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Tuesday, June 02, 2020

06/02 Links Pt1: The Palestinian Refusal to Negotiate with Israel and Trump Is a Cowardly, Fateful Mistake; Guardian exploits George Floyd killing to vilify Israel

From Ian:
Linking the Murder in Minneapolis with Israel's Efforts to Defend Itself Against Palestinian Terror Is a Big Lie
As always, some of those looking to exploit the tragedy in Minneapolis are attacking Jews. Asserting that Jewish groups that have facilitated trips to Israel by American first responders and police are somehow responsible for killings of unarmed blacks by U.S. cops is not only untrue, it's a classic example of an anti-Semitic blood libel since it seeks to blame Jews for crimes for which they bear no responsibility.

The training Americans get in Israel actually focuses on the antithesis of stereotypical police brutality by seeking to promote community engagement and nonviolent policing that would make confrontations less likely.

The mission of the Israel Defense Forces is to defend the people of Israel against foes which have not given them a day of peace in the 72-year history of the country. Its record in protecting civilian lives, including Palestinians who are used as human shields by terrorists, is unmatched.

Intersectionalism is a thinly disguised form of anti-Semitism. It is hate masquerading as advocacy for the oppressed. It is vital that all decent people reject the attempts to smear Israel and its American friends by associating them with incidents like the Minneapolis murder.
Guardian exploits George Floyd killing to vilify Israel
A Guardian article by Jerusalem correspondent Oliver Holmes (‘Palestinian lives matter’: Israeli police killing of autistic man draws US comparison, June 1) legitimises those exploiting the killing of George Floyd in the US to demonise Israel. Though Holmes used others’ voices to advance such agitprop, he failed to challenge their claims or offer a quote from anyone critical of such facile and toxic comparisons.

The article begins thusly:
A caregiver for an unarmed, autistic Palestinian man killed in Jerusalem by Israeli police has said she repeatedly warned officers he was disabled before they opened fire, in a case that has drawn parallels with US police violence.

The body of Iyad Halak, 32, was buried late on Sunday night. He was shot dead the day before, reportedly after becoming confused by shouting police and fleeing in a panic to hide among rubbish bins.

Israeli police said in a statement they had spotted a “suspect with a suspicious object that looked like a pistol”. “They called upon him to stop and began to chase after him on foot, during the chase officers also opened fire at the suspect, who was neutralised,” the statement said.

Holmes later noted the two Israeli officers “were questioned under caution..with one placed under house arrest while investigators looked into the incident”, and that Defence Minister Benny Gantz apologised for the incident during a cabinet meeting.

That both Halak and George were tragically killed by police, and both incidents have elicited understandable outrage, is of course not in dispute. However, Holmes goes further than merely noting the two incidents, by advancing a narratives common amongst anti-Zionists and anti-Semites suggesting the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is one between racist ‘whites’ (Israelis) and oppressed ‘people of colour’ (Palestinians).

Here’s how he does it:
The killing…has been pointed to by Palestinian, Israeli and US activists as an example of what they say is similar neglect for the lives of Palestinian and black people in Israel and the US.

At small protests in Israel and Palestine since Saturday, people held signs reading “Palestinian lives matter”, a reference to the US-based Black Lives Matter movement. Others posted online old photos of Israeli police and army officers kneeling on the necks of arrested Palestinian men – similar images to that of the death of George Floyd, whose killing while under police restraint has spurred protests across the US.

The Ramallah-based Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy shared a drawing on Twitter of Halak and Floyd side by side, with “two countries, similar systems” written above them. “[Iyad] and George were victims of similar systems of supremacy and oppression. They must be dismantled,” the advocacy group said.

Yisrael Medad: Antifa in Mandate Palestine
“Antifa” was a group founded by the International Communist League in Mandate Palestine in 1934 to promote radical socialist ideas as well as to oppose Revisionist Zionism. Its members were extreme moderates (pro-Havlaga restraint policy during Arab riots 1936-39) who sought compromise with nationalist Arabs and eventually went on to volunteer in the Spanish Civil War.

From the JTA, February 10, 1937
A delegation including a Jew and an Arab-Morris Efrom and Najib Yusuf – have arrived in New York as representatives of the Antifa Committee of Palestine for a tour of the United States sponsored by the American Antifa Committee, which includes Roger Baldwin, Prof. Morris R. Cohen, the Rev. John Haynes Holmes and Ernst Toller.

And six days later:



Riots result in 'huge damage' to Jewish temples and businesses
The riots in the US over the death of George Floyd, an African American who was in police custody, have also affected the Jewish communities across the nation.

