Casino magnate and Israeli patriot multi-billionaire Sheldon Adelson, one of the world's richest men, died in Las Vegas on January 11th at age 87. He had been suffering from cancer and has been buried at the Mount of Olives Cemetery in Israel. When his body arrived in Israel it was met by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Jonathan Pollard, the most damaging spy in United States history. Tributes to the fallen 'hero' poured in from the political class in both the United States and Israel and it has even been reported that President Donald Trump was intending to hoist the American flag at half mast over federal buildings to honor the 'great humanitarian philanthropist.' Unfortunately, the flag was already at half mast honoring the death of Capitol Police Force officer Brian Sicknick, who was murdered in the Capitol building last Wednesday.
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Trump has not mentioned the service unto death of Sicknick and the flag lowering itself was apparently a bit of an afterthought on behalf of the White House, but he had plenty to say about his good buddy Adelson, who has been the principal funder of the Republican Party over the past five years. As he can no longer use Twitter, the president's condolences were posted on the White House site: 'Melania and I mourn the passing of Sheldon Adelson, and send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Miriam, his children and grandchildren. Sheldon lived the true American dream. His ingenuity, genius, and creativity earned him immense wealth, but his character and philanthropic generosity his great name. Sheldon was also a staunch supporter of our great ally the State of Israel. He tirelessly advocated for the relocation of the United States embassy to Jerusalem, the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and the pursuit of peace between Israel and its neighbors. Sheldon was true to his family, his country, and all those that knew him. The world has lost a great man. He will be missed.'
Missing from the Trump eulogy is any mention of what Adelson did for the United States, which is his country of birth and where he made his fortune engaging in activity that many would consider to be a vice. In fact, Adelson was all about the Jewish state, positioning himself as the principal funder of the Republican Party under Donald Trump and receiving in return as a quid pro quo the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA), the move of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the recognition of Israeli annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights, and a virtual concession that the Jewish state could do whatever it wants vis-à-vis the Palestinians, to include expelling them from Palestine. Adelson once commented that Israel does not have to pretend to be a democracy but it must be Jewish, presumably to help the process of Arab genocide move along.
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Adelson's mechanism, initiated under George W. Bush, is familiar to how the Israel Lobby operates more generally. It consisted of the exploitation of the incessant need of campaign money by the GOP, which Adelson provided with strings attached. He worked with the Republicans to completely derail the admittedly faux peace process begun under Bill Clinton, which depended on a two-state solution, and instead give the Jewish state a free hand to implement its own unilateral Greater Israel Project extending from 'the Jordan River to the Mediterranean.' As part of that expansion, Israel has been building illegal settlements while also bombing and killing Lebanese, Syrians, and Iranians and assassinating scientists and technicians throughout the region.
All of the interventions against Israel's neighbors took place even though the Jewish state was not technically at war with anyone. The U.S. meanwhile funded Israeli aggression and watched the spectacle without any complaint, providing political cover as necessary, while also maintaining a major military presence in the Middle East to 'protect Israel,' as Trump recently admitted.
In short, Sheldon Adelson committed as much as half a billion dollars from his vast fortune to buy control over a major element of U.S. foreign policy and subordinated American interests to those of Israel. In addition to direct donations to both major political parties, he also paid for Congressional 'fact finding' trips to Israel and funded a number of pro-Israel lobbies, so-called charities and other related Jewish projects. It is indisputable that he wielded an incredible degree of power to shape Washington's actions in the Middle East. In her own tribute to her dead husband, Miriam Adelson, an Israeli, described how he 'crafted the course of nations.'
Adelson was actively engaged on Israel's behalf until the week before his death. He provided his casino's private 737 luxury executive jet to transport Jonathan Pollard 'home' to Israel. Pollard has served 30 years in prison after being convicted of espionage and was on parole, which restricted his travel. As yet another a gift to Israel, Donald Trump lifted that restriction, allowing him to fly to Israel where he received a hero's welcome. It is generally agreed that Pollard was the most damaging spy in American history, having stolen the keys to accessing U.S. communications and information gathering systems. A month after Pollard's arrest in 1985, C.I.A director William Casey stated: 'The Israelis used Pollard to obtain our war plans against the USSR – all of it: the co-ordinates, the firing locations, the sequences, and Israel sold that information to Moscow for more exit visas for Soviet Jews.'
Sheldon Adelson used his wealth and political connections to shield himself from any criticism due to his openly expressed preference for Israel over the land of his birth. He famously publicly stated that he wished he had worn the Israeli Army uniform instead of that of the U.S. Army, where he served briefly as a draftee. He also expressed his desire that his son would serve as an Israeli army sniper, presumably allowing him to blow the heads off of Palestinians. In 2013 Adelson advocated ending nuclear negotiations with Iran and instead detonating a nuclear weapon in 'the middle of the [Iranian] desert,' followed by a threat to annihilate the capital city Tehran, home to 8.6 million, to force Iran to surrender its essentially non-existent nuclear program.
