Every Picture Tells a Story, Don’t It?

Why, yes, Rod Stewart, it do. How perspicacious you were, way back in 1971.

There are some very odd things going on in Israel and America (many other places, too, but let’s focus on the two places that hold the greatest interest to us right now, shall we?) right now, and I’ll be darned if there aren’t some striking similarities.

I make no claim that they are related in any way. I just find it remarkable that factual events occur. They are reported in certain ways. And like the iconic Japanese film, Rosho-Mon, the factual events are retold in ways that bear scant resemblance to the original facts of the event.

PICTURE 1: ISRAEL, THE TEMPLE MOUNT

Clear video evidence would seem to indicate that three criminals smuggled weapons into Haram esh-Sharif which have no apparent purpose during prayers. Those weapons were used to kill two Israeli Druze policemen.

Logic would suggest that there ought to have been outrage that the Noble Sanctuary was defiled in such a manner. Instead, the three criminals, who were killed, were hailed as martyrs because, of course, the Jews are trying to destroy Al Aqsa Mosque by digging tunnels beneath the shrine.

PICTURE 2: AMERICA, TRUMP’S RUSSIAN COLLUSION

Donald Trump, though lawfully elected by the people of the United States, is loathed by powerful forces in America. Oh, that sounds crazy, I know. The Democrat Party is waging an unending investigation in both the House and the Senate, and is gleefully joined by the mainstream press, into charges that Trump colluded with Putin to squeeze Hillary out of the White House.

The stink seems to have arisen from a “dossier” authored by Fusion GPS that caught the interest of James Comey and John Brennan (oh, and John McCain – how about that!). Which led to Comey getting fired (which he richly deserved), his best bud being named Special Counsel and Brennan remarking that Trump’s actions “raises serious questions about how he is keeping safe our national security.”

Apart from his grammatical imbalance, this keen observation is coming from a guy who once voted for a Communist Party member for President; like his boss, Obama, he is an apologist for the US, saying the government created “an unhealthy atmosphere around many Muslim charities that made Muslims hesitant to fulfill their sacred obligations of zakat….” This from the Director of the CIA who is widely credited with making overtures to the Muslim Brotherhood which were adamantly opposed by Gen Michael Flynn?

PICTURE 3: ISRAEL, THE WAQF AND JORDAN

The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf is responsible for the Islamic holy sites in the Old City. Following Israel’s victory in the Six Day War and the reunification of Jerusalem, Israeli authorities determined that the Waqf, which is wholly funded by the Jordanian kingdom, could remain in charge of those sites.

Despite the fact that Israel and Jordan concluded a peace treaty in 1994 with King Hussein, his son, King Abdullah II has been acting with odd unpredictability as of late. By all outward appearances, he is reasonable, Western, speaks English with a British lilt and pilots attack aircraft to avenge his murdered airmen.

But there is another side to this king. He castigates Netanyahu and lectures him on how an Israeli security guard ought to face justice in a controversial killing of Jordanian citizens. He defies international law and norms by refusing to permit diplomats from leaving his country because he demands that this guard be returned to face Jordanian justice.

And as the monarch who controls the Waqf, what does he do to tamp down the violence that swirls around the Temple Mount? Absolutely nothing. Does anyone in the international community ask him to use his considerable influence not just among the Waqf, but among the Palestinian Authority, to de-escalate the violence? Not a word. Abu Mazen needs some medical attention and the King’s website is quick to point out that Abdullah made a phone call to make sure Mr. Mazen was doing okay. But a call to someone – anyone – in the Old City to reduce the violence there? Now, why in the world would I want to do Bibi a solid right now? Plus it wouldn’t look good for my Palestinian street cred.

After thanking Trump and Jared Kushner for their help in “defus[ing] Al Haram Al Sharif crisis” – which, of course, the Great Hashemite King could have done all by Himself had He chosen to – he elected to say, as only any soon-to-be-doomed, anti-Semitic, theocratic Islamist might say, Jordan has a historical, political and legal role to play in stopping the “Judaization of holy sites”. I’m sure his children would be very proud.

PICTURE 4: AMERICA, THE LEAKS AND THE “UNMASKING”

If the Democrats do not provide some evidence quickly of this collusion story, it’s going to hurt (in no particular order): Sen Mark Warner (who has utterly embarrassed himself); Sen Kamala Harris (oh, please, please, let her run for President); Sen Angus King (Independent in his puny mind only); Rep Adam Schiff (goodness, he really thought he was going to be a Senator over this); oh, I needn’t mention all of them – every single member of the Democrat Party who have been marching in lockstep; CNN; MSNBC; The Washington Post (“Democracy Dies In Darkness”: did Jeff Bezos come up with that one?); and, everybody’s favorite, The Sanctimonious New York Times.

We now know, of course, that James Comey, former Director of the FBI, is one of the leakers. There is circumstantial evidence that John Brennan, former Director of the CIA, may have been responsible for the leaks that led to Michael Flynn’s dismissal. We also know that James Baker, the FBI’s General Counsel, and a confidant of James Comey, is under investigation for leaking classified information. We also know this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Susan Rice, Ben Rhodes and Samantha Powers, all senior figures in the Obama Administration, have been subpoenaed to appear before Congress to testify about “unmasking”, where American citizens are caught up in authorized surveillance of foreign nationals, but are not identified by name. They are barred from being identified except in the interests of national security and can only be “unmasked” by individuals with the highest security clearances and permission must be granted by a court that authorized the surveillance.

Samantha Powers was the US Ambassador to the UN. She did not deal with national security matters. Ben Rhodes was Obama’s foreign policy speechwriter from 2007 until the end of his presidency. His brother, David, is president of CBS News. If there is corroborating evidence that they are somehow implicated in the unmasking of political opponents of either Mr. Obama or Mrs. Clinton, no one will ever remember the words “Russian collusion.”