Support Allies, Not Terrorists
For the moment and against the odds, Kobani stands. Kurdish men and women, abandoned by the United States and watched but not aided by Turkey, hold the line against the sweep of ISIS across Iraq and Syria; one little point of heroism that may be gone by the time you read this. ISIS, on the other hand -- well-financed, armed, vicious, and fighting on toward Baghdad -- will assuredly not be gone.UN and British hypocrisy
So the Cairo meeting of Secretary of State John Kerry with UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon and representatives of the EU, Qatar and Britain this weekend was probably a good thing, right? Just last week, a UN envoy was worried that massacres at Kobani would rival Srebrenica in the Bosnian war. Coordinated with President Obama and NSC, State and DOD meetings in Washington, an international meeting might decide a) how to take immediate steps to protect the tens of thousands of people left in the unfortunate city, b) how to pressure the Turks to provide serious support, and c) how the U.S. "air only" war plan needs to be revised in the absence of "allied" troops on the ground.
Since no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, and this one survived less well than others, there is no shame in moving to Plan B. Except they were not discussing Kobani.
They were trying to raise $4 billion for the Gaza Strip, to remove the evidence of Hamas's rocket war against Israel and its own people. Israel was not represented.
The Cairo meeting, the brainchild of Egyptian President Sisi, appealed to Kerry, who appears still to think Palestinians hold the key to glory if not peace. Qatar pledged $1 billion, the U.S. $213 million, the UK $32 million and the EU 450 million Euros. In the court of international organizational politics, Kobani loses and the Palestinians, including the terrorist group Hamas, win.
When he became U.N. secretary-general in 2007, Ban Ki-moon made clear he intended to restore the trust in the institution that had been lost. Ban has not fulfilled his goal. Hypocrisy and trust have never gone hand in hand. The only narrative that unites most nations represented at the U.N. is hatred of Israel.'Palestinians want to destroy the Jewish state'
The world is in turmoil, thousands of people are dying daily in bloody wars and the U.S. president admits the world is out of control, but Ban's main preoccupation is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Nothing is easier or more popular to do than to blame Israel for all of the world's woes.
Ban undoubtedly saw difficult scenes in Gaza when he visited there on Tuesday. War is not a pleasant thing. If not for the Iron Dome, Ban would have seen similar scenes in Israel. With its massive rocket fire, Hamas sought to wreak death and destruction inside Israel. One would expect a decent and honest person to say, loud and clear, who caused the destruction in Gaza. It is not enough to merely say, in a weak voice, that Hamas is partly responsible, as Ban certainly knows that the international media will ignore his comments on Hamas and focus on the blame he placed on Israel.
No one wants to be in Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's shoes. The man who sits at the top of Israel's defense pyramid, approves all operational plans and has intimate knowledge of all the threats on all the fronts also has to deal with demands for cuts in the defense budget and with painful encounters with families of soldiers who were killed or wounded in battle. Less than two months after the conclusion of Operation Protective Edge, Israel's latest confrontation in Gaza, Ya'alon takes time for his first in-depth post-war media interview.
"I am morally at peace with the decisions we have made," the defense minister says as he explains the moral dilemmas he faced during the fighting. The objective was to target terrorists, but in reality many civilians -- Palestinians who are not fighters -- were hurt. "When I examine whether force needs to be used, I put myself to three tests: the first test is whether I would be able to look at myself in the mirror after the bombing or the operation that I would have approved. Then, I examine the situation from a legal perspective, in terms of our law as well as international law. If everyone were to participate in the discussions surrounding the approval of an operation, they would see for themselves that we deal with very complex dilemmas, like when to shoot, like the principle of 'thou shalt not kill,' or the sanctity of life, versus the notion that 'if someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first.' And yes, I am at peace with the decisions we made during the course of Operation Protective Edge.
"We examine the proportionality and the morality and the sanctity of life on all sides, but the enemy does not adhere to international law or honor the morality of the value of human life, even toward their own fighters and civilians, who are sent to the front lines. The dilemmas are very difficult. Then the U.N. comes along and wants to investigate us. There is obvious hypocrisy here; they should investigate Hamas, but it is easier to criticize and attack us. There is a combination of hypocrisy, anti-Semitism and maybe other things."
Isi Leibler: Is the status quo relating to the disputed territories sustainable?
In summary, there is irrefutable evidence that our unilateral concessions have caused us great damage, failing to even generate goodwill among the Western nations. Were it possible, all of us would endorse a quick fix in preference to the status quo. But failing that, there are no grounds for despondency when reviewing the progress achieved since 1967 despite the status quo.Richard Landes: Peace When: Ten Reasons why a Palestinian State (now) is Bad for the World
We are the only nation in this region of turbulence and murder that remains an oasis of tranquility and order. During the past 50 years, the IDF has become an extraordinary force capable of defending us against the combined onslaughts of all our enemies. Despite successfully absorbing millions of Jews, our economy is flourishing and our cultural and religious development gives us cause for pride. Despite all the challenges facing us, we undoubtedly represent the most uniquely successful nation of our time.
We should pray that even if we are obliged to maintain the status quo for the present, the opportunity will ultimately come when we will be able to progress toward a lasting peace with our neighbors. In the meantime, may we continue to progress and strengthen ourselves as we did over the past decades of “status quo.”
In (dis)honor of the Swedish and British initiatives to recognize a Palestinian state right away, and Meir Javedanfar’s announcement of a blogpost on the topic:UN chief calls for end to rocket fire, probe into UN school shelling
I write the following counter-list: 10 reasons why a Palestinian State (right now) is a bad idea for everyone.
Please note: I do think a Palestinian state is by far the most desirable outcome for everyone (except the jihadis), if we’re talking about a state that behaves the way European Union nations behave: they disagree, but understand they’re on the same side. If however, as is every person with power in Palestinian culture right now, they are bent on our destruction, then trying to make a state with them will weaken us and strengthen them (good for no one but the jihadis). I am a member of Peace When, not Peace Now.
Ban Ki-moon, on a lightning trip through the region, also visited the Gaza Strip, calling for an independent probe into the Israeli shelling of a UN school and saying the devastation was worse than the last round of fighting.UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon Visits Hamas Terror Tunnel in Southern Israel.
In Israel, Ban was taken by military officials on a tour of a cross-border tunnel used by Gazan terrorists to infiltrate into Israel and attack soldiers.
“I was shocked by the tunnels used for the infiltration of terrorists,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a press conference held after the tour of the tunnel. He was accompanied by IDF Maj. Gen. Noam Tivon and other senior officers and officials.
“No one needs live under the constant threat and fear of rockets and tunnels digging underground,” said Ban.
UN Chief Assures Frustrated, Skeptical Gaza-Area Israelis That International Aid Won’t Fall Into ‘Wrong Hands’ (VIDEO)
Ban, who was in the region for a donors conference to rebuild areas in Gaza destroyed by IDF strikes during the 50-day-long Operation Protective Edge to quell rocket fire, and destroy attack tunnels, also met with Palestinian and Israeli leaders.Ban Ki-moon-Moon Gives Hamas a Boost with Call for ‘One Palestine’
At the kibbutz, Ban “spoke about his experience with war in Korea and empathized” with local civilians affected by 14 years of intermittent rocket and mortar attacks. Ban, according to Raemer, tried to assure war-weary residents that “we do not need to worry about the money donated to Gaza falling in to the wrong hands.”
But his words didn’t really convince Raemer. “[I'm] not really optimistic – but I do not know what is behind the scenes… what can anyone really do – hopefully they have plans,” she said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Gaza and the rocket-battered Tuesday, but his heart clearly was with his hope for a “one Palestine” that unites Hamas and Fatah with joint supervision of goods moving in and out of Gaza.Hamas official slams UN chief Ban's 'hypocrisy' after visit to Gaza, Israel
“We stand by you. The international community supports your government’s efforts to assume the security and governance responsibilities in Gaza,” he said after meeting with Gaza officials.
He also visited Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha and Nirim, targets of Hamas tunnel terrorists, and he toured the remains one of the tunnels with IDF officials.
Ban didn’t connect the dots.
Hamas on Wednesday accused UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of hypocrisy and double standards after his visit to Gaza and southern Israel on Tuesday.Ban Visits Terror Tunnel, Laments Cramped Conditions Inside (satire)
Mahmoud Zahar took offense to comments the UN chief made while on a tour of a Hamas infiltration tunnel uncovered by the IDF leading from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel near Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha.
Ban expressed shock at the threats faced by residents of southern Israel, saying "I have repeated the saying that rocket attacks killing civilian population is not acceptable. It should (be) condemned. Nobody should live on the constant threat or fear by these rockets and the penetrating, alarming underground tunnels."
Zahar said in response on Wednesday that "the occupation's arsenal and nuclear reactor are far more dangerous than the tunnel he was talking about."
Ban Ki-Moon told reporters the tunnel conditions were “unacceptable,” and that no one should be forced to crawl for hundreds of meters underground to kidnap Israelis. He said the international community must do more to provide the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip with a more dignified way of killing Jews, one that would not compete with Gaza’s real civic needs for UN-provided cement and concrete.JPost Editorial: The UK vote
The secretary general also toured some of the Israeli communities affected by the war so he could claim to be evenhanded when, later, he would stand amid devastated areas of the Gaza Strip and deplore Israel’s use of force to defend itself from Palestinian rockets. He also met the family of Daniel Tragerman, a four-year-old who was killed by a Hamas mortar shell in Nahal Oz. Ban called his death “tragic,” noting that better tunnel conditions would have enabled the organization to kill Daniel and many other Israelis face-to-face instead of having to resort to less honorable ballistic munitions.
Earlier, Ban met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and urged him to avoid “provocations” such as allowing Jews to live in their ancestral homeland or to visit their holy sites. He further warned Netanyahu of adverse diplomatic and political consequences if Israel continued to value its citizens’ lives and to insist that they be afforded the right to live in peace and security.
However, this reasoning is wrongheaded for a number of reasons.Ignorance and arrogance in UK Parliament
First, Hamas, perhaps the most popular political movement in Palestinian society today, rejects Israel’s very existence within any borders. Second, both PLO leader Yasser Arafat and his supposedly “moderate” successor, PA President Mahmoud Abbas, rejected outright proposals that would have given Palestinians control over more than 90 percent of the West Bank and Gaza. Also, violent terrorism ends up being justified as an understandable reaction to “occupation.”
According to this reasoning, when official Palestinian Authority representatives and media outlets glorify terrorists, incite against Israel and refuse to recognize Israeli sovereignty over cities such as Jaffa, Haifa and Acre; when Hamas terrorists shoot Kassam rockets at innocent Israeli citizens and when they insist on using materials such as concrete and metal to build terror tunnels from which to launch attacks on Israeli communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip, they are struggling against “occupation.”
And when Israel attempts to defend itself by putting in place a blockade of Gaza to stop Hamas from smuggling in rockets and building terror tunnels, it is accused of “occupying” Gaza. When Israel sends troops into Gaza to destroy the tunnels and the rockets and Hamas terrorists purposely place themselves and their rockets within civilian populations to maximize civilian casualties, it is the IDF, not Hamas, that is accused of “war crimes.”
The truth is though that if Palestinians had put their support behind leaders because of their ability to build, not because of their reputations as fighters; if they had demanded a government free of corruption that protected the rights of Palestinians, instead of one that glorifies terrorists and incites against Israel; if they had insisted on moving on with their lives instead of dwelling on a narrative of self-victimization, there would have been peace long ago. It is not too late for them to change course.
But by recognizing “Palestine” as it is now, Britain’s parliament is choosing to ignore all of this. It prefers to unfairly place the blame for the conflict on Israel’s shoulders while ignoring the Palestinians’ role in perpetuating it.
