Opinion

The world has witnessed one of the most barbaric, monstrous, and depraved pogroms of all time on Israel’s Sabbath and Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah holiday, carried out by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The death toll continues to rise. It is estimated to be 700 at this time, with over 100 taken captive. Fifteen hundred were injured, and many are critical. Babies were killed in front of their parents and parents were killed in front of their children. There was no end to the atrocities committed by these terrorists.

I had the privilege of meeting with Madagascar’s Ambassador to the United Nations this past week. Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. It is a biodiversity haven and hotspot. Ninety percent of its wildlife is endemic. It has been in the news since an Israeli from Bnei Brak was imprisoned for trying to bring rare turtles back to Israel to delight his children. Both China and Russia have tried to gain a foothold in Madagascar since it is strategically situated in the Indian Ocean. It was annexed by France in 1897. It gained its independence in 1960.

The second GOP Debate will take place this Wednesday, September 27, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Southern California. Although President Trump remains the number one choice of GOP voters, the debate does spotlight and highlight powerful figures in the Republican Party. It is an opportunity to witness politics in motion. It also has brought fresh new faces to the fore.

Former National Security Adviser General Michael Flynn made some outrageous comments about the Holocaust recently. He said that there were “thousands of them and not many guards,” implying that the Jews could have fought bare-handed against machine gun nests and survived.

With the expanding fireball of anti-Semitism glowing brighter each passing day, Israel’s purported peace partner, Mahmoud Abbas aka Abu Mazen, just added kerosene to the wayward flames. Abbas, who was Arafat’s second-in-command and the “brains” behind the PLO’s wave of terror from the 1960s and on, just came up with the most outrageous and most anti-Semitic statement ever made during this latest round of Jew-bashing and hatred. He said that six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis for their “social role,” not because they were Jewish. He said this at a Fatah Revolutionary Council meeting, but it was aired on Arab TV.

On September 1, the American political season begins in earnest. In 2016, the Republican Party had the largest number of candidates to vie for the nomination of either party ever – 17. President Trump was the eventual nominee.