Brazil to move its embassy to Jerusalem
Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro will move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced during a meeting with Jewish leaders in Rio de Janeiro.
Netanyahu explained, “Mr. Bolsonaro said, ‘I will move the embassy to Jerusalem. It’s not a question of if, just a question of when,’” according to a press release issued by the prime minister’s office.
The Israeli leader added, “President Trump said the same thing. He moved the embassy. And President Bolsonaro will move the embassy as well. He accepted my invitation to visit Israel in the coming months and he’s going to do it, he says, by March. And I look forward to receiving him with the same spirit and the same brother hood that he received me and that you are receiving us.”
Netanyahu will attend Bolsonaro’s inauguration ceremony on January 1.
When Brazil moves its embassy, it will join the United States and Guatemala.
In addition to these embassy moves, a number of nations have recognized Jerusalem, or portions thereof, as Israel’s capital, including Russia and Australia, among others. — From United With Israel
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Author Letty Cottin Pogrebin welcomes Shaqued Morag as head of Shalom Achshav
Letty Cottin Pogrebin, author and activist, sent out this message:
“I am happy to see Shaqued Morag at the helm of Shalom Achshav, Israel’s Peace Now movement, not only because of her proven management skills (and not only because I am always happy to see talented women in positions of leadership and power), but because she is the face and spirit of the peace movement’s new generation.
“Shaqued is one of hundreds of thousands of young Israelis who are determined to resist their right wing nationalist government and its erosions of democracy.
“Shaqued and her cohort are forcefully demanding that Israel maintain the rule of law, end its occupation of the West Bank, and allow both peoples — Israelis and Palestinians — to bequeath to their children two states living side by side in peace and security.
“As Peace Now’s partners in the U.S., Americans for Peace Now (APN) and its leaders are not naive about the frustrations and challenges of a stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Nevertheless, however grim its prospects at the moment, we know that as long as people of conscience are willing to continue the struggle for peace, our cause is far from lost. Moreover, we believe we owe it to our activists here and in Peace Now in Israel to redouble our efforts to keep hope alive in these dark times. We owe it to Shaqued and her friends. We owe it to every reasonable, justice-minded Israeli. We owe it to every American who believes in human dignity and disavows hatred of The Other. And we owe it to the memory of the eleven Jews slaughtered this fall in Pittsburgh simply for being Jews, a people that continue to be seen as The Other in the eyes of those who trade in demonization and hate.
“Rather than surrender to the toxicity and hopelessness permeating today’s world, we at APN have recommitted to peace by stepping up our education and advocacy efforts, whether in person, in writing, on our remarkable website (check out its riches), or in concert with Shalom Achshav, our Israeli counterpart. But we need your help to do our work: to provide quality materials, settlement maps, and resources so that legislators, the media, thought leaders, and every American is well informed on all the issues — and fired up enough to effectively resist Netanyahu, Trump, and the extremists who would lead the region into an abyss of perennial conflict and shameful subjugation of another people.” — From Americans for Peace Now
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Middle East Forum leaders say the solution to extremist Islam is moderate Islam
Daniel Pipes and Gregg Roman, respectively president and director of the Middle East Forum (MEF), have issued a statement including the following:
“Unfortunately, America is drawing away from the region [Middle East] that continues most to grow in dangers, from nuclear weapons to unvetted migrants, from radical ideologies to jihadi violence. Our opponents sitting in Moscow and Beijing treat the Middle East as the epicenter of a multidimensional chessboard; we at MEF are doing what we can to encourage the Trump administration to play the game effectively.
“Within the country [USA], Islamists are learning that violence is counterproductive, that instead they should gain influence through the educational, political, judicial, media, and other institutions. Because this process is incremental and non-violent, it tends not to be noticed. That’s where we come in, alerting all those who will listen – and some who don’t want to – about the danger.
“Many other excellent organizations also take on these two tasks; what makes the Forum unique is our combination of the intellectual, the operational, and the philanthropic.
“Intellectual: Ideas are MEF’s lifeblood. We believe Radical Islam is the problem; moderate Islam is the solution. Islamism has been in decline since 2012. Yet Islamists abound throughout the Middle East, so we have to pick “our” Islamists. We must exclude Islamists, not Muslims, from the United States. Iran’s regime lives on borrowed time; its successor will be friendly. Turkey is the Middle East’s great future threat. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is attempting a Westernizing revolution like Atatürk’s. Qatar is the greatest “soft power” threat to the United States. And so on.
“Operational: This past year we have been working across the globe getting the truth out about Middle Eastern threats, advising the American and foreign governments. We also are active in over 40 countries via visits, residence, and translations. Our projects include efforts to promote Israel Victory, interdict Qatar’s influence campaigns, foil Turkish influence in the United States, and call out malign Middle East studies programs.
“Philanthropic: MEF funds more than 100 organizations and individuals, then works with them by providing various services, such as marketing support, quarterly round tables, fundraising seminars, lobbying advice, and media engagement. For example, we convened a meeting of leading counter-Islamist organizations this year.” — From Middle East Forum
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Preceding culled from news releases and correspondence. Please send yours to editor@sdjewishworld.com