Jewish-owned shops in Los Angeles were particularly impacted over the weekend as rioters marched the streets.

Jonathan Friedman, who is the owner of Syd's Pharmacy & Kosher market, said he could not do a thing as a mob looted his pharmacy on Beverly Blvd.

"It was 7 p.m. when we arrived there," he told The Forward. "The police had blocked the street and was pushing off the crowds. I stood across the street and saw how the crowds are breaking into my pharmacy. We spoke to the police officers and asked them to do something but they said that their main concern is to control the damage to life more than to property. The damage to the place is huge. They stole all the narcotics and damaged the floors and entrance. I estimate the damage is over $100,000."

According to Friedman, "all Jewish businesses and temples in the area were either broken into or had graffiti tagged on their walls. I understand the demonstrator's frustration, but we have nothing to do with what happened to George Floyd." Friedman was referring to the Beverly-Fairfax district, where there are many Jewish stores and residents.

Many Jews have felt conflicted over the past few days.

On the one hand they want to show solidarity with the African American community, but on the other hand, many feel that they have been unfairly targeted by the protesters. At least four synagogues have been vandalized in recent days, some with anti-Israel graffiti that included obscene words and pro-Palestinian propaganda.
Israel Advocacy Movement: Anti-racist protesters attack synagogues
You don't fight racism with antisemitism.


Kosher stores, synagogues, vandalized and looted in LA protests
A number of kosher stores and synagogues were vandalized and looted in the uptown Los Angeles neighborhood of Fairfax, between Saturday night and Sunday morning, by people protesting police brutality following the killing last week of George Floyd, an African-American man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Some of the synagogues damaged as a result of vandalism, graffiti and looting by protesters include Congregation Kehilas Yaakov, also known as Rabbi Gershon Bess Shul, and Tiferes Tzvi (Rabbi Ganzweig Shul) on Beverly Boulevard in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. Elder of Ziyon, a pro-Israel activist, recorded clips of some of the damage done to the synagogues in Fairfax.

It was also reported that Congregation Beth Israel, one of the oldest synagogues in Los Angeles and also on Beverly Boulevard, was defaced with antisemitic graffiti that read "F**k Israel" and "Free Palestine" scrawled along its walls.

In addition to destruction and graffiti inflicted upon the synagogues, a number of kosher restaurants, bakeries and stores were ransacked by protesters, looting much of the merchandise and causing extensive property damage. Some of the stores impacted include Ariel Glatt Kosher Market, Mensch Bakery and Kitchen, and Syd's Pharmacy and Kosher Vitamins, all located in the Fairfax district.

Richard S. Hirschhaut, American Jewish Committee Los Angeles Regional Director, condemned the acts of vandalism, saying in a statement to the Jewish Journal that “It is deplorable that certain protesters in Los Angeles today resorted to violence and vandalism. Sadly, their destructive opportunism included the defacing of Congregation Beth Israel, one of the oldest synagogues in Los Angeles and the spiritual home to many Holocaust survivors over the years. The epithets scrawled on the synagogue wall do nothing to advance the cause of peace or justice, here or abroad.”
Torah scrolls removed from LA synagogue amidst riots
The Torah scrolls were removed from a Beverly Hills synagogue to protect them from the riots which have rocked the US since the murder of an African American man in police custody in Minneapolis.

The measure was taken days after another Los Angeles synagogue was vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti.

The graffiti was found on the wall of Congregation Beth Israel, one of the oldest synagogues in Los Angeles, in the Fairfax District and read "F-Israel, Free Palestine."

Thousands have taken to the streets across the US in protest against the death of George Floyd in police custody.

Derek Chauvin, the policeman videotaped pressing down on Floyd's neck, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder, Minneapolis authorities reported over the weekend.


US antisemitism envoy condemns attacks on synagogues in LA protests
The United States' Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism Elan S. Carr, condemned the antisemitic graffiti placed on the Beth Israel Congregation building and the damage inflicted upon other kosher stores in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles on Monday.
The vandalism came amid protests over the killing last week of George Floyd, an African-American man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Carr also referred to the content of the antisemitic graffiti scrawled in the synagogue, making a link between antisemitic attitudes and anti-Zionist or anti-Israel sentiments.

"I just visited Congregation Beth Israel, the scene of last night’s appalling vandalism. This graffiti is yet more evidence that anti-#Zionism is #Antisemitism," he said on Twitter. "Thank you to the many community volunteers whose kindness in the face of hatred restored the synagogue."
George Floyd Rioters Now Using Palestinian Authority Terrorist Tactics in America
Palestinian Authority Terror Tactics – Why Now?
The use of Molotov cocktails and live fireworks by American rioters to attack police as a means of expressing “rage” — a vicious form of attack that up to this point was seen almost solely in attacks by Palestinian Authority terrorists against Israeli motorists, police and military personnel — is now suddenly spreading from coast to coast in violence under the banner of “Black Lives Matter,” leading to the question of where and when this idea was generated, and how its use has come into play.

The coordination of violence between the Black Lives Matter movement and ANTIFA is not yet clear; however, the results from the cooperation between the two on the streets of America from coast to coast is obvious. Cities have burned for nearly a week.

St. Louis Churches Reject Black Lives Matter’s Anti-Israel Message

“Black Lives Matter” has also long been associated with anti-Israel messaging and movements such as the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) economic war against Israel.

The “BLM” acronym was slathered in paint along with other forms of graffiti since the death of George Floyd, including such epithets as F—k Police, and in the case of synagogue buildings in Los Angeles, “Back to Palestine!”

How city authorities plan to deal with this new, upgraded level of violence and threat to their law enforcement personnel remains to be seen.
Farrakhan Defender Keith Ellison to Prosecute Minneapolis Cop in George Floyd’s Homicide
Which takes us to the inevitable calculus of is he for us or against us, which, incidentally, took center stage when Ellison was seeking the DNC post, so things are relatively fresh in our browser history.

The first thing that comes to mind is, naturally, the Louis Farrakhan connection. In 1989 and 1990 Ellison wrote under the name “Keith E. Hakim” in the Minnesota Daily, a student newspaper, where he defended Farrakhan against the charges of racism and anti-Semitism. Mother Jones reported in 2017 that there was another pseudonym, “Keith X Ellison,” under which he defended Farrakhan against claims of anti-Semitism years later, in 1995 and again in 1997, at which point he really should have known better.

Ellison, for his part, tried to minimize his involvement with the Nation of Islam, of which he denied being a member, but a former NOI member from Minnesota, Minister James Muhammad, said Ellison wasn’t just a rank and file member—which would have been bad enough—but actually served as NOI’s “chief of protocol,” acting as a liaison between Muhammad and local communities.

Leftwing writer John Nichols wrote an impassioned defense of Ellison in 2017 titled “Keith Ellison is No Anti-Semite,” after, as he put it, “The Washington Post is now suggesting that Ellison would be a ‘controversial’ pick for DNC chair.”

Nichols argued that “the suggestion that Ellison, a Muslim who has been in the forefront of efforts to promote international dialogue and understanding, is a divisive figure who would have trouble working with Jewish Democrats is as absurd as it is unsettling.”.




Ha'aretz: The Palestinian Refusal to Negotiate with Israel and Trump Is a Cowardly, Fateful Mistake
The Palestinian leadership is in a state of mental paralysis with regard to the U.S. peace plan. Besides denunciations and rejection, the Palestinian leadership has nothing else to offer. This is counter to the interests of the Palestinian people.

The same, failed Palestinian leaders have been leading for the last four decades. Despite their failures, they have either retained their positions or have been promoted. Few self-respecting and productive Palestinians want to be part of that failed group of policymakers.

In 2000, 2008, and 2014, the Palestinian Authority refused to accept peace proposals based on a two-state solution formula. Today, those previous peace proposals look very attractive compared to the Trump peace plan. Do not waste the Palestinian people's lives waiting for a better proposal to present itself. It might never happen.

President Donald Trump, and his ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft, described the Trump peace plan as "a basis for negotiations." They did not say take it or leave it. Why not come to the negotiating table with an alternative proposal?

The Palestinian political elite are financially comfortable with their monthly stipends, cars, drivers, and Israeli-issued VIP passes. The rest of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank do not have those luxuries, but they see what the leaders have.

President Mahmoud Abbas, your legacy can either be leaving the Palestinians in limbo, as they are now, or taking the courageous and arduous road of resuming peace negotiations.
Alan Baker: Mahmoud Abbas’ Threats to Israel and the Validity of Oslo
In his May 18 declaration, Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and PLO, announced, “The Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine are absolved from all agreements and understandings with the American and Israeli governments and from all the obligations based on these understandings and agreements, including the security ones.”

This latest tantrum by Abbas, and subsequent actions to unilaterally halt security, health, and other forms of cooperation with Israel, raise several interesting legal and political questions regarding the veracity and credibility of all and any Palestinian commitments, whether in the various documents comprising the Oslo Accords, or in other international commitments entered into by the Palestinians.

For if the Palestinian leadership feels that it can glibly and freely revoke solemn obligations in signed agreements, witnessed and guaranteed by international leaders, merely at the whim of Abbas and his close advisers and merely because they disapprove of, and even object to, speeches or Israeli policy statements, then one may indeed ask what value or reliability do any Palestinian commitments — past, present, or future — hold?

What is perhaps curious, if not even sad, in Abbas’ declaration and actions is the fact that they are ostensibly not in response to any specific Israeli action that might be interpreted as violating those agreements. Israel, true to its Oslo Accords obligations, has not made any unilateral alteration in the status of the territories.

The Palestinian actions are merely in response to a provision in the Israeli government’s coalition agreement and a speech by Israel’s prime minister in the Israeli Knesset expressing possible intentions to apply Israeli law or sovereignty to parts of the territories at a later date — but they were made without such actions having been actually taken and without any detail as to how and if such actions will indeed materialize.
Applying Israeli law to the Golan in 1981 and the West Bank in 2020
Legally, when Israel won the West Bank and Golan Heights after the Six Day War in 1967, it didn’t consider both to have the same status.

“The Golan wasn’t part of the British Mandate, it belonged to Syria,” Makov explained, making an argument similar to one Begin made in the Knesset. “Judea and Samaria, like Jerusalem, don’t need a law, just a cabinet decision, because the territory is part of the Land of Israel according to international agreements [to establish the British Mandate]. That’s why Begin needed a law in the Knesset.”

Though there is a question of whether West Bank annexation needs a Knesset vote, it will likely go to one, because there is an easier majority for the move there. Another reason is that there will likely be more legal details needed to be worked out, because Israeli law will only apply to parts of the West Bank, which are not contiguous, and because there are hundreds of thousands of Israeli residents, with municipalities and businesses in the West Bank, as opposed to the sparsely populated Golan of 1981.

Domestically, Begin had broad support from the public for applying Israel’s laws to the Golan Heights, and even eight Labor MKs, from the opposition, voted in favor of the move. Today, the move in the West Bank has opponents on the Left and Right, though it seems it would easily get majority support in the Knesset.

When it comes to the Knesset debate, it is unlikely to be completed in one day, but there may be echoes of the kinds of arguments MKs had in 1981. Then Knesset speaker Menachem Savidor reprimanded far-left MK Charlie Biton for calling the opposing side “quislings” and had Hadash MK Tawfik Toubi removed from the plenum for repeated disruptions, including calling a Druze Likud MK a traitor. The Likudnik threw the same accusation back at Toubi.

But when it comes to the ideas behind applying Israeli law to the Golan Heights or parts of the West Bank, Makov posited that the rhetoric then and now are similar: “It’s the same principle of faith in the right of the People of Israel to the entire Land of Israel. The Golan Heights Law has the same ideological roots as what we say today about Judea and Samaria.”
Abbas: The Leader Who Cried Wolf?
Not a week goes by without the Palestinian Authority (PA) making threats against Israel over its reported plan to apply sovereignty to large parts of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley in the very near future.

PA leader Mahmoud Abbas has again threatened to declare the 1993 Oslo Accords, upon which the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is based, null and void — which would also mean the dissolution of the PA. Most recently, these threats has been compounded by the decision to suspend coordination between the Palestinian security forces and the Israel Defense Forces.

However, no one is taking Abbas’ threats seriously, not Israel and — more importantly — not the PA or the Arab world. After all, Abbas has been singing the same tune for nearly two decades, since he replaced Yasser Arafat at the helm of the PA.

And despite these threats, there has been zero follow-through. The simple fact is that, despite Abbas’ statements, assertions, pledges, and promises, security coordination has been maintained on all levels. Said cooperation is every bit a Palestinian interest as it is an Israeli one, and it protects Abbas — not just the Israeli public — from Hamas.

It is quite astounding to realize how different things are here now than they were 20 years ago, when terrorist attacks in the Second Intifada claimed Israeli lives almost daily. One cannot forget that the deadly wave of violence followed then-prime minister Ehud Barak’s generous offer to cede 95% of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinians, including parts of eastern Jerusalem and even the Temple Mount.
The New York Times’ Anguish Over Annexation
Nothing is likelier to rile New York Times editors — and, not infrequently, columnists and contributing writers — than Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, the Biblical homeland of the Jewish people.

The current round of censure began three weeks ago (May 7) in a Times column by Daniel Pipes, listing six reasons why Israel should not annex any part of the West Bank. Among them, curiously, was that President Donald Trump might “erupt in fury,” although he had already indicated his approval of the plan. Annexation would also “alienate and weaken Israel’s diminishing number of friends in the Democratic Party,” as if their long-receding support for Israel mattered.

Annexation might also “lead to Palestinian fury,” as though Israeli policy must comport with the emotions of a sworn enemy that has rejected every peace plan offered in the past 30 years. In the end, Pipes subsequently explained, annexation was “too-expensive symbolism.” But if only symbolism, why bother?

Pipes’ critique was only a warm-up exercise for the Times, not known as a friend of Israel. Ever since Zionism raised its ugly head more than a century ago, the Times repeatedly lacerated it for pursuing the restoration of Jewish national sovereignty and its culmination in the State of Israel. Its Jewish publishers were frightened lest American Jews like themselves be seen as disloyal citizens.

Its May 31st issue featured a two-column editorial diatribe titled “Annexation Violates International Law.” It focused on the malfeasance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for declaring his intention to annex Jewish settlements. Attentive to the opposition of “international organizations” (never renowned for their embrace of Jewish statehood), it spelled out “many reasons” why annexation is “a bad idea.”
Netanyahu Tells Settler Leaders He Will Pursue West Bank Annexation, but Only in Context of Trump Peace Plan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a group of settler leaders on Tuesday that he intended to annex parts of the West Bank, but only in the context of the US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office stated that Netanyahu met with the heads of the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization of local councils in the settlements, and said to them, “We face a historic opportunity to apply sovereignty to areas of Judea and Samaria.”

Netanyahu added, however, that he planned to pursue negotiations in accordance with the Trump plan.

Because the plan stipulates the eventual creation of a Palestinian state, it is bitterly opposed by many settler leaders.

The Israeli news site Walla states that the settler leaders raised the issue of Palestinian statehood with Netanyahu and expressed their opposition to a wholesale adoption of the Trump plan because of it.

Council officials said at the end of the meeting that they were “looking forward to continuing the debate.”

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, said before the meeting that the settler leaders intended to draw a red line at Palestinian statehood.

He added that Israel should “apply sovereignty without fear and without trepidation. With the United States’ consent or without the United States’ consent.”
Pro- and Anti-West Bank annexation activists debate Israel's proposed plan


Science Ministry planning for EU grant suspension if annexation happens
The Science and Technology Ministry is preparing contingency plans in case the EU suspends research cooperation with Israel, The Jerusalem Post learned on Tuesday.

Several EU member states – France, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain and Sweden – have called to threaten sanctions against Israel if it applies its laws to any part of the West Bank.

One punitive action under consideration is suspending scientific research and development cooperation.

A source in the Science and Technology Ministry said they are working on their plans in case the government moves forward with sovereignty in the West Bank.

The ministry plans to ask individual European states to cooperate on scientific research if the EU will no longer do so.

Horizon 2020 is the EU’s biggest research and innovation program ever, reaching almost €80 billion in 2014-2020. Israel received over €1 billion for nearly 1,700 projects as part of the Horizon 2020 program. The agreement between Israel and the EU allowing Israelis to apply for grants stipulates that funding will not be given to projects in Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem or the Golan Heights.
PA: Arab leaders must reveal stance on Israel's sovereignty move
Palestinian Authority Riyad al-Maliki reacted to an Israel Hayom report on Monday that Arab states were willing to tacitly accept Israel's planned extension of sovereignty to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, saying the report has surprised it.

"We made contact through official and unofficial channels in order to ask for clarifications [from Arab leaders] but we have yet to receive a denial or a confirmation regarding these reports," he said.

Maliki added that the PA was trying to use the international community to impose pressure on the government of Israel so that it does not implement the plan and that if it does, this would trigger a wave of violence, terrorism and instability. According to Maliki, the "international community must make it clear to the government of Israel that this is a plan that would lead to apartheid and to sanctions on Israel. We want to isolate Israel and the Trump administration."

Arab sources told Israel Hayom last Tuesday that while Arab leaders were concerned that the unilateral move to extend sovereignty would see the region plunge into a violent conflict, behind the scenes, moderate Arab leaders were in no rush to prevent Israel from pursuing the territorial bid.

Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary General Saeb Erekat said that Ramallah will "seek clarifications" regarding reports that many of the moderate Arab states will not challenge Israel's plan to apply its sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and parts of Judea and Samaria.
Khaled Abu Toameh: Jordan Valley: Palestinians await ‘annexation’ with fear, confusion
Rizek Shabanat bursts into laughter when asked about Israel’s intention to apply sovereignty to the Jordan Valley and other parts of the West Bank.

The 67-year-old merchant from the town of Al-Auja, north of Jericho, says he does not understand what all the fuss is about. “We are anyway living under Israeli rule,” Shabanat told The Jerusalem Post as he lit a cigarette. “We are surrounded by settlements, and the main road leading to our town is under Israeli control. Israel has been controlling everything for many years.”

Shabanat and other residents of Al-Auja, home to some 8,000 Palestinians, said they don’t believe that the “annexation” plan would bring about significant changes on the ground. They said they also don’t believe that Israel would force them to become Israeli citizens.

Large parts of Al-Auja are located in “Area C,” which remains under total Israeli control. Less than 20% of the area is located in “Area A,” which is exclusively controlled by the Palestinian Authority, according to an official with the town’s municipality.

“The annexation plan is very dangerous,” the official warned. “It will deprive thousands of families of their livelihood because most residents are farmers. If they lose their lands, it would be a disaster. No one believes that Israel is going to give citizenship to thousands of Palestinians.”

“I don’t believe Israel wants to give us citizenship because it already has two million Arab citizens,” said Omar Abu Zeid, a grocery owner from Al-Auja. “Israel wants the land of the Jordan Valley, and not the Palestinians living there. Honestly, we have lost faith in everyone, including our leaders. Many people here are convinced that the Palestinian leadership is part of the problem. No one believes that the Palestinian Authority has cut its relations with Israel. We don’t know what’s going to happen to us in the coming weeks.”
Israel’s momentous decision: The settlements or the Saudis?
Israel is rapidly approaching a momentous decision.

Should our new unity government move quickly to apply Israeli sovereignty over swaths of hotly contested territory known in the Bible as “Judea and Samaria,” and to the international community as the “West Bank” of the Jordan River? Or should we defer discussions of unilateral annexation for the time being and place a higher priority on establishing full peace treaties with Gulf Arab states that are steadily warming towards normalization?

Put another away: Do we want the settlements now, or peace with the Saudis?

It is clear where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands. While no Israeli leader has done more to promote closer ties with the Gulf States than he, Netanyahu is pursuing an “annexation first” strategy. He believes that Israel has an “historic opportunity” to establish permanent sovereignty over up to 30% of the biblical heartland with the consent and coordination of the Trump administration. It is, he says, “an opportunity that should not be missed,” one that will certainly evaporate next January if US President Donald Trump loses re-election and Joe Biden becomes president.

It is not clear where Defense Minister (and alternate Prime Minister) Benny Gantz stands. He, too, is on record as supporting annexation and signed a coalition agreement allowing for a vote of the Knesset on the issue as early as July. But he has also said that he would only move forward “in coordination with the international community.” Both in public and in private, he has expressed a desire to sequence events in such a way as to maximize the opportunity for peace with the Gulf States. What’s more, he has expressed deep admiration for the role Jordan’s King Abdullah has played as a peacemaker, declaring on the campaign trail last October, “I’m pledging here that when I lead the State of Israel, I’ll do all in my power to strengthen the peace agreement with Jordan and move relations with Jordan forward.”

A front-page story in the Hebrew edition of Israel Hayom on May 27 argued that Israeli leaders do not really have to choose. Citing unnamed sources in the region, the article suggested that Arab leaders have privately signaled both Washington and Jerusalem that while they will publicly criticize any Israeli move towards annexation, they will actually be fine with it.
US vows to prevent ‘corrupt’ ICC from probing Americans, Israelis for war crimes
The US is about to launch a concerted effort to prevent the International Criminal Court from opening war crime investigations that could see American and Israeli officials in the dock in The Hague, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday.

“I think that the ICC and the world will see that we are determined to prevent having Americans and our friends and allies in Israel and elsewhere hauled in by this corrupt ICC,” he told a podcast hosted by the American Enterprise Institute think tank.

“I don’t want to get ahead of the announcements we’re going to make in the coming days but I think you’ll see,” he said.

The ICC is currently weighing whether to open separate criminal investigations into the “situation in Afghanistan,” which could see UK and American troops tried for war crimes, and the “situation in Palestine,” which may result in Israelis and Palestinians being tried for war crimes.

“I’m very concerned about it,” Pompeo said. “You’ll see, in the coming days, a series of announcements, not just from the State Department, all across the United States government, that attempt to push back against what the ICC is up to.”

Neither the US nor Israel are members of the court and therefore reject the ICC’s attempt to exert criminal jurisdiction over their nationals.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Jerusalem residence, May 13, 2020 (Kobi Gideon/PMO)

“And under international law, one of the key features of exercise of power by a body such as the ICC is that you say yep, I want to be part of that. We never signed up for the [Rome Statue, the ICC’s foundational document],” the US top diplomat said.

“And now this court has become corrupted and is attempting to go after the young men and women of the United States of America who fought so hard… And they think that the ICC ought to be able to haul these young men and women in. We will never let that happen. We’re working along many fronts to prevent it from happening.”


