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Tuesday, May 03, 2022

05/03 Links Pt1: Revealing the truth behind al-Aqsa and 100 years of lies; How Arab Rulers Undermined a Palestinian State; Biden Won’t Block $10 Bil for Russian Nuclear Work in Iran,

From Ian:

Emily Schrader: Revealing the truth behind al-Aqsa and 100 years of lies
THIS YEAR, Palestinian leaders and terrorist organization Hamas are once again using Ramadan to spread rumors that Israelis are “desecrating” al-Aqsa, which has led to massive riots and violence at al-Aqsa Compound throughout the month. They claim Jews are “storming” the Temple Mount, yet video footage shared by Palestinians showed Palestinians using the mosque to prepare for violent confrontation before any non-Muslims entered the premises. During Passover, Israel explicitly banned any Jews from visiting the holy site, so as to avoid an increase in tensions. Despite that, the campaign of incitement surrounding al-Aqsa being “in danger” continued.

Camping out in the mosque with their shoes on for days, Palestinian rioters used the holy site to throw rocks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at Israeli police and non-Muslims, even damaging the mosque itself. This occurred even when police were outside the compound entirely.

The rioters prevented the vast majority of peaceful Muslim worshippers from being able to pray during Ramadan. Yet how was this reported on social media and in the international press? That the Israeli police were preventing Muslims from worshipping at al-Aqsa Mosque. This is the definition of disinformation, fake news, or just plain old lies – not to mention outrageously lazy and irresponsible journalism on the part of the press. Last Friday, a quarter of a million Muslims prayed at al-Aqsa Mosque; this did not make the headlines. Yet again, the status quo has not changed at the al-Aqsa Compound.

It should go without saying that no one has a right to violently assault someone visiting a holy site. Muslims do not have a religious monopoly on al-Aqsa, nor should they. This is a site that is holy to more than one faith, and freedom of religion should be respected. Ironically, it is extremist Muslims attacking others for visiting, then claiming those visitors are threatening the sanctity of the mosque itself, which these extremists are desecrating by wearing shoes and engaging in violence on-site.

The hypocrisy is blatant and shameful, and prevents Muslims and non-Muslims alike from practicing their religion.

The media need to step up and do their job. The truth must be told; otherwise, the violence will continue. Palestinian extremists must not be allowed to dictate the narrative at al-Aqsa as they have for nearly 100 years. Enough.
If Israel does not assert sovereignty, it will lose it
While Israel has never been militarily, technologically or economically stronger, it is suffering from a crisis of conviction.

Our ancestors were Jews in the Diaspora who excelled and achieved great things in their host countries, yet they sought in vain the approval of their non-benign gentile neighbors. Just like them, Israel’s current leaders are chasing the not-to-be-had support and affinity of leading Western countries.

In the name of that unrequited love search, they have been willing to send highly dangerous signals to our Palestinian enemies that Israel is willing to relent, to look the other way and to accommodate Palestinian aspirations and inclinations. Our leaders will cloak all of this in the guise of a quest for accommodation and reasonableness. The goal is to show the Palestinians that Israel is prepared to respect Palestinian sensibilities by neither provoking nor providing the grounds for insult and resentment.

All of this sounds appropriate and wise, except that it is all completely misplaced and dangerously counterproductive.

In one of the great historical misreads of the goals and intentions of the opposing side, Israel’s leaders have made the great mistake of Western geopolitics, which is to assume that the other guys basically want the same thing as they themselves do. We all want peace, prosperity, good relations with neighbors, and ideally economic cross-pollination among us. Right?
How Arab Rulers Undermined a Palestinian State
Conclusion The 1967 Six-Day War placed the "Palestine question" at the forefront of international attention with the PLO gaining worldwide prominence as "the sole representative of the Palestinian people" while maintaining its terrorist ways. But, the Arab states have shown no real interest in Palestinian statehood beyond the customary lip service.

Despite Jordan's 1988 renunciation of claims to the West Bank, the Hashemite monarchy has neither shown any desire for the establishment of a Palestinian state, which it fears might subvert its rule, nor shied away from making peace and closely collaborating with Israel with the kingdom's possible return to the West Bank occasionally mooted by both sides. Similarly, while Anwar Sadat went to great lengths to attach the Palestinian issue to the Egyptian-Israeli peace negotiations, the agreed formulation spoke about a transient autonomy without specifying statehood as the end result, let alone insisting on its attainment. Nor was Sadat deterred from opting for a separate Egyptian-Israeli peace once Arafat rejected his overture. Add to this the Assad regime's adamant subscription to its perception of Palestine as Syria's southern province and its outright rejection of "peace" that did not entail Israel's destruction.

