Arthur Baranovskiy

If there is one thing the conflict between Israel and Gaza is accomplishing successfully it’s the exposure of abject hypocrisy. Israel recently received the devastating news that six of its hostages were executed in captivity. After surviving 300+ days of torture, Hamas resorted to shooting each hostage in the head at close range when they realized the IDF was on the brink of rescuing its citizens. The hostages were held in a 65-foot deep tunnel in Rafah, an area of Gaza that the West had pressured Israel from entering. Instead of putting the blame for this tragedy on Hamas, international media outlets are bending over backwards to keep Hamas out of the headlines and put the blame squarely on the Israeli government. From the NYTimes to The Washington Post to the BBC, the media bias is very telling in the headlines: “Demonstrators Lash Out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu” * “Labor Union Calls for Strike After 6 Hostages’ Bodies Found” * “Tens of Thousands Rally in Israel Calling for Hostage Deal,” etc. According to these headlines, the blame is not on Hamas who explicitly executed the hostages; it’s on the stubborn war-mongering Israeli government that refuses to give into a ceasefire (for a war it didn’t start). In a nutshell, the media depends on you to be a superficial reader who doesn’t question their narrative. The reality is that Hamas has not shown up to the negotiating table for months. Their demands regarding a ceasefire are unreasonable and a threat to Israel’s national security. For the release of a small percentage of hostages, Hamas is demanding that Israel release hundreds of convicted Palestinian terrorists, including Marwan Barghouti, the architect of the bloody Second Intifada. They are demanding that the IDF abandon the Philadelphi Corridor (the buffer between Gaza and Egypt), which would allow weapons to flow in unrestricted to Hamas and the potential exfiltration of Israel’s remaining hostages to Iran. Israelis are divided on this issue. There are many who strongly oppose the deal for the reasons mentioned above. There are also many who are in favor of it in order to prioritize the lives of the hostages and end a brutal war that is exhausting Israel’s citizens and economy. No matter which perspective you’re aligned with, the reality is that Israel, like the U.S., upholds the freedom of speech and the right of its citizens to protest against government policy. This is a virtue of the State of Israel and should not be used against it. Speaking of the U.S.: One of the murdered hostages, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23 years old, was an American citizen. Where are the college students across America right now protesting the unlawful death of one of their own citizens? Under the Geneva Conventions, executing civilian hostages is a violation of international law and a war crime. Where are the condemnations from the UN and the ICC? Naturally, all we hear are crickets…Hypocrisy at its finest.

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Ah, the irony of war and its unintended consequences: Hamas launched an Iranian-funded massacre against Israel on October 7 that started a chain reaction that led to Bashar al-Assad’s fall. Good on the Syrians for taking advantage of a desiccated Hezbollah and weakened Iranian influence on their soil to overthrow their dictatorial ruler. Assad is a despicable leader who has used chemical weapons against his own people, among other atrocities that continue to go unpunished. Is the ICC issuing any arrest warrants for the Assad family? Are American students protesting at Columbia University for the rights of the Syrian people? Of course not. If the Middle East conflicts of the past year have taught us anything, it’s exposed how corrupt and uneducated Western institutions are when it comes to the Middle East. It’s too early to tell who will fill the vacuum of power now left behind in Syria. My hope for the Syrian people is that their new leader is decent, devoted, and moderate (i.e. not a radical Islamist). This is also my hope for the Israeli people, who are tired of contending with terrorism and brainwashed anti-Semites for neighbors. Little known fact: During the Syrian civil war that started in 2011, Israel launched a humanitarian response on its northern border with Syria to provide medical and humanitarian aid to thousands of Syrian civilians. The medical treatments ranged from surgeries to trauma care, as well as long-term medical care for those severely injured. By undertaking this effort, Israel was trying to cut through the propaganda espoused by the Syrian government and send a message directly to the people: “We are not your enemy. This is us putting our hand out to you as a good neighbor. Maybe one day, you will see the truth of who we are and put your hand back out to us.” The dust will eventually settle and time will soon reveal the truth. I just hope the new Syrian leadership makes the right choices for its people, and for its neighbors who are desperate for peace.

