Christian Space 360

(Jerusalem, Israel) — The race is on.

With Joe Biden’s announcement on Tuesday that Senator Kamala Harris, the California Democrat, will be his running mate, the two tickets are now set. An epic battle for control of the White House is underway. Expect it to get brutal as both sides will work overtime to paint the other as extremists who endanger the future of the United States.

So, who is Kamala Harris? 

• “Kamala Devi Harris was born in Oakland, California on October 20, 1964, the eldest of two children born to Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher from India, and Donald Harris, an economist from Jamaica,” notes Politico, in their helpful article, “55 Things You Need To Know About Kamala Harris.”
• “Her mother chose Kamala’s name as a nod both to her Indian roots — Kamala means ‘lotus’ and is another name for the Hindu goddess Lakshmi — and the empowerment of women,” reports Politico.
• “As a child, Harris went to both a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple — embracing both her South Asian and Black identities,” reports Politico.
• She is the first African American woman to be named a vice presidential contender.
• She is a lawyer, the former District Attorney of San Francisco, the former Attorney General for the State of California, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016.
• She married Doug Emhoff, a lawyer, in 2014.

What are Jewish Democrats saying about Kamala Harris?

• The first thing Jewish Democrats point out about Harris is that she is married to a Jewish man (Emhoff) and is the step mom of his two Jewish children from a previous marriage.  
• At a book tour event in 2019, recounted by The Forward, Harris shared the story that her Jewish in-laws are from originally from Brooklyn, and lived for many years in New Jersey. “Imitating the thick accent of a New York bubbe [grandmother], Harris said, ‘The first time I meet my mother-in-law, she looks at me, puts my face in her hand … she looks at me and she says, “Oh look at you. You’re prettier than you are on television. Mike, look at her!”….I swear to you.” (see video clip)
• Jewish Democratic leaders also note that Harris is far more moderate on Israel than many in their party.
• Tuesday night, the “Democratic Majority For Israel” — a group of pro-Israel Jewish Democrats founded by pollster and strategist Mark Mellman — immediately Tweeted out: “We hope you’ll join us in congratulating Senator @KamalaHarris on her selection as @JoeBiden’s running mate! They are the perfect team to take on President Trump and restore American leadership!”
• Mellman’s group also Tweeted: “Pro-Israel Democratic presidential candidate. Pro-Israel Democratic vice presidential candidate. Pro-Israel Democratic platform.”
• As a freshman Senator, Harris visited Israel in November 2017 and met with Prime Minister Netanyahu, who Tweeted out a picture of their meeting. 
• The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported Tuesday night, “As a senator, Harris has been aligned with Biden on Israel: She is seen as a strong supporter with ties to AIPAC, the country’s largest pro-Israel lobby, and unlike some Democrats has not broached the idea of conditioning aid to Israel to influence its policies. During her presidential run, Harris separated herself somewhat from even the mainstream moderates in the pack, firmly opposing the idea of condemnatory U.N. votes or even strong public criticism aimed at swaying Israeli policy. While the more liberal pro-Israel group J Street has endorsed the centrist Biden, who also has committed to keeping spats with Israel private and the idea of not allowing any ‘daylight’ between the U.S. and Israel in diplomatic terms, it has not backed Harris. J Street, which lobbies for a two-state solution, has endorsed more than half of Senate Democrats.”

What are Jewish Republicans saying about Kamala Harris?

•  Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, immediately issued a statement on Tuesday night warning that Biden and Harris would “push the Left’s agenda on the American people…endangering our allies and weakening our relationship with Israel.”
• “Joe Biden has sealed the Democrat Party’s move to the extreme left with the choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate,” Brooks said, making the following points.
• “Senator Harris wants to put the US back into the disastrous Obama-Biden nuclear deal with Iran.”
• “She does not stand with Israel and the Jewish community.” 
• “She voted against an anti-BDS bill in the Senate that also extended an existing loan guarantee program with Israel.”
• “As Attorney General of California, she received numerous letters from Jewish organizations urging her to act against anti-Semitic activities on campuses in the California public university system, but she refused to answer those pleas.”
• Brooks added that “Harris is right up there with the Bernie Sanders wing of the party in supporting ‘Medicare for All’ and opposing fair trade deals like the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). In a 2016 California Senate candidate debate, then-Attorney General Harris said she had directed local law enforcement that they were not required to comply with ICE detainers for illegal immigrants who committed crimes. A Biden-Harris White House would push the Left’s agenda on the American people, weakening our national security, choking off our economic opportunities, endangering our allies, and weakening our relationship with Israel.”
• Ari Fleischer, a Jewish Republican who served as White House press secretary for President George W. Bush, was interviewed on Fox News by Laura Ingraham on Tuesday night. He, too, was sharply critical of Harris, but chose to focus on domestic matters, not Israel or foreign policy.
• “I think two political things are going to happen now that Harris is named,” Fleischer said. “One, this race is going to tighten up even more. The reason is because Biden naming her reminds people that Biden exists. He is so much better off hiding in his bunker and not making any news that he is making news….Secondly, I just question whether or not this is going to boost African-American turnout at all. I don’t think it will. She’s just not that historically exciting to African-Americans, she certainly wasn’t during the primary. And that was the one of the biggest reasons Biden picked her in order to win. I don’t see it.” (watch video clip via Mediaite)

[Note: I wrote this column in my capacity as a private citizen and commentator, not as Chairman of The Joshua Fund, which is a non-profit, non-political and non-partisan organization.]

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• TO PRE-ORDER my next political thriller, The Beirut Protocol, please click here.
• To order THE JERUSALEM ASSASSIN in hardcover, e-book or audio formats, please click here. 

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• Would you like to make a secure, tax deductible donation to The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net)? At this unprecedented moment of crisis, would you help us bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, strengthen the Church in the Epicenter, care for the poor and needy and those unemployed and shut-in’s in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, teach the Word of God, answer spiritual questions, and strengthen struggling congregations and ministries in the Epicenter? The Joshua Fund is a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Please click here to learn more. Thanks.

The post Who is Kamala Harris? Married to a Jewish lawyer, she’s actually more moderate on Israel than many in the Democratic Party. But Jewish Republicans say she’d be a disaster. Here’s the story. appeared first on Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog.

(Jerusalem, Israel) — Welcome to the first in a new series of columns I’m planning to write every Monday, looking at events and trends that are likely to shape the week ahead here in Israel and throughout the Arab and Muslim world.

These are the three big stories that I’m watching this week:

Big Story #1: Who is Joe Biden going to choose as his Vice Presidential running mate? The Democratic National Convention begins August 17th in Milwaukee and will run through the 20th. Due to the risk of COVID-19, Biden is not going to his own convention to formally receive his party’s nomination. He will, instead, speak via video.

That said, Biden is expected to announce his VP selection in the coming days, before the convention begins. His choice becomes all the more important since he has signaled that he will only serve one term in office, if elected.

Biden has promised to choose a woman, potentially elevating his choice to becoming America’s first woman Commander-in-Chief. His “short list” is actually quite long — and controversial. The New York Times’ “FiveThirtyEight” column has noted that Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and the pandemic have already pushed Biden “to the left” and asked, “how far will he go?” Could his VP choice push him too far left to compete effectively in the general election?

Jewish groups are, of course, carefully analyzing the VP contenders’ views are towards Israel, Iran and the Arab world. Some Jewish leaders are absolutely convinced that Biden will be strongly pro-Israel. Others are not so sure, openly asking, “Would a Biden presidency be good for Israel?”

Palestinian leaders, meanwhile, are openly urging Biden and his running mate to tilt their policies away from Israel.

Two more key questions:

• Is Biden — who will turn 78 on November 20th, and would be the oldest person ever to serve as President of the United States) — truly up for the challenge of serving the nation for the next four years? (Whatever your political views, please join me in praying for his health and safety throughout the campaign, along with the health and safety of all the candidates.)
• And, regardless of whom he chooses to serve with him, is Biden the “shoo-in” to win in November that nearly all media analysts are predicting?

Recent polls show the race is beginning to tighten.

• On July 20th, Biden held a 10 point lead over President Trump, according to the Real Clear Politics average of all recent polls.
• Today, Biden’s lead in the RCP average has shrunk to 6.4 points.
• The most recent national poll taken from August 2 to 5 — the HarrisX poll of 2,850 registered voters — shows Biden just 3 points ahead of Trump. 

That said, watch for Biden to get a significant “bounce” in the polls as the mainstream media lavishes high praise on him and whomever he chooses as his running mate.

Then comes the Republican National Convention, August 24 through 27.

Big Story #2: Is Netanyahu trying to take Israel to a fourth round of elections? The key date to watch is August 25th. That’s the day Israel must — by law — have a new budget passed by the Knesset (parliament). If there is no budget, Israelis must go back to the polls. You might think no one would have an appetite for a fourth round in 18th months. Yet Netanyahu’s recent actions suggest he may go there anyway. Why? His approval ratings are plunging. The size of the protests against him are growing. Here’s the column I wrote about this a few days ago. This week should prove very telling.

Big Story #3: Are the Lebanese people preparing to overthrow their government and drive Hezbollah and Iran? At least 158 people died, and more than 6,000 were wounded, in last week’s horrific twin explosions at the Beirut Port. More than 300,000 Beirut residents are now homeless after their apartments were either obliterated or severely damaged. Tens of thousands of Lebanese poured into the streets of Beirut over the weekend. We are witnessing volcanic, possibly revolutionary, anger, as I wrote about on Saturday. The protestors briefly seized control of several key cabinet ministry buildings, before being repulsed by security forces using tear gas and rubber bullets. The nation is beginning to rise up. People are demanding the entire government resign and be replaced. They want answers. They want their leaders to be held accountable for the worst single-day disaster in the history of the country. A few officials have, in fact, resigned. More resignations are likely coming. But will it be enough? Are we seeing an Arab Summer in Lebanon, similar to the Arab Spring revolts in other capitals from nearly a decade ago? Or will the latest surge of anger eventually dissipate, leaving behind no lasting reforms? And what will the international community do? Many nations are pledging billions of dollars to help Beirut recover and rebuild? But will the aid ultimately go to prop up the corruption of the current government, and help further entrench the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror movement? Or will the U.S. and other world government insist on serious, sweeping reforms? 

[Former Vice President Joe Biden talks with Senator Elizabeth Warren (center) and Senator Kamala Harris (right) after the conclusion of the 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential debate in Houston, Texas, U.S. September 12, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo]

[Poll: Real Clear Politics graphic.]

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• TO PRE-ORDER my next political thriller, The Beirut Protocol, please click here.
• To order THE JERUSALEM ASSASSIN in hardcover, e-book or audio formats, please click here. 

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• Would you like to make a secure, tax deductible donation to The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net)? At this unprecedented moment of crisis, would you help us bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, strengthen the Church in the Epicenter, care for the poor and needy and those unemployed and shut-in’s in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, teach the Word of God, answer spiritual questions, and strengthen struggling congregations and ministries in the Epicenter? The Joshua Fund is a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Please click here to learn more. Thanks.

The post The Week Ahead: Joe Biden is about to announce his vice presidential running mate? Who will it be? How will it affect Israel? Will it be a winning ticket? The race is actually beginning to tighten. Plus, two other big stories to watch this week. appeared first on Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog.

Volcanic rage at the government and at Hezbollah is rapidly rising all across Lebanon.

The economy is melting down. Hyperinflation is ravaging the country. And since September, the Lebanese currency “has lost 85 to 90 percent of its value,” noted a recent news report.

Then came the devastating twin explosions on August 4th that killed at least 158 people and injured more than 6,000.

On the defensive, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah was forced to deliver a televised address on Friday denying any responsibility for the storage of weapons or ammonium nitrate at the Beirut Port.

“I absolutely, categorically deny the presence of missiles or any material for us in any warehouse at the port,” Nasrallah said, despite widespread beliefs among the people to the contrary. 

Yet even as the public demands answers and accountability, Lebanese President Michel Aoun is adamantly refusing to allow an international investigation into the cause of the disaster. “The goal of calls for an international investigation in the port case is to waste time,” said Aoun’s media office. 

Are conditions ripening for a full-scale revolution? Perhaps.

Consider the latest events:

• Tens of thousands of Lebanese flooded the streets of Beirut on Saturday in what is being described as a “Day of Judgment” against the rulers of Lebanon.
• Anti-government protestors stormed and briefly seized control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Economy Ministry, the Energy Ministry, and the Association of Lebanese Banks, before being ousted by security forces.
• Protesters erected mock gallows and hanged images of former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and current Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah in effigy, a display of anger and desire for violent retribution rarely, if ever, seen in public in Lebanon before.
• “We were born and raised with this regime in place — we believe it’s time for it to go especially after the last explosion,” an 18-year-old protester, Dana Itani, told CNN. “These politicians deserve to be hanged here, they deserve even worse honestly.”
• Lebanese security forces opened fire on the protestors with tear gas and rubber bullets — the Red Cross reported that at least 117 people were injured. 
• “The US embassy in Beirut voiced support for peaceful protesters,” noted CNN. “The Lebanese people have suffered too much and deserve to have leaders who listen to them and change course to respond to popular demands for transparency and accountability,” the embassy tweeted on Saturday night. “We support them in their right to peaceful protest, and encourage all involved to refrain from violence.”

Will it be enough to truly set Lebanon free from corruption and terror?

Wave of Resignations

As the wave of anti government rage grows, senior Lebanese officials have begun to resign. Consider the latest examples:

• Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad resigned on Sunday, the first cabinet-level official to resign since the twin explosions.
• Five Lebanese Members of Parliament also resigned over the weekend — three were from a political bloc known as “Kateab,” another was from an independent party, the other was a member of the Progressive Socialist party. 
• “The current constitutional institutions and those who are in charge of them do not represent my aspirations nor the aspirations of those who gave me the trust and honor to represent them,” wrote Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel in his resignation letter to the Speaker. 
• On Monday — well before the explosions — the nation’s Foreign Minister resigned, saying, “Lebanon today is not the Lebanon that we loved and wanted as a beacon and a model. Lebanon is slipping into a failed state,” and warned that there was no serious reform effort underway.

Resignations Not Enough

Many Lebanese, however, say such resignations are not nearly enough.

“The head of Lebanon’s Maronite church meanwhile called on the entire government to step down over the 4 August explosion, a blast widely seen as shocking proof of the rot at the core of the state apparatus,” reported Agence France Presse. “Maronite patriarch Beshara Rai joined the chorus of people pressing Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s cabinet to step down over a blast he said could be ‘described as a crime against humanity.'”

“It is not enough for a lawmaker to resign here or a minister to resign there,” the Patriarch said in a Sunday sermon. “It is necessary, out of sensitivity to the feelings of the Lebanese and the immense responsibility required, for the entire government to resign, because it is incapable of moving the country forward.”

This is not the first time that Lebanese Christian leaders have called for government ministers to resign. Last October — well before the explosions — Reuters reported that “the head of the Maronite Christian Lebanese forces party Samir Geagea said he asked his party’s ministers to resign from the government…amid widespread national protests” against corruption and poor leadership. 

Where Is Lebanon Heading?

Prime Minister Hassan Diab is now calling for early elections.

The critical question is this: Will the leaders of Iran who fund and control the Hezbollah terrorist organization — and by extension effectively control Lebanon as almost a province of Iran — allow real reforms to take place, much less free and fair elections designed to drive Hezbollah and Iranian influence out of the government?

The corollary question is this: Will world governments ready to donate billions of dollars to help the Lebanese people rebuild and recover condition their aid on the removal of the current government and all of its ties to Iran and Hezbollah?

Worth noting was a scathing editorial this week by Faisal J. Abbas, the editor-in-Chief of Arab News. Excerpts from his column:

• If any one group is to blame for the mess in what was once the “Switzerland of the Middle East,” it is the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
• For too long, these agents of doom have hijacked Lebanon’s opportunities, dreams and aspirations.
• They decide, unilaterally, to drag the country to war, or to be involved in the affairs of other Arab states. They have been given numerous opportunities to lay down their weapons (which have in any case been redundant since Israel’s withdrawal in 2000) and confine themselves to peaceful politics. Instead they stand accused of assassinating former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2005, for an unnecessary war in 2006, and for the takeover of Beirut in 2008, which may have ended in the direct sense but continues indirectly.
• Hezbollah-backed Bashar Assad when he slaughtered his own people, they backed the Houthi militias in Yemen when they attacked Saudi civilians, and now they are slowly killing off any hope of Lebanon’s survival as a functioning state….
• Hezbollah, the root of this cancer, must be isolated, targeted, and removed. The imminent tribunal verdict on Hariri’s assassination may begin that process, followed by an international “Marshall Plan” for Lebanon conditional on this terrorist group’s eradication….
• If this disaster does not rid the beleaguered Lebanese people of their accursed leadership, nothing will. And the flood of aid already pouring in from countries such as France, Saudi Arabia and the UAE proves that the friends of Lebanon have not given up on it. Neither should the Lebanese.

Please continue to pray for the people of Lebanon as they face tremendous suffering and government oppression. It is time they be set free.

[Photo #1: Protesters gather in Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square to demand sweeping political changes. AFP/Getty Images; Photo #2: screen capture of Sheikh Nasrallah’s televised speech on Friday.]

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• TO PRE-ORDER my next political thriller, The Beirut Protocol, please click here.
• To order THE JERUSALEM ASSASSIN in hardcover, e-book or audio formats, please click here. 

—————————

• Would you like to make a secure, tax deductible donation to The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net)? At this unprecedented moment of crisis, would you help us bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, strengthen the Church in the Epicenter, care for the poor and needy and those unemployed and shut-in’s in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, teach the Word of God, answer spiritual questions, and strengthen struggling congregations and ministries in the Epicenter? The Joshua Fund is a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Please click here to learn more. Thanks.

The post BREAKING: Volcanic, revolutionary rage building against Lebanese government and Hezbollah. Massive protests. Government ministries stormed. Resignations begin. But will any of it be enough to set Lebanon free? appeared first on Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog.

(Jerusalem, Israel) — To most Israelis, the very notion of a fourth round of national elections, one that could even happen before the end of 2020, seems insane.

• The country is battling a serious second wave of the coronavirus.
• The death toll from COVID-19 is rising daily.
• The borders are still closed to foreigners.
• The tourism sector is suffering terribly.
• One-out-of-five Israelis are out of work — up from just 4% unemployment in January. 
• And there is no clear plan to crush the coronavirus and fully reopen the economy, despite the fact that a “corona czar” was appointed in late July to coordinate all policy.

Yet the Israeli media are filled with speculation that new elections may be coming soon.

The key date to watch is August 25th. By law, if the government has not passed a budget by then, new elections will be automatically triggered. 

The national unity government’s coalition agreement between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister/Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz states that lawmakers will pass a two-year budget. Netanyahu is now pushing for just a one-year budget instead. Gantz is resisting. A growing number of political observers say Netanyahu is trying to force a crisis to go back to elections to prevent Gantz from becoming the nation’s next premier.

Why?

Because new polls show that Netanyahu could put together a right-wing government next time without needing the help of Gantz and his party. While Netanyahu’s own approval rating has plunged precipitously, and Likud’s numbers are dropping too, still there has been an overall resurgence of other right-wing parties. That could potentially give Netanyahu and the right-wing full control of the government after a new set of elections, allowing them to checkmate their centrist rival, Gantz.

Still, those same polls show serious risks to Netanyahu.

• Only 25% of Israeli Jews support going to a fourth round of elections in 2020, according to a poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute — indeed, only 27% of voters in Netanyahu’s own party, Likud, support new elections. 
• 68% of Israelis would blame Netanyahu if the country is forced to go to a fourth round of elections — only 32% would blame Gantz, according to a new poll published this week by The Jerusalem Post.
• 71% of Israelis say Netanyahu is doing a poor job handling the coronavirus crisis, while only 20% say he is doing a good job, found a poll conducted for Channel 11. 
• What’s more, Israel’s ultra-Orthodox political parties – key Netanyahu allies —  strongly object to new elections. Haaretz reports that Shas and United Torah Judaism leaders are saying that fourth elections would be “utter insanity.” A joint statement from the two parties vowed, “We will not cooperate with any initiative to advance the election and will do everything possible to prevent elections.” 

Meanwhile, Gantz has at least one interesting card up his sleeve to counter Netanyahu. He and his allies are actively discussing passing legislation that would prevent a Prime Minister who is under indictment from running for office. Such legislation would have to be passed before August 25. While not be easy, it may be possible. 

Gantz’s “Blue & White” party issued a statement this week, according to Ynet News, declaring that “the citizens of Israel will not forgive he who drags the state to elections in a medical and economic emergency period…we must pass an annual budget as all Israeli economists recommend.”

How will it all play out? It’s impossible to say yet. Just keep your eyes on August 25th. 

[Photo credit: Ronen Zvulun/pool/Agence France Presse.] 

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• TO PRE-ORDER my next political thriller, The Beirut Protocol, please click here.
• To order THE JERUSALEM ASSASSIN in hardcover, e-book or audio formats, please click here. 

—————————

• Would you like to make a secure, tax deductible donation to The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net)? At this unprecedented moment of crisis, would you help us bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, strengthen the Church in the Epicenter, care for the poor and needy and those unemployed and shut-in’s in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, teach the Word of God, answer spiritual questions, and strengthen struggling congregations and ministries in the Epicenter? The Joshua Fund is a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Please click here to learn more. Thanks.

The post Fourth elections? Amidst COVID-19 and high unemployment, Israelis have little interest. Yet Netanyahu does. Here’s why. appeared first on Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog.