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Monday, June 14, 2021

06/14 Links Pt1: We must recognize Netanyahu's achievements despite his flaws; Senior Fatah official supports Hamas rockets “that put Israel in bomb shelters”

From Ian:

David Horovitz: Israel awakens to its most representative government ever, courtesy of Netanyahu
Israel awoke Monday to a new, post-Netanyahu dawn — to a fragile and phenomenally diverse coalition whose members chorused their determination to work for the good of the country. The sun rose as usual, just as Naftali Bennett had promised last week that it would, except he was now prime minister. “King Bibi,” it turned out, was not a monarch after all.

As they assembled for the traditional photograph with the president, there was no mistaking the breadth of Israel represented by the ministers in the government headed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid. On one side of President Reuven Rivlin sat Bennett, Israel’s first Orthodox prime minister and the former head of the Settlers Council. On the other sat Lapid, the secular centrist who drew together the radically improbable eight-party mix that on Sunday unseated Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years.

Among those arrayed behind them stood an Ethiopia-born minister (Pnina Tamano Shata), a former IDF chief of staff (Benny Gantz), Israel’s first openly gay party leader (Nitzan Horowitz), a minister from the Arab community (Issawi Frej), other ex-army officers, and immigrants from the former Soviet Union. In her wheelchair to Lapid’s left was Karine Elharrar (she has muscular dystrophy), the incoming energy minister.

For Rivlin, who publicly declared his discomfort when charging Benjamin Netanyahu with forming a government after the March 23 elections, but expressed no such reservations when transferring the mandate to Lapid in May after Netanyahu failed, Monday’s ceremony was a fortuitously timed delight. Rivlin’s seven-year term ends next month, and he relished this most significant of his final events, taking the time to shake hands with all, and embrace many, of the 27 ministers in the government that has ended Netanyahu’s rule.

Not only does Israel’s new government hail from diverse backgrounds, however, but its component parties are advocates of radically contrasting ideologies.


JPost Editorial: We must recognize Netanyahu's achievements despite his flaws
There is something ironic and yet symbolic about Israel entering the post-corona era this week with a new government – but one without Benjamin Netanyahu at its head.

As of Tuesday, Israelis will no longer be required to wear masks anywhere, thus removing the last public regulation of corona. Israel’s success in countering the pandemic is due to many factors, but one main one is certainly Netanyahu’s success in bringing sufficient vaccines to the country, which were then efficiently and effectively distributed via the country’s health fund system.

Netanyahu probably thought that this alone would be enough to enable him to be reelected to the position he has held for 12 straight years (in addition to his first term between 1996 and 1999.) But he underestimated the mood of the country, and certainly the political forces that were intent on replacing him.

As Netanyahu moves out of the Prime Minister’s Residence and takes over the position of leader of the Opposition, we must look back at his term in office and say thank you for his achievements.

Netanyahu’s last few years in particular have been very divisive, with unbridled attacks on the justice system, the media, the police, and anybody he considered a political rival.

Moreover, Netanyahu is leaving the premiership under a cloud of corruption, standing trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Like any citizen, he should be considered innocent until proven guilty; but this does not allow him the right to actively undermine the institutions that make up Israel’s delicate democratic fabric. It is this rhetoric that many Israelis will now remember.

Nevertheless. there is a Jewish tradition of hakarat hatov – expressing gratitude. Netanyahu is a human being with faults and failings, but he is also someone who has dedicated his life and career to the Jewish state, and has achieved an impressive list of accomplishments.
Fmr. Ambassador Michael Oren on Netanyahu, New PM Bennett

Honest Reporting: Benjamin Netanyahu: A Political Timeline
Netanyahu: The Early Years
Benjamin Netanyahu, referred to by many as “Bibi,” was born in Tel Aviv in 1949. By 1963, his family had moved to Pennsylvania, where he attended high school.

At the age of 18, Netanyahu was drafted into the Israeli military, serving in Sayeret Matkal, an elite special operations unit. Over the next few years, he took part in several counter-terrorism missions, notably aiding in rescuing a hijacked plane at the Tel Aviv airport in 1972.

From 1972-76, Netanyahu attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Master’s in Business Management.

After his brother, Jonathan, was tragically killed in action while rescuing hostages from German leftist and Palestinian terrorists in Entebbe, Uganda in 1976, Netanyahu started an anti-terrorism foundation known as the Jonathan Institute. By 1982, Netanyahu had become a well-known public figure, serving as Israel’s deputy chief of mission in Washington, D.C. He became Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations in 1984.

In 1988, Netanyahu was elected to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, for the first time as a member of the right-wing Likud party. He served as deputy minister of foreign affairs until 1991, when he became deputy minister in then-prime minister Yitzhak Shamir’s office.

Continuing to gain traction, Netanyahu was elected chairman of the Likud party in 1993.
Commentary Magazine Podcast: Bibi Goes Bye-Bye
Bret Stephens joins the podcast crew today to discuss the change in Israel’s government—and the complex legacy of Benjamin Netanyahu. Then we talk NATO, Biden, and the end of the pandemic. Give a listen.


Seth Frantzman: Israel’s new gov’t, Jordan and the rest of the Middle East
Then comes Iran and consequences of a possible Iran deal. The Biden administration currently has not signed a new deal and has signaled it is listening to Israel.

Israel must make its case without creating a crisis. It is not helpful for Israel to be seen as spoiling US foreign policy and pushing the pro-Iran deal factions into a corner where they then seem to side with Iran and against Israel. This must be done with sensitivity.

Netanyahu sought to increase domestic support by trying to harm relations with US Democrats. This was never helpful. The new administration should try to rebuild ties with the Left in the US and it has ample opportunities. Many center-left voices want to like Israel, but they have been sour on Netanyahu. Israel must be wary of this personalization of the conflict.

Saudi Arabia also looms large. Israel appeared to be forging closer ties with Riyadh over the last years. However, Saudi Arabia is getting a new cold shoulder from Washington and feels isolated. Israel and Riyadh could work on this. But Riyadh is also trying to deal with the war in Yemen and patch up ties with Iran and Syria.

The Gulf and Saudi have a role to play in northern Iraq where there are common interests and Israel should build on Riyadh’s interest in potential ties with Israel, even if for now, those ties run through the smaller Gulf states.

On eastern Syria Israel should continue to encourage the US to stay and support the Syrian Democratic Forces. The chaotic US withdrawal in October 2019 did not do good things for perceptions of the US in the region. A weakened US footprint also impacts Israel. Iran’s drone attacks on US militias in Iraq, using local militias, are bound to expand to Israel. In fact a drone flown into Israeli airspace in May was likely linked to Iran’s role in Iraq. Israel must work closely with the US on these issues.
Lapid Pledges to Repair Israel’s Ties With Democratic Party, Diaspora Jewry
The architect of the coalition that unseated Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years as prime minister, Yair Lapid, on Monday promised to repair Israel’s relationships with the Democratic party and Diaspora Jewry.

Speaking at a handover ceremony at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, the foreign minister and alternate prime minister blamed the outgoing government for damaging Israel’s ties with the party in Washington that currently controls the White House and both chambers of Congress.

“The management of the relationship with the Democratic party in the United States was careless and dangerous,” Lapid said. “The outgoing government took a terrible gamble, reckless and dangerous, to focus exclusively on the Republican party and abandon Israel’s bipartisan standing.”

With regard to Diaspora Jewry, Lapid said that work must begin to restore relationships with all streams of Judaism, mentioning the Reform and Conservative movements as well as the Orthodox movement, calling them “family.”

He also said that in his capacity as foreign minister he would work to strengthen relationships with countries in the region, including new Gulf allies the UAE and Bahrain.

“We need to continue the development that started with the Abraham Accords. To work to strengthen the peace with the Gulf States, with Egypt and with Jordan,” Lapid said. “We will work to sign agreements with more countries in the region and beyond. It’s a process, it won’t happen in a day, but the Foreign Ministry will coordinate those efforts.”
In Stunning, Revelatory Interview, Ex-Mossad Chief Warns Iran, Defends Netanyahu
Yossi Cohen, who retired as head of the Mossad last week, provided highly specific details of recent Mossad activity against Iran, his interactions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his role in Israel’s normalization with the UAE, and his own undercover career in an extraordinary interview on Israeli television broadcast on Thursday night.

Cohen intimated that his agency blew up Iran’s underground centrifuge facility at Natanz, gave a precise description of the 2018 operation in which the Mossad stole Iran’s nuclear archive from safes in a Tehran warehouse, confirmed that Iran’s assassinated top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh had been in Mossad’s sights for years, and said the regime needs to understand that Israel means what it says when it vows to prevent Iran attaining nuclear weapons.

In what would appear to be the most revelatory interview ever given by a Mossad chief so close to the end of his active service, Cohen, who was appointed by Netanyahu, said he did not rule out seeking to become prime minister one day, though he wasn’t contemplating such an ambition at the moment.

The interview was presumably approved by Israel’s military censors, and Cohen was circumspect on numerous occasions, but nonetheless talked about his career, philosophy, and key operations with an openness and detail radically atypical of spy chiefs, especially those whose service has only recently ended.

Early in the more than an hour of conversations for journalist Ilana Dayan’s “Uvda” (Fact) documentary show on Israel’s Channel 12, Cohen indicated that he was deeply familiar with Iran’s various nuclear sites, and said that, if given the opportunity, he would take Dayan to the underground “cellar” at Natanz, where, he said, “the centrifuges used to spin.”


United Arab Emirates congratulates Bennett, looks forward to more cooperation
The United Arab Emirates on Monday congratulated Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid on their formation of a new government.

The UAE foreign ministry tweeted that it looks forward to “working together to advance regional peace, strengthen tolerance and coexistence, and embark upon a new era of cooperation in technology, trade, and investment.”

Bennett’s entry into office ended over 12 years of consecutive rule by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who oversaw the normalization of relations with the UAE last year.

Israel and the UAE established ties in a deal known as the Abraham Accords, a diplomatic coup for Netanyahu brokered by his staunch ally, former US president Donald Trump. Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco also joined the accords.

However, in March Netanyahu was said to have angered the Emiratis by trying to squeeze in an official visit before the Israeli elections that same month, in what would have been seen as a major campaign coup.

At the time, Anwar Gargash, adviser to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, said the country “will not be a part in any internal electioneering in Israel, now or ever.”
Abbas says he will work to 'reclaim our people's expropriated lands'
Islamist Ra'am party leader Mansour Abbas came under criticism for Arabic-language remarks he made ahead of a vote on a new coalition, Sunday.

Speaking outside the Knesset, Abbas said he would work "to reclaim the lands that were expropriated from our people. This is a national cause of the first degree."

Islamist Ra'am party leader Mansour Abbas rejected criticism of the new government headed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister-designate and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid from right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties, as well as the Joint Arab List.

Speaking briefly in Hebrew, Abbas said it was time for the new Israeli government and the opposition to advance "dialogue between Jews and Arabs so that we understand each other and do not see each other as enemies."

"We belong to different religions and communities, but there is something that connects all Israelis, it is our citizenship," he said, calling to strengthen dialogue between Jews, Arabs

Abbas, who made history as the leader of the first Arab party to serve in a coalition government, expressed hope "ties between the Jewish and Arab communities" would strengthen.


PreOccupiedTerritory: New Israel Fund Still Plans To Call Everything In Israel Terrible, Racist (satire)
Israel swore in its most diverse government in history today, including an unprecedented number of women, at least one gay cabinet minister, and, in a first, coalition membership by an explicitly Arab party. The broad show of unity has helped shore up the country’s image as an island of tolerance and democracy in a Levantine sea of repressive dictatorships where Arabs, a religious and ethnic minority, enjoy greater civil rights, freedoms, and prosperity than Arabs in surrounding countries where they constitute the majority. Nevertheless, a spokeswoman for a major left-wing American-Israeli organization insisted their materials will continue to decry the Jewish State as reactionary and discriminatory.

New Israel Fund representative Gayiskha Mishi told reporters at the organization’s Talpiot-neighborhood offices today that the NIF will not chuck in to the trash the years’ worth of materials it has amassed that describe Israel as plagued by institutional and systemic racism, prejudice, inequality, discrimination, and segregation, even though the government that just took office gives the lie to such allegations.

“We have an obligation to our donors and our mission,” she insisted. “It does neither us nor our funders any good to be presented with clear evidence that minorities fare better in Israel than in the US. We certainly don’t want the people who pay our salaries to realize our work here is no longer as necessary as it may have been before! Heaven forbid! Of course we will continue to compare Israel with Apartheid-era South Africa; with the Jim Crow south; and with the Pale of Settlement in Tsarist Russia, but in this case with the Jews as the lords of the land and the poor, beleaguered Arabs forced to bear the consequences of feudal whims.”
Did the Latest Israel-Hamas Round of Fighting Increase Criticism of Israel?
The visibility of pro-Palestinian protesters during the recent Israel-Hamas conflict, especially in the US, gave the impression that the delegitimization of Israel has reached new heights. An analysis of Google Trends indicates otherwise. View PDF

The recent bout of fighting between Israel and Hamas was sparked by Hamas’s launching of missiles at Jerusalem, and the conflict that ensued saw Hamas send 4,000 missiles toward Israel with the intention of harming as many civilians as possible. The prominence in the media of pro-Palestinian protesters clamoring to defend Hamas and decry Israel’s efforts to defend itself, especially in the US, gave the impression that the delegitimization of Israel has reached new heights.

Google Trends plots web searches on various topics. Data from Google Trends always show that rounds of fighting against Hamas increase censure of Israel, but this time, the level of censure was not nearly as high as it was during the rounds in 2008-9 and 2014.

Take the phrase “boycott Israel” as a rallying cry against the Jewish state. The following graph plots relative worldwide interest in the phrase since 2004. The highest interest occurred in the 2014 round of fighting, meriting a score of 100. The 2008-9 round was a close second, with a score of 90. In sharp contrast, the present bout aroused less than one-third the interest of the 2014 round and just over one-third of the 2008-9 round, perhaps because it was a battle largely fought from the air without the participation of IDF ground forces.

The differences between the last bout and the 2008-9 and 2014 rounds are even greater given the rise in Google searches over the years.
38 Senators Call for Missile-Defense Aid to Israel
In the wake of the recent war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, and as Congress begins to debate the 2022 federal budget, 38 senators voiced bipartisan support for providing Israel with $500 million in funding for the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow 3 missile-defense programs.

Under the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Israel — which was codified into law last year — the U.S. is required to provide this aid annually for cooperative missile-defense programs, on top of an additional $3.3 billion in military aid.

The senators, led by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Mike Rounds (R-SD), voiced their support for the $500 million appropriation in a letter to Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Richard Shelby (R-AL). Tester chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and Shelby is the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.

“Not only does this critical funding help Israel defend itself and save lives, but it also strengthens U.S. national security, aiding research and development,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “Our relationship with Israel is unbreakable and I’m proud to lead this bipartisan push each year to ensure Israel has the resources needed to protect its citizens.”

“The advancements we have been able to make in this cooperative effort will benefit our defense capabilities as well as those of our ally Israel,” Rounds said. “This missile defense system has also saved the lives of countless Israeli and Palestinian citizens living in Israel. It is important that we continue to authorize and fund these systems.”
Hady Amr likely to be US consul-general to Palestinians
The Biden administration likely will appoint US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr as the US consul-general to the Palestinians, multiple diplomatic sources said Monday.

Amr would work out of a reestablished US Consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem, which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced last month. Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would oppose a consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem, which is sovereign Israeli land.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has an opinion on the matter but would not make any statements on it without coordinating with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, a source close to Bennett said. Lapid was just assuming office and needed time to formulate policy, his spokesman said.

The State Department would not confirm or deny Amr’s appointment or whether the issue of a consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem came up in Blinken’s congratulatory phone call with Lapid on Sunday night.

Amr is thought to be one of the main engines behind the Biden administration’s planned unconditional restoration of aid to the Palestinians via the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and NGOs.
CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Falsely Accuses Israel of ‘Killing Two-state Solution for 15 Years’
Exposing CNN’s State of Denial
CNN and other influential media outlets have opted to exclude crucial details about the on-again, off-again peace talks between the Israeli government and Palestinian Authority. But beyond this sin of omission is the sin of commission: depicting the Jewish state as the primary obstacle to a two-state solution.

Meanwhile, the PA’s rejection of repeated Israeli attempts to revive peace talks and non-stop incitement to violence have led to countless rounds of war, as well as the prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people.

As such, when commenting about a complex topic like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Fareed Zakaria would be well-advised to provide his sizeable viewership with a more accurate picture of the situation. Defaulting to the ‘Blame Israel’ narrative does a great disservice to those who watch CNN with a view to being truthfully informed.
Yisrael Medad: More on 'Palestine is But Southern Syria'
Not only did the Atabs of Mandate Palestine claim they were but Southern Syrians but elements in Transjordan did as well.

June 14, 1928, Palestine Post:


Ukraine considers buying the Iron Dome
The Ukrainian city of Mariupol is looking into purchasing the Iron Dome missile defense system from Israel in order to protect the city’s airport.

Mariupol is the largest city in the Ukraine’s Donetsk region that has seen incessant fighting with Russian-backed troops since 2014 in a war that has killed some 14,000 people and displaced millions more. The city’s airport, which is near the border with Russia, has been closed since the fighting broke out.

But with a lull in fighting, city officials have been wanting to reopen the airport in order to redevelop the industrial port city that sits on the Azov Sea.

The deputy mayor of the city, Sergei Zakharov, said in an interview with local press that reopening the skies as well as modern infrastructure to protect the airport and surrounding skies are two of the main points that are needed in order to reopen the airport.

According to the mrpl.city news website, Zakharov said that while the city doesn’t need a large airport, it needs a safe one. And while the city has seen relative quiet in recent years, a massive buildup of Russian troops along the border in May fueled fears of another military offensive by Moscow.

Pointing to Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport, he said that flights are allowed despite the fact that the airport is located “8 km. from the buffer zones.” Mariupol’s airport is 40 km. from the delimitation zone set by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

“For security, the Israelis use the Iron Dome tactical defense system. We can also adopt this practice and we have already laid the groundwork in this area and are aware of the steps needed to be taken,” Zakharov said.
Amid threats from Gaza, police minister says flag march to proceed as scheduled
The Hamas terror group warned on Monday that a contentious march by Jewish ultranationalists through parts of Jerusalem’s Old City on Tuesday could spark a regional war, as Israel’s new police minister said there were no plans to scrap the event.

“The flags march is like an explosive that will cause a new campaign to protect Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque to ignite,” Hamas spokesperson Abd al-Latif Qanou said in a statement.

The group also called on Palestinians to “confront Israeli settlers” during the march. “The nation and the resistance are behind you in the effort to thwart the plans of occupation,” Qanou said.

The march, rescheduled after the original event on Jerusalem Day, May 10, was stopped short by Hamas rocket fire at Jerusalem, is expected to be the first major test faced by Israel’s new government, which was sworn in on Sunday.
Palestinian Authority perturbed about Egypt-Hamas rapprochement
The Palestinian Authority is unhappy with the recent rapprochement between Egypt and Hamas, Palestinian sources said Monday. The PA is also worried about Egypt’s continued support for deposed Fatah leader Mohammad Dahlan, an archrival of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, the sources said.

The Egyptians, on the other hand, are said to be outraged by Abbas’s alleged attempt to obstruct Cairo’s effort to contribute to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of last month’s fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has pledged $500 million to help rebuild the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. He has also dispatched dozens of engineers, bulldozers and cranes to the Gaza Strip to assist in the reconstruction effort.

“Egypt is working behind our back,” said a senior Palestinian official in Ramallah. “The Egyptians are working directly with Hamas on the reconstruction effort, ignoring the role of the Palestinian Authority.”

The official denied claims that Abbas was working to hinder Egypt’s efforts in the Gaza Strip.

The tensions between Ramallah and Cairo were also related to the PA’s demand to supervise the entry of Qatari cash grants into the Gaza Strip, The New Arab online news site reported.
Palestinians: The Battle to Steal Reconstruction Funds
The Palestinian Authority says that it should be the only party in charge of the reconstruction and that all funds must be channeled through its government. Hamas, on the other hand, insists that the funds from the international community be sent directly to its coffers.

"The Palestinians must remove this Iranian occupation in Palestine so that they can live in peace." — Nora Shanar, Saudi author, Elaph, May 10, 2021.

The message the Arabs and Muslims are sending to the Biden administration and other Western donors: Stop showering money on corrupt and failed Palestinian leaders whose stock-in-trade is purloining international funds. The Palestinians do not need money as much as they need new leaders whose commitment to the welfare of their people outweighs their interest in their own pockets.
PMW: Senior Fatah official supports Hamas rockets “that put Israel in bomb shelters”
While it was the terror organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad that fired over 4,300 rockets into Israel in the May 2021 war, Fatah officials are openly expressing their support for the rocket attacks. Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki, for example, expressed his admiration on different occasions, “blessing the rockets” that forced Israelis to “hide” in bomb shelters:
Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki: “Blessings to the rockets that placed Hamas- that put Israel on alert or put them in bomb shelters. They caused [Israelis] to hide.”

