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Wednesday, May 25, 2022

05/25 Links Pt1: Iran nuclear files Mossad seized in 2018 included stolen IAEA records; Saudi journalist: 'Nobody is waiting' for Palestinians; CNN claims Israel killed Abu Akleh in deliberate attack; IDF rejects report

From Ian:

Iran nuclear files Mossad seized in 2018 included stolen IAEA records - WSJ
Iranian nuclear documents seized by the Mossad in 2018 included secret records from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran had accessed and used to create cover stories to hide parts of its nuclear program, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Middle East intelligence officials told the WSJ that the IAEA documents, marked confidential, and accompanying Iranian records were circulated between 2004 to 2006 among senior Iranian military, government and nuclear officials, as the IAEA was investigating the country's nuclear program.

David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security and a former UN weapons inspector, told the WSJ that Iran's acquisition of the IAEA documents "represents a serious breach of IAEA internal security.

“Iran could design answers that admit to what the IAEA already knows, give away information that it will likely discover on its own, and at the same time better hide what the IAEA does not yet know that Iran wants to keep that way.” Screenshot of video presenting PM Benjamin Netanyahu's presentation on the Iranian nuclear program, during which he speaks about nuclear scientist Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (credit: GPO)Screenshot of video presenting PM Benjamin Netanyahu's presentation on the Iranian nuclear program, during which he speaks about nuclear scientist Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (credit: GPO)

Among the documents were handwritten notes in Persian and attachments with Iranian commentary on the IAEA documents. Documents reviewed by the WSJ stated that Iranian officials credited unspecified "intelligence methods" for obtaining the confidential records.

In one note on an Iranian corporate record, a top Iranian official pressed Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the father of Iran's nuclear weapons program who was assassinated in 2021, to create a "scenario" to explain to the IAEA why corporate-registration records had been changed for a civilian company Iran had claimed was working on a uranium mine.

While the company was recorded in Iranian documents as having ceased to exist in December 2001, one of the documents seen by the WSJ ordered Iranian officials to change that date to May 2003. This change allowed Iran to tell the IAEA that the work on the uranium mine was done by the civilian company for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, which supported Iran's claim that the mine was civilian and unrelated to any military nuclear work.

Middle Eastern intelligence officials and former IAEA officials told the WSJ that the mine was built to be able to produce material for a potential nuclear weapons program.


Seth Frantzman: US, India, Australia and Japan are future of American power in multi-polar world
As the US tries to confront potential aggression by China in Asia and seeks to roll back the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it must increasingly lean on partners and allies. This is what was lacking in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The United States’ “go it alone” approach in Iraq in 2003, despite the supposed “coalition of the willing,” led to resentment against the Americans. Now, the EU has stepped up in Europe to help Ukraine. With appeasers such as Angela Merkel out of power, European countries are able to stand up to Russia.

In Asia, different factors are at work. US President Joe Biden’s meeting with the “Quad” countries of India, Australia and Japan in Tokyo on Tuesday is now the symbol of US relationships and power in a multi-polar world. This matters for Israel because Jerusalem can also work closely with the Quad countries as part of its close relationships with important nations in Asia. What does this mean?

Multipolar means that the world has moved on from US global hegemony and the new world order of the 1990s. It means that the US can’t do humanitarian intervention and preemption anymore. It means that the rules-based international liberal world order is fading and weakening because countries such as Russia, China, Iran and Turkey are undermining it.

To stop the underminers, the US must work with major democracies. That means NATO countries, except for Turkey, as well as the EU and nations that are part of the Five Eyes network.

In Asia, it means Japan, South Korea and Australia, as well as the powerhouse India. India has been problematic from the US lens recently because it has not taken a tough stance on Ukraine. That means India has played both sides with the Russian camp. Why is India flirting with Russia?

First of all, India was part of the nonaligned movement and was historically closer to Russia for many reasons, including the legacy of imperialism and colonialism India had to deal with.

Today, India is closer to the West, but it also has a right-leaning government that has been more critical of some of the liberal tendencies of Western democracies.

