Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Edwin Black: New Israel Fund Received More Than $1 Million From U.S. State Department
The controversial New Israel Fund and its social change and political lobbying organization known as SHATIL, have received more than $1 million from the State Department under a program designed to create political change, reform, and activism in the Middle East. The government program, Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), has extended more than $600 million in grants to political and social activists and reformers in 18 Middle East countries, mainly with unstable or challenged political environments in need of democratic improvement. “MEPI supports organizations and individuals in their efforts to promote political, economic, and social reform in the Middle East and North Africa,” according to the agency’s official self-description.EXCLUSIVE EXPOSE: Husband Of New Israel Fund Director Supports Boycotts Against Israel
The list of nations in which MEPI operates includes such countries as Algeria, Libya, Lebanon, and Yemen.
However, MEPI’s sphere of engagement includes Israel — ironically the only pluralistic, stable, and democratic nation in the Mideast. Among the leading recipients for MEPI grants in Israel is the New Israel Fund and its SHATIL organization. The NIF is an international, US-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization which has generated intense acrimony within the Jewish community and Israeli establishment for its highly politicized activities.
This weekend, Rachel Liel, Israel director of the NIF was featured in an article in YNET, the online version of Yediot Achronot. Using convenient half-truths, Liel discussed the importance of NIF projects which benefit minorities, benefits ultra-Orthodox women, and other fairly mainstream projects which few Israelis take offense at.UN Gaza Commissioners seek deferral of report to June
What was conveniently ignored was the fact that a significant portion of NIF’s $30 Million budget is spent on projects which directly harm the State of Israel. The New Israel Fund is a dangerous, radical organization which wraps their programs in a “respectable” package. They are rejected by the majority of Israelis across the political spectrum.
What has not yet been exposed is the fact that Rachel Liel’s husband, Alon is one of the world’s leading organizers of world boycotts against Israel. He is also a co-organizer of the campaign to call on European countries to undermine Israeli sovereignty by “recognizing” the “State of Palestine.” Alon Liel, Israel’s former ambassador to South Africa is a member of two organizations which receive large funding by NIF. He is on the management team of Ir Amin, which works against Jewish interests in Jerusalem, and is also a member of the B’Tselem Public Council.
UN Watch welcomes the news that the United Nations commission of inquiry on Gaza is seeking to defer its report to June.Pierre Rehov - War crimes- Official Trailer
“This is what I proposed to the commissioners when I met them in September,” said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer. “A serious report needs more time and must reflect material that has come to light from all parties.”
“Moreover,” said Neuer, “the resignation of William Schabas under a cloud of bias accusations requires a complete rewriting of the report.”
“Finally, UN Watch’s recent revelation that the Goldstone Report was drafted with the help of an anarchist law professor who devoted her life to prosecuting Israelis for war crimes requires a careful review of the staffers now drafting this report, who were hired by the same UN agency.”
Fatah praises female terrorist who lured Israeli youth to his murder
On March 8, International Women's Day, Abbas' Fatah party posted an image of terrorist Amna Muna, addressing her as "O glorious one," and stating that she "is always present in our hearts." Muna participated in the kidnapping and murder of 16 year-old Israeli Ofir Rahum on Jan. 17, 2001. She met the Israeli youth in an online chat room, convinced him to meet her, then drove him to Ramallah where he was murdered by her two accomplices. She was arrested and sentenced to life in prison, but was released in the Gilad Shalit deal (details below).Jeffrey Goldberg: The Iranian Regime on Israel's Right to Exist
Posted text: "When we speak of the Palestinian woman on her day (i.e., International Women's Day), you must be present, O glorious one, the prisoner who was exiled from Palestine to Turkey, and is always present in our hearts. Warm wishes to the women of Palestine." [Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," March 8, 2015]
Interviewing Muna upon her release in 2011, the official Palestinian Authority daily called the terrorist "brave" and a "female fighter and leader," Palestinian Media Watch reported. A PA TV host likewise honored her and other female prisoners, stating that "without a doubt, I love you."
The Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, wants Jews to know that he, and the country he represents, are their friends. In an interview with Ann Curry, he accused the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of intentionally misreading Jewish scripture in order to make the case that Iran is malevolently predisposed toward Jews: “If you read the Book of Esther, you will see that it was the Iranian king who saved the Jews," Zarif said. "If you read the Old Testament, you will see that it was an Iranian king who saved the Jews from Babylon. Esther has a town in Iran where our Jewish population, which is the largest in the Middle East, visits on a regular basis.”Did Netanyahu Put Anti-Semitic Words in Hezbollah’s Mouth?
It is true that, at different times, and in different ways, Persia has been a friend of the Jews. Cyrus the Great (the Iranian king mentioned by Zarif in the interview) restored the Jews to their homeland in the Land of Israel after their Babylonian exile. President Harry Truman, who recognized the state of Israel in 1948, 11 minutes after it was reborn, later proclaimed proudly, "I am Cyrus."
There is dark humor (or a lack of self-awareness) in Zarif's citation of Cyrus as proof of Iranian philo-Semitism, because today's Iranian leadership does not recognize Jewish sovereignty in Israel, as Cyrus once did, but instead seeks the annihilation of the Jewish state. (h/t Herb Glatter )
Last week, in his address to Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of the threat posed to the Middle East and to Jews by Iran and its proxies. One such proxy was Hezbollah, the internationally recognized terrorist group, and Netanyahu offered a quote from its leader by way of illustration:US ‘counts’ on Israel to be committed to 2-state solution
For those who believe that Iran threatens the Jewish state, but not the Jewish people, listen to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, Iran’s chief terrorist proxy. He said: If all the Jews gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of chasing them down around the world.
Critics immediately pounced on this quotation, claiming it to be a complete fabrication dating back to 2002. Some pointed to the London Review of Books, where in 2006, former ABC News Chief Middle East Correspondent Charles Glass had dismissively labeled the quote a misreported “fabrication,” and suggested an individual citing it had “succumb[ed] to the disinformation that passes for scholarship and journalism in certain quarters in the United States.”
Nicholas Noe, founder and editor of the translation outlet MideastWire.com and co-author of a book on Nasrallah, quickly wrote a blog post making the same case. Noting that there were other documented anti-Semitic utterances from Nasrallah, Noe claimed that Netanyahu had deliberately chosen a false one for his own propagandist ends: “The problem for the PM is these two [other anti-Semitic] quotes don’t convey the idea of relentless terrorism on a global scale that the fabricated quote does… which is why they chose to use it of course!” This allegation that Netanyahu had put anti-Semitic words in Hezbollah’s mouth was subsequently repeated by reputable journalists at the Washington Post, among others.
It’s an intriguing theory, with only one small problem: there’s audio of Nasrallah’s 2002 speech, and he certainly says the words Netanyahu cited.
A day after a confusing back and forth in which the Prime Minister’s Office denied that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had backed away from his support in principle for a two-state solution and that he had ruled out ceding any territory to the Palestinians, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that US “commitment to achieving an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state negotiated solution remains strong” and that the US “count[s] on having Israeli and Palestinian partners who are also committed to that goal.”PA Threatens Lawsuits Over 'Settlements', Gaza War
Pushed on a response to remarks attributed to Netanyahu which seemed to indicate that the creation of a Palestinian state would not be viable in the current Mideast climate, Psaki said: “A lot of things are said during election campaigns. We’ll wait to see the policies of the next Israeli government.”
Psaki refused to comment on the publication in Yedioth Ahronoth last week of a document purportedly drafted by Israeli officials outlining the PM’s alleged concessions to the Palestinians alluded to in Gal-on’s statement.
According to the document, Netanyahu agreed to negotiate a peace deal on the basis of the 1967 borders, with land swaps; to acknowledge Palestinian aspirations in East Jerusalem; to evacuate settlers from the West Bank; and to allow those who so choose to remain under Palestinian rule.
“I’m not going to weigh in on internal Israeli politics,” Psaki said.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is revving its motors, announcing that it is actively preparing legal documents against Israel in the International Criminal Court (ICC). The PA joined the Hague in December.Alan Dershowitz : Supporters of Deal Are Strengthening Iran's Negotiating Position
Qais Abd al-Karim, Deputy Secretary General of the ''Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine" (DFLP) terror organization and a member of the National Commission in charge of ties between the PA and ICC, stated Monday that the Commission continues to vigorously prepare legal cases against Israel for Operation Protective Edge in Gaza - during which Israel defended itself from over 3,000 rockets from Hamas - and against "settlements" on Jewish areas of Judea and Samaria.
Karim added that the Commission collects "data and evidence" with the help of human rights organizations and is preparing the legal arguments to be presented to the ICC after it is declared "the State of Palestine" by the court on April 1, 2015.
He said the Palestinian Authority believes that it has strong legal arguments over whether the communities are "war crimes", and it will use this against ministers, Knesset members and army officers who lived or still live in Judea-Samaria in what it claims is "contrary to international law."
Despite repeating the mantra that "no deal is better than a bad deal" with Iran, the United States seems to be negotiating on the basis of a belief that the worst possible outcome of the current negotiations is no deal. Many supporters of the deal that is now apparently on the table are arguing that there is no realistic alternative to this deal. That sort of thinking out loud empowers the Iranian negotiators to demand more and compromise less, because they believe -- and have been told by American supporters of the deal -- that the United States has no alternative but to agree to a deal that is acceptable to the Iranians.Netanyahu Responds to White House Twitter Attack, Suggests Better Retweet
A perfect example of this mindset was Fareed Zakaria on his CNN show this past Sunday. He had a loaded panel of two experts and a journalist favoring the deal, and one journalist opposed. This followed Zakaria's opening essay in favor of the deal. All those in favor made the same point: that this deal is better than no deal, and that any new proposal -- for example, to condition the sunset provision on Iran stopping the export of terrorism and threatening to destroy Israel -- is likely to be rejected by Iran, and is therefore, by definition, "irrational" or "unproductive," because it would result in no deal.
The upshot of this position is that Iran essentially gets a veto over any proposal, but the United States does not get to make new proposals. If it were true that this deal is better than no deal, it would follow that any proposed change in this deal that Iran doesn't like is a non-starter.
In a Sunday interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to a personal attack by the White House relating to his warnings about Iran’s nuclear program and his criticism of the nuclear deal now being formulated between Iran and world powers.Isi Leibler The aftermath of Netanyahu’s congressional tour de force
“If we hadn’t acted in these intervening [25] years, Iran would have had the nuclear weapon a long time ago…If we had let our guard down, then Iran would have had the weapon. If we let our guard down now, it will have the weapon,” Netanyahu told CBS anchor Bob Schieffer.
The comments followed a March 6, 2015 White House National Security Council tweet questioning Netanyahu’s predictions about Iran’s nuclear program. Citing a Washington Post column by Fareed Zakaria, the White House tweet read: “Interesting take from @FareedZakaria on why PM Netanyahu’s predictions on #Iran have been wrong for 25 years.”
The White House tweet follows Netanyahu’s historic address to Congress last week about Iran’s nuclear program, and underscores growing White House acrimony towards Netanyahu.
A week after the event, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extraordinary address to Congress has in no way diminished my enthusiasm for his tour de force, which exceeded all expectations. He respectfully conveyed appreciation for the support President Barack Obama provided Israel, while adopting a Churchillian stance in depicting the threat to his country and the free world should the Iranian terrorist entity become a nuclear power.Netanyahu claims more support for his stance on Iran now
The unprecedented, almost surrealistic, numerous passionate standing ovations from lawmakers of both houses of Congress – including the vast majority of Democrats – made a mockery of predictions that Netanyahu’s critique of the Obama administration would lead to a crisis in the US-Israel relationship.