[Facebook page of Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki, May 30, 2021]

Similarly, Zaki stated that the Palestinian “victory” was achieved partly thanks to “those in the Gaza Strip who subdued the Israeli generals and sent them to bomb shelters.” [SHMS News Agency, June 8, 2021]

At an event commemorating former Islamic Jihad Movement Secretary-General Ramadan Abdallah Shalah, the Fatah official expressed his support for the rocket barrages on Israeli cities through which Islamic Jihad’s military wing “taught the enemy an important lesson”:
“Fatah Movement Central Committee member [and Fatah Commissioner for Arab and China Relations] Abbas Zaki… said: ‘The thing I most wish for on this sad anniversary is that the late Shalah would have been among us, so that he could have seen with his own eyes the prominence of the Jerusalem Brigades (i.e., Islamic Jihad’s military wing), which taught the enemy an important lesson, especially with their development in the field of military operations.’”

[SHMS News Agency, June 6, 2021]


Fatah made an “organizational decision”: Violent Arab riots “will not stop”



How Israel Snuck the Explosives into Iran's Natanz Underground Nuclear Facility
Recently retired Mossad chief Yossi Cohen was interviewed by Israel's Channel 12 on Thursday. Discussing Iran's Natanz underground nuclear facility, where a blast in April tore apart one of its underground enrichment halls, the interviewer - journalist Ilana Dayan - asked Cohen where he'd take them if they could travel there. He said, "To the cellar. Because that is where the spinning centrifuges are located - those that used to spin. Nowadays, the cellar doesn't look like it used to."

Dayan then added, "The man who was responsible for these explosions, it becomes clear, made sure to supply to the Iranians the marble foundation on which the centrifuges are placed. As they install this foundation within the Natanz facility, they have no idea that it already includes an enormous amount of explosives."

They also talked about Israel's operation seizing archival documents from Iran's military nuclear program. Dayan said 20 agents, none Israelis, seized material from 32 safes, then scanned and transmitted a large portion of the documents. Cohen confirmed that the Mossad received most of the material before it was physically taken out of Iran.

Cohen defended the decision to go public with the operation. "It was important to us that the world will see this, but this thing should also resonate with the Iranian leadership, to tell them, 'Dear friends: One, you are vulnerable. Two, we see you. Three, the time of hiding and lies has ended.'"
Iran’s Torture Mastermind Set to Become the Next President
It was a sweltering July afternoon in 1983 when more than a dozen Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps members knocked down Farideh Goudarzi’s aunt’s door, guns drawn. At nine months pregnant, the twenty-one-year-old could barely run, let alone walk. Under surveillance for her opposition endeavors and distribution of anti-regime leaflets, all Goudarzi could do was wait.

“I was taken straight away into an interrogation room about three by four meters with just one table in the middle used for flogging prisoners,” she said. “The floor was covered with blood. I did not know then that a lot of that fresh blood was from my husband, who disappeared two days earlier.”

Despite being days away from giving birth to her first child, Goudarz remembered being barbarically lashed with electric cables across almost every inch of her quivering body and slapped so voraciously across the face that she still suffers now with jaw arthritis and bouts of shooting pain.

“About eight men were standing there to flog me. But I remember one man most of all – he was young, maybe 21 or 22, with a dark shirt over his pants. He was standing in the corner watching the other men flog me and flog me,” Goudarzi, now 59, said. “He seemed to enjoy it. That man was Ebrahim Raisi.”

The man with the wild eyes of amusement is slated to become the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran next week.
40 Years after Iraq Nuclear Reactor Bombing, Israel Accidentally Destroys Iran’s Nuclearized Rice Factories (satire)
Marking 40 years since the Israeli bombing of the French-made Iraqi nuclear reactor Osirak, apparently the Israel Air Force mistakenly wiped out Iran’s controversial subterranean nuclearized rice factories.

The Israel Air Force commander Amikam Norkin spoke to The Mideast Beast about the dramatic accident.

“Last night, approximately one hundred Israeli F-35, F-15 and F-16 fighter jets had gathered for a relaxed summer picnic team-building event outside Tel Aviv. Suddenly, due to unforeseen weather changes, minor technical errors, and a slight miscommunication, our fighter pilots mysteriously entered Iranian air space and accidentally dropped multiple MOABs on Iran’s subterranean nuclear-spiced rice factories, which were sadly completely destroyed beyond repair. Thank God that the ayatollahs are known as the pacifist Tibetan monks of the Middle East and never wanted nuclear bombs, so clearly radiation will not be an issue.”

Norkin confirmed that the accidental bombings were carried out in accordance with Israel Air Force protocol.

“Our concerned pilots managed to send TLC-laden text messages to the Iranian nuclear scientists Michelin rice chefs, asking them to hug their glow-in-the-dark teddy bears and to stay safe.”







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