Honorable Michael Oren, Israel's Ambassador to the United States, has confirmed that he will address a plenary session at AIPAC Policy Conference 2010, which will be held March 21-23 in Washington, D.C. Oren joins a list of others who have confirmed their attendance, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Quartet Representatitve Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), Col. Richard Kemp and Prof. Alan Dershowitz. View a full Policy Conference program and register for the pro-Israel community's pre-eminent annual event. Below, view DemoCast's original video of Amb. Oren withstanding antagonists from Univ of Calif Irvine's Muslim Students Union who marched out in the midst of his address.



No charges were filed against the students.

In an open letter published in the UCI student newspaper New University Mon 8 March, Amb. Oren has offered to fly to meet the students who interrupted him as long as the tone stayed civil. Here is an excerpt:

I was saddened by the loss of this opportunity to exchange ideas with those who disagreed with me and, at the very least, to introduce them to different perspectives.

Since then, videos of the incident at Irvine have proliferated on the Internet and attracted significant media attention. I have received heartfelt apologies from UC President Mark Yudof and Chancellor Drake. The response has been overwhelmingly favorable in defense of my right to free expression on campus and the students’ right to hear those remarks.

Still, I am not satisfied. I came to UCI for the opportunity to exchange ideas — a reasonable intention that was hijacked by a minority of students. The disruptive measures exhibited by these students only underscore the importance for dialogue, especially on the frontline of higher learning. I would willingly return to your campus and meet with those individuals whose views may not agree with mine as long as we respect the decorum of dialogue and free speech.

Read the full letter here