676 years ago, on the first day of Nisan 5109 (March 21, 1349), one of the greatest tragedies in Jewish history occurred – the Erfurt Massacre. Approximately 3,000 members of the Jewish community in the German city were murdered in riots that erupted during Sabbath prayers, part of the 1349 persecutions that swept across Europe during the Black Death.

The Black Death – the plague epidemic that ravaged Europe in the 14th century – claimed the lives of tens of millions, but that wasn't the end of it. In the midst of the chaos, blood libels spread accusing Jews of poisoning wells and causing the epidemic. The result was a wave of brutal riots in many cities, including Erfurt, which sealed the fate of entire Jewish communities.

The Jewish community in Erfurt, which was a vibrant center of Torah learning, also lost one of its spiritual leaders that day – Rabbi Alexander Suslin HaCohen, author of "Sefer HaAgudah." Jews who fled the city commemorated the tragedy in lamentations, and one of them, Rabbi Israel of Erfurt, wrote "Zion Aryeh Bechi," a heartbreaking lament about what had occurred.

Beyond the bloodshed, a cultural erasure campaign took place: valuable Hebrew manuscripts were defaced and looted. Some were preserved in various libraries throughout Germany, and later became part of what is now called the "Erfurt Collection."

The Erfurt Massacre was not an isolated event. It was part of a horrific chain of killing sprees, during which tens of thousands of Jews were murdered across Europe in a period of less than two years. The exact numbers are unknown, but estimates range from 50,000 to 100,000 Jews who were murdered or perished in riots, escapes, and mass suicides.

The most severe riots occurred in major cities in Germany, Switzerland, France, and Spain. Jewish communities in many cities were almost completely destroyed, and many Jews were forced to convert or flee to Eastern Europe, especially Poland and Lithuania, where they received more tolerant treatment during that period.

If we thought the Middle Ages were behind us, history reminds us again and again: we are the only ones to stand up for our fate. We are the only ones responsible for ensuring "never again."

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Not one international diplomatic expert has succeeded in explaining the Biden administration's hostility toward Saudi Arabia over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, who was known to be very hostile to the State of Israel while remaining silent on the execution of Ahwaz opposition figures taking a stand against the ayatollah regime's tyranny in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Such behavior is reminiscent of the behavior of former US President Barack Obama and his administration, which promoted the interests of the Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey and Qatar and appeased the ayatollahs in Tehran.

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Biden's policy toward America's allies in the Middle East bodes well for Iran, Qatar, and Turkey, as it can potentially put a freeze on the Abraham Accords process and simultaneously provides Iran with an exit strategy for its international isolation by resurrecting a dead deal, which empowered the ayatollahs at the expense of anyone who cares about freedom and human rights. Biden's outbursts against Saudi Arabia and leaks that his associates have been tracking the phone calls of Israeli and Saudi leaders demonstrate contempt and are reminiscent of the Obama era.

It should be stressed that former US President Barack Obama was infamous in Israel for betraying America's allies in the Middle East. During that period, Obama betrayed the Syrian revolution at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's request, which led to the strengthening of radical forces in Syria and the failure of the liberal revolution there, thereby leading to a takeover of the area by Iran and ISIS.

Obama also signed the Iranian nuclear deal, which gave the Iranians breathing room to create a Shia Crescent that spread terror worldwide, creating bases of operations in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, and enabling them to nevertheless make dangerous progress towards a nuclear bomb, alongside their ballistic missile program.  It also gave the ayatollahs in Tehran the green light to increase their repression of dissidents, as Obama traded in their rights for minor cosmetic changes to the Iranian nuclear program, which would be limited in time and scope and would not be properly enforced regardless.

On the bright side, former US President Donald Trump left behind a great legacy that included the signing of the Abraham Accords and the creation of the Sons of Abraham Alliance that will stand united against a nuclear Iran. This gives us the courage needed to lead the fight against returning to the Iranian nuclear deal, which is the gravest threat to both the State of Israel and the Persian Gulf countries.

The Gulf-Israel coalition has the power to force the Biden administration to reconsider its position, especially because Iran refuses to return to compliance.   They also have the power to thwart the implementation of the worst aspects of Obama's nuclear deal. As far as this coalition is concerned, Israeli consent is critical, and Israel seeks to cut off Iranian arms shipments to Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, and Libya. The US must understand it needs the support of its allies in the region before proceeding with any policy.

A clear message must be conveyed to the Biden administration that after the Obama administration took a series of destructive steps in the region, we have learned, internalized, and implemented various defense mechanisms in case Obama's disastrous policies continue. Thus, we will unite and fight against any moves by Biden that constitute a strategic threat to us, including any sort of concessions to the ayatollahs in Tehran.

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The establishment of peaceful relations with the United Arab Emirates surprised many people. However, at the same time, it revealed the true face of the Palestinian Authority. Instead of signing peace agreements, the PA encourages its citizens to attack Border Policemen in Jerusalem; glorifies the dispatching of incendiary balloons and Qassam rockets into the Israeli communities near Gaza, and systematically incites violence and terrorism.

In the same spirit, Palestinian leaders and PA media outlets have described UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed as a "traitor," "collaborator," and even a "tumor" for making peace with the State of Israel. Since 1993, the Palestinian Authority has rejected every peace offer that came their way.  Simultaneously, they have actively attempted to maintain the Arab world's opposition toward Israel and have worked against other Muslim countries making peace with the Jewish state.

The Palestinian Authority and its leadership cannot continue to hold the Arab world hostage. The PA wants the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to continue and to take precedence over other things happening in the Middle East.

The Palestinian issue has become more of a campaign to collect donations from the international community than a political issue involving disputed land and a so-called occupation. Numerous Palestinian leaders and organizations have made money off of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the suffering that it has caused to both peoples. Numerous international organizations have made millions off of this conflict, while in reality doing nothing except fostering hatred. These organizations are anti-Semitic and hate Jews, always hiding under the Palestinian cause in order to promote bigotry via the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. Naturally, these international organizations are not interested in ending the conflict and continue to fund the Palestinians.

For this reason, the Palestinian Authority has a financial incentive to oppose peace, for the day that they become a state will be the day that the free handouts from their donors will end and they will have to build up an economy in order to finance their people.

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The Arab countries in the Persian Gulf have also now seen the true face of the Palestinian Authority.  After they invested heavily in the Palestinian cause, they have watched the PA support Iran and Qatar against their strategic interests.

Nevertheless, the leaders of the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf have not betrayed the Palestinian people. On the contrary, the United Arab Emirates secured from Israel the concession of the Jewish state halting the application of Israeli sovereignty over 30% of Judea and Samaria. However, this did not stop the Palestinian Authority from attacking the UAE, even before they had a chance to examine the details of the agreement.

The Palestinian response was reckless and hasty, which greatly damaged how the international community views them.  It would have been more prudent for PA President Mahmoud Abbas or one of his ministers to travel to Abu Dhabi in order to clarify matters, before slandering the UAE in front of the entire Arab world and the international community.

Nevertheless, PA policy has always been guided based upon hatred, not based upon logic and reason.  For this reason, they opposed the UAE-Israel peace agreement before reading it, just as they opposed the Deal of the Century before Trump even issued it to the public.

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Four Lebanese Hezbollah militia bases were established in southern Syria over the past year – three in the Daraa Governorate and one in the Quneitra Governorate. These bases train new volunteers for the militias and are among the main armament facilities for the militia in southern Syria.

1. In early 2019, a big Hezbollah airbase was established in Daraa, similar to the military airbase next to Kraiym, north of Lajat. The militia dug many tunnels and facilities inside of bases, using them as special training bases for new fighters. Two of the officers in the camp, Adel and Rashid, have Lebanese citizenship. In addition, a number of trainers have Lebanese citizenship. There are eight trainers, who cooperate with officers that are part of the ninth company of Syria's military and with officers from the National Security Division, who ensure transport and supply routes.
2. A general base was established in early September after the Al-Namar militia forces expelled the population from a number of villages in the area of Lajat. They emptied these villages of their residents under the pretext that they included ISIS elements, and then Hezbollah transformed the civilian homes into military barracks.
   The ninth and fifth companies of Syria's army are under the direct control of El Haj Abu Hadi, one of the most prominent Hezbollah members in southern Syria. In addition, Hezbollah uses this base as a weapons and ammunition facility for short- and medium-range rocket launchers. These weapons were stored in Iraq and then transferred with the assistance of the Asaib Ahl Al Haq militia from Al-Dumayr Military Airport on the outskirts of Damascus to the area of Lajat.
3. The 52nd Brigade was established in January 2019 after the withdrawal of Hezbollah forces from Al-Zabadani and the Rima farms that surround it. They transformed the retreating forces into the 52nd Brigade near the town of Al-Hrak, northeast of Daraa, under the command of Yad Kassem, a Lebanese citizen living in Kirak. He is guarded by a soldier who is part of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Unit.
4. Sabir Base was established in late 2018 under the direct supervision of Mustafa Mughniyeh, an officer in charge of the Hezbollah's Golan Heights portfolio, whose father Imad and brother Jihad were both Hezbollah leaders killed in attacks attributed to Israel. This base is under the command of the Golan Unit, which belongs to the 90th Brigade of the Syrian Army and is located between the villages of Hader and Harfa, north of Quneitra.

Hezbollah established these bases in order to obtain widespread control over the region. They seek to obtain regional domination on behalf of the Iranian regime with the assistance of families who utilize child soldiers. In recent months, Hezbollah has recruited hundreds of residents of the Quneitra region. Hezbollah also supplied spy equipment and listening devices at the beginning of this year to locals so that they could observe their enemies and also has a number of Hezbollah fighters with Lebanese citizenship based in the area. The Sokor Al Quneitra Division, which is close to Hezbollah, guarantees a supply route from the Set Zaynab area on the outskirts of Damascus and from the Erneh region south of Mount Hermon. A table showing these groups spreading along the border with the Golan Heights is in the possession of the Safadi Center but we chose not to publish it for security reasons.

In any event, Israel's struggle to repel these groups from the Golan Heights border is of critical importance. The presence of these groups in the region poses an existential threat. It is of great importance that Israel nip this threat in the bud and defend its security interests along the Israeli border. Failure to do so will strengthen Iranian hegemony in the Middle East. This is why Israel has been attacking Iran in Syria and must continue to do so.

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Indeed, the contradiction between what Lieberman says during an election campaign and what his party platform actually says is unknown to the vast majority of the public. The fact that most Israelis have not read Lieberman's platform stands behind the great disappointment that many have felt for their leadership over the past two decades.

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During elections, politicians like Lieberman make a lot of promises and encouraging statements. But after they are elected and need to start fulfilling their promises, they follow a different path. Use of inflammatory anti-Arab and anti-haredi rhetoric doesn't demonstrate any great leadership potential. It is usually weak people lacking convincing arguments who resort to curses and incitement. I don't mean that Lieberman's rhetoric is total nonsense, lacking all logic. Rather, Lieberman doesn't reveal the whole truth when he represents himself and his party to voters. Here, in a nutshell, are just some of the differences between his spoken statements and his written platform:

"The Israeli-Arab conflict is not a territorial conflict but a religious one," Lieberman has told his voters. This statement is factual and I am one of those who helped him reach this conclusion. However, Lieberman only used this statement to incite against the Arabs, giving him a boost in the polls. His party's platform includes a canton plan and a vision for exchanging territories where many people live. This is acceptable to those who support a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River, such as Yossi Beilin. It represents their ideological point of view.

But this is the vision of Lieberman, the man who just a moment ago said that the Israeli-Arab conflict is not territorial but religious. If that is the case, how can a territorial exchange end the conflict? All who know the term "Dar al-Islam" understand that Muslims will never compromise in their fight to recover lands that they consider to be Muslim. Is Lieberman just telling us what we want to hear while meaning the opposite?

Perhaps this was just an unintended mistake? Well, at a conference in Jerusalem in 2009, Lieberman said, "Improving the economy will help bring about a solution to terror."

If the conflict is religious, how can an improved economy change it? And why does Lieberman make "leftist" statements like this in closed forums and very different statements where large numbers of right-wing voters are likely to hear him?

Lieberman's voters have chosen to forgive him time and again. When he promised that, if he were appointed defense minister, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh would "vanish" within 48 hours, they understood that national and international considerations would prevent such an action. And they forgave him his frequent flip-flopping between the government and the opposition. But in the aftermath of the last election, when he prevented the establishment of a right-wing government and instead joined hands with Yair Lapid, his voters should not let this charade continue.

The State of Israel is currently unable to draft haredim into the IDF. Empty declarations to the contrary by Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, like his father, the late Justice Minister Tommy Lapid, are motivated by disdain, not a sense of national responsibility. Technically, the IDF is not ready to accept hundreds of thousands of haredim into its ranks since haredi society has special needs that cannot be ignored. For example, the religious beliefs of haredi men preclude them from listening to women sing; we must respect this. Haredim also observe special stringencies regarding kosher food that are sometimes unique for each particular community; this too must be respected. Is the army prepared to cater to these needs? The answer is no.

Lieberman's excuses for opposing the prime minister and preventing the formation of a right-wing government don't come from any sort of idealism but only seek to inflame the secular public. And the worst part is that Lieberman doesn't mean what he says. His actual vision entirely contradicts his statements.

Voters should look for consistency between a politician's words and actions. When it comes to Lieberman, the conclusion is obvious.

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