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Monday, August 10, 2020

08/10 Links Pt1: Dismantle UNRWA and there may be a chance for peace; The UN “Blacklist” of Israeli Companies: Should It Be Taken Seriously?; Entire Lebanese government to step down amid growing anger over Beirut blast

From Ian:
Dismantle UNRWA and there may be a chance for peace
UNRWA has instituted two policies which, when considered together, acts as a formidable obstacle to resolving the conflict. Unlike all other refugee assistance programs, UNRWA grants refugee status to the descendants of any registered Palestinian Arab. This essentially means that even if the great grandchild of a registered refugee is born and raised in New York, they will still be deemed a "refugee". As expected, the number of registered refugees has skyrocketed - from 726,000 in 1949, to over 5,000,000 today.

Secondly, UNRWA strongly supports the Palestinian Arab demand to have a "right of return" to the entire land of Israel. With an estimated population of 9,000,000 Israeli citizens, consisting of less than 7,000,000 Jews, if Israel were to ever agree to this demand the Jewish State would cease to exist. This demand for a "right of return", combined with the skyrocketing number of "refugees", has been a major roadblock on the pathway to establishing peace.

Finally, while UNRWA publicly declares itself to be dedicated to improving the lives of the Palestinian "refugees", it privately maintains close ties to Hamas, a known terrorist organization. Both Suhail al-Hindi, a one-time leader of UNRWA, and Muhammad al-Jamassi, an UNRWA staffer, have been elected to leadership positions within this terror group.

According to UN Watch, a leading watchdog group, terror tunnels were discovered below UNRWA schools, and, in Gaza, schools have a representative designated to recruiting students into Hamas. Furthermore, terror groups have used these buildings to store rockets, thereby forcing each child to act as a human shield and to live in perpetual danger. Rather than acting for the betterment of the Palestinian Arabs under its aegis, UNRWA has allowed terrorist organizations to manipulate innocent children in an endless war against the State of Israel.

UNRWA continues to receive funding, even while actively working to prevent any form of peace. After almost seventy years in existence, it is time that we do our part in bringing an end to this conflict.

UNRWA must be dismantled for the sake of preventing the loss of any more innocent lives and to protect Palestinian Arab children from receiving a hate filled, anti-Semitic education. Without the continuous interference of UNRWA, all Israelis and Palestinians will have a greater chance of one day living side by side, in peace.
JCPA: The UN “Blacklist” of Israeli Commercial Enterprises: Should It Be Taken Seriously?
The UN blacklist of commercial enterprises involved in business activities in the West Bank territories of Judea and Samaria emanates from the highly politicized and discredited UN Human Rights Council as an overtly and politically hostile attempt to harm such enterprises, and through them, to harm Israel.

The blacklist is nothing more than a recommendatory measure. It is specifically not legally binding on states or companies.

In publishing the blacklist, the UN Human Rights Council has, in fact, undermined the authority of the UN Security Council, which, pursuant to Chapter VII, article 41 of the UN Charter, is the only international body authorized to impose commercial sanctions on states. This provision has no authority regarding commercial enterprises.

The publication of the blacklist runs against prevailing legal viewpoints and jurisprudence that sees nothing illegal in the involvement of private commercial enterprises in business activities in occupied or administered territories. International law cannot be activated vis-à-vis private commercial enterprises.

By publishing the blacklist, the UN Human Rights Council is interfering in the commitments set out in the Middle East peace negotiation process, and specifically, provisions of the internationally endorsed Oslo Accords regarding economic development and cooperation between the parties.

Moreover, the approval and publication of the blacklist, and any attempt to implement it, undermine the status of both the United Nations and the European Union, both signatories as witnesses to the Oslo Accords, and as such, prejudices the integrity and credibility of both organizations.
Prof. Daniel Pipes: Islamism and Syria Update
Mohammad Hassan Goodarzi of Iran's International Quran News Agency solicited this written interview only to have it rejected by his editors because they "disagreed" with it. So, I make it available here, precisely as prepared on July 9, 2020.

What is the main cause of Islamism in the Middle East?
Frustration: Islamic self-image and Muslim historical experience both lead Muslims to believe they should be the richest, most educated, and most powerful of peoples. But reality since at least 1800 has found Muslims the poorest, least educated, and weakest of peoples. Islamism promises to repair that problem.

Do Western countries promote Islamism?
In general, no, with two important exceptions. (1) Internationally, Westerners at times have seen Islamists as a lesser enemy and have tactically supported them, for example, in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union or in Gaza against the PLO. (2) Domestically, non-violent Islamists are seen as a better alternative to jihadism.

How is Islamism in the Middle East best fought?
Negatively and positively. Negatively by battling it on every front, from the military to the ideological. Positively by offering an alternative, namely reform Islam, an Islam compatible with modern life, especially with regard to non-Muslims, women, and jihad.

How do you evaluate the argument that the Syrian civil war that began in March 2011 seems to be ending?
The Assad government controls about 60 percent of the country's territory, with Turkish- and American-allied forces controlling the rest. That suggests to me that Syria's civil wars are far from over.

The U.S. Government recently passed sanctions (the Caesar Act), against the Syrian regime. What effect will it have?
The goal is to pressure the Assad regime to stop making war on its own people. Even before coming into effect on June 17, the act already contributed to the collapse of the Syrian currency. Looking ahead, it appears the most direct impact will be on the oil and gas industry and on reconstruction efforts.

The Caesar Act, named after a pseudonymous military photographer who fled Syria in 2013 with 55,000 images from the country's jails, targets both Asma and Bashar al-Assad.



Jason D. Greenblatt: Can We Seize the Opportunity for Lebanon and the Region Around It?
It is time for the government of Lebanon to lead its people and rid itself of the cancer that is Hezbollah. Forget for a moment the threat to Israel that Hezbollah and its ilk poses. Israel has thrived and prospered and will do what it needs (and has the right) to do to defend itself from its enemies and those that seek to harm or destroy it. And it will continue to reach out around the world to those who are suffering, including offering to help its enemies—as it did here.

But when will the world recognize that the activities of Hezbollah have caused nothing but tremendous harm and tragedy to the people of Lebanon? Lebanon's problems have nothing to do with Israel. They have everything to do with allowing a bloodthirsty terrorist group to be a part of the fabric of Lebanon's life, society and government.

After this tragedy has been attended to, donor countries should set realistic expectations from the government of Lebanon and ensure that donor money is not squandered. Donor money should be used in a way that improves the lives of the Lebanese people. Donor countries should demand that Hezbollah and the Iranian regime no longer use Lebanese soil as a staging ground to attack Israel. Moreover, donor countries should hold the Lebanese government accountable for the money being donated. Donations should be made to properly vetted NGOs to ensure that the aid is actually delivered to, and used by, its intended recipients.

I hope that something positive can come out of this tragedy. Perhaps the people of the region and their governments can create a spirit of respect and cooperation that will continue, so that movement toward goodwill and a new dynamic can begin to be developed. It will be a very, very long road. But it is time to begin walking on it, with all of its holes, bumps and seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

I pray for the people of Lebanon and hope from this tragedy we can begin to build a new future for Lebanon, for the relationship between Lebanon and Israel, and for the region. God bless all of you.
Was the Beirut explosion intended for Israel?
For the last several years, Iran has been consistently smuggling weapons to its terror proxy, via a land bridge across Iraq and Syria, through Beirut-Rafik Hariri International Airport, and most notably through the Beirut seaport, where the ammonium nitrate was stored in a warehouse adjacent to the water.

While grieving over the deaths of innocent civilians, Israel must be extremely grateful that this stockpile was not detonated anywhere close to its own border. And now seeing firsthand how much damage can be caused by ammonium nitrate, one need only imagine the damage that could be caused should Iran successfully smuggle a nuclear weapon into Hezbollah's hands.

During the first Gulf War of 1991, Saddam Hussein fired 42 Scud missiles at Israel. During the barrage, only one Israeli reportedly died – of a heart attack due to a nearby explosion. The lack of damage to Israel was a phenomenon of miraculous proportions.

That nearly 3,000 tons of weapons-grade ammonium nitrate likely earmarked for use against Israel will now never reach its intended target is a similar miracle.

Yet despite the severe damage caused by Hezbollah's "work accident," the stockpiling of weapons against Israel remains a grave threat. A campaign to fully disarm Hezbollah must be immediately launched.

For as long as Hezbollah continues to have missiles pointed at Israel, the Jewish state will live in constant fear of attack. Peace in the region will never be reached until Hezbollah is fully disarmed.
Entire Lebanese government to step down amid growing anger over Beirut blast
Lebanon’s government resigned Monday amid widespread public fury at the country’s ruling elite over last week’s devastating explosion in Beirut. The move risks opening the way to dragged-out negotiations over a new cabinet amid urgent calls for reform.

Prime Minster Hassan Diab headed to the presidential palace to submit the cabinet’s group resignation, said Health Minister Hamad Hassan. It follows a weekend of anti-government protests in the wake of the August 4 explosion in Beirut’s port that caused widespread destruction, killed at least 160 people and injured about 6,000 others.

The moment typified Lebanon’s political dilemma. Since October, there have been mass demonstrations demanding the departure of the entire sectarian-based leadership over entrenched corruption, incompetence and mismanagement.

But the ruling oligarchy has held onto power for so long — since the end of the civil war in 1990 — that it is difficult to find a credible political figure not tainted by connections to them.

Although Diab’s resignation had appeared inevitable after the catastrophe, he seemed unwilling to leave and only two days ago made a televised speech in which he offered to stay on for two months to allow for various factions to agree on a roadmap for reforms. But the pressure from within his own cabinet proved to be too much.
Lebanon: Ancient synagogue destroyed 'beyond repair'
In Lebanon, new updates continue to roll in regarding the heavy damage caused by the explosion in the port of Beirut last week. According to local reports, the only remaining synagogue in the country, Maghen Abraham, was badly damaged and it is now doubtful whether it can be restored.

The synagogue has been inactive for years, but Lebanese authorities have preserved it as a historic site. It's located in the Wadi Abu Jamil district in downtown Beirut, where the city's Jewish quarter used to stand, a few kilometers from the port of Beirut.

Built in 1925, it is the oldest Jewish house of worship in the Lebanese capital, and was named after the son of Abraham Sassoon, Moise Abraham Sassoon of Calcutta. It was built on land donated by Raphael Levi Stambouli, and designed by the architect Bindo Manham.

Due to difficulties in financing the project, the head of the Jewish community of Lebanon, Yosef Farhi, ended up assisting with the purchase of religious items as well as the inside structure of the building. A number of social institutions situated their offices in the synagogue's courtyard.

In 1936, due to the ongoing fighting, Yosef Farhi decided to transfer the Torah scrolls to Geneva, entrusting them to Edmond J. Safra, a Jewish banker of Lebanese descent, who kept them in his safes.

Lebanon's Jewish community once numbered up to 22,000, when the country served as a refuge for those who fled the Spanish Inquisition. But Jews fled the country during the 20th century, until finally even the Maghen Abraham Synagogue closed its doors in the mid-1970s.
Lebanese blogger goes viral slamming Nasrallah as ‘worse than Israel’
A Lebanese blogger’s criticism of Hezbollah in the wake of the August 4 blast at the Beirut port went viral amid growing calls by Lebanese for political change in the country.

Dima Sadek, until last year an anchor on a popular political talk show before being let go for criticizing Hezbollah, remains a popular voice on Lebanese social media.

On Friday, she took to Twitter, where she has over 621,000 followers, with a video lashing Hezbollah as worse for Lebanon than the enemy across the border.

The video addressed the organization’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, after his speech denying claims that Hezbollah was responsible for the port explosion.

“I want to tell you one thing: if you can answer this question for the Lebanese people, then I swear, we will all bow down to you — I will bow down to you if you can answer this question,” she said in the clip. “What has Israel done against us that’s worse than you? Answer me.”

Sadek’s video was viewed more than 715,000 times by Monday.

The video led to media interviews. One interview, published Monday in the Italian daily La Repubblica, was headlined, “Israel is an enemy, but Hezbollah has done worse.”
MEMRI: Saudi Journalist: As A Secret Supporter Of Hizbullah, Qatar Shares The Blame For The Beirut Blast; Deception Is The Hallmark Of Qatar's Foreign Policy
In an August 7, 2020 article in the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, the daily's former editor Salman Al-Dosari described the "dubious role" played by Qatar in Lebanon, stating that the military and financial aid it extends to Hizbullah makes it complicit in the deadly blast that shook Beirut on August 4. Qatar, he said, employs "a policy of contradictions": it hosts the largest U.S. base in the region and claims to fight terror, yet at the same time it secretly supports terror organizations like Hizbullah and fans the flames of conflict and unrest in various Arab countries, including Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen, with the aim of furthering the Qatari agenda in those countries. He concluded by saying that Qatar's support of Hizbullah is no different from the Iranian support of this organization, except for the fact that Iran pursues this policy openly whereas Qatar does so in secret, and that both countries thus have a hand in the Beirut disaster.

The following are translated excerpts from his article:[1]
"On the day the Qatari leadership tried to present its human face by dispatching medical aid to Lebanon following the explosion in Beirut port, the [American] Fox News channel exposed Qatar's involvement in financing Hizbullah – which seems to be responsible for the blast – as part of what the channel described as a widespread Qatari plot to finance terror.[2] [According to the Fox News report,] Qatar's role is not confined to financing Hizbullah's weapons, but goes beyond that, for its ambassador to the EU offered a bribe in order to conceal the role played by his country,[3] after two Qatari charities [the Sheikh Eid Bin Mohammad Al Thani Charitable Association and the Education Above All Foundation] transferred funds [to Hizbullah] in the guise of food and medicines. This convoluted policy… reflects the ideology that underpins the Qatari regime's foreign policy and its interference in the affairs of [other] countries. It is a policy far more heinous than the direct funding [Qatar openly provides to] its allies or the hostility it displays towards its rivals. Deception, in complete disregard of the consequences, is the hallmark of Qatar's foreign policy…

"The policy of contradictions is a typical Qatari game: [On the one hand it] hosts in its territory the largest U.S. Base [in the region] and openly flatters the [American] president, [yet at the same time] it incites against the American administration on its media and by means of its diplomacy. It supports the Houthis [in Yemen] with funds and arms, yet it concealed this by taking part in the Arab coalition [that is fighting the Houthis] until its expulsion from [this coalition] in June 2017. It signed the UN convention that forbids countries to support or finance terror, but became involved in supporting terror organizations when it decided to pay $1 billion in ransom to an Iraqi terror group.[4] On the overt level, [former Qatari prime minister] Hamad bin Jassim claims that Qatar acted as a mediator in the 2011 conflict in Bahrain,[5] yet on the clandestine level, he demanded that the Al-Wefaq [National Islamic Society, a Shi'ite political-religious organization in Bahrain] fan the flames of the popular riots in the streets. These are just several examples of the dozens of conflicting [Qatari] positions, which have become an integral part of the Qatari regime's political ideology.






PMW: Israel behind Beirut explosion – PA daily op-ed
As with past catastrophes befalling the Arab world (or even the world in general) not much time passed before a writer at the official PA daily accused Israel of being behind the explosion in Beirut that cost the lives of more than 150 Lebanese and wounded over 5,000 last week.

Ignoring the fact that Lebanon has already announced that it was improperly stored ammonium nitrate in Beirut’s port that caused the explosion, regular columnist Bassem Barhoum was quick to libel Israel as being behind it. And the proof? “This is what [Israel] exists for - to destroy the [Arab] nation.” In other words, it is simply Israel's raison d’etre to kill Arabs:
“We… do not rule out the possibility that Israel had a hand in this catastrophe since this is what it exists for – to destroy the [Arab] nation and any chance of its revival.”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 6, 2020]

Palestinian Media Watch has documented that the PA is quick to blame Israel for anything bad happening, be it internal conflicts in the Arab world, terror attacks in the world in general, or problems specifically in the PA.
Top US Jewish Group Praises New Senate Bill Monitoring Anti-Normalization Policies in Arab Countries
The leaders of a top US Jewish group on Sunday praised the introduction of bipartisan Congressional legislation that would establish State Department monitoring of the treatment of citizens of Arab states who interact with Israelis.

The bill, introduced on August 6 by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and co-sponsored by Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), would require the State Department to produce an annual report on the issue.

Chairman Arthur Stark, CEO William Daroff, and Vice Chair Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations praised the bill, saying, “Anti-normalization laws intended to punish those who engage with Israel have existed since its founding 72 years ago and persist to this day.”

“This bipartisan measure takes action against such policies and promotes the process of further regional normalization with Israel, which is critical to achieving a genuine and lasting peace between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors,” they said.

“We thank Senators Portman and Booker for introducing this important legislation,” they added, “and strongly urge its passage by both chambers of Congress and enactment by the president.”

Stand With Us: Israel and the United Nations
Representing Israel to the United Nations is no easy feat! No one has an insider view on how Israel is represented on the global stage better than Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, His Excellency, Danny Danon. Join us for a live, no holds barred, interactive and fascinating discussion!


Arnold Roth: I wish others knew what I know about Malki's killer
This coming Sunday August 9, 2020, marks the completion of nineteen years since the stunningly heartless attack by a thuggery of Hamas terrorists on a pizzeria in the center of Jerusalem; a massacre directed explicitly at the many youngsters predictably found inside it, happily busy with getting lunch and with having fun on a school vacation afternoon.

This was a midday attack at Jerusalem’s busiest intersection, the heart of Israel’s capital city. There’s no room to doubt that the strategic goal explicitly involved dead Jewish children – as many as could be murdered. The bomber herself said so and for the record.

The explosive device was a man with a guitar case slung over his shoulder: a human bomb. The specially assembled case was rigged so it would never make music. It was heavily packed with explosives and nails and other shrapnel. The man attached to it was a willing human weapon-of-mass-destruction: a religious zealot in his twenties from a comfortably well-off Jenin family with a surname (Al-Masri) indicating their Egyptian heritage.

From available accounts, he was in the grip of ideological fervor of a kind that most non-adherents can never comprehend. He died content and fulfilled, leaving behind parents who have publicly celebrated their pride:

His father, Shaheel, flanked by his seven remaining sons, said he was proud of Izzedine. Shaheel Al-Masri said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon “is continuing the policy of killing our people and my son succeeded in carrying out a suitable response”.
2020 08 09 Arnold and Frimet Roth interviewd on i24NEWS
Calev Ben David interviewed the parents of Malka Chana Roth, one of the many victims of the Hamas bombing attack on the Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem, nineteen years ago today (August 9). The Roths who live in Jerusalem with their family are spearheading efforts to have the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan extradite the Sbarro massacre mastermind, a Jordanian woman called Tamimi. The United States unsealed a criminal complaint (in effect, an indiictment) against Tamimi on March 14, 2017. Jordan almost immediately engineered a legal decision by its highest court to the effect that the 1995 Extradition Treaty between Jordan and the United States was of no legal effect and consequently Jordan was under no obligation to arrest her and hand her to the US authorities. Tamimi is a celebrity in Jordan today. Calev Ben David is currently co-anchor of i24NEWS' daily news program "The Rundown" and a political-diplomatic analyst for the channel.


