Friday, August 21, 2015
Caroline Glick: The power of Jewish indignation
Perhaps we should thank Spain’s Rotodom Sunsplash reggae festival organizers. They just provided us with a textbook case both of the nature of today’s anti-Semitism and of how to defeat it.Melanie Phillips: Israel and the culture wars
Last weekend, the festival organizers canceled their invitation to Matisyahu, the American-Jewish reggae artist, because he refused to bow to the organizers’ demand that he publicly support “Palestine.”
Matisyahu was the only known Jew in the festival line-up and the only performer asked to produce such a statement.
Rather than take this lying down, on Monday Matisyahu recounted the episode on his Facebook page, writing, “It was appalling and offensive that as the one publicly Jewish-American artist scheduled for the festival they were trying to coerce me into political statements.”
Matisyahu’s disinvitation prompted a worldwide Jewish outcry. The Foreign Ministry registered a complaint with the Spanish government.
Every major American Jewish organization and several European Jewish organizations condemned the blatant discrimination against Matisyahu.
The banning of rapper Matisyahu by the Sunsplash reggae festival in Spain – subsequently rescinded after protests – was an “aha!” moment.Obama played Catch-22 on Iran deal, fumes Israeli expert
After pressure from the Israel-bashing Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement, the festival organizers disinvited the singer because he refused to support “the right of Palestinians to have their own state.”
Matisyahu is, however, not an Israeli but a Jewish American. Aha! people exclaimed; now BDS stands exposed as demonstrably anti-Jew.
Well yes; and so too is the wider anti-Israel obsession which shares the unique characteristics of Jew-hatred down the ages: a frenzied agenda of lies and libels, grotesque fantasies of covert global conspiracy and accusations of behavior of which its targets are not only innocent but are in fact the victims.
However, there’s rather more to the demonization of Israel than just Jew-hatred.
Across the Western world old-fashioned liberalism, based on reason and truth, is disappearing. It has been hijacked by hardleft attitudes based on eradicating the difference between right and wrong, truth and lies, tyrant and victim, in favor of the only distinction that matters: the powerless versus the “imperialist” West.
Through that distorted prism, it inverts reality and punishes any who disagree.
This has bent the minds of millions of “progressives” as effectively as the brainwashing by the Spanish Inquisition, Soviet communism or modern-day Islamism. And just as under those closed thought-systems, today’s progressives are inherently unable to perceive how twisted they have become.
The maintenance and intensification of the American sanctions regime imposed on Iran, even in the absence of a tight international sanctions regime, could lead to a better deal than the one reached last month in Vienna, an Israeli expert on arms said.
Emily Landau, head of the arms control and regional security program at the Institute for National Security Studies based at Tel Aviv University, is one of Israel’s most respected expert observers on the Iranian nuclear program. In an interview, she said that the nuclear accord struck between the P5+1 powers and Iran on July 14 was the result of “failed negotiations.”
An adequate deal, she said, would include the dismantling of most of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure; the imposition of “anytime, anywhere” inspections in response to suspicious activities; requiring the regime to answer 12 critical questions posed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding past military nuclear work to the satisfaction of the agency; and explicitly tying sanctions relief to Iran doing so.
But, she stressed, her concerns about the deal also relate to “ambiguous language” in the agreement that could “enable Iran to manipulate the deal in ways they have with past agreements.”
For an hour in her Tel Aviv office, Landau elaborated on the flaws of the deal; on the ongoing debate among American legislators; and on what options will remain if the agreement is rejected.
Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinians Flock to Islamic State
The terror group Islamic State has become extremely popular among Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Four recent public opinion polls show that at least one million Palestinians support the Islamic State.Iran the instigator and beneficiary of new Israel-Syria escalation
The Palestinians' two governments, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA), have good reason to be worried about the Islamic State. In recent weeks, Islamic State spokesmen have issued threats against both the PA and Hamas, accusing them of "collaboration" with the "Zionist entity."
Christian activist Sam Butrous noted that the widespread support for Islamic State among Palestinians is a sign of increased extremism and a denial of Christians' rights in the Holy Land.
The PA and Hamas can only blame themselves for the surge of Palestinians joining the Islamic State. The two governments allow anti-Western incitement in their mosques and media outlets. Their leaders regularly glorify and endorse Palestinians who carry out terror attacks against Israelis, encouraging others to follow suit. If these Palestinians are unable to attack Israel from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, they travel to Syria and Iraq to join the jihad against Israel's allies, namely the U.S. and other Western countries.
Palestinian leaders cannot evade responsibility for inspiring dozens of Palestinians to join the Islamic State. The fiery rhetoric of these leaders and ongoing incitement against Israel and the West are further radicalizing Palestinians and driving them into the Islamic State's open arms.
Israel’s attack in Syria overnight Thursday was the largest of its kind since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards behind Syria rocket fire, army says
No fewer than 14 targets were struck by Israeli Air Force jets, attacks in which Syrian Army soldiers – their real number as yet unknown – were killed. The Syrian regime acknowledged the death of only one soldier, but the number is probably higher.
The air raids came in response to rocket attacks on northern Israel on Thursday afternoon, apparently launched at the behest of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps by a local contractor in the Syrian Golan Heights.
In this case, according to Military Intelligence, the contractor — Islamic Jihad –was Palestinian. That is to say: The Iranians, closely watching the anti-Israeli activity on the Syrian side of the border, occasionally change their “laborers.” One time they may be men from the organization of Samir Kuntar, a Druze terrorist released from an Israeli prison in 2008 after serving 29 years, and another time they may be Islamic Jihad men, who mainly operate in the refugee camps around Damascus but were apparently transported to the Golan Heights in this case to irritate Israel from across the border.
Israel is facing a danger of violence spiraling out of control. On Friday morning, the IDF targeted and killed at least five men it said were members of the cell that fired the rockets on Thursday. Syrian media claimed they were civilians.
These incidents do not necessarily mean a war is on the horizon but they do show how fragile and dangerous reality on the northern border has become. Such instability is beneficial for one regional player — Iran.
A commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards orchestrated Thursday’s rocket fire on northern Israel from Syria, military sources said late Thursday night, prompting an unusually strong response from the Israel Defense Forces.Israel to West: 'Your Partner Iran Attacked Us; Your Response?'
According to a senior Israeli security official, Saeed Izadi, the head of the Palestinian Division of the Iranian al-Quds Force planned the attack. It was carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a terror group that operates mostly out of the Gaza Strip, but whose headquarters are in Damascus. The Islamic Jihad has denied its involvement.
Throughout the Syrian civil war, mortar shells have occasionally strayed into Israel, but this was not the case on Thursday when four rockets struck the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights, the official said.
“We understand that this attack was clearly a deliberate one,” he said.
By direct order of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's Foreign Ministry has dispatched an official letter of protest to the Western countries that signed the nuclear agreement with Iran – regarding the Iran-ordered attack on Israel on Thursday.Israel demands atomic watchdog disclose side deal with Iran
Four rockets were fired from Syrian Thursday evening, hitting areas in the northern Galilee and the Golan Heights. Fortunately no one was hurt, but "this was an indiscriminate terrorist attack, planned in advance, with no prior Israeli provocation," the letter stated.
Israel informed the Western powers that it has "reliable information that this attack was carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, ordered directly by the Iranian terrorist Said Izadhi of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards."
The letter further states: "This is further clear indication of Iran's increasing involvement in attacks against Israel in particular and against regional targets in general. The ink on the nuclear agreement has not yet dried, and this attack shows clearly how Iran plans to act the moment after the international sanctions are removed."
Israel on Thursday demanded the publication of undisclosed agreements reached between Iran and the UN International Atomic Energy Agency, after a report on part of the accord detailed Iran’s ability to police itself at a suspected military nuclear site.READ: Full text of secret deal between Iran and IAEA on inspections
An Israeli diplomatic official said the report had proven Israeli opposition to the nuclear deal reached between Iran and world powers correct.
“There is just one safe way to verify this report: for the world powers to publicize all appendixes to the nuclear deal with Iran,” a diplomatic official said.
The IAEA has refused to publicize details of the agreements it reached with Tehran, but on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported the nuclear watchdog ceded the responsibility of nuclear inspections at the Parchin military complex to Tehran officials.
The IAEA inspection of Parchin, a site believed by some experts to be where Iran has previously experimented with high-explosive detonators for nuclear arms, is linked to a broader probe of allegations that the Islamic Republic has worked on atomic weapons in the past.
“The more details we learn about the Iran deal the more we realize that our worries were justified and correct,” the Israeli official said.
The following is a transcript of the original draft agreement between the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran covering inspections at the Parchin military site, where Iran has been accused of pursuing nuclear weapons development a decade ago.Draft of Side Deal Confirms Iran, Not IAEA, Will Collect Evidence from Suspected Nuke Site
This agreement is separate from the much-broader Iran nuclear deal signed by Iran, the US, and five other world powers in July.
Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to The Associated Press that this draft does not differ from the final, confidential agreement between the IAEA and Iran.
The AP was not allowed to have a copy of the draft but was allowed to transcribe the entire text, and it appears here:
[IAEA D.G.] Amano has argued that the agreement is “consistent with our long-established practices” and doesn’t “compromise our safeguards standards in any way.”State Department: Iran 'In No Way' Inspecting its Own Sites
However, an analysis of the deal prepared by the AP shows that the arrangement marks a departure from past practices by giving Iran significant control over the inspection process.
Any IAEA inspection of a country suspected of nuclear irregularities is usually carried out by agency experts. They may take swipes of residue on equipment, sample the air or take soil samples in attempts to look for signs of clandestine work on atomic arms or other potentially dangerous unreported activity.
The document on Parchin, however, will let the Iranians themselves look for signs of the very activity they deny – past work on nuclear weapons. It says “Iran will provide” the agency with environmental samples. It restricts the number of samples at the suspect site to seven and to an unspecified number “outside of the Parchin complex” at a site that still needs to be decided.
The U.N. agency will take possession of the samples for testing, as usual. Iran will also provide photos and video of locations to be inspected. But the document suggests that areas of sensitive military activity remain out of bounds. The draft says the IAEA will “ensure the technical authenticity of the activities” carried out by the Iranians – but it does not say how.
The AP analysis also cited the former deputy director-general of the IAEA, Olli Heinonen, who said that he can’t recall a similar arrangement where a suspected nuclear violator was permitted to be so involved in investigating itself.
The State Department in Washington on Thursday said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would "in no way" hand over responsibility for nuclear inspections to Iran.Daniel Pipes: If Iran turns down the nuclear deal
"That is not how the IAEA does business," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement quoted by Reuters, in reference to a report on Wednesday which implied the UN agency would cede certain verification power to Tehran.
The Associated Press revealed on Wednesday that only Iranian inspectors would investigate the Parchin site, where Iran allegedly conducted nuclear testing in the past, and would provide the IAEA with pictures and video from inside.
The report was based on a confidential draft agreement between Iran and the IAEA regarding the site.
Earlier on Thursday, IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano said he was "disturbed" by what he said were “inaccurate claims” regarding the inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities.
"I am disturbed by statements suggesting that the IAEA has given responsibility for nuclear inspections to Iran," Amano said in a statement quoted.
"Such statements misrepresent the way in which we will undertake this important verification work," added Amano.
On one level, that makes no sense. As a plethora of analyses have established, the Vienna deal is enormously favorable to the Islamic Republic of Iran, legitimizing its nuclear research, assuring its future nuclear weapons program, helping the economy, and boosting its aggressive international goals. These advantages would make it appear absurd for Khamenei not to accept the deal. Plus, most Iranians celebrate the accord.Obama vows to up Israel defense aid if nuke deal approved
But rejecting it makes sense if one focuses not on those immediate advantages and instead looks at its future dangers to the Iranian regime's surviving. Leaders of fanatical and brutal government such as Khamenei's invariably make ideological purity and personal power their highest priorities, and he is no exception. From this point of view -- its impact on the regime's longevity -- the deal contains two problems.
First, it betrays Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's vision of unyielding enmity to the United States, a core principle that has guided the Islamic republic since he founded it in 1979. A substantial portion of the leadership, including Khamenei himself, hold to a purist vision that sees any relations with the United States as unacceptable and bordering on treachery. For this reason, Tehran has long been the world's only capital not seeking improved relations with Washington. These rejectionists disdain the benefits of the deal; they refuse it on grounds of principle.
Their position is hardly unique. Similarly, Palestinian rejectionists oppose treaties with Israel, regardless of their potential benefits, not wanting to truck with the enemy. (Think of the 1993 Oslo accords, which brought land, money, legitimacy, and guns.) Principle trumps practicality.
President Barack Obama promised Democratic lawmakers that the US will continue to keep economic pressure on Iran, keep military options open, and increase missile defense support to Israel if his administration’s nuclear deal with Tehran goes through.New York Jewish Congressman Nadler to back Iran deal
Obama said in a letter addressed to New York Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler that if Iran rushes to build a nuclear weapon, “all of the options available to the United States — including the military option — will remain available.”
The president also said the US will uphold sanctions targeting Iran’s non-nuclear activities, such as its support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah group and what Obama calls Iran’s “destabilizing role in Yemen.”
And the letter emphasizes US support for Israel, saying Obama has “consistently viewed Israel’s security as sacrosanct.”
According to the New York Times, Obama “pledged to increase missile defense funding for Israel, accelerate co-development of missile defense systems, and boost tunnel detection and mapping technologies.”
Democratic Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York announced Friday he is backing President Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear deal.Shumley Boteach: Obama’s insinuations of Jewish influence and interference
“I bring to my analysis the full weight of my responsibilities as a member of Congress, and my perspective as an American Jew who is both a Democrat and a strong supporter of Israel,” Nadler said in a statement. He said that the agreement “gives us the best chance of stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.”
Nadler’s support came after Obama appealed to him personally in a letter this week, defending the deal and pledging that the US will continue to keep economic pressure on Iran and keep military options open.
The congressman’s endorsement also has significance as Jewish lawmakers from New York are facing significant pressure to oppose the deal. The state’s senior Democratic senator, Chuck Schumer, is opposed. Nadler becomes the first Jewish Democratic lawmaker from New York to announce he’ll support the deal.
The manner in which Obama portrays this lobbying effort would have you believe there is nothing at all bad about the Iran deal, and that the primary reason Republicans and Democrats oppose it is pressure outside groups, with pro-Israel groups leading the charge.Booker not yet decided on Iran
The truth, of course, is that the opposition stems from it being a fundamentally weak deal that legitimizes the world’s foremost state-sponsor of terrorism.
The president is well aware that American voters and their elected representatives have gnawing doubts about suicidal religious zealots with nuclear weapons. But the president’s words imply that it is merely partisan politics combined with “millions of dollars” funded by mostly Jewish groups that are leading the charge against his deal.
Obama may not have said the above outright, but his words easily lend themselves to damaging misinterpretation and perverse anti-Jewish archetypes.
Thursday morning, Senator Cory Booker still hadn’t decided.Democrat on House Armed Services Committee Announces Opposition to Iran Nuclear Deal
New Jersey’s junior senator, a Democrat, said that he planned to devote the day to “meeting with some of the brightest minds my staff can pull together” for seven hours of briefings on the ramifications of approving or disapproving the nuclear deal with Iran.
He added that he planned to cap the day by “praying that the Lord grant me some of the wisdom of Solomon to make the right choice.”
Mr. Booker spoke on a teleconference arranged by the Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel, AIPAC, and the New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations.
Rep. Donald Norcross (D – N.J.) announced that he will vote against the nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and emphasized that “Iran must never be allowed to become a nuclear threat to the world,” the Burlington County Times reported yesterday.Missouri Democrat Supports Iran Deal, Says Only Israel Opposes
Norcross and Rep. Tom MacArthur (R – N.J.), another New Jersey congressman who opposes the deal, are both members of the House Armed Services Committee and in this capacity had access to view classified documents related to the JCPOA. Both congressman spoke of their decision to oppose it after returning from a trip to Israel.
The Times reported that the White House had hoped to convince Norcross to support the deal, but that the congressman said:
“I’ve listened. I’ve studied the issues. And, after careful consideration, I must vote against the deal. …
“The Iranian regime is a known sponsor of terrorism that has made no secret of its hatred for both the United States and Israel. Providing relief for them by lifting economic sanctions now essentially rewards past behavior and infuses billions of dollars into their economy that could be used to buy more weapons and outsource more terror. Moreover, the deal does not provide enough assurance that Iran will be restricted from developing or acquiring nuclear weapons. So this windfall may ultimately help fund their nuclear ambitions.”
MacArthur noted that he opposed the JCPOA before his trip to Israel, and added, “My views are stronger than ever that the president is making a mistake.”
President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran continued to pick up crucial support from swing-state Senate Democrats on Thursday, The Associated Press (AP) reported.Mike Huckabee: Time for regime change in Iran
The latest Democrat to declare her backing for the deal became Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri.