This half-hearted approach toward Palestinian nationalism notwithstanding, decades of staunch anti-Zionist propaganda have entrenched the "Palestine question" in the collective regional psyche to the extent of making it exceedingly difficult for the Arab states to conclude functional peace treaties with Israel without a pro forma Palestinian-Israeli agreement. Yet while this state of affairs gives the Palestinians some veto power over inter-Arab politics, it is unlikely to derail the intensifying, multifaceted, and increasingly overt Arab-Israeli collaboration even in the event of severe deterioration in Israeli-Palestinian relations, as the 2020 normalization agreements between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco show.
Jordan is Palestine. Jordanians are Palestinian
The San Remo Resolution is the subject of research of international law scholar and lawyer, Jacques Gauthier, Ph.D. The Toronto-based Gauthier, who is Christian, spent a quarter-century researching and writing a 1,300-page thesis to investigate legal ownership rights of the ancient-modern capital city.

Through San Remo, a legal document, “The Jewish people have been given the right to establish a home, based on the recognition of their historical connection and the grounds for reconstituting this national home,” Gauthier explained..

The Palestine Mandate included both sides of the Jordan River and was passed in 1922 by the League of Nations. It should be noted that the Mandate as passed violated the rights given to the Jews at San Remo in that it restricted their homeland to the lands west off the river. But all of the land was managed under the same Mandate, It was intended in 1922 that Jordan would be the Arab state and Israel would be the Jewish state

The Mandate included this recital. “Whereas recognition has thereby [i.e. by the Treaty of Sèvres] been given to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine, and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country”

Jordan declared independence in 1946 and Israel did in 1948.

Thus the Jewish state includes all of the lands west of the Jordan River.

And thus Jordan is Palestine. And most people living in Jordan are Palestinians.

In order to make this a reality the King Abdullah II must abdicate and the Palestinians must take control of their country..


"Redemptive antisemitism" aims to rid the world of Israel and the Jews
This past week in Israel, and for the Jewish people throughout the world, the Jewish nation as a whole commemorated Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day and tomorrow we will conclude the seven day period by commemorating Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Actions of Terrorism.

These days of commemoration give personal and collective significance to the 6 million Jews that perished during the Holocaust and give respect to the soldiers here in Israel that have sacrificed their lives so that Israel can be a sustainable and thriving homeland for the Jewish people. A home for all Jews at times of need.

Today, 77 years after the Holocaust, for most Jews in Israel and throughout the world, remembering and commemorating the Holocaust is a fundamental component of what being Jewish means to them.

For most Jews everywhere, the sacrifice of fallen soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces unifies the Jewish nation as one large extended family who have lost a son or a daughter.

Yet, despite history being supportive of our collective historical narrative and Israel becoming a nation admired and respected throughout the world, we have witnessed this past year a kind of pinnacle of anti-Semitism everywhere making the leap from harboring anti-Semitic thoughts to physically attacking Jews, desecrating Jewish institutions, cemeteries, JCC’s.

Anti-Semites have in a short span of time created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation that Jews are conscious of whenever they leave their homes. Today Jew haters feel empowerment from many sources whether on social media or the printed and broadcasted media and have become more willing to act and commit a violent attack on any Jew that crosses their path.
Moscow, under fire for Hitler comments, says Israel backing ‘neo-Nazis’ in Ukraine
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Israel supports the “neo-Nazi regime” in Ukraine, as tensions between Moscow and Jerusalem ratcheted up following Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s incendiary remarks on the Holocaust earlier this week.

In a statement on Tuesday, Russia accused Foreign Minister Yair Lapid of making “anti-historical statements” that “largely explain why the current Israeli government supports the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv.”

The statement cited “examples of cooperation between Jews and the Nazis” during the Holocaust, noting the Judenrat councils formed in many Jewish communities and those who ran them, “some of whom are remembered for absolutely monstrous deeds.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that while during the Holocaust “some Jews were forced to participate in crimes,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, “does this quite consciously and quite voluntarily.” The statement also claimed that Ukraine is currently home to “the most extreme antisemitism.”

Moscow accused Zelensky of “hiding behind his origins” while he consorts with neo-Nazis and the “spiritual and blood heirs of the executioners of his people.”

Israel — along with many Western nations — harshly criticized Lavrov for comments made on Sunday claiming that “Hitler also had Jewish blood” and that “some of the worst antisemites are Jews.” Lavrov made the remarks in an interview with an Italian news outlet while attempting to justify the oft-repeated Russian talking point that it invaded Ukraine in an effort to “de-Nazify” a country led by a Jewish president.

In remarks Tuesday, Zelensky reacted to Lavrov’s statements, saying: “These words mean that Russia’s top diplomat is blaming the Jewish people for Nazi crimes,” he said. “No words.”

Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Monday for a discussion on the comments, which Lapid called “unforgivable.”


As Israel, US prep for Biden visit, second regional forum reportedly being weighed
The US and Israel have discussed holding a forum of regional leaders when President Joe Biden visits Jerusalem, according to a report on Tuesday in the Axios news site.

An advance team from the Biden administration arrived in Israel earlier this week in preparation for the president’s visit, expected in late June, an official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel. They added that the visit will include a stop in the West Bank to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The idea for a summit of Biden, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and at least one Arab leader was raised during National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata’s meeting with his US counterpart Jake Sullivan last month, Axios said, citing two Israeli officials.

The proposal is still in its early stages, and it is not clear whether such a meeting will take place, and if so, if it will be held in Israel or another regional country. However, the goal appears to be to build off of the Negev Summit held in late March, when the foreign ministers of Israel, the US, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Egypt gathered in Sde Boker for the first ever regional confab of its kind.

Axios reported that Biden’s visit — which will be his first to the Middle East as president — will only last 24 to 36 hours.

The White House declined to comment on the report.

In late March, Israel hosted an unprecedented summit of regional leaders in Sde Boker, where they announced that the gathering would be the first iteration of a permanent regional forum.

The unprecedented summit was widely seen as an attempt by Israel and its Arab allies to create a front against shared regional foe Iran.
The Cynical Manipulation and Misleading of Congress by Rep. Ilhan Omar
While ostensibly expressing concern in the wake of reports of war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, with the aim of enhancing U.S. leadership in the fight against human rights abuses, and in support of international criminal justice, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) recently introduced a series of resolutions in Congress calling on the United States to become a full member of the International Criminal Court.1

She also proposed that Congress repeal previous legislation prohibiting cooperation with the International Criminal Court and proposed establishing within the State Department a new “Office of Global Criminal Justice.” The aim of such an office would be to advise department officials on issues related to atrocities, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide; to assist in formulating policy; and to coordinate United States Government positions relating to prosecution of persons suspected of atrocities around the world.

Let no one be deluded by such legislative actions by Rep. Ilhan Omar and her congressional allies.

Her resolution is cosponsored by Representatives Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Cori Bush (D-MO), André Carson (D-IN), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

Her motivation has little to do with war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, nor with any deep-felt urge for the United States to lead the fight against human rights abuses and support international criminal justice.

The United States has never veered in its support of international criminal justice and has been at the forefront of international activity in this sphere, especially recently in light of the Russia-Ukraine war.

But the U.S. position with regard to the International Criminal Court has been consistent, since the very establishment of that Court in the 1998 Statute of Rome, in opposing the danger and likelihood that the Court will be politically manipulated by states seeking to harm those engaged in international military actions.

U.S. reticence regarding the ICC and its fear of politicization of the Court became all the more evident when the Palestinian leadership started to politicize the court, to turn it into their own private Israel-bashing tribunal, and to target the Court as a convenient means of leading their campaign to delegitimize the State of Israel. It was in this context that the United States opposed the acceptance of a non-existent Palestinian state as a state-member of the Court and viewed this as incompatible with the requirements of the Court’s Statute which limits membership of the Court to states only.


Dore Gold: The Ramadan Escalation in Jerusalem
Using Ramadan as a War Cry to Promote Escalation
There has been a history of violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in recent years, but it’s not as though Islamic law calls for an escalation of escalation during this period. There has been an effort by those who wish to promote violence to use Ramadan as a war cry to mobilize the forces, to mobilize people. And there’s really no basis in Islamic theology for doing that.

