We Chose Trump. He Chose America. That’s His Job. (Judean Rose)

Disclaimer: the views expressed here are solely those of the author, weekly Judean Rose columnist Varda Meyers Epstein.

I try to be honest about politics. I can and did vote for Donald Trump, as is my right and privilege as an American citizen. I voted for him because he was far better for Israel than the alternative. Still, I won’t always like what the president does, and I won’t shy away from saying so. However, I will always qualify anything I deem contrary to Israel’s interests by saying that A) I prefer Trump to Biden, who funded October 7 and tied Israel’s hands when we tried to defend ourselves; B) I infinitely prefer Trump to Harris, who told people who wish me dead that they have a right to their “truth”; and C) Trump does what’s best for America, rather than for Israel, and this is only right. That is his JOB. To do what's right for America. And sometimes, as JD Vance put it, “we’re going to have distinct interests.”

I get it. But I still feel a pang of resentment when I think back to October, when Vance gave an exclusive video to the JPost, urging Israeli Americans to vote:

"Greetings to all of our friends in Israel who are American citizens and have the right to vote in American elections," said Vance. "You've got to make your voice heard. Donald Trump was a great ally and friend of Israel. Kamala Harris has been a total disaster, and if she becomes president, it's going to lead to broader regional war or maybe even worse."

"Get out there, check your registration, make sure you're able to vote, and please go out there and vote for Donald Trump"

"This election could be decided by just a few votes. Do you want Kamala Harris, or do you want Donald Trump? If you want Donald Trump, get out there and make it happen."

Rah rah sis boom bah and all that, but at times, I confess, I feel cheated.

As so often happens at times like this, when the interests of Israel and America diverge, we begin to hear voices that say, “Israel is not a client state. We stand up for our own interests. Thank you, President Trump, for reminding us that Israel is a sovereign nation.”

Among those voices were those of Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, co-chairs of The Sovereignty Movement. In an open letter to the president, the two found a striking way to express gratitude to the president while serving to remind the Jews that it is not Trump who is in charge of Israel’s destiny:

 

Thank You, Uncle Trump

Instead of taking offense at the presidential skip over Israel’s capital, we should thank President Donald Trump for the historic message he conveyed through that very omission.

President of the United States, Donald Trump – friend of Israel and the Jewish people – we just wanted to say thank you.

Thank you for the years in which you supported, strengthened, empowered (and even helped us grow a little). Thank you for approving the delivery of weapons and military equipment to us. Thank you for the diplomatic embrace, and now, thank you for taking us – the people of Israel – to the next stage: the stage of grown-up, independent, and sovereign adults.

Some chose, for some reason, to be offended by your decision not to drop by for a diplomatic cup of coffee in Jerusalem during your Middle East tour. But in this choice of yours to skip over us, you gave us an important historical statement.

Without words, you delivered a sharp and clear message: “Israel is no longer powerless or helpless, in need of support and a guiding adult hand to cross the road. Israel is a technological powerhouse – a hi-tech, cyber, and medical superpower, a military and agricultural force. Israel is a wonder that is hard to comprehend, an unprecedented miracle that defies belief.”

And now, Uncle Trump, you told us in your unique way: “It is time for America to take care of itself, solve its problems, and focus on its own interests – while you, Israelis, stand tall and move on to the next phase: the phase of true independence.”

And you also told us, honorable Mr. President, with every step you took, every speech and handshake, every cup of coffee you drank (or didn’t) in your visits to the Arab capitals surrounding us, that Jerusalem can no longer – and should no longer – rely on Washington. You showed us how you’re collecting hundreds of millions from the Saudis and Qataris, turning a blind eye to the funding of terrorism.

We observed how you seemed to be taken in—perhaps even somewhat intoxicated—by the allure of Arab oil, how you drew closer to President Erdoğan, and even cordially shook the hand of a man who came to power in Syria following mass atrocities, and whose image not long ago appeared on WANTED posters in the United States, offering rewards for his capture.

We saw and understood the message. We here in Israel are here for you as a battlefield lab and a reliable and precise intelligence source. We will prove the effectiveness of the weapons you offer us on the battlefield, and the images of our victorious soldiers with your weapons will become part of the catalog at your next arms fair. That way, thanks to us, a few more hundred million dollars will flow into America's pocket, and a few more giant weapons factories will provide fruitful employment to tens of thousands of Americans.

We have internalized the message: from this point forward, Israel must wean itself from the American IV lifeline and begin to walk on its own, with full independence and sovereignty. We must invest in developing superior Israeli-made weaponry, cultivate a strong and independent economy, and rely on our own agricultural production without dependence on overseas grain reserves. We have matured, Mr. President, and we thank you for reminding us of that fact.

Thank you for your quiet yet resolute message to the Jewish people. Thank you for the steps that compel us to recall the enduring wisdom and resilience of our nation, to remember how we have risen from the gravest of crises, shaken off the dust, and moved forward. To remember that we are not driven solely by interests and political deals, but by the prophetic vision that has guided our people for generations, urging us onward toward future milestones.

Your appreciation of us is understandable and logical, Mr. Trump. We recognize that the time has come for you to focus on fulfilling your promise to your own nation: “Make America Great Again.” As for us—we will focus on our own unique challenge: to build a Jewish, Israeli, sovereign, and independent future in our G-d given Biblical Homeland.

It seems we have understood the message. Thank you.

Referring to President Trump as “Uncle Trump” was next level brilliant in my opinion. “Uncle” because Trump represents Uncle Sam, but maybe also because he’s not Israel’s parent in charge of feeding and clothing us and wiping up after our messes. It’s a more distant relationship than that, something like a kindly uncle.

“Yeah, the uncle is more like Uncle Sam, right?” said Nadia Matar when I approached her. “Like an uncle who's nice, but who's not a father, as you just say. And he also has his own stuff he has to take care of. At the same time, he will respect us if we respect ourselves, right? So the idea of uncle came more from the Uncle Sam side of things. America is called Uncle Sam, right? Okay.

“He will respect us if we respect ourselves,” said Nadia. “That's a very important thing. If we are strong and do what we do, that's that.”

Echoing my thoughts about our narrow escape from Kamala, Nadia said, “The main thing is that we don't have to have too many expectations of Trump. He's definitely much better than, if God forbid, Kamala Harris would have come to power. But we have to now have the guts, our leaders have to have the guts and the courage to do what is good for Israel.

“We believe, of course, that that's the application of Israeli sovereignty. That has to be done this year. And the more we stand firm the more we stick to our values the more we stick to the Torah the more God will bless us.”

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Spain has a Nasty Habit of Expelling Jews (Judean Rose)

Expulsion of the Jews from Seville, oil on canvas, Joaquín Turina y Areal

Disclaimer: the views expressed here are solely those of the author, weekly Judean Rose columnist Varda Meyers Epstein.

Spain has a nasty habit of expelling Jews. First from Spain, then from Portugal, and now, most recently, from Israel, the Jewish State. The Jews were informed of the coming expulsion by way of a televised speech given by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Jews are to be expelled from Judea, Samaria, and the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount, among other places. With the Arabs to be ensconced there, in their stead.

Spain formally recognizes Palestine as a sovereign nation!

Palestine will be made up of West Bank and Gaza — connected by a corridor — with East Jerusalem as the capital.

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez today. pic.twitter.com/puvPTREgw9

— S.L. Kanthan (@Kanthan2030) May 28, 2024

The last time around, Spain expelled the Jews because they wouldn’t accept Jesus Christ as their lord and savior. This time it’s because they want the Jews violently crushed; pushed into the sea; and eliminated, once and for all. Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz made this clear, made Spain’s intentions clear when she declared, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” in a video she published on May 24, for public consumption.

 The expulsion of the Jews from Spain was one thing. At least then, in 1492, Spain was expelling the Jews from sovereign Spanish territory. They didn’t want the Jews; they didn’t like the Jews; they wanted to punish the Jews, so they ousted them from their country.

Not that they did it nicely. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the expulsion was rough and many Jews did not survive:

Tens of thousands of refugees died while trying to reach safety. In some instances, Spanish ship captains charged Jewish passengers exorbitant sums, then dumped them overboard in the middle of the ocean. In the last days before the expulsion, rumors spread throughout Spain that the fleeing refugees had swallowed gold and diamonds, and many Jews were knifed to death by brigands hoping to find treasures in their stomachs.

The Alhambra edict of expulsion

But at least in 1492, Spain expelled Jews from its own sovereign territory: Spain. Today, in 2024, Spain is spearheading an expulsion of the Jews from territory not its own. This time, Spain is expelling Jews from the sovereign State of Israel, holy indigenous Jewish land.

The Grand Inquisitor friar Tomás de Torquemada in 1492 offers to the Catholic Monarchs the Edict of expulsion of the Jews from Spain for their signature. Oil on canvas, Emilio Sala y Francés (1889)

All of Israel is holy to the Jews, of course. But Jerusalem is the holiest of holy Jewish real estate, and Spain is not Israel. Spain doesn’t get to decide that Israel is now “Palestine.” The Spanish prime minister doesn’t get to declare that Jews can no longer pray at the Western Wall or visit the Temple Mount—even if 140 other countries have already declared it so. Even if all the countries in the world declare it so. It doesn’t matter. This is land that will always belong to the Jews.

Yet here Spain is, declaring that it now recognizes Judea, the place from whence the Jews hail, the place that gave the Jews their name, as “Palestine.” Here is Spain, saying that from now on “East” Jerusalem is really “Palestine.” Here Spain is, stealing Jewish indigenous territory and giving it to terrorists who have promised not to stop massacring Jews until all of them are dead—it’s in their charter.

It’s surreal the way Spain and its cohorts have cut up and parceled out bits of the holy unified capital of Israel to the very people who beheaded Jewish infants, raped Jewish women, and burned families alive in their homes a short time ago. It’s not as if anyone can deny these things happened (though they do). The perpetrators proudly recorded it all for posterity with their GoPro cameras.

From PMW: "Following Norway, Ireland, and Spain’s recognition of a Palestinian state last week, PA Chairman Abbas’ Fatah Movement published the above cartoon. It shows exactly what
'Palestine' the PA and Fatah say, the European countries endorsed. 
"The cartoon shows 'Palestine' having replaced the entire State of Israel and the PA areas. The map is formed by three arms painted in the colors of the flags of the three European countries. The 'Norwegian' arm writes the word 'Palestine,' the 'Irish' arm waves a Palestinian flag, while the 'Spanish' hand makes a V-sign with its fingers, signifying 'victory.'”

Here is the key point that Spain will need to absorb: Israel. Doesn’t. Belong. To. Spain. Israel also doesn’t belong to Ireland, or Norway, or to any of the other 140 countries that, according to Pedro Sanchez, have already decided that Israel has no claim to its own sovereign Israeli territory.

And yet, Israel is a sovereign country. Spain, Norway, Ireland—and the others chiming in—not one of them has the right to declare “Palestine” on land that belongs to others—it’s pure hubris—but the world especially has no right to “recognize” Palestine on Israeli soil, and certainly not after the atrocities of October 7, and while Israeli hostages are yet being starved, raped, and tortured by the very people recognized by Spain et al., as the new owners of Jewish Israeli land.

We don’t want these Hamas and Hamas-loving people next to us or near us, especially when 71 percent of them still think October 7 was “correct.” Give them Madrid, Dublin, or Oslo—territory that belongs to you and your ilk—you deserve them.

Once upon a time, in Spain, the Jews had no agency. But in Israel, now, we do. It’s our land, and you are not the boss of it. You have no say over our territory. And you surely will not push us into the sea. 

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On a lighter note, I would be remiss in not finding a way to work in the following classic Inquisition-themed comedy clips. Only Mel Brooks or Monty Python could get away with this--only they would see the Inquisition as comedy gold. (Viewer Discretion Advised)

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Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism  today at Amazon! Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.  Read all about it here!

 

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Sovereignty: It’s Not Just a Question of Land (Judean Rose)

As we approached the northern entrance to Efrat, my husband gasped. A car with Palestinian Authority license plates had run a red light, right in front of us. It was nighttime and we were returning from Jerusalem to our home in the Judean Wilderness. We’d traveled there to receive the second of our two vaccination shots against COVID-19. Watching that car speeding past, the driver ignoring the stop light, my first thought was that this wouldn’t happen if Israel exercised sovereignty here in this place, in Judea. My second thought was that people have no clue that sovereignty is about more than land rights.

As the errant driver passed the bright red traffic light, the safety of other drivers on the road in the dark of night was clearly not his concern. And since the residents of Judea and Samaria live under martial law, there was also no one to apprehend him for his misbehavior. Here is a driver who never had to take into account the niceties or legalities of risky driving behavior. Why should he? There is no one to deal with those who drive dangerously on the roads of Judea and Samaria.

According to Prof. Eugene Kontorovich, head of the International Law Department of the Kohelet Policy Forum, it’s not just a matter of no one to police the roads. Without sovereignty, there's simply no law and order. “By preventing the normal administration of law and policing, the existence of military law, and in particular the Civil Administration, prevents effective enforcement against property crime," says Kontorovich. "The military is not organised to be property police, and the Civil Administration does not see law enforcement as its primary priority.”

Crime Doesn't Care About Your Religion

Crime, by the way, is not exclusive to Jewish residents of the territories. Because crime doesn’t care about your ethnicity, religion, or nationality. Though religion does matter--along with your gender--when it comes to inheriting or purchasing property. Naomi Linder Kahn, director of the International Division of Regavim, explains:

“Both Arab and Jewish residents are suffering as a result of the legal limbo that has existed in the territories since 1967, where outmoded Jordanian and Ottoman law is still being enforced by Israeli courts. The old Jordanian legislation means that women—whether Arabs or Jews—cannot inherit or purchase land in Judea and Samaria. Worse yet, Jordanian laws still in effect prevent Jewish people of either gender from purchasing land anywhere in Judea and Samaria, in what is a clear case of Israel propping up an antisemitic policy. Finally, Israel continues to uphold outrageous Ottoman laws no longer in effect anywhere else in the world for over 100 years that allow for property theft through agricultural land use in territory over the Green Line.”

Failure of Israeli Leadership

Beyond these points of concern, there are many more problems that go unresolved as a result of the failure of Israeli leadership to implement sovereignty. But while sovereignty is currently relegated to the backburner for a variety of reasons, the sole issue of the Sovereignty Movement (Ribonut) is to keep the issue of Israeli sovereignty front and center. Asked about the implications of sovereignty beyond the issue of land, Nadia Matar, co-founder of Ribonut, along with Yehudit Katsover, reframed the issue to show how the application of Israeli law to Judea and Samaria would necessarily improve society. Matar provided a bulleted list:

·      Substantive rather than political considerations when deciding whether to build or not to build

·      Fewer road accidents

·      Economic benefits, such as a drop in housing prices, nationwide

·      Ecological benefits: Enforcement and supervision in the areas of the environment: landfills, quarries, pollution of streams and groundwater, and etc. 

·      The IDF will be free from being occupied with silly things like giving out building permits and will finally be able to deal with its real missions, fighting terrorism and protecting borders

·      Improvements in the provision of road infrastructure, electricity, water, and etc.

·      Preservation of and preventing the looting of heritage and archeological sites by official and unofficial robbers

“But above all,” says Matar, “sovereignty will be an official political and national statement that this land is ours.”

Being There

It is this last point that resonates most of all with those of us who live in Judea and Samaria. We poke along under an onerous and archaic quasi legal system--one that is woefully subpar, ignoring as it does, infractions of basic legal norms. The Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria must put up with a lot, simply for the privilege of being here: the unfairness of how we are treated compared to other Israelis; the dangers of living beyond the Green Line; and living without the standard legal rights our contemporaries have come to expect.

But we live where we live because we love the land, indigenous Jewish territory for thousands of years. And we live where we live because our presence serves to protect the holy city of Jerusalem (the enemy has to go through here to get to there). Finally, we live here because we hope that if enough of us do so, our government will come to do the right thing.

From our point of view, you see, it doesn’t matter who sits in the White House, Trump or Biden. What matters is who sits in the prime minister’s seat in Jerusalem. And we are waiting for someone who has the stones to declare our sovereignty over all our land, at last.

 

 

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