NewsWatch

Administration Rejoicing Anti-Israel Agency

OneNewsNow.com, 2/8/21, “Biden administration rejoins anti-Israel U.N. agency [Excerpts]: The United States announced plans [February 8] to reengage with the U.N. Human Rights Council that former President Donald Trump withdrew from almost three years ago...mainly because of its long history of anti-Israel votes. 

In making the announcement for the Biden administration, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said “we recognize that the Human Rights Council is a flawed body, in need of reform to its agenda, membership, and focus, including its disproportionate focus on Israel.”

Trump pulled out of the council due to its disproportionate focus on Israel, which has received by far the largest number of critical council resolutions against any country, and because it failed to meet an extensive list of reforms demanded by then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.

Besides the council’s persistent focus on Israel, the Trump administration took issue with the body’s membership, which currently includes China, Cuba, Eritrea, Russia and Venezuela, all of which have been accused of human rights abuses.

(https://bit.ly/3ruk1Ai)

PETA: Insults Like “Pig,” “Sloth” Hurt Animals

AnswersInGenesis.org, 2/8/21, “PETA: Insults Like “Pig,” “Sloth” Hurt Animals” [Excerpts]: Is insulting someone by calling them a “pig,” “sloth,” or “chicken” actually insulting animals? Well, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) seems to think so! In a recent tweet, they shared an infographic with alternative words to common animal-based insults such as snake (try “jerk” instead), rat (“snitch”), or pig (“repulsive”). They ask that people use these alternatives because “using animals as insults perpetrates speciesism.”

In the explanation that accompanied the infographic, PETA explains: “Words can create a more inclusive world, or perpetuate oppression. Calling someone an animal as an insult reinforces the myth that humans are superior to other animals & justified in violating them. Stand up for justice by rejecting supremacist language.”

This isn’t the first time they’ve suggested this—in 2018 they encouraged people to “bring home the bagels,” instead of “the bacon,” to stop “anti-animal” language.

(http://bit.ly/3t559Jc)

Seeking Another Grand Inquisitor

StrategyPage.com, 2/4/21, “Iran: Desperately Seeking Another Grand Intimidator'' [Excerpts]: With a new government in the United States, Iran sees a chance to get sanctions lifted and a return to the 2015 deal that halted Iranian nuclear weapons research in return for lifting of sanctions. The U.S. caught Iran cheating, which Iran is still doing, and invoked the “cheating clause” of the 2015 agreement to revive sanctions. That made foreign aggression more difficult for Iran and played a role in continuing public protests against the government that for decades has declared Israel must be destroyed and allies of Israel, like the United States, punished. Iran is now at war with most of the Arab Gulf states because Iran wants to take charge of the Moslem shrines at Mecca and the annual pilgrimage as well as leadership of the Moslem world. 

A growing number of Arab states are making peace with Israel, and those countries want the new American government to recognize this new alliance and its goals of containing Iranian aggression. Israel threatens to attack Iran before Iran can attack Israel with nuclear weapons. Iran says it will respond to Israeli threats by firing ballistic missiles at Israel with conventional (high-explosives) warheads if nuclear warheads were not available. It is implied that Iran would also fire missiles at Israel’s new Arab allies....

The reality is that Iranian leaders don’t want a war with Israel or the Gulf Arabs. Such a conflict would do enormous damage to Iran and Iranian chances of victory are slim to none. Iran prefers undeclared war, which it has been waging more and more since the 1980s. This includes supporting a lot of terror attacks against enemy states as well as assassination of Iranian exiles who know, and say, too much. China and Russia don’t care about this because Iran does not harm them. The Europeans are willing to do business with Iran if they receive the same immunity. The rest of the world has no such immunity and is not seeking any. Iran only backs off when it has to or, in places like Israel, has not been able to get into.

(http://bit.ly/3qz3pWI)