(source: IDF)

(Washington, D.C.) — UPDATE: “Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday lashed out at the world for its ‘hypocrisy’ over Iran as he unveiled a shipment of arms allegedly dispatched to Gaza by Tehran,” reports Agence France Presse. “Standing in front of a vast display of weapons seized last week from a vessel in the Red Sea, Netanyahu launched a blistering attack on the West over its apparent disregard for Iran’s alleged attempts to supply advanced weapons to Palestinian militants.”

“In a highly-publicised speech from Eilat port, where the weapons had been unloaded, Netanyahu said he had only heard a handful of ‘softly-worded condemnations of Iran’ over its ‘murderous delivery’ which came to light just days before EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton made a landmark visit to Tehran,” reports AFP. “We have been witness to the smiles and the handshakes between representatives of the West and the heads of the Iranian regime in Tehran, even as these missiles were being unloaded here in Eilat,” he said.

“The ship was organised by Iran, despatched by Iran, financed by Iran. The missiles were loaded by Iran, in Iran and as usual Iran denies these facts,” Netanyahu said. “Our intelligence services exposed the ship’s wayward route and Iran’s efforts to disguise it. They exposed the ship’s deadly cargo and its intended destination,” he said.

“Just as Iran hid its deadly missiles in the belly of this ship, Iran is hiding its actions and its intentions in many of its key installations for developing nuclear weapons,” he said. “Before it’s too late, the world must wake up from its illusion and prevent Iran from getting the capability to build a nuclear weapon.”

• Netanyahu, showing seized rockets, says Iran fooling the world (Reuters)
• Netanyahu blasts world’s ‘self-deception’ on Iran as intercepted weapons unveiled (Fox News)

ORIGINAL POST: Today, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will “unveil the inventory of weapons recovered from the attempted Iranian shipment to Gaza last week on the intercepted freighter Klos C,” the Jerusalem Post reported. “Netanyahu, along with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, was scheduled on Monday to tour the Eilat naval base where the Klos C is docked, to highlight Iran’s support for terrorism.”

“According to Military Intelligence, Iran originally flew the rockets from Syria to an Iranian airfield a number of months ago, before trucking them to the Iranian port of Bander Abbas, where they were loaded onto the Klos C,” the Post noted. “On Saturday, Israel Navy ships escorted the commandeered freighter to Eilat Port after intercepting it last week in the Red Sea, some 150 km. from Port Sudan and 1,500 km. from Israeli shores. Islamic Jihad was one of the intended recipients of the rockets, and Hamas is also assumed to have been a recipient. IDF intelligence assessments say that Iran’s Quds Force organized the shipment.”

According to the IDF, the following weaponry was found onboard the “Klos-C”:

• 40 rockets (type M-302), up-to the range of 160 kilometers
• 180 mortar shells
• Approximately 400,000 rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition.

After IDF forces returned from their mission, the Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Benjamin (Benny) Gantz  addressed the soldiers who took part in Operation Full Disclosure: “Our efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons and the supply of critical components with strategic influence over the region is not over, and our struggle does not end by arriving safely at our home port. We will sort through the equipment and continue our day to day efforts. There are many other missions ahead of us. The task we carried out was not a simple one. It was meticulously orchestrated by the IDF and particularly the Navy over a long period of time. It required each and every one of you to perform at your best while spending a significant amount of time at sea, and the product of this hard work is laid in front of you. Each one of these rockets poses a threat to the safety of the citizens of Israel. Each bullet and each rocket that was discovered had an Israeli address.”

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(Washington, D.C.) — “In a speech to Jewish leaders in Los Angeles on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew parallels between Nazi Germany and Iran, warning of dire consequences if anti-Jewish rhetoric is allowed to go unchecked,” reported the Los Angeles Times.

(Washington, D.C.) — Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet with President Obama at the White House on March 17th. Yet complicating the administration’s efforts to get a peace deal are enormously wide gaps between Abbas and Netanyahu on core issues.

“Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said there is ‘no way’ he will recognize Israel as a Jewish state and accept a Palestinian capital in just a portion of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, rebuffing what Palestinians fear will be key elements of a US peace proposal,” reports the Times of Israel. “s comments signaled that the gaps between him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remain wide after seven months of mediation efforts by US Secretary of State John Kerry.”

Excerpts:

• Abbas, whose remarks were published on Friday by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, said he withstood international pressure in the past, when he sought UN recognition of a state of Palestine over Washington’s objections.
• Speaking to youth activists of his Fatah party, he suggested he would stand firm again, particularly over the demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
• “They are pressing and saying, ‘no peace without the Jewish state,’” he said, though not spelling out who is applying the pressure. “There is no way. We will not accept.”
• Netanyahu has said such recognition is required as proof that the Palestinians are serious about a final end to the conflict. Abbas has noted that the Palestine Liberation Organization recognized the state of Israel in 1993 and said this is sufficient.
• Palestinians fear the demand is an Israeli attempt to restrict possible return options of Palestinian refugees and the rights of Israel’s large Arab minority. Israeli leaders have openly said the demand is partly to counter Palestinian demand for the return of millions of descendants of refugees, but have rejected the connection to Israel’s Arab citizens.
• Kerry is expected to present his ideas for the contours of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal soon, but it appears increasingly unlikely he can get Abbas and Netanyahu to accept such a framework by an April 29 deadline.
• Abbas is meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House on March 17, as part of US efforts to press both sides. Netanyahu met with Obama earlier this week.