Ten Years After Killing Two Israeli Soldiers, Palestinian Terrorist Arrested After Entering Israel to Donate Bone Marrow
A Palestinian terrorist from Gaza has been arrested and charged with the 2010 murder of two Israeli soldiers after he entered Israel to donate bone marrow to his brother.

According to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Abdallah Daghmeh, 38, was charged in Beersheva District Court on Sunday with involvement in the killing of Maj. Eliraz Peretz and Staff Sgt. Ilan Sviatkovsky, as well as membership in a terrorist organization.

The attack took place on March 26, 2010, in which IDF troops were drawn into a trap by a terror cell that pretended to be planting a bomb. When the soldiers converged on the scene, the terrorists opened fire, killing Peretz and Sviatkovsky.

Daghmeh was captured after he sought to enter Israel in order to donate bone marrow to his brother, Israeli news website Mako reported.

His request for entry into Israel was submitted for security approval, during which Israel’s domestic intelligence agency the Shin Bet recognized Daghmeh’s name. The Shin Bet then allowed Daghmeh to enter Israel and donate the bone marrow, after which he was arrested.

Daghmeh reportedly said that the incident was so long ago that he didn’t realize he was still wanted by Israeli authorities.

“I did not know I was wanted in Israel,” he said. “I fell into the trap. I hope I saved my brother’s life.”

During interrogation, Daghmeh confessed to the killings and described his extensive training for the attack.
Israeli mayors demand action on renewed incendiary balloon attacks from Gaza
Several blazes were reported in and around Israeli communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip Monday as incendiary balloon attacks from the Strip continued to increase. Mayors of communities near the Palestinian enclave demanded action against the fire-causing threat.

No injuries or property damage were reported.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas terrorist rulers fired rockets into the sea, after repeated exchanges of fire with Israel in recent days, Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses said. At least eight rockets were seen in the sky, heading toward the Mediterranean Sea, said AFP journalists in the coastal strip.

Throughout the day, terrorists in Gaza launched balloon-borne explosive and incendiary devices into Israel, causing mid-air blasts and a number of fires in the surrounding regions, according to Israeli officials.

The rockets were a “message” to Israel to let it know that armed groups in Gaza will not “remain silent” in the face of an Israeli blockade and “aggression,” a source close to Hamas told AFP.

Gaza has been under Israeli blockade for more than a decade, since Hamas came into power in a violent coup that ousted the Palestinian Authority. Israel says the blockade is necessary to prevent arms from reaching Hamas and other terror groups sworn to Israel’s destruction that could be used to attack the Jewish state.
Court overturns demolition of IDF soldier Amit Ben-Yigal's killer's home
Israel's High Court of Justice overturned the demolition order of terrorist Nizmi Abu Bakar's home on Monday, who was responsible for killing IDF soldier Amit Ben-Yigal after dropping a cinder block on his head during an operation in the village of Ya'bad, near Jenin in the West Bank, according to a Channel 13 report.

The decision was made with a majority of two judges in favor of cancelling the planned demolition, with Justices Menachem Mazuz and George Kara voting against the demolition.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Twitter that "This is an unfortunate decision by the High Court that refused our request to demolish the house of the terrorist who murdered the late IDF soldier Amit Ben Yigal, who was the only son of his parents. I demand to establish preceding with an expanded panel [of judges]. Terrorism must not be allowed to prevail. My policy as prime minister is to destroy the homes of terrorists, and I intend to continue to do so."

Alternate Prime Minister and current Defense Minister Benny Gantz also commented on the High Court's ruling, saying on Twitter that "Of course, we will respect any ruling of the High Court, but the ruling that revoked the order to demolish the house of the terrorist who killed the late Amit Ben Yigal is unfortunate."

