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I've Been Thinking:
President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela announced that he is planning an official visit to Iran. Maduro said that an invitation was extended to him by the Iranian president and that he has accepted the invitation.
Iran and Venezuela are allies. They are joined together because they are both members of OPEC and they both have US sanctions against them.
Iran has helped Venezuela update their oil production and helped get them back on-line. In exchange, because Venezuela was hurting so badly for oil, Iran broke international sanctions and shipped oil to Venezuela.
In an interview on Venezuelan State TV, Maduro said: "I am going to Teheran very soon, for a visit that President (Ebrahim) Raisi offered me, so that we meet in person, to hold conversations and sign new agreements ... and speed up processes of cooperation."
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I've Been Thinking:
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that the Israeli government is planning to double the number of people who live in the Golan Heights.
The government will invest $300 million to lure and entice Israelis to move north.
About 50,000 people now live in the Golan Heights. That population is divided almost evenly between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs, especially Druze.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from the Syrians during the 1967 Six Day War.
In 1981, Israel annexed the Golan. And on March 25, 2019, under the administration of then-President Donald Trump, the United States recognized the Golan Heights as part of Israel. Most other countries in the world do not recognize that decision.
The Golan Heights is filled with Jewish history. The decision to move more Israelis into the Golan is a strategy to make certain that Israel will not be forced to evacuate the area.
From atop the Golan the entire valley below is in the cross hairs of anyone sitting on the Heights. Keeping the Golan is a security necessity for Israel.
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I've Been Thinking:
On Sunday, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and it was agreed that Israel will purchase 100,000 doses of the newly approved Pfizer antiviral drug called Paxlovid.
The FDA approved the drug through their emergency use authorization.
100,000 Paxlovid pills will arrive in Israel this week. According to an announcement released jointly by the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Health, the pill will be available, at no cost, to those people considered high risk.
Trial tests showed Paxlovid to be extremely effective against COVID, including against the Omicron variant. It reduced death and hospitalizations by 98%.
Talks are also in progress for Israel to purchase large numbers of Merck’s new antirviral pill called Molnupiravir. This pill, too, given emergency use authorization by the FDA this past week.
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I've Been Thinking:
Israel’s Minster of Tourism, Yoel Razvozov, announced that within the next few days and as early as next week, Israel will be lifting restrictions for travel.
The lifting of restrictions means opening up travel and tourism to those who are fully vaccinated, Israelis and tourists visiting Israel, alike.
In an interview with YNET Tourism Minister Razvozov said: "In my opinion, within a week we will be able to open Ben Gurion Airport because there is no point in it being closed and having all the restrictions on vaccinated Israeli citizens and the tourism industry that suffers as well."
In essence, the minister was explaining that restrictions are not helping contain the spread of COVID and the country must reach a balance between public health threats and economic damage.
For many people, this is welcome and long awaited news.
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I've Been Thinking:
Israel has suffered economically from COVID.
Tourism, which was one of the major staples of the Israeli economy, ground to a halt for two years.
The government of Israel just allocated NIS 235 million, which is about $73 million, for a tourism plan to help rebuild the tourism industry.
NIS 25 million will go towards tour guides, 60 million for incoming tourists and 150 million for hotels.
It is not much money - but it is a start.
The ripple effect of the halt in the tourism industry crosses almost all sectors of Israeli society and industry.
When tourism dries up, agriculture, transportation, safety, entertainment, food, hotels, restaurants – even falafel stands, and technology feel the impact.
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I've Been Thinking:
Israel has a simple, single, goal in Syria.
Stop Iran.
Israel’s entire objective is to prevent Iran from expanding their control on land, in politics and in practice.
In effect, Israel wants Iran out of Syria. They want to end all Iranian influence over Syrian activities. That includes the Iranian soldier and military advisers on the ground. It includes major Iranian influences in markets imports and exports.