India is close to the UAE and Israel these days. The UAE, like other Gulf countries, has also wondered about what the new US stance will bring globally. This is because the US keeps shifting its stance on Iran and also on how to deal with the international community.


Saudi journalist: 'Nobody is waiting' for Palestinians
According to a report released on Tuesday, the US is mediating a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

i24NEWS interviews Abdulaziz Alkahamis, Saudi journalist, on the report.

"The most important thing between Saudi Arabia and the Biden administration is not the two islands, but oil, Iran, and Yemen," he told i24NEWS.

I think it is good if they talk about the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and if the Americans can help to normalize the relations and naturalize it."


Lapid vows Turkey, Israel will 'expand economic cooperation'
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and his visiting Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday they were hoping to expand economic ties between their countries as they seek an end to more than a decade of strained relations.

Cavusoglu is on the second-day of a landmark two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, the first such visit by a senior Turkish official in 15 years.

"The goal is to form and expand economic and civil cooperation between our countries," Yair Lapid said in joint press conference alongside Cavusoglu in Jerusalem, "and to leverage our two countries' comparative advantages regionally and globally, even during the pandemic, and even in times of political tension."

The two added that officials would begin working on a new civil aviation agreement.

Jerusalem and Ankara have been working to mend their long-strained ties, with energy emerging as a key area for potential cooperation. The two countries expelled ambassadors in 2018 and have often traded barbs over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"We believe that normalization of our ties will also have a positive impact on the peaceful resolution of the conflict. Turkey is ready to take responsibility to continue the efforts toward dialogue," Cavusoglu said.

The Turkish foreign minister is due to visit the flashpoint Temple Mount, the scene of recent clashes between Palestinian rioters and Israeli forces, on Wednesday. Cavusoglu is said to have discussed the events with Lapid.
Turkish Foreign Minister Backs Palestinians Ahead of Israel Talks
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu started a two-day trip to the Palestinian territories and Israel on Tuesday, the first such visit by a senior Turkish official in more than a decade.

Speaking after meeting his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki in the West Bank city Ramallah, Cavusoglu said Turkish support for the Palestinians would not diminish even as once-frozen relations with Israel thawed.

“Our support for the Palestinian cause is completely independent from the course of our relations with Israel,” he told reporters.

Cavusoglu is due to see Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later on Tuesday, followed by talks on Wednesday with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov.

He was also expected to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Recent confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli police at the flashpoint site have raised tensions in the region.

Cavusoglu said reports of the clashes had upset Turkey. “It is important for all Muslims that the sanctity and status of the Al-Aqsa is protected,” he said.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki hailed Cavusoglu’s visit as “historical,” with Turkey and the Palestinians signing nine cooperation agreements on Tuesday.
PreOccupiedTerritory: Palestinian Cause Now Ranking Just Above Toenail Fungus In Regional Urgency (satire)
Shifting geopolitical considerations have wrought noticeable change in the priorities that Middle East nations and governments give to the issues they must address, with recent studies pointing to an unfamiliar place in the rankings for partisans of wiping Jewish sovereignty off the map: instead of registering in the top five, among heavy-hitters such as the price of oil, political stability, and phony elections, where the issue reigned for decades, most Middle East leaders, decision-makers, and governments now see pushing the Jews into the sea as somewhat more important than addressing athlete’s foot but somewhat less important than those stupid pieces of plastic that hold new pairs of socks together that you need scissors to take apart but always end up losing a tiny, sharp portion of the plastic inside the garment and stabbing yourself when you put them on the first time.

Surveys of, and interviews with, high-ranking officials throughout the region in the last several years have borne out the change, which experts attribute to rising concern over Iran’s hegemonic pursuits; realization that reflexive opposition to Israel’s existence and security have only hurt them; and resentment-tinged disdain for Palestinians whose cause always overshadowed the truly-important issues affecting the Middle East and the Arab world and short-circuited any initiatives that might improve lives across the region because of insufficient obeisance to the sacred cow of Palestine First, instead of the issues rightful grouping with discovering only once you’re already soaking wet in the shower that the shampoo bottle is empty and you have to get out and drip water everywhere, including all over the clean towels, to find a new bottle.


MK's son, grandchildren injured in car accident after stones thrown
The son and grandchildren of religious-Zionist Party MK Orit Struck were injured in a car accident after stones were thrown at their car near Huwara in the West Bank.

“Arabs tried to murder my son and young grandchildren in Huwara!” Struck tweeted early Wednesday morning.

Struck’s son, age 25, and his two children, aged two and four, were evacuated by Magen David Adom medics to the hospital. Reactions

"Praying for their complete recovery soon," commented Religious Zionist Party Director-General Yehuda Vald.

“It’s time for a revised legal system to be established here,” Likud MK Shlomo Karhi tweeted, calling for “Punishment. Deterrence. Governance. Sovereignty.”

MDA medics also treated another man who was injured by stone-throwing near the Binyamin area. He was evacuated to Hadassah-University Medical Center, according to Ynet.


Defense Ministry reinforcing kindergarten buildings near Gaza border
The Defense Ministry on Wednesday announced that it had begun the physical reinforcement of of kindergartens’ defenses in Israeli communities close to the border with the Gaza Strip, a year after several education centers were damaged in rocket attacks.

The construction work began earlier this week, when the ministry’s Engineering and Construction Division, along with the Israel Defense Forces’ Home Front Command, started reinforcing existing defenses at a preschool in the southern town of Gvar’am.

The ministry said within a year it would reinforce 33 kindergartens in 17 towns close to the Gaza border, including the southern city of Sderot, a frequent target of rockets from Gaza.

Some of the preschools are being reinforced after the buildings were damaged by rocket shrapnel during an 11-day war with Gaza terror groups last May.

The list of preschools that require reinforcement was only put together several months ago, according to the ministry.

It was not clear what caused the holdup for over a year, or why the ministry had not pushed for the move earlier. Thousands of rockets and shells have rained down on the Gaza border communities since the early 2000s, causing several deaths and hundreds of injuries.
CNN claims Israel killed Abu Akleh in deliberate attack; IDF rejects report
Witness accounts Salim Awad, a Jenin resident who filmed the incident, told CNN that there were no armed Palestinians in the area.

"There was no conflict or confrontations at all. We were about 10 guys, give or take, walking around, laughing and joking with the journalists," he told the news network. "We were not afraid of anything. We didn't expect that anything would happen, because when we saw journalists around, we thought it'd be a safe area."

Instead, he claimed that shots were fired at Abu Akleh and three other journalists as they approached IDF vehicles.

Another individual at the scene, Jamal Huwail, a professor at Jenin's Arab American University and a former Fatah lawmaker who helped move Abu Akleh's body, told CNN that "They were shooting directly at the journalists."

Israeli reactions
Israel has denied intentionally shooting Abu Akleh. The IDF responded to the CNN report early Wednesday morning:

"The IDF has been investigating the circumstances of the reporter's death in a thorough manner since the incident. The interim investigation revealed it was not possible to determine the source of the shooting," it said in a statement. "The claim that the shooting was intentional has no basis."

"CNN's claims that the IDF intentionally shot journalist Shireen abu Akleh have no basis," said Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll. "The IDF acts in Jenin only to prevent terrorism against Israel's citizens. This report is filled with inaccuracies and unreliable testimonies. We once again call on the Palestinians to cooperate with Israel in the investigation of the incident, but they continue to refuse. What do they have to hide?"
CNN Blood Libels Israel over Journalist’s Death Based on Friend’s Questionable Accusations
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), since 1992, 19 journalists (not including Al Jazeera’s Shereen Abu Aqleh) were killed covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 16 of whom were Palestinians. For comparison, the International Federation of Journalists has issued a report (Since 1990, 2658 Journalists Have Been Killed) warning that “when you aggregate all these numbers, the total adds up to a staggering 2658 killed in the last thirty years. This comes to about two journalists or media workers dying every week.”

The IFJ then listed the worst places in terms of journalists’ deaths: “Over 50% of journalists were killed in the ten most dangerous top spots featuring countries which suffered war violence, crime and corruption as well a catastrophic breakdown of law and order. Iraq (339 killed) came on top followed by Mexico (175), Philippines (159), Pakistan (138), India (116), Russian Federation (110), Algeria (106), Syria (96), Somalia (93) and Afghanistan (93).”

When you plug the word “Israel” in that report, nothing comes up. That’s because Israel may be the safest place for journalists of all the war zones on the planet.

Indeed, just a day and a half before the shooting of Abu Aqleh, two Mexican journalists had been shot dead. And yet UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization responsible for, among other things, communication and journalism, issued a condemnation of Israel for Abu Aqleh’s death on the day she was killed, but took its time condemning the earlier killing of the Mexican journalists – it was issued only two days later.

The IDF responded to the clearly biased CNN report, saying it had been investigating the circumstances of Abu Aqleh’s death “in-depth and thoroughly,” and so far it’s not possible to determine the source of the shooting that killed the reporter. In any case, the IDF said, the report’s claim that the shooting was intentional “is devoid of any basis.”

The IDF also noted that “receiving the bullet for a professional ballistic examination may determine between the options [of who fired the lethal bullet]. At the moment, the Palestinians have not responded to our request to conduct a joint investigation or to pass on to us the findings of their investigation, including the bullet.”

The bullet recovered from the scene was a 5.56mm NATO round, used in both M16 and M14 rifles, which are used by both the IDF and Palestinian terrorists. The autopsy at An-Najah National University was unable to determine who shot Abu Aqleh – the pathologist confirmed that she was killed by a bullet that struck her in the head, causing skull fractures and damage to the brain. The bullet was recovered and sent for further examination – although Ramallah would not share its examination with Israeli experts. But they did share images of the bullet with the Americans, who in turn shared them with the Israelis.

In the end, it’s plausible that Abu Akleh was killed by an Israeli bullet, which is why the IDF is being so cautious about the case. However, CNN’s suggestion that this was a targeted attempt on the life of the Al Jazeera journalist is vile and should be filed together with the stories about Jews using Christian blood to bake their matzos.
Honest Reporting: CNN’s Farcical Investigation Concludes Israel ‘Targeted’ Al-Jazeera Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
CNN has published an “investigation” into the killing of Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh that arrives at an outrageous conclusion: the Al-Jazeera journalist was “targeted” by Israeli security forces.

CNN’s pronouncement is a result of a number of witness accounts and apparent “expert” testimony, which the news outlet includes in its 3,000-word piece published on Tuesday.

Before considering these testimonies, it is helpful to reiterate the undisputed facts of the tragic incident:
- Abu Akleh had worked for state-owned Qatari channel Al-Jazeera for 25 years and had an extensive background in reporting on Israeli-Palestinian affairs.
- On May 11, Israeli forces entered the city of Jenin to conduct an arrest raid following a spate of terrorist attacks in Israel that claimed the lives of 19 Israelis.
- Jenin is a hub for terrorist activities and is known as a stronghold for the Gaza-based terror group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) – a reality that has been reported on by several media outlets (see here, for example)
- Abu Akleh was shot in what evidence suggests was a firefight between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli forces in the narrow streets of Jenin.
- Footage released hours after Abu Akleh’s death shows Palestinians wearing bullet-proof vests firing automatic weapons, including one militant who leans around a corner and indiscriminately shoots, at which point bystanders can be heard saying, “they’ve hit one, they’ve hit a soldier, he’s laying on the ground.” However, the IDF has confirmed that no Israeli soldiers were hit by gunfire or suffered any injuries.
- The Palestinian authorities have repeatedly rejected Israel’s request to conduct a joint investigation into the circumstances of Abu Akleh’s death and have refused to allow Israel to examine key pieces of evidence, including the bullet that killed her.
NGO Monitor: CNN Cites Consultant Who Teams Up with NGOs to Bash Israel
On May 24, 2022, CNN published an article alleging that “new evidence suggests that [Al-Jazeera journalist] Shireen Abu Akleh was killed in targeted attack by Israeli forces.” This inflammatory charge, which was vehemently denied by the IDF, relies heavily on claims made by Chris Cobb-Smith, who is presented by CNN as “an explosive weapons expert” and “a security consultant and British army veteran.”

As seen below, for two decades, Cobb-Smith has joined with the most politicized anti-Israel NGOs in pushing false or unsubstantiated accusations of Israeli violations of the laws of war. For instance, Cobb-Smith advised Human Rights Watch in 2002 regarding Jenin, when the NGO ran campaigns alleging that Israel “committed war crimes.” During the 2009 Gaza conflict, Cobb-Smith worked for Amnesty International in a similar role. In particular, he circulated false claims (“there was no tactical reason; there was no reasonable use of that weapon system”) as well as claims (later discredited) that the IDF used white phosphorous “in an illegal manner.” Similarly, he has been involved with the campaigns of the anti-Israel NGO known as Forensic Architecture.

Notably, Cobb-Smith also prepared a “Guide to Field Investigation” (2012) for Al-Haq – which Israel designated as a terrorist organization in October 2021 – meant to “benefit[] filed (sic) researchers who investigate human rights violations committed by Israeli occupying forces in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
Israel disputes CNN inquiry on death of Al Jazeera reporter
i24NEWS Defense Correspondent Jonathan Regev has the latest.

Investigation by US-based cable news channel suggests that Israeli forces deliberately targeted reporter

US-based cable news channel CNN is conducting its own inquiry into the death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who died in Jenin on May 11.

Results, according to the broadcaster, suggest that the correspondent was deliberately targeted by Israeli forces who were operating in Jenin at the time and were deliberately targeting a group of journalists, which then resulted in Abu Akleh's death.




Israel killed Abu Akleh in 'cold blood,' Al Jazeera tells UNSC
Al Jazeera can prove its journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was “killed by an Israeli bullet in cold blood,” the network’s US-based bureau chief Abderrahim Foukara told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday.

“The network has the evidence and the witnesses to support that position,” he told the council. Under Ireland’s auspices, the UNSC held an informal Arria-formula meeting in New York on Tuesday, devoted to the global topic of the “protection of journalists.”

But many of the speakers brought up Abu Akleh’s murder.

“Al Jazeera is considering all possible legal options to make sure justice is done, so that Shireen’s killing does not end up swept up under the carpet of impunity,” Foukara said. “Shireen Abu Akleh’s life matters.”

Arria-formula meetings allow individuals, organizations and other non-UNSC members to talk directly to members in an informal and confidential setting.
Eighteen terror victims and one journalist on the BBC News website
In short, fewer than half (seven out of eighteen) the Israeli citizens and foreign nationals murdered in six terror attacks over a month and a half were identified by name in BBC reports and one of the deaths did not receive any coverage at all. Needless to say, none of those eighteen people’s names appeared in BBC headlines and none were the subject of tributes from BBC journalists.

As documented at the time (see ‘related articles’ below), none of the above coverage described the attacks against Israelis as terrorism in the BBC’s own words, in line with long-standing policy. BBC editorial guidelines concerning ‘Use of Language’ when reporting “War, Terror and Emergencies” state that:
“11.3.5 Our reporting of possible acts of terror should be timely and responsible, bearing in mind our requirement for due accuracy and impartiality. Terrorism is a difficult and emotive subject with significant political overtones and care is required in the use of language that carries value judgements. We should not use the term ‘terrorist’ without attribution.

11.3.6 The word ‘terrorist’ itself can be a barrier rather than an aid to understanding. We should convey to our audience the full consequences of the act by describing what happened. We should use words which specifically describe the perpetrator such as ‘bomber’, ‘attacker’, ‘gunman’, ‘kidnapper’, ‘insurgent’ and ‘militant’. We should not adopt other people’s language as our own; our responsibility is to remain objