FAMILY WRITERS' SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

4TH FEBRUARY 2017: FAMILY WRITERS SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

By Maxwell Chuks and Orji Ezinne
For Family Writers

First on this edition of Spotlight for the first week of February 2017, we move over to America where President Donald Trump banned 7 countries from entering USA.
The countries include- Yemeh, Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iraq.
But the question now is- Will this bring an end to Islamic terrorism and killing of Christians?
Well, let's wait and see.

* Spotlight now moves down to Gambia where the president Adamu Barrow removed 'Islamic' from Gambia's official name to 'The Republic of Gambia'. This took place immediately after Donald Trump banned 7 Islamic dominated countries from entering US.
Hmm, Is this fear of being banned also or........?

* "Execution of Christians no longer acceptable" that according to Donald Trump of America.
And the good Masses worldwide were just like- "You have our support for that".

* Spotlight attention was zoomed to the Igbo tribe where Biafrans said "Obasanjo can't fool us with Igbo presidency, Biafra is all we want".
These statement came shortly after the Nigeria former president O. Obasanjo urged the Igbo tribe of Biafra land to abandon the restoration of Biafra and work towards Igbo presidency in Nigeria but the angry Biafrans gave him a hands down and insist on Biafra.
Oops! Obj, sorry for the disappointment.

* Still on Spotlight, the Eagles eyes looked into the Nigeria Federal Road Safety Commission's office where they seeks nationwide ban on commercial motorcycles in other to reduce road accidents.
But the masses who expressed their major concern on the issue said- “Commercial motorcycles are not the major cause of road accidents, Bad roads are responsible for it. Tell the government to work the grave-like roads".

* "No politician sponsors our activities, We depend on our monthly contributions" IPOB replies Uwazurike.
These came after the Ex-leader and a faction of MASSOB said politicians are the ones sponsoring IPOB activities.
Oh! Sorry for Uwazurike and that faction of MASSOB.

* Barely 10 days after Biafrans were murdered during Trump solidarity rally in Igweocha; death came and took away the Rivers state Commissioner of police Mr. Francis Bolaji Odesanya who according to report from the Nigeria police force and Family died in an undisclosed hospital abroad after a brief illness.
The breeze of death in the Nigeria armed forces didn't just end there;,, The Kano state director of SSS known as 'DSS' Abdullahi Chiranchi also died at Kano teaching hospital after a brief illness.
Hmm.....

* "Something big will happen on 28th February 2017" -Niger Delta militants writes Buhari.
Want to know what the 'Something big' is?
Wait till 28th February.

* Just as they did on the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the Nigeria Federal government insists on secret trial for Dasuki.
The Question now is- What do they want to hid? why not try him in the open if they have strong evidence against him?

* Waaaaam.........
Spotlight eyes focused in the office of the vice president of Nigeria Osibanjo where he condemned Nnamdi Kanu's incarceration alongside others.
Osibanjo condemned this continuous incarceration while President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria was away from Nigeria.
The masses are asking him- Mr. Vice, why not condemn it since it started?
Is this hypocrisy or what?

* “If you have nothing to hide, try Dasuki in the open" Ayodele Fayose(the Ekiti state governor) tells Federal government of Nigeria.
Gbam!

* "Keep quite when serious governors are talking because you have nothing to offer"
Who said this? -Governor Obiano of Anambra state.
To who? -Governor Rochas Okorocha.
The verbal war didn't end there; Obiano continued- "You're a motor Park governor".
Shoo! This is merciless verbal bombard on Rochas.
Spotlight of the week is still waiting as the referee to watch how this war will end.

* We now move down to the table of the Indigenous People Of Biafra where they blew it hot on Father Ejike Mbaka of the Catholic diocese.
IPOB who responded to his statement where he mocked the dead Biafrans and said Biafra will be restored by Billionaires; warned him to stay away from Biafra restoration matters and concentrate on his priesthood business empire.

* Family Writers Spotlight jet landed in Europe where the European Union decries incessant killing of Biafrans in Nigeria and moved to ensure the release of Nnamdi Kanu(The leader of the indigenous People of Biafra).

* Despite police's threat to arrest 2face if he go ahead with the anti-Buhari protest, 2face still insist he'll go ahead with the protest alongside with Fayose who teamed up with him.
Well, Biafrans said to them - "If your protest is for Biafra we would've join you but sorry, we won't join you on any protest for Nigeria", although information reaching us says that he has canceled the proposal protest after much threat from Nigeria government. hmmmmm

* "The amalgamation of Nigeria was a fraud" -Chief Richard Akinjide(SAN).
Hmm.. The truth is gradually dancing out of the pot.

* "In my area, among the three people that were shot by the Nigeria military during Donald J. Trump solidarity rally on 20th January 2017; I am the only one that survived, one died on the way to hospital while another died at the hospital" -IfeanyiChukwu

* The body of Master Ndubueze Johnson Okoli, a 20years old Biafran who was killed during Trump solidarity rally in Igweocha was laid to rest during the weekend in his Hometown in Anambra state.
Biafrans and parents of the deceased displayed and expressed their out most pain and anger over this young man killed by the Nigeria military.

* "Buhari is alive, Buhari is sick, Buhari is dead", that's the words, and statements which Spotlight heard throughout the week from the streets of Africa and the world at large.
This report of President Buhari’s death first broke out on the headline of the UK media called 'Metro' while other Medias later carried the update.

Huh! Repetition of what happened in 2017 during Yar'adua's regime.
Well, whatever the case is now, if you ask us, who will we ask?
The Nigeria government knows better.

EXTRACT from-
Www.biafraherald.co
- BIAFRA: OPEN LETTER TO AFRICAN UNION, IT IS TIME TO FOLLOW THE PATH OF GREATNESS.
- RALF UWAZURIKE *IFEJUANYA* LEBEANYA IS NEVER A FREEDOM FIGTER BUT A SABOTEUR, AN ENVY MAN AND A MONEY MONGER.
- BIAFRA: THE DAMAGE OF BRITISH ON THE IDENTITY OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF BIAFRA.
- WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HEALTH CONDITION OF NIGERIA'S PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI.
- BIAFRA: THE CASE OF BIAFRA IS STRONGER THAN SOUTH SUDAN, KOSVO- US Constitutional lawyer writes.

FAMILY WRITERS' WEEKLY FACT FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

Once again, we welcome you all to this week's edition of Family Writers Fact Findings and Analysis coming to you from Ekwenye Samuel Chukwunweike and Sunday Okafor of Family Writers.

We shall be analysing two major things that happened during the week, please ride on with us.

First on our list is the statement credited to Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed when he was briefing some newsmen from the Daily Sun on Thursday February 2, 2017.

Lai Mohammed stated that Nigeria is much better today under President Muhammadu Buhari, than during the regime of former president Goodluck Jonathan, considering the level of comfortable life Nigerians are now enjoying.
He went further to state that the level of rot they met when they took over from Jonathan in 2015 nearly made Buhari to resign.

IN OBSERVING THIS VERY STATEMENT ABOVE, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT EVERYTHING HE SAID IS THE OPPOSITE.

REASONS
1. When Buhari took over power from Jonathan, the value of the naira to the US dollar was 140 naira for 1 dollar compared to Buhari's 380 naira for a dollar.
2. The prices of commodities have multiplied tremendously during this Buhari's government, compared to Jonathan's.
These are the things that facilitate and sustain people’s daily lives.
3. The standard of living of an average Nigerian during Jonathan's administration is very much better compared to the level of hardship this incumbent Buhari led administration imposed on the masses.

Under this Buhari's government, the animosities between the Northerners and the Biafrans have increased tremendously, no thanks to the nepotism of Buhari's government.
Not less than three Biafrans have been beheaded by Muslims in the northern part of Nigeria, and none of the culprits have been brought to justice till date.

Boko Haram terrorists activities has not stopped, even though Buhari's government has continued to deceive the public by claiming that the deadly insurgents have been defeated.

Having failed to defeat Boko Haram, Buhari has instead, continuously used his soldiers and murderous security henchmen to massacre thousands of Biafrans demanding for Biafra freedom, and for the release of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu who has been incarcerated by Buhari's government since October 14, 2015.
Similarly, on the 25th of December 2016, Buhari ordered the abduction of Family Writers journalist, Moses Agbo.
How many Nigeria journalists did Jonathan order their abduction?
How can life be better for Nigerians in this Buhari's administration when he is ordering the shooting and abduction of innocent civilians? How can live be better when APC under Buhari is trying to islamize Nigeria?



The same Lai Mohammed said that the Change APC promised Nigerians has started to manifest.
Now, the question is- what type of Change is he talking about?
Is it recession, killings, abduction, hatred for Biafrans, massive terrorism, religious extremism?



EU TO BIAFRANS STATEMENT

The European Union High Commission has expressed concerns over the heavy-handed suppression of Biafrans in Nigeria, and has promised to pressure for the immediate and safe release of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu and other Biafran activists who are being unlawfully detained by the Nigeria government led by president Muhammadu Buhari.
The EU also emphasized that Biafrans have the right to demand for independence in a peaceful protest as such rights are fundamental human rights.

WHY IS THE MATTER ARISING NOW?

Looking at the above statement made by the EU, there is motion to bring Biafra to reality but the question is how fast and ready are they mobilizing for justice to be given to Biafrans?


1. It is an indisputable fact that the Biafra quest for freedom has gone beyond human imagination in the history of mankind.

2. The pressure on the struggle for the restoration of Biafra is becoming a nightmare to the Nigeria government and its international allies.

3. Biafra is older than the contraption called Nigeria therefore self-determination need to be activated for freedom.

SOLUTION
The only solution to these crises resulting from denying Biafrans their inalienable rights is for equal right and justice to be upheld accordingly as stipulated by the law.

With this, we end this week's edition of FWFFA. Remain blessed as we are putting things together for a better analysis next week, goodbye.


Edited by Paul Ihechi Alagba
For Family Writers.

BIAFRANS CHOSE TO CELEBRATE WITH DONALD TRUMP, NIGERIA GOVERNMENT CHOSE TO SPILL THEIR BLOOD ONCE AGAIN


BIAFRANS CHOSE TO CELEBRATE WITH DONALD TRUMP, NIGERIA GOVERNMENT CHOSE TO SPILL THEIR BLOOD ONCE AGAIN
Rosie Omalicha Segura Writes For Family Writers From USA


A day of rejoicing and celebration turned out full of pain, sorrow and mourning. On the 20th of January 2017, the Biafran people had planned a peaceful rally in solidarity with the Inauguration of the new President of the United States of America, Mr. Donald Trump.

Before they arrived at the scheduled venue, there has already been positioned, hundreds of security officers from Islamic Nigerian government, waiting to unleash mayhem on them. Not giving Biafrans any warning, they heartlessly began to shoot sporadically at the crowd, killing over twenty Biafrans, including a young 16 year old boy. Many were also wounded at the scene while a lot of them were taking into captivity which up till now, nobody knows of their whereabouts. There is fear over their lives because they are under the murderous Islamic Nigerian government that kills at will.






Some of the Biafran victims were taken to Morning Star Hospital in the city, but they were denied and refused medical treatment by the employees who are also afraid of clamp down from the tyrannical government so they were taken to other local hospitals for treatment.

Our amiable president, Donald Trump and his government have to condemn the atrocities of the Nigeria government against these peaceful Biafran people who have shown passionate support and love for his government. There is need for the United Nations and the rest of the world to rise up to the occasion and save Christian Biafrans from the Muslim jihadists in Nigeria. Biafrans have the right to self-determination, and therefore should be granted their highly deserved freedom from Nigeria.



Edited by Paul Ihechi Alagba
For Family Writers.

BIAFRA: “if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration”.----Donald Trump

“if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration”. ----Donald Trump

I will ensure the liberation of Biafrans and other African nations shackled with artificial colonial maps- Donald Trump pledges to support Biafra self determination

Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the United States forthcoming election has issued a Statement Regarding his foreign policy towards African countries. The statement which was obtained through one of his local aid in the great state of Ohio shows that Mr. Trump is going to be the best American president for African nations. He clearly stated that he is in total support of right to self-determination of any ethnic minority that want freedom from artificial countries created by the colonialist. He further explain that it is a very sacred right express by all free people to declare their independence from where they already are.

He used the Brexit referendum a reference to his new policy toward Africa, he believe that political conflicts across Africa will reduce if Africans are allowed to create their countries according to their God giving boundary. He want Africans to embrace peaceful referendum like United Kingdom instead of forced unity that cost millions of lives without meaningful progress.

The people of the United Kingdom have exercised the sacred right of all free peoples. They have declared their independence from the European Union, and have voted to reassert control over their own politics, borders and economy. A Trump Administration pledges to strengthen our ties with a free and independent Britain, deepening our bonds in commerce, culture and mutual defense.” The whole world is more peaceful and stable when people are allowed to exercise their right to self-determination, people will pledge allegiance to their God giving identity and natural boundary. He further promised that he will not engage in evil regime change policy of Obama administration which destabilized Libya and many other African countries”. The regime change of Clinton/Obama brought chaos, instability, destruction and death to many African people.

He promised to look into Biafra case and see how he can help in achieving peaceful political solution without bloodshed. He told the Biafra flag waiving man at his rally that “if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration”. He further told the Biafran agitators to hold on help is on the way.

Under my Administration, Africans will have the right to redraw their map trough referendum and peaceful political process just like we have in Europe and other developed part of the world. Under Trump Administration we will remove the embargo placed on Nigerians by Obama administration concerning Visa lottery program, he said Nigerians are smart and intelligent people, they contributed immensely to the development of modern America, we want them here in large number and my administration will enroll them back in visa lottery program, Obama is unfair to his fellow Blacks for removing the giant of Africa from the program he said.

-daily times ng

The Biafra Herald
Strong Indication that Nigerian President is Dead as his Proposed Return to Nigeria Remains Unknown
Strong Indication that Nigerian President is Dead as his Proposed Return to Nigeria Remains Unknown
Muhammadu Buhari

Strong Indication that Nigerian President is Dead as his Proposed Return to Nigeria Remains Unknown

Published by Family Writers

President Muhammadu Buhari may not likely return to Nigeria tomorrow as initially reported by the Presidency after his official vacation ends.

This was disclosed in a tweet message by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Reason cited is that the presidential jet is undergoing routine maintenance.

Below is tweet message from Nigeria Minister of Information Lia Mohammed

The Biafra Herald
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WE CANNOT BE DISTRACTED, BIAFRA REFERENDUM IMMINENT - IPOB

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WE CANNOT BE DISTRACTED, BIAFRA REFERENDUM IMMINENT - IPOB

IPOB UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF NNAMDI KANU HAS BROUGHT A TRANSFORMATIONAL REVOLUTION THAT WILL ENSURE THE LIBERATION OF BIAFRA IN PARTICULAR AND ALL OPPRESSED PEOPLES OF NIGERIA IN NIGERIA

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPO under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has the undeniable recognition as the pacesetter in the current quest for the restoration of the nation of Biafra and liberation of all enslaved peoples currently trapped in the British-created monstrosity called Nigeria. For the records, Nigeria is a country created not by God but by a fellow human being and non-African called Frederick Luggard. As we all know, this is contrary to the laws of nature because the creation or emergence of a nation is only by divine providence through aggregation of social, religious and shared value systems, not by force or the dictates of one man.

Luggard’s business-inspired creation we know today as Nigeria has made life unbearable for all peoples and intolerable for Biafrans. Nigeria was not created by God because HE never puts Christians and Muslims in the same country, one must have dominance over the other. The British Government knew this as any advanced country should, but out of exploitative business interest, wickedness and desire to depopulate African societies, they allowed their forced marriage of Christian South and Islamic North to continue to this day, leading to untold hardship, bloodshed, and mass murder. Hence the determination of Nnamdi Kanu and the IPOB he leads to seeking its complete peaceful dissolution in line with internationally recognized procedures and protocol.

It is on record that within four years of its existence, IPOB has taken the Biafra restoration quest to a crescendo unprecedented in the history of modern freedom-fighting in general and particularly for the exit of Biafra from the British-created contraption called Nigeria. We are proud to assert that all the current topical issues in Nigeria ranging from lopsided geo-political environment through infrastructural decay to the Janjaweed-style of governance were all engendered by IPOB agitation for a separate homeland for the people of Biafra and exposure of the British fraudulent creation called Nigeria.

Even petty criminals seeking to evade justice and merchants of misery like the previously unknown Benjamin Apugo of Ibeku Umuahia, an NPN thug in the days of the Second Republic, self-confessed APC servant and by his own admission, age long Hausa-Fulani slave, have also found IPOB a useful mechanism to seek his escape from prosecution for his culpability in an ongoing extortion scam pending before a court of law in Umuahia Abia State.

Most discredited and irrelevant politicians in the South-East and South-South now see their negative comments and press statements against our leader or IPOB as a sure way to escape EFCC investigations or as a means to endear themselves to their Hausa-Fulani masters in the hope of getting some financial reward or political favours. In all these, we (IPO remain unperturbed, focused and determined to restore Biafra and liberate all oppressed people enslaved by Britain within what they named Nigeria.

We IPOB, led by Nnamdi Kanu can assuredly confirm that our relentless efforts have resulted in the laughable-cum-panicky call for an Igbo Presidency as a means to assuage our unquenchable quest for the exit of Biafra from Nigeria. Recently, Mr. Raji Fashola has been running amok with half-hearted road rehabilitation measures in Biafraland, in a bid to counter the progress of IPOB towards the total and irreversible liberation of Biafra from the British-supervised internal colonization of Biafraland by the Hausa-Fulani Islamic jihadists.

But Biafrans have already been educated and know that there shall be proper, not cosmetic, infrastructural development in the areas of (Roads, Hospitals, IT, Airports, Seaports, Schools, Industries, etc.) in a sovereign nation of Biafra where the Presidency will not be determined by zoning and where nobody will be treated as a minority. We have a 75-year infrastructural development plan that will even outlast this present generation of freedom fighters. At IPOB, our preoccupation is the well-being of our children yet unborn and posterity. We shall not build roads for the benefit of winning the next election but for the collective advancement of every soul within the society.

IPOB can categorically inform the world that the current slogan of “RESTRUCTURING“ is as a result of the irreversible resolve of Biafrans to leave Nigeria. Without the impact of the truth preached by Nnamdi Kanu and activities of IPOB, nobody would have had the confidence to advocate “RESTRUCTURING” in the first place. Even in the presence of the blood-thirsty dictator Muhammadu Buhari, we IPOB gave our lives and mortgaged our freedoms which had the effect of clearing the way for individuals and groups to protest publicly and rally for causes they cherish. Before the coming of IPOB, individuals and groups were afraid to publicly criticize Buhari or mention the word “BIAFRA“ before strangers outside the comfort of their homes but this is no longer the case.

The emergence of a focused and hopefully Biafra-centric new Executives of Ohanaeze Ndigbo organization was as a direct result of the determination of IPOB in exposing the evils of the past Ohanaeze Executives and their penchant for accepting bribes from Aso Rock and abandoning the Igbo-speaking people of Biafra whom they are supposed to protect. We note that the current Executives of Ohanaeze has started on a strong footing which is reminiscent of the old Igbo Union that was wrongly banned by Major-General J. T. U. Aguiyi-Ironsi. We hope that this new Executive of Ohanaeze will continue to support Biafra restoration process because doing otherwise will lead to their demise just like what happened to their predecessors.

As a responsible, peaceful and friendly freedom-fighting organization, IPOB has never initiated any battle against anyone or any group but has rather responded in full measure only when attacked. Every keen observer would have noticed that we only responded when the integrity of IPOB or the leadership was impugned by certain individuals such as Dr. Dozie Ikedife, Sylvester Udeh a.k.a. Debe Ojukwu, Joe-Judas Igbokwe, Monday Ubani, Raphael Lebeanya Uwazuruike a.k.a. IFEAJUNA, and lately Revd. Father Ejike “Usman” Camillus Anthony Ebenezer Mbaka.

As we move closer to our destination of Biafra, IPOB will focus more on activities that will sensitize Biafrans towards the upcoming referendum and pay less attention to the distractions of individuals and groups who are averse to freedom from tyranny, political subjugation of Hausa-Fulani Islamic Oligarchy and oppression. Therefore, IPOB will no longer respond to every ****ic ranting from disgruntled elements, especially those from the Igbo-speaking area of Biafraland who have sold and will continue to sell their soul for a pot of porridge.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPO shall remain resolute and determined towards the restoration of the nation of Biafra. Nothing shall ever make us waver or retreat from restoring our God-given nation. We welcome multiplicity of organizations from Biafraland, including those from Igbo-speaking area, as long as they are puritanical in their quest for the restoration of Biafra and devoid of corrupt practices. For those who are advocating for “one Nigeria,“ we assure them that they will be defeated and disgraced in the upcoming referendum because we are confident that the people of Biafra shall vote overwhelmingly “YES“ to leave Nigeria.

We do know that Biafrans and all lovers of freedom worldwide will be eternally grateful to the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu and the worldwide family of IPOB for bringing Biafra restoration to the verge of successful accomplishment in such a very short time unlike the shenanigans of the criminally-minded Uwazuruike and others who turned freedom-fighting into a lifetime career. We urge all Biafrans and friends of Biafra to continue to support IPOB in our collective quest to restore Biafra.

We shall never retreat, we shall never surrender until Biafra and all oppressed peoples of Nigeria are totally and unconditionally liberated from the clutches of British Government's neo-colonial domination and their conniving agents Hausa-Fulani Islamic jihadists.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPO under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu have come out to restore Biafra, and it is a task that we shall achieve in the shortest possible time, and nothing will ever stop us from restoring the nation of Biafra.
Biafra or Death!!!

Signed
Barrister Emma Nmezu
Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya
Spokespersons for IPOB

The Irony of International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Forest Rain
February 1, 2017
645
Image Source: Protest - Takver
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Did you know that Israel commemorates the Holocaust on a different date than the International Holocaust Remembrance Day?

The world would have preferred to forget. In 2005, Israel finally succeeded to attain UN recognition of an internationally recognized Holocaust Remembrance Day. January 27th was chosen as this was the date of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945.

Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day is determined by the Jewish calendar, not the international (Christian) calendar. The date chosen does not mark a specific occurrence- it signifies the place of the Holocaust within the framework of the Jewish experience.

Holocaust Memorial Day is commemorated one week after the end of the Passover holiday which celebrates God liberating the Jewish people from slavery in ancient Egypt, the Exodus, receiving the Torah and returning as the Nation of Israel to the promised land, Israel.

One week after Holocaust Memorial Day, Israel marks the Memorial Day for IDF soldiers and victims of terrorism. The attempt to exterminate the Jewish people did not end with the Holocaust. To this day, we must fight to survive, free in our own land – not like the slaves our ancestors once were, not at the mercy of the “civilized” of the world as our grandparents were… Today we have the power to fight our own battles and sadly, fight we must. Terrorism is proof that the hate against us has not abated, only morphed in to a different form with different excuses used as justification.
Caught outside with no protection, an Israeli mother shields her child from Hamas missile bombardment

Even in our own land, the Jewish people are still being victimized.

The night of Memorial Day for our soldiers is the beginning of our Independence Day celebrations. This gut-wrenching juxtaposition is our reality. One does not exist without the other.

For the rest of the world the Holocaust is an event that occurred during a war that effected most of the globe. For Israel, the Holocaust is a concentrated example of the Jewish experience – the hate directed at us simply because we exist, the horrors civilized people are capable of, the sacrifice of silent heroes, the resilience of a people determined not only to survive, but to thrive and make the world better than it was before. The miracle of our existence, a miracle renewed throughout our history as described in the Passover story, part of what we must repeat each year so that our children remember: “In every generation people rise up against us, to exterminate us and every time God saves us from their hands.”

Not once. Every time.

The Holocaust was a defining moment in history but it is not what has defined our people. Our legacy is more ancient and our experiences more complex even than the unspeakable horror that was the Holocaust.
Our suffering, inverted and appropriated

An International Day for Holocaust Remembrance in today’s world is bizarre and almost laughable.

Today Jews are denied the right to live safely in our own land while the world denies that a problem even exists.

“Never again” has become a commonly used slogan but there is no action behind the words. When people are being persecuted and slaughtered on the basis of their religion little to know action is taken to save them. Few give them refuge. Instead the slogan is bandied around in anti-Trump rallies, used to protest nonexistent persecution of Muslim while Christians and Yazidis are left to the tender mercies of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq or Boko Haram in Nigeria.

While there continue to be Holocaust deniers, others claim the Holocaust for themselves, saying that Jews are today committing the horrors of the Holocaust against defenseless Arabs. In this twisted imaginary reality, the victim becomes the perpetrator, making it logical, even honorable to attack the ex-victim.

The Jew hatred that almost exterminated our people is today being used to justify modern Jew hatred.

Once it was the “scientifically proven” inferiority of Jewish genetics that made it reasonable to round up Jews. Today it is the “proof” of social media, UN resolutions and campus demonstrations that defines Israel as an immoral oppressor that must be “resisted” (read = terrorized / boycotted / divested etc.).

The Jews of Europe were told they should “go back to Palestine” because Palestine was Zion, homeland of the Jewish people. Now the Jewish people are being told that Israel is Palestine which they are occupying illegally.

From slavery in Egypt, the rise and fall of hostile empires, exile, the Spanish Inquisition, pogroms, the Holocaust, the wars against Israel and terrorism. Nations that witnessed and said nothing. Nations that blamed us while they were attacking us or allowing others to do so, hoping their collaboration against us would be their salvation from the violence of others.

What is different today?

What is the point of an international Holocaust Remembrance Day in a world desperate to forget? Around the world, the “civilized” remain silent. Or gleefully join in the “fun,” perverting the memory of our suffering, using it as a weapon against us…
Remembering Heroism

The Nation of Israel is a people commanded to remember. The idea is less to remember the suffering (though that too is important) and more to remember the lessons that are learned from the experiences.

What you do not remember, you are doomed to repeat.

In Israel, a single, critical word was added to the name of Holocaust Memorial Day: Heroism.

On the “Memorial Day for the Holocaust and Heroism” we remember what truly defines us as a nation. It is not the horrors perpetrated against us that shape who we are. It is heroism, the indomitable spirit of Israel that ensures our survival, against all odds. Ground in to ashes, we rise like the phoenix, reborn, stronger and more beautiful than ever before.

This is our miracle.

The Jewish resistance during WW2 was obviously heroic as was the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. We honor this heroism but also another, more quiet and profound:

The parents who hid their children, allowing themselves to be taken by the Nazi soldiers, hoping that their children would somehow survive. The parents that gave their children parting instructions: “Grow up to be a good person.”

The people who gave their food to those who needed it more.

The people who picked up their friends during the Death March and helped them continue walking so they could live another day.faith

The people that sang, created poetry and theater in the ghetto. The people that, even when they had nothing left, kept their prayer shawls and phylacteries. The people that celebrated the Sabbath and the holidays of Israel in the concentration camps.

The survivors who walked in to the unknown to create a new future for themselves. They got married, had children, pretending they were normal in hopes that their children could grow up to be truly normal.

The people who did not talk about the humiliation, starvation, torture and psyche twisting experiences they experienced because they felt that if they began talking everything would pour out and their children would drown in the horror.

The people that did talk about their experiences, in hope that their children would cherish those that did not survive, in hope that their children would be able to recognize new danger when it comes.

The people that had every reason in the world to give up but didn’t.

That is heroism.

What is different today?

The players have changed as have the locations but the story is still the same: Horror. Apathy. Memory. Heroism.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is a nice idea. If only it meant something…

It is up to the Nation of Israel to remember the lessons of the Holocaust; it’s place within the framework of the Jewish experience and the spirit that has enabled our survival throughout the centuries.

“In every generation people rise up against us, to exterminate us and every time God saves us from their hands.”

It happens every time. We must never ever forget that.

Originally Published on Inspiration from Zion.

Let's Dissect Trump's Statement on Communities in Judea and Samaria

Let’s Dissect Trump’s Statement on Communities in Judea and Samaria
Micha Gefen
February 5, 2017
769
Image Source: Maale Hever | Trump - Gage Skidmore
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With all of the uproar concerning Donald Trump’s supposed about face concerning Jewish communities in Judea and Samria (collectively known as “settlements”) it is important to look at the entire statement from the administration’s press secretary Sean Spicer.

“The American desire for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians has remained unchanged for 50 years. While we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace, the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal. As the President has expressed many times, he hopes to achieve peace throughout the Middle East region. The Trump administration has not taken an official position on settlement activity and looks forward to continuing discussions, including with Prime Minister Netanyahu when he visits with President Trump later this month.”

Although the elite media seems bent on misreporting the above statement as opposition to “settlements,” the Trump administration seems to be indicating the opposite.

“…we don’t believe the existence of settlements is an impediment to peace…”

This line is pretty explicit, President Trump does not believe “settlements” are the reason why there has been no peace agreement. It is true the administration then goes on to dictate the extent of Israeli “settlement” construction it deems permissible, however the contours of this are so vast, it would include all government building tenders in the foreseeable future.

Some explanation is needed.

Each community has what is called a blue line or community border. This is far larger than the built up areas within the communities. Many communities would be able to double or even triple and in some cases quadruple in size before they were maxed out. The statement does not make a distinction between “settlement blocks” or “isolated settlements.” Essentially the Trump administration is saying to Israel, don’t make a big deal every time you build some houses and we won’t make a big deal back.

This approach allows President Trump to continue support for Judea and Samaria without disturbing the growing alliance of Sunni Arab states and Israel in opposition to Iran.

Eessntially, what the elite media is reporting is nothing other than fake news.

The Trump way of winning the war
Caroline Glick
February 6, 2017
332
Image Source: Trump - Gage Skidmore | Saeb Erekat - Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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The PLO is disoriented, panicked and hysterical. Speaking to Newsweek this week, Saeb Erekat, PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas’s chief conduit to Israel and the Americans, complained that since President Donald Trump was sworn into office, no administration official had spoken to them.

“I don’t know any of them [Trump’s advisers]. We have sent them letters, written messages. They don’t even bother to respond to us.”

The Trump administration’s shunning of the PLO is a marked departure from the policies of its predecessor. For former president Barack Obama, together with Iran, the Palestinians were viewed as the key players in the Middle East. Abbas was the first foreign leader Obama called after taking office.

Erekat’s statement reveals something that is generally obscured. Despite its deep support in Europe, the UN and the international Left, without US support, the PLO is irrelevant.

All the achievements the PLO racked up under Obama – topped off with the former president’s facilitation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 against Israel – are suddenly irrelevant. Their impact dissipated the minute Trump took office.

Israel, in contrast, is more relevant than ever.

While Trump occasionally pays lip service to making peace in the Middle East, his real goal is to win the war against jihadist Islam. And he rightly views Israel as a woefully underutilized strategic ally that shares his goal and is well-placed to help him achieve it.

During the electoral campaign, Trump often spoke derisively of Obama’s nuclear pact with Tehran. And he repeatedly promised to eradicate Islamic State. But when asked to explain what he intended to do on these scores, Trump demurred. You don’t expect me to let the enemy know my plan, do you?

Trump’s critics dismissed his statements as empty talk. But since he came into office, each day signals that he does have a plan and that he is implementing it. The plan coming into focus involves a multidimensional campaign that if successful will both neutralize Iran as a strategic threat and obliterate ISIS.

Regarding Iran specifically, Trump’s moves to date involve operations on three levels. First, there is the rhetorical campaign to distinguish the Trump administration from its successor.

Trump launched the campaign on Twitter on Wednesday writing, “Iran is rapidly taking over more and more of Iraq even after the US has squandered three trillion dollars there.”

Shortly before his post, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider Abadi appointed Iranian proxy Qasim al Araji to serve as his interior minister.

At a minimum, Trump’s statement signaled an abandonment of Obama’s policy of cooperating with Iranian forces and Iranian-controlled Iraqi forces in the fight against ISIS in Iraq.

At around the same time Trump released his tweet about Iranian control of Iraq, his National Security Adviser Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Michael Flynn took a knife to Obama’s obsequious stand on Iran during a press briefing at the White House.

While Trump’s statement related to Iran’s growing power in Iraq, Flynn’s remarks were directed against its non-conventional threat and its regional aggression. Both were on display earlier this week.

On Sunday, Iran carried out its 12th ballistic missile test since concluding its nuclear deal with Obama, and its first since Trump took office.

On Monday, Iranian-controlled Houthi forces in Yemen attacked a Saudi ship in the Bab al-Mandab choke point connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Flynn condemned both noting that they threatened the US and its allies and destabilized the Middle East. The missile test, he said, violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that anchored the nuclear deal.

Flynn then took a step further. He drew a sharp contrast between the Obama administration’s responses to Tehran’s behavior and the Trump administration’s views of Tehran’s provocative actions.

“The Obama administration failed to respond adequately to Tehran’s malign actions – including weapons transfers, support for terrorism, and other violations of international norms,” he noted.

“The Trump administration condemns such actions by Iran that undermine security, prosperity and stability throughout and beyond the Middle East and place American lives at risk.”

Flynn ended his remarks by threatening Iran directly.

“As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice,” he warned.

While Flynn gave no details of what the US intends to do to Iran if it continues its aggressive behavior, the day before he made his statement, the US opened a major, multilateral, British-led naval exercise in the Persian Gulf. US naval forces in the region have been significantly strengthened since January 20 and rules of engagement for US forces in the Persian Gulf have reportedly been relaxed.

Perhaps the most potent aspect of Trump’s emerging strategy for defeating the forces of jihad is the one that hasn’t been discussed but it was signaled, through a proxy, the day after Trump took office.

On January 21, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a remarkable message to the Iranian people on his Facebook page. Netanyahu drew a sharp distinction between the “warm” Iranian people and the “repressive” regime.

Netanyahu opened his remarks by invoking the new administration.

“I plan to speak soon with President Trump about how to counter the threat of the Iranian regime, which calls for Israel’s destruction,” the prime minister explained.

“But it struck me recently that I’ve spoken a lot about the Iranian regime and not enough about the Iranian people, or for that matter, to the Iranian people. So I hope this message reaches every Iranian.”

Netanyahu paid homage to the Green Revolution of 2009 that was brutally repressed by the regime. In his words, “I’ll never forget the images of proud, young students eager for change gunned down in the streets of Tehran in 2009.”

Netanyahu’s statement was doubtlessly coordinated with the new administration. It signaled that destabilizing with the goal of overthrowing the regime in Tehran is a major component of Trump’s strategy.

By the looks of things in Iran, regime opponents are taking heart from the new tone emanating from Washington. Iranian dissidents have asked for a meeting with Trump’s team. And a week and a half before Trump’s inauguration, regime opponents staged a massive anti-regime protest.

Protesters used the public funeral of former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to denounce the regime. In 2009, Rafsanjani sided with many of the Green Movement’s positions. His daughter was a leader of the protests.

Among the estimated 2.5 million people who attended the funeral, scores of thousands interrupted the official eulogies to condemn the regime, condemn the war with Syria and condemn the regime’s Russian allies.

This then brings us to Syria, where the war against ISIS and the campaign against Iran are set to converge. To date, Trump has limited his stated goals in Syria to setting up safe zones inside the country where displaced Syrians can live securely. Saudi Arabia and the Emirates have agreed to cooperate in these efforts.

Trump is now engaged in a talks with the Kremlin both above and below the radar about the possibility of coordinating their operations in Syria to enable safe zones to be established.

It is fairly clear what the US objective here would be. The US wishes to convince Moscow to effectively end its alliance with the Iranian regime. Trump repeatedly stated that the entire spectrum of US-Russian relations is now in play. Talks between the two governments will encompass Ukraine, US economic sanctions on Russia, nuclear weapons, Russian bases in Syria and Russia’s alliance with Iran and its Hezbollah proxies.

Everything is on the table.
Trump understands that Russia is threatened by Sunni jihadists and that Russia views Iran as a counterweight to ISIS and its counterparts in the Caucasus. A deal between the US and Russia could involve a Russian agreement to end its support for Iran and Hezbollah in exchange for US acceptance of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, cancellation of sanctions and perhaps some form of acquiescence to Russia’s military presence in Syria.

Russia and the US could then collaborate with Arab states with Israeli support to defeat ISIS and end the Syrian refugee crisis.

Combined with actions the Trump administration is already taking in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, and its telegraphed aim of backing a popular Iranian insurrection, Trump’s hypothetical deal with Russia would neutralize Iran as a conventional and non-conventional threat.

This then brings us back to Israel – the first target of Iran’s aggression. If Trump’s strategy is successful, then the PLO will not be Israel’s only foe that is rendered irrelevant.

Earlier this week it was reported that in the two and- a-half years since the last war with Hamas, the Iranian-backed, Muslim Brotherhood-affiliate terrorist group has rebuilt its forces. Today Hamas fields assets and troops that match the capabilities it fielded during Operation Protective Edge.

Hezbollah, with its effective control over Lebanon, including the Lebanese military, is a strategic threat to Israel.

To date, Israel has demurred from targeting Hezbollah and Hamas missile arsenals, but not because it is incapable of destroying them. Israel’s efforts to avoid conflict with its enemies, even at the price of their rearmament, also haven’t stemmed from fear of European or UN condemnation or even from fear of the so-called “CNN-effect.”

Israel has chosen not to defeat its enemies – not to mention the EU-backed NGOs that whitewash them – because the Americans have supported them.

The Clinton administration barred Israel from taking decisive action against either Hezbollah or the Palestinians.

The Bush administration forced Israel to stand down during the war with Hezbollah in 2006.

The Obama administration effectively sided with Hamas against Israel in 2014.

In other words, across three administrations, the Americans made it impossible for Israel to take decisive military action against its enemies.
Under Obama, the US also derailed every Israeli attempt to curb the power of EU-funded subversive organizations operating from inside of Israel.

Trump’s emerging strategy on Iran and ISIS, together with his refusal to operate in accordance with the standard US playbook on the Palestinians, indicates that the US has abandoned this practice. Under Trump, Israel is free to defeat its enemies. Their most powerful deterrent against Israel – the US – is gone.

Israel has long argued that there is no difference between al-Qaida and Hamas or between ISIS and Hezbollah. It has also argued that Iran threatens not only Israel but the world as a whole. Hoping to co-opt the forces of jihad rather than defeat them, successive US administrations have chosen to deny this obvious truth.

Unlike his predecessors, Trump is serious about winning. To do so, he is even willing to take the radical step of accepting Israel as an ally.

The PLO is right to be hysterical.

Originally published in the Jerusalem Post.

Watch] WAR DRUMS: USS Cole to the Red Sea, Fresh Sanctions on Iran, Ayatollah Warns

Things are continuing to heat up in the Middle East as the US Military has sent the USS Cole to patrol off the coast of Yemen following a Houthi attack on a Saudi Arabian vessel earlier in the week. This has been coupled with the Trump administration adding fresh sanctions to the Iranian regime. With tensions rising between the US and Iran, the Ayatollah has threatened to attack US interests in the region.

Iranian Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh said the following in response to the sanctions:

“If the enemy does not walk the line, our missiles come down on them.” He continued to say “We are working day and night to protect Iran’s security. If we see smallest misstep from the enemies, our roaring missiles will fall on their heads.”

The war of words and posturing have continued with President Trump threatening Iran on Twitter:

While the Ayatollah and the President continue to verbally attack one another, Secretary of Defense Mattis has been in Asia , seemingly to build an anti-Iranian coalition.

Things To Look Out For

With the USS Cole back in the Red Sea and the Iranians pressed by the Trump administration, look for an attack against the battleship in order to force Trump to resspond. Another thing to pay attention to is whether or not the US will convince Putin’s Russia to part ways with Iran. If so, the Ayatollahs will have no choice but to attack.

https://youtu.be/8zC2sYpJP9g