Israel will continue to strike and hit Iranian military in Syria. They will strike their advisers and they will hit and destroy their equipment.
They will degrade them until they do not come back.
Syrians realize that Iran is putting them in Israel’s crosshairs.
Despite President Bashar Assad having won the civil war that tore Syria apart, there is still neither peace nor quiet in his country – and Syrians know that most of the noise and danger is courtesy of Iran.
Israel will continue on their mission. Iran’s very presence in Syria is a threat to Israel.
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I've Been Thinking:
It’s ABBAS versus ABBAS.
There are two important people in the Palestinian establishment with the name
Abbas and the confusion that it causes is spreading.
Mahmoud Abbas is head of the Palestinian Authority.
Mansour Abbas is head of the United Arab Party, a member of Knesset and a part of the Israeli government coalition.
Mansour Abbas recently said: “The State of Israel was born as a Jewish state, and it will remain one.” He made the statement while speaking at a conference convened by Globes, Israel’s economic newspaper.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and was outraged by the comments made by ‘the other’ Abbas. His response was: “These irresponsible statements are consistent with the calls of extremists in Israel to displace the Palestinians and harm the status of the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque and the history of the Palestinian people”.
President Mahmoud Abbas added that Knesset member Mansour Abbas represents only himself when he talks about accepting Israel as a Jewish state. He said: “He does not represent the Palestinian people at home and everywhere in the world,” and such remarks “contradict religion, history and Palestinian heritage.”
In a statement released by his office, PA President Abbas accuses the other Abbas of being part of a “current that promotes the Zionist colonial project, … It is unfortunate that instead of siding with the rights of his people and condemning the settlements, killings and displacement committed by the occupation and the plans of Israeli extremists to empty Palestinian lands, we see him repeating the lies of the Zionist movement.”
The reality is that each Abbas has a relationship with Israel and they should both be working together with Israel.
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I've Been Thinking:
They are 40 years late, but Italy is final investigating their role in terror attacks against Jews and Jewish sites in Italy.
Internal documents show that Italian security knew specific details about the 1982 terror attack against the Great Synagogue in Rome during which a 2 year old baby was murdered and 37 people were wounded.
The documents that have been made public show that even though Italy’s security apparatus knew about the attacks, they did not step up protection of the Great Synagogue.
Much later, only 1 of the five Palestinian terrorists who perpetrated this attack was arrested - but for something else. He was arrested because he was crossing the border and entering Turkey with 33 pounds of explosives.
49 years ago Italy decided that supporting Palestinian murderers and terrorists was more important than protecting Italian citizens and Italian historic sites.
This is an embarrassment.
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I've Been Thinking:
The United States is not happy with the nuke discussions taking place in Vienna.
The United States is not actually sitting in on in discussions. They send messages through the 5 members in the room with and speaking to Iran.
Jake Sullivan, the US special envoy. has said that the United States “is not pleased.”
Well of course not. The United States wants Iran to comply with return to the 2015 agreement. But that is not what Iran wants. Iran wants a nuclear program and they are moving in that direction. And they want the international community to give them their blessing.
Jake Sullivan, speaking on a webinar, also said the United States has conveyed through European negotiators to Iran its "alarm" over Tehran's "forward progress"
in its nuclear program.
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I've Been Thinking:
The United States is not happy with the nuke discussions taking place in Vienna.
The United States is not actually sitting in on in discussions. They send messages through the 5 members in the room with and speaking to Iran.
Jake Sullivan, the US special envoy. has said that the United States “is not pleased.”
Well of course not. The United States wants Iran to comply with return to the 2015 agreement. But that is not what Iran wants. Iran wants a nuclear program and they are moving in that direction. And they want the international community to give them their blessing.
Jake Sullivan, speaking on a webinar, also said the United States has conveyed through European negotiators to Iran its "alarm" over Tehran's "forward progress" in its nuclear program.
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I've Been Thinking:
Somehow, the surveillance tape from Iran’s nuclear centrifuge labs is missing. I hope you’re not surprised.
The IAEA, aka the International Atomic Energy Agency, aka the United Nations watchdog group, has asked for the tapes. The Iranians say the tapes disappeared after and during an attack in June that sabotaged the facility.
The IAEA has asked for the tapes once again.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, is not hopeful that they will get the tapes.
Actually, he is skeptical that that they were, as Iran claims, just lost.
At a news conference when asked if it was credible that the tapes had just vanished, Grossi replied: "We have doubts about that and this is why we are asking, 'Where is it?"'.
"I am hopeful that they are going to come up with an answer because it's very strange that it disappeared."
The are many things that could be on the missing tapes. Things Iran does not want others to see. Most importantly, it may show the secret Iranian contingency plans that go into effect after an attack. The tape may very well show the secret storage and other secret areas that have yet to be exposed or shown to the IAEA.
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I've Been Thinking:
Drones have become a weapon of choice for Iran and Hezbollah.
Two drones recently entered the area around a base in Syria, located near Tanf, where US forces are still in place. Tanf is just inside Syria, very close to the Iraqi Jordanian border.
The base has been attacked in the past by drones. They are almost certainly Iranian drones.
As the two drones entered the area close to the camp, one was shot down and the other turned and escaped.
US Central Command confirmed the attack and the response.
It is unclear how many US troops and advisers are now there. Certainly, there are many fewer than were there before, but everyone in the Middle East, especially enemies of the United States know Tanf and know US troops are headquartered there.
This camp is a symbol. For enemies of the West, it is the embodiment of the United States. It is a target for enemies of the United States.
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I've Been Thinking:
Israel has announced that they are donating 1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Africa.
Relations between Israel and African nations have continued to develop and to improve. The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that the vaccines will be distributed to 25% of the countries of Africa. There are 54 countries in Africa, so that means Israel will be helping 13 or 14 African nations.
The recipient nations will not be made public.
Israel is donating the vaccines through the UN backed COVAX. The purpose of COVAX is to get vaccines to countries that can’t get them or can’t afford them.
Obviously, wealthy countries bid for and procured vaccines.
Israel strategically expanded their procurement. They emphasized the Pfizer vaccine, but they also bought other vaccines, including 1 million vaccines from AstraZeneca.
Israel does not need those vaccines and so, they are donating them to countries in Africa, in need.
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I've Been Thinking:
This new poll will shock you. The actual raw data will shock you even more. These statistics are far different from what we read in headline news.
A poll conducted by Shfa, an Arab polling group, asked Arab residents living in Jerusalem if they would choose living under Israeli rule or giving up their Israeli identity card and living under Palestinian Authority rule.
93% of the Arab respondents replied that they preferred Israel and their Israeli identity cards.
Most Arabs living in Jerusalem are not Israeli citizens. They have ID cards that permit them full freedoms, access and movement like any Israeli citizen or permanent resident. They can ask for citizenship, but most do not.
Here is the raw data. 1,200 people were asked the question. 1,116 answered yes to Israeli rule. That means only 84 people polled preferred Palestinian rule over Israeli rule.
When the follow up question was asked, 79 of the 84 said they would still not give up their Israeli ID’s.
That means that out of the 1,200 - only 5 Arabs would actually prefer Palestinian rule. 5 out of 1,200. That’s the real number. 5.
That number is remarkable. That number is very telling.
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I've Been Thinking:
Eyes have been trained on Iran, trying to decipher Iranian nuclear aspirations.
But, according to Israel, Iran is not the only country that needs watching. Israel wants to alert the world to Syria’s aspirations.
Israel wants the world to know that Syria has made, stored and used Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs).
Israeli Minister of Intelligence, Elazar Stern, neither confirmed nor denied reports that Israel recently struck targets in Syria. Those targets were said to be the starting centers for new WMD labs. The report came out of the Washington Post and the question was put directly to Minister Stern.
