#ron dermer

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Trump writes to Israeli president calling for Netanyahu pardon

Isaac Herzog can pardon convicted criminals in some circumstances, but cases against Israeli PM are ongoing

Jason Burke at The Guardian:

Donald Trump has repeated a request to Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, for a pardon for Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial in three separate corruption cases. The Israeli prime minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the ongoing court cases. No rulings have been delivered, and his supporters have dismissed the trials as politically motivated. In a letter released by Herzog’s office on Wednesday, Trump says he is writing to the president at a “historic time, as we have, together, just secured peace that has been sought for at least 3,000 years”. “I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister … While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System … I believe that this ’case’ against Bibi … is political, unjustified prosecution,” he writes.

Trump has already suggested a presidential pardon for Netanyahu in a series of social media posts and a speech to the Israeli parliament last month. Despite the largely ceremonial role of the Israeli presidency, Herzog has the authority to pardon convicted criminals under unusual circumstances. Netanyahu’s trials, which began in 2020, have not yet concluded, and he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused in one case of accepting more than $260,000 (£198,000) worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours. He is also accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage from two Israeli media outlets in two other cases. Herzog has previously rejected Trump’s requests for a pardon, and on Wednesday advised the US president to follow the usual processes.

Donald Trump urges Israel President Isaac Herzog to pardon war PM criminal Benjamin Netanyahu.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

[eretzyisrael]

Israeli ambassador slams ‘New York Times’ for ‘libel’ against the Jewish state, BY YONI HERSCH - JNS.org

Ambassador Ron Dermer accuses the paper of “demonization” over a recent article on Israel’s efforts against coronavirus • AJC CEO David Harris calls article’s phrasing “vile.“

(May 10, 2020 / Israel Hayom) Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer leveled scathing criticism at The New York Times on Friday over an article pointing out that the Israel Defense Forces’ research and development efforts, which have proven crucial in Israel’s battle against the coronavirus, are predominately dedicated to devising ways to counter the Jewish state’s enemies.

The article, “Israeli Army’s Idea Lab Aims at a New Target: Saving Lives,” which was published on Thursday, states that “The Israeli Defense Ministry’s research-and-development arm is best known for pioneering cutting-edge ways to kill people and blow things up, with stealth tanks and sniper drones among its more lethal recent projects.”

Ambassador Ron Dermer slammed the newspaper, tweeting, “The New York Times, which buried the Holocaust, Is best known for pioneering ways to libel and demonize the Jewish State. Now it is doing the same.”

The article also outraged some pro-Israel advocates, the Forward reported.

Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicate by email and never miss our top stories

American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris called the phrasing “vile,” saying it “should read: Israeli Defense Ministry’s research-and-development arm is best known for pioneering cutting-edge ways to defend #Israel since 1948 from annihilation by state/non-state actors.”

Almog Elijis, the spokeswoman for Israel’s consulate in New York, called out the New York Times “for their shameful twisting of reality.”

“Saving lives is at the core of what Israel stands for, has always stood for, and will always stand for,” she tweeted.

[schraubd]

Israel's Snuggles with Trump Threaten Israel

The most interesting thing about this article in Ha'aretz isn't the message, but who's allegedly delivering it:

In messages that have been conveyed to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, as well as to the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, these individuals have stressed that despite its desire to forge a close relationship with Trump, Israel must move cautiously and avoid making any moves that would distance the Democrats from the Israeli government and make it difficult for Israel’s friends in the party to come to its assistance.

No fewer than five senior officials in centrist American Jewish organizations that are known for their unequivocal support of Israel told Haaretz that they personally had conveyed messages of this nature to officials in the Israeli Embassy in Washington, to the Prime Minister’s Office and to the Foreign Ministry. 

One of the five — none of whom wanted to be named — said the response he got from his Israeli interlocutors was “a silent nod that expressed understanding, but not agreement.”

[...]

A senior Foreign Ministry official, who also asked not to be named, confirmed the messages, telling Haaretz that they had come from both representatives of Jewish organizations identified with the Democratic Party and from representatives of Jewish groups affiliated with the Republican Party and with the right.

The bolding is my own. And of course, it'd be interesting to know who these groups are -- it's hard to imagine ZOA or the RJC saying this, for instance. I suspect they are referring to mainline groups that lean more conservative (maybe AIPAC? maybe the Conference of Presidents?). In any event, whoever these groups are it's good that they recognize the threat, because it's a real one -- and one that, unfortunately, the American Jewish right has a vested interest in perpetuating rather than resolving. Sadly, if the end of the third paragraph is any indicator, Israel will continue to ignore this advice outright and openly antagonize Democrats until they entire party hates them. Ron Dermer's speech at AIPAC expressing uncontained glee that Trump is the President instead of Obama would have been proof of this even if it hadn't come directly after the AIPAC President's plea to not to turn Israel into a partisan issue. God Ron Dermer is the worst. via The Debate Link http://ift.tt/2mNqE3n

[eretzyisrael]

Israeli ambassador predicts economic power will bring peace, by Phoebe Wall Howard

Young people in Israel are required to serve in the military and the "unfortunate security situation" creates an "innovation advantage."

Ron Dermer, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., points to the presence of General Motors, Apple and Intel in Israel to argue that innovation there will lead to economic strength that ultimately brings peace.

"Strong countries are courted on the world stage, weak countries are not," he told the audience of 300 attending the Detroit Economic Club luncheon at the Motor City Casino on Monday.

He outlined an aggressive startup culture that hosts research and development facilities for 42 of 50 leading high-tech companies. An estimated 500 companies doing work in Israel are focused on self-driving auto technology alone, Dermer said.

"Israel has one-tenth of 1 percent of the world's population but 20 percent of the world's cybersecurity investment," he said. "Israel is poised like no other country in the world."

[ambient-entropy]

[irreplaceable-spark]

Arabs vs Jews? Maybe Not | Ambassador Ron Dermer | #288

The numerous heated and hotly debated conflicts surrounding Israel are almost always threatening to boil over and cast the Middle East into unceremonious chaos. Ambassador Ron Dermer sits down with Dr Jordan B Peterson to discuss the issues, the misnomers, and the underlying truths surrounding one of the most resilient peoples and countries in history. 

Ron Dermer is an American-born political consultant who served as Israel’s Ambassador to the United States from 2013 to 2021. As Prime Minister Netanyahu’s top advisor, Dermer was a driving force behind many of the era’s most important diplomatic developments, such as the monumental Abraham Accords, which normalized Israel’s relations with several Arab nations. 

Dermer earned a degree in Finance and Management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) from Oxford University.  After moving to Israel, Dermer became a columnist for The Jerusalem Post and served as a close advisor to Natan Sharansky.  In 2004, he co-authored with Sharansky the best-selling book, “The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror,” which has been translated into ten languages

[newsnomadblog]

Israel will bar US lawmakers Omar, Tlaib from entering country

Israel will bar US lawmakers Omar, Tlaib from entering country

The two Muslim members of Congress have backed boycotts of the Jewish state; move comes after reported pressure from Trump administration to deny them entry

15 August 2019 | Staff | Times of Israel

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely confirmed on Thursday reports that Israel has decided to deny entry to two US congresswomen, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, over their support for boycotting the…

View On WordPress