Thursday, August 12, 2021

08/12 Links Pt1: Biden Admin Decision to Hide Info About Palestinian Terrorism From Congress Broke Law; HRW’s Inconsistency and Incoherence Continues; Abraham Accords, one year later

From Ian:

Biden Admin Decision to Hide Info About Palestinian Terrorism From Congress Broke Law, Watchdog Says
Biden administration officials may have broken the law when they erased information about the Palestinian government's terror incitement from a mandatory compliance report submitted to Congress in July, according to a legal watchdog group.

The America First Legal Foundation (AFLF) in a letter sent Wednesday is asking the State Department inspector general to investigate the Biden administration's decision to omit references to the Palestinian government's calls for violence, as well as its support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement—issues that are being closely monitored by Congress as the Biden administration restarts millions of dollars in U.S. aid to the Palestinians. Information about Palestinian terror incitement and support for the BDS movement were included in the outgoing Trump administration's October 2020 version of the report, but removed by the Biden administration when it came into office, as the Free Beacon first reported.

The AFLF letter says the Biden administration removed this information to downplay Palestinian intransigence as it renews taxpayer aid to the government. Lawmakers, including a large portion of Republicans, criticized the resumption of U.S. aid, particularly since the Palestinian government subsidizes terrorists and advocates for Israel's destruction. The AFLF has also submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the State Department for all internal records related to the decision to nix information from the latest congressional report.

The Biden administration "unlawfully [concealed] multiple material derogatory facts regarding the Palestinian Authority's ongoing economic, political, and ideological support for terrorism; economic warfare against Israel; and opposition to regional peace," Reed Rubinstein, AFLF's senior counselor, wrote to acting State Department inspector general Diana Shaw. "It seems these derogatory facts were deleted, expunged, and concealed not because circumstances on the ground had changed, but rather because officials in the Department's Bureau of Near East Affairs and in the Biden White House decided to cover them up, at least in part to facilitate the planned transfer of hundreds of millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian Authority in potential violation of U.S. law."

If the information was removed in order to keep Congress in the dark about the Palestinian government's ongoing transgressions, it could constitute a violation of U.S. law, according to AFLF's letter.

The watchdog group says the State Department must "immediately open an investigation" into any decision by officials "to conceal and cover up material derogatory facts regarding the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority from the Congress."
Murphy urges U.S. to deprioritize Iran, says Saudis should to ‘come to terms’ with Hezbollah influence
Murphy warned that Lebanon, which has been besieged by a series of crises, is on the brink of becoming a failed state and a source of instability and terrorism that could last decades. He blamed the deteriorating situation in part on a lack of Saudi engagement due to Hezbollah’s influence inside Lebanon.

“[The Saudis] are deeply uncomfortable with the role that Hezbollah plays. The Saudis should come to terms with the fact that — at least in the short term — Hezbollah is going to be part of the political infrastructure there,” he said. “It would be much better for the Saudis to be a partner with the United States, with the French and other countries to try to offer the kind of economic support that might provoke political reform that would eventually allow for technocrats and non-sectarian actors to have greater influence in the government. That would lessen the influence of Hezbollah.”

Murphy’s proposals on Iran and Lebanon reflect his broader view of U.S. Middle East policy as severely out of date.

“What we want is to try to midwife a conversation about a regional security architecture, in which the Iranians and the Saudis and the Emiratis aren’t constantly battling with each other through proxy fights,” he said. “I don’t think that our current position in the region — whereby we are essentially giving the Saudi side whatever they need — is actually leading to that détente or to that conversation happening.”

A key part of an altered U.S. strategy must include “play[ing] hardball” with the Saudis,” Murphy continued, dismissing concerns that decreased U.S. influence could create openings for its geopolitical rivals.

“I don’t believe this argument that the Saudis are going to walk away from a security alliance with the United States,” he explained. “They will never get from the Chinese nor the Russians what they get from the United States today… They want us to be tougher on Iran, but they don’t have another potential partner like the United States.”
Gaza rockets killed Palestinians, Israelis in 'flagrant' war crimes - HRW
The report did not mention attacks on Jewish-Israelis that took place in the days leading up to Operation Guardian of the Walls. “Hamas authorities should stop trying to justify unlawful rocket attacks that indiscriminately kill and injure civilians by pointing to Israel’s violations,” Goldstein said. “The laws of war are meant to protect all civilians from harm.”

Abu Hamza, spokesman for Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another Gazan-based terror group, told Al Jazeera that when the terrorist organization discovered that there were children present at targets, “these missions were stopped,” adding “the enemy knows very well what I am talking about.”

Two Israeli children were killed by rocket fire from Gaza during the operation: five-year-old Ido Avigal and 16-year-old Nadin Awad. Abu Hamza’s statement echoed statements the IDF often makes during operations to explain its policies to avoid civilian casualties. The IDF often calls off missions if civilians are spotted at the targeted location.

Palestinian terrorist groups have repeatedly been found to violate the rights of children and place children at risk.

HRW Executive Director Ken Roth, who in May accused Israel of being an apartheid state, came under fire in July after he retweeted a report on the severe spike in antisemitism in the UK during Israel’s war with Gaza in May, implying that Israeli government action was responsible for antisemitism.


HRW’s Inconsistency and Incoherence Continues: EJIL: Talk! Symposium on A Threshold Crossed
On 5-9 July 2021, EJIL:Talk!, an influential international law blog, hosted a symposium on “Apartheid in Israel/Palestine”. According to Marko Milanovic, co-editor of the blog, its purpose is to discuss legal issues related to the “increasing trend amongst human rights activists and NGOs of labelling Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians as constituting apartheid”, and specifically to focus on Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) April 2021 publication, A Threshold Crossed. The symposium does not purport to be a comprehensive examination. Rather, it is intended to explore whether and how the crime against humanity of apartheid, initially proscribed specifically in relation to the situation in southern Africa, might be applied to other situations; additionally, as Milanovic noted, how “labels such as apartheid” are employed to create political narratives to “mobiliz[e] and (de)legitimiz[e] power.”

The charge of apartheid against Israel is not new, nor does it reflect a novel or increasing trend.1 However, the five articles written for the symposium and HRW’s response are illuminating in two respects: first, they provide confirmation that the central agenda of the “apartheid campaign” is to delegitimize and demonize Zionism and the existence of Israel within any borders; and second, that HRW’s Threshold is based on an invented legal definition. HRW’s artificial and manipulative process under the façade of systematic legal analysis is used to provide support for, and mutually reinforces, the political objective – to delegitimize Jewish self-determination. HRW’s response also reflects what can (charitably) be described as ongoing incoherence concerning their methodologies, policies, and control over media coverage.

Predictably, the contributions offered by Noura Erakat (Rutgers University and associated with multiple Palestinian NGOs) and Rania Muhareb (Al Haq) attack Israel’s legitimacy as a Jewish state, regardless of borders. Erakat’s post is an historically false screed, labeling Zionism as “defined by discrimination”. Erakat promotes conspiratorial theories, including that “Israel is manifesting to the world what Palestinians have long known: it wants the land without the people and seeks to remain the sole source of authority from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.” Erakat invokes the calumny, popularized in the 1920s by the antisemite Henry Ford and later revived by the neo-Nazi, KKK Grand Wizard David Duke, of “Jewish supremacy”. Erakat’s conspiracies, rejection of Jewish self-determination, and characterization of Israel as racist could be considered as antisemitism under the International Holocaust Remembrance Association Working Definition.2 It is hard to imagine that a post expressing similar sentiments directed at any other ethnic or religious group would have been published. For example, how many academics in the field of international law call for the dismantling of India because of the 1947 partition and allegations of ongoing discrimination against its Muslim population, much less advocate for it in a highly respected legal publication.

Carola Lingaas, a Norwegian academic, and Joshua Kern, Barrister at 9 Bedford Row and counsel to the Institute for NGO Research, offers in-depth analyses of the legal definition of apartheid, noting material differences between the standards delineated in international legal instruments and those posited by HRW. Professor Eugene Kontorovich details the factual and political distortions endemic throughout Threshold.


Is Human Rights Watch Targeting Israel?
Israel, with a population of 7.4 million, is home to at least 80 human rights organizations, a vibrant free press, a democratically elected government, a judiciary that frequently rules against the government, a politically active academia, multiple political parties and, judging by the amount of news coverage, probably more journalists per capita than any other country in the world, many of whom are there expressly to cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Meanwhile, the Arab and Iranian regimes rule over some 350 million people, and most remain brutal, closed and autocratic, permitting little or no internal dissent. The plight of their citizens, who would most benefit from the kind of attention a large and well-financed international human rights organization can provide is being ignored as Human Rights Watch’s Middle East division prepares report after report on Israel.

Human Rights Watch has lost critical perspective on a conflict in which Israel has been repeatedly attacked by Hamas and Hezbollah, organizations that go after Israeli citizens and use their own people as human shields. These groups are supported by the government of Iran, which has openly declared its intention not just to destroy Israel but to murder Jews everywhere. This incitement to genocide is a violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Leaders of Human Rights Watch know that Hamas and Hezbollah chose to wage war from densely populated areas, deliberately transforming neighbourhoods into battlefields. They know that more and better arms are flowing into both Gaza and Lebanon and are poised to strike again. And they know that this militancy continues to deprive Palestinians of any chance for the peaceful and productive life they deserve. Yet Israel, the repeated victim of aggression, faces the brunt of Human Rights Watch’s criticism.”

In 2014, Roth all but endorsed Hamas’ use of tunnels to potentially kidnap Israeli soldiers, hinting that this did not contravene international law.

Can HRW, an organization that practices such flagrant bias and whose Directors are routinely accused of antisemitism not just by Jews but by notable politicians and other high profile people, still be taken seriously or even considered a human rights organisation?

The evidence points to the contrary but with high-profile events like the 20th Anniversary of the UN Conference on Racism taking place next month, HRW is bound to enjoy some attention as they present their “findings”. At least ten countries will be boycotting this event out of concerns for a repeat of the 2001 conference that became nothing short of an antisemitic and anti-Israel festival of hatred. Venomous Hate. At least ten countries will be boycotting the 20thanniversary of the 2001 World Conference Against Racism Conference out of concerns for a repeat (seen here) of that antisemitic and anti-Israel hatefest in Durban, South Africa. (Archives: AFP)

Many of us are concerned about what will result from this conference, especially in light of escalating global antisemitism. This is where human rights organisations should lead the fight against antisemitism but for HRW, those days are long gone.
Honest Reporting: As Hamas Seizes UN-run Gaza School to Hide War Crimes, Media Still Slamming Israel Over May Conflict
The harassment of UN personnel showcases Hamas’ blatant contempt for basic tenets of international law. Specifically, the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations states that “premises of the United Nations shall be inviolable.” When the Palestinian Authority was formed following the signing of the Oslo Accords, in a series of letters with UNRWA it pledged to uphold the Convention.

But the terror group is almost certainly trying to hide a far graver violation of international humanitarian law: namely, its use of Gazans as human shields.

Hamas has a long history of embedding assets and fighters in UN schools to shield them from Israeli retaliatory attacks. For example, UNRWA in 2017 discovered a terror tunnel under two schools in the Maghazi camp. During the 2014 war, the agency confirmed that terrorists were using one of its facilities to store rockets, and a UN report subsequently concluded that it is “highly likely” that the structure was used to launch attacks on Israel.

Gaza’s “de facto authorities” are also known to use residential buildings, hotels and even hospitals as launching pads for attacks against the Jewish state. In June, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ leader in Gaza, went so far as to admit that the terror group has headquarters “inside towers and residential buildings.”

For instance, Al Jazeera recently aired footage of Gaza’s Metro. “Long and extended passages, ammunition depots, and rocket launch pads, are all part of this underground military and operational complex,” the segment explained. In the video, a member of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades can be seen handling ammunition inside a network of tunnels that, Al Jazeera confirmed, “spans the entire Gaza Strip.”

Additionally, in a rare May 26 Wall Street Journal article, Hamas spokesman Basem Naim was quoted as saying: “How to defend ourselves, with tunnels or without tunnels, where to have the tunnels, this is our choice.”

No other major English-language outlet has mentioned Naim’s quote.

As The New York Times’ ethics guidelines state, news consumers expect journalists to tell the “complete, unvarnished truth” — and that includes inconvenient truths. When reporters time and again ignore Hamas’ war crimes, they are effectively abdicating their collective responsibility to hold to account a terrorist regime that poses a threat to both innocent Israelis and Gazans alike.
Freeze UNRWA funds to Gaza schools over Hamas attack tunnels, Erdan urges
UN funding to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools in Gaza must be frozen as long as Hamas refuses to allow international inspection of the attack tunnels found underneath those educational institutions, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said on Wednesday.

The UN “cannot allow its own schools and buildings to be used as a sanctuary for terrorists and terror activity,” Erdan said in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

At issue were two Hamas tunnels found in proximity to two UNRWA schools this summer in the aftermath of the 11-Day Gaza war in May, one in Zeitoun and the other in Rafah.

The UN had sent a team from its Mine Action Service (UNMAS) to inspect the area of the tunnels by the schools, which are expected to service some 4,000 students when they open later this month.

Hamas, however, prevented the UNMAS teams from inspecting the area by the Zeitoun school. As a result, the UN canceled the Rafah site visit.

Erdan called on Guterres and “all relevant UN bodies to condemn Hamas and to freeze all funding of UNRWA’s facilities in Gaza and bar the usage thereof until the completion of a thorough and independent investigation of Hamas’ use and abuse of these institutions to advance its reign of terror.”

When asked about the issue at a briefing in New York, Guterres’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said only that UNRWA schools should be violence-free.


Erdogan’s Turkey Is a Key Patron of Global Efforts to Delegitimize Israel
The confluence of Erdogan’s virulent antisemitism, condemned in May by the State Department and the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, with the terrorism of Hamas and PIJ leads to a toxic mix. Turkey, which was once a key security partner for Israel, started providing Hamas with a convenient base for operations following Erdogan’s rise to power.

The Turkish president, in fact, publicly endorsed Hamas in 2018 as “not a terrorist organization” but “a resistance movement.” The State Department chided Turkey in August 2020 for receiving a Hamas delegation that included Ismail Haniyeh and Saleh Arouri, who ordered the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers in 2014. When the delegation arrived, an Israeli official claimed that Turkey had supplied a dozen Hamas members with passports. Washington has sanctioned both Haniyeh and Arouri.

Additionally, Israel warned in February 2021 that Ankara has allowed Palestinians to use Turkish soil to plot terrorist attacks against Israel on several occasions. In 2016, then-Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon went so far as to accuse Turkey of “hosting in Istanbul the terror command post of Hamas abroad.”

The recent conference raises major concerns about Turkey’s role in sheltering terrorists and in promoting boycotts against Israel. If the Erdogan government ever wants to thaw Turkey’s relations with Israel, it must stop supporting groups committed to destroying the Jewish state.
Seth Frantzman: Abraham Accords, one year later: The inside story
A LOOK back at the origins of the Accords finds that many paths led to the agreement in the summer of 2020. Some of these processes were long-term, and they occurred on both sides of the Atlantic.

Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, a former member of the United Arab Emirates Federal National Council and founder of the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum, the Strategists Center and AlMansoori Consultancy, has been involved in peace work for many years. He speaks about the need to solve problems in civilized and peaceful ways.

Today his museum is one of the unique new sites in the UAE that showcases this tolerance and has hosted many Jewish visitors.

“I was surprised by the announcement,” he recalls. “I knew we had a diplomatic relationship that was evolving simultaneously with developing mutual interests, growing on a wise incremental pace,” he says.

The UAE was also positioning itself as a center of tolerance and dialogue, hosting the pope and 700 religious figures at a Conference on Human Fraternity in February 2019.

Ghanem Nuseibeh, who comes from a prominent Muslim family in Jerusalem, has been working toward peace quietly through meetings for years. Back in the early 2000s he hosted a meeting in London of intellectuals from the Gulf and Israel, including former officials. “The focus was on how to deal with common challenges facing the region, and that is why the relations were built on common interests and realizing a common future.” UAE AMBASSADOR Mohamed Al Khaja and President Isaac Herzog at the opening ceremony of the United Arab Emirates embassy in Tel Aviv on July 14. In New York, Rabbi Elie Abadie recalls hosting UAE officials for 10 years at his New York synagogue. A year later he is the senior rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates and recalls the joy and happiness when the news was announced.
JPost Editorial: Is Bahrain a key player in Israel's diplomacy in the Middle East? -opinion
Last year, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdellatif al-Zayani came to Ben-Gurion Airport, where he was greeted by his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi. His visit was “a strategic start to enhancing joint cooperation,” he said.

“The Middle East has witnessed conflicts and instability over the past decades. The time has come for us to pursue other policies to reach a comprehensive solution.”

Now, Bahrain’s Undersecretary for International Relations at the Foreign Ministry is reinforcing this sense of unity on regional issues. He has said the Iran Deal of 2015 “fueled crises across the Middle East.” He signed an agreement with the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. The deputy foreign minister also visited organizations from Israeli civil society, universities and research institutes to enhance ties between Israel and Bahrain. He went scuba diving with Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz, a rare example of shared recreational activity intersecting with diplomacy.

Of key importance was a meeting he held with the head of IDF’s Strategic Planning and Cooperation Directorate (J5), Maj. Gen. Tal Kelman, who is also Israel’s point person for confronting Iran within the military. The meeting focused on “the desire to strengthen security ties between the countries,” according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. “Following the discussion, a strategic panel was held that focused on both common challenges and opportunities in the region for Israel and Bahrain.”

The exciting and important visit is part of a series of positive developments for the Abraham Accords that have been good for the Middle East, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said at a virtual conference of the Aspen Security Forum last week. An example was Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s visit to Morocco this week.

Taken together – the Lapid trip, the comments from Riyadh, and the Bahrain multi-day visit – they showcase the strength of the peace agreements in the region a year after the UAE and Israel announced they would normalize relations.

There is more to do on key issues. The Saudis want to see more progress on the Palestinian front, for instance, and they have not normalized ties with Israel. The Iranian threat is growing, as evidenced by the attack on a ship off the coast of Oman. However, the current trend with Bahrain shows how Manama’s role has been key and should be heralded.
One year on, Abraham Accords promises better days ahead
When Fleur Hassan met Omar Al Bussaidy at Dubai’s plush Armani hotel at the first ever face-to-face UAE-Israel Global Investment Forum in June this year, the glean on their faces were brighter than the crystal chandeliers dangling above their heads. The warm rapport between the deputy mayor of Jerusalem and the young Emirati diplomat showed no trace of tension between the Arabs and Jews spawned by weeks-long escalation of violence across the Israeli-Palestinian border the previous month.

The conflict was a litmus test, many thought, for Abraham Accords — the ambitious, forward-looking peace deal that ended decades of diplomatic impasse between Israel and its Arab neighbours like the UAE and Bahrain. But the conference jointly organised by Khaleej Times and Jerusalem Post that brought together entrepreneurs and thought leaders from both sides was just another testament that Abraham Accords is much more than a peace deal between two countries. It is a harbinger of peace and optimism that draws from and builds on people-to-people relations.

As a journalist, I had the opportunity last year to experience first-hand this paradigm change in the Arab-Jewish mindset. Exactly a year ago, the UAE changed the course of the Middle Eastern history and became the first GCC country to announce normalisation of relations with Israel. A month later, on September 15, in a grand ceremony at the White House lawn, UAE and Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords recognising that “the best way to address challenges is through cooperation and dialogue and that developing friendly relations among states advances the interest of lasting peace in the Middle East and around the world”. Sudan and Morocco later followed and established diplomatic relations with Israel.

On November 26, 2020, I boarded the first passenger flight that took off from Dubai to Tel Aviv to script the first draft of history. Me and my photographer were equally elated and anxious about an assignment that many warned was ‘too sensitive’.

But what awaited us was a warm welcome that journalists on foreign soil do not usually expect. We were lucky to be at the receiving end of the Israeli euphoria and optimism about the new peace deal. In the power corridors as well as on the streets of Tel Aviv, people were thrilled that a UAE journalist was visiting them.
Here's how to build Jewish life in a 21st-century Muslim nation | Opinion
With hundreds of Jewish residents, and hundreds of thousands of international visitors this year, the United Arab Emirates is now home to the world’s “largest small Jewish community.” In the honeymoon year following the Abraham Accords, this community shifted rapidly from simply being a point of curiosity to becoming a new center of gravity for global Jewry. Throughout history, whenever Jews have migrated to a new land, we faced a choice between assimilating to the culture of the host country or separating ourselves from it entirely. In our case, however, there is a third possibility: acculturation.

Acculturation differs from assimilation in that the migrating population retains the elements of its identity while adapting to a new local environment. It puts the guest and host cultures into dialogue, creating a blend of the “guest” heritage with that of the local population. It involves a true partner in the host population, and real trust. Acculturation is never a one-way street since it implies an adaptation on the part of the host culture as well. Directing the traffic of cultural exchange requires vigilant reading of signals and signposts.

Our history in the UAE has been the story of adaptation in concert with the local Emirati population. Since 2008, Jewish families have gathered in a private Dubai villa for Shabbat, holidays and lifecycle events. Following the UAE government’s announcement naming the year 2019 the “Year of Tolerance,” the Jewish community entered the public eye, taking its place among the many religious communities living in the Emirates. In February of that year, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, revealed plans to build a major interfaith complex called the “Abrahamic Family House,” which will include a mosque, a church, and a synagogue, as a unique symbol of coexistence in the Middle East. The newly created UAE Ministry of Tolerance published a book entitled “Celebrating Tolerance,” highlighting the UAE’s diverse landscape, including a chapter on the Jewish community. We read the signposts: religious tolerance is sine-qua-non with being Emirati, a synagogue does not need to be a hidden structure, and Jews do not need to be invisible.
Abraham Accords 'silver lining' in a year of suffering, says UAE chief rabbi
The signing of the Abraham Accords was a beacon of hope for the Middle East in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UAE’s chief rabbi has said.

Yehuda Sarna spoke to The National after creating a special prayer to mark the first anniversary of the historic accords between the UAE and Israel.

The prayer has been shared with more than 1,000 synagogues around the world before the first anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords on August 13.

Rabbi Sarna said the benediction was for the whole Middle East region, and focused on shared blessings including “empowered youth, good health and blooming deserts”.

“For so many people the signing of the Abraham Accords was the silver lining of 2020, a year of so much suffering and isolation,” he said.

“It absolutely lifted so many people up in a difficult year.”

Rabbi Sarna said the positive effects the accords had on international relations could not be overestimated.

“For many, many people the Abraham Accords came out of nowhere,” he said.

“Many Jews around the world did not know about the UAE and its deep history of religious tolerance, nor did they know about the organic emergence of the Jewish community in the UAE.”
Abraham Accords: A year of ‘faith and tolerance’ between UAE, Israel, say Rabbis
Senior rabbis across the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have spoken of a year of tolerance shown to residents of the Jewish faith in the two GCC countries ahead of the first anniversary of the historic Abraham Accords.

On August 13, 2020, the United Arab Emirates and Israel announced that they would be establishing relations, this was followed by Bahrain and Israel on September 11, 2020.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Days later, on September 15th, the three countries signed the Abraham Accords Declaration which stated their recognition of “the importance of maintaining and strengthening peace in the Middle East and around the world based on mutual understanding and coexistence, as well as respect for human dignity and freedom, including religious freedom.” Sudan and Morocco have also since signed the peace agreement.

Dr Elie Abadie, a senior rabbi in the UAE, told Al Arabiya English that the deal has led to huge strides towards religious tolerance between the Middle East nations.

“It has led to the development and growth in the Jewish community in the UAE, but what is so much more is that the Jewish community can be open and worship their faith, with pride and comfort – that’s a major achievement.”

“For decades the people of the UAE and Israel did not know much about each, now we are becoming the best of friends and are experiencing a tremendous exchange of culture, science and technology. It is a huge achievement.”

In February, it was announced that the local Jewish communities of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar had come together to form the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities (AGJC), with plans to establish the region’s first Jewish court.

Dr Abadie said he believed, as relations continue to flourish between Israel and Middle East nations more countries will join the Abraham Accords.
Sharaka Delegation Discusses The Abraham Accords
A delegation recently visited Atlanta from Sharaka, a non-governmental organization bringing diverse groups of influencers, activists and other leaders together to discuss The Abraham Accords, which promotes new relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The Sharaka delegation first appeared at Congregation Or Hadash in Sandy Springs on Aug. 4, hosted by the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Atlanta Rabbinical Association and Atlanta Israel Coalition. The next day, the delegation visited Congregation Ohr HaTorah, partnering with Congregation Beth Jacob for an exclusive roundtable conference hosted by Americans United with Israel, the Israel Consulate General, and synagogue members.

Ohr HaTorah Rabbi Adam Starr began the panel by explaining the word shalom and its usage in prayer and daily dialogue among people. Cheryl Dorchinsky, executive director of AUWI, founder of AIC and moderator for the day, then asked: “What exactly is the Abraham Accords?”

Omar Al Busaidy is the CEO of Sharaka, USA, but is from the UAE. He explained that it [Abraham Accords] is about exposing the diplomatic relationship among UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. “Saudi Arabia just aired an interview with the Israeli-Saudi judo match players that took place during the Olympics. … that’s a big deal.” He added, “some people call it a love affair that was awaiting to blossom.”

Dr. Najat Al-Saied, a columnist and a professor in Zayed University in Dubai, said she believes today’s generation trust their social media and do not research further to gain the facts. She said she gives extra credit for students who can write thoroughly and publish pieces on diplomatic relationships such as arose from the Abraham Accords, such as diversity, individualism, coexistence, religion, culture and how to balance those with national identities.
Israeli FM Lapid Inaugurates First Diplomatic Office in Morocco, Says Embassies Soon to Come
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid inaugurated Israel’s first diplomatic office in Morocco on Thursday, and said that mutual embassies will soon be opened.

Walla reported that, speaking to the press in Casablanca — during his first official visit since Morocco normalized its relations with Israel in the wake of the Abraham Accords — Lapid also said Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita will be a passenger on the first flight by Morocco’s national airline to the Jewish state.

Lapid expects the visit to occur in the fall, depending on the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Israeli diplomatic representation was inaugurated in Rabat, with a ribbon cutting and the ceremonial placing of a mezuzah.

Lapid met with Bourita during the visit, and gave a personal letter from Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Morocco’s King Muhammad VI.

The letter expressed the president’s desire for a meeting with the king “in the near future” and conveyed congratulations to the royal family and the Moroccan people.

During his press conference, Lapid also addressed the issue of the nuclear deal with Iran, saying that he does not support it but does not see an alternative, and that Israel is engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the US and European countries on the issue.


Official Launch of The Israel Guys (authentic stories from Israel)
It’s official! Previously, this channel was called The Joshua & Caleb Network. Today we are re-launching as The Israel Guys! Same channel, new name, incredible new content!

In today’s news, the United States is pressuring Israel to allow them to re-open the Palestinian Consulate in Jerusalem. Iran and Lebanon have also teamed up to attack Israel. Lastly, the winner of this week’s “hate Israel” award goes to the Palestinian Authority. A PA official recently boasted that 12% of all terrorists in Israeli prisons come from their own security forces.


‘Legalized Theft’: Israel, World Jewish Leaders Slam Polish Parliament’s Approval of Legislation Dismissing Restitution for Holocaust Survivors
After a chaotic day that began with a split in the right-wing coalition that rules Poland, the lower house of the country’s parliament, the Sejm, dismayed international critics by passing legislation that effectively closes off restitution for survivors of the Nazi Holocaust, as well as those whose property was seized by the Communist authorities in the years following World War II.

The vote brought immediate condemnation from the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO), the main NGO negotiating with national governments on behalf of Holocaust survivors.

“We are outraged by today’s vote in the Polish lower house, which is equally unfair for both Jews and non-Jews,” the organization’s chair of operations, Gideon Taylor, told The Algemeiner in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

Taylor added that if the bill is signed into law by President Andzrej Duda, “the Polish government will have effectively legally foreclosed the possibility for rightful owners to secure redress for what was taken from them.” He called on Duda to veto “this harmful bill and … work together with WJRO to settle once and for all the issue of private property restitution.”

Today’s session was the second time in six weeks that the lower house of the Sejm voted on the legislation. In late July, it was approved by the Senate with three amendments, two of which were rejected in today’s vote.

The legislation amends the Polish Code of Administrative Procedure to dismiss outstanding claims that are more than 30 years old for the restitution of property seized during the periods of Nazi and Communist rule. The law also rules out appeals against legal decisions made outside the same 30-year deadline.
US ‘Deeply Concerned About Polish Restitution Law’: Blinken
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his country’s “deep concern” over the Polish parliament’s passage of legislation Wednesday that would “severely restrict” Holocaust survivors and their descendants from obtaining restitution for property confiscated during Poland’s communist era, reported the Jerusalem Post.

Polish President Andrzej Duda now has 21 days to either sign the law into the statute books or veto it.

In July, the upper house of parliament, the Senate, moderated the original version of the law passed by the lower house, the Sejm, in June.

“We urge that President Duda not sign the bill into law or that, in line with the authority granted to him as president, he refer the bill to Poland’s constitutional tribunal,” Blinken said in a statement. He went on to say that a comprehensive law for resolving confiscated property claims is needed to provide some measure of justice for victims.

Blinken added that the passage of the legislation ran “counter to principles and values for which modern, democratic nations stand.”


Analysis: Hezbollah’s Escalating Conflict with Israel
Furthermore, even if Hezbollah used Palestinian groups to fire rockets into Israel, the act of using them as a proxy is inconsequential. By allowing the rocket fire, and likely supporting the cells who fired them, Hezbollah is ultimately responsible for the attacks.

The Israeli government’s policy is to hold Hamas directly responsible for all attacks coming from Gaza even when it is another group initiating the attacks. However, the impression created by the multitude of statements by the IDF and Israeli officials is that this policy isn’t reciprocated with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

By continuing to blame Palestinian groups for the rocket fire, the Israeli government is obscuring the reality of the situation it finds itself in which is a clear escalation of hostilities with Hezbollah initiated months ago. This leads to a confusing policy of holding one ruling non-state actor, Hamas, responsible for military actions in Gaza, but not the more stronger and dangerous Hezbollah in Lebanon.

There are many reasons why Hezbollah, and to an extent Iran, are heating up the northern sector of Israel.

Hezbollah finds itself in a very difficult situation as Lebanon’s economy seemingly descends into unending chaos. The Beirut port explosion, increasing anti-Hezbollah sentiment among Lebanon’s population, and sectarian clashes including the recent killing of several Hezbollah members by Sunni tribesmen, may have motivated Hezbollah into attacking Israel in an effort to divert attention from its domestic woes.

Another possibility is that Iran has changed its strategy vis-à-vis Israeli attacks against its nuclear program and assets in Syria. By using its chief proxy in Lebanon, Iran can entangle Israel in a cross-border conflict and distract it as it continues its malign activity in the region. Adding to that is the July 29 attack against an Israeli-operated oil vessel, MT Mercer Street, resulting in the deaths of two of its crew.

Israel warned it would respond to the Aug. 6 attack by Hezbollah. Although, it may not respond immediately, rather choose to wait in an attempt to calm the tension in the northern arena. However, the number of attacks over the last several months, and increasing Iranian belligerence, suggests an unfavorable outcome in keeping tensions from continuing to rise between the actors.
Prof. Efraim Karsh: The Radicalization of Israeli Arabs
The May 2021 riots by Israeli Arabs, like their October 2000 precursor, were not an act of social protest but a nationalist/Islamist insurrection in support of an external attack. It was not socioeconomic grievances that drove the Israeli Arabs to wreak wanton violence on their Jewish compatriots but the growing radicalization attending the decades-long betterment of their socioeconomic condition. The more prosperous, affluent, better educated, and politically aware they became, the greater their leadership's incitement against their state of citizenship.

Of course, many Israeli Arabs would be content to get on with their lives and take advantage of the freedoms and opportunities afforded by Israel, no matter how much they might resent their minority status in a Jewish state. Yet from the onset of the Arab-Israeli conflict a century ago, Palestinian Arab society has always comprised militant segments sufficiently large to allow its perennially extremist leadership to sway the silent majority into repeated disasters. Israel's Arab leaders used their constituents' vast socioeconomic progress over the past decades as a vehicle of radicalization rather than moderation.
Arab Terrorist Arrested 24 Hours after Completing 16 Year Sentence>
Hamza Halayqa from the town of al-Shyoukh in Judea was released on Wednesday after completing his 16-year prison term for terrorism, only to be re-arrested on Thursday, according to WAFA, citing the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS).

Apparently, Israeli security forces raided Halayqa’s home at dawn Thursday, searched it thoroughly using police dogs, and then took him back to prison.

According to WAFA, his mother suffered a health setback as a result, it isn’t clear what exactly.

The PPS accused Israel of deliberately re-arresting Arab terrorists shortly after they are released from prison, particularly in the Jerusalem area, in order to impose conditions that restrict their future attempts to carry out acts of terrorism.

The PPS also said Israel wants to prevent celebrations of the terrorists’ return home, which frequently lead to violent confrontations with security forces.
Egypt's Nile Water Conspiracies
The Israeli embassy in Cairo tweeted a denial on July 18 of accusations circulating in Egyptian media that Jerusalem is threatening Egyptian national security with its involvement in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project. In 2019, Israel had to refute claims that its defense systems were being used to protect the dam. Widely viewed MBC anchor Amr Adib said that if the Israelis swore that they have nothing to do with the Nile water, he would not believe them.

Historically, Egyptian elite circles have been obsessed with the idea that Israel is trying to "steal" the Nile water. In April, Dostor newspaper published a report by Gen. Hamdy al-Batran stating that in 1903, Theodor Herzl proposed to the British government a plan to transfer water from the Nile into Palestine.

Many Egyptians see Israel negatively, and narratives that cement these feelings can become quite popular, regardless of veracity. Moreover, the fact that Egyptians believe Israel is looking for other water sources despite the country having water security from desalination plants reflects an ignorance about Israeli priorities.
Palestinians: Israel not doing a ‘favor’ by authorizing homes
The Palestinian Authority condemned Israel’s decision to advance plans for building 2,223 Jewish homes in Area C of the West Bank, and said the move contradicts the Biden administration’s declared policy of opposing settlement construction and unilateral measures.

The Civil Administration is expected to advance plans next week for building the new homes in Area C, which is exclusively controlled by Israel.

On Wednesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz also agreed to expand the Palestinian foothold in Area C by authorizing the construction of 863 housing units in Palestinian villages in the area.

The Civil Administration rarely grants building permits to Palestinians in Area C.

The PA warned on Thursday against the new settlement projects, dubbing them “a clear violation of the Oslo Agreement, which explicitly states that no unilateral measures should be taken by any party.”

The PA said that the decision to build new homes for Jews is “a violation of all international legitimacy resolutions, foremost of which is UN Security Council Resolution 2334.”

Adopted in 2016, the resolution expressed “grave concern that continuing Israeli settlement activities are dangerously imperiling the viability of the two-state solution based on the 1967 lines.” It also called for a freeze of all settlement activity, including “natural growth,” and the dismantlement of all settlement outposts erected since March 2001.


Hamas' secret foreign investment portfolio reportedly worth $500m
Hamas has a secret overseas investment portfolio worth more than $500 million, documents seen by a German newspaper have suggested.

The investments include interests in about 40 international companies controlled by Hamas in the Middle East and North Africa, Die Welt reported.

The newspaper said it saw documents from 2017-18 that were part of a decade’s worth of financial files discovered on a Hamas computer. It did not say how the data was retrieved or who provided the information.

Die Welt said the group itself valued the portfolio at $338m. It would now be worth more than $500m. The companies were said to be mainly in the construction sector and found in Turkey with other interests in Sudan and Algeria. Reporters said the business interests were built up over about 20 years.

Dr Matthew Levitt, of the Washington Institute, who formerly worked in financial intelligence for the US government, said the figures were "impossible to verify" but he told the newspaper it was no secret that Hamas invested in foreign companies in the region.

The details stand in contrast to the economic woes in Gaza where the Hamas-run administration – which is subject to tough economic sanctions from Israel and its allies – is battling electricity, water and medicine shortages. Hamas is designated a terrorist group by the US, EU, UK and Israel.

It lost an appeal last September against its inclusion on the EU terrorism list, which leads to sanctions and frozen assets. The militant group said the EU had made a “mistaken characterisation” and claimed the listing was “not substantiated by any evidence”.
Hamas' Advanced Weaponry: Rockets, Artillery, Drones, Cyber
During the May 2021 Gaza War, the IDF identified a Hamas naval commando base with a tunnel extending dozens of meters into the sea. An investigation showed that the tunnel was financed with funds siphoned from the UN Development Agency. For many years, weapons for Hamas have been dropped into the sea in sealed capsules miles off the coast of Gaza.

In the 11 days of the 2021 war, Hamas launched 400 rockets a day, nearly four times the daily average number of launches in 2014. Hamas also launched six suicide drones. All were intercepted by Israel, some by classified means.

Hamas established electronic warfare units that sought to neutralize Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system and disrupt IDF communications. One of these units was based in the Jalaa building in Gaza City, which also housed the Associated Press and Al Jazeera. Israel struck at least 10 Hamas cyber and electronic warfare targets during the war.


Palestinian Authority Unveils “RiotFind” App (satire)
Seeking to prove once and for all that there’s room in the region for more than one high-tech powerhouse, the Palestinian Authority today unveiled the “RiotFind” app now available in all app stores. President Abbas explained, “no longer will hooligans have to wander aimlessly carrying heavy rocks and burning tires, hoping to find like-minded gentlemen, inclined to smack a Zionist upside his head. Now they can find the violence in real-time!”

Analyst Michael Bytchip praised the concept. “Ride sharing began in San Francisco. Reservation apps in New York. What do Palestinians have? Riots! It’s like party location software, but serving Molotov Cocktails. With this, the PA might even be able to go public.” Mr. Bytchip was particularly impressed by secondary market potential. “Journalists are lazy. RiotFind lets them check the app just before deadline and…Walla! Helpless Arab youths trying to brain vicious Israeli soldiers. What a time saver.” Future functionality may include rating riots by violence level, weapons used, and a function to categorize rioters as ‘good looking’, ‘sympathetic’, or ‘pathetic’ enough for a lead photo.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett objected that RiotFind only works in the West Bank and Jerusalem. “What are people on our religious right expected to do when they want to oppose some chick getting a job instead of mass-producing babies? What if they want to throw off the wigs and let their hair down for a bit? And what about our asshole settlers who spray-paint “price tag” on cars or set fire to mosques or to the occasional family? Come on, I know many companies are anti-Semitic, but they should have at least demanded RiotFind as an in-app purchase.”
Anti-Semitism has helped destroy Lebanon
“One of the lessons that we learn from studying Jewish history,” the historian Paul Johnson observed, “is that anti-Semitism corrupts the people and societies possessed by it.” Lebanon offers a tragic case in point.

Aug. 4 marked the one-year anniversary of the Port of Beirut explosion, in which a large amount of ammonium nitrate exploded, killing at least 218 people, injuring hundreds more and leaving thousands homeless. The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that Hezbollah—the Iranian-backed, U.S.-designated terrorist group—may be to blame. And Lebanon’s government, which is de facto controlled by Hezbollah, shows little interest in allowing a fair and impartial investigation.

Indeed, Lebanon is in dire straits.

The Associated Press reported on June 30 that the country’s pound had taken a “nose dive,” and banks had clamped down on withdrawals and transfers while hyperinflation had “flared.” Lebanon is also enduring a shortage of medical supplies and drugs. An energy crisis has affected Internet connectivity, resulting in businesses closing their doors and reduced government services. Beirut’s International Airport has ceased to function normally, and hospitals and clinics have had to close. Wages have stagnated and in many instances declined. Gunfights have erupted over gas shortages, as armed smugglers attempt to meet the needs of a growing black market.

Writing for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Jacques Neriah, the former deputy head of assessment for Israeli military intelligence, observed that “Lebanon’s middle class has been wiped out.” The nation, wrote Neriah, finds itself in extreme poverty with the “former middle class” making “up part of the 50 percent of Lebanese who have fallen into poverty in the last year.”

It’s worth asking how the Levantine state got into such a predicament.

Constructed from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, Lebanon was ruled by the French until it was given independence in 1943. The state’s multi-confessional structure, in which power was shared between Christians and Shia and Sunni Muslims, resulted in a tenuous balance that began to show signs of decomposition a little more than a decade after statehood.

Nonetheless, for the first three decades of its independence, Lebanon enjoyed a reputation as the “Paris of the Middle East,” and was both a top tourist and cultural destination. During the 1960s, the country was synonymous with five-star hotels, was home to legendary cafes and nightclubs, and was frequented by Hollywood celebrities and models.

An Egyptian dictator and a Palestinian terrorist would help undo it all.
The road to Natanz runs through Beirut
Hezbollah’s rocket fire on northern Israel last week sought to reaffirm its equation of deterrence vis-à-vis Israel, while trying to create a reality in which Israel routinely sustains sporadic rocket fire by Palestinian groups in southern Lebanon. This would allow Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, to attack Israel while maintaining deniability and preventing wide-scale escalation in the sector.

Hezbollah is armed with over 100,000 missiles and stands at Iran’s beck and call. Iran’s efforts to ensure the Shi’ite terrorist group’s arsenal remains state-of-the-art have been only partially successful, but Hezbollah retains the ability to fire salvos at Israel in the event the Jewish state goes after Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Israel must deal with this threat before tackling the Iranian nuclear program, and therein lies the secret to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s perceived restraint since the terror group’s 2006 war with Israel (though the Syrian civil war also played a role).

Unlike the situation Israel faces in the Gaza Strip, in the Lebanese case, an Israeli ground operation will be necessary. Furthermore, the Israel Defense Forces must prepare for a pre-emptive campaign. An incursion into our northern neighbor for the purpose of purging it of missiles requires meticulous planning, and IDF maneuvers in the north and exercises in the mountains of Cyprus indicate that preparations are underway.

However, Israel, no stranger to proactive military campaigns (1956, 1967, 1982), knows that every war requires not only military preparation but also domestic and international legitimacy. Therefore, Jerusalem must create a favorable atmosphere for proactive action in Lebanon, and as soon as possible. The fact that Lebanon is sliding into chaos, and the recent increase in missile attacks from its territory, present that opportunity.
Hizbullah Has Alienated Many Lebanese
Since the uprising against the political class in October 2019, Hizbullah has made numerous errors that have only led more Lebanese to oppose its standing in the country. Two weeks ago, Hizbullah members clashed with armed members of a Sunni tribe in Beirut. Days later, when a truck loaded with rockets drove through the Druze village of Shouwayya, villagers stopped it, roughed up the Hizbullah members, and confiscated the truck. They were furious that Hizbullah was firing from near their village, and that Israel might retaliate against them.

Maronite Patriarch Bishara al-Rai, in his weekly sermon, affirmed that the Lebanese state alone should have the right to declare war, implicitly criticizing Hizbullah's rocket attack against the Israelis.

Hizbullah is now seen as the prime protector of a corrupt political class. It has only exacerbated the dire economic situation by smuggling subsidized fuel to Syria. Many Lebanese also believe Hizbullah brought in the ammonium nitrate that exploded in Beirut port on August 4, 2020. An increasing number of Lebanese are realizing that the concept of a Lebanese state cannot coexist with a powerful armed militia serving an outside power.
MEMRI: TV Debate over Iraq-Kuwait Relations - Iraqi Analyst: The West, Zionists Used Kuwait to Destroy Iraq
In a heated TV debate over Iraq and Kuwaiti’s relations in light of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Iraqi political analyst Abd Al-Tamir Tariq said that the West and the Zionist used Kuwait as a bridgehead to destroy Iraq. In response, Kuwaiti political analyst Abd Al-Manna said that it was the Ba’ath Party, which was led by Saddam Hussein, that destroyed Iraq. He said that Saddam led the Purge of the Ba’ath Party in 1979, then he waged the Iran-Iraq war, and afterwards led the invasion of Kuwait.

Al-Manna asked: “Were we supposed to just let him do as he pleased?” He continued to say that Kuwait was invaded by the fascist tyrannical and cruel regime of Saddam, while the Iraqi and Kuwaiti people are brothers, “one family.” Al-Manna added that the Ba’ath party’s time has passed and will never come back. He concluded: “We stand by the Americans, the West, and anyone who offers us protection. We are rational, not crazy like you and your fascist cronies.” “The debate was aired on Dijlah TV (Iraq) on August 3, 2021.


Daniel Pipes: Approaching Iran's nuclear breakout: Israel, US, Russia and China
Interview with Prof. Daniel Pipes: Could Israel strike Iran? What would happen?

GR: Can Washington live with a nuclear Iran?
DP: Each of the past four U.S. presidents, including two Republicans and two Democrats, has said it cannot. What this means in practice has not been tested and will likely not be, given that the problem presumably can be out-sourced to the Israelis to handle.

GR: Can Biden accept a new deal under Iran's current conditions?
DP: Tehran's demands are currently unpalatable to the American government. That could change, but I doubt it.

GR: Should the Biden administration return to the Trump's policy of maximum pressure and the Abraham Accords?
DP: Emphatically, yes. Just because Democrats despise Trump does not mean they should reject all his policies. Some of them were excellent.

GR: Would a nuclear Iran distract American attention from the Asian pivot?
DP: It would, as would the other turmoil in the Middle East, including widespread anarchy, Turkish bellicosity, Palestinian irredentism, and continued jihadism.

GR: Is Western opposition to the Iran deal, the JCPOA, growing? For example, the organization United Against Nuclear Iran includes former Senator Joe Lieberman and August Hanning, the former director of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND).
DP: Yes, there is a fairly common understanding that "it is no longer 2015," especially because of the many aggressive Iranian actions since then and because the sunset provisions are much closer.

GR: Why is the European Union, led by Germany, so soft on Iran?
DP: That softness results from a mix of the "Venus mentality" that has dominated Europe since 1945 and a focus on economic benefits. The transformation of Europeans from world conquerors and world war makers into a largely meek, apologetic, and guilt-ridden people is amazing. Lacking military power, technical creativity, and economic dynamism, Europe falls further and further away from its five centuries of global dominance.
Walter Russell Mead (WSJ): Iran Nukes the Case for a Biden Deal
The optimistic case for restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal has died. Like so many other innocents, it died at the hands of Ebrahim Raisi, the hanging judge handpicked by Iran's supreme leader to guide the Islamic Republic through the Biden years.

For Iran optimists, the goal of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was not only the normalization of U.S.-Iranian relations but the normalization of Iran. A non-nuclear Iran would become a stable, democratic force in the Middle East, optimists believed. But by ruthlessly engineering the election of a hard-liner's hard-liner to the presidency, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has slammed the door on normalization and nailed it shut.

On the American side, the deal is looking less attractive within and without the administration. Iran has accelerated its uranium enrichment and other bomb-related activities to the point where the 2015 nuclear deal begins to look meaningless. Sunset provisions built into the original agreement have already begun to kick in, and key restraints on both bomb-making and missile-development programs begin to disappear this presidential term.

Likely believing the White House is bent on Middle East withdrawal, Tehran seems to have decided to double down on its confrontational approach to capitalize on perceived U.S. weakness. In the process, Iran is destabilizing the region and increasing the danger of war.

Israel and its newfound Arab allies face an existential choice. Will they accept Tehran as a regional hegemon as the U.S. withdraws, or will they resist? If they choose the path of defiance, will America be able to stay out of the ensuing war?

A deepening confrontation with a radicalizing Iran is not what the Biden administration expected from its Middle East policy, but that is the reality with which it must cope. Attempting to placate Tehran through patience and restraint will likely only stoke the regime's ambitions. The smell of blood in the water rarely inspires feelings of moderation and restraint among sharks.
How Iran's Deadly Tanker Attack Is Linked to the Nuclear Deal
Washington, together with other maritime powers, is the ultimate guarantor of freedom of navigation in the world's oceans - a vital U.S. interest. It would be unwise to delink Iran's drone attack on the Mercer Street in international waters from the ongoing negotiations over a possible return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The U.S. decision to identify Iran as the culprit and promise, in the words of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, "an appropriate response," reflects an important stage in the debate over how Washington should act.

Far from derailing a possible deal, a U.S. response to the attack would remove one of the main reasons the talks are stuck. Tehran and its proxies have been aggressively testing the White House and are likely to continue ratcheting up attacks. An effective U.S. response would affect Iran's calculus. Such a response might include targeting Revolutionary Guard naval bases, factories assembling or producing parts for military drones, or facilities supporting the export of weaponry to Iranian proxies. This would be a far cry from pinprick action against proxy groups and mere public declarations, both of which only invite further Iranian testing.

Such a response would signal to U.S. regional allies that shrinking the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East does not mean Washington is shirking its role as a guarantor of international norms, including freedom of maritime navigation.


Iran outraged after UK, Russian ambassadors recreate WWII photo
The British and Russian ambassadors to Iran came under fire on Thursday after they recreated a photo on Wednesday of Soviet, British, and American heads of state taken during the Tehran Conference in World War II.

USSR leader Joseph Stalin, then British prime minister Winston Churchill and then US president Franklin D. Roosevelt met in Tehran in 1943 to discuss opening a second front against Nazi Germany and the desire to maintain Iran's independence and sovereignty.

The conference took place two years after the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran when British and Soviet forces jointly invaded and occupied Iran in order to prevent the establishment of a German base there.

The photo published on Thursday showed British Ambassador to Iran Simon Shercliff meeting with Russian Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan on the steps where the Tehran Conference took place, leaving an empty chair between them where Roosevelt sat in the original photo as there is no American mission in Iran.

Iranian officials expressed outrage at the photo, with the state-controlled Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting saying that the photo reminded "the days of occupation and humiliation of the Iranian nation."

The two ambassadors were invited to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday for clarifications on the photo, with the Russian ambassador clarifying that the photo was meant to serve as a reminder of Russia's alliance with Britain during WWII.









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