Trump throws everyone away, including Israel and his own son
Weekend News Round-up
The Jewish holiday of Shavuot started on Thursday night, and for possibly the first time since I moved to Israel, we experienced a long weekend, Thursday-Friday- Saturday.
Yes, we had certain holiday responsibilities, like eating a variety of delicious gourmet versions of cheese. Raphaela had time to study for her upcoming matriculation exams. But mostly we got to sleep a bit later, read novels and hang out together. I must admit that I enjoyed it much more than I had anticipated, and wonder how I have gone almost 30 years in Jerusalem thinking that only lazy people in America take off the whole day on Sunday.
Tonight, after Shabbat, I decided to catch up on the news, and whoo boy, we have things to discuss.
The US negotiations with Iran are failing miserably, and Israeli defense officials told the New York Times that Israel has been completely excluded, despite the fact that we will experience the direct consequences. “The banishment from the cockpit to economy class has potentially significant consequences for Israel,” they said.
Trump has used Israel and thrown us away. Trump has used the Iranian people, who will continue to suffer under the IRCG.
Auspiciously, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency has received reports of suspicious activity within the Gulf of Aden, including multiple reports of vessels being approached by skiffs carrying both ladders and weapons.
Iran has asserted expanded control over the Strait of Hormuz, claiming it now includes the costal waters of the UAE and Oman. Iran has apparently approached Oman regarding sharing fees from ships traversing the Strait; while the move prompted a letter of protest from five Gulf States.
US President Trump, angered by the Iranian “controlled maritime zone,” demanded, “We want [the Strait of Hormuz] open, we want it free. We don’t want tolls. It’s an international waterway.”
Mr. Trump, Sir, it was a free international waterway until you stepped in. Last I checked, a temper tantrum won’t motivate major diplomatic agreements. Just saying.
Donald Trump’s son, Don Junior, got married this weekend in the Bahamas. When asked if he would be attending, Trump responded that Don Junior is a “person I’ve known for a very long time.” (Huh?)
He continued, “He’d like me to go, but it’s gonna be just a small little private affair, and I’m gonna try and make it. I said, you know, it’s not good timing for me. I have a thing called Iran and other things. That’s one I can’t win on. If I do attend, I get killed. If I don’t attend, I get killed.”
Lest anyone think that Trump was alluding to yet another staged assassination attempt, he quickly added, “By the fake news, of course.”
BTW, the “other things” that kept Trump extremely busy this weekend? Golfing.
The other “other thing” that Trump did this week? Authorize the drilling of the Grand Canyon, so he and his cronies could line their pockets, and bonus, simultaneously destroy the planet.
Stephen Colbert aired his last show, ever, on Thursday 21/5/26. You may remember that CBS canceled the show to get into the good graces of US President Trump and his business associates who don’t believe in Freedom of Speech or Freedom of Expression anymore.
President Snowflake then posted an AI derived image of Trump storming the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theatre, grabbing Colbert by the collar and throwing him in a dumpster; this, along with multiple social media postings celebrating the fall of Colbert, and promising to get the rest of the Late Night hosts fired, should frighten any Constitutional lawyer.
I have a feeling CBS will soon regret their choice.
The fake news, most recently a couple of doozies from The New York Times, seems to be fixated on Israel in an obsessive, unhealthy, and un-fact-checked way. Israel cheated in Eurovision. OK, we still came in second this year.
Nicholas Kristoff reported on the alleged systemic sexual abuse of Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli detention. OK, so now we rape Palestinians. (In fact, Israel is suing both Kristoff and the NYT for this article.)
Not to be outdone, activists released from Israeli custody, after being detained from the most recent Gaza flotilla, claimed to the press that they had been subjected to abuse, with at least 15 participants reporting sexual assaults including rape.
Reuters noted that it was unable to independently verify the activists’ accusations.
OK, now we rape Palestinians and foreigners.
Hold up, you know who did in fact torture, rape and murder innocent civilians? Hamas, on the day of the October 7 Massacre, and every day that the hostages were held in their terror tunnels. Hamas forced two young hostage children, siblings, to have sexual relations in front of their captors.
Nah, #metoounlessyou'reaJew
The IDF and intelligence services have established a special unit, tasked with hunting down and eliminating or capturing the thousands of terrorists who took part in the October 7 Massacre.
Speaking of hypocrisy and anti-Semitism, Pro-Hamas Mayor of New York Mamdani and his wife - who celebrated publicly on October 7, 2023 - will be the first to NOT walk and participate in the Israel Day Parade.
Finally, I honor Eva Schloss, who died this past week at the age of 96, having survived Auschwitz with her mother. Her father Erich and her brother Heinz perished. After the war, her mother married Otto Frank, she became the posthumous stepsister to Anne Frank, and spent all her days bearing witness to the horrors of the Holocaust.
So the dead wouldn’t be forgotten, and so the living would learn to love.
Residents of the north of Israel have been running to bomb shelters for the last week. We don’t say the word S-I-R-E-N in our house, no reason to test fate.