Tuesday, June 12, 2018
PA: We will continue to support terrorists and their families
The Palestinian Authority (PA) government in Ramallah sent a defiant message to the United States and Israel on Monday regarding its support for terrorists and their families.
Yusuf al-Mahmoud, spokesman for the PA government, said in this context that "there is no force in the world that can cause us to renounce our prisoners and the martyrs."
He said Israel bore full responsibility for the situation of the Palestinian Arabs and claimed that it was "stealing their money on the pretext of offsetting tax revenues."
Last week, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu instructed Meir Shabbat, chief of Israel’s National Security Council, to deduct money from the taxes collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in order to pay for the damage from fires caused by Gazan rioter-terrorists sending kites attached to firebombs into Israeli territory.
Last week, Gazan terrorists burned 75 acres in a single day. On Saturday alone, the terror kites sparked 17 fires.
The PA regularly pays terrorists who are imprisoned in Israel, as well as families of dead terrorists who carried out attacks against Israelis. The PA policy of paying higher salaries to terrorists serving longer sentences means that the more heinous the and deadly the terror attack, the more the terrorist is rewarded by the PA for committing murder.
MEMRI: Calls In Palestinian Authority For Arranging Mechanism For Transfer Of Power Following Palestinian Authority President 'Abbas's Hospitalization
On May 20, 2018, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud 'Abbas, who is 83, was rushed to a Ramallah hospital following complications from middle ear surgery five days previously. The international Arab press reported that he had pneumonitis and a high fever, and that he was intubated; these reports were confirmed later in an announcement by Fatah Central Committee secretary Jibril Al-Rajoub.[1]Melanie Phillips: Crazy world G7 v Trump, Hezbollah in London, Brexit agony
'Abbas's nine-day hospitalization, and his general health status, prompted a broad discussion in the Palestinian media with regard to how he would be replaced in the event that he becomes incapacitated, in light of his advanced age, the concentration of power in his hands, and the absence of a clear and agreed mechanism for choosing his successor.
The possibility that 'Abbas will become unable to carry out his many roles, in the absence of an agreed-upon successor, sparked expressions in the Palestinian media of fears of chaos and civil war within Fatah, which 'Abbas heads, and also between Fatah and Hamas, along with calls to urgently and legally arrange a legitimate mechanism for succeeding 'Abbas while he is still in office so as to avoid a sudden crisis. At the same time, the official PA and Fatah spokesmen are preferring to deny rumors about 'Abbas's hospitalization and with delegitimizing discussions of possible future scenarios, instead of focusing on who will take his place.
This report will present the public discussion in the PA about scenarios of crises of leadership in the Palestinian arena in the event that 'Abbas becomes incapacitated.
Please join me here as I discuss with Avi Abelow of Israel Unwired the latest developments in our crazy world. We talk about the G7/Trump temper tantrum and just how long it will take for the EU and other G7 countries to work out that in a trade war with the US there’s only going to be one winner and it isn’t going to be them. This leads us to discuss Trump’s negotiating strategy and whether it’s a thing of genius or whether he actually has one at all. Plus the odious spectacle of Hezbollah flags parading on the streets of London and Britain’s deepening Brexit agony, which is truly dreadful to behold
Shmuley Boteach: Is Trump good for the Jews?
I told Stephens that on Israel Trump has exceeded all our expectations. Prior to Trump and Nikki Haley, the UN’s principal purpose, it seemed, was to use Israel as a punching bag for global prejudices and biases against the Jewish state. No president before Trump stopped it. But this one has. And it has led to global repercussions, with nations now thinking twice before they unfairly slam Israel for fabricated human rights abuses, lest they fall afoul of the most powerful nation on earth.Liberman hinges aid for Gaza on Red Cross visits to captive Israelis
On Jerusalem, every US president since Bill Clinton promised to move the embassy, including a phenomenal friend of Israel named George W. Bush. None kept his word, save for Trump. And the move is not merely symbolic. The heart and soul of the Jewish people is tied to Jerusalem, and recognition of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish people is a de facto recognition of the history and national claims of our people.
On Iran, President Barack Obama negotiated with a regime even while it called for the annihilation of the Jewish people throughout the negotiations. It may seem incredible that the leader of the free world could legitimize a government that openly incites genocide against the Jewish people just 70 years after the Holocaust. But Obama went beyond negotiations and rewarded that government with $150 billion, with which they sewed further murder and mayhem across the Middle East. With one stroke of a pen, Trump ended the dishonor of the Iran deal and made it clear that nations threatening the incineration of Israel will not be rewarded but punished.
The same is true of Trump’s defense of Israel in the wake of the Gaza riots – which I witnessed with my own eyes from about half a mile from the border fence – where Trump and Haley again had Israel’s back at the UN while the rest of the world condemned Israel for stopping terrorists from entering its domain and murdering its farmers and residents.
None of this even begins to address other undertakings by Trump toward the Jewish community, such as the pardoning of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, who six former attorneys-general, both Republican and Democrat, said had endured remarkably unjust sentencing.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday conditioned stepped-up humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip on Hamas granting the Red Cross access to the Israelis held captive in the Palestinian enclave.Afula stabbing victim Shuva Malka remains ‘in serious but stable condition’
“We’re asking for the most obvious, humane humanitarian gesture — at least letting the Red Cross see our captives and fallen soldiers,” Liberman said. “After that it will be much easier, not necessarily to reach a long-term ‘hudna’ (ceasefire) but to give humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza.”
Two Israeli men — Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed — and the remains of two fallen soldiers — Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin — are believed to be held captive by the terrorist group in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has refused to grant aid groups access to see them, in violation of international law.
Goldin’s parents have led a campaign calling on the government to take a harsher line on Gaza until the captives and remains are returned.
Liberman made his remarks while on a visit to the Gaza periphery, where he met with senior military officers about the security situation in the Strip, which has been especially tense in recent months.
Shuva Malka, the 18-year-old woman who was stabbed and seriously wounded in the northern city of Afula on Monday in an apparent terror attack, remains “in serious but stable condition,” the HaEmek Medical Center in Afula said Tuesday.IDF to reduce supply of helium to Gaza Strip
The hospital said Malka was being treated in its intensive care unit after undergoing surgery immediately after the attack.
The remand of her suspected attacker — a Palestinian man in his 20s from the northern West Bank city of Jenin — was set to be extended Tuesday in the Nazareth magistrates court, police said in a statement.
The suspect, who initially fled the scene and was arrested after a brief manhunt, will not attend the hearing. He is in the hospital, as police shot him in the leg after he ignored calls to stop running.
Police said Monday that they were still investigating the motive for the stabbing, but were working under the assumption that it was a terror attack.
Israel responds to Hamas use of helium gas meant for Gaza hospitals to use in balloon attacks on Israel.
Following the directive of Defense Minester Avigdor Liberman, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Major General Kamil Abu Rokon, today ordered the restriction of the entry of helium gas into the Gaza Strip.CAMERA Op-Ed The Media is Blowing Smoke on Palestinian Kite Terrorism
The step was taken in response to the use of helium balloons by terrorists in the Gaza Strip to set fire to Israeli fields by attaching incendiary devices to the balloons.
Maj. Gen. Rokon stated that if the terrorist groups in Gaza continue to use helium gas to attack Israeli territory, then the IDF would ban all supply of helium to the strip.
"The Hamas terrorist organization does not hesitate to take measures, including exploiting the humanitarian channels and means to carry out terrorist acts, despite Israel's efforts to prevent a civil deterioration in the Gaza Strip and the provision of humanitarian needs," he said.
Earlier, Defense Minister Liberman accused Hamas of diverting helium from Gazan hospitals for use in the incendiary balloons.
"The helium we supply to hospitals, medical equipment, mainly for MRIs - instead of this helium going to those patients who need MRIs, they use it [for these weaponized balloons] and ignite fields here in the south."
Where there is smoke, the saying goes, there is fire. But if you’re Palestinians committing mass arson against Israelis, there might not be media coverage. Many major U.S. news outlets—despite the staggering damage to Israel’s economy and property—have ignored what should be a front-page story.BBC News finally mentions Gaza arson attacks – in just sixteen words
For more than two months, Palestinians have been sending hundreds of helium balloons and kites filled with flammable material over the Gaza Strip border and into Israel. This method of terrorism via mass arson has gained steam in recent weeks, with the Israeli Defense Ministry estimating on June 5, 2018 that more than 600 incendiary kites and balloons have crossed the border.
These “fire kites” have burned more than 4,300 acres of land on the Israeli side of the Gaza border—more than half of which has been in once-pristine nature reserves. More than 250 fires have caused an estimated $1.4 million (USD) damage to farmland alone. The damage to both crops and livelihoods has been extensive and Israeli farmers in the area reportedly plan to sue Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip, in the International Criminal Court.
According to a Jewish News Service (JNS) report, “Officials at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority estimated that at least one-third of the Carmia nature reserve has been destroyed with significant harm to local plants and wildlife.”
The Palestinian arsonists have made their motives clear. As the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) has detailed, many of the kites were embroidered with Nazi swastikas and calls to “burn the Jews” have accompanied their launching.
On one occasion the BBC changed a photo caption, thereby turning an image depicting “a fire in a wheat field near the Kibbutz of Nahal Oz” into one telling BBC audiences that “Israeli soldiers patrolled along the Gaza border”.
However, sharp-eyed visitors to the BBC News website’s Middle East page on June 7th may have noticed that a photograph captioned “Flaming kites sent from Gaza during the protests have burnt 2,250 acres of land in Israel” was included in a report titled “Israel blames Iran for Gaza border violence“.
The original caption to that photograph clarified what type of “land in Israel” has been burned:
“Israeli firefighters try to extinguish a fire that ignited at a field as a result of a Molotov cocktail kite that was sent from Gaza Strip few kilometers from the border with Gaza near Kibbutz Or Haner, in southern Israel, 05 June 2018. Media reports that after a cease-fire was achieved between Israeli military and Palestinian militants in Gaza on 29 May 2018 Palestinians from Gaza continue to send Molotov kites to the Israeli territory and cause damage to thousands of acres of agriculture and nature reserves in Israel as Palestinians mark the ‘Naksa Day’ or the so-called Six-days war.”
The arson attacks have continued since the BBC published that photo caption on June 7th but as we see, after two months and hundreds of arson attacks causing damage to thousands of acres of crops, agricultural land, woodland and nature reserves – including wildlife – the BBC has managed to come up with the grand total of just sixteen words on that story.
These Israeli children, who live in communities that have been terrorized by Gazan arson kites, flew kites today with a totally different message: peace. pic.twitter.com/DDYRgVbXQi
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) June 11, 2018
UK’s Prince William to Meet Netanyahu, Abbas on Landmark Middle East Trip
Britain’s Prince William will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas when he makes a landmark trip to the region later this month, his office said on Monday.IsraellyCool: What Will Democrat Jews Do If Bernie Sanders Is Their Future?
William, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and second-in-line to the British throne, is the first senior British royal to pay an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
While the trip is at the behest of the British government, the prince’s Communications Secretary Jason Knauf said such a visit had been discussed for years.
“Now is the appropriate time and the Duke of Cambridge is the right person to make this visit,” Knauf told reporters, referring to William by his official title.
He said the prince was looking forward to building “a real and enduring relationship with the people of the region.”
“The non-political nature of his royal highness’s role — in common with all royal visits overseas — allows a spotlight to be brought to bear on the people of the region,” Knauf said.
Britain regards Israel as a close and important ally but the visit comes at a time when the two countries have been at odds over a number of major issues recently.
Peter Beinart, writing in the Forward, is barely able to contain his excitement because Bernie Sanders tweeted out a 7-minute propaganda video about Gaza. It’s a full 7 minutes and 15 seconds of tedious “woe is us”, victim narrative whining about the conditions in Gaza with all the usual complaints and catch phrases. It also tries to claim that the recent “March of Return” protests really were a spontaneous outburst and it makes absolutely no attempt at impartiality.Zionist Union leader: Western Wall does not belong only to Jews
Peter then goes on to breathlessly tell you in prose what’s in the video. At great length. Tedious, repetitive, great length. Such great length, that, just as with this paragraph, you’re already hoping it will come to an end. And then, mercifully, because it’s a painful as an Israeli checkpoint, it does.
You know what the video lacks? Any context whatsoever for Israeli actions. Any mention of a decade of rocket fire, the complete and unbelievably painful removal (by force) of all Jews who were living in Gaza, the years of suicide bombings from Gaza that came before. The vast wealth transferred to Gaza to help its population which instead went to fund Hamas’s genocidal attempts to kill Jews. None of that appears in 7 tedious minutes or Peter Beinart’s description.
Peter ends thusly:
Bernie Sanders, who now stands a better chance of becoming president than any Jew in American history, is not afraid. And, as a result, over the next two years he just might alter the American debate over Israel in ways we have not witnessed in decades.
Perhaps the courage of the protesters in Gaza is proving contagious after all.
As we know, Hamas is proud that the majority of those killed while throwing themselves at the Israeli border, are their terrorist members. Peter Beinart seems to be saying he’s proud that Bernie Sanders has the courage of terrorists and that will make him electable in two years time.
Good luck with that. But it will be a real shame if left-wing American Jews still think any Democrat like this is a viable choice for their vote.
Zionist Union leader Avi Gabbay sparked controversy Monday when he asserted that the Western Wall does not belong only to Jews.Police begin evacuating Netiv Ha’avot families ahead of home demolitions
Addressing an American Jewish Committee conference in Jerusalem, Gabbay said, "All of you, brothers and sisters, ultra-Orthodox or religious, conservative or reform, Christians or non-Christians – you are all our brothers and sisters – and therefore the Western Wall belongs to all of us equally."
Gabbay's associates explained the faction leader misspoke, saying that the statement did not reflect his political position on the matter.
"The Western Wall is holy to Jews. It was never holy to Christians," one Zionist Union official said. "Christians were mentioned in the speech because it was a Christian crowd of Israel supporters. He had no intention of associating them with the Western Wall," one Zionist Union official said.
The political backlash was immediate, with many right-wing officials criticizing Gabbay for trying to pander to left-wing voters by making controversial remarks of this nature.
In recent months, Gabbay has been sparing no effort to shore up Zionist Union's voter base. The faction, comprising the Labor and Hatnuah parties, has been steadily slipping in the polls and its base has significantly shrunk since Gabbay was named its leader in July 2017.
Police have begun evacuating 15 illegally built homes at the Netiv Ha’avot outpost in the West Bank.As bulldozers near, outpost residents vow they’ll be back, and they may be right
Some 2,500 Border Police officers were deployed to ensure the court-ordered demolition of the homes was carried out peacefully.
Blue-shirted, unarmed Israel Police officers were carrying out the evacuation of the families.
The first 13 homes were cleared peacefully, with the families inside coming out of their own volition. Parents hugged their children and walked toward a shuttle that took them to their modular homes on an adjacent hilltop.
The residents were accompanied by cheering supporters.
Among those present with Rachel Bulvik as police began clearing her home ahead of its demolition was her grandfather Yitzchak Kop. The 87-year-old had fought for the Jewish state in Gush Etzion during the 1948 Arab-Israel War and was temporarily taken into Jordanian captivity when the area fell.
“What makes today so painful is seeing Gush Etzion evacuated a second time,” he said.
In the two remaining homes, the residents reached an agreement with the head of the IDF Central Command that demonstrators will be allowed to “passively resist” the evacuation.
With the court-ordered demolition of their homes just hours away, residents of the Netiv Ha’avot outpost say they will be returning to the West Bank hilltop. It’s a familiar refrain among outpost residents whose homes are demolished, reeling as the bulldozers close in.IDF clears soldiers who shot dead Palestinian teen in 2016
“Losing one’s home is incredibly painful… but we believe that we will be able to return to houses in the same location. It doesn’t really matter if they’re a few meters to the right or left,” said Itan Hay on Monday.
But unlike other outposts, which are usually razed for good, the 15 families of Netiv Ha’avot who are looking at demolition likely have a case, thanks to court rulings coupled with a series of government moves aimed at legalizing their claim on the piece of land abutting the Elazar settlement south of Jerusalem.
The September 2016 High Court of Justice ruling that initially sanctioned the Tuesday razing of half of the neighborhood concluded that the houses had been built without the necessary permits on parcels not considered “state land.”
However, the ruling was based on a land survey, which found that — save for two narrow strips on which the 15 homes were built — the remaining acreage where more than 20 other families live is considered state land.
Military prosecutors on Monday announced they would not pursue criminal charges against soldiers who shot dead a Palestinian teenager and wounded several others in 2016, in what the army described as a case of mistaken identity.Report: Syrian army boosts air defenses near Golan frontier
On the night between June 20 and 21, 2016, Israeli troops opened fire at a car full of Palestinian teenagers as they were traveling on Route 443, a major West Bank highway. The soldiers had incorrectly identified the teens as a group of Palestinian youths who had earlier thrown cinder blocks at cars and spilled oil on the road, the army said.
Mohammad Badran, 15, was killed and four others were injured, including two of Badran’s brothers.
Three Israelis were injured when their car was pelted with stones and Molotov cocktails in the earlier attack, the IDF said at the time. Several other vehicles were also damaged.
“As the troops were operating in a clear operational event that was complicated and intense, the professional failures do not justify criminal proceedings, despite the tragic outcome,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
The Syrian army has reinforced its anti-aircraft defenses near the frontier with the Golan Heights, a commander in the regional alliance that backs President Bashar Assad said on Tuesday.Scenarios Facing Israel as U.S. Withdraws from Iran Deal
Additional defenses are set to be deployed in the coming days, the commander told Reuters. The stationing of the Russian-made Pantsir S1 weapon aims "to renew the air defense system against Israel in the first degree," added the commander, a non-Syrian who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Syria's multi-sided war has pivoted towards the southwest in recent weeks, risking escalation in an area of major concern to Israel where the conflict has been contained since last year by an agreement underwritten by the United States and Russia.
The Syrian government has been preparing an assault on rebels who hold territory at the border with Israel and Jordan. This led Washington last month to warn of "firm and appropriate measures" against any ceasefire violations.
The commander said preparations for the government offensive in the southwest were complete but government forces were now working to finish off a pocket of Islamic State militants near the government-held town of Sweida.
Israel wants Iran-backed forces such as Lebanon's Hezbollah kept away from its frontier and removed from Syria more widely. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said last week the group would stay in Syria as long as Assad wanted it there.
The Iran nuclear deal made some progress on delaying Iran's nuclear-weapons program and preventing war from breaking out in the near term, but fortified the regime and gave it a free hand to build and use its conventional forces.What do the North Korean talks mean for Iran?
Using the time bought by the agreement, Tehran has expanded its conventional capabilities to the point that its advanced missiles and militias have become nearly as dangerous as its, momentarily halted, nuclear threat. And the post-deal influx of funds did not moderate Iran's regional policies as some of the agreement's architects had hoped, but instead allowed it to better fund them.
In Syria, for example, Iran sought to prepare for the deal's sunset by building up a conventional threat that could hold Tel Aviv hostage, just as North Korea has done with Seoul. Iran acted with a sense of impunity because, it reasoned, no U.S. president would risk a nuclear arms-control agreement in order to push back on conventional activities.
In the worst-case scenario, Iran may adopt an extreme response to the change in U.S. policy, leaving the JCPOA and NPT and then breaking out to a bomb. Israel would be well-advised to note that Trump's explicit promise to reduce U.S. involvement in the Middle East makes him less likely to order U.S. forces to strike. In this case, Israel would probably find itself acting alone, albeit with a "green light" and support from Washington.
Israel would have to consider exercising the Begin Doctrine, which calls for preventing any regime that seeks to wipe it off the map from acquiring nuclear weapons. One of us - Amos Yadlin - participated in two strikes on nuclear reactors, as a pilot in the 1981 attack on the Osirak site in Iraq, and as chief of military intelligence during the 2007 strike on the Al Kibar site in Syria. Israel might now be forced to contemplate a third.
Abrams said that the deal with Iran, and the deal that the North Koreans wanted, also put an end to a conventional arms embargo and ensured that eventually all the sanctions would disappear.Trump Expects to Submit North Korea Deal as Treaty to Senate
“That is what Kim wanted, and the president had to make clear to him at the outset that nothing remotely like that will be available,” Abrams said.
“Trump said in his campaign the JCPOA was the worst deal ever – he had to act on that.
Once he did, he could start the negotiation process with North Korea.”
Abrams said he did not know if an eye on the North Korean situation may have been one reason Trump ditched the JCPOA, but that it was crucial for the Americans to make clear to Kim that the type of deal former US president Barack Obama worked out with the Iranians was not anywhere near the table.
“The Iranians must be concerned about one thing,” Abrams said. “What if the US strikes a deal with North Korea that is a denuclearization deal.”
According to Abrams, if such a deal were indeed reached – a deal which stipulated that North Korea would really denuclearize – “I assume Trump would turn around and say that this is the kind of deal we want for Iran.”
If Trump could get this type of deal with the North Koreans, then it would be difficult for the Europeans or anyone else to say it is not possible to achieve the same thing with the Iranians.
And all of that, of course, would be good for Israel.
But what if Tuesday’s meeting in Singapore is a colossal failure? What if the two leaders leave without any deal or agreement, and are at even greater loggerheads after they shake hands than they were before? That too, Abrams said, would not be lost on Iran. What this would mean, he said, is that “Trump isn’t kidding when he says that he won’t sign a bad deal. It means that he got out of the Iran deal, and won’t sign a bad deal with North Korea.”
And if he won’t sign a bad deal, Abrams said, the Iranians will have to be asking themselves what the unpredictable US president will do to stop their nuclear drive. And although under the Obama administration they were not really concerned about an American military strike, under Trump they will never be able to be sure – a situation of uncertainty that, at least from Israel’s point of view, is also not all that bad.
Donald Trump plans to submit any future North Korea nuclear deal to the Senate as a treaty, a way to reassure Kim Jong Un of the agreement’s permanence and make certain future administrations can’t easily undo it, as the president did with the Iran nuclear accord.Likud minister: Kim summit shows Trump can deal with tyrants; bring on Rouhani
Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo believe any deal dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear program could safely win bipartisan support, according to a senior administration official who asked not to be identified.
“We are hopeful that we will put ourselves in a position that we can do something the previous administration didn’t do,” Pompeo said at a White House news conference on Thursday. “They signed a flimsy piece of paper and we’re hoping to submit a document that Congress would also have a say in that would give it currency and strength and elongation to the process.”
He didn’t use the word “treaty” and didn’t answer a follow-up question about whether the document would be a treaty, which would require the support of two-thirds of the Senate.
With such an agreement in place, Pompeo said, “Chairman Kim will have comfort that American policy will continue down the same path on the course we hope we’re able to set in Singapore” after Trump leaves office in “six-and-a-half years.”
Trump and Kim held the unprecedented meeting in Singapore, after which they signed a joint document praised by both leaders.Iran's supreme leader: Israeli PM a criminal who lies to EU
“We are signing a very important document, a pretty comprehensive document, and we have had a really great term together, a great relationship,” said the US president, before signing an agreement with Kim committing to “denuculearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Erdan praised the meeting as a rebuke to critics and doubters of the controversial American president.
“The pundits should be doing some soul-searching today,” he said.
Asked if the summit was significant even if no dramatic agreement had been reached, he said, “If this were an Israeli leader and some other, let’s say Palestinian, leader, no one would say nothing happened. They’d say the fact that a meeting even took place is a very significant achievement.”
Asked about the idea of a similar Trump meeting with Rouhani, Erdan welcomed the notion.
“Given Trump’s values, both as expressed during the election and afterwards in his actions, it would not be terrible if such a meeting happens, as long as its goal and purpose is to dismantle Iran’s nuclear weapons [program], and also, as Trump understands, that’s not enough, but [the goal must also be] to change the nature of the regime and its support for terror all over the world, certainly in the Middle East.”
Iran's supreme leader has sought to clarify his position on Israel after being accused of threatening its destruction.New York Times Falsely Claims Iran Nuclear Work Ended 15 Years Ago
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted by the official IRNA news agency late Sunday as saying the Mideast conflict should be resolved through a popular referendum among "all real Palestinians, including Muslims, Jews and Christians" who trace their roots back to before the creation of Israel.
That would seem to include the Palestinians as well as the small community of Jews who lived in the Holy Land before the mass immigration of Jews in the 20th century and the creation of Israel in 1948. Khamenei did not address the fate of the vast majority of Jewish Israelis, who claim biblical roots to the land but whose immediate ancestors arrived in the last century.
Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials have repeatedly called for Israel's demise, while saying Iran would only attack it in self-defense and bears no hostility toward Jews as a religious community.
Earlier this month, a tweet posted on Khamenei's official Twitter account said Iran's "stance against Israel is the same stance we have always taken. #Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated: it is possible and it will happen."
More information about that Fordow facility was in the archive seized by Israeli operatives and publicly disclosed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year. A May 2018 article by David Albright and Frank Pabian of the Institute for Science and International Security reported: “Iran was building this plant at a time when US intelligence agencies were stating that Iran’s nuclear weapons program had ended. The linkage of this facility to the AMAD program provides new evidence that in 2009 Iran was actually planning to create a facility in secret to make the raw ingredient for nuclear weapons, namely weapon-grade uranium.”
For the Times to report, as context and without attribution, the false and sweeping claim that there has been “no evidence” of Iranian nuclear work since 2003 is just irresponsible, bad journalism. It warrants a correction by the Times. Or, if the Times really believes it is true, it should go back and correct the 2011 article about the U.N. inspectors finding “significant recent work” and the “computer models of nuclear explosions.”
Careful readers of the Times (or of The Algemeiner) may recall that this is hardly the first time that the newspaper has tried to put the friendliest possible face on the Iranian nuclear program and to minimize the evidence about its threat.
UN Condemns Israel For Fallout at Korea Summit Yet to Even Happen (satire)
While nobody knows what the hell is going to happen at the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un, the United Nations has already blamed Israel for the breakdown of the talks which are yet to occur.
The latest UN General Assembly Resolution has declared that “the blame for the fallout at the summit yet to actually happen, the onset of World War Three and subsequent nuclear holocaust must squarely be placed on Israel.”
Iran’s representative at the UN, one the resolution’s key backers, sought to explain the statement. “The Zionists’ inability to reach a peace accord with the Palestinians and the recent escalation of hostilities in Gaza will clearly lead to a breakdown in talks between the US and North Korea, triggering world Armageddon. After all, something that bad can only be attributed to those pesky Jews.”