The frenzied efforts by the administration to intimidate Netanyahu into canceling his congressional address were clearly not primarily due to House Speaker John Boehner breaching protocol by not informing the White House in advance. They were based on a genuine concern on Obama’s part that Netanyahu’s address would result in Congress intensifying its efforts against capitulating to the Iranians. Ironically, it was the insults and pressure from the administration to deter Netanyahu from speaking that ensured maximum publicity and global media exposure of his views.
Talking to a cadre of top IDF officers in the West Bank, the prime minister reiterated his belief that an impending deal between Iran and major world powers, in its reported form, would enable Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons.What the White House Might Not See about Iran
“One week after my address to Congress I get the impression that there are more and more voices, especially in the US, but also in other places, that support Israel’s position,” Netanyahu said.
Some media commenters perceived that statement as a reference to a group of 47 Republican senators, including Senate leaders and several potential 2016 presidential candidates, who wrote an open letter to Iran’s leader, warning any deal with US President Barack Obama might not be honored in future.
“The agreement being formulated between the major powers and Iran gives a clear path to Iran to achieve a nuclear bomb,” Netanyahu said, adding that “a better agreement must be sought.”
Given Iran's tendency to enrich uranium in secret, it may achieve nuclear breakout capability well before ten years from now.The Danger of Negotiating with Iran
Nor should we forget that current polls place Mahmoud Ahmadinejad close behind Hassan Rouhani for the 2017 presidential election.
An exhaustive list of genocidal threats by major Iranian politicians between 2009 and 2012 has been compiled by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. The latest threat was made on March 1 of this year.
The Islamic State and other terrorists do not represent an idealized version of normative Islam, and a number of Muslims may not even support them. But their scriptural and historical roots frankly have plenty of precedent, and far from minimal support.
Shi'i Islam is a very different belief system from Sunni Islam. Iran today resembles a medieval European state.
As a candidate for president, Barack Obama made diplomacy with rogue regimes a signature issue. “The notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them…is ridiculous,” he declared in 2007. In both his inaugural address and his first television interview as president, he reached out to the Islamic Republic of Iran. “If countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us,” he told Al-Arabiya. In the six years since, whether firebrand Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or reformer-by-comparison Hassan Rouhani held the Iranian presidency, Obama has been so committed to a deal on Iran’s illicit nuclear program that he hasn’t let anything stand in his way—Congress, allies, or even facts.Daylight: The Story of Obama and Israel
Unfortunately, when it comes to the history of high-profile diplomacy with rogue regimes, Obama’s behavior is more the rule than the exception. If every senator looks in a mirror and sees a future president, then every president looks in a mirror and sees a brilliant statesman, a man who will be Nixon in China or Reagan in Reykjavik. In reality, what most should see is a reflection of Frank B. Kellogg, Aristide Briand, or Neville Chamberlain. With very little understanding of history, Obama, alas, sees only himself.
Albert Einstein is often credited (wrongly) with the adage that insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results. By that definition, Foggy Bottom is Bedlam. The U.S. military, in contrast, constantly forces soldiers to confront their mistakes—that is, after all, why sergeants-major chew out soldiers. Soldiers spend more time in the classroom dissecting exercises than they do in the field. Even when deployed, they never neglect after-action reports to determine what they might have done better.
In the last half century, however, the State Department has never conducted a “lessons learned” exercise to identify what went wrong with high stakes diplomacy. Nor does the State Department have any clear metrics to measure success and failure. State Department spokesmen often make declarations of progress that declassified records of talks—with Iran, North Korea, the Palestinians, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya, Pakistan or, increasingly, Turkey and Russia—belie.
Barack Obama ran for president as a pro-Israel candidate -- but his record tells a different story. Follow @NoahPollak and @CmteForIsrael on Twitter, and visit www.CommitteeForIsrael.com for more.
Obama Accuses Cotton, Republicans of Making ‘Common Cause’ with Iran Hardliners
Perhaps Obama stills feels the sting of the ex-mayor of New York City suggesting a few weeks ago that he doesn’t love America, or perhaps he considered the letter to the Iranians a grave enough insult to presidential dignity to justify such a remarkable slur on the intentions of his domestic political opponents.Biden Goes Nuclear: GOP Letter to Iran ‘Beneath the Dignity’ of the Senate
Obama’s claim is obviously absurd. The senators, led by Tom Cotton, are not making “common cause” or in a “coalition” with Iranian hardliners. It is obvious that on the only issue that really matters—whether or not Iran gets nuclear weapons—they disagree. The Republicans don’t want the Iranians to get nuclear weapons. The Iranian hardliners want nuclear weapons. This is the whole crux of the dispute.
So what does Obama mean? Is he just speaking in anger, or on some level does he really see some sort of ironic conspiracy opposing his efforts?
Speaking from Capitol Hill, Cotton quickly responded to Biden on Morning Joe Tuesday, reminding him that Obama’s own former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates described the vice president as “wrong about nearly every foreign policy and national security decision in the last 40 years.”Former Intel chief Yadlin calls for military contingency plan with US against Iran
Cotton insisted that members of Congress were only representing the American people, citing a new poll showing that 71 percent of Americans didn’t believe that Obama’s deal would prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
“[I]f Joe Biden respects the dignity of the institution of the Senate he should be insisting that the president submit any deal to approval of the Senate, which is exactly what he did on numerous deals during his time in Senate,” Cotton added.
Former Military Intelligence chief and the Zionist Union's candidate for Defense Minster, Amos Yadlin, on Tuesday called for a military pact with the United States against Iran.Analysis: Twelve Questions Iran Refuses To Answer About Its Nuclear Weapons Research
Speaking at the New-Tech conference, an event focusing on groundbreaking technological innovations in the military field, Yadlin expressed belief in the need for a US-Israel agreement that would shadow any future deal between Washington and Tehran that would allow the latter to maintain a nuclear energy program.
Yadlin addressed the US as Israel's central, most powerful and often only ally, and suggested that the two countries must develop a contingency plan not only to deter Iran from reneging on a nuclear deal, but that will also serve as strategic insurance in case Iran actively pursues a weaponized nuclear capability.
"We must develop a parallel agreement in which we, along with the Americans, establish a course of action to be taken if the Iranians violate the agreement and return to the nuclear threshold."
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has questions about twelve aspects of Iran’s past nuclear weapons research that the Islamic Republic has failed to satisfactorily answer, according to an analysis that appeared in The New York Times on Sunday.Leading Saudi Writer: America's Iran Policy Is Leading The Region To Disaster
These twelve areas of past Iranian research include computer simulations, detonation experiments, and delivery systems for nuclear warheads. While the analysis lists one of the areas of questions as having been discussed and two as “being on the table,” the other nine have not been discussed at all.
The one listed as having been discussed was research into electrically-fired detonators, which Iran explained as having applications for peaceful mining purposes. But experiments involving such detonators are believed to have taken place in the military base at Parchin, and Iran has not allowed a thorough investigation of the site. It has also paved over areas where the experiments are believed to have taken place.
In his March 7, 2015 column in the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Tariq Al-Homayed, formerly editor of the newspaper, argued that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's recent visit to Saudi Arabia, aimed at reassuring the Saudis about the imminent U.S.-Iran nuclear agreement, not only failed to assuage but also revealed the deep disagreement between the two countries over the dangers of the agreement. Stressing that the inevitable response to an Iranian nuclear bomb will be an Arab nuclear bomb, Al-Homayed notes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's argument that as it negotiates with the West, Iran is at the same time consolidating its control in Damascus, Beirut, Baghdad and Sanaa is correct, and warns that the countries of the region could fall "victim to the naïveté of a few people in Washington" because President Obama is not aware of the gravity of his actions, which are leading the entire region into genuine disaster.GCC Nations Creating Joint Maritime Force to Counter Iranian Naval Threat
A Kuwaiti defense official told Arab News that “the new force is expected to be formed within coming months.”NY Times: Letting Iran Dominate Iraq May Be U.S. Policy, Despite Official Denials
The joint naval drills will continue until March 12. They are taking place in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and not far from the islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb, which Iran seized from the United Arab Emirates in 1971.
