Observations of an Irishman: Concise and factual 4000 years of Israeli history

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” --- Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

This is a famous quote that perfectly sums up our world right now and especially the Middle East. Thousands of Palestinians have recently started a new protest along the borders with Israel. For the next six weeks, you are going to hear the same old phony narrative by the media, by the politicians and even certain religious leaders.

This narrative will promote every Palestinian as the victim of evil Israeli aggression and as a modern-day freedom fighter. You will either rarely hear about Hamas, or you will not hear about how they are a terrorist organization.

We are living in a world where we love to say "never again." How we love to think that Nazi Germany and a Holocaust could never happen. The truth is we have people on BOTH sides of politics who are anti-Semitic, who not only HATE Israel but will actively spread lies about Israel being evil and Palestine being good. To help counter this narrative, I wanted to share a brief history of Israel that goes back over 4000 years.

(NOTE: This article is NOT MY OPINION on Israel. IT IS FACTS and FIGURES, which you can research for yourself. Words in CAPS are key issues to this day and are highlighted to show how much history surrounds them.)

2000 BC: The first Jewish tribes and kingdoms settle in Israel.

1000 BC: King David unites all the Jewish tribes in a single Kingdom of Israel with Jerusalem as the capital. Around this time, King Solomon builds the first temple on the TEMPLE MOUNT.

930 BC: Israel splits into two kingdoms called Israel (north) and Judah (south).

586 BC: The Babylonian Empire conquers Judah, destroys the first temple and most Jews are expelled to Babylon for 70 years (Babylon is modern-day Iraq).

515 BC: Jews return from exile and seek to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem which is called the Second Temple.

330 BC: Alexander the Great (Greek Empire) attacks and conquers Judah. For the next 200 years, Greek and Syrian kings rule Judah.

140 BC: The Jews fight back and finally win independence. They form the Kingdom of Judea which is ruled by the Maccabean Kings.

62 BC: The Roman Empire attacks Judea and it loses its independence to the Romans.

A famous Jew named Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem. He is eventually arrested, condemned to death and crucified by the Romans.

66 AD: Israel fights for independence.

70 AD: Romans invade Jerusalem and destroy the second temple.

73 AD: Jewish resistance starts in Masada and they succeed for a period, however, it is captured by the Romans after three years.

132 AD: This is the start of the second war of independence, also known as the Bar Kokhba Revolt. Initially, they are successful and have several victories, which lead to an independent Jewish State. It only lasts a couple of years as the Romans return and destroy the independence. The result of this defeat is many Jews are spread all over Europe and Africa, creating the Jewish Diaspora. Hadrian, who was the Roman Emperor, changes the name of Israel to PALESTINA, which is named after the Philistines long-time enemies of the Jewish people.

310 AD: The Byzantine Christian Empire begins to rule over Palestina. Christians start to refer to this area as the HOLY LAND.

600 AD: Around this time period, very few if any Arabs live in Palestina.

620 AD: Muhammad, an Arab tribal leader, is the founder of the religion of Islam in Saudi Arabia.

638 AD: Muslim armies invade and capture Jerusalem and all of Palestina. They rule for roughly the next 330 years. During this period, they build the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.

1100 AD: Muslims rob and kill Christian pilgrims in Palestina. Christians launch the first of four Christian Crusades with the aim of freeing the Holy Land. When they arrive in Jerusalem, they kill all the Muslim and Jewish inhabitants and rule for around 200 years.

1300 AD: Muslim Mameluks come from Egypt to Palestina and defeat the Crusade. After the defeat, most of the area we know as Palestina and Israel becomes depopulated and abandoned. There are small pockets of clans in some areas, but nothing compared to the past history.

1514 AD: The Ottoman Empire (Turkey today) invades and conquers Palestina and rules for roughly 400 years. There are pockets of Jewish settlements in some areas and they live in relative peace. They are allowed to live, follow their Jewish faith and customs, but they are second-class subjects under Islamic Law. Over the next 250 years, Jews start to return to Palestina in small numbers and they mainly return to Jerusalem, Safed, Hebron and Tiberias.

1864: A British Embassy census shows over 50 percent of the population in Jerusalem is Jewish.

1916: The SYKES-PICOT AGREEMENT, which would later play a larger role in the issues within the Middle East and would be opposed by groups like ISIS, is established between England and France. This agreement is responsible for the boundary lines in the Middle East that we are familiar with today.

1917: The BALFOUR DECLARATION is made by Britain to establish a home for Jews in Palestine when the Turks are defeated.

1918: Britain assumes control of Palestine. You may have heard it called British Mandated Palestine in the past.

1920: In April 1920 at the San Remo Conference, both Britain and France confirm the Balfour Declaration.

1922: 51 countries from the LEAGUE OF NATIONS (which preceded the UN) vote to confirm British rule in Palestine and for Britain to take steps to set up a Jewish home there to encourage and facilitate Jewish immigration. That September, Britain allocates over 75 percent of the land an Arab state called Transjordan (modern-day Jordan) with no Jewish settlement allowed. The remaining 20 percent or so of the land west of the River Jordan is given to Israel. That land is made up of Israel and Judea / Samaria or --- as you may know it today --- the WEST BANK.

1920s: After this declaration, many Arabs sought to live in peace with the Jews. Some groups were not happy, however, and became militant --- attacking Jewish settlements and murdering several hundred people.

1920s - 1930s: Europe sees a rise in anti-Semitic behaviour in places like Russia and Ukraine. The result of this is many thousands of European Jews escape and arrive in Palestine.

1933: Hitler takes power in Germany.

1937: Around 1937, Jews are roughly one third of the population in Palestine.

1941 - 1945: Over 6 million Jews are murdered in the Holocaust by Nazi Germany. During this period, one “World Leader” met with Hitler to not only express support but planned on bringing the Holocaust to Palestine to further exterminate the Jews. That leader was Haj Amin al-Husseini who was the Palestinian Arab leader.

1948: On May 1948, Israel is declared an independent Democratic Jewish State. The very next day, it is attacked by armies of five Arab nations. Despite the long odds (with only a small army that had just formed, and very few arms) the IDF wins.

1964: The Arab League Summit is held in Cairo and witnesses the creation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) with the stated goals of liberating Palestine and wiping out Israel through armed struggle. That May, Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran as Egypt, Jordan and Syria plan an attack on Israel for the start of June. Israel decides to make a pre-emptive strike and wins in what we call the SIX DAY WAR. After this win, Israel takes control of the Golan Heights, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula and Judea / Samaria (West Bank). In September, Israel makes history by offering its first (of many) “LAND FOR PEACE” deals where Israel would return the lands it won in the Six Day War in return for a promise of peace. At the conference, Arab leaders unite and not only refuse the deal, but they say NO to peace, won’t have any negotiations with Israel and won’t even recognize them.

1973: If you know anything about the Jewish faith, you know Yom Kippur is a very sacred day. On this holy day in 1973, both Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel. Over 18 days of fighting and thousands of innocent casualties, Israel defeats Egypt and Syria.

1977: The Egyptian President Anwar Sadat gives a speech to the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) in Jerusalem.

1979: HISTORY is made as Egypt signs a peace treaty with Israel. The terms of the treaty are that Israel returns the Sinai Peninsula (won in the Six Day War), dismantles its settlements and hands over both oil rights and tourist resorts. Egypt agrees not to attack Israel again.

1987: The FIRST INTIFADA is an uprising by Palestinian groups against Israel-controlled lands.

1988: HAMAS, which is an Islamic terrorist organization, is founded. In its charter, it states “that Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors.”

1994: HISTORY is made for a second time as Jordan signs a peace treaty with Israel.

1995: Israel tries to negotiate another “land for peace” deal, this time with the PLO. Sadly, Hamas continues its terrorism and suicide bombings in the area, killing many Israelis.

2000: Israel offers yet another “land for peace” deal to the Palestinian leadership. Not only is this offer rejected, but terrorism goes to new lows and a SECOND INTIFADA starts.

2005: In a move seeking peace in the area, Israel agrees to remove all its troops from Gaza. Instead of peace, HAMAS takes over the area and uses it as a base to launch rocket attacks against innocent civilians. To date over 12,000 rockets have been fired.

2007: President George W. Bush is joined by both President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Yet another “land for peace” deal is rejected by the Palestinians.

2010: Israel offers to renew the moratorium of ceasing to build in settlement area in exchange for Palestinian Authority recognition of Israel as the homeland for the Jewish people. This is also rejected by the Palestinians.

Conclusion

In closing, I would ask you to consider several questions:

If Israel is the evil terrorist nation in the Middle East, why is it they have witnessed decades of peace with both Jordan and Egypt after signing peace treaties?

If Israel and the Jews are greedy, power-hungry people, why have they returned the land they obtained through war in return for nothing more than a promise of peace?

Where are the concessions made by Palestine?

Look at the history of concessions made by Israel to its Arab neighbors. Can you list the concessions made by other nations? Where are the concessions made by Palestine? Would you make as many concessions when a percentage of those neighbors not only doesn't recognize you but actively seeks to kill you?

Today, members of media and politicians love to defend minorities. Have you considered the difference in how such groups would be treated under Islamic rule?

Lastly, consider the outcome of two scenarios. Scenario one is you wake up tomorrow to the news Israel has decided to give up and put down all of their weapons --- what would happen?

The second is you wake up tomorrow and the Arab world has decided to give up and put down all of their weapons --- what would happen?

Think about it.

Jonathon Dunne is an Irishman with a lifelong dream of becoming an American citizen. After waiting for over 13 years, Dunne received a job offer from Glenn Beck so he could achieve his dream, but unfortunately, he did not meet the requirements to apply for a visa. Unless laws change or Dunne decides to break the law (he won't), his American dream is dead. Despite this setback, he still loves America and seeks to be a positive influence on society by promoting the idea of America and God-given freedoms. Tune into Dunne's free weekly podcast, "Freedom's Disciple," on TheBlaze Radio, available on SoundCloud, iTunes, iHeart Radio, Google Play and Stitcher.

UPDATE: Will Florida survive Hurricane Milton?

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For the second time in two weeks, Florida is in the path of a major hurricane.

Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall sometime tonight, Wednesday, October 9th, somewhere near Tampa Bay. This will mark the first time in a hundred years the city has been hit directly by a hurricane, raising concerns about the preparedness of the city's infrastructure. Milton, which was rated a category five hurricane earlier this week, has been reduced to a category four as it approaches land and is expected to make landfall as a powerful category three.

The Sunshine State has already begun to feel the effects of the historic storm, with strong winds and heavy rains battering Tampa Bay this morning. Many are still trying to evacuate or prepare for the storm as conditions worsen. Highways have slowed down, and gas has run short. Residents are preparing for the worst.

The federally recognized "Waffle House Index" is in red, meaning that several Waffle House locations in the Tampa Bay area will be shut down. Waffle House prides itself on being open 24/7, no matter the conditions, so for them to shut down, if only for a brief time, indicates that severe damage to the area is anticipated.

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In short, Milton is anticipated to be a disaster, and as we have learned, FEMA is unlikely to be much help. Fortunately, Floridians have Ron DeSantis, who has continued to prove himself a capable governor, and the aid of good-hearted Americans from across the country. If you want to lend a hand to your fellow Americans you can donate at Mercury One and rest assured that your money will be used to step in to help hurricane victims where the government is failing.

'Call her Daddy'? Kamala Harris keeps dodging important questions

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Kamala Harris has been making her rounds on talk shows and podcasts in order to increase her poor recognition amongst voters, but all we're hearing is more of the same.

Just in the past few days, Harris has appeared on "60 Minutes" and the popular podcast "Call Her Daddy" to help Americans get to know her. But instead of bold answers to hard-hitting questions, Harris delivered rambling responses to soft-ball questions and squirmed her way out of the few tough questions thrown at her. Overall, it is unlikely that any voter who tuned in to get a solid grasp on Harris's policies was left with a better understanding after either one of her interviews.

Below is a summary of Harris's most recent interviews:

"Call Her Daddy" podcast

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Despite this podcast's unsavory name, it consistently ranks among the most popular podcasts in the world, right up there with Joe Rogan's show, and is especially popular among women. Shortly after releasing the interview with Harris, Alex Cooper, the host of the podcast, received backlash for her extremely soft treatment of the presidential nominee. After watching the interview, it's not hard to see how that impression might have come across.

The interview consisted of several surface-level, gimme-type, questions on common Democrat talking points. Harris said she wassurprise—pro-choice. Who would have thought? She also expressed her desire to dump taxpayer money into student loan forgiveness along with other government "aid" programs, which is pretty standard amongst the Left. Overall, nothing new was revealed.

The rest of the interview was little more than gossip. Cooper and Harris chatted about a comment made by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the "at ladies" comment made by J.D. Vance. This was not the deep dive on Harris that voters wanted.

60 Minutes

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On Monday, October 8th, Harris sat down with CBS's Bill Whitaker for an interview on 60 Minutes. While Whitaker defiantly upped the ante in comparison to "Call Her Daddy," Harris still managed to dodge several questions. When asked about foreign policy, Harris parroted the same tired schtick we've heard for the past four years, which clearly hasn't worked. Like Biden before her, she called for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, primarily out of concern for the Palestinians, while simultaneously maintaining Israel's right to self-defense.

Harris also deflected Biden's failure at the Southern Border onto the House Republicans, citing a single instance where a border security bill failed to pass. Even Whitaker pointed out the obvious: The Biden-Harris administration has had four years to solve the problem, and the blame does not fall on this single instance. Harris didn't waver, and doubled down on her excuse, again blaming Congress.

Harris went on to repeatedly dodge questions about her three trillion-dollar economic plan and offered little explanation of what might be included in such a plan, or how it will be paid for. These interviews have repeatedly failed to define Harris or her platform in any meaningful way, though they were successful in concealing just how radical of a candidate she actually is. She is still just a vaguely left-wing, Joe Biden replacement in the eyes of many voters, which might be the best she can do.

The Howard Stern Show

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In her recent interview on The Howard Stern Show, Harris once again demonstrated her signature combination of evasiveness and unreliable platitudes. Rather than offering substantive answers to Stern’s pointed questions, Harris deflected with awkward humor and vague talking points, sidestepping any real discussion on critical issues like the border crisis or inflation. Her attempt to portray herself as relatable felt painfully out of touch, especially when she pivoted the conversation to her fondness for music and cooking.

Harris’s inability to confront pressing national concerns only highlights her growing reputation for evading accountability during her term in the Biden administration. Stern, typically known for drawing candid responses from guests, seemed unable to penetrate the wall of superficiality that Harris maintained throughout the conversation.

"The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert

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We saw a similar performance from Harris on Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show." Colbert teed her up for questions about inflation, the southern border crisis, and the administration’s plunging approval ratings, but Harris stuck to her well-worn script of platitudes and vague promises. Instead of addressing the economic pain felt by millions, she laughed nervously through softball questions, leaving viewers with nothing but empty rhetoric about “working together” and “finding solutions,” while the country watches the consequences of ineffective leadership.

Moreover, when Colbert pressed her on issues like the administration's immigration policies or lack of legislative victories, Harris deflected with hollow talking points, refusing to engage in any serious reflection or accountability. Her awkward attempts at humor felt like a shield against real criticism, confirming the impression that she remains detached from the gravity of the crises unfolding under her watch.

PHOTOS: What Glenn saw in North Carolina was INSANE

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Last Thursday, October 3rd, Glenn traveled to North Carolina to join Mercury One as they provided critical aid to those devastated by Hurricane Helene.

What Glenn saw during his brief visit looked like scenes straight out of an apocalypse movie: houses torn from their foundations and tossed to the side, sometimes entire towns away from where they were built, semi-trucks rolled, railroad tracks swept away, bridges washed out. It was a level of destruction Glenn had never before seen.

But perhaps the most shocking encounter of his whole trip was when Glenn discovered a lone FEMA crew. It was a miracle that Glenn even spotted the FEMA truck, as it was parked away from the main road without any signs or markers to indicate to any passerby in need of its existence. Glenn and Congressman Cory Mills decided to talk to this FEMA crew, the only one they had encountered on their trek, and see what they were up to. As it turns out, not much. The FEMA workers admitted that they had only arrived the day before (nearly a week after the hurricane) and still did not have any sort of supplies. They claimed that people would know where they were located via the local news, despite the fact that most people did not have access to power, cell service, their home, or even their cars. Moreover, there seemed to be confusion about whether they were to go door-to-door in order to render aid to those in need.

FEMA dropped the ball on this entire affair, and it is only going to get worse. FEMA is claiming they blew their yearly allowance on aiding illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, another hurricane is approaching Florida and is expected to make landfall on Wednesday. It seems unlikely that FEMA will be of any use to Floridians in need, and they will have to rely on the aid of their fellow Americans.

Want to help out your fellow countrymen where our government has failed? You can donate at Mercury One and rest assured that your money will be used to step in to help hurricane victims where the government is failing.

The case for mass deportation

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Unchecked illegal immigration into America may be the most dangerous issue our country faces today, and with every day it goes unsolved, the risk of a terrorist attack of 9/11 proportions only increases.

Despite the risk, we can't even touch the subject without the Left and the mainstream media having a meltdown. Even suggesting that the tide of undocumented immigrants may pose some sort of national problem will quickly get you labeled as a racist, stumping intelligent conversation before it can even begin. But as any right-minded Conservative will tell you, calls to close the border and deport the people who stole into our country have nothing to do with race.

In his most recent TV special, Glenn described in detail what sorts of dangers we have let into our countries, with facts and figures that prove that if we don't act soon we will be in deep trouble. Glenn made it clear: we need to conduct a mass deportation or risk being torn apart from within. Here are three reasons that make the case for mass deportations:

Islamic terror cells are forming in South America.

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Congressional testimony from the Committee on Homeland Security in 2011 revealed that Hugo Chavez held a "Secret Summit" involving the Supreme Leader of Hamas, the Chief of Operations for Hezbollah, and the Secretary General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Caracas, Venezuela. It is clear that ever since (and possibly before) there has been a Radical Islamic Terrorist presence in Venezuela. Right now there is an Iranian beachhead off the Venezuelan coast on Margarita Island, where the Iranian government is running criminal activities and recruiting and training Venezuelan gangs. These gangs have used our border crisis to infiltrate the U.S. The most infamous of these gangs, Tren de Aragua, has been declared a terrorist organization by the State of Texas.

Terrorist-backed gangs are smuggling in weapons and tearing through the country.

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What are these Iranian-trained and backed gangs doing in America? As you can imagine, nothing good. Just this year alone an estimated million rounds of ammunition, 1.2 million gun parts, 3,000 body armor vests, and thousands of pieces of other military paraphernalia have been smuggled across the border. On top of that, they have already taken over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, and are now terrorizing the remaining residents.

It's noteworthy that the gang managed to move into the apartment in the first place because they received subsidies through an NGO that was assisting the Colorado asylum seekers program, using money given to the state by the Biden administration in 2021.

Gangs have attacked military bases.

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It hasn't stopped at apartment complexes either. A leak from the U.S. Army revealed that the gangs have launched probing attacks on military facilities within the U.S. Members have been sighted taking surveillance photos of Lackland Air Force Base, as well as firing multiple shots into the facility. Another military base in Texas, Fort Sam Houston, caught a gang member attempting to gain access to the facility. This coincides with suspicious activity documented within the Permian Basin, the largest oil field in the U.S.

They are smuggling in vast quantities of military equipment, probing and surveying military facilities and key energy locations, and taking over residential areas. What exactly is going on and why isn't the federal government taking it more seriously?