Middle East Archives - The Florida Capital Star

Trump Signals Shift from Unnecessary Military Intervention with Reaction to Assad Ouster in Syria

December 9, 2024 Just the News

The unexpected fall of the Assad regime in Syria to a ragtag team of Islamist insurgents plunged the Middle East into a new era of uncertainty and opportunity while putting the world on notice that Donald Trump’s return to power was already uprooting decades of interventionist foreign policy in America.

Trump signaled the shift in dramatic fashion, yawning at the Islamist rebels’ final push into Damascus to oust Bashar al-Assad as not a battle America needed to fight and then using its aftermath to urge Russia, long a backer of Assad, to focus instead on seeking a peaceful end to its war against Ukraine.

Commentary: After Just Four Years of Biden-Harris, America’s National Security Is in Tatters

October 14, 2024 American Greatness

China President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden

Ronald Reagan’s query to the American people in his October 28, 1980, debate with incumbent President Jimmy Carter was so simple and so devastating that it is still employed today: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” While most Americans are far worse off today than they were four years ago, with rising prices, inflation, a hollow economy, and unchecked immigration, so too are the U.S., its allies, and its partner’s national security interests, which are far worse off than they were four years ago.

GOP Sen Rails Against Biden-Harris Admin for ‘Catastrophic’ Middle East Policy One Year After October 7 Hamas Attack

October 7, 2024 Daily Caller News Foundation

Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst told President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday that their Middle East policy has been “catastrophic,” one year after the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel and the subsequent war that broke out in the region.

Commentary: Democrats True Meaning of the Phrase ‘Saving Our Democracy’

September 15, 2024 American Greatness

Policy positions are historically key to making the case for one’s presidential campaign, and up until just recently, the Kamala Harris campaign avoided such conversation. Now the Harris-Walz campaign has released a snapshot of how they intend to govern, and we can’t help but notice a lot of lofty promises and empty socialist platitudes with very little detail as to how it will get done. And more importantly, why this “New Way Forward” is now needed after the Democrats’ last four years in the White House. Was that the “Wrong Way Forward?”

Average voters will notice this, so the campaign must now really control access to the candidates to keep them from having to answer tough questions. With less than sixty days remaining in the 2024 election cycle, we expect the Harris-Walz campaign to continue evading unscripted interviews while putting campaign ads in front of the media to try to make sense of that, which is clearly nonsense.

Commentary: The Harris Flop Would Be Scarier than Her Flip

August 9, 2024August 8, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Joe Biden won in 2020 on the premise that until the November election, he would pose as good ol’ Joe from Scranton and not scare voters.

So Biden talked about “unity” and “competency.” He erased his prior wild primary pandering to left-wing voters about shutting down fracking and opening the border.

Commentary: U.S. Government Still Waffling on 9/11 Plotters

August 7, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

This week, we were reminded again of the 9/11 attacks. First, it was reported that U.S. government lawyers and defense counsel reached a plea deal giving life imprisonment to the high-level al Qaeda prisoners that plotted the attacks. While life imprisonment is undoubtedly a serious punishment, 9/11 was a mass murder that cries out for the death penalty. The lack of proportionality to the offense was striking.

Worse, the family members of 9/11 victims were not given any forewarning or a chance to provide input on this decision, even though the government had promised to do so. They instead received an antiseptic letter explaining what happened after the fact.

Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro on Defensive After College Paper Skeptical of Mid East Peace Resurfaces

August 5, 2024 Just the News

Pennsylvania Gov. and Democratic vice president short-lister Josh Shapiro is defending his record on the Israel-Palestine conflict after an op-ed he wrote in college resurfaced. Shapiro says the op-ed no longer represents his beliefs.

Netanyahu Almost Drowned Out by Standing Ovations from Congress

July 24, 2024 Admin

“In the heart of the Middle East, standing in Iran’s way, is one proud, pro-American democracy—my country, the state of Israel!”

Commentary: Stop the Ukrainian Meatgrinder

June 28, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Nearly eleven months ago, in August 2023, the New York Times reported that U.S. officials had estimated that some 500,000 Russians and Ukrainians had been killed, wounded, or missing in the then 18-month Ukrainian War.

Both Russia and Ukraine underreport their losses. Hundreds of thousands of additional casualties have followed in the 28 months of fighting.

Commentary: Geopolitics and Demand Growth Underpin Need for Commonsense Energy Policies

June 22, 2024 RealClearWire

The U.S. energy sector finds itself in a precarious position. Increasing geopolitical volatility and strong energy demand forecasts could spell trouble domestically in the future. The U.S. needs to stop hamstringing American energy companies and invest in the nation’s infrastructure, such as pipelines, processing, and production.

If we have learned anything in the last two and a half years, it’s that the U.S.’ energy industry is not free from geopolitical chaos globally. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Houthi’s attacks in Yemen backed by Iran and turmoil in the Middle East have very real repercussions for the average American. We may not be as intensely intertwined with those realities as our European allies, but energy is a global market with implications for domestic prices, supply, and demand. While different events can affect prices at home, there are steps the administration can take to protect our energy sector.

Commentary: The West Is Sick of the New Woke Jihadism

June 14, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

UPenn Students participating in a pro-Palestinian protest

What are the mobs in Washington defiling iconic federal statues with impunity and pelting policemen really protesting?

What are the students at Stanford University vandalizing the president’s office really demonstrating against?

Biden Received Sensitive Data, Briefings from Security Advisers via His Private Pseudonym Email

May 29, 2024 Just the News

While he was vice president, Joe Biden received sensitive communications via his private email accounts created under a fictitious identity, including foreign policy discussions with his national security adviser, schedules of meetings with Cabinet secretaries and a summary of at least one intelligence briefing to President Barack Obama, according to new emails obtained by Just the News.

The new memos were released by the National Archives over the Memorial Day holiday weekend under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the Southeastern Legal Foundation on behalf of Just the News that sought emails that Biden received or transmitted as vice president using his [email protected] account.

Commentary: Only America First Can Reverse the Global Chaos Caused by the Biden Administration

May 18, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

There is only one word to describe the result of President Biden’s foreign policy: chaos.

Just consider how we have seen the Biden administration treat Israel, one of America’s closest and most important allies.

Commentary: Hold Obama-Biden Foreign Policy Responsible for Iran’s Unprecedented Attack on Israel

April 23, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Former president Barack Obama, President Joe Biden

The terrorist Iranian regime’s unprecedented recent attack on Israel, which included 185 drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 110 surface-to-surface missiles, is an unambiguous casus belli—an act of war—under international law.

Of course, Iranian proxies spread across the Middle East, such as Lebanon-based Hezbollah, Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Yemen-based Houthis, have committed countless previous acts of war against Israel. But last weekend was something different entirely: For the very first time since fanatical Islamists overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and took power in 1979, Iran launched such attacks directly from its own soil.

Congress Approves $380 Million for ‘Border Security’ Measures in Middle Eastern Countries

April 3, 2024April 2, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

One provision of the $1.2 trillion spending package passed by Congress and signed into law by Joe Biden last month will see at least $380 million spent on securing the borders of several Middle Eastern countries, while the American border remains wide open.

According to Fox News, the appropriation of $380 million will be available until September 2025, and will fund “enhanced border security” measures in the countries of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, and Tunisia. Jordan will be receiving the most out of the five, at $150 million.

Biden Admin Hands Out $500 Million for Oil Drilling in the Middle East

March 19, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

The Biden administration is providing financing for oil development in the Middle East after taking numerous steps to restrict domestic production, according to Bloomberg News.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank — a nominally independent government entity that aims to boost the American economy “by facilitating the export of U.S. goods and services” — approved a $500 million loan guarantee for oil and gas development in Bahrain on Thursday, according to Bloomberg News. The funding follows the Biden administration’s decisions to release the most restrictive offshore oil and gas leasing schedule in American history and cancel seven previously-issued oil and gas leases in Alaska, among other actions intended to rein in domestic oil production.

Senator JD Vance Slams President Biden’s Order for the Military to Conduct an ‘Emergency Mission’ in Gaza

March 7, 2024 Kaitlin Housler

U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) slammed the White House’s announcement that President Joe Biden will order the U.S. military to conduct an “emergency mission” to establish a port on the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters.

Turkish Smugglers Use Social Media to Help ‘Citizens of Every Country’ Reach the U.S. Border

January 10, 2024 Florida Capital Star Staff

Turkish smugglers appear to be using social media platforms to help migrants from across the globe enter the U.S. illegally through the southern border, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation review of Telegram and TikTok posts.

The advertisements offer arrangements for travel, visas and transportation directly to the U.S.-Mexico border for migrants in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Border Patrol encounters of migrants crossing the southern border illegally have hit numerous records in recent years, with more than 2.2 million encounters in fiscal year 2022 and more than 2 million in fiscal year 2023, according to federal data.

Experts Warn China’s Foray into the Middle East Could Isolate Taiwan from U.S. Forces

November 13, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

China is expanding its military presence in the Middle East, which could obstruct American forces in the region from mobilizing if Beijing decides to invade Taiwan, leaving the island with reduced defenses, according to foreign policy experts.

President Joe Biden was briefed Tuesday by his advisors on a Chinese plan to build a new military facility in Oman bordering the Arabian Sea, which would advance Beijing’s goal of increasing its Middle East and overseas presence, according to Bloomberg. By establishing military strong points in the Middle East, China can hinder and disrupt American forces in the region from mobilizing effectively and redirecting toward Taiwan if Beijing invades, which could leave the island with lesser defense capabilities, according to foreign policy experts.

Commentary: Tribalism and Democracy

November 2, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

This latest war between Israelis and Palestinians, growing worse by the day, has its origins in the horrific slaughter of civilians by Hamas terrorists on October 7. It’s accurate to condemn this atrocity and blame Hamas for starting the war. It’s also completely reasonable to make a value judgement. Islamofascism is the greater evil and must not prevail. It terrifies not only Israelis but also countless millions of Arabs throughout the Middle East and beyond.

Israel Agrees to Delay Invasion So Pentagon Can Rush Air Defense to the Middle East

October 25, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

Israel agreed to delay an invasion of Gaza until the Department of Defense completes plans to boost air defenses around U.S. troops in the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The Pentagon is sending nearly a dozen air defense systems to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) region, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to protect American service members from credible threats of attacks by Iran-backed militias. U.S. officials had asked Israel to create time to emplace the air defenses before launching operations that promise to trigger more bombardments on U.S. military positions, the WSJ reported, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.

Biden Admin Readies Plans to Evacuate Thousands of Americans from Israel and Lebanon

October 25, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

The Biden administration is readying plans for mass evacuations of American citizens from Middle East hotspots amid fears of significant escalation of violence in the region, The Washington Post reported.

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens could require rescue from Israel and Lebanon if the war between Israel and Gaza spills over into neighboring states, raising the prospect of the largest noncombat evacuation in recent memory, the Post reported, citing four U.S. officials familiar with the government’s contingency planning. Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iran-backed militant groups throughout the Middle East have stepped up violence since the war’s onset and threatened to escalate further once Israel commences its planned ground operation in Gaza.

Feds Warn in Friday Memo: Hamas, Hezbollah Could Be Crossing Southern Border

October 23, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

Federal officials are warning that members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hezbollah could be crossing through the southern border, according to an internal Oct. 20 memo exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The San Diego Field Office Intelligence Division of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sent the memo warning that due to the war between Israel and Hamas, there could be encounters of terror-tied individuals who are seeking to travel to or from the Middle East via transit across the southern border. Hamas, PIJ and Hezbollah, all of which are U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, have been committing attacks on Israel in a war that began with a surprise attack on hundreds of civilians on Oct. 7.

Commentary: Zero Palestinian Refugees in America

October 18, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

For three years now, America’s sovereignty and safety have already been vaporized enough by Biden.

But the leftists, predictably, want even more. Now, they pine for a mass importation of Palestinian refugees into America. Fire alarm-pulling Congressman Jamaal Bowman of New York declared that “the United States should be prepared to welcome refugees from Palestine.”

Commentary: If the Elections Were Held Today, Trump Would Defeat Biden – and Democrats Can’t Stand It

October 17, 2023October 16, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

Few outside some bitter Republican circles are still arguing that Donald Trump can’t win the 2024 election. What was conventional wisdom a few months ago has fallen to pieces. Trump has already won the primary, not that Republicans have any reason to regret it: he is outperforming Joe Biden in the polls, despite being indicted four times, a remarkable feat that only Trump could pull off. Notably, Trump ran far behind Biden in 2020, when Trump barely “lost,” something that enraged many liberals at the time.

From Trump to Congress, Hamas Attacks on Israel Boomerang on Biden and His Iran Policy

October 8, 2023 Just the News

President Joe Biden’s decision to reward Iran with $6 billion in unfrozen assets is coming under withering criticism after Tehran-backed Hamas militants unleashed an unprovoked deadly attack on Israel that generated condemnation worldwide.

The political peril for the 46th president, who has banked his foreign policy in part on an effort to woo Iran into a new nuclear deal, was apparent from the campaign trail to the marble halls of Congress within hours of Saturday’s unprovoked and unprecedented attack on Israel.

Commentary: A Second Trump Term Can Walk Us Back from the Brink of War

August 7, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

Voters should remember that a President’s role is primarily foreign affairs, which includes trade and border security. In 2016, and today, President Trump is the only candidate that has consistently focused on what the actual job of the president is, rather than what those with outsized influence want it to be.

President Trump is the first president to start no new wars since Jimmy Carter. Like Carter, he also affected a Middle East peace deal with Israel – not just one of them, but four. Arguably the first realist president since Richard Nixon, Trump’s combination of unpredictability enforced by blunt and brutal talk, credible military deterrence reinforced through a more robust military that was less used and overstretched, and a genuine and authentic desire to be a peace-maker created a moment in time for cooperation and peace through strength. Unfortunately, under Biden, the promise of peace has become a Shakespearean tragedy when considering our present dilemma in Europe and East Asia.

Israel, Middle East Countries Crafting Deal to Build Regional Defense Network: Report

July 4, 2022July 3, 2022 Admin

Israel is in consultations with Middle Eastern countries to install Israeli-made defense systems on their territory, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

Several countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have reportedly negotiated with Israel to obtain a network of sensors that will combat the potential missile threat from Iran, according to Breaking Defense. A shared communications network would theoretically allow participating states to alert others when incoming missiles trigger the sensors, Breaking Defense reported, citing Israeli officials.

State Department Partners with Refugee Coalition Groups Supporting Organizations with Alleged Terror Ties

October 30, 2021October 29, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

The U.S. State Department joined an initiative to welcome Afghan refugees into the country that is sponsored by organizations supporting groups with possible ties to Palestinian terrorist organizations, a Daily Caller News Foundation review found.

Welcome.US is part of the Office of American Possibilities initiative, a project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, according to its website. The initiative’s main co-chairs include former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush, former First Lady Laura Bush, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The initiative also formed a coalition composed of nonprofit leaders and organizations, former government officials, corporate leaders and public figures. Businesses, including Starbucks, Uber, Facebook, Microsoft, Walmart and Airbnb, also support the effort.

Commentary: The Left Destroys Everything It Touches

October 13, 2021 Admin

What was the purpose for the insane opposition of the Left between 2017 and 2021? To usher in a planned nihilism, an incompetent chaos, a honed anarchy to wreck the country in less than a year?

No sooner had Donald Trump entered office than scores of House Democrats filed motions for impeachment, apparently for thought crimes that he might, some day, in theory, could possibly commit.

Commentary: Democrats’ False Middle East Mythology

May 3, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

What a disaster! And it’s only just begun — if we cannot do something to stop it.

Iran is up off the floor, regaining confidence in the strength of its bargaining position, restored to it as a free gift by the Biden team. Rockets from Gaza are again falling by their scores on Israeli civilians. The northern border of Israel is on highest alert. The last remaining Jews in Yemen have left as Iran’s proxies, the Houthis, consolidate their control over large areas of the country. The Palestinian Authority (PA) is appealing to the Democrats in control to take it off the U.S. terror list even as its leadership publicly encourages the wave of violence against Jewish civilians sweeping through Jerusalem.

It was only a few months ago that we were marveling at how peace was swiftly gaining momentum, and Iran, choked by powerful and effective sanctions, was being held to account for its actions and as a consequence had ever fewer resources to support its terrorist proxies. Most amazing, many Arab states began at last to see that Israel is no threat to them or their people and that they had common cause with Israel against Iranian imperialism. As if in a dream, we saw this trend begin as rumors, then peek into the light with a few gestures, and then finally, incredibly, burst into the limelight with the Abraham Accords. One Muslim state after another stepped forward to sign a real peace treaty with Israel and immediately open doors closed ever since Israel’s founding.

Commentary: Five Ways President Biden Undermined Middle East Peace Last Week

February 16, 2021February 15, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

Last week alone, the Biden administration has made at least five blunders that will set back prospects for Middle East peace. These unforced errors will only serve to isolate our traditional allies in the region (Israel and the Gulf States) and enable Iran and its proxies and the Palestinian Authority.