While Arab News didn’t name the threat that the proposed naval force is addressing, others were more explicit.
Abdul Khaliq Abdullah, political analyst from the United Arab Emirates, said that the joint naval exercise is “a message to Iran and its threats,” especially because it is taking place very close to Iran’s borders.
The Times article cites a number of battles where Iranian involvement was crucial, including breaking the siege of Amerli, freeing the city of Baiji from ISIS, pushing ISIS away from the Kurdish city of Erbil, and last week’s fight against ISIS in Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, where “Iranian-backed Shiite militia leaders said that their fighters made up more than two-thirds of the pro-government force of 30,000.”Edgar Davidson: Exclusive (leaked from top negotiator): The Iran nuclear deal in full* (satire)
The analysis in the Times highlighting Iran’s involvement in Iraq came a day after Secretary of State John Kerry said at a press conference in Saudi Arabia that despite the nuclear talks with Iran, the United States was keeping an eye on the Islamic Republic’s “destabilizing” behavior in the region.
The P5+1 (the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and China, facilitated by the European Union) hereby agree to the followingDefense Ministry says post-war bomb-proofing finished at 34 daycares in the South
- Allow Iran to develop as many nuclear bombs as they wish, providing that for the next 10 years they are used only for peace-keeping purposes.
- Provide $200 billion in immediate assistance to help Iran develop nuclear reactors for peaceful energy use. This is urgently needed since Iran's natural energy reserves consist only of the second largest oil reserves in the world and the third largest gas reserves in the world. Without the alternative of nuclear energy, Iran's natural resources will run out in less than 23 million years, at which point it will be unable to meet the energy demands of its own population.
- Immediately drop all sanctions against Iran, but with the strict condition that this will be reviewed - and could even be reversed - as early as May 2160 if Iran does not abide by the terms of the agreement.
- Provide $100 billion in aid to support Iran's peaceful long-range missile programme and a further $50 billion in aid to support the beleaguered Iranian Revolutionary Guards fighting heroically to preserve democracy in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq and Yemen.
Fortification work has been finished on 34 daycares in communities in southern Israel and along the Gaza border, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.Hanin Zoabi May Back Bujie and Her Cousin Mohammed Backs Bibi [video]
The renovation work was carried out following Operation Protective Edge this summer, during which thousands of rockets and mortars pounded the south, in particular in areas close to the border with Gaza.
According to the Defense Minister, the daycares that received the fortifications include the “Savyon” daycare, which four-year-old Daniel Tragerman attended. Tragerman, the youngest Israeli victim of the war, was killed on August 22nd, 2014 when a mortar struck a car outside his family’s house while he and his parents and siblings were rushing for cover inside. The family was gathering their belongings to flee the border kibbutz when the mortar struck.
Firebrand Arab Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi has surprised analysts once again and has said she might recommend to President Reuven Rivlin that the Herzog-Livni-led “Zionist Union” lead the next government.Last Week Tonight With John Oliver - Elections in Israel
Another Zoabi, her teenaged cousin Mohammed, attended a Likud meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to vent his enthusiastic love and support for him. Mohammed became both he most popular and hated Arab in the country last year when he appeared on a YouTube video sounding like a protégé of Theodore Herzl.
Anti-Zionist Arabs responded with threats on his life, and he took refuge in the United States before returning to Israel.
In the video below, Mohammed says in Hebrew:
I support Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his party… he defends every citizen in Israel. The People of Israel have suffered enough and deserve to live in peace and quiet. He will be the next Prime Minister of Israel, God willing. I love you.
PM: Security Services 'Essential' in Preventing Hamas Takeover
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited the IDF Judea and Samaria Division Headquarters on Tuesday, whereby he spoke on both local and regional threats to Israel's security.Hamas: We Will Continue Quest to Abduct IDF Soldiers
Netanyahu noted that the visit was to observe how the IDF prevents Hamas and other radical terror organizations from taking control of the volatile sector.