Karl Marx once famously remarked “History repeats itself… the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.” History will tell whether this debate will be as remembered as much as some representatives seem to think it will be. I rather imagine this vote will be a poor man’s replication of the 1975 UN General Assembly motion that declared that ‘Zionism is racism’ – equally as meaningless and grandiloquent, except this time with a less inflammatory title. After all, we Brits have to be more polite when condemning our friends! The Palestinians shouldn’t be too flattered either. If I was in the Palestinian Authority, I would be insulted that Britain’s grand statement of Palestinian recognition was consigned to a tawdry backbench business motion, 10 o’ clock at night, with a half empty house.British lawmaker quit Parliament position to vote on Palestine motion
This vote was imitating UKIP on an international scale. It was a feeble attempt to give Benjamin Netanyahu a bloody nose for the IDF’s ‘Operation Protective Edge’ in Gaza this summer. Instead of trying to understand why Israel may want to defend itself from unprovoked rocket attacks and tunnels under its territory, or indeed why 95% of Israel’s public agreed with their government’s response, British MPs are far more content to reassure themselves that Israel was acting ‘disproportionately’ (while never adequately explaining why).
Britain used to pride itself on being an honest broker in the Middle East, encouraging both leaderships to take pragmatic steps and to make historic compromises in order to reach a settled peace. Northern Ireland offered the British government a unique perspective into the art of negotiation. There was little of that on show last night. Either way, I doubt Israel is sleeping too uneasily at what Britain thinks about them.
A British lawmaker resigned his position as a parliamentary private secretary in order to vote on a non-binding motion recognizing the state of Palestine.PLO to UK: Follow your parliament's lead and recognize Palestinian statehood
Mike Freer, who represents the largely Jewish-populated districts of Finchley and Golders Green, resigned as parliamentary private secretary to business minister Nick Boles of the Conservative party in order to vote on Monday evening. He was one of 12 lawmakers to oppose the motion, which passed with 274 votes. More than 300 members of the House of Commons did not appear at Parliament to vote on the measure.
Ministers and private secretaries are required by protocol to abstain from votes on motions put forward by the opposition shadow government.
“It would have been easy to hide behind the protocol but the two-state solution we all want to see should be the end not start of the process. The Government had to follow the protocol but the irony is that I had to resign to support government policy,” he told the Jewish News website.
It’s an issue I feel strongly about and it was the right thing to do for my constituents. I’ve been a supporter of Israel and the two-state solution long before getting involved with Finchley and Golders Green. This decision was rooted in my personal beliefs, not just the constituency.”
Abed Rabbo said Britain was “obliged more than any other country to vote in favor of a Palestinian state because of its responsibility for the continued suffering of the Palestinian people since the notorious Balfour Declaration.”France says will recognize Palestinian state if negotiations fail
Nabil Sha’ath, a senior Fatah official and former PA foreign minister, said the vote would have a positive impact on the positions of Europe and the efforts to persuade Security Council members to support the Palestinian stance.
Sha’ath also predicted that the vote would have “legal and political repercussions” with regard to the boycott of Israel, as well as settlements and Israeli “assaults” on Jerusalem.
He expressed hope that other EU countries would follow suit.
Fatah’s top representative in the West Bank, Azzam al-Ahmed, said the vote marked the “beginning of the awakening of the British and international conscience.” He said it was high time that the world endorsed a “moral stance toward the Palestinian people in order to end the historic injustice done to them.”
France's foreign minister said on Tuesday that Paris should recognize a Palestinian state only if doing so would help achieve peace, not as a symbolic gesture.Nobody wanted Israel at Gaza conference, Egyptian FM says
However, if negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel fail, Paris "would not shirk its responsibilities" but would recognize the Palestinian state, the minister, Laurent Fabius, said in answer to a question in parliament.
His remarks came a day after British lawmakers voted to recognize Palestine. Their vote will not alter government policy, but it does carry symbolic value as Palestinians pursue international recognition.
