Wednesday, September 02, 2015
Caroline Glick: Losing the war of ideas
We have arrived at the point where the consequences of the West’s intellectual disarmament at the hands of political correctness begins to have disastrous consequences in the lives of hundreds of millions of people.White House wins support for passage of Iran deal through Congress
Speaking last month at the memorial service for the five US marines massacred at a recruiting office in Chattanooga, Tennessee, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said, “The meaning of their killing is yet unclear, and what combination of disturbed mind, violent extremism, and hateful ideology was at work, we don’t know.”
US Vice President Joe Biden claimed, the “perverse ideologues...may be able to inspire a single lone wolf, but they can never, never threaten who we are.”
Both men were wrong, and dangerously so.
The meaning of the killings was no mystery.
Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez shot his victims down in cold blood because he was a jihadist. He wrote of his devotion to the Islamic war for global domination on his blog. He downloaded messages from Anwar Awlaki, the American al-Qaida commander killed in a drone attack in Yemen in 2011.
Awlaki’s most prolific follower to date was US Army Major Nidal Malik Hassan who massacred 13 soldiers and wounded 32 in his November 2009 assault at Ft. Hood, Texas. Yet, just as the Obama administration denies to this day that Hassan operated out of devotion to the cause of Islamic global supremacy through genocidal war, so Carter pretended away Abdulazeez’s obvious motive. And Biden stood before those whose lives were shattered by jihad last month and told them that jihad was not a threat to their way of life.
The Obama administration has secured the support of 34 senators for its landmark nuclear agreement with Iran, ensuring its safe passage through a vote scheduled in Congress this month.MEMRI: Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei In Mid-August 2015: 'The U.S. Is The Perfectly Clear Embodiment Of The Concept Of The Enemy'; 'We Must Combat The Plans Of The Arrogance With Jihad For The Sake Of Allah'
Senator Barbara Mikulski, Democrat from Maryland, announced her support for the deal on Wednesday morning. She followed announcements from two Democratic colleagues, senators Chris Coons of Delaware and Bob Casey, Jr. from Pennsylvania, the previous day.
US President Barack Obama only needs one third of one house of Congress to ensure passage of the accord, because that number is the minimum necessary to uphold a presidential veto. Congress may still vote and pass a resolution disapproving of the deal when it reconvenes next week.
That will be the fight ahead: Over whether a vote of disapproval will take place at all. For such a vote to occur, 60 members of the Senate will have to agree to proceed with debate and break filibuster. Currently, opponents are four votes short of that threshold, with 56 publicly against.
On August 17, 2015, just over a month after the announcement of the JCPOA in Vienna, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in a speech at a conference held by the Iranian Shi'ite Ahl Al-Bayt organization that the U.S. is the embodiment of the enemy of the Islamic peoples and of Iran. It must be fought with military, cultural, economic, and political jihad, he said, adding that Islamic Iran is not interested in reconciling with it. He further claimed that the U.S. is attempting to divide the Islamic world into Shi'ite and Sunni camps that will wage a religious war against each other, and in this way gain it will be able to gain control over the peoples of the region.
Iran, he stressed, stands behind the resistance axis, opposes the division of Syria and Iraq, and will continue to support anyone who fights Israel.
Following are excerpts from a report on the speech that was posted on Khamenei's website (Leader.ir):
"[Khamenei said:] 'We must combat the plans of the arrogance [i.e. the West, led by the U.S.] with jihad for the sake of Allah.' The Leader pointed to 'America's efforts to exploit the results of the nuclear talks and exert economic, political, and cultural influence in Iran' and to the plots of the power-hungry order aimed at sowing conflict and gaining influence in the region. The Leader called for 'adopting the correct plans in order to wisely and consistently fight this plot, in an offense against it and a defense against it.'
"[Khamenei said:] 'Jihad for the sake of God does not only mean military conflict, but also means cultural, economic, and political struggle. The clearest essence of jihad for the sake of God today is to identify the plots of the arrogance in the Islamic region, especially the sensitive and strategic West Asian region. The planning for the struggle against them should include both defense and offense.
Nuclear Fiascoes: From Diplomatic Failure With North Korea To Debacle With Iran
With Congress due to vote by Sept. 17 on the Iran nuclear deal, there’s a warning worth revisiting. It goes like this: The president is pushing a historic nuclear agreement, saying it will stop a terror-sponsoring tyranny from getting nuclear weapons. And up pipes the democratically elected leader of one of America’s closest allies, to say this nuclear deal is mortal folly. He warns that it is filled with concessions more likely to sustain and embolden the nuclear-weapons-seeking despotism than to disarm it.Battle against Iran deal far from over, US senator vows in Israel
This critic has more incentive than most to weigh the full implications of the deal, because his country is most immediately in harm’s way — though it has not been included in the nuclear talks. He notes that the nuclear negotiators have sidelined such glaring issues as human rights, and warns that Washington is naive, and the U.S. is allowing itself to be manipulated by a ruthless dictatorship.
No, the critic I’m referring to is not Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though he has warned of precisely such dangers in the Iran nuclear deal. I am citing the warnings voiced 21 years ago by the then-President of South Korea, Kim Young Sam, as the Clinton administration bargained its way toward the 1994 nuclear deal with North Korea known as the Agreed Framework.
As it turned out, Kim Young Sam’s misgivings were right on target. The 1994 Agreed Framework did not stop North Korea’s pursuit of the bomb. Instead, it became a pit stop on North Korea’s road to the nuclear arsenal it is amassing today.
For all the differences between North Korea and Iran, there are parallels enough to suggest that the failed 1994 nuclear bargain with North Korea is an excellent guide to the future trajectory with Iran, if the U.S. goes ahead with the nuclear deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — announced by the U.S., France, Britain, Germany, Russia, China and Iran on July 14 in Vienna.
The fight against the Iran nuclear agreement in the American Congress is not yet lost, a US Senator said Tuesday in Jerusalem, expressing the hope that further revelations of secret side deals or aggressive Iranian behavior could move undecided lawmakers to oppose the pact.Analysis: The Filibuster Reality-Distortion Field
“We can’t say the battle is lost yet,” Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), a prominent opponent of the nuclear deal the US and five world powers signed with Iran in July, told The Times of Israel.
Many aspects of the Iran deal are still unknown, Cotton said. If new details emerge on secret side deals between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency about Iran’s past military nuclear work, “it wouldn’t surprise me to see certain senators in Congress reconsidering their past support.”
Under normal circumstances, laws are passed using a majority of both houses. The President may veto a law, and Congress needs two-thirds of both houses to override a veto. When the majority to pass a new law is slim, either party in the Senate can effectively prevent its passage by talking forever—and to stop a filibuster, you need 60 votes.Cheney: Obama Will Regret ‘Train Wreck’ Nuclear Deal
With the Iran deal, however, something bizarre has happened: Back in April, the administration decided to give Congress a voice by signing off on the Corker-Cardin bill, which effectively endorsed an agreement that no one had yet seen, but would give Congress the chance of voting to disapprove it. Because of the already stiff opposition to the deal, it was clear that such a vote would have to be vetoed, however—and the big question was whether they could disapprove it so much that they could override the veto with a two-thirds majority.
So here we are today: There’s a deal, it is full of holes, most Americans oppose it, and Congress is poised to vote its disapproval. The administration is on the precipice of scraping together one-third of the Senate to block an override. Now the question is: Can it get the 41 senators it needs to sustain a filibuster?
Yes, that’s right. The same people who promised to give Congress a voice are now going to filibuster to prevent a debate. But a filibuster here means something really strange: The President is making a huge policy shift for America, and now he’s working overtime to block a vote. This filibuster would pervert the point of the rule—which is to keep Congress from changing major laws with only a slim majority—and keep the Senate from acting as a check on a major policy shift that has implications in law as well. And a check on bad foreign policy is precisely what the Constitution intended when it assigned the Senate with the task of ratifying treaties and approving cabinet members.
Dick Cheney called the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran a “train wreck” that will never be forgotten and characterized it as a betrayal of U.S. allies in the Middle East during an interview with the Washington Free Beacon on Tuesday.79 Percent of Voters Worried About Iran Nuclear Inspections
“I cannot explain [President Obama’s] motives other than he thinks this is going to be a great legacy for his presidency,” said Cheney. “I think it’s going to be a train wreck, and he’s not going to want to claim it down the road. He’ll have to find a way to blame somebody else.”
The former vice president is currently promoting his latest book, Exceptional: Why the World Needs a Powerful America, which he co-authored with his daughter Liz Cheney, a former State Department official.
Cheney weighed in on the Iranian nuclear deal and President Obama ahead of a congressional vote on the agreement later this month.
“Those who vote for it will at some point look back on it as a very bad vote,” said Cheney. “The fact that [it would be] pumping over $100 billion to the world’s largest supporter of terrorism, lifting the embargo on things like ballistic missiles and conventional armaments, setting a path for [Iran] to pursue the development of nuclear weapons.”
The former vice president said he believed Obama would spend his final months in office dealing with a wave of nuclear proliferation issues across the Middle East as a result of the deal.
A majority of voters from both parties are concerned about aspects of the Iran nuclear deal governing inspections of Tehran’s nuclear facilities, according to a survey released Tuesday by the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation.As US Robustly Debates Iran Deal, Western Europe Exhibits ‘Fatigue’
Participants in the national “Citizen Cabinet” survey were presented with a description of the dispute regarding Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program and the principal components of the deal finalized in Vienna on July 14. They were then briefed on critiques of the agreement and subsequent rebuttals to those critiques.
Those surveyed were polled on the degree to which they found these criticisms or rebuttals convincing.
During a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Dr. Steven Kull, one of the primary investigators on the survey, pointed to the share of participants agreeing with criticism of Iran’s nuclear inspections as indicative of the significant concern regarding the transparency of the deal.
Particularly, 79 percent of those polled—the highest consensus for any question in the survey—found the following critique convincing:
“While the deal does allow us to continuously monitor nuclear sites, it does not provide anytime/anywhere access to other sites such as military installations. We can demand to inspect those sites if we see suspicious activities, but Iran can ask for hearings where it can argue that it is not really necessary. We can ultimately gain access, but the whole process can take up to 24 days, and meanwhile Iran could hide their illegal activities. While some illegal nuclear activities can be detected, others cannot.”
Those siding with the critique included 71 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Independents. Meanwhile, only 53 percent found convincing a rebuttal that said it would be difficult for Iran to cheat the agreement without being caught.
The Iran nuclear deal has dominated the foreign policy debate in the U.S. this summer, with Congress in the midst of a 60-day period to review the agreement. But America is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to the accord reached in July between Iran and the P5+1 world powers. Below, JNS.org examines how the Iran deal is being considered within the Western European nations that participated in the nuclear negotiations, and how Europe’s Jewish community has reacted to the pact.UK Govt Slams Iran On Israel Stance Just Days After British Embassy Reopens
Just a week ago, Mr Hammond said Iran’s President Rouhani indicated a “more nuanced approach” to Israel, and that aggressive statements by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should not necessarily be seen as representative of the country’s foreign policy.Iran official: We’ll bolster our military until Israel is overthrown
Since then however a number of embarrassing responses have come directly from the Iranian regime.
According to the Iranian Tasnim News Agency, a spokesman from the Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected media reports of talks between Iran and Britain about Iran’s attitude towards the State of Israel during Hammond’s visit. She said no such talks took place, adding that “London is expected to make up for mistakes of its past policies toward Iran” through constructive interaction and mutual respect.
Reinforcing that comment, a foreign affairs adviser to Iran’s parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, was even more certain no such comments had been made. According to the Iranian Fars News Agency Hossein Sheikholeslam “blasted British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond for his interfering remarks” saying: “Our positions against the usurper Zionist regime have not changed at all; Israel should be annihilated and this is our ultimate slogan.”
Breitbart London contacted the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office for comment. A week later a spokesman responded: “We strongly condemn any suggestions that Israel should be eliminated. We similarly strongly condemn any politically or racially motivated attempts to deny or question the Holocaust, and all anti-Semitic language.”
Escalating Iran’s rhetoric against Israel, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps vowed Wednesday that the regime would boost its military capabilities relentlessly until Israel was destroyed.Iran's Foreign Minister: Muslims Must Create 'United Front' Against Israel
“The Islamic Revolution will continue enhancing its preparedness until it overthrows Israel and liberates Palestine,” the IRGC’s Tehran province commander, Brigadier General Mohsen Kazzemeini, said in an address in Tehran, the semi-state Fars news agency reported.
He also vowed that Iran would maintain its aid to those who fight Israel. “We will continue defending not just our own country, but also all the oppressed people of the world, specially those countries that are standing on the forefront of confrontation with the Zionists,” Kazzemeini said.
Kazzemeini was speaking as Iran started two days of major drills in the capital, involving 250,000 personnel, designed to “practice fighting against security threats,” Fars said.
These drills followed reports Tuesday that Iran has bolstered defenses at its nuclear facilities, introduced new radar systems, and “raised its alert” for fear of an Israeli attack.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif flew to Tunisia Tuesday to garner support for a “united front” against Israel.Iran's Larijani with CNN's Amanpour: Referendum for "All People" or "Elimination of Israel"?
“We are ready to cooperate with all friends that believe in the necessity of forming a united front against the Zionist enemy and against divisive attempts,” Zarif said Tuesday in a meeting with the leader of one of Tunisia’s chief Islamic parties, according to state-run Tasnim News.
Following the nuclear negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program, the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Minister, a Holocaust-revisionist, has continued to pursue the foreign policy wishes of Iranian dictator Ali Khamenei, who has a stated goal of creating a united Muslim front to “annihilate” the Jewish state of Israel.
Despite probing questions from Christiane Amanpour, Ali Larijani, Iran's speaker of the Parliament, successfully evaded answering her queries about Iranian plans to attack Israel yesterday on CNN.Iran's Leaders Laugh at Obama's 'Military Option' to Enforce Nuclear Deal
"Well, can I just get this straight? Does Iran envision attacking Israel then?" Amanpour presses, after Larijani ducked her initial query: "Can you say anything that would reassure Israel that you are not committed to the destruction of that country?"
But Larijani prevaricates, transforming a 2014 call by Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei for the elimination of Israel into a "solution . . . totally compatible with democratic principles." Thus, he insists:
Several years ago, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, came up with a solution for this problem, which I think is totally compatible with democratic principles.
He said that the solution actually lies in a referendum. There should be a referendum in occupied territories and people — all people, Muslims, Jews and Christians — should participate in that referendum. And they should choose their own destiny.
Whatever they decide should be implemented. And this solution is the one that Iran will adhere to. This is our — in our vision. And I think this is something that is, as I said, compatible with democratic principles.
At this point, Amanpour does not question Larijani's account of Khamenei's referendum solution "compatible with democratic principles" and proceeds to move on to the next topic. But as CNN's own 2014 coverage of the Khamenei's referendum "solution" for Israel shows, the Supreme Leader's plan was for nothing less than the elimination of Israel.
One senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official (IRGC), Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Asoudi, publicly mocked the obvious lack of U.S. resolve by stating, “We should thank Obama for refreshing us by referring to his ‘options on the table,’ including the military one; we just relax and laugh at such ridiculous words.”Iranian hard-liners unveil anti-US plaque at former embassy
Asoudi is not alone in his mockery. The IRGC’s top commander, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, noted, “The military option that the westerners speak of constantly is ridiculous and they know that if the military option could have produced any result, they would have already used it many times…”
Jafari went on to boast, “Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s pride and might has made the world’s biggest materialistic and military powers kneel down before the Islamic Republic’s might.”
At the depths of an economic depression in 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt eloquently stated in his first inaugural address, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Obama, by his fear of angering our enemies—giving them the perception the use of our military force to be a joke—takes FDR’s eloquence to an embarrassing extreme.
More than a dozen hard-line Iranian students have unveiled an anti-American plaque at the gate of the former US Embassy in Tehran.Iranians Arrested for Selling US, UK Flag Merchandise
The plaque presented Wednesday by the Basij paramilitary forces carries a list of condemnations of America uttered by the Islamic republic’s late founder, Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeinin including “Great Satan,” “criminals,” “corrupt,” “arrogant,” or “anti-Koran.” During the gathering, the students set fire to US, British and Israeli flags.
On Tuesday, Iranian police arrested in Tehran distributors of printed clothing bearing “American and British flags.”
Iran and the US have had no diplomatic relations since 1979, when Iranian students stormed the embassy and took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.
Hard-liners in Iran have stepped up displays of anti-American fervor since the signing of a landmark nuclear agreement with Washington and five world powers last month.
The United Kingdom recently reopened its Iranian embassy, and the United States is pushing for a nuclear deal which favors Iran to be passed through a pivotal Congressional vote - but the Islamic Republic arrests their supporters.Russia Puts Boots on the Ground in Syria
On Tuesday, store owners selling merchandise with the flags of the two Western countries were arrested, Tehran police chief General Hossein Sajedinia stated to the ISNA news agency, for selling "Satanic symbols."
"This morning we took these clothes off leading distributors," he said, adding that the stores "will be closed."
Earlier Tuesday, the chief of Iran's top clerical body declared that the United States remains Iran's "number one enemy."
The end of summer. It means back-to-school shopping, tearfully ended beach-borne romances, Labor Day barbecues—and, it would seem, the increased likelihood of new Russian adventurism. As if Moscow weren’t satisfied with the game in Ukraine, the last month has seen a flurry of reports about its ever-expanding military involvement in Syria.Kuwait charges 26 suspected Hezbollah operatives over arms cache, alleges Iran link
One report has even alleged that Russian pilots are gearing up to fly missions alongside the Syrian air force, dropping bombs not just on ISIS but on anti-Assad rebels who may or may not be aligned with the United States or its regional allies.
Several sources consulted for this story said the Pentagon is being unusually cagey about Russia’s reinvigorated role in Syria. A former U.S. military officer told The Daily Beast, “I’m being told things like, ‘We really can’t talk about this.’ That indicates to me that there’s some truth to these allegations.”
Some of them are verifiable. On Aug. 22, the Bosphorus Naval News website showed the Alligator-class Russian ship Nikolai Filchenkov, part of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, two days earlier passing through Istanbul’s famed waterway en route to an unknown location in the Mediterranean.
Kuwait has charged 26 people with possessing weapons and having contacts with Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group in order to plot attacks against the Gulf state.The Judean People's Front: The Barenboim Incident Shows Iran's Anti-Semitic Colors
The case relates to the seizure of an arms cache in Kuwait last month which local newspapers have reported was smuggled in from Iran.
State news agency KUNA, quoting a statement from the public prosecutor's office, said that 25 of the suspects were Kuwaiti citizens and one was Iranian. Three of the suspects were at large and the others were ordered to be detained indefinitely.
Ties between Iran and its Gulf Arab neighbors are strained by suspicions that Tehran is trying to extend its influence into Arab countries including Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Kuwait has been on alert since a suicide bomber killed 27 people in an attack on a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in the capital, Kuwait City, on June 26.
The statement said 24 of the suspects were accused of committing acts likely to affect Kuwait's unity and security.
Not only does this show that Iran's alleged anti-Israel activities are really anti-Semitic, but it also lays bare the intellectual bankruptcy of the far-left. When Barenboim received Palestinian citizenship he said, "The fact that an Israeli citizen can be awarded a Palestinian passport, can be a sign that [peace] is actually possible." But this is utter nonsense. Israel has been awarding citizenship to Palestinians since its first days of statehood (though back then they were not officially Palestinian citizens since such a state or authority did not exist). While Israel has granted citizenship to well over a quarter of a million Arabs since 1967 the Palestinian Authority has granted citizenship to just three Jews: Daniel Barenboim, radical anti-Israel Activist Ilan Halevi and ex-Jew Uri Davis. Clearly Jews gaining Palestinian citizenship are the exception, not the rule. (Note: it is possible there are a few more anti-Zionist "Palestinian" Jews that are not as famous and were overlooked, but the point stands.)Rockets fired from Gaza fall short, injure locals
Moreover, Abbas has said that "In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli - civilian or soldier - on our lands," but since there has never been an issue with Israeli Arabs living in PA territory, it is clear he is only talking about Israeli Jews. Abbas's lackey Hanan Ashrawi tried to explain this by saying that Palestinians would not agree to “ex-territorial Jewish enclaves,” where residents would keep their Israeli citizenship. This is nothing more than verbal trickery and highlight's Palestinian hypocrisy. Ashrawi and Saeb Erekat have emphasized that Jews can "apply for Palestinian citizenship," but this can only happen after all the Jews who are already there are forced out first. When Avigdor Lieberman first suggested ceding Israeli Arab towns to a future Palestinian state, it was international news with condemnations of his "anti-democratic, racist" proposal coming in from all sides despite the fact that it was not official Israeli policy or part of any Israeli peace offers. However, when the same thing is explicitly endorsed by the Palestinians, there is nothing but crickets.
As is the case with most allegedly anti-Israel events, all one needs to do is scratch the surface just a bit to find that it isn't about Israel, it isn't about the "occupation" or the "settlements."
Two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel but failed to clear the Palestinian territory, with one hitting a house within the Strip, Israeli media reported late Tuesday.Sirens Go Off in Southern Israel, Jihadist Group Warns: ‘Jews, Your Children Are Not Safe’
A number of injuries were reported from the rocket strike in Gaza, according to Israeli news site Walla.
The number and severity of the injuries was not immediately clear.
Sirens did not sound in southern Israel for the rocket launches.
The attempted attack came less than a day after another rocket fired from Gaza failed to reach Israel early Tuesday morning.
The pamphlet, issued in Arabic and poorly translated Hebrew by a Gaza-based Salafist group calling itself Ahfad al-Sahaba, (the “Descendants of the Companions of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad), conveyed a threat: “O, you Jewish cowards, at the beginning of your academic year, your leaders are incapable of providing security to your children.”IDF puts finishing touches on mass evacuation plan in case of war with Hezbollah
The pamphlet indicated the group’s location as being in “the outskirts of the Baytul Maqdis [Jerusalem, lit. Holy Temple] — Gaza.” It was stamped with the purported seal of Muhammed, which contains the second part of the Islamic shahada, the creed asserting that Muhammed is Allah’s prophet. This seal is commonly used by many jihadist organizations, most infamously on the flag of the terrorist organization ISIS.
Despite the sounding of the sirens, nrg said no rocket landings were reported.
Israeli authorities have already made contingency plans in the eventuality that hostilities are re-ignited with the Shi'ite group Hezbollah just over the border in Lebanon.Netanyahu: Israel to weigh changing open-fire orders on those throwing rocks and fire-bombs
According to the latest emergency plans formulated by the IDF, residents of the northern frontier towns that are in closest vicinity to the border will be evacuated. These communities would instead be used to quarter soldiers from elite units.
The decision to evacuate civilians in the North stems from expert assessments according to which the next round of fighting with Hezbollah will seriously disrupt the daily routine within Israel.
Military planners are in the final stages of putting together detailed evacuation plans, which are due to be soon submitted to the political-civilian leadership for approval.
The plan, in its entirety, will be revealed to the public on Thursday in the official, IDF-sanctioned soldier-run weekly magazine Bamahane.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a special high-level security meeting on Wednesday where it was decided to increase security forces in Jerusalem and on Road 443 from the capital to Mod'in, and weigh new open-fire orders on those throwing rocks and fire-bombs.Tombstones defaced in Mount of Olives cemetery
The meeting, which included Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz, General Security Services (Shin Bet) head Yoram Cohen, and other security officials was called in light of a recent spike in terror incidents in the capital and on 443, which is one of the major roads to and from the capital.
According to a statement put out by the Prime Minister's Office, Netanyahu said that he was not willing to tolerate rock and petrol-bomb attacks on a central road to Jerusalem, or inside the capital.
“The policy is zero tolerance for rock throwers and zero tolerance for terror,” he said, legislating a minimum punishment for those offenders, “since the legal system is having difficulty dealing with juveniles” engaged in those activities.
A Jewish cemetery in East Jerusalem was desecrated and set on fire early Wednesday morning, leaving about ten tombstones smashed and damaged.Jewish Families Attacked by Arab Mob in Shiloach
Trees and bushes in the vicinity of the cemetery on the Mount of Olives were also set aflame, in what the Fire Department says is arson.
Shortly after its discovery around midnight, firefighters were called to the scene and put out the fire, preventing it from spreading further.
Vandals and arsonists targeted the Pharisees plot, where Rabbi Nathan Mileikowsky, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's paternal grandfather, is buried.
A group of Jewish families living in the Shiloach (Silwan) neighborhood of Jerusalem were attacked by an Arab mob on Monday.Yaalon Won't Raze Etzion Bloc Memorial Reserve
The group that was attacked on Monday were helped to move into the area by Ateret Cohanim, an institution that has made it a priority to help facilitate the redemption of Jewish property held by Arabs.
Ateret Cohanim's Executive Director, Daniel Luria, spoke to Arutz Sheva on Tuesday and recounted two separate attacks on Jewish families that occurred on Monday night.
The first attack occurred at around 8:30 p.m. when Arab terrorists threw an explosive at a Jewish vehicle, which was luckily empty.
Another attack at around 10:00 p.m. saw Arabs throwing an explosive at a car transporting two families into the area. The explosive was so powerful it burst apart the steel mesh grid on top of the bulletproof front window of the vehicle.
Contrary to earlier fears and reports, Minister of Defense Moshe Yaalon wants to legalize the Oz Vegaon memorial nature park at Gush Etzion, not tear it down.Protesters Call on Hamas to Release Mentally Handicapped Israeli Held in Gaza
The Head of the Etzion Bloc Regional Council, Davidi Perl, expressed his gratitude Wednesday for the decision by Yaalon to speed up bureaucratic approval of the park near the Etzion Junction, and prevent it from being destroyed.
The site was set up by Women in Green immediately following the terrorist abduction and murder of three teens – Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar Hy”d – last summer.
"The minister of defense has once again proven that he is a friend of the settlement enterprise,” Perl added. He said that the incident proved that working quietly and directly vis-a-vis the Defense Ministry is the best way to achieve results in Judea and Samaria.
"Together with the security establishment, we will continue to take action toward the quick and quiet legalization of all of Judea and Samaria," he predicted.
Activists and relatives of Avera Mengistu, a 28-year-old Israeli-Ethiopian Jew who crossed the border into the Gaza Strip last September and has been missing ever since, protested on Thursday near the Gaza border to demand his release.PMW: Abbas’ PA and Fatah endorse continued conflict at the Temple Mount
“Avera is a mentally unhealthy person who unfortunately ended up in Gaza, and is in need of medical treatment. This is a humanitarian case, not a political or military one. We would like to deliver an unequivocal message to Hamas that they should release Avera Mengistu,” Sahar Mola, one of the activists who participated in the protest, said in an interview with Tazpit.
In April of this year, it came to light that Mengistu, who suffers from mental illness, had crossed the border into Gaza half a year earlier. His whereabouts are unknown, and Hamas refuses to provide information about him. But Mola says that “the family was told, in one way or another, that Avera is held by Hamas.”
Mola calls for international intervention against Hamas: “We expect any regime that seeks legitimacy in the modern Western world to act accordingly. We want the world to intervene in this humanitarian case,” he said to Tazpit.
During the summer, the Palestinian Authority and Fatah have repeatedly encouraged continued conflict on the Temple Mount, endorsing riots and calling for Palestinians to “protect” and “defend” the Al-Aqsa Mosque, warning of an impending “religious war.”
The PA promotes religious hatred and creates tension by repeating the libel that Israel is destroying the Al-Aqsa Mosque as documented by Palestinian Media Watch. The PA reiterates this false accusation as pretext and justification for the use of violence against Israelis and Jews who visit the Temple Mount. The PA and Fatah refer to any presence of Jews on the Temple Mount - what they refer to as “the Noble Sanctuary” - the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings - as an “assault,” an “attack,” and an “invasion.”
The following are examples of PA and Fatah officials urging Palestinians to come to Jerusalem and the Mosque to “carry out Ribat” - religious conflict/war to protect land claimed to be Islamic - and to “protect” and “defend” it.
In July, PA Chairman Abbas wrote to new university students that Palestinians will continue to carry out Ribat “until Judgement Day,” suggesting that “victory” “might be here soon.”
IDF: Hamas seizing Gazan construction imports for attack tunnel building
Hamas is seizing construction imports to the Gaza Strip and using the materials to build tunnels to attack Israel, the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai told the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency on Tuesday.Report: Main Suspect in Bangkok Massacre Is Uyghur Muslim Jihadist
In an interview with the agency, Mordechai said that Hamas is seizing quantities of wood and other materials, designed for civilian construction projects in the Strip.
He accused the terrorists of delaying Gaza’s recovery from last year’s 50-day war with Israel.
“Hamas operatives have forcefully taken over storage facilities housing construction imports, and seized them for the organization’s underground infrastructure,” Mordechai told Ma’an.
A 25-year-old Uyghur jihadist terrorist from Xinjiang, an Islamist hotbed region in western China, is the prime suspect behind a massive bombing in Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine on August 17, Thai authorities have said.Satellite images show Temple of Bel in Syria destroyed
“The man found and arrested by the Burapha Task Force matches the suspect in the yellow T-shirt described in the arrest warrant,” Winthai Suvaree, the Thailand National Council for Peace and Order spokesman, said Tuesday in a press conference.
Local media has reported that the man primarily responsible for the bombing, which resulted in the deaths of 20 innocents and injured 131 more, has been identified as Yusufu Mieraili, according to the Bangkok Post. The 25-year-old is reportedly from Xinjiang, China, which is home to the vast majority of the country’s Uyghur Muslim minority population.
Islamic terrorists from Xinjiang have been responsible for multiple terrorist attacks throughout the region over the past few years, resulting in the deaths of hundreds. Chinese state-media estimated last year that over 100 had left Xinjiang to join the Islamic State and fight on behalf of the jihadi group.
A satellite image on Monday showed that the main building of the ancient Temple of Bel in the Syrian city of Palmyra has been destroyed, a United Nations agency said. The image was taken a day after a massive explosion was set off near the 2,000-year-old temple in the city occupied by Islamic State fighters.Report: Palestinian Terrorist Committed ISIS Suicide Bombing
Earlier, Maamoun Abdulkarim, the head of the Antiquities and Museums Department in Damascus, said there was conflicting information about the fate of the temple, one of the most prominent structures in a sprawling Roman-era complex, because eyewitnesses were unable to approach the site.
But Einar Bjorgo, manager of Geneva-based UN satellite analysts UNOSAT, said a satellite image taken Monday “unfortunately shows the destruction of the temple’s main building as well as a row of columns in its immediate vicinity.” UNOSAT based its findings after comparing the image with one taken on August 27 which showed the main building and columns still intact.
Claims have surfaced of the first reported suicide bombing committed by a Palestinian Arab on behalf of the Islamic State terror organization, Channel 2 reported on Tuesday.Israeli who fought in Syria denies working with Canadian to free women
Abdullah Jamal, 25, a resident of the Al-Shati camp in Gaza, was previously a member of Hamas before recently joining ISIS in Iraq - where he carried out the attack.
According to reports, Jamal blew himself up at an army base in Baghdad three days ago. Two Iraqi generals and three others were purportedly killed in the suicide bombing.
ISIS was quick to take responsibility, warning that Iraqi military officials are not immune from terror attacks.
A statement released by supporters of the terror group claimed the two slain officers were a deputy commander of operations in the Anbar province and the head of 10th infantry unit of the Iraqi army.
On Monday, it was reported that the Foreign Ministry and Interpol Israel had succeeded in stopping an Israeli from joining ISIS, after his family informed authorities of the situation.
Israeli-Canadian activist Gill Rosenberg rebuffed reports on Tuesday that she is working for Canadian businessman Steve Maman in his bid to rescue Yazidi women and girls from the hands of the Islamic State, indicating that Maman has used her name for self-promotion.Meet the Hasidic-slogan-tagging Jew fighting in Syria
In a telephone interview with The Times of Israel from outside the northern Iraq city of Kirkuk, Rosenberg said Maman flew her to Iraq last month to observe his activities there, and even considered joining his Liberation of Christian and Yazidi Children of Iraq (CYCI) project, but was disillusioned by the low character of the smugglers involved.
“I’m too much of a high-value target to be involved with this,” she said. “These brokers they’re working with would sell their own children for five dollars. I wouldn’t entrust my life in their hands.”
Maman, a Montreal Jewish businessman and father of six, says his non-profit has successfully negotiated the release of nearly 130 women and girls from IS-controlled areas in Iraq in the last several months, utilizing a network of contacts in Syria and Iraq to buy their release.
However, his effort was recently criticized by a group of Yazidis in Iraq and Rosenberg also questioned CYCI’s methods.
In a special interview to Ynet, Batn El Ghoul, also known as Timothy Paul Jacobs Wordsworth, tells the story of how a British man ended up tagging the walls of former ISIS positions in Syria with Breslov Hasidic chants.
His story is truly something out a movie: He has spent the last six months fighting alongside the Kurdish YPG (People's Protection Units) against ISIS in Syria. He has tagged every house he has liberated with the Hasidic saying Na Nach Nachman, in order to – as he calls it – "Bring some light into the darkness."
In one of his more popular posts on social media, he posted a picture of a building he and his comrades had liberated, saying: "ISIS turned this school, 50 km from their capital in Raqqa, into a prison. I was part of horrible fighting in the area, my friends and I fended ISIS off when they tried to recapture the prison from the next village."
The post continued, "ISIS left women's clothes and underwear on the floors of the cells, a lot of it, evidence of unholy crimes. I wrote Rabbi Nachman's name here to bring some light in to this black sink hole of torture, rape, murder and savage war. Amen."
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