He added that "Home demolitions for deterrence is an important tool in the war on terror. Therefore, I instructed staff in the Defense Ministy to contact the Attorney-General in order to submit a request for another hearing on the ruling."

The two judges justified their positions by noting that the Abu Bakar's wife and eight children are living in the house and are not responsible for the terrorist attack perpetrated by Nizmi. The justices added that it should be satisfactory to seal the room Abu Bakar inhabited, as opposed to demolishing the home that houses nine people.
PA's Prisoners Affairs Administration must be designated as terrorist organization, MKs demand
Several lawmakers have recently approached Defense Minister Benny Gantz demanding that he designates the Prisoners Affairs Administration at the Palestinian Authority as a terrorist organization.

The Prisoners Affairs Administration is the Palestinian entity that pays the salaries to terrorists jailed in Israel as well as stipends to the families of terrorists killed while carrying attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers.

The Palestinian Authority's "pay-for-slay" policy amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars a year and is a substantial part of the Palestinian government's budget.

Israel has long objected to this scheme, saying it rewards terrorism, but Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has branded it a social safety net and has repeatedly stated that he will not suspend these payments, even at the cost of bankrupting the PA.

Israel already deducts terrorists' salaries from the taxes it collects on Ramallah's behalf. The growing demand to further target the funds afforded to Palestinian security prisoners comes against the backdrop of several court ruling, as well as a decree by Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit, that these payments are in violation of the law.

"The Palestinian Prisoners Affairs Administration's sole purpose it to encourage and reward terrorism and Israel must show zero tolerance for this practice," MKs Avi Dichter (Likud) and Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) wrote in a letter to Gantz.
PMW: Fatah: We’ll redeem the land with spirit and blood
[Facebook page of the Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, July 9, 2020]

Lyrics: “Woe to you who intends to annex my land…
The day you extend your hand, we’ll cut it off
We’ll redeem the land with spirit and blood…
We are the owners here
And fire will be answered with fire
We are the owners here
And fire will be answered with fire…
If one shot comes out of here, I will return 100
O [PA Chairman] Mahmoud Abbas, we’ll follow you on the path…
By Allah, if we ignite a war - volcanoes, rage, and storm
O Zionist, prepare to suffer the response
We’ll make your men tremble
O Zionist, prepare to suffer the response
We’ll make your men tremble
We’ll sacrifice our souls, we don't care…

We’ll make you return defeated
In a defeat that you’ll remember your whole life

Our land is more precious than life
If you attack it, the Day of Judgement will come…Listen, stinky (i.e., Israeli PM Netanyahu) and Trump…Whoever approaches my landWe’ll obliterate him before he has time to regret

Posted text on Facebook page:
“#The_response_of_those_who_are_rising_up
Created by the Fatah Movement Commission of Information and Culture”


PA glorifies planner of terror attacks as “hero” and “outstanding commander”
[Official PA TV News, July 28, 2020]
Official PA TV newsreader: “It’s been 49 years since the death as a Martyr - fighter Walid Al-Hassan known as Abu Ali Iyad – one of the founders of the Palestinian armed struggle.”

Official PA TV narrator: “The hero of the mountain, Abu Ali Iyad, one of the Fatah Movement’s outstanding commanders and fighters. He had the honor of taking part in establishing the Palestinian armed struggle. Fatah and the Palestinian revolution led him in his wedding procession (i.e., funeral)… Abu Ali oversaw an attack on the Beit Yosef settlement in 1966 (i.e., terror attack, 3 wounded). The Israeli leadership acknowledged that it was the most violent attack that Israeli settlements had undergone at the time.

A Martyr's funeral is considered a celebration of his wedding to the 72 Virgins in Paradise in Islam

Abu Ali Iyad - Palestinian terrorist appointed head of Fatah military operations in 1966 and responsible for several terror attacks. The attacks included a bombing in the town of Beit Yosef in northern Israel on April 25, 1966 (injuring 3 people), and placing bombs in the town of Margaliot in northern Israel on July 19, 1966. He was killed in 1971 in Jordan by the Jordanian army when it forced Fatah members out of the country.