Israel was excluded from this week’s Gaza rehabilitation donor conference in Cairo because the participating countries did not want the Jewish state represented there, Egypt’s foreign minister said Wednesday.Kerry said to seek new talks to hold off PA Security Council bid
Egypt accepted the position because its main concern was the success of the conference, Sameh Shukri said in an interview with Egyptian media, according to Israeli news site Ynet. He added that the US did not push for Israel’s inclusion.
US Secretary of State John Kerry recently asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he would return to the negotiating table for discussions with the Palestinians on the basis on the 1967 ceasefire lines, with agreed upon land swaps, the Haaretz daily reported, citing unnamed diplomatic officials.After The Vote, A Top Tory Slams Israel's "Criminal Intent": Sir Alan Duncan's Vile & Vicious Speech to Chatham House (video)
Should Kerry get the sides to the table for the first time since talks broke down in March, the move could potentially stave off a Palestinian proposal to the United Nations Security Council to set a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank.
While the US is expected to veto the bid, avoiding the vote altogether would save Washington from international criticism.
A date for a vote has not yet been set, but a draft of the proposal circulated last month called for an Israeli withdrawal by 2016.
Here's what Marvellous Melanie (on Facebook) says about the speech:Israel fears European trend after British recognition of 'Palestine'
'Hard on the heels of the Commons vote recognising "Palestine", which I warned would strengthen those bent on Jew-hatred, comes this astonishing rant defaming both Israel and Jewish supporters of Israel by Sir Alan Duncan, David Cameron's special envoy to Yemen and Oman.
Duncan's tirade presents a picture of Israel that is false and wholly distorted. The core of his spitting hatred is his claim that Israel's settlements are illegal. There is an authoritative body of legal opinion that shows they are not illegal at all; the illegality trope is merely an anti-Israel canard. But even if they were illegal, this would hardly justify Duncan's venom and vituperation which seem quite out of control.
Thus he proposes that "settlement endorsing” should be regarded as on a par with sexism, homophobia and antisemitism. Pinch yourself: he's talking about houses for Israelis – built on land that is either legally bought from Arab owners or else legally built on land owned by nobody. And this he equates with antisemitism, the prejudice that has caused the persecution and mass murder of Jews. This is on a par with the mind-bending libel that equates Israelis with Nazis, in which the Jews are smeared by accusing them of the vileness of which they are in fact the victims.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry is concerned that the British parliament vote in favor of recognizing a Palestinian state may be the beginning of a Europe-wide trend that would bolster the Palestinians and decrease international support for Israel.EU Officials Weighing 'Settler Travel Ban' to Press Israel
Still, Israel has remained silent following the vote, with no official reaction from the prime minister or foreign minister.
According to official sources, neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman spoke with their British counterparts since the move for Palestinian recognition, and the British ambassador to Israel was not summoned for reprimand.
According to European diplomats who spoke to Reuters, the European Union (EU) is looking at ways to pressure Israel in an attempt to foist their vision of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria on the Jewish state, despite the fact that many expert point out that Israel's presence in the region is legal under international law.'Settlers Aren't Vacationing in Europe Anyway'
While the diplomats say they are only at an early point in planning their diplomatic "warfare," one move they are threatening to take is imposing a travel ban on Jewish residents of Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem who have any criminal history.
"The paperwork has been done but it is frozen for now," one official said. "It is basically a blacklist of violent settlers who have been accused of or convicted of crimes. It would prevent them from traveling to Europe."
Such a move would likely prevent roughly 100 to 200 people from entering the EU, but may have legal complications given that some of those affected hold European passports.
European diplomats threatened to issue a travel ban against Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria with any criminal history on Tuesday, but according to Attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir who has successfully defended many "price tag" vandalism suspects in court, they aren't interested in traveling to Europe anyway.Yoohoo! Has anyone heard foreign condemnation of Arab Terror Attacks on Israelis, Buses and Trains?
"I'm sorry to disappoint the European Council members, but 'hilltop youth' and most of those accused of 'price tag' are not flying for vacations in Switzerland or Germany, and therefore this is not an effective initiative," said Ben-Gvir ironically.