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Family Fiction/Edge magazine published a cover story this month on The Auschwitz Escape.

If you are interested, you can read it by clicking here, or here.

Here are the first few paragraphs:

Many authors write about topics that intrigue them, but few others venture to write about historically sacred events, such as the Holocaust. With courage and conviction, well-known author Joel C. Rosenberg has ventured into historical suspense and done just that with his new novel, The Auschwitz Escape (Tyndale House).

In November 2011, Joel and a group of friends visited the infamous Auschwitz death camp in Poland. “It was haunting to realize that more than one million people were systematically murdered there, most of them Jews,” says Joel. While there he purchased a book to learn more about the camp. He then learned that several people actually escaped from the clutches of the Nazis at Auschwitz….

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A Czar is born.

(Washington, D.C.) — Recently, I was criticized for describing Vladimir Putin as a “Czar” and a danger to the U.S., Europe and Israel. On that charge, I plead guilty.

I do believe Putin is a Czar, and I believe he sees himself that way. It’s a case I’ve been making going back at least as far as 2004.

In the fall of 2006, I published my first non-fiction book, Epicenter. Chapter Seven was titled: “Future Headline: A Czar Rises In Russia, Raising Fears of a New Cold War.” (I’ve included excerpts from that chapter below.)

We are certainly seeing such headlines and commentaries today. Consider a brief sampling:

• Czar Vladimir’s Illusions — by Mikheil Saakashvili , who was president of Georgia from 2004 to 2013. He is now senior statesman at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
• Vladimir Putin: A 21st-Century Czar (Globe & Mail)
• A czar rises in Russia, as Putin humiliates Obama (Washington Times)
• “Mr. Putin is a simple man: He likes to hunt, fish and ride horses bareback. Those who cross him end up in cages in Siberia — or worse. Employing Machiavellian principles, he has become, over the past 15 years, a neo-czar.” — Cliff May, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
• “By now virtually all Western policy makers and analysts agree that Vladimir Putin is pursuing a neo-Czarist policy. Like the Czars in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and, for that matter, like the United States, Putin is slowly expanding his country’s borders, exploiting his neighbor’s weaknesses and responding to call for support from his ethnic confreres in those countries.” — Dov Zakheim, former U.S. Undersecretary of Defense (The National Interest)

That said, let me be clear that it is too early to say that Vladimir Putin is in any way connected to the figure of “Gog” that Bible prophecy speaks of building a Russian alliance with Iran and other nations in the “last days” to surround and attack Israel. Such prophecies are found in Ezekiel 38 & 39. At this point, I cannot rule out the possibility that Putin could eventually prove to be “Gog,” but much more would have to happen before we could fairly draw such a conclusion.

Nevertheless, Putin poses a serious threat to U.S. and allied interests.

SELECTED PAST BLOG COLUMNS ABOUT PUTIN:

• March 1, 2104 — PUTIN SEIZES CRIMEA. We are watching a Czar rise. Russian Senate authorizes Putin to use force in Ukraine. Russian troops on the move. Debate warns of “apocalyptic consequences.” Biggest test for Obama presidency.
• December 23, 2013 — What has Czar Putin been up to in recent weeks? Where is he headed in 2014? — “Vladmir Putin sees himself not so much as Russia’s president but as an old-time Czar for the modern age. All knowing. All powerful. Unchecked power. Determined to expand his territory and grow his power and personal wealth. This is what makes him so dangerous.”
• July 24, 2013 — Putin heading to Tehran to strengthen Russian-Iranian alliance. A look back at his historic 2007 trip — “To misunderstand the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blindsided by it. A new evil is rising in the world. Ahmadinejad is the new Hitler. Putin is a new Czar. Yet the West seems to be asleep to the implications of this dangerous new alliance.”
• March 27, 2012 — RUSSIAN CZAR PUTIN SET TO VISIT ISRAEL IN JUNE: WHY?
• March 5, 2012 — A CZAR IS BORN: PUTIN RETAKES POWER IN RUSSIA
• March 1, 2012 — NEW CZAR RISING: Russia’s election on March 4 may prove a bigger deal than our own.
• September 26, 2011 — PUTIN SET TO RE-EMERGE AS THE CZAR OF RUSSIA: Will run for President March 4, 2012
• October 19, 2007 — “To misunderstand the nature and threat of evil is to risk being blindsided by it. A new evil is rising in the world. Ahmadinejad is the new Hitler. Putin is a new Czar. Yet the West seems to be asleep to the implications of this dangerous new alliance.”
• September 1, 2004 — “The image Putin has tried to cast is one of stability. Elect me and I will be tough—tough on the terrorists, tough on the billionaire oligarchs, tough on the Russian mafia. Yes, I will take away your freedoms and ignore the democratic reformers. But you need me because I will keep Russia from falling apart. But in talks with leading political analysts here . . . we hear again and again a common theme: was the deal the people made with Putin so wise?Personal freedoms are evaporating. Putin is centralizing all power to himself. He is becoming a new Czar for a new ­Russia.” (excerpt from a blog I wrote; that “BlogSpot” site no longer exists, but I quote that blog in Epicenter, see p. 92.)