"This deal isn't perfect and no one trusts Iran, but it has become clear to me that the world is united behind this agreement with the exception of the government of Israel," she claimed in a statement quoted by AP.
McCaskill's announcement followed a similar declaration a day earlier from Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN), who said, "I am willing to give this agreement the opportunity to succeed."
Finally, we should bring Iranian officials to justice in international courts.New TV Ad: Iran Deal Increases Chances Terrorists Will Get Hands on Nuclear Bomb
No longer would the United States stand by as international organizations berate Israelis for building bedrooms in Judea and Samaria, while ignoring Iranian threats to “replace Israel” with a “big Holocaust.” Iranian leaders must be prosecuted for inciting genocide and murdering countless innocent Jews, Christians and Muslims across the world.
There is no reason why the free world should tolerate a supremacist regime that threatens Israel’s very existence. The current tensions with Tehran are not inevitable. Persians and Jews enjoy cultural ties dating back to ancient times. More than 100,000 Jews lived in Iran on the eve of the 1979 revolution.
A democratic Iran would present its own challenges, but it would go a long way in addressing one of the most serious threats Israel and America face. Let’s remember that amid internal political change, many other countries have relinquished their pursuit of nuclear weapons and gotten out of the terrorism game. The same could happen with Iran. The ripple effects would be felt throughout the Middle East, where the Quds Force and other Iranian proxies currently run roughshod, destabilizing the region and threatening the US and its allies.
As the Obama presidency comes to a close, the United States and Israel have a new opportunity to rebuild relations and stand united against the Islamic Republic. By empowering Iran’s opposition, the United States and Israel can address the Iranian threat at minimal cost, keep Israelis and Americans safe, and give meaning to our shared commitment: Never again!
Because Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, a nuclear deal that does not completely dismantle its nuclear program increases the likelihood of a nuclear bomb ending up in the hands of a terrorist group: so goes the argument in the latest television ad released by Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran, a nonprofit whose goal it is to block the Obama administration’s accord with Tehran in Congress.
The video begins with former U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, today the dean of the Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Power Studies, explaining that the chief “problem” with the nuclear deal is the great probability that it will lead to a significant proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region: in oil-wealthy Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as in Turkey and in Egypt — two of the most powerful armies in the region.
“Let’s not forget that Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world,” he says. “The deal will increase the likelihood of terrorists getting a hold of a nuclear weapon.”
The video concludes with the text, “Congress Should Reject a Bad Deal. We Need a Better Deal.”
J Street Actually Opposes Iran Nuclear Deal , Too
Before the Administration announced the Iran deal last month, J Street had already written the press release and statement to donors praising the agreement. Their plan to deceive the Jewish community, lawmakers and media outlets was already set in motion.J.B. Pritzker: True bipartisanship – oppose the deal
Before the Iran debacle was announced, J Street put on a show and scheduled a conference call for the end of June to discuss the negotiations. I submitted a question and received a response a few days later.
Me: Cutting through political rhetoric: What constitutes a good deal for the security of the U.S. and Israel, and what would be unacceptable for the West and of course the Jewish State?
J Street: Thanks for your message. We believe a good deal must prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and must impose strict inspections to ensure that Iran does not cheat.
Even the president and Secretary of State Kerry have acknowledged the deal only delays Iran from getting the bomb. Liberal icon and two-time Obama supporter Alan Dershowitz told me in a one-on-one interview for the New York Observer, “the deal assures Iran will get a nuclear bomb within ten years.”
By promoting a deal that most certainly does not “prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons,” J Street has gone back on its word (stop laughing), in fulfillment of its raison d’etre of serving as the president’s “blocking back.”
J Street and truth are mutually exclusive. For two years the organization denied receiving support from the anti-Israel movement’s bankroller, George Soros. In 2010 the Washington Times revealed that Soros and his children had donated $245,000 a few months after J Street was launched. Acknowledging that his answers regarding Soros were “misleading,” Ben-Ami was eventually forced to admit that Soros had at the time actually given a total of $750,000.
Instead, I question the motives of Iran. Just days after the agreement was announced, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei announced that his “government’s policies toward the arrogant government of the United States will not be changed at all” as his audience responded with exuberant shouts of “death to America.”James Woolsey: A Shariah-approved nuclear attack
Some will argue that if this agreement works, it will buy us 15 years and prevent the need for military engagement. But they ignore that the agreement allows Iran to continue research and development on advanced centrifuges, and therefore it will be only days away from breaking out to a nuclear weapon after 15 years. Iran will have done this within the confines of the agreement, so the U.S. and the international community will have legitimized Iran becoming a nuclear threshold state, not prevented it.
This will leave the U.S. with two bad options: accept a nuclear Iran, or take military action. By legitimizing Iran’s nuclear program, removing the pressure of economic sanctions and allowing it to obtain conventional weapons and ballistic missiles, this agreement makes the prospect for war more likely, not less.
Rejecting this deal will not end the diplomatic process. In fact, accepting this deal would likely cut off the diplomatic process for at least 15 years and would preclude us from negotiating a better deal.
For the sake of our values and our security, Congress should reject this deal, leave the sanctions in place, and support efforts to negotiate a better agreement.
Pritzker is co-founder and managing partner of Pritzker Group, a Chicago-based private investment firm, and served as national co-chair of Hillary Clinton for President in 2008. He is also the brother of Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker,
Congress must stop President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. The most important reason — Iran can threaten the existence of the United States by making an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack using a single nuclear weapon.Gen. Dempsey: Iran Will Use Sanctions Relief to Promote ‘Revolutionary Ideology’
It may obtain one, relatively easily, by cheating in the use of the nuclear infrastructure permitted them under the agreement.
U.S. intelligence cannot meet the impossibly high standard of assuring that Iran cannot acquire a single nuclear weapon and, given the regime’s existing nuclear infrastructure, cannot with absolute certainty guarantee that Iran does not already have one.
Secretary of State John Kerry’s assertions on June 16 that the United States has perfect intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program are not credible: “We know what they did. We have no doubt. We have absolute knowledge … .”
No.
Former CIA Director Michael Hayden is right to correct Mr. Kerry: “He’s pretending we have perfect knowledge about something that was an incredibly tough intelligence target while I was director, and I see nothing that has made it any easier.”
Because EMP destroys electronics directly, but people indirectly, it is regarded by some as Shariah-compliant use of a nuclear weapon. “Passive Defense” and other Iranian military writings are well aware that nuclear EMP attack is the most efficient way of killing people, through secondary effects, over the long run. The rationale appears to be that people starve to death, not because of EMP, but because they live in materialistic societies dependent upon modern technolog
Gen. Martin Dempsey, the highest-ranking military officer in the United States armed forces, conceded that Iran will use the sanctions relief funds it is expected to receive under the nuclear deal “to propagate” its “revolutionary ideology,” which it has done in the past through the use of proxy terrorist groups.Off-Target: The Folly of Removing Sanctions on Iran’s Ballistic Missiles
“The big question on the table is whether this relief of sanctions that will flow to Iran will be used to improve their economy or the lives of their citizens, or whether they will use it to propagate their revolutionary ideology,” Gen. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told members of the Irish Defense Force in Dublin on August 18. “The answer is probably a little bit of both.”
A day after the nuclear deal was announced, President Obama admitted that Iran will likely use sanctions relief money to fund terrorist organizations it uses as surrogates such as the anti-American, anti-Semitic group Hezbollah, which was founded in the early 1980s with the help of Ayatollah Ruhollah Moosavi Khomeini in an effort to export Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which enshrines the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement, stipulates that restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missiles will expire eight years after the deal’s implementation. This expiration date is a strategic blunder. Permanent relief for ballistic missiles will allow Iran to not only reinforce its deterrent capacity, but to redouble the offensive threat it poses to the region.Iranian Jews score Sharia successes
Iran’s ballistic missiles have long been at the top of the list of asymmetric threats posed by Iran. While initially envisioned under the late Shah, missiles ultimately grew to be a core part of Iran’s security doctrine after its bloody eight-year war with Iraq. During that conflict, it was none other than a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who proposed to “reverse-engineer” Scud missiles Tehran had procured from the Libya and Syria to give it an edge in projectile manufacturing.
Thus began the Guards’ decades-long affiliation with the Islamic Republic’s missile program. Since then, Iran has become home to “the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East,” including copies and variants of North Korean and Russian platforms, with both solid and liquid-fueled weaponry.
The past decade of developments in Iranian missile power mirrors its rising adventurism in the Middle East. The more confident Iran feels that its inventory will deter retaliatory strikes, the more likely it is to engage in conflict by proxy throughout the region. By enhancing the reach of a conventionally weak Iran, this arsenal affords Tehran deterrent benefits at the same time as it threatens U.S. regional allies.
Operating within the limits of 'sharia' law on minorities, Jews in Iran have managed to get equal 'blood money' compensation - except in cases where a Jew murders a Muslim, the penalty being execution, and not 'blood money'. The community also seeks to tackle the ban on Jews in senior posts in the government and military and the issue of Muslims serving as heads of Jewish schools. The issue of Israel is still out-of-bounds. Larry Cohler- Esses reports for the Forward:Sending naval commandos to Iran via Sinai, Hamas pushed Egypt too far
The community is vocal about the multiple forms of discrimination under which its members live — but without questioning the legitimacy of the regime or the system of Sharia, or Islamic law, by which it governs.
Four members of Hamas’s military wing were kidnapped by Egyptian intelligence this week in what seems to be developing into one of the greatest disputes between Hamas and Egypt.Hamas Friday Sermon in Gaza: Our People Hate UNRWA the Most, It Is Corruptal
Initially, reports surfaced that the Hamas men were kidnapped in the Sinai Peninsula by Islamic State militants, but on Thursday the Times of Israel learned the whole story.
The four were members of the elite “naval commando” of Hamas, and they exploited Egypt’s opening of the Rafah crossing — green-lighted by Cairo for humanitarian reasons — in order to leave the Gaza Strip and go train abroad.
Egypt learned of this plan ahead of time (and it would be interesting to know where from), and decided to arrest the quartet.
The arrests are creating furor in the Gaza Strip. Family members of the Islamist marine wannabes are protesting and calling for their release, while Hamas websites are pointing the finger at Egypt, holding Cairo responsible for their well-being.
On August 14, Hamas MP Sheikh Marwan Abu Ras slammed the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) during a Friday sermon which was delivered live on Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV. Sheikh Abu Ras accused UNRWA of corruption, and stated that this agency is what Palestinians hate the most. Recently, UNRWA announced that it would cut its services due to financial difficulties.
Israeli punsters react to Hamas arrest of ‘spy’ dolphin
While dolphins have been used militarily by other countries in the past, Israel only uses Dolphin class submarines in its Navy.PETA Begins Siege of Gaza In Response to Hamas Capture of Israeli Spy Dolphin (satire)
“Oh yes, I knew him in the elite naval commando unit,” one talkbacker writes. “He was a manly-man, every fin in the right place.”
“The dolphin is a friend of the shark from Egypt,” writes a joker.
Another commenter posted a new definition for the term BDS: “BDS = Boycott Dolphin Spies!”
“The dolphin says in a statement: They framed me,” a pundit writes on Ynet. “Don’t worry, he has a shark attorney,” another responds.
The talkback arena was also filled with fears for the dolphin’s life.
“I just hope they didn’t kill him,” writes a talkbacker.
“So sad, now they’re going to kill him,” another adds.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Fars news agency is reporting that what Hamas actually caught was an Israeli-made dolphin robot equipped with espionage equipment.
It’s been quite a few years since the world has seen Pamela Anderson, renowned PETA activist, storming a beach – but that may soon change. Wednesday, Hamas announced that it had captured a dolphin serving as a trained Israeli spy. In response, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a U.S. based group of zealots activists, announced that they would not rest until the dolphin is freed. Anderson herself delivered a statement on behalf of the organization, saying, “Animals should get all the consideration that humans get under the Geneva Convention! We demand updates as to the health and status of our dolphin friend! We hope Hamas treats this illegally kidnapped POW a damn sight better than the last one. What was his name again? Gil something?”
Hamas announced via Twitter that they would be keeping the cetacean in an undisclosed location until demands on Israel are met. While Israel has dismissed the claim that dolphins are utilized as spies, PETA has announced that it will begin a ground invasion if the dolphin is not released promptly. “We have already implemented an embargo on the Gaza Strip, and no goods will be flowing into or out of the territory,” announced Anderson. “Do not test us, Hamas. We took on Obama for killing a fly. What do you think we’ll do to you for hurting a dolphin?” We approached Hamas for a comment, asking them what they thought of PETA. “It’s delicious,” they responded, “especially will some humus! Why are you asking us this?”