"Beyond that, this is an initiative that illustrates anti-Semitism," continued Ben-Gvir. "Are Hamas terrorists also included in the black list? Are murderers from Syria included in the list?"
Hardly a day passes when you can't find some American, United Nations, European, so-called humanitarian or whatever other type of self-proclaimed expert on legality and propriety proclaiming that Israel has sinned against the Arabs.Suspicious Misspellings in Alleged 'Price Tag' Mosque Vandalism
The American State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki condemned Israelis for unproven "price tag attacks" against olive trees, but can't be bothered to condemn the Arabs who attacked an Israeli bus in Jerusalem.
Psaki also hasn't "wasted any words" condemning the frequent attacks by Arabs on the Jerusalem lightrail which has left many Israelis without sufficient public transportation. It's obvious that the American Government doesn't consider Israeli lives as valuable and important as allegedly Arab olive trees. (h/t Bob Knot)
The news coverage showed photographs depicting apparent signs of attempted arson and of a graffito, which says “Price tag – Tapuach is Kahane.”Another Ambush in Jerusalem as Media Ignores ‘Silent Intifada’
Tapuach is a Jewish community in Samaria, located near Akraba. "Kahane" is a reference to the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, a controversial figure who advocated for the transfer of Arabs out of Israel.
However, the graffito has at least two odd characteristics. For one, the letter gimel in the word “tag” appears to have been written backward at first, so it resembles the letter zayin – a mistake that characterizes small children, or people not used to writing Hebrew.
Secondly, the name Kahane was misspelled, with a heh at the end instead of an aleph. It is hard to imagine a true disciple of Rabbi Meir Kahane making this kind of mistake.
Arab rioters attacked Jewish motorists in eastern Jerusalem Tuesday night in what has become a “silent intifada” thanks to establishment media’s generally ignoring frequent violence.Border Policeman Injured in Bomb Attack at Rachel's Tomb
Arab rioters attacked several cars whose occupants were on their way on the eve of Hoshana Raba, the last day of Sukkot, to learn Torah at the “Beit HaHoshen,” in the heart of a hostile and almost entirely Arab neighborhood above Wadi Joz in eastern Jerusalem.
Shuki Set wrote on the Rotter.net website that he and his son were driving to Beit HaHoshen when they got stuck in a traffic jam, a ready-made setting for Arab violence.
A border policeman was lightly injured in his leg, apparently after Arab rioters hurled an explosive device at Israeli security forces at the Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem.3 police hurt at Arab protest against limited Temple Mount access
The incident began when some 40 rioters began attacking border police stationed at the holy site to protect Jewish visitors, throwing rocks and molotov cocktails at them. Border police responded by advancing on the rioters in an attempt to disperse them.
At that point the improvised explosive device was launched at troops, who responded with riot-control measures. Security forces have begun an investigation to track down the terrorist responsible for throwing the bomb.
Three policemen were injured during protests Wednesday against restrictions on Muslim worship at the al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.Zoabi at Old City protest: No peace without Palestinian sovereignty over Jerusalem
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said three officers were lightly hurt by stones hurled by protesters in the Old City. The incident occurred at the Gate of the Tribes near the Temple Mount, and prompted police to close the Temple Mount to visitors.
Four Palestinians were also arrested, according to police spokeswoman Luba Samri.
Police used stun grenades as a crowd of about 400 people gathered near the entrance to the mosque, an AFP photographer reported.
Balad MKs Haneen Zoabi, Jamal Zahalke and Bassel Ghattas, as well as UAL-Ta'al's Ibrahim Sarsour and Taleb Abu-Arrar and MK Muhammad Barakei (Hadash) all took part in the demonstration.PA official repeats libel: “Zionist policy” is to cause drug addiction among Palestinian youth
"Jerusalem is part of the Palestinian state that the whole world is beginning to recognize," Zoabi said. "There will be no end to the conflict, no solution without Palestinian sovereignty over Jerusalem."
According to Zoabi, "Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state, even if [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu doesn't want it to be and even if the extremists deny it." Zoabi led a group of Muslim women shouting at police "it is our right to enter," and soon after, the lawmakers were allowed to access the Temple Mount.
Palestinian Authority Governor of Ramallah Laila Ghannam has repeated the PA libel that Israel intentionally spreads drugs among Palestinian youth in order to “occupy” them internally: Hamas and Hezbollah 'Unity' in Clandestine Beirut Meeting
"There is an attempt to introduce drugs among our children, especially in the Jerusalem district which is open to Israelis, and to destabilize the public peace. There are murders, and these things do not happen by chance. This is a intentional policy of the Zionists who are trying to create an internal occupation within us, in addition to the political occupation." [Official PA TV, Oct 10, 2014]
A clandestine meeting of terrorists was held in the suburbs of the Lebanese capital of Beirut between a senior Hamas official and senior Hezbollah members, according to reports on Wednesday.Proposal: Work Permits in Exchange for Destroyed Hamas Missiles
The official brought a message from Hamas political bureau leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar, who reaffirmed the strong ties between the two Iran-backed terrorist organizations, according to reports in the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese Al Akhbar as cited by Yedioth Aharonoth.
In response, Hezbollah officials reportedly said the ties between the two groups are "better than what many imagine." According to the Hezbollah news source the visit was unofficial.
The two groups, while both being terror groups funded in large part by Iran, have many sharply contrasting positions, starting from Hamas being a Sunni terror group and Gaza offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hezbollah being a Shi'ite terrorist organization.
Quoting PA news reports that Israel plans to issue work permits for 5,000 Gazans, Lerner suggests, "Instead of giving the permits as a 'freebie,' let’s offer one Israeli work permit for a Gazan in exchange for every missile destroyed under supervision."Recruiting and building rockets, Hamas bent on retaining Gaza grip
He goes even further by offering a "bonus": 100 work permits for the supervised destruction of a complete missile production line.
Lerner lists three advantages to Israel in this idea: "It puts the focus on demilitarization, it pits the Gazan population against those holding the missiles, and it shows that Israel is willing to offer carrots and not just sticks."
As always, however, the reality is more complicated. Hamas has lowered its profile, but financial problems or not, it has no intention of relinquishing practical control over the strip. Gaza’s government and social services will formally be run by the Abbas-led administration, but Hamas is not going anywhere. Its police and military hierarchies will continue to operate throughout Gaza, and Abbas’s PA security forces will not, except perhaps at the border crossings.No news on Sana'a Jews after Houthis invade
Furthermore, despite those budgetary constraints, Hamas is already busily is trying to revive its military industry. Since the end of Operation Protective Edge on August 26, it has managed to conduct a series of rocket tests into the Mediterranean, underlining that a new line of rockets is being produced. It is not clear whether the tests have been successful.
Hamas is somewhat hamstrung by the fact that it is having trouble obtaining the dual-use materials it uses to manufacture rockets, and some of the machinery and chemicals that are needed for the process. Still, it has proved its resourcefulness in the past.
The streets are plastered with signs that read: 'Death to the Jews!" but there is no word as to the fate of the 70-odd Jews living in a guarded compound in Sana'a. Despite pronouncements by their leader that they would never leave Yemen, the arrival in the capital of the Jews' erstwhile persecutors, the Shi'a Houthis, is a clear signal that staying on in Yemen is not a option. Let's hope that the last Jews have joined the mass exodus.
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Ongoing violations by Houthi rebels currently in control of much of Sana’a have prompted a mass exodus from the capital, with many civilians traveling abroad or to other cities during Eid Al-Adha, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The recent takeover of most state buildings and the reported looting of hundreds of homes by Houthi insurgents have prompted civilians to leave the capital for fear of further violations, with the Sana’a International Airport becoming packed with travelers, a local source speaking on the condition of anonymity told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The Shi’ite group has also stormed homes belonging to journalists, including that of the editor-in-chief of the Al-Qadiya newspaper and the former general manager of the Yemen TV channel, Abdul Ghani Al-Shmeiri, the source maintained.