According to the Washington Post report, Israeli jets hit 3 targets. Two in Damascus and one near Homs. The report also claimed that 7 soldiers and 1 engineer were killed in the air attack on their lab near Homs, which was disguised as a villa.
Stern’s response to the Washington Post was: “We have a neighbor that has already proved that it doesn’t hesitate to use chemical weapons even against its own people … “[Syrian President Bashar] Assad must not have chemical weapons.”
For everyone’s sake, Israel must prevent Syria from attaining WMDs.
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I've Been Thinking:
The United States has denied an Israeli request to fast track 2 refueling airplanes.
Nearly one year ago the United States approved the sale to Israel of 8 K-46 refueling planes for a total of $2.4 billion. The planes are supposed to be delivered in 2023. This is the first time the US has even permitted the sale of refueling planes – to anybody.
Israel’s current fleet of refueling planes was grounded this year. While we do not know how many planes are in the fleet, we do know that the planes are 60 years old. They are called Rams. They are repurposed Boeing 707s.
The early arrival of 2 of the new K-46 refueling planes would make it much easier for Israel to conduct a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities and defense systems.
It’s so obvious. The United States knows why Israel is requesting the planes. So -- why reject the proposal? Why not make it easier for Israel to strike Iran?
The simple answer is that despite what we are told, the United States might not want Israel to attack Iran alone.
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I've Been Thinking:
On Sunday Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett travelled to the UAE. It is the first official visit of an Israeli prime minister to the Gulf nation. The invitation to Bennett was extended, in October, by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.
Relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates came about as part of the Abraham Accords that were signed last year at the White House, under President Trump.
This high-level trip comes amid heightened regional tension as world powers try to renew a nuclear deal with Iran. Israel has broached the idea of setting up joint defenses with those Gulf Arab states that share its concern over Iranian activities.
But the UAE has recently begun to court Iran, sending a top official last Monday and recently hosting Iranian diplomats.
The office of the prime minister reported that Bennett thanked the crown prince and spoke with the ambassador about bolstering bilateral ties, increasing regional cooperation and strengthening the Abraham Accords.
"The stronger the ties between Israel and the UAE will be the better for regional security and stability," said Bennett.
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I've Been Thinking:
During Israeli Defense Minister Gantz’s trip to Washington DC this past week, he made it abundantly clear to US officials - and to anyone else who would listen, that Israel is preparing a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Gantz said that he had told the IDF to prepare for a strike.
According to a responsible source: "The Americans are with us, and at the same time we, as Israelis, need to understand that the United States looks at the world broadly and has other priorities". The source went onto explain that, despite Washington’s apprehension, quote: “there was no veto” unquote, regarding a potential strike on Iran.
And then added: "If [the Americans decide] they have had enough, they will not jump on the military option right away. Instead, they will put pressure on [Tehran], all while preparing [for a military action] as well.”
To send a direct message to Iran, in addition to an IDF aerial drill meant to simulate an attack against Iran, Israel and the United States are expected to announce joint military deals.
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I've Been Thinking:
Archaeological excavations and salvage digs in Israel are the norm.
While expanding Route 90 in the Galilee at Migdal Junction, the salvage dig discovered a synagogue.
It was the second synagogue to be unearthed from the ancient town of Migdal.
The first was uncovered in 2009. Two synagogues in one town sounds like a famous joke. This is the first time that two synagogues have been found in a single town.
But the ancient town of Migdal is not a typical town. It is the birthplace of Mary Magdalene from the Christian Bible, and Mary Magdalene was a major supporter of Jesus.
The village features prominently in the book of Josephus, described as a base of his operations when he served as head of the rebellion against Rome in 67 CE.
The first synagogue was unearthed in the market area. This second synagogue is in a residential area. The thinking is that the synagogues were used not simply for prayer, but also as social meeting areas.
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I've Been Thinking:
Israel has acquired enough COVID-19 vaccine for a 4th dose. The decision now is whether or not to administer that next dose in January.
There are some looming questions that need to be answered. Is another dose necessary? Will the vaccine be successful against the new Omicron variant? How long are vaccines successful in staving off the Delta variant and other COVID strains?
Israel is prepared. A decision is expected soon. It’s not a cut and dry question and answer.
Public health authorities are in a quandary. On the one hand. they need to protect their citizens. On the other they are not clear about how effective their actions will be.
A health ministry official with knowledge of the decision-making process has offered insight into the dilemma he and his colleagues are wrestling with.
According to him: "Our decision will likely be made based also on the severity of the illness from Omicron, which is also unclear. If it is less severe than the Delta variant, we may only offer a fourth dose to adults only," he said.
Nachman Ash, director general of Israel’s Ministry of Health has said. "If we see a considerable reduction in protection after six months, it will certainly be a greater burden … In any event the booster is not likely to be effective for years and we will have to be vaccinated again.”
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I've Been Thinking:
Canada has joined Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
A diplomatic boycott means that athletes will complete in the Games BUT countries will not send political or diplomatic emissaries to the Games.
The decision by these countries to participate in a diplomatic boycott was made as a protest against human rights abuses in China.
China has condemned the countries that are boycotting the games. The Chinese said that these counties will pay a price for their decision.
Israel has said that they are participating in the Olympic Games. They explained that they do not want athletes to suffer.
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Wednesday December 8, 2021
I've Been Thinking:
An agreement was reached in Manhattan Supreme Court. The agreement has Michael Steinhardt agreeing to return 180 antiquities, objet d’art that he innocently, bought not knowing that they were stolen.
The 180 items were valued at $70 million.
In addition, Steinhardt agreed to never again collect antiquities.
Steinhardt is a major Jewish philanthropist. He is the co-founder of Birthright, the organization that brings young adults to Israel for the first time in their lives.
Birthright has injected Jewish identity into hundreds of thousands of young Jews.
It is essential to know that the antiquities world is filled with ugly, nefarious and underhanded deals. This agreement acknowledges that Michael Steinhardt did not steal nor did he commission theft. He bought the items from authorized dealers.
But it is illegal to purchase stolen goods, even if you do not know that they were stolen.
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Tuesday December 7, 2021
I've Been Thinking:
Israel has completed the building of their super hi-tech border with Gaza. Aviv Kochavi, Israeli IDF Chief of Staff, announced the completion of the project.
The project was originally announced in 2016.
Benny Gantz, Israel’s Defense Minister said of the border: "The barrier, which is an innovative and technologically advanced project, deprives Hamas of one of the capabilities it tried to develop.”
"(It) places an 'iron wall', sensors and concrete between the terror organization and the residents of Israel's south.”
Kochavi put it this way: "We have responded with force to any minor violation along the border and will continue to do so. We are bolstering our defenses on all fronts ... including against Iran.”
The border runs beneath the ground, its exact depth is a military secret. It is filled with sensors which will monitor the sounds of any movement or digging, pounding or slicing. The smart border is 40 miles long. Above ground the fence is 20 feet high and is outfitted with remote control weapons. There is, of course, a sea wall.
Israel is planning to build a similar structure along their border with Lebanon.
According to Gantz: "In order to change the reality in Gaza there are simple steps that must be taken including ending Hamas's military build up, a long period of calm along the frontier and the return of Israelis held by the terror group in Gaza."
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Monday December 6, 2021
I've Been Thinking:
This is something that used to happen a lot and now it is happening again.
What is it? A Hamas member was killed when the tunnel he was digging collapsed on him. It was not clear if this was a new tunnel he was digging or if it was an older destroyed tunnel that he was clearing out and refurbishing.
What is essential in this story is that tunnels are still being dug by Hamas.
The tunnels have two purposes.
Purpose # 1 is to attack Israel
Purpose #2 is to protect Hamas leadership who seek protection from Israeli air attacks.
Whatever its purpose, we have another example of what appears to be Hamas readying for another confrontation with Israel.
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Sunday December 5, 2021
I've Been Thinking:
As tensions between Hamas and Israel heat, up Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid travelled to Egypt to meet with his counterpart and other government officials.
This was a critical move.
Egypt is the go between for Hamas and Israel.
It’s not that Hamas and Egypt are the best of friends, they’re not even allies. But their relationship is good enough to send and receive messages and to host indirect talks.
Israel, through Lapid, is sending a message to Hamas, through Egypt.
That message is: Stand Down. Do Not embark on a campaign to draw Israel into a conflict. Because if you don’t stand down and if you do draw Israel into conflict, that conflict will cause tremendous pain and tremendous losses to Gaza.
Egypt is doing its job – Hamas has been warned.
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Saturday December 4, 2021
I've Been Thinking:
Another assassination attempt against Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan was intercepted.
A bomb was discovered under the car of one of the members of Erdogan’s security team. It was disarmed. The plan was obvious. To blow up the security car as it drove close to the president.
The Turkish president was not in danger. Sappers disarmed the bomb way in advance of any real threat. But the incident is telling.
While there are numerous external threats to the life of the Turkish president, those external threats pale in comparison to domestic threats.
Turkey is a democracy, but Erdogan has utilized his position, his power and his police authority to stifle opposition - especially opposition voiced by secular student protesters.
To put it mildly, there is a great deal of local discontent in Turkey. A great deal.
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Friday December 3, 2021
I've Been Thinking:
Israel and the United States have, thus far, avoided serious conflict.
There are, however, some very looming disagreements between the two nations. While each side has voiced their objections, they have been voiced, for the most part, behind closed doors.
But the conflicts might be too big to keep quietly hidden.
The United States is very angry with Israel for having moved ahead on the building of thousands of homes in an area about which they made a promise to the US that they would not build.
Israel, meanwhile, cannot fathom how naïve the United States and other Western nations are regarding Iran and Iranian nuclear plans.
And the idea of opening a consulate in Jerusalem to service the Palestinians is a bone of tremendous tension.
Israel’s advancing and reaching out to China does not make the US happy. Neither does the discovery of Israeli spy software that has been used to spy on allies.
Only so many issues can be kept behind closed doors – eventually frustration reaches the boiling point and someone runs to the press. We’re almost there.
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Thursday December 2, 2021
I've Been Thinking:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Eastern Europe. He is in Riga, the capital of Latvia. He is there meeting with his NATO colleagues burning issues on the international agenda.
The elephant in the room is Russia.
Russia has amassed troops on the border of Ukraine. Everyone is asking if or when Russia will invade. The answer is dependent on the United States.
In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. At the time, the United States response was lukewarm.
Seven years later, Blinken is doing his best to sound intimidating. He is proclaiming that the United States must stop Russia.
Here are Blinken’s comments:
“Now, we’ve seen this playbook before in 2014, when Russia last invaded Ukraine. Then as now they significantly increased combat forces along the border. Then as now they intensified disinformation to paint Ukraine as the aggressor to justify pre-planned military action.”
“Now, we don’t know whether President Putin has made the decision to invade," he said. "We do know that he’s putting in place the capacity to do so in short order should he so decide. So despite uncertainty about intentions, and time, we must prepare for all contingencies while working to see to it that Russia reverses course."
“We’ve made it clear to the Kremlin that we will respond resolutely, including with a range of high impact economic measures that we have refrained from pursuing in the past.”
“We’ve made it clear to the Kremlin that we will respond resolutely, including with a range of high impact economic measures that we have refrained from pursuing in the past.”
Russia will evaluate – and then Russia will act.
Read my latest book THUGS. It's easy. Just click.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=halpern%2C+micah
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