Khaled Abu Toameh: ‘Gaza tensions won’t lead to Hamas-Israel war’ - sources
A new round of fighting between Hamas and Israel in the wake of recent tensions between the two sides is unlikely, sources in the Gaza Strip said Monday.

Egyptian, Qatari and United Nations mediators “won’t allow the return of security tensions, particularly in light of current tensions in the Middle East,” people familiar with the matter told the Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds.

Hamas, meanwhile, has asked Qatar to continue its financial support to Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip for another six months, the sources said.

The current Qatari cash grants to the Gaza Strip are scheduled to end at the end of September amid fears that the Gulf state will not renew the payments.

The Hamas request to renew the aid came as thousands of families were scheduled to receive $100 from the latest Qatari cash grant. Some 100,000 families from the Gaza Strip have benefited from the grant so far.

The latest Qatari grant arrived in the Gaza Strip on the eve of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha late last month.
Hamas launches missiles toward the sea 'in warning to Israel'
Hamas fired several missiles towards the Mediterranean Sea on Monday morning in a warning to Israel that the calm along the border with the Gaza Strip wouldn’t last.

A source close to Hamas was quoted by AFP as saying that the rockets, at least eight of them, were a “message” to Israel that armed groups “would not remain silent” in the face of the continued blockade and “aggression.”

The millions in aid payments by Qatar as well as the unofficial ceasefire have been key to maintaining quiet in the south, and the usually restive area has seen a period of relative calm in recent months.

Two weeks ago The Qatar Committee for Reconstruction of Gaza announced that it would pay its monthly assistance to 100,000 families, at $100 per family.

But the uptick in violence is believed to be due to Hamas’s concern that the Qatari aid to the beleaguered enclave might not continue past September.

The rocket fire came hours after the Israeli Air Force struck Hamas observation posts in northern Gaza near Beit Hanun in response to the launching of incendiary balloons into southern Israel over the course of the day.




Pompeo: Arabs, Israelis are speaking with one voice on Iran
The United States will introduce a resolution this week to extend the arms embargo on Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday.

“Countries in the Middle East from the Gulf to Israel support extending the arms embargo,” he tweeted. “It is deeply important to every one of them. Arabs and Israelis are speaking with one voice, and the Security Council must listen.”

Pompeo’s remarks come as Dr. Nayef F.M. Alhajraf, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, sent a letter to the UN Security Council in support of the move. “The GCC Secretary-General pointed out that Iran has continued to proliferate conventional weapons and arm terrorist and sectarian organizations and movements throughout the region,” the council said in a statement.

The GCC, formed in 1981, includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar.

“In the years following the adoption of UNSCR 2231 in 2015, Iran has not ceased or desisted from armed interventions in neighboring countries, directly and through organizations and movements armed and trained by Iran,” the statement said. “As such, it is inappropriate to lift the restrictions on conventional weapons’ movement to and from Iran until it abandons its destabilizing activities in the region and ceases to provide weapons to terrorist and sectarian organizations.”

It is imperative to extend those restrictions to ensure and preserve peace and stability in this region and the rest of the world, it added.




MEMRI: New York Academic Dr. Naseer Alomari: Iran Issues Empty Threats against Israel and America
On July 28, 2020, American academic Dr. Naseer Alomari and former Iranian diplomat Amir Mousavi were interviewed on Russia Today TV. Mousavi claimed that fires and explosions have recently been devastating the United States. Dr. Alomari responded that this is false. He said that the Iranian regime is bankrupt and being paralyzed by the economic sanctions against it. He accused Mousavi of living in “another world” in which America and Israel are defeated. Dr. Alomari elaborated that Iran has not killed a single Israeli or American despite its constant threats and chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” He added that Iran has only killed Syrians, Iraqis, and Iranian citizens, while Israel has been unilaterally attacking Iran.




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