US court: Iran, Syria, Hamas, IJ can be liable for 'lone-wolf' attackers
A US federal court in Washington has set a new precedent with a default judgment that Iran, Syria, Hamas and Islamic Jihad can be held liable for wrongful death damages for the actions of certain “lone-wolf” attackers.

The game-changing decision means that terrorist groups and state sponsors of terrorism could be hit with million- and even billion-dollar judgments for the 2015-2016 “Knife Intifada” and for other lone-wolf attacks going forward, if there is proof connecting them to specific attacks behind the scenes.

Many lone-wolf attacks still have no connection to any group and someone who spontaneously grabs a kitchen knife to stab an Israeli soldier would not be included in this decision.

A default judgment means that none of the defendants in the case showed up to defend against the charges.

Sometimes in such cases, the parties make attempts to frustrate collection of the judgment at a later stage.
IDF soldiers attacked by Bedouins stealing from base
IDF soldiers at the Tze’elim Ground Forces training base in the Negev were surrounded by gangs of Bedouins after some of them attempted to steal from the base, the IDF stated Tuesday.

An initial IDF investigation revealed that IDF officers attempted to catch the thieves, but within minutes were surrounded by a group of rioters who came to reinforce and assist the thieves.

The group surrounded the military jeep with several civilian jeeps, and when the soldiers felt threatened, one of them fired into the air.

The officers called the police, who made their way to the scene.

The IDF is restricted in its response to attempted burglaries of IDF bases, as civilians are not considered in the same light as security issues.
Man shot after crossing into Israel, apparently to spy, returned to Lebanon
A Syrian national who was shot after he crossed the border into Israel from Lebanon last month, apparently to perform reconnaissance on behalf of the Hezbollah terror group, was sent back to Lebanon on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said.

On May 17, the shepherd entered the area of Har Dov, or Shebaa Farms — a disputed region along the Israeli-Lebanese border under Israeli control — with a walkie-talkie as he was apparently performing surveillance on behalf of Hezbollah, according to the military.

Golani Brigade soldiers arrived at the scene to detain him, firing their guns into the air to warn him to stop. The man, who was unarmed, allegedly behaved suspiciously and one of the troops opened fire at him, seriously injuring him, according to the IDF.

The man was flown to Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center for treatment. In the hospital he was questioned by security forces.

“The suspect received medical treatment in Israel and was released after interrogation,” the military said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the IDF, the International Red Cross transported him back to Lebanon through the rarely used Rosh Hanikra border crossing.

“The IDF takes seriously all attempts to violate Israeli sovereignty,” the military said.
Israeli forces, armed Lebanese troops square off in border confrontation
Israeli troops and a pair of tanks squared off with armed Lebanese soldiers on Tuesday while operating along the border between the countries.

The Israeli forces had crossed the security fence near Kibbutz Misgav Am, but remained on the Israeli side of the Blue Line demarcating the border. The security fence along the border is in many areas located some distance into Israeli territory.

Video and photos showed Lebanese troops with rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers standing several meters from the tanks.

UN peacekeepers also arrived on the scene.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency said the Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers were mobilized after “Israeli enemy infantry troops, backed by two Merkava tanks… crossed the technical fence” near the Lebanese village of Adaisseh.

No shots were fired and no injuries were reported.
4-year-old girl from East Jerusalem who was hit by stray bullet dies
A four-year old Palestinian girl who was shot in East Jerusalem a week and a half ago died of her wounds Monday, Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital said.

Rafif Qara’een, a resident of the Issawiya neighborhood, was hit by an apparently stray bullet fired by an unknown shooter on May 21, according to police.

A relative told the Ynet website at the time that the family had sat down to eat the traditional iftar meal held each night during the month of Ramadan fasts, when a bullet suddenly hit her in the head.

The hospital said in a statement that Qara’een was unconscious and in life-threatening danger when she was brought in and put on a respirator. Despite being operated on by a team of pediatric neurosurgery experts, her “brain injury was extremely severe,” it said.

Qara’een ‘s grandfather, Mahmoud Abu Riyaleh, told the Walla news website that the family could not believe that she “had just gone like that.”

Abu Riyaleh recalled that the family did not hear any sounds of shooting when Qara’een was injured on May 21 and that they only found out it was a gunshot wound after they arrived at the hospital and doctors found the bullet. He said the round was later identified as an M-16 caliber bullet.


PMW: PA and Palestinian banks plan to defy Israel’s Anti-Terror Law
The PA announced yesterday that in the coming days it will pay the monthly salaries to imprisoned terrorists in cooperation with and through the banks that are active in the PA.

This is a defiant move against Israeli authority and rule of law by the banks that are apparently under pressure from the PA.

Banks that will receive the terrorists’ salaries are violating a new law that came into effect in Judea and Samaria on May 9, 2020. The new law determines that paying rewards for acts of terror constitutes a crime, and anyone who is involved in the process is committing a crime – including the banks and their employees.

Director of PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs Qadri Abu Bakr announced that the PA will continue to pay the terrorists’ salaries through the banks for four months until the establishment of a new “banking institution” that will be subordinate to the PLO. This plan for a new bank was undertaken by the PA because of the new Israeli law. However, even accepting the salaries for one month is a violation of Israeli law. This is how it was explained by official PA news agency:
“Director of [PLO] Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs Qadri Abu Bakr said that the payment of the salaries of the prisoners and the Martyrs’ families through the banks will continue until the development of a banking institution that will become a bank for them.

MEMRI: After Defeat Of Russia's Ally Khalifa Haftar, Russia Sends Planes To Protect Haftar And Its Investment In In Libya Amidst Domestic Criticism
According to press reports Russian contract soldiers from the Wagner company and mercenaries from Syria were airlifted from Western Libya on May 24, 2020. This followed the crushing defeat of Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army at the Al-Watiya airbase on May, 19, 2020 and the advance by troops of the Tripoli based Government of National Accord (GNA).[1] At Al-Watiya Russian anti-air systems were destroyed and captured and then paraded in Tripoli.

Captured Russian-made Pantsyr-S1 Air Defense system paraded through Tripoli (Souce: Ej.ru)
Russia has repeatedly denied that it was militarily involved in Libya. In January Russia's President Vladimir Putin responded to a question at a joint press conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel about the presence of Russian fighters in Libya: "If there are Russian soldiers there they do not represent the interests of the Russian government. they do not receive money from the Russian government. "[2] Even after a Russian Antonov cargo plane was shown evacuating forces, some Russian papers claimed that was fake news disseminated by the GNA and its leader Fayez Saraj. Its purpose was to deflect attention from the Turkish military intervention on behalf of Ankara's client– the GNA.[3] The pattern repeated itself again following accusations by the US Africa command that Russia had sent fighter planes to Libya to back Hafter: "Russia is clearly trying to tip the scales in its favor in Libya. Just like I saw them doing in Syria, they are expanding their military footprint in Africa using government-supported mercenary groups like Wagner," said U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command. "For too long, Russia has denied the full extent of its involvement in the ongoing Libyan conflict. Well, there is no denying it now. We watched as Russia flew fourth generation jet fighters to Libya -- every step of the way. Neither the LNA nor private military companies can arm, operate and sustain these fighters without state support -- support they are getting from Russia."[4]Russia, in this case did not issue its own denial and sufficed with republishing a denial by LNA spokesperson Ahmad Al-Mismari to Al-Arabia in its official news agency Ria.ru: "We find such statements, that mention the increase in the combat readiness of the [LNA] army, that we have various types of Russian aircraft. <...> We also find it strange that these reports do not mention the intervention and expansion of Turkey in our country and the transfer tens of thousands of mercenaries from Turkey."[5]

Russia's consistent denial of involvement was never convincing. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russia was managing the conflict in Libya "at the highest level".[6] The US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland said the presence of about 2000 Russian mercenaries from Wagner Group and the modern weapons they have are disrespectful to Libya's sovereignty and regional security.

The US, said Norland believed that Russia could secure its legitimate interests in Libya via more normal means.[7] In the recent fighting the body of a dead soldier fighting for Haftar was found and his personal effects included Russian currency.
Russia Recruiting Syrian Mercenaries to Fight in Libya
Russia has started recruiting young fighters in eastern Syria, including some from the Al-Quds Brigade, to join putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s forces against the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, a report said Sunday.

Russian forces are asking young people in the Syrian regime-held Deir el-Zour province to go to Libya to fight against GNA forces, a report by local news outlet Naher said, citing a security source who asked not to be named.

According to the source, some 15 fighters, including several members of the Al-Quds Brigade made up of Palestinian Syrians, have agreed to fight in Libya after being asked by Naim Al-Fadil Al-Fahim, who works as a delegate for the Russian forces in the village of Buqros in eastern Syria.

Al-Quds Brigades is the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization, the second largest group after Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The recruits have signed three-month contracts and will receive 45 days of military training at Deir al-Zour Airport with an approximate salary of $1,000, a report by Enab Baladi said.

Russia had also been trying to recruit fighters from various Arab tribes in the terrorist PKK/YPG-held Hasakah province to fight in Libya.


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