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Thursday, May 30, 2019

05/30 Links Pt1: Israel’s greatest friend sits in the White House; IDF destroys Hezbollah ‘flagship’ attack tunnel; Jordanian Refusal to Extradite Paris Kosher Restaurant Killer to France Renews Concern Over Amman’s Terrorism Policy

From Ian:
Israel’s greatest friend sits in the White House
Before President Trump, when the regime in Iran chanted “death to Israel, death to America, curse the Jews,” the White House was silent. This president has stood up to the mullahs, taking the United States out of the enabling Iran nuclear deal, and imposing tight sanctions to squeeze them. Iran’s dangerous influence on the region created an opportunity, which the Trump administration has fostered: an anti-Iran Sunni alliance. The relations between Israel and the Arab Gulf has never been better, and President Trump is to thank for it!

Most recently, the United States recognized the Golan Heights as part of the State of Israel. Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, following the defensive capture of the Golan Heights from Syria when Arab countries waged a war of aggression aimed to destroy the Jewish state in the 1967 Six Day War. The Golan Heights not only holds a strategic advantage in the region, but is deeply-rooted in Judeo-Christian history. This was a profound move made by Israel’s great friend, President Donald Trump.

As much as President Trump has done for the State of Israel and the Israeli people, he has also been a friend of American Jews, a fact that seems to go in one ear and out the other. After the malicious, antisemitic attack at the Chabad of Poway near San Diego, the president went out of his way to comfort and build a relationship with Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein. I met Rabbi Goldstein at the White House Commemoration, where the rabbi called President Trump a “mensch par excellence,” a title that shows the honor and integrity this president carries with every decision he makes.

Thank you, President Trump, for being a true friend of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.


Knesset votes for new elections on September 17 after PM fails to form coalition
Israel’s parliament on Wednesday voted to dissolve a mere month after it was sworn in, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to meet the midnight deadline to form a new government, triggering an unprecedented second national election this year.

After a raucous 12-hour debate, lawmakers voted 74 to 45 in favor of the Likud-drafted bill to dissolve the 21st Knesset and hold new elections on September 17.

The Likud, Yisrael Beytenu, United Torah Judaism, Shas and Union of Right-Wing Parties were joined by the two Arab-Israeli parties, Ra’am-Balad and Hadash-Ta’al in supporting the motion. Only Kulanu MK Roy Folkman was absent from the late-night votes. He is expected to quit politics.

Netanyahu had appeared to secure a fourth consecutive term after elections on April 9, thanks to a strong showing by his Likud party and his other nationalist and religious allies.

But in a shocking turn of events for the longtime leader, Netanyahu failed to muster a majority coalition in the 120-seat Knesset by the Wednesday midnight deadline, due to an impasse between the secular and ultra-Orthodox members of his would-be coalition over a contentious draft law.

The standoff between the ultra-Orthodox parties and Avigdor Liberman, an ally-turned-rival who leads the secular Yisrael Beytenu party, sunk Netanyahu’s efforts to form a government in the allotted 42 days. Liberman insisted that the draft law pass unchanged; the ultra-Orthodox parties rejected this, and Netanyahu blamed Liberman for the unbreakable deadlock.

PMW: 27% of Israeli Arabs voted for Zionist parties in recent elections
In Israel's recent elections:

12 Israeli Arabs elected to Israel's Parliament
50% of Israeli Arabs chose to vote
At least 112,000 Israeli Arabs (27%) voted for Zionist parties in exclusively Arab cities and towns:
35,783 Israeli-Arabs voted for Meretz
33,453 Israeli-Arabs voted for Blue and White
9,404 Israeli-Arabs voted for Likud
8,268 Israeli-Arabs voted for Shas
6,516 Israeli-Arabs voted for Yisrael Beiteinu

Now that the newly elected Israeli Parliament has been dissolved due to Prime Minister Netanyahu's inability to form a government, Israeli Arabs will again be experiencing the Israeli democracy in the next elections, which are set for September 17, 2019.

The next elections will once again prove wrong the Palestinian Authority's claim that Israel is an "apartheid state" as Israeli Arabs will be able to exercise their voting rights on equal terms with Israel's Jewish citizens.

Palestinian Media Watch has taken a look at the statistics from the recent Israeli elections and they prove the existence of a thriving Israeli democracy.

Responding to the results of the Israeli elections held in April this year, PLO Chief Negotiator and Fatah Central Committee member Saeb Erekat, said that the vote shows Israel has a "policy of apartheid and racial segregation":



PMW: PA cartoon: Buying Israeli foods arms Israeli soldiers
A poster and two cartoons call on Palestinians to boycott Israeli food products that are available in Palestinian stores.

Instead of the PA encouraging normal relations between Palestinians and Israelis, the PA does not hesitate to call on Palestinian to bring hardship upon themselves as part of the PA's anti-Israel hate campaigns. Recently, Palestinian Media Watch reported that the PA stopped permitting Palestinians to use Israeli hospitals for treatment the PA hospitals cannot supply, even though they are only a short drive away, and instead is forcing sick Palestinians to travel to Egypt and Jordan for hospitalization. Calling on Palestinians to adjust their normal food purchases because of the PA's political agenda is another example of the PA demanding hardship of their own population for the PA's political agenda.

The poster above posted by Abbas' Fatah movement shows an armed Israeli soldier carrying a tray with 6 Israeli food products and instructs Palestinians to:
"Boycott your occupier"

On the lower left side is the logo of the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement, and to the right is a barcode splattered with blood with the first three digits - 729 - circled to show how to identify Israeli products. At the bottom of the barcode is written in English: "729 = MADE IN ISRAEL"
Text at bottom of image calls:
"Do not let your fast-breaking meal consist of the occupation's products. A blessed Ramadan."
[Official Fatah Facebook page, May 9, 2019]
Arabic workbook for 8th graders mentions killing soldiers, gang rape
Parents of eighth-grade students in Raanana have expressed outrage at educational content their children were exposed to as part of their Arabic language studies.

The content in question is part of a workbook, in Hebrew, aimed at helping middle-school students at secular public schools improve their Arabic language skills.

Titled “Faces of the East,” the workbook includes an interview with Arab rapper Tamer Nafar, in which he is quoted as saying, “I can understand where the terrorism comes from. I would shoot a soldier that humiliated my father at a roadblock myself.”

In the text, Nafar also explains why he raps in Arabic: “Our music is a weapon, and it is important the Jews understand that.”
Jordanian Refusal to Extradite Paris Kosher Restaurant Killer to France Renews Concern Over Amman’s Terrorism Policy
The Kingdom of Jordan’s highest court has rejected a French appeal for the extradition of a suspect in a deadly attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris more than 30 years ago — raising further concerns that the stalwart ally of the West continues to offer safe haven to terrorists wanted by the courts of other countries, including the United States.

On Tuesday, Jordan’s Court of Cassation ruled against the extradition of 57-year-old Nizar Tawfiq Mussa Hamada, one of the alleged participants in the Aug. 9, 1982 attack at Chez Jo Goldenberg, a kosher restaurant in the traditionally Jewish Marais district of Paris.

After exploding a grenade inside the packed restaurant during its lunchtime service, two terrorists then opened fire on the diners with machine guns. Six people died and 22 more were wounded in the assault.

The atrocity was carried out by the Abu Nidal Organization — a radical Palestinian terrorist group that was active during the 1970s and 1980s, when it carried out attacks in over 20 countries. Named after the nom de guerre of its founder, Sabri al-Banna, the Abu Nidal group was backed at different times by the Iraqi, Syrian and Libyan regimes.

Speaking after Tuesday’s decision in favor of his client, Hamada’s lawyer, Mazan al-Tawil, praised the Jordanian judges for “categorically refusing” the French extradition request.


Jordanian king to Kushner: Pal. state only possible on pre-1967 lines
Jordanian King Abdullah told White House senior adviser and presidential son-in law Jared Kushner on Wednesday that a Palestinian state can only be created along the border lines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day War.

“His Majesty stressed the need for a comprehensive and lasting peace based on a two-state solution, leading to an independent Palestinian state on 4 June 1967 lines with east Jerusalem as its capital,” according to a statement from Abdullah’s palace.

During the Six-Day War, Israel retook Jerusalem’s Western Wall and surrounding areas, in addition to gaining control of the Golan Heights.

U.S. President Donald Trump officially recognized in December 2017 that Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, in addition to relocating the U.S. embassy in Israel there five months later, and last March officially recognized Israel’s control of the Golan Heights.

Kushner’s trip to Jordan occurred a day after visiting Morocco. He is scheduled to travel next to Israel, followed by addressing global officials at the annual Bilderberg Meeting in Montreux, Switzerland, on Saturday. He will then meet with Trump in London during his father-in-law’s state visit.
Russia Slams Upcoming US-Sponsored Mideast Economic Summit in Bahrain
The Russian embassy in Israel strongly criticized the upcoming US-sponsored Middle East peace and economic summit in Bahrain.

Criticizing the “failed” previous US summit in Warsaw on Iran, the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv said that the latest summit in Bahrain represents the “persistent desire to replace a comprehensive political solution with economic ‘bonuses.’ ”

The embassy added: “At this difficult stage, collective efforts to launch Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are needed, rather than unilateral ‘deals’ of opportunistic nature.”

The “Peace to Prosperity” economic summit is to be held in Manama, Bahrain on June 25-26. At the summit, the Trump administration said that it is planning to release the economic component of its upcoming Middle East peace plan.

In addition to Russia, China has also reportedly said it will boycott the summit, according to senior PLO official Saeb Erekat.
Top US, Israeli, Russian Security Officials to Meet in Jerusalem in June
White House National Security Adviser John Bolton and his Israeli and Russian counterparts will meet in Jerusalem in June to discuss regional security issues, the White House said on Wednesday.

In a brief statement, the White House said Bolton, Israeli National security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, would take part in the meeting.
US Walks Out of UN-Linked Disarmament Body As Maduro Regime Assumes Presidency
"The U.S. ambassador to the U.N.-linked Conference on Disarmament [CD] staged a symbolic walkout from the chamber in Geneva on Tuesday to protest the presidency of Venezuela's Maduro regime.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus declined to say whether the administration would act similarly at other international forums presided over by the regime – which it does not recognize – saying it would decide 'on a case-by-case basis.'

While the walkout was symbolic, she told a briefing, 'we think it's an important symbol to show that the United States does not stand with an illegitimate regime and that we won't be party to it.'

Ambassador Robert Wood and his delegation left the chamber as Jorge Valero, the representative of the Maduro regime, assumed the rotating presidency and began to speak.

The U.S. and more than 50 other countries recognize the head of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as Venezuela's interim president in accordance with the constitution, pending new elections...

The CD was established in 1979, with an agenda that includes weapons of mass destruction, reduction of armed forces and budgets, and the goal of eventual complete disarmament.
Florida cabinet meets in Israel, brushing off threat of legal action
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida cabinet met in Israel on Wednesday, waving away complaints that the setting was illegal. They presented a proclamation of support for Israel and heard from Israelis on several issues important to Florida.

The Republican governor then signed a bill that prohibits anti-Semitism in Florida’s public schools and universities. The new law defines anti-Semitism to include “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis,” “blaming Israel for all inter-religious or political tensions,” or “requiring behavior of Israel that is not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.”

DeSantis called the meeting historic, but the open government watchdog organization First Amendment Foundation and several media outlets sued in an effort to stop it, claiming it violated state law that requires meetings be accessible to the public.

DeSantis did not acknowledge the lawsuit during the meeting, but quipped, “Since we’re in Jerusalem, we may actually get some interest in our cabinet meetings for a change, which would be great.”
Governor of Florida Stands with Israel
The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, came to Israel to speak about business and economics.


Caroline Glick: Avigdor Liberman, Israel’s One-man Wrecking Ball
Whether Liberman survives the second election he has forced his countrymen into in under a year or not, though, is a secondary question. Due to his actions, Israel is losing precious time to work with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. The next six months were expected to be devoted to securing Israel’s long-term interests in Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”), and to undermining Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons before Trump’s attention is moved to his reelection campaign. Due to Liberman’s actions, Israel will lose that opportunity.

So, too, with what was presumed to be a clear mandate from the public, Liberman’s decision to prevent Likud governing has blocked it from enacting urgent legal reforms. The April elections centered on the need to restore checks and balances to Israel’s judiciary, and to subordinate the state prosecution to Israel’s political leadership. Both institutions today rule Israel unencumbered by legal restrictions on their actions. Their ability to open criminal probes against political leaders, based on little to no evidence, has kept lawmakers in a perpetual state of paralysis. The elections in April settled the issue electorally. The public demanded judicial and legal reform.

Liberman’s refusal to join the coalition has saved Israel’s imperial judiciary and prosecution from any legislative check for the foreseeable future.

Polls have yet to be taken to gauge the public’s view of Liberman’s behavior, or of the fact that the country has now been forced into new elections. But it isn’t difficult to sense the public’s anger and frustration. Israelis voted for a right-wing government led by Netanyahu. They voted for that government because they wanted to be able to take full advantage of Trump’s friendly administration, and they wanted to enact urgent reform of the legal fraternity.

And now, due to one man’s personal vendetta against Netanyahu, the Israeli public has been denied their right to a government.
As elections loom, Bennett and Shaked set to make a comeback
Just days before the April 9 election, polls predicted that New Right would win as many as six Knesset seats, but the party failed to meet the minimum voting threshold and was knocked out of the 21st Knesset.

Bennett and Shaked were reported to have parted ways as a result of their stunning election defeat.

However, now that the Knesset is dissolved and a new election will be held on September 17, both are eligible to run.

In preparation for the upcoming election, meanwhile, Likud officials are already pressuring Netanyahu to reserve Shaked a top spot on the party’s next Knesset ticket.

Shaked, for her part, is reportedly leaning toward accepting the offer.

Earlier rumors suggested Bennett had met with Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman to discuss the possibility of joining his party, though Bennett has denied these reports.
IDF destroys Hezbollah ‘flagship’ attack tunnel after studying it
The Israeli military on Thursday completed the destruction of a cross-border Hezbollah attack tunnel from Lebanon, which the army said was the largest and most technically advanced passage dug by the Iran-backed terror group, after it was located this past winter and studied over the past few months.

The tunnel, which began in the Lebanese border town of Ramyeh, was closed off with concrete and other sealants, “after an intelligence-operations investigation throughout the tunnel was performed in recent months,” the army said in a statement.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, this was Hezbollah’s “flagship” tunnel — longer, dug deeper, and with more advanced components than the other five cross-border attack tunnels that the military said it found in Operation Northern Shield, an effort to find and destroy these passages in December and January.

“This tunnel was the Hezbollah terror group’s flagship tunnel, in which Hezbollah invested a lot of resources and efforts, in which infrastructure was installed to allow terrorists to remain inside it for an extended period and an efficient excavation capability, as well as mobility for the terrorist operatives,” the army said.

The IDF believes that this tunnel, along with the five others found this winter, was built with the specific purpose of allowing thousands of Hezbollah terrorists to stage an infiltration attack on military and civilian targets in northern Israel as a surprise opening maneuver in a future war.

“With [Operation Northern Shield], the IDF took away the central aspect of this attack plan, which [Hezbollah] built over the course of several years and was in the stages of its excavation being completed,” the military said.

On Wednesday, the IDF revealed additional details about the attack tunnel ahead of its planned destruction.

The army said the tunnel was dug to a depth of 80 meters (260 feet), was a kilometer (3,280 feet) long and penetrated 77 meters (250 feet) into Israeli territory. It began close to the Lebanese village of Ramyeh, the IDF said, with an exit close to the Israeli villages of Shtula and Zar’it.




Islamic Jihad releases footage claiming to be drone attack on IDF tank
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group released footage on Thursday purporting to show a drone controlled by its operatives dropping makeshift incendiary bombs on an Israel Defense Forces tank stationed on the border with Israel.

The footage, which the group released via its social media channels, is filmed from a camera mounted to the drone as well as a long-range lens on the ground in Gaza filming the tank.

As small explosions can be seen on and next to the tank, an Arabic caption appears declaring: “Your defenses are nothing to us.”

The tank appears unscathed by the relatively small blasts.

The army declined to comment on the video.

The incident apparently occurred during the last flare-up in fighting between Israel and the Gaza terror groups.
Palestinian caught smuggling two pipe bombs into West Bank military court
A Palestinian man tried to to smuggle two pipe bombs into a West Bank military court Thursday by hiding them under his shirt, police said in a statement, adding that alert officers had foiled the attempted attack.

The entrance to the Samaria Military Court in the village of Salem was briefly blocked and the area cordoned off while police sappers inspected the improvised explosive devices.

Officers on guard at the court “noticed a number of things which raised their suspicions” the statement said. One of the officers cocked his gun and, aiming it at the suspect, instructed him to raise his shirt. When he did so, two pipe bombs fell to the ground.

Officer immediately closed down the entrance and moved the public away from the area while sappers worked to neutralize the pipe bombs. A search of the suspect also uncovered a number of pistol bullets, police said.

There were no injuries in the incident and the suspect, 18, from a Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin, was taken away for questioning.


The Success of Sanctions Refutes a Key Argument in Favor of the Nuclear Deal with Iran
When arguing in favor of the 2015 agreement with the Islamic Republic, Barack Obama and members of his administration insisted that European nations would not cooperate indefinitely with the U.S.-led sanctions regime. If a deal was not concluded promptly, they warned, Tehran would obtain economic relief elsewhere, without having to restrict its nuclear activities. The events of the past year prove otherwise, writes Tzvi Kahn:

[T]he Trump administration has reinstated the sanctions that President Obama lifted and then gone farther, most notably by ending the waivers that allowed some Iranian oil exports and by putting new sanctions on the industrial-metals sector. The impact on Iran has been substantial. On May 11, [Iran’s President Hassan] Rouhani likened current conditions to the country’s economic plight during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), the most traumatic period of the Islamic Republic’s 40-year history. . . .

The latest economic indicators underscore Iran’s distress. In April, the twelve-month point-to-point inflation rate hit 51.4 percent, according to the state-run Iranian Statistical Center. As of Tuesday, the rial traded at 143,000 per U.S. dollar. . . . By contrast, when President Trump withdrew from the deal on May 8, 2018, the rial was trading at 64,500 per U.S. dollar. The International Monetary Fund forecast in early April that Iran’s GDP will contract by 6 percent in 2019. . . .

U.S. sanctions have [in fact] led most European companies to exit the country. Meanwhile, efforts by European governments to establish an alternative payment system that would bypass the sanctions have foundered. This reality remains inconsistent with warnings from senior Obama administration officials. . . .
The Mullahs’ Chief Liar, and Their Most Effective Weapon
Iran's most effective weapon is not a missile or a tank, but rather a middle-aged, bespectacled man. Sure, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the affable foreign minister of Iran, does not seem threatening, but that is precisely the point. With his charm, fluent English, and American education, the former Iranian ambassador to the United Nations has successfully wooed journalists, think tank experts, and policymakers across the Western world, including in the United States. Indeed, if Washington's political and cultural elites made a formal club, they would grant Zarif honorary membership. Fraternizing and sharing disdain for American "chauvinism" can form such a bond. It is always quite a sight to observe certain think tanks welcoming Zarif to the United States with such fanfare. And when is the last time an American journalist made the smooth-talking diplomat at least a little uncomfortable during an interview? After all, he is the face of an Islamist theocracy that executes homosexuals simply for being homosexuals and that wreaks mayhem across the Middle East. Perhaps he should be challenged to defend those crimes.

And here we get to the point: Zarif is not only Iran's chief diplomat, but also its chief liar. He charms overly comfortable, idealistic Americans into believing that he wants the same as them, and that the regime in Tehran is a benign, responsible actor. Of course, much of Washington's elite buys the shiny car that the greasy diplomat is selling them, and therefore will not challenge him, even if, under the thin layer of paint, there is a broken down, used vehicle.

If only the United States stopped its own belligerence, Zarif tells his Western fans, Iran could flourish and the bilateral relationship would be peaceful. The reality is quite different, however. Take Zarif's tweet this week on the Iranian nuclear program. "Ayatollah @khamenei_ir long ago said we're not seeking nuclear weapons—by issuing a fatwa (edict) banning them," Zarif wrote, referring to Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. "#B_Team's #EconomicTerrorism is hurting the Iranian people & causing tension in the region. Actions—not words—will show whether or not that's @realDonaldTrump's intent." The so-called "B-Team," a term that Zarif began using earlier this month, consists of National Security Adviser John Bolton, United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Curiously, former top officials in the Obama administration began using the term after Zarif introduced it, amplifying the Iranian diplomat's talking points against President Trump.
Air Force Magazine: Dept of Defense: Intelligence Showed Iranian "Campaign" of Threats
U.S. Central Command has called for increased intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to watch over Iranian-backed forces and more air support "in the event of an attack" after intelligence showed a campaign of threats from Iran, top US military officials said May 29.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, speaking to a small group of reporters earlier this month en route to Indonesia, said the undisclosed intelligence of threats showed "an anomaly," calling for a quick response within hours.

The resulting U.S. deployments already have made an impact, said Shanahan, noting, "It deterred attacks on our people in Iraq."

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, speaking May 29 at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., said intelligence in recent years has consistently shown a stream of threats emanating from Iran.

However, the intelligence earlier this month was different because it showed "multiple threat streams all, perhaps, coming together." There was a "pattern of threats," including in Iraq, in Yemen, and in the Persian Gulf, which have since shown to be accurate with attacks on ships in the Gulf and rocket attacks near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, he said."We saw something that was more like a campaign than an individual threat," Dunford said.
Iran’s crude oil exports plummet to new lows in May
Iranian crude exports have fallen sharply in May to around 400,000 barrels per day (bpd), tanker data showed and two industry sources said after the U.S. tightened the screws on Tehran’s main source of income.

The United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in November after pulling out of a 2015 nuclear accord between Tehran and the six world powers. Aiming to cut Iran’s sales to zero, Washington this month ended sanctions waivers for importers of Iranian oil.

Iran has nonetheless sent abroad about 400,000 bpd so far this month, according to data from Refinitiv Eikon and two industry sources who also track the flows, less than half April’s rate. The bulk of the crude is heading to Asia.

The drop in exports has tightened the market, supported prices and deeply reduced Iran’s revenue. A dearth of information about the exact rate of shipments is a headache for other OPEC members and allies, which are scheduled to meet to set oil supply policy in June.

“I am expecting exports of about 400,000 bpd,” one of the sources said, which would be an increase from around 250,000 bpd in the first two weeks of the month. The second source said May exports could reach as much as 500,000 bpd.
Iran Threatens to Suspend Nuclear Weapons Treaty Clauses “For Purely Peaceful Purposes” (satire)
Following Iran’s threats to withdraw from select aspects of the controversial nuclear agreement, the Islamic Republic has insisted, once again, that its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful purposes.

“Our decision to keep surplus uranium stocks and further develop our heavy-water nuclear reactor at Arak has nothing whatsoever to do with our relentless war on the Zionists or the Great Satan that is the United States”, one Iranian official said. “Just because these things could be used to create and fuel deadly nuclear weapons, it doesn’t mean that they are. What have we done to make you always jump to such conclusions?”

To back up the claim, a state-sponsored scientist working at one of Iran’s nuclear plants spoke before the world’s press to say that Iran’s nuclear power facilities “are for purely peaceful purposes” and that the country’s decision to renege on parts of the deal are “only designed to further peace.”


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