EXCERPTS FROM CHAPTER SEVEN OF EPICENTER:

In September I was in Russia for ten days doing research for my next novel. I met with a senior member of the State Duma (legislature), senior officials at the U.S. Embassy, leading Russian political analysts, and the New York Times’ Moscow bureau chief and an economic reporter for the Times.

To each one, I tossed out a possible scenario: a fascist, ­ultra-nationalist coup in Moscow leads to the assassination of the democratically elected leader of Russia and leaves a ­nuclear-armed dictator in power itching for a dangerous new confrontation with the West. One by one, each told me there was no need for a coup; the dictator is already in place. And so he is.

Over the past eighteen months or so, Vladimir Putin has steadily turned the clock back on Russian democracy, centralizing power back in the Kremlin and slowly morphing himself into an all-powerful Czar.

He has nationalized Russian television networks; thrown political opponents in prison on suspect charges; all but threatened to seize and nationalize one of Russia’s largest petroleum companies; announced Russia’s governors will no longer be popularly elected but rather appointed by the Kremlin; and steadfastly supported a presidential candidate in Ukraine even after international observers protested the candidate was trying to steal the election.

Meanwhile, Putin is selling nuclear power plants, fuel, and technology to Iran—the most dangerous state sponsor of terrorism on the planet—has announced a 40% increase in the Russian military budget, and just announced the development of a new class of Russian strategic nuclear missiles.

“We are not only conducting research and successful ­testing of the newest nuclear missile systems,” Putin told commanders at the Ministry of Defense, according to the New York Times (11/17/04). “I am certain that in the immediate years to come we will be armed with them. These are such developments and such systems that other nuclear states do not have and will not have in the immediate years to come.”

The Times added that the Russian military “is widely ­reported to have been trying to perfect land- and sea-based ­ballistic missiles with warheads that could elude a missile-defense system like the one being constructed by the Bush ­administration.”

Which brings us to today.

During a speech in India, Putin lashed out at Washington, accusing the Bush administration of seeking a “dictatorship of international affairs.

“Even if dictatorship is wrapped up in a beautiful package of pseuo-democratic phraseology, it will not be in a position to solve systemic problems,” Putin said in New Delhi.

Dictatorship?

To be sure, the situation in Russia isn’t nearly as bad today as it was during the Cold War. And Putin has done some things right; he has, for example, been supportive of U.S. efforts in the war on terror; has permitted U.S. and NATO planes to fly over Russian territory to support war efforts in Afghanistan; opposed but didn’t directly attempt to block the U.S.-led war against Iraq; and his 13% flat tax plan, among other pro-market economic reforms, has, in fact, helped the Russian economy grow significantly in recent years and attract U.S. and Western foreign investment and companies.

That said, however, the trend lines are disturbing. Russia is lurching back in the wrong direction. Putin is a dictator in the making.

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(Washington, D.C.) — Liberty University has invited me to address students and faculty on Friday morning, March 21st, three days after the release of The Auschwitz Escape. 

I will speak on the true stories that inspired me to write The Auschwitz Escape, lessons Christian young people can learn from the history of Hitler and the Holocaust, and the Biblical mandate to bless Israel and the Jewish people in these challenging times.

It is an honor to be invited and I look forward to being on the Liberty campus again. The last time I spoke to the students there was in September 2009.

Please join us for “Convocation” that Friday morning, or watch on-line.

“Liberty University is the largest private, nonprofit university in the nation, the largest university in Virginia, and the largest Christian university in the world,” its website notes. “Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on more than 7,000 beautiful acres in Lynchburg, VA, Liberty offers over 350 programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, and is home to more than 100,000 residential and online students. Since 1971, the mission of Liberty University has been to develop Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential for impacting tomorrow’s world. With a unique heritage and an ever-expanding influence, Liberty remains steadfast in its commitment of Training Champions for Christ.”

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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (photo credit: Olivier Douliery / MCT/RCP)

(Washington, D.C.) — It is said that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

Do Americans really remember the history of World War II, why it started and how it got out of control? Do our leaders in Washington truly understand the lessons of just how costly our appeasement of Adolf Hitler was? Seven decades later after the Holocaust, do we know how to stop power-hungry tyrants and prevent genocide before it’s too late?

These are some of the questions at the heart of my new novel, The Auschwitz Escape, which releases on March 18th. 

They are also questions very much in the news as Russian President Vladimir Putin seizes southern Ukraine and test fires a nuclear-capable ICBM; Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatens to annihilate the U.S. & Israel and moves step by step towards building a nuclear weapons arsenal; and the Obama administration vows to cut the size of the U.S. military back to pre-World War II levels.

Last month, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the Virginia Republican, fresh off a trip to Auschwitz, warned that some in Washington are in danger of forgetting the lessons of the Second World War.

“Standing there as the frigid wind swept through the eerily quiet ruins of the camp, I could not help but regret that American action in World War II came too late to save countless millions of innocent lives,” Cantor said in an important speech to the Virginia Military Institute. “Hitler’s rise and conquest of Europe did not come as a surprise. We must not repeat the same mistake by reducing our preparedness, accepting the notion that we are one of many or ceding global leadership to others.”

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leading a nation state with Biblical roots and prophetically re-born in the ashes of the Holocaust, told 14,000 pro-Israel activists at the AIPAC conference in Washington that, “the greatest threat to our common security is that of a nuclear-armed Iran. We must prevent Iran from having the capability to produce nuclear weapons.”

“Iran says it only wants a peaceful nuclear program,” said Netanyahu. “So why is it building a heavy water reactor, which has no purpose in a peaceful nuclear program? Iran says it has nothing to hide. So why does it ban inspectors from its secret military sites? Why doesn’t it divulge its military nuclear secret — the secrets of its military nuclear activities? They absolutely refuse to say a word about that. Iran says it’s not building nuclear weapons. So why does it continue to build ICBMs, intercontinental ballistic missiles, whose only purpose is to carry nuclear warheads? See, unlike Scud missiles, that are limited to a range of a few hundred miles, ICBMs can cross vast oceans. And they can strike, right now or very soon, the eastern seaboard of the United States — Washington — and very soon after that, everywhere else in the United States, up to L.A.”

Now, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the New York Democrat, is comparing Putin to Hitler.

“Hillary Clinton, speaking Tuesday at a fundraiser in California, compared the recent actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin to those of Adolf Hitler in the run-up to World War II,” reports Real Clear Politics. “Her remarks were first reported by Buzzfeed.”

“According to one attendee, Clinton ‘talked at length on the situation in the Ukraine’ and ‘compared issuing Russian passports to Ukrainians with ties to Russia with early actions by Nazi Germany before Hitler began invading neighboring countries,'” noted RCP. “The attendee, newspaper editor Harry Saltzgaver, added, ‘She said, however, that while that makes people nervous, there is no indication that Putin is as irrational as the instigator of World War II.'”

“Another attendee said Clinton ‘talked about how what Putin is doing now is similar to what Hitler did, essentially providing these ethnic Russians in the Crimea region access back to Russia. And that it was destabilizing,'” noted RCP.

The Long Beach Press Telegram reported that Clinton explained, “Now if this sounds familiar, it’s what Hitler did back in the ’30s. All the Germans that were … the ethnic Germans, the Germans by ancestry who were in places like Czechoslovakia and Romania and other places, Hitler kept saying, ‘They’re not being treated right. I must go and protect my people,’ and that’s what’s gotten everybody so nervous.”

Are Cantor, Clinton and Netanyahu right? Are we in danger of forgetting the lessons of dealing with Hitler and the Holocaust at this critical hour?

God forbid. The stakes are too high.

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IDF soldiers inspect a missile found on board Klos-C in a commando operation Wednesday morning. The military says the ship was carrying an Iranian arms shipment headed for Gaza (Photo credit: IDF/Times of Israel)

(Washington, D.C.) — “IDF special forces on Wednesday intercepted a ship in the Red Sea carrying an Iranian arms shipment headed for the Gaza Strip, Israel’s military said,” reports the Times of Israel. “Israeli naval commandos from the elite Shayetet 13 unit boarded and took control of the ‘Klos-C’ merchant ship, sailing under the Panama flag, at around 5 a.m. They encountered no resistance and there were no casualties reported on either side.”

“The army said soldiers carried out a preliminary inspection of the ship and found several dozen advanced Syrian M-302 missiles, with a range of up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) and a payload of up to 170 kilograms (375 pounds),” noted the Times. “The missiles were hidden in shipping containers also carrying sacks of concrete. The incident took place 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Israel’s coast, in the Red Sea, off the Sudanese-Eritrean border. Israel had been tailing the ship for several days before the operation was launched. The ship had a crew of 17, who were being interrogated by Israeli security forces. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said crew members were apparently unaware of the ship’s secret cargo. The vessel had reportedly set sail from Iran 10 days ago and was set to reach Sudan on Thursday. From there, the weaponry would have been smuggled into Gaza. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz personally oversaw the operation and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed on its progress as he toured the US, the IDF said. Netanyahu commended Gantz and Mossad Chief Tamir Pardo for their efficient work.”

“I would like to congratulate the IDF, Israel’s intelligence apparatuses and of course the commanders and soldiers of the navy who carried out a flawless operation to capture a covert Iranian weapons ship,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. “As it conducts talks with [world] powers, as Iran smiles and utters pleasantries, the same Iran is sending lethal weapons to terror organizations…via an intricate network of clandestine global operations…in order to hurt innocent civilians….This is the real Iran and this country must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons. We will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect Israeli citizens.”

President Shimon Peres said, “This operation exposes the true face of Iran which says one thing but does the opposite. They put on an innocent face and send the most dangerous missiles to a terror organization that kills innocents, in violation of international law. Iran must make up its mind either to tell the truth and respect international law or admit that it is all camouflage and we cannot trust their policy or declaration. The same is true for Hamas.”

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• Order Epicenter 2.0, the updated paperback edition.
• Order Damascus Countdown – a New York Times best-selling novel about an Israeli first strike on Iran’s nuclear program — now available in paperback, online and in bookstores nationwide
• Listen to Damascus Countdown as an audio book.
• Order the paperback of The Tehran Initiative
• Order the paperback of The Twelfth Imam
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The PM brought the house down amidst 14,000 pro-Israel activists.

(Washington, D.C.) — Let’s put it this way: if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to jump into the 2016 presidential race, I suspect he would be far and away the front-runner for both the GOP and Democrat nominations.

He has enormous bipartisan support at the grassroots, and overwhelming support on Capitol Hill.

I lost count of how many standing ovations Netanyahu received from the 14,000 pro-Israel activists gathered here for the 2014 AIPAC conference.

It was a far warmer reception than he received from President Obama at the White House on Monday.

His themes were large and consequential.

The Prime Minister:

• Urged the administration to intensify, not relax, pressure on Iran to give up its bid for nuclear weapons. 
• Said he was ready to make an “historic peace” with the Palestinians, and urged Mahmoud Abbas to recognize Israel as a “Jewish state” once and for all — “No excuses. No delays. It’s time.”
• Quoted from the Bible, specifically from Deuteronomy chapter 30, saying, “My friends, on behalf of the people of Israel, I bring you message from Jerusalem, the cradle of our common civilization, the crucible of our shared values. It’s a message from the Bible. (In Hebrew.)  ‘I have put before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life so that you and your offspring may live.’ Ladies and gentlemen, my friends, never forget — America and Israel stand for life. We stand together on the right side of the moral divide. We stand together on the right side of history.”

It is so interesting to hear an Israeli Prime Minister quote from the Bible. You might think it would be normal, but it’s not. So few Israeli leaders cite Scriptures, at least in English speeches or translations that I hear or read.

How will the speech be received by the President? That remains to be seen. The Palestinian leadership is already denouncing the speech. (see below).

I urge you to read or watch the full speech, as well as the transcripts of what he and the President said at the White House yesterday:

• Read the full, official text of the Prime Minister’s speech to AIPAC.
• Watch the video of the PM’s speech to AIPAC.
• Read the full transcript of Obama and Netanyahu statements at the White House on Monday.

Here’s the latest coverage of the PM’s AIPAC speech:

• AP: Netanyahu to Abbas: ‘Recognize the Jewish state’
• Reuters: Netanyahu warns on Iran, urges no Palestinian ‘excuses’
• CBS News: Netanyahu: Nuclear Iran would open a “Pandora’s box” of proliferation
• Ynet News: Netanyahu at AIPAC: Ready for ‘historic peace’, but Palestinians must recognize Jewish state — Day after Obama talks, prime minister says Iran must not be allowed to obtain nukes, he will do what he must to protect Israel.
• Haaretz: Netanyahu: Israel prepared to make peace, but Abbas must recognize Jewish state — Millions in the Arab world could benefit from Israeli technology and innovation, prime minister tells AIPAC conference.
• Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu at AIPAC: Palestinians must join Israel, US on the right side of the moral divide
• Times of Israel: Without getting personal, Netanyahu hits back at Obama — PM in AIPAC address argues extensively against White House thinking on Iran and Palestinians, while making just a single reference to the president
• Haaretz: Palestinians: Netanyahu speech effectively ends negotiations — Labor leader Herzog ‘believes less and less’ that Netanyahu wants to lead Israel to a diplomatic solution.

Here are the Tweets I sent (or re-Tweeted) out as the PM was speaking:

• It’s wonderful to see so many evangelical Christians attending #aipac2014. Now is the time for us to be standing humbly w/our Jewish friends
• @IsraeliPM Netanyahu brings greetings from Jerusalem, “eternal undivided capital if the Jewish people” 4th standing O
• Netanyahu says – “Israel is humane.  Israel is compassionate.  Israel is a force for good.” (Shannon Bream, Fox News)
• PM Netanyahu: Israel has treated nearly 1,000 wounded Syrians. #AIPAC14 (Embassy of Israel)
• Netanyahu: Nasrallah says Hezbollah loves death & Israel loves life & that’s why Hezbollah will win. #aipac2014
• Netanyahu: Nasrallah right about 1st part. Hezbollah glorifies death. Israel does sanctify life. But “dead wrong” on 2nd part
• @IsraeliPM Netanyahu: more pressure needed on Iran to get the right deal. More pressure makes war less likely, not more likely.
• @IsraeliPM Netanyahu: 17 countries have peaceful civilian nuclear power, but they don’t enrich their uranium. Why does Iran?
• @IsraeliPM Netanyahu: Wants the negotiations with Iran to succeed. Peace better than war. But vows to do all needed to protect Israel.
• @IsraeliPM Netanyahu: I am prepared to make an historic peace with the Palestinians.
• @IsraeliPM Netanyahu: calls on Abbas to recognize Israel as the Jewish State. “No excuses. No delays. It’s time.”
• @IsraeliPM Netanyahu: can’t “gamble” Israel’s security on foreign military forces. Too often, peacekeepers leave under fire. #aipac2014
• Netanyahu says “as we work in the coming days and the coming weeks on forging a lasting peace” Wonder if that wording is significant (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz)
• @IsraeliPM Netanyahu: says BDS movement (to Boycott, Divest from and Sanction Israel) will fail. Morally wrong. #aipac2014
• @IsraeliPM Netanyahu: the BDS movement is not about legitimate criticism. It’s about delegitimizing Israel. #aipac2014
• @IsraeliPM Netanyahu: throughout Mideast Christians fleeing for their lives, but BDS fights Israel, which protects Christians. #aipac2014
• .@Netanyahu: the boycott Israel crowd doesn’t seek 2 states for 2 peoples – they seek destruction of Israel. #fact (Josh Block)
• Another Bibi zinger: “How could anyone fall for the BS in BDS” #AIPAC14 (Chemi Shalev)
• Good line. Netanyahu: Israel is boisterous democracy,everyone has opinion and states it.  In Israel, self-criticism is on steroids. (Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post)
• I’ve completely lost track of the number of standing ovations for @IsraeliPM Netanyahu. #aipac2014
• @IsraeliPM Netanyahu: closes quoting from the Bible, “I have put before you a choice between life and death. Choose life.” #aipac2014

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Obama and Netanyahu during a meeting at the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., March 3, 2014. Photo by AFP

Sec. Kerry was the keynote speaker on Day Two of the AIPAC conference in D.C.

(Washington, D.C.) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be the keynote speaker at 10am eastern at the closing session of the 2014 AIPAC Policy Conference.

The speech comes after a long and intense day of meetings on Monday between President Obama, Secretary Kerry and Mr. Netanyahu.

Coverage of the White House meetings:

• Here is how the Israeli media reported the Obama-Netanyahu meetings.
• At Netanyahu meet, Obama puts on a show for the cameras — U.S. president already sent Netanyahu the message via the Bloomberg interview, and preferred to avoid a public confrontation at this time. (Haaretz)
• Coverage of White House meeting: ‘Israel wants peace, not a piece of paper’ (Israel Hayom)

More analysis over the next few days.

Short version for now: in his speech to AIPAC, Kerry did his best to reassure pro-Israel activists that the President really is a friend and faithful ally to the Jewish state, but Senator John McCain stole the show earlier in the day, winning multiple, rousing, standing ovations from the largely Democrat audience by excoriating President Obama’s “feckless foreign policy.”

I’ll be live Tweeting from the conference, which is set to begin at 9:30am eastern. You can follow by going to: @JoelCRosenberg.

Here are the Tweets I sent out on Monday tracking the latest developments at the conference, and in the crisis in Ukraine:

Monday morning with Sen. McCain:

• British Official Calls Crimea Biggest Crisis in Europe This Century (NYT)
• Report from AIPAC conference: “Bombshell” interview by Obama may create new strains in US-Israel relationship.
• Let’s pray that The Lord gives great wisdom to @IsraeliPM Netanyahu as he meets with the President today. (I Chronicles 12:32)
• Despite snow storm, @aipac conf underway w/interview w/head of Israel Chamber of Commerce on US-Israel business ties.
• Dr. Dee Dee Coleman, a  Christian leader & @aipac board member, gets standing O making passionate defense of Israel
• McCain says Russian occupation of Crimea is “the result of a feckless foreign policy” in which people don’t believe what the President says.
• McCain tells @aipac situation is “crying out out for American leadership but it’s MIA.” Says “no military option” but many economic options.
• McCain sharply criticizes Obama administration’s policy towards Iran. Says he doesn’t believe diplomatic talks will succeed. @aipac
• McCain excoriates Obama policy towards Syria. Praises @aipac for supporting military action against Assad. blasts Obama flipflop on red line
• McCain tells @aipac it’s time to pass a bipartisan bill with even tougher sanctions on Iran before the diplomatic talks are concluded.
• Standing ovations and roars of approval at #AIPAC14 for McCain’s call Senate legislation of further sanctions (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz)
• Fascinating session on Israeli innovation. Right now, blind woman showing how she uses Israeli product to read, shop
• I’m attending panel on civil war & destruction of Damascus at the @aipac conf. One speaker calls situation “abomination of the 1st order.”
• There are 30million Kurds in Mideast (northern Iraq, Syria, Turkey & Iran), largest ethnic group in the world w/out a country
• Russia And China ‘In Agreement’ Over Ukraine (Sky News)
• Britain’s Cameron to address Knesset March 12 (Times of Israel)
• Abbas threatens a turn to ‘international organizations’, preparing to walk away from peace talks in April. (Ynet)
• Amb. Itamar Rabinovich, fmr Israeli Amb to US & fmr chief negotiator w/Syria now sharing his perspective on crisis in Syria @Aipac breakout.

Monday afternoon panel on Syrian crisis

• Amb. Rabinovich warns “Jordan could collapse under the weight of Syrian refugees.” One million Syrians in Jordan now, having fled civil war.
• Amb. Rabinovich: “ticking time bomb” facing Israel from Iran which backs Assad & sold 50,000+ missiles to Hezbollah aimed at Israel. @AIPAC
• Amb. Rabinovich says Syrian “no longer a military foe” — army denuded, chemical weapons “hopefully” being removed. Still a terror threat.
• Amb Rabinovich says President George W Bush met w/PM Sharon at WH, said “let’s take out Assad.” Sharon said no, “Assad is the devil we know”
• Amb Rabinovich says Assad is “devil” but there is a risk in removing him — what if al Qaeda or other jihadist groups take over & seize WMD?
• Amb Rabinovich: Israel has red lines. One is Jerusalem will not allow Syrian missiles to be transferred to Hezbollah. Hit 5 convoys. @AIPAC
• Amb Fred Hof, fmr special rep at State Dept on Syria, says “I don’t know” how US & the world stands by & does nothing after Assad used WMD
• Amb Rabinovich cites Colin Powell rule, “you break it, you own it,” in saying why Obama didn’t act in Syria after Assad used WMD. @aipac
• Amb Fred Hof says many foreign officials meet w/him trying to discern the real value of a mutual defense pact w/the US. Can US be trusted?
• After session I asked Rabinovich to clarify: does he believe Assad should be removed? He said yes. Risk of jihadists? Dealw/that then @aipac
• Tonight is enormous reception w/Members of Congress. But w/storm how many will show? 3 Congressmen texted me they cant get to DC #aipac2014
• PM Netanyahu arrived at the White House (Barak Ravid, Haaretz)
• President Vladimir V. Putin has yet to publicly address the conflict unfolding in Ukraine (NYT)
• President Obama and PM Netanyahu speaking to reporters now in Oval Office.
• The bell tolls for @AIPAC, the late, great pro-Israel lobbying group (Tablet magazine)
• Tablet magazine publishes interesting article on @aipac. Says despite 14,000 attendees, group’s impact waning. True?
• @JoelCRosenberg A common misperception.Syrian refugees are certainly straining resources and exceed 1 M but Jordan remains stable & strong. (Dana Zureikat Daoud, Jordanian Embassy)
• .@DanaZkat @JoelCRosenberg Jordan (and Lebanon) aren’t made of elastic bands; at some point they will break – then, it will be too late. (Robert Satloff, Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
• @robsatloff Every country has a breaking pt.Jordan’s strength lies in its inclusiveness & engagement w its pple & neighbors @JoelCRosenberg (Dana Zureikat Daoud, Jordanian Embassy)
• You don’t need tanks, you need banks. They are all addicted to Putin’s cash. He thinks he can buy the West and so far he has been correct. (Gary Kasparov)
• .@JeffreyGoldberg: “Obama was blunter about Israel’s future than I’ve ever heard him.” (Bloomberg)

Monday afternoon panel on “What To Watch For: Iran In 2014”

• @aipac panel session about to begin on “What To Watch For: Iran In 2014” w/Rep. Ilena @RosLehtinen, Valerie Lincy & Aish Jain.
• Rep. Ilena @RosLehtinen (R-FL) is the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East & North Africa.
• @RosLehtinen bill to create US-Israel Strategic Partnership — 1st of its kind– has 352 co-sponsors & will be voted on tomorrow. #aipac2014
• @RosLehtinen tells @Aipac that experts @ recent hearing indicate Iran has enough enriched uranium for 4 nuclear bombs
• @RosLehtinen tells @aipac panel that interim nuclear deal w/Iran is top secret. She has seen & read it. But the American people have not.
• Rep @RosLehtinen says interim nuke deal with Iran is “weak, lopsided & dangerous deal.” Adds: “if it’s so good, make it public.” #aipac2014
• @RosLehtinen says Iran has installed centrifuges 15 times faster than old versions. Says Iran could dash to Bomb in just weeks. #aipac2014
• @RosLehtinen says “Iran is playing us for time.” Believes we will get another interim deal & never get to final deal. #aipac2014
• @RosLehtinen says our Iran nuclear policy has “failed.” Calls for more sanctions to increase pressure on Iran. #aipac2014
• @RosLehtinen urges public to push President & Congress to pass more sanctions soon, not ease off. biggest gift to Iran us time. #aipac2014
• Nuclear policy expert Valerie Lincy says Iran has enough enriched uranium for 6 to 7 nuclear bombs. Has 18,000 centrifuges. #aipac2014
• Nuclear expert Valerie Lincy: uranium Iran has enriched would run nuclear reactor for only 3 months, but could build 6-7 bombs. #aipac2014
• Based on current production rates, it would take Iran 10 yrs to produce enough enriched uranium for 1 year, says Valerie Lincy. #aipac2014
• Interim nuclear deal does not require Iran to dismantle a single one of its 18,000 centrifuges, notes nuke expert Valerie Lincy. #aipac2014
• Ash Jain, Mideast policy expert, says Iran has spent $40 billion on its nuclear program & about $130 billion in lost trade & economic growth
• Ash Jain says either 1) Iran ready to give up pursuit of Bomb if it gets right deal. 2) Iran wants Bomb & needs to avoid US or Israel strike
• Ash Jain says Obama admin basing its policy on assumption #1, that Iran genuinely wants to give up pursuit if Bomb if it gets good deal.
• But Ash Jain says evidence favors scenario #2, that Iran is using negotiations to buy time until it can be fully ready to build the Bomb.
• Russia’s U.N. envoy: Ousted Ukrainian Pres. asked Russia to send troops to “establish legitimacy, peace, law and order, stability.” (CNN)

Monday late afternoon general session with Schumer & Kerry:

• Sen. Chuck Schumer tells @aipac anti-Semitism rising in Europe that is driving more and more European Jews to emigrate to Israel. #aipac2014
• Schumer notes his bill would impose more sanctions on Iran if talks w/Iran do not bear fruit in six months. #aipac2014
• Schumer says he does not support the reduction in sanctions on Iran (done by the administration) until Tehran gives up enrichment program.
• Schumer: if negotiations don’t work then the US “must be prepared to use all — all — means” to stop Iran from getting The Bomb. #aipac2014
• Schumer says those who are boycotting & delegitimizing Israel without applying same approach to Syria, Iran etc are practicing anti-Semitism
• Ukraine claims 16,000 Russian troops have been deployed in the flashpoint peninsula of Crimea since last week. #fnpolitics (Bret Baier, Fox News)
• Congressional leaders Eric Cantor & Steny Hoyer describe bipartisan letter they sent to President to be tough on Iran
• Secretary of State John Kerry about address 14,000 pro-Israel activists at #aipac2014 conference. What will he say? How will he be received?
• Secretary Kerry: “Israel has strived since Isaiah’s time to be a light unto the nations.”
• Kerry receives standing O upon arrival.
• Secretary Kerry affirms Israel’s “right to defend itself by itself.”
• Secretary Kerry says he can sum up President’s policy in 10 words: “We will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.” #AIPAC2014
• Secretary Kerry: “This is not about trusting Iran. This is about testing Iran.” Adds: “If Iran fails this test, the US will not fail Israel”
• .@JohnKerry: You don’t have to be a math genious to know that Israel is safer when Iran has zero 20% enriched uranium (Barak Ravid, Haaretz)
• .@JohnKerry: The US will only sign an agreement that makes sure Iran can not obtain a nuclear weapon and expands breakout time (Haaretz)
• @JohnKerry says he is shuttling to Israel again & again for the peace process to fulfill King David’s dream “to seek peace and pursue it.”
• @JohnKerry speaking very highly of Netanyahu. Says he has spent hours & hours & days & days with “Bibi” and they have become “good friends.”
• @JohnKerry now speaking highly of Mahmoud Abbas, says he’s a “partner for peace.” Dismisses naysayers that doubt Abbas’ sincerity #aipac2014
• .@JohnKerry: I believe Abbas understands the costs of failure (Barak Ravid, Haaretz)
• .@JohnKerry: President Abbas wants to be a partner for peace but he has a point of view about what is fair (Barak Ravid, Haaretz)
• “Prime Minister Netanyahu has demonstrated his courage and his commitment in the pursuit of peace with security.” –@JohnKerry (AIPAC)
• @JohnKerry: We are at point in history that requires US, as Israel’s closest friend, do everything we can to help end this conflict. #AIPAC (State Dept)
• @JohnKerry says Gen. John Allen is helping Israel & Palestinians develop solid security plan for the Jordan Valley. Never been done before.
• .@JohnKerry: We will never let the West Bank turn into another Gaza (Barak Ravid, Haaretz)
• .@JohnKerry: Israel needs peace to create more prosperity (Barak Ravid, Haaretz)
• @JohnKerry says peace must guarantee Israel as the “Jewish homeland.” #aipac2014
• @JohnKerry now speaking highly of Saudi-backed #ArabPeaceInitiative that will lead to peace w/20 Arab countries & total of 57 Muslim nations
• @JohnKerry: “We know what the end game looks like.” Security guarantees. Mutual recognition. End to all claims. Jerusalem as City of Peace.
• “We must also stand together and with a single voice reject arbitrary and unwarranted boycotts of Israel.” –@JohnKerry (AIPAC)
• Secretary @JohnKerry ends address w/story of 1st trip to Masada. Goal seems to be sound reasonable & a true friend.
• Sec @JohnKerry gets standing O as he leaves. But not nearly passionate, thunderous response for @SenJohnMcCain earlier today. #aipac2014
• Day 2 main sessions are over. Tonight reception with Congressional leaders. Finale tomorrow with keynote by @IsraeliPM Netanyahu. #aipac2014

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• Follow on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg
• Receive every blog post automatically via the RSS feed.
• Pre-order The Auschwitz Escape — releasing on March 18th