True, there were significant Muslim victories at the time of Ramadan when Islam was just getting underway. Muslims all know about the Battle of Badr. That was the first battle between Muslims and the residents of Mecca on the 19th of Ramadan in the year 624. It was a tremendous victory for the Prophet Muhammad, and therefore it’s commemorated. But the date is a coincidence. It was not a religious plan.

Nine years later, in the year 632, the conquest of Mecca by Muhammad and his armies occurred on the 20th of Ramadan. So, Ramadan is associated with being a time for victory by Muslim armies. It should not have come as a surprise that there were Egyptians who called the 1973 War the Ramadan War. Some have called Ramadan a month of jihad, but it’s not as though, in their religious tradition, you must wage war on Ramadan.

Muslims Accept Security Cameras in Mosques in Abu Dhabi and Mecca
A number of years ago, the idea was put forward that we should have cameras on the Temple Mount to see who exactly is smuggling weapons into the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The idea was to catch them red handed, and it seemed like a smart move. But both the Muslim religious Wakf and the Jordanians who give sponsorship to the Wakf opposed this idea.

When I was director general of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we had a delegation that visited Abu Dhabi. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque there is one of the most beautiful mosques in the Muslim world. When we went to the mosque, there was no problem with my wearing a kippa because the UAE believes in universalism. Inside the mosque, I looked up at the ceiling and saw security cameras – the very cameras that we wanted to put into the Al-Aqsa Mosque that everyone made a big deal about. But in the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, nobody had opposed it.
Poll: Half of Israelis support Jewish prayer on Temple Mount
Following a tense Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a new poll conducted by the Viterbi Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research of the Israel Democracy Institute and published on Tuesday showed that 50% of Jews in Israel support being able to pray at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, against 40% of Jewish respondents who oppose it.

According to the Israeli Voice Index for April 2022, a breakdown according to the voting pattern from the last election reveals a large majority of supporters of Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount among voters for the Likud, Religious Zionism Party, Yamina, New Hope, and Israel Beytenu, and a large majority of opponents among voters for center and left-wing parties and for Haredi parties.

The main reason (38%) given by those in favor of allowing prayer at the Temple Mount was that it "demonstrates Jewish sovereignty over the site," while the main reason (23%) of those against was that it might "invoke a severe negative reaction from the Muslim world." Within the religious context, 17% of those who are opposed are against it because it is "forbidden by halacha (Jewish law)," while 12% said they support the practice as a "religious commandment."

A breakdown of responses by religiosity found that most Haredim oppose Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount because it is prohibited by halacha (86.5%). The largest shares among national religious (51%), traditional religious (54%), and traditional non-religious (49%) respondents support such prayer because it is proof of Israel's sovereignty over the Temple Mount, while the largest share of secular respondents oppose it because it might invoke a severe negative reaction from the Muslim world (39%).
Israeli Minister Reveals Classified Information About Soldier Killed in Syria
srael’s Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev revealed Tuesday the classified location of SSgt. Barak Sharabi’s death in 1984.

In an interview with Kan Radio, Bar-Lev said that Sharabi, a commando in the Seyeret Matkal, died “deep inside Syria.”

The information was revealed as Bar-Lev discussed friends and soldiers under his command killed in action. This comes as Israel prepares for Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror attacks, which starts Tuesday night.

Reports of the slip were initially taken down by the Army Censor, according to The Jerusalem Post; however, they were eventually allowed back on social media.

Bar-Lev was the commanding officer for the Seyeret Matkal during the operation in 1984 in which Sharabi was killed. The unit is one of Israel’s premier special operations forces.

The operation is highly classified, with representatives from the unit usually sitting in on interviews with Sharabi’s family to make sure no secrets were divulged, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
MEMRI: IRGC Qods Force Commander General Esmail Qaani: Israel Is a Cancer That Must Be Annihilated
IRGC Qods Force commander General Esmail Qaani said in an April 29, 2022 International Quds Day address at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, Iran that Israel is made up of people who have nothing to do with the land of Palestine, who have violence as part of their very being, who have killed and deported the native Palestinian population, and who were given the name "the Jewish people" by those who brought them to Palestine.

He said that these people are at the root of all strife in the world and, citing the Islamic Republic of Iran's founder and previous leader Ruhollah Khomeini, he said that Israel is a "cancerous growth" that must be "erased." General Qaani also said that the Jews living in Israel should return to their countries of origin, and that International Quds Day will continue until Israel is annihilated. In addition, he said that the "resistance axis" is stronger than ever before. General Qaani has served as the commander of the IRGC's Qods Force since the former commander, General Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. airstrike on January 3, 2020.




PreOccupiedTerritory: Your Attack Killed Only Non-Jews, For Which The Lifetime Pension Is Lower by Muhammad Shtinqr, Acting Secretary, Prisoner Pension Payment Commissioner (satire)
To: Mr. Fasil Fattehd
Ofer Prison

We are in receipt of your letter of complaint dated 22 April in which you objected to the stipend you will receive for your efforts to liberate Palestine by ramming into random Israelis with your vehicle, with specific mention of your stipend constituting only 75% of the standard amount for Palestinians who conduct such operations with the same casualty count.

While the movement understands your sense of frustration and injustice, it falls to me to explain that the difference between your situation and the vast majority of other Hero Pensions lies is the identities of the enemy casualties: your operation resulted in injury to non-Jewish citizens of the Zionist Entity, but no Jews, whereas the other heroes succeeded in causing physical harm to Jews, which as you know carries far more weight in the sacred struggle to oust the usurper from our land.

You of course grasp the importance of prioritizing, and therefore rewarding, harm to Jews over harm to non-Jews. Our struggle is not against non-Jews, who, historically, have not embodied by their very existence a challenge to our Islamic honor and legitimacy. We acknowledge the inferior status of non-Muslims who are not Jewish, but our current focus must remain restoring the dhimmi Jew to his rightful historical place under the boot of the Ummah, as Allah intended. I trust you grasp that this places those who harm only non-Jews, even in the pursuit of restoring the inferior status of the Jew, on a lower pedestal than those whose brave actions harm actual Jews.
Biden Admin Won’t Block $10 Billion for Russian Nuclear Work in Iran, Blinken Says
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers late last week that the United States will not stop Russia from cashing in on a $10 billion contract to build out portions of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Blinken, in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, confirmed for the first time publicly that the Biden administration will not stand in the way of Russia-Iran nuclear cooperation. Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) asked Blinken to provide assurances that sanctions on both Iran and Russia remain in place as long as Moscow continues its unprovoked war in Ukraine.

Blinken said any sanctions lifted as part of a new nuclear deal will be separate from the United States' current pressure campaign on Russia, meaning that the $10 billion contract between Tehran and Moscow will be permitted to go through.

"The actions that Russia would take pursuant to the agreement, if there is a return to the agreement, would not be in contravention of the sanctions imposed on Russia for its actions in Ukraine," Blinken said.

As part of the ongoing negotiations with Iran on a revamped nuclear deal—which are being led by Russia on the United States' behalf—the Biden administration committed to waive sanctions preventing Tehran from paying Moscow at least $10 billion to construct nuclear reactors in the country. Republican lawmakers say the concession undermines the international community’s efforts to isolate Russia in response to its ongoing war in Ukraine.

Issa, in comment to the Free Beacon following Blinken’s testimony, said, "The Biden administration is so desperate for a deal with Iran they’ll broker a $10 billion payoff to Russia and waive their own sanctions to make it happen."


MEMRI: Iranian Vice President To Nine-Year-Old Girls: 'Begin Planning' Now 'To Start A Family In Order To Raise [The Next Generation] To Be Like The Martyr [Qassem] Soleimani'
At an April 20, 2022 ceremony for schoolgirls in Tehran marking their first fast day, Iranian Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Ensieh Khazali told nine-year-old girls to "begin planning" now "to start a family in order to raise [the next generation] to be like the martyr [IRGC Qods Force commander Qassem] Soleimani."

In her speech, Ms. Khazali told the girls:
"You have been invited to the court and to the feast of God, and He sees you worthy of going to Him and has determined for you obligations of which you are worthy. You girls must find a beautiful future for yourselves, and must begin planning your lives from now on in order to raise [the next generation] to be like the martyr Soleimani. [If] you want to be like Soleimani, raise [the next generation to be] like Soleimani."

Vice President for Women's and Family Affairs Ensieh Khazali at the ceremony (Source: Asr-e Iran, April 20, 2022)

She continued: "I have come today to pray for you, that your pure souls and pure hearts will help this country reach a glorious future. I ask God to give us success, when He invites us to Him to obey the beautiful models such as the [model] of the daughter of the Prophet Mohammad."[1]




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