Monthly Archives: September 2014

October 1, 2014 SnyderTalk: American misadventures in the Middle East

1--Intro Covering Israel and ME

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: may they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122: 6

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2--SnyderTalk Lead Headline for use

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Chris McGreal—American misadventures in the Middle East:

At least Barack Obama was frank. The president admitted to CBS 60 Minutes, and therefore to the nation, that the US really hasn’t had much idea what is going on in the Middle East recently.

Obama acknowledged that American intelligence services failed to grasp the rapid rise of the forces behind the Islamic State (IS) and that somehow, without the US noticing at the time, Syria “became ground zero for jihadists around the world.” Washington also managed to miss that the Iraqi army, trained and equipped by the American military, did not amount to a fighting force of any great use against IS.

It was a pretty damning admission in this age of mass surveillance, drones and vast intelligence budgets, yet Obama was neither fazed nor apologetic. Instead, the interview had an air of resignation about it as the president who came to power promising to extricate the US from two wars that most Americans had tired of and increasingly questioned now prepared them for an open-ended conflict against IS that seems likely to drag on after he has left office.

The president didn’t sound wholly persuasive when he described the US’s military strategy.

“We just have to push them back, and shrink their space, and go after their command and control, and their capacity, and their weapons, and their fuelling, and cut off their financing, and work to eliminate the flow of foreign fighters,” he said.

Obama repeatedly sidestepped calling it a war, but bombing two countries feels to many Americans like war, and certainly a step up from the years of air assaults on Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan which hardly figure in the public consciousness.

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SnyderTalk Comment: Obama has been consistently wrong about the Middle East since the day he took office.  It started with his apology tour in 2009—first stop Cairo.  It has continued with his continued attempts to discredit Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu—the only leader in the Middle East that we can count on and our only true ally.

It’s hard to take Obama seriously.  ISIS certainly doesn’t.

As I have said, “This isn’t a game played by Queensberry rules.  It’s a grudge match with no holds barred in a fight to the death.  If you think that it’s not, you are behind the curve.”

That’s been obvious for a very long time—since before Obama took office.

When Obama said that the U.S. intelligence community didn’t really know what was going on in the Middle East, he meant that he chose to ignore people who told him the truth until the truth finally came up behind him and bit him in the rear-end.

Reality is funny that way.  If you pretend that it doesn’t exist, you are begging for trouble.  That’s the situation we find ourselves in now, and with Obama at the helm, trouble is already here.  It’s inside our borders, and it’s just beginning to appear.  More will certainly follow.

That’s the truth.  I hope most Americans understand that by now.

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13--Perspectives 2

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Guy Millière: Radical Islam, Israel and Agitprop— Understanding radical Islam requires going back to its roots. The Christian idea of rendering “unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and unto God that which is God’s” never existed in Islam. Its absence has had consequences, including, possibly, the decline of the Muslim civilization and the feeling of humiliation that resulted. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when Muslim clerics observed that that the Islamic world was not keeping pace with the West and was on the verge of collapse, they may have decided they needed answers. Some of these clerics turned to the West, where they chose to study Western political ideas. They spoke of necessary reforms, and created secret societies and nationalist organizations. Other clerics chose dogmatic, strict readings of the Quran. They found inspiration in the writings of Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab and in the established fundamentalist movements.

David Bernstein: Bizarre op-ed on Israel by Patricia Marks Greenfield in Friday’s Post— There are a lot of strange things about this op-ed, which tries to paper over the gap between a reasonable call for Israel to treat its minority citizens more fairly and a highly unreasonable call for Israel to integrate the populations of the West Bank, Gaza, and the Palestinian diaspora into one state that by some magic she doesn’t identify will still somehow not only remain culturally Jewish, but with the assent of what would likely be a strong majority Arab population. To take one example of the oddity of this op-ed, the author argues that rising income and exposure to technology is leading to permanently lower birthrates among Arabs in Israel.  A sentence later, she notes that the Jewish birthrate is rising as the Arab birthrate is falling. But wait, don’t Israeli Jews also have rising income and exposure to technology? It’s not often one sees simplistic cause and effect analysis self-rebutted a sentence later. (And by the way, why unlike among almost all other population groups in the world the Israeli Jewish birthrate is rising, including and especially among the non-religious population, is a fascinating question that deserves, but to my knowledge has not received, some serious research attention).

HonestReporting: Washington Post Op-Ed Calls For End to Jewish State— The Washington Post has chosen the day of the Jewish New Year to publish one of the most disingenuous opinion pieces we’ve seen in a long time. While Patricia Marks Greenfield sounds eminently reasonable in calling for equal rights for all in Israel, she stops short of telling the reader what she is really calling for – the end of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. According to her: “it seems more important than ever to state two things clearly and forcefully: Israel is a full-fledged multiethnic, multireligious society, and it must provide equal legal and day-to-day treatment to all its citizens, no matter their ethnic or religious background. Unfortunately, this is not the case for those who are Arab or Ethio­pian or whose religion is Muslim or Christian. In this respect, Israel is out of step with much of the world. Over time, nations have become more ethnically and religiously diverse; populations have become more urban and educated; and economies have become more commercial. In response to these social and economic changes, many nations have left behind the notion of a favored state religion. It is time for Israel to do the same. It must be a fully secular state.”

Ken Dilanian: Obama: ‘Contradictory’ Syria policy helps Assad—President Barack Obama is acknowledging that the U.S.-led military campaign against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria is helping Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, a man the United Nations has accused of war crimes. “I recognize the contradiction,” Obama said in an interview aired Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes.” ”We are not going to stabilize Syria under the rule of Assad,” whose government has committed “terrible atrocities,” Obama said. But Obama said he had no choice but to order U.S. air strikes on Assad’s enemies, the Islamic State and the Khorasan Group because, he said, “those folks could kill Americans.”

Jeff Jacoby: Beheadings and Islam— Islamic State has made the beheading of victims a key element in its campaign of terror and conquest. Most conspicuous in recent weeks have been the murders of Westerners James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and David Haines, whose severed heads and decapitated bodies have been shown in threatening videos produced by the jihadists. In the years since 9/11, other Islamist terrorist groups have circulated equally ghastly beheading videos. Among the earlier victims were journalist Daniel Pearl, businessman Nicholas Berg, and construction contractors Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong – all Americans beheaded by Al Qaeda. Last week, meanwhile, Australian police arrested 15 suspects allegedly linked to Islamic State; they are accused of plotting to publicly behead a victim abducted at random. Why this obsession with cutting off people’s heads?

David Hearst: Saudi crapshoot in Yemen— There is a sign on French level crossings for those who consider themselves to be vigilant. It reads “One train can hide another”. This is sound advice that should be erected in Oval Office and Downing Street. Only it should read: “One intervention can hide another.” While all eyes are on Syria and Iraq, another intervention is taking place in Yemen. The coalition involved here is more of an understanding than a military pact, but it is proving to be just as effective. That Iran should be backing a small Shi’a tribe in the north of Yemen called the Houthis comes as little surprise. The lightning takeover by the Houthis of the capital Sana’a has been applauded by Iranian politicians. Tehran city representative in the Iranian parliament, Alireza Zakani, a loyalist of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, boasted that Iran now controls four Arab capitals – Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut and now Sana’a.

Salim Mansur: Islam in the Rear-View Mirror— A decade after operatives of al Qaeda attacked the United States, the Arab and Muslim world was seized by popular uprisings. The so-called “Arab Spring” erupted in Tunisia, swept into Libya and Egypt where dictators of long standing were toppled and, as of this writing, the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria appears doomed in a bloody stand-off against insurgents who are steadily gaining ground. It is perhaps too early to state definitively that the “Arab Spring” is the direct consequence — which no one imagined — of hijacked jetliners flown into tall buildings in New York. Eventually, however, the political success of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, and its parties in the Middle East, might be viewed as the fall-out strategically anticipated by Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network if they hoped to precipitate a war. They may even have hoped that the war’s twists and turns would destabilize established regimes in the Middle East and North Africa to the advantage of the region’s Islamists.

Dror Eydar: Abbas Incites and We’re to Blame?—We watched as PA President Mahmoud Abbas stood up and lied in the worst speech of incitement a Palestinian representative has ever made to Westerners. Not a word about the reason for the war this past summer; not a word about the putsch Hamas planned against him. And we’re expected to trust him? Genocide? In the second half of the 20th century alone, Muslims slaughtered millions of other Muslims and Christians. In most places, it was a brutal, methodical extermination that fit the chilling definition of genocide. Toward the end of his speech, this so-called moderate partner asserted that what had caused terrorism in our region was international leniency toward Israel. The State of Israel, according to the moderate partner, is actually more dangerous than the beheading Islamists.

Voice of America: FBI Chief: Khorasan Plot May Still Be Alive— Terrorist plots against the United States and Europe may still be in the works despite this week’s airstrikes against the al-Qaida cell known as Khorasan. FBI Director James Comey told reporters in Washington Thursday he is “not confident at all” that attacks by U.S.-led coalition disrupted Khorasan’s plans. Comey said the Khorasan group remains at the top of the FBI’s list of terrorism concerns. It’s comprised of al-Qaida veterans from Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to Comey. U.S. intelligence officials say Khorasan has been trying to perfect a non-metallic bomb that can evade airport security. The director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation also said the U.S. believes it has identified an executioner from the Islamic State group – the man shrouded in black who spoke with a British accent in videos the terror group circulated showing the recent beheadings of two American journalists and a British aid worker.

Mina Ahadi, Nazanin AfshinJam, Shabnam Assadollahi and Shadi Paveh: Iran’s “Hanging Machine” to Execute Reyhaneh Jabbari— Reyhaneh Jabbari has been transferred to Rajai-Shahr Prison to be hanged — while the world parties at the UN and gets ready to permit Iran nuclear capability. While the West is focused on an Iran nuclear deal and defeating ISIS terrorists, the executioner-regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran continues violating human rights. The regime has just transferred Reyhaneh Jabbari to Rajai-Shahr Prison in Tehran and, as she is transferred to be executed, told her to say goodbye to her mother and family.

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9--Jerusalem Post

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Netanyahu: To defeat ISIS and let Iran have nuclear arms is to win the battle and not the war

PM tells UN: Israel’s fight is the world’s fight

Netanyahu at UN: People of Israel pray for peace

PLO official says Netanyahu speech full of ‘hate language and slander’

International crowdfunding campaign to build Third Temple raises over $100,000

Indo-Israel ties on the march

MK Barakei: Israel has an interest in Islamic State’s success

Turkish tanks take up position on Syria border next to besieged town

Netanyahu at UN: I’m willing to make a historic compromise

SnyderTalk Comment: Please don’t.

Poll shows fewer Palestinians support Hamas, new intifada against Israel

SnyderTalk Comment: It’s not that Palestinians support Israel.  It’s that they have lost confidence in Hamas and PA leaders.

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10--Arutz Sheva

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Jewish Worshippers Ambushed by Arabs in Vicious Jerusalem Attack

Egypt Set to Boycott Turkey Over Muslim Brotherhood Support

Leftist MKs Claim PM Speech at UN Missed the Mark

US War on ISIS Estimated at $780 Million

Syrian FM: Help Us FIght Islamists

Liberman: Abbas’s Rhetoric Compensation for ‘Domestic Failures’

Vatican Pledges 100K Euros To Auschwitz Museum

Baby Boom: Record Number of Women Give Birth on Rosh Hashanah

Ya’alon: 80% of Hamas’s Rocket Arsenal Destroyed in Gaza Op.

‘Smart Fence’ to Be Built Around Gaza Belt

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11--THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

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PM set for UN speech, will dish out, but offer little else

Abbas may have ignored advisers by giving ‘genocide’ speech

Netanyahu lashes Abbas during dinner with Kerry

Netanyahu meets with Indian PM Modi, calls to bolster ties

Western Wall plaza dig reveals structures dating back to Herod

Lady Gaga: World is wrong about Israel

Israelis test first targeted multi-drug cancer therapy

US resumes supply of Hellfire missiles to Israel

Egyptian FM says demilitarizing Gaza not for discussion now

Israeli teacher arrested over links to Islamic State

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12--Other News

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U.S. Considering Meeting Iran “Close to Half Way” in Nuclear Talks 

Obama to UN: Arab-Israeli Conflict Is Not the Main Source of Problems in the Middle East

Hong Kong Democracy Protesters Look for Outside Support

Hong Kong Protesters Fear Martial Law Is Coming

Airstrikes Hit IS Targets in Four Syrian Provinces

Syrian Kurds Fleeing The Islamic State Militants Cross Into Turkey

Oklahoma beheader linked through imam to al-Qaida and Tsarnaev brothers

Netanyahu to Indian Prime Minister Modi: “On Ties with India, the Sky Is the Limit”

Peace Talks Are Officially Off the Table

The New Global Jihad and the Threat against the US

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4--Scripture of the Day Yahweh

Genesis 31: 36-38

36 Then Jacob became angry and contended with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me? 37 Though you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. 38 These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks.”

SnyderTalk Comment: Read His Name is Yahweh.

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5--HNIY Print form 3

His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important.  It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.  It’s also available for free in PDF format.

  • God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
  • “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
  • “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
  • Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)

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6--His Name is Yahweh Audio Presentation 5

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Yahweh is the Name of God Forever

Click here to download the entire audio presentation for free and with no strings attached.  Share it as often as you want.

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14--Blessings from Revelation 2

Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now.  There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

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Other Books by Neil Snyder

  • Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days.  Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall.  Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace.  With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.
  • What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.
  • Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.  Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided.  They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make.  As they say, forewarned is forearmed.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

15--Concentric Circles 5

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