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Other acknowledgements of the impact of Adelson came from officials in the Trump Administration. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo commented how his 'efforts to strengthen the alliance between Israel and the United States…the world, Israel and the United States are safer because of his work.' Yeah, right Mike.
So, the world is definitely a better place due to the passing of Sheldon Adelson. Or is it? His Israeli wife Miriam owns more than 40% of Las Vegas Sands Corp Casinos Inc., estimated to be worth in excess of $17 billion. She has proposed that a new chapter be included in the Jewish bible, the Book of Trump, and has pledged herself to continue her husband's work. Trump had previously given her the highest award that a president can bestow, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Freedom, of course, does not apply to Palestinians. And if one is concerned that the Democrats will not be cooperative, they too have their own major donor similar to Adelson. He is an Israeli film producer named Haim Saban, who, echoing a similar statement by Adelson, said that he is a one issue guy and that issue is Israel.
*(Top image: Sheldon Adelson. Credit: AFP Portugues/ YouTube)
How Much Is Sheldon Adelson Worth
![How old is sheldon adelson How old is sheldon adelson](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/fccee69c862bc9b3da0ab76fa6f69783602a20c3/0_97_3500_2100/master/3500.jpg?width=1200&height=1200&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&s=b52d8986ba03ef15292f2ea7bdf0fb57)
*This article was originally published on UNZ Review.
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Play caveman keno free online. Sheldon Adelson, with his wife, Miriam, talks with then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson before a 2017 speech by President Trump at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
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Fireworks explodes at a replica of the Eiffel Tower of Parisian Macao during an opening ceremony in Macau, China, on Sept. 13, 2016. The French-themed Parisian Macao is Sheldon Adelson's fifth property in the former Portuguese colony.
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Million-Dollar Donors
From 2012: For A Personal Cause, Casino Owner Bets On Gingrich
Comdex took off, so Adelson bought the legendary Sands Hotel and Casino and built a million-square-foot convention center behind it. It was the start of a new Las Vegas, a place that catered to big conventions all week long — not just the weekend crowd that came in for gambling and the shows.
«I think if you had to single out one individual who brought that kind of component to the city, it would be Sheldon Adelson,» said Sig Rogich, a longtime Las Vegas communications consultant. «He was a transformational figure in Las Vegas history.»
In 1996, Adelson imploded the Sands and built the Venetian, a complex with more than 8,000 rooms and more than 150 stores and restaurants. It's a model that he replicated in Macau and Singapore with enormous profit.
«If you do things differently, success will follow you like a shadow, and you can't get rid of it. So that's what I did,» Adelson told the American Gaming Association convention in 2014.
Along the way, Adelson had battles. In the Comdex days, he fought the other casino owners. When he put up the Venetian, he froze out the unions that had represented workers at the old Sands.
![Old Old](https://www.reviewjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/14697576_web1_536085085.jpg?crop=1)
«Anybody who stands up to him or stands in his way, he'll try to crush,» said D. Taylor, international president of the labor group UNITE HERE and a long time labor leader in Las Vegas.
Media
Las Vegas Columnist Quits After Ban On Writing About Adelson
In 2015, the Adelson family bought the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper, in a sale originally shrouded in mystery and investigated by the publication's own journalists. There were several newsroom resignations after that sale, including a columnist who was told he could not write about Adelson.
The «Adelson primary»
The fortune Adelson made in the casino business was spent generously on donations to Jewish causes, medical research and the Republican Party. He and his wife, Miriam, gave around $500 million over the past eight years to Republican and conservative campaigns.
The couple's prolific political giving led to what was sometimes called the «Adelson primary,» in which GOP presidential hopefuls would flock to Las Vegas to court Adelson and the Republican Jewish Coalition.
«Hey, listen, Sheldon, thanks for inviting me,» said then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich at one such event in 2014. «I don't travel to these things much, but this is one that I thought was really, really important.»
Politics
At Least 4 SuperPACs Are Jostling For Donald Trump's Seal Of Approval
During the 2016 presidential primaries, Adelson initially appeared to back Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who received the endorsement of Adelson's Review-Journal. Unlike Rubio, Donald Trump said he didn't need Adelson's money. «If Sheldon gives to him, he'll have total control over Rubio, and that's the problem with the way the system works,» said Trump in an interview with Fox News.
But after early reservations, the Adelsons backed Trump's 2016 election effort; they gave $5 million to his inaugural committee and then donated about $500,000 to the legal defense fund for his White House aides. During the 2018 midterms, the Adelsons donated more than $100 million to Republicans.
Politics
Viva Las Vegas: Elvis, Adelson Honored With Presidential Medal Of Freedom
Trump awarded Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018; the citation praised her work and philanthropy in combating addiction. «You have been truly incredible,» Trump told her at the event, before looking out to the crowd. «Here to celebrate Miriam's award is Sheldon. Where is Sheldon? Where is Sheldon? Where is he? There he is. Oh, you didn't make the front row. He's probably angry.»
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*This article was originally published on UNZ Review.
Enlarge this image
Play caveman keno free online. Sheldon Adelson, with his wife, Miriam, talks with then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson before a 2017 speech by President Trump at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Evan Vucci/AP
hide caption Bellator: The 25 Best Fighters | Bleacher Report | Latest ....
toggle caption
Evan Vucci/AP
Enlarge this image
Fireworks explodes at a replica of the Eiffel Tower of Parisian Macao during an opening ceremony in Macau, China, on Sept. 13, 2016. The French-themed Parisian Macao is Sheldon Adelson's fifth property in the former Portuguese colony.
Kin Cheung/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Kin Cheung/AP
Million-Dollar Donors
From 2012: For A Personal Cause, Casino Owner Bets On Gingrich
Comdex took off, so Adelson bought the legendary Sands Hotel and Casino and built a million-square-foot convention center behind it. It was the start of a new Las Vegas, a place that catered to big conventions all week long — not just the weekend crowd that came in for gambling and the shows.
«I think if you had to single out one individual who brought that kind of component to the city, it would be Sheldon Adelson,» said Sig Rogich, a longtime Las Vegas communications consultant. «He was a transformational figure in Las Vegas history.»
In 1996, Adelson imploded the Sands and built the Venetian, a complex with more than 8,000 rooms and more than 150 stores and restaurants. It's a model that he replicated in Macau and Singapore with enormous profit.
«If you do things differently, success will follow you like a shadow, and you can't get rid of it. So that's what I did,» Adelson told the American Gaming Association convention in 2014.
Along the way, Adelson had battles. In the Comdex days, he fought the other casino owners. When he put up the Venetian, he froze out the unions that had represented workers at the old Sands.
«Anybody who stands up to him or stands in his way, he'll try to crush,» said D. Taylor, international president of the labor group UNITE HERE and a long time labor leader in Las Vegas.
Media
Las Vegas Columnist Quits After Ban On Writing About Adelson
In 2015, the Adelson family bought the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper, in a sale originally shrouded in mystery and investigated by the publication's own journalists. There were several newsroom resignations after that sale, including a columnist who was told he could not write about Adelson.
The «Adelson primary»
The fortune Adelson made in the casino business was spent generously on donations to Jewish causes, medical research and the Republican Party. He and his wife, Miriam, gave around $500 million over the past eight years to Republican and conservative campaigns.
The couple's prolific political giving led to what was sometimes called the «Adelson primary,» in which GOP presidential hopefuls would flock to Las Vegas to court Adelson and the Republican Jewish Coalition.
«Hey, listen, Sheldon, thanks for inviting me,» said then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich at one such event in 2014. «I don't travel to these things much, but this is one that I thought was really, really important.»
Politics
At Least 4 SuperPACs Are Jostling For Donald Trump's Seal Of Approval
During the 2016 presidential primaries, Adelson initially appeared to back Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who received the endorsement of Adelson's Review-Journal. Unlike Rubio, Donald Trump said he didn't need Adelson's money. «If Sheldon gives to him, he'll have total control over Rubio, and that's the problem with the way the system works,» said Trump in an interview with Fox News.
But after early reservations, the Adelsons backed Trump's 2016 election effort; they gave $5 million to his inaugural committee and then donated about $500,000 to the legal defense fund for his White House aides. During the 2018 midterms, the Adelsons donated more than $100 million to Republicans.
Politics
Viva Las Vegas: Elvis, Adelson Honored With Presidential Medal Of Freedom
Trump awarded Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018; the citation praised her work and philanthropy in combating addiction. «You have been truly incredible,» Trump told her at the event, before looking out to the crowd. «Here to celebrate Miriam's award is Sheldon. Where is Sheldon? Where is Sheldon? Where is he? There he is. Oh, you didn't make the front row. He's probably angry.»
While Adelson was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party, he wasn't always in sync with the party's positions, telling reporters in 2012, «On the social issues, I'm not pro-life; I'm pro-choice.»
How Old Was Sheldon Adelson When He Died
Adelson continued to support Trump in his reelection bid, though about a week after the election, his newspaper's editorial board said the defeated president was trying to «delay the inevitable.» The editorial column blasted the unfounded claims of voter fraud Trump and his allies were perpetuating.
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Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Ivanka Trump unveil an inauguration plaque during the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018.
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U.S. Dedicates New Embassy In Jerusalem
How Is Sheldon Adelson Health
Million-Dollar Donors
For A Personal Cause, Casino Owner Bets On Gingrich
He was a forceful advocate for moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Adelson heavily supported former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's 2012 presidential campaign in part because of his support for moving the embassy.
While the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations rejected such a move, Trump's administration embraced the policy.
Adelson even offered to pay for at least part of the cost of building a new embassy.
At the dedication ceremony for the new embassy in May 2018, the Adelsons sat in the front row just a few feet away from Netanyahu, Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner.
NPR international correspondent Daniel Estrin contributed reporting to this story.
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