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Since the war between Israel and Gaza started a little over a year ago, Israelis and Jews across the world have fought hard to cut through the media bias and anti-Semitic propaganda that has distorted this conflict to share our side of the story. Not to manipulate or cover up facts, but to speak out when the reality on the ground has been so egregiously warped to fit a malicious agenda. Released Israeli hostage, 40-year-old Moran Stella Yanai, recently shared her story about her treatment at the hands of the Gazans with a staunch pro-Palestine student leader at UCLA. As you can see from the footage, the student can hardly look at her. Despite Moran speaking respectfully and directly addressing common misperceptions about the conflict, the student still went on social media days later to mock her and continue spreading fabricated stories about the Israeli military. I lived in Israel for over a decade. I served in the IDF and worked in the security field there. I continue to stay in touch with friends who are currently serving in the reserves in Gaza and Lebanon. We speak out to the best of our abilities and are ignored, while childish university students and radicals in the streets who have never been to Israel spew insanity that is accepted automatically as fact. The dishonesty, hatred, and extremism being expressed in the U.S. and Europe right now is not just about Israel; Israel is just the symptom. There is a much bigger problem in Western society that will lead to our destruction if we don’t address it. When we ignore reality to promote false narratives with racist undertones, how can we be expected to effectively address pressing policy issues? When we excuse blatantly evil behavior, how can we expect to defend ourselves when those same evil entities suddenly turn on us? As Moran says in the video, at the very least search out the facts on the ground and consider both sides of the conflict, from a place of honesty.

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What kind of message are we sending when hosting environmental conferences at oil-rich dictatorships? What message are we sending on our seriousness to fight climate change? And our commitment to Net Zero? On our seriousness to protect activists and journalists who sit in Azeri jails on trumped up charges? On our seriousness to protect land, water, fresh air, wildlife from the poorly regulated oil fields in Azerbaijan? On our commitment to meeting the UN SDGs, which Azerbaijan is failing at? On our seriousness in protecting indigenous peoples, while Azerbaijan ethnically cleanses them from their ancestral lands? On our seriousness to fight corruption while the ruling family continues to launder money in western countries? The message I see is what we have seen decade after decade of these environmental conferences. We hold these op-ed events where people mingle and network, put out non-binding documents, take photos, shake hands, make promises, and business as usual continues. We cannot keep going this way.

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1983 - BEIRUT / USA vs ISRAEL This is how invitations to America to "oversee" devolve -- and REAGAN (who LOVED Israel!) was President. Israel must rely upon no one but itself. Accepting help? - Sure. But, invitations to "oversee" and continued reliance/dependence upon America for spare parts and munitions (let alone weapons systems) is a terribly misguided strategic doctrine, given America's internal divisions -- whether in Lebanon or elsewhere. The next four years of an abundant "Trump-harvest" must be used to prepare national resilience and self-sufficiency for the lean four years and longer that may well yet come thereafter (see Joseph's dreams and the Egyptians forward planning). https://lnkd.in/gNKCj_e8

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The best talk you can get in 2024! Yoseph Haddad and the #GreenPrice are debating the #HamasIsISIS and israel war.

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OSINT - Israeli-American hostage killed by Hamas was a Georgia Jewish camp counselor, Hamas murdered more than 30 Americans. Palestinians are Hamas: Palestinians provide financial support to Hamas through a combination of private donations, regional alliances, and historical ties, with Iran and Qatar being significant contributors in recent years. Palestinian financial support to Hamas is multifaceted and comes from various sources. Historically, private donors in the Persian Gulf and Palestinian expatriates have been significant contributors to Hamas’ funding. Additionally, Iran has been a major provider of financial and material support to Hamas, with estimated annual contributions of around $100 million. 71% of Palestinians think the decision for Hamas to launch the October 7 attacks was a good one (Source: r/geopolitics on Reddit, May 28, 2024) 73% of Palestinians support Hamas’ decision to launch the October 7 attacks on Israel (Source: i24NEWS, June 14, 2024) 71% of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank believe the October 7 attacks were justified (Source: Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, December 2023) 61% of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza would prefer to see Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip (Source: The Jerusalem Post, June 18, 2024) 75% of Palestinians are satisfied with Hamas’ performance during the war (Source: The Jerusalem Post, June 18, 2024) “Hamas murdered more than 30 Americans and kidnapped more” during the attack, Garland said. “We are investigating those heinous crimes and we will hold those people accountable.” https://lnkd.in/eaES3aT6 Israeli-American hostage killed by Hamas was a Georgia Jewish camp counselor https://lnkd.in/eCCxtBz9

Someone asked me why we center Torah in our work. Well, because: (1) Our modern lives and to-do lists don't leave us with much time to think through the big questions. Mystics, artists, rabbis, philosophers, poets, leaders (all just regular human beings like us) have been asking these questions over thousands of years. Now it's our time and our turn, as the ones who are here right now. (2) In my 15 years of experience building groups who study Torah together, nothing brings people together in close relationships faster. Yes, even people who think they don't like or can't access "Torah study." Torah allows us to go deep quickly, seeing ourselves, each other, and the world with more creativity and clarity. (3) Torah trains us in the skills we need to build a better world. We learn how to build pluralistic democracy by learning how to understand and even argue for positions we may not hold, or to engage in disagreement with civility. We use the word Torah to indicate a way of interacting with rabbinic literature that is sacred, inspiring, and unsettling at times. Reading Torah means opening myself up to the text laying a claim to my life and my behavior. It is an encounter at a deeply personal level as well, as I am studying my people’s covenantal tradition and not that of another. I can still disagree, argue, and protest what I read in rabbinic literature. And, I can creatively turn it on its head with a better reading. All these are options in Torah. It is this kind of experience which adults around the country are signing up for with IYUN (http://iyun.us). So, yes, we’re REALLY into Torah.

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If you missed our webinar - How to Determine the Truth about Israel, Hamas, and Gaza, it's now on YouTube! Head over to https://lnkd.in/gzg5JGrT and check it out! #MiddleEast #MiddleEastPeace #Myths #Facts #CMEPEducates #Webinar

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Center for Truth & Justice, "Documented Conclusive Evidence of Ilham Aliyev’s Intention to Invade and Occupy Armenia,” 4/9/2024, https://lnkd.in/ezcTNbgw "The following catalogues represent evidence collected by our team regarding Ilham Aliyev’s intentions to invade and occupy Armenia." Regarding “Western Azerbaijan” - Categories include: "Western Az” agenda; False pretenses for self-determination of 'Western Azerbaijanis' and the creation of the 'West Az republic’;  Intent to occupy & territorial claims against Armenia; Historical revisionism; Azeri propaganda;  Armenophobia; Incitement to ethnic hatred; Sham accusations against Armenia; Threats to Armenia; Bellicose statements; Intent to occupy & territorial claims against Armenia; Admitting to have occupied Armenian territory; Admitting to having created the term 'Zangezur Corridor' despite its absence in the 9 Nov agreement; Attacks on France Regarding State Owned Media - Categories included are similar.

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The phrase "Truth is the first casualty of war" is often used to describe how conflict distorts reality. When it comes to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the deliberate distortion of truth in the Palestinian education system has been used to perpetuate the conflict with Israel. Meet Kutaiba Hatab, a Palestinian student at UNRWA's Jalazone school. Regarding his Jewish neighbors, he proudly states, "Oh Allah, please kill them all. We want Palestine alone, just for ourselves ... Those Jews, who are dogs, we will smash their heads." If this video shocks you, know that there are hundreds more. Despite the mainstream media and the UN's efforts to hide this sentiment from the public, the Palestinians themselves are not ashamed to express their views openly. As a dual American-Israeli citizen who studied in several schools in Israel and served in the military, I can attest that there is no such equivalent of hatred in the Israeli education system. In fact, during basic training we were regularly lectured on the importance of avoiding civilian casualties to reduce distress to Palestinians during times of conflict, including evacuating civilians before full ground invasions and providing humanitarian corridors. Attempting to draw moral equivalence between Israel and the Palestinians' actions during this conflict is not only dishonest, but it is counterproductive to addressing the root causes of this ongoing war. Despite the UN's best efforts to cover up reality, Palestinian school children for decades have been given textbooks rife with anti-Semitism and violent propaganda against Israel. This fact is so fundamental to the current conflict that to ignore its reality is to eschew any practical solutions for future resolution. How can Israel make concessions to a people who don't accept their very existence? How can Israelis be expected to make peace with a people who are taught to hate them from the cradle? This is a tragedy for both the Israelis who are desperate for peace and for the Palestinians whose minds are filled with poison instead of the tools for a more prosperous future. Every peace deal negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians will fall flat on its face if the reality of anti-Semitic propaganda is not addressed. Whatever Israel's post-war plans are for Gaza, I hope it contains a long-term strategy to address this persistent issue.

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Israel has maintained meticulous intelligence on Nasrallah for decades, so why smoke him now? For years, Israel knew Nasrallah like the back of their hand: they knew his movements, they could predict his behavior. Take out Nasrallah, a new leader will just take his place, forcing Israel to start their intel efforts from scratch. So, what just changed? October 7 changed the Israeli strategic calculus. For years, the country was lulled into a pattern of tit-for-tat rocket fire with Hamas and Hezbollah. Following October 7, it has become clear that Israel can no longer tolerate terrorist groups operating on their borders. The senior command of Hezbollah that Israel assassinated last week had been planning another October 7-style attack on Israel’s northern border; what country in their right mind would accept a scenario like that? Israel has most likely decided to finally destroy Hezbollah, just as it is eradicating Hamas. If that is indeed the case, I’m betting ten bucks that whoever tries to replace Nasrallah will promptly get whacked by the Israelis as well. We are now coming up on the one-year anniversary of Hezbollah incessantly showering northern Israel with rocket fire, forcing over 60,000 Israelis to flee their homes. (They claimed to do this in support of the Palestinians, which is a joke considering how poorly the Lebanese have treated the Palestinians living in their own country for years.) Hezbollah has destroyed millions of shekels worth of infrastructure and ruined countless Israeli civilians’ livelihoods. After a Hezbollah rocket killed 12 children on an Israeli playground back in July, there were no calls for a ceasefire. The ICJ made no attempt to inflict an arrest warrant on Nasrallah. In the meantime, for the past 18 years the UN has failed to enforce Security Council Resolution 1701 that obliges disarming Hezbollah and removing them from Israel’s border. Only when Israel responds does the UN and world leaders scream for a ceasefire in an apparent rush to save the terrorists. It’s only when Israel starts sending Hezbollah’s senior command to their 72 virgins that world leaders demand “restraint” and a “diplomatic solution.” Only now are they referring to the situation as “intolerable.” I guess when Jews are quietly being slaughtered the situation is tolerable. Dear world: If you can’t bother to call out terrorists for what they are and put them in their place, then at least step out of the way when Israel does the dirty work for you.

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Forthcoming: THE ARMENIAN WOMAN, coauthored with Houri Berberian, will be out in early March with Stanford University Press. Foregrounding the work of Armenian women's organizations, the book traces minoritarian politics and the shifting relationships among doubly minoritized Armenian female subjects, Iran's central nodes of power, and the Irano-Armenian patriarchal institutions of church and political parties. It provides a groundbreaking intervention in Iran's history of modernization, Armenian diasporic history, and Iranian and Armenian feminist historiography.

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𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚❓ ⭕ Armenia, will inevitably feel the tremors. In the past two years, Georgia has nearly doubled its investments in Armenia, and Georgian goods and businesses have become a familiar presence in Armenian markets. Just months ago, one of Georgia’s largest banks acquired Armenia’s Ameriabank. Should Georgia’s economy falter under the weight of sanctions, Armenia would likely suffer too. And the longer-term implications are no less troubling. If foreign investors begin to pull out of Georgia, Armenia—already struggling to attract international capital—could also find itself more isolated. Both countries might become increasingly dependent on regional powers like Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, or worse, on entities already sanctioned by the U.S., such as certain Chinese firms. This is not a particularly desirable future for either Georgia or Armenia. ⭕ Defeat of the pro-western parties in elections will bolster Russia’s potential to wield influence over Georgia’s strategic transport routes and infrastructure projects but also enhance its dominance over the South Caucasus region, including Armenia, which has recently revived its efforts to forge ties with the West. By tightening its grip on Georgia, Russia could reassert—and even expand—its influence over the entire South Caucasus. Such a shift would inevitably limit Armenia’s maneuverability, especially as it seeks to pivot westward following its defeat in the 2020 war. https://lnkd.in/dmxCXEAq

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