"I am accompanied today by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and IDF officers in order to observe our activity here," he said. "The activity of the IDF and the security services is essential to prevent a takeover by radical elements that would certainly attack Israel and threaten our communities and our people, and would also threaten the Palestinian Authority and take control of the Palestinian public."
Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, continues to threaten Israel with the abduction of IDF soldiers.Hamas claims it nabbed official who betrayed top commander
Such soldiers are used by Hamas, the terror organization that controls Gaza, as bargaining chips for the release of Palestinian terrorists serving prison sentences in Israel.
In 2011, Israel released over 1,000 terrorists in exchange for kidnapped IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was held captive in Gaza for five years.
Abu Obaydeh, Al-Qassam's spokesman, said recently that the quest to release "prisoners" was "fundamental to the military concept of the Al-Qassam Brigades." The organization has no plans to stop, he added.
"The Al-Qassam Brigades has carried the torch for the release of prisoners since its establishment. It will continue to take this path until every last Palestinian prisoner has won his freedom."
A senior Hamas official has been arrested in Gaza for allegedly disclosing information to Israel on the whereabouts of Muhammad Deif, the elusive commander of the terror group’s military wing, during the war in Gaza last summer.Gazans enjoy Israeli products amid West Bank Palestinians' boycott
Israeli intelligence sources believe that Deif was likely killed in an August 19, 2014, airstrike in Gaza City during Operation Protective Edge, a claim that Hamas has repeatedly denied, although Gaza-based officials have confirmed the deaths of Deif’s wife and two of his children in the strike.
A senior official in the terror group who was one of Deif’s close associates, Muhammad Rashid Shitawi, was apprehended by Hamas on Sunday and questioned in connection with the allegations, Channel 2 reported.
Various kinds of Israeli-made snacks, juices, soft drinks and biscuits were accumulated on the shelves and in large refrigerators at Metro mall and other supermarkets allover the Gaza Strip, while in the West Bank, the Palestinians had decided to boycott these products.Muslim Brotherhood Condemns Egypt Court Decision, Calls for Destruction of Israel
Activists in the Palestinian committee to boycott Israeli products were surprised this week after the Gaza-based ministry of national economy gave permission to Gaza Strip merchants and businessmen to import products made in Israel. Such products used to be banned in Gaza for many years.
The ministry of national economy in Gaza said it decided to let importers to bring Israeli-made products of foods and drinks to the impoverished coastal enclave because "local industry and factories in the Gaza Strip are unable to produce these kinds of products."
The products recently allowed in the Gaza Strip are biscuits, chips, snacks, chocolates, juices, diary products, coffee and soft drinks. These products were banned in the enclave since Hamas movement violently took over the place in the summer of 2007.
The Hamas-led government used to depend on getting all these kinds of products from Egypt through the underground tunnels dug underneath the borders with Gaza.
The Muslim Brotherhood condemned an Egyptian court decision to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization, and called for the destruction of the Jewish State, according to an Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) translation of a Brotherhood statement released on its Arabic website.Watch: Lebanese TV Host Shuts Down Sexist Islamist Preacher
“The Zionist entity will continue to be its historic enemy until the complete liberation of the land. We will soon celebrate, if God wills, the collapse of this coup and the return of Egypt to its role in protecting the Arab national security,” reads the Brotherhood statement.
The “complete liberation of the land” in this context directly refers to Israel’s destruction.
The declaration also expressed support for Hamas as the main “legitimate organization” of the Palestinian people.
In Islamist doctrine, women are to be seen but not heard - but one sheikh's attempt to silence a female TV anchor fell flat when she cut him off for telling her to "shut up".
Lebanese hostess Rima Karaki was interviewing London-based Islamist cleric Hani Al-Seba'i on Islamist movements and their stance towards Christians for Al-Jadeed TV. Hoiwever, when the cleric went off on a rambling tangent - delivering a history lesson in alliances between far-left groups and Islamists - Karaki attempted to steer him back on topic.
Taking offense to the interruption, Al-Seba'i told her to "shut up". This was her response:
