Saturday, September 29, 2018
Why this Christian Tory peer leads the fight in the UK against Holocaust denial
The British Labour party has become “a hotbed of bigotry and racism,” the country’s special envoy for post-Holocaust issues said in a recent interview with The Times of Israel.
Eric Pickles, who was appointed to the House of Lords this summer, also accused Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of encouraging “something rather base and horrid to come to the surface” in the party.
In the wide-ranging interview, Pickles, who served as a Cabinet minister under the Conservative party’s former prime minister David Cameron, hints that the UK may soon proscribe Hezbollah in its entirety and says he opposes Britain’s attempts to help salvage the Iran nuclear deal.
Pickles also says it was “utterly wrong” for Conservative members of the European parliament to oppose censuring the Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán in a September 12 vote. Orbán’s government has been accused of deploying “vivid anti-Semitism” in its campaign against the Jewish philanthropist George Soros.
As the Conservative party begins its annual conference in Birmingham this weekend, Pickles launches a scathing attack on Corbyn.
Referring to the allegations of anti-Semitism which have dogged Labour under Corbyn’s leadership, Pickles asks: “How can anybody live with themselves with this great damage that they have inflicted on good community relations in this country?”
NGO Monitor: Statement on “Shrinking Space” Report
NGO Monitor is the only independent research organization in the world that critically examines the reports and activities of politicized NGOs, with a focus on the context of international development aid. Given the importance of civil society participation in conflict-ridden areas, transparency, accountability, and critical analysis are essential, and we take this work seriously.Real Madrid's guest of honor is teen terrorist
We are aware of the concerted effort to discredit and silence all critical analysis. This pseudo-report funded by a German far-left political foundation is the latest example. Serious research, however, does not rely on fringe ideologues with obvious conflicts of interest, desperately seeking to protect their access to European state and EU budgets. NGO Monitor’s success in exposing the millions in taxpayer funds given annually, without transparency, to false human rights and development NGOs, some of which are linked to terror organizations and/or use antisemitic motifs, speaks for itself. Indeed, this smear campaign highlights the importance and credibility of our work.
We plan to vigorously enforce our rights against the many false and defamatory claims made in the report and by those who have disseminated the claims.
Real Madrid, a Spanish soccer club, on Friday hosted teen terrorist Ahed Tamimi.
Tamimi served an eight-month prison sentence for attacking IDF soldiers, and has since said that her goal is to "eliminate Israel."
Tamimi met with Emilio Butragueño, a former Real Madrid player.
She also received a soccer shirt sporting her name and the number 9.
Real Madrid welcomed Palestinian teenage activist Ahed Tamimi to the Santiago Bernabeu yesterday after spending eight months in prison for slapping an Israeli soldier in December 2017," the team tweeted Saturday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon tweeted, "The prestigious soccer club of Real Madrid embraces a terrorist inciting to hatred and violence. Shameful."
"Ahed Tamimi is promoting violence against Israeli citizens. @realmadrid-receiving a terrorist that incites hatred and violence is something that has nothing to do with universal football values."
IDF: Over 100 bombs, grenades hurled at troops during Friday’s Gaza riots
Over 100 improvised bombs and grenades were hurled at Israeli troops during Friday’s riots at the Gaza border, the military said Saturday.
The army released footage of the violent demonstrations, which it said were the worst in two months, depicting attempts to breach and sabotage the security fence.
It also said IDF forces were still engaged in the controlled detonation of unexploded bombs and grenades.
Meanwhile in Gaza Saturday funerals were held for the seven Palestinians killed in the previous day’s violence, including two teen boys.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians protested along the Gaza border fence, throwing hand grenades, bombs, rocks, and burning tires in clashes with IDF troops, who responded with tear gas, live fire, and air strikes.
The protest was one of the largest and most violent in recent weeks and comes following the break down of indirect talks with Israel over a cease-fire and warnings that the terror group Hamas, which rules Gaza, was gearing up for another conflict.
Seven people were killed, including a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old, and at least 210 Palestinians were wounded, including an 11-year-old boy, who was in a serious condition, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. It said 90 of the wounded were hit by live fire.
WATCH: Look at what we found this morning after 20K Palestinians from #Gaza swarmed #Israel’s border fence last night. pic.twitter.com/nSbrXWliYo
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDFSpokesperson) September 29, 2018
Netanyahu walks a fine line as Trump embraces two-state paradigm
Granting several interviews to American media outlets before departing New York, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoided repeated questioning on his endorsement of a two-state solution to Israel's conflict with the Palestinians, just days after US President Donald Trump for the first time signaled a preference for it.Netanyahu to CNN: Israel Must Have ‘Overriding’ Security Control in Any Two-State Solution
Speaking with CNN, NPR and others, Netanyahu said he was less interested in "labels" for solutions than their contents, detailing a settlement with the Palestinians that grants them all of the benefits of sovereignty without the ability to attack to the Jewish state.
"My view of a potential agreement is that the Palestinians have all the powers to govern themselves but none of the powers to threaten us. The key power that must, must not be in their hands is the question of security," he told NPR's Steve Inskeep. "I don't want them either as citizens of Israel or subjects of Israel. But I think there is not an either-or model. I think we have a third model at the very least which is what I'm talking about: basically all the powers of sovereignty, or nearly all the powers, but not the ones of security."
Trump's Middle East peace team has been working for 20 months on a comprehensive proposal for a settlement to the conflict, likely to be rolled out by the end of the year, according to the president, who sat before Netanyahu on Wednesday told him that he has concluded two states "works best."
The prime minister told CNN's Elise Labott that he would "seriously" look at the White House plan, although dodged her question on how he would respond to a series of Trump-backed proposals disadvantageous to him politically.
He has mentioned the idea of a Palestinian "state-minus" in the past, conditioned on a near-permanent Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley.
"Look, in the Middle East, which is littered with failed states, that's often the best you can do," he continued. "They would have those rights in their own territory. In other words, they have their own Parliament, they have their own government, they have their own flag, they have their own anthem, they have their own tax system."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel must exercise “overriding” security control of the West Bank in any two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Netanyahu was to reveal ‘third site’ in speech on Iran, but intel chiefs said no
In an interview with CNN, Netanyahu addressed President Donald Trump’s seeming endorsement of the two-state solution during a meeting between the two men on Wednesday.
“Israel has to have the overriding security,” in any political arrangement with the Palestinians, he said, “not the UN, not Canadian Mounties, not — I don’t know — Austrian or Australian forces — Israeli forces have to have the security control, otherwise that place will be taken over by Islamist terrorists, either ISIS or Hamas or Iran, all of the above. And that’s my condition.”
“People say, ‘Was that commensurate with a state?'” he added. “I don’t know, you decide. … I want the Palestinians to govern themselves, but not to be able to threaten us.”
“I’ve discovered that, if you use labels, you’re not going to get very far because different people mean different things when they say ‘states.’ So rather than talk about labels, I’d like to talk about substance,” he said.
Netanyahu has consistently stood by his demand for Israeli security control over the West Bank for some time.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intended to reveal a third batch of intelligence material in his UN speech on Thursday, in which he exposed what he said was a “secret atomic warehouse” in Tehran and revealed details of Hezbollah missile factories in Beirut, a senior Israeli official said at the weekend.Iran scrambling to cover up newly revealed nuclear site, Israeli official says
Netanyahu ultimately elected not to include the third revelation in his address to the General Assembly because the security establishment recommended that he not do so, Israel’s Channel 10 news said Saturday night.
Beyond indicating that the intelligence material related to “a third site,” the official provided no further details of the information.
Netanyahu’s decision to specify the location and alleged content of the Tehran atomic warehouse, from which he said the Iranians recently removed 15 kilograms of radioactive material, was taken after consultations with the security establishment and with its approval, the prime minister has made clear.
Israel had provided details of the warehouse to the IAEA and to the US administration six weeks ago, but Netanyahu charged that the IAEA failed to act. It was decided after security consultations at the Prime Minister’s Office that Netanyahu would publicize the information at the UN, in the hope of galvanizing the IAEA into action.
Since his speech, the US has indeed asked the IAEA to investigate the site, and Netanyahu also asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to push the IAEA on this.
Immediately after Netanyahu’s speech, meanwhile, the IDF published further information on the Hezbollah missile factories that Netanyahu had referred to.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s revelation at the UN on Thursday of a previously unknown Iranian nuclear site has caused “growing pressure inside Iran,” a senior Israeli official said over the weekend.Netanyahu to Haley: With you at the U.N things are much better
“They’re wondering how to deal with this facility, how to evacuate it, how to cover it up,” the official said. “There is no doubt it is a very important site for them; they’re seeking to conceal it and stall in any way possible.”
According to the official, the 15 kilograms of radioactive material that Netanyahu said was removed from the facility and dispersed around Tehran was taken away at the beginning of August.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, told Israeli reporters in a briefing Friday that it was past time for the IAEA to act, and that Iran had been exposed “as deceiving and cheating the international community.” He also said that Iran was aiming to break out to a nuclear arsenal when it deems the time ripe: “There’ll be a crisis somewhere or other, and they’ll [take advantage of the distraction] to break out to a nuclear arsenal,” he warned. “That’s the Iranian plan.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley on Friday and told her that the hall used by the UN General Assembly is "still full of anti-Israeli decisions, but with you in the UN things are much better."Danon slams Abbas' 'imaginary initiatives'
"What you did with President Trump regarding UNWRA, UNESCO...is amazing," he said, before thanking her on behalf of the people of Israel and friends of Israel around the world.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Danny Danon on Thursday slammed Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for creating "imaginary initiatives" at the UN.PA asks top UN court to order removal of American embassy from Jerusalem
Following Abbas' Thursday speech at the UN General Assembly, Danon said, "Abu Mazen (Abbas - ed.) knows only one word 'no.' Not 'direct negotiations,' not 'Israel,' not the 'Americans.'"
"On one hand he brings imaginary initiatives to the UN, and with the other, he pays millions of dollars to terrorists.
"Abu Mazen must understand that if there will be negotiations, it can only be directly with Israel, and not through speeches at the UN."
Danon also praised Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's General Assembly speech.
"In a strong speech, the Prime Minister presented a mirror to the countries of the world and exposed the Iranian terror machine, which never stops despite [Iranian President Hassan] Rouhani covering the world's eyes with tricks."
"The UN must join the just path and stop the Iranian regime "
The Palestinian Authority filed a case Friday with the United Nations’ highest court asking its judges to order Washington to remove the recently relocated US embassy from Jerusalem.Netanyahu says Israel, Rwanda to open mutual embassies
The move announced by the Hague-based International Court of Justice comes against a backdrop of deeply strained ties between Washington and the Palestinians, in part because of the Trump Administration’s decision in December to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv in May. The Palestinian Authority broke off contact with the US after the Jerusalem announcement.
The court said that the Palestinians’ case asks its judges “to order the United States of America to withdraw the diplomatic mission from the Holy City of Jerusalem.”
Cases at the court can take years to complete. Its decisions are final and legally binding, but are not always adhered to. No date was immediately set for hearings.
The ICJ is the UN’s body for settling disputes between states, whereas the International Criminal Court is used as war crimes tribunal. While the Palestinians have appealed to the ICC several times, they have rarely taken disputes to the ICJ.
The last ICJ ruling that affected Israel was a 2004 verdict against the construction of the West Bank security barrier. Earlier this month, Israel participated in a debate at the ICJ for the first time in more than half a century, in what Israeli officials described as an effort to get the Jewish state more involved in matters of international law that have nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
During their meeting Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Rwandan President Paul Kagame agreed to open embassies in each other’s countries, Netanyahu said Friday. In time, he said, he hoped the embassy would move to Jerusalem.Swedish far-right party calls to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
The prime minister told Israeli reporters traveling with him in the US that Rwanda also wants to open a direct flight line between Kigali and Tel Aviv.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss regional threats including that posed by Iran.
They also discussed the situation in the Horn of Africa and the peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Netanyahu apparently asked for Kagame’s assistance in advancing ties with additional African countries.
In April, Rwanda denied it had ever made an agreement with Israel to take in deported asylum seekers, responding to Netanyahu’s claim that it had backed out of a deal he had spent two years working on.
Netanyahu said at the time that he had been “working with Rwanda so that it will serve as a third-party country to absorb” deported migrants.
The Sweden Democrats, a right-wing populist party, submitted a draft motion urging their government to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel’s capital.Malaysian PM at U.N.: Israel Creation 'Root Cause' of Islamic Terror
Bjorn Soder, a former leader and current lawmaker for the Sweden Democrats, submitted the draft motion to the Riksdag, or parliament, on Thursday. It would be read as a nonbinding resolution.
“The Riksdag stands behind what is stated in the motion to formally acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announces this to the government,” the draft resolution reads. “The Riksdag stands behind what is stated in the motion and supports moving Sweden’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and announcing this to the government.”
Sweden’s Sept. 9 election left the center-left bloc, whose policy on Israel was one of the most hostile in the European Union, with just one seat more than the center-right Alliance, with the Sweden Democrats as the third biggest group.
The United Nations applauded the self-professed anti-Semite prime minister of Muslim-majority Malaysia after his tirade against Israel during the international body’s annual gathering of the General Assembly, the world’s biggest stage for peace and diplomacy.Gazans burn pictures of Abbas
Echoing previous public remarks, Malaysia PM Mahathir bin Mohamad on Friday said the creation of the Israeli state is the “root cause” of Islamic terrorism and justified the Palestinians taking up arms against Israel.
He told world leaders:
This present war against the terrorists will not end until the root causes are found and removed and hearts and minds are won. What are the root causes? In 1948, Palestinian land was seized to form the state of Israel. The Palestinians were massacred and forced to leave their land. Their homes and farms were seized … Frustrated and angry, unable to fight a conventional war, the Palestinians resort to what we call terrorism.
The world does not care even when Israel breaks international laws, seizing ships carrying medicine, food, and building materials in international waters. The Palestinians fired ineffective rockets which hurt no one. Massive retaliations were mounted by Israel, rocketing and bombing hospitals, schools and other buildings, killing innocent civilians including school children and hospital patients.
He stressed his position against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Hamas on Thursday blasted the speech of Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas at the UN General Assembly, saying it was clear proof of the failure of his policy to reach a just solution for the Palestinian people.Syria to U.N.: Israel assisted terrorists, we'll liberate Golan Heights
The terrorist group, which rules Gaza, said in a statement that Abbas’ insistence on continuing the path of negotiations was a waste of time and an opportunity for the "enemy" to change the political reality through settlement and Judaization and thwart the realization of the right of return.
Hamas attacked Abbas for describing the armed forces in Gaza as "militia" and "terrorism", saying that these words are a stab in the back of the “martyrs”, the “resistance” and history of the Palestinian people.
The statement said that the threats of additional punitive measures against Gaza made by Abbas in his speech at the UN pose a danger to the Palestinian national fabric and to the future of internal Palestinian reconciliation.
Hamas called for a halt to the "failed" Oslo Accords and for an immediate end to the security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
At the same time, Hamas relaunched a media campaign against Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, focusing on the claim that Abbas does not represent the Palestinian people and in fact has become a traitor.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem addressed the UN General Assembly on Saturday, saying that Israel was responsible for terrorism in the war-torn country because of frequent attacks.Russian FM: S-300 surface-to-air missile batteries delivered to Syria
Muallem continued by arguing that the country was now ready for the voluntary return of refugees who fled during the more than seven-year conflict as the battle against terrorism is almost over.
"We welcome any assistance with reconstruction from those countries that were not part of the aggression on Syria," he said. "The countries that offer only conditional assistance or continue to support terrorism, they are neither invited nor welcome to help."
In addition, the Syrian FM said that the country was determined to liberate the 'occupied' Golan Heights from Israel.
He also invited a commission of inquiry into Syria, proving that all chemical weapons had been dismantled.
On the sidelines of the UNGA, Muallem met with his Iranian counterpart earlier in the day, discussing the implementation of the Russian-Turkish memorandum on the creation of the demilitarized zone in Syrian Idlib, the Russian Sputnik news agency reported.
Russia has started delivering S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Syrian forces, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.Netanyahu says Russian supply of S-300 missiles to Syria ‘irresponsible’
Speaking at a news conference at the United Nations in New York, Lavrov said that the "the delivery started already" and that the measure had been taken following the downing of a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane over Syria.
"As President [Vladimir] Putin said, after that incident ... the measures that we will take will be devoted to ensuring 100 percent safety and security of our men," he said.
Fifteen Russian servicemen were killed when the IL-20 was hit by a Syrian anti-aircraft missile off the coastal city of Latakia. Moscow has placed the blame for the incident solely on Israel and has accused the IDF of having endangered the lives of personnel in Syria during other military operations.
The incident has led to one of the lowest points in the relationship between Jerusalem and Moscow in years.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticized Russia’s decision to provide advanced anti-aircraft systems to Syria as “irresponsible,” but said Israel was committed to continued deconfliction with Moscow in its military operations in the region.US pushes forward with plans for anti-Iran Arab alliance
Speaking to CNN in New York after the annual UN General Assembly, Netanyahu said that he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month after Syrian forces responding to an Israeli airstrike mistakenly shot down a Russian military reconnaissance plane, killing all 15 people on board.
Netanyahu said he told Putin, “Let’s continue this deconfliction, but at the same time, I told him very respectfully and very clearly that Israel will do, will continue to do what it has to do to defend itself.”
He said both sides wanted to avoid a military clash in Syria, noting that the many militaries and other groups operating in the region were making it “very crowded over there in this tiny space.
“Through this mess, we’ve been able for three years to avoid any clash between … between Russian and Israeli forces,” he said. “I think there’s a desire on both our part and Russia’s part to…. avoid a clash.”
The Trump administration pressed ahead Friday with plans to create an “Arab NATO” that would unite US partners in the Middle East in an anti-Iran alliance, but Qatar said the crisis among Gulf countries must be solved first.Iranian Revolutionary Guards Warns Saudi Arabia, UAE to Respect Its ‘Red Lines’
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met in New York with foreign ministers from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to advance the project.
The State Department said Pompeo had stressed the need to defeat the Islamic State group and other terrorist organizations as well as ending the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, securing Iraq and “stopping Iran’s malign activity in the region.”
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a news conference afterward that the alliance should be built on existing institutions, and he asked how that could be done when the most powerful Gulf countries have been engaged in a more-than-yearlong dispute.
“The real challenge facing the US-led alliance is to solve the Gulf crisis,” he said.
It pits Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates against Qatar, and has split the membership of the main regional group, the Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) told Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Friday to respect Tehran’s “red lines” or face retaliation, as the United States and its Gulf allies increase pressure on Tehran to curb its regional influence.US closes consulate in southern Iraq after attack by Iran-backed militia
Iran accuses Saudi Arabia and the UAE of funding five gunmen who attacked a military parade in Iran last Saturday and killed 25 people, 12 of them members of the elite IRGC. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have denied any involvement.
“If you cross our red lines, we will surely cross yours. You know the storm the Iranian nation can create,” the Fars news agency quoted Brigadier General Hossein Salami, deputy head of the Guards, as saying.
Addressing worshipers attending Friday prayers in Tehran, Salami said in a strongly-worded speech: “Stop creating plots and tensions. You are not invincible. You are sitting in a glass house and cannot tolerate the revenge of the Iranian nation. … We have shown self-restraint.”
Salami also told the United States to “stop supporting the terrorists or they will pay the price.”
Iran has accused the United States of supporting the assailants who carried out last Saturday’s attack. Washington has denied having any prior knowledge of the incident.
The Revolutionary Guards vowed on Sunday to exact “deadly and unforgettable” vengeance for Saturday’s attack.
The State Department said Friday that it would temporarily close the US consulate in the southern Iraqi city of Basra following a rocket attack earlier this month blamed on Iranian-backed militias.Merkel stays silent on pro-Iran policy ahead of Israel visit
Diplomatic staff and their families were being evacuated and consular services will be provided from the US Embassy in Baghdad, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called it a “temporary relocation” in response to what he called “increasing and specific threats” from the Iranian government and militias under its control. He warned that the US would respond to any more attacks.
“I have advised the government of Iran that the United States will hold Iran directly responsible for any harm to Americans or to our diplomatic facilities in Iraq or elsewhere and whether perpetrated by Iranian forces directly or by associated proxy militias,” he said.
Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Saturday in a podcast video that the Federal Republic and Israel share a unique relationship, but she remained silent about her country’s support for the Iran nuclear deal and trade with the regime that calls for the Jewish state’s destruction.MEMRI: Senior Iranian Official Hossein Amir-Abdollahian: Israelis Weak Compared To Iranians, Bones Of Zionists Will Be Crushed, Iranian Forces In Syria Can 'Take Any Action'
“A unique relationship connects Germany and Israel. We can be grateful that we are today close partners and friends,” said Merkel in advance of the seventh German-Israel joint cabinet consultation, slated to take place in the first week of October in Jerusalem.
Merkel, however, was silent on her government’s advocacy for the controversial 2015 Iran atomic deal that Israel vehemently opposes because of its alleged defects, including permitting the Islamic Republic a legal path after the agreement’s expiration to build a nuclear weapons device.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alluded to his frustration with Europe in his speech to the UN General Assembly last in week that could be viewed as part of the growing German-Israeli rift over Merkel’s pro-Iran deal position: “Europe and others are appeasing Iran by trying to help it bypass those new sanctions,” stated Netanyahu.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who is the special assistant to the speaker of the Iranian parliament and a former Iranian deputy foreign minister, was interviewed on Iraq's Al-Nujaba TV network. Abdollahian said that Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen is a Zionist plot to weaken Saudi Arabia, and that the Saudis' collaboration with the Zionists and the Americans is a "path towards division and weakness." He said that the Zionist slogan is "From the Nile to the Euphrates," and that the Iraqi people should not trust Israel because it is plotting against Iraq. He also expressed confidence that Jerusalem will be liberated. When asked whether Iran would attack Israel from the Golan Heights, Abdollahian added that Iran will respond as quickly as possible to any Israeli threat, and added that the Israelis will "taste bitter defeat," and that "the bones of the Zionists will undoubtedly be crushed." The interview aired on September 21, 2018.Iran says it expects EU to set up mechanism to bypass US sanctions by November
"In Order To Be Able To Divide, Weaken, And Exhaust Saudi Arabia, The Zionists Entangled It In A Conflict In Yemen"
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian: "Sadly, the Saudi regime thinks that through money and policies – by handing out dollars – it can win countries over. We believe that Saudi Arabia's role as a big brother is a thing of the past. We believe that the Saudi war against Yemen is 100% a Zionist plot. In order to be able to divide, weaken, and exhaust Saudi Arabia, the Zionists entangled it in a conflict in Yemen.
"I am one of the diplomats who are worried about the future of Saudi Arabia. Israel's map for the future of the region includes the division of Saudi Arabia. The Zionists entangled Saudi Arabia in a conflict between two Muslim countries in order to weaken both of them. The division of Saudi Arabia is not in the interest of Iran or in the interest of the other countries in the region. As much as we defend national unity and cohesion in Iraq and Syria, we defend national unity in Saudi Arabia, as a Muslim country. However, the Saudi rulers' collaboration with the Americans and the Zionists inadvertently puts Saudi Arabia on a path towards division and weakness.
"The Palestinian cause is still on many Iraqis' minds. The most important thing, which we must keep in mind, is that the Zionist slogan is: 'From the Nile to the Euphrates.' They strive for regional hegemony from the Nile to the Euphrates. A high-ranking Palestinian politician recently showed me a document which said that in the first years of the occupation of Palestine, the Zionists minted coins that showed the map of Greater Israel. That map included Iraq in its entirety, as well as large parts of the Saudi and Egyptian territories. This is the dream and intention of the Israelis and the Zionists. We should pin no hope on the Zionists and we must not trust them. The Iraqi people need to understand that the Israelis are plotting against Iraq. They have big dreams for Iraq."
Iran on Saturday said it expected the European Union to establish a legal framework by November 4 to bypass American sanctions and to allow the continuation of trade between Tehran and EU member states.Shiraz official arrested over sign depicting IDF troops
The European Union said Monday its members would set up a payment system to allow oil companies and businesses to continue trading with Iran, in a bid to evade sanctions after the US withdrew from a historic nuclear agreement signed in 2015.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with the official IRNA news agency that “the mechanisms initiated by Europe should begin at the most by November 4,” according to Hadashot TV.
November 4 is the date on which US sanctions against its vital oil industry are set to begin.
After high-level talks at the United Nations among the remaining members of the nuclear accord, Iran and the European Union announced their defiance towards US President Donald Trump’s administration, saying in a statement that they were determined “to protect the freedom of their economic operators to pursue legitimate business with Iran.”
Iranian public relation official Muhammad Shabani was detained on Thursday for questioning after a billboard meant to honor Sacred Defense Week in the city of Shiraz was discovered accidentally using images of IDF troops, Iranian social media reports.Danish Jews re-enact community’s Holocaust flight to Sweden 75 years ago
The troops, presented without a female soldier that was in the original picture, are depicted next to a quote from poet Ali Moalem Damghani, which commemorated martyrs from past wars. They hold M-16 rifles, which the Iranian army does not use.
The original photograph was taken by Timon Studler and was uploaded onto the Unsplash.com website.
Iranian residents of the city discovered the source of the image and began sharing it on social media with the Israeli original, which lead to it being removed on Thursday.
Dozens of Danish Jews, including five Holocaust survivors, participated in a re-enactment of the rescue 75 years ago of Danish Jewry from the Nazi genocide.
Local Chabad emissaries Rabbi Yitzi and Rochel Loewenthal organized the re-enactment, the first of several events this year marking the rescue of thousands of Danish Jews in October 1943 by local fishermen and other boat operators, on Wednesday, the Hebrew calendar date of the operation.
In the operation, which involved the Danish underground, some 7,200 Jews were ferried across the Oresund straits to neutral Sweden days after the Nazi occupation forces in Denmark began moving on its Jewish population.
“When we hit Swedish waters, we said Kaddish,” Rochel Loewenthal told JTA on Thursday, naming the Jewish mourning prayer. It was recited for Holocaust victims and several dozen people who drowned in the rescue operation.
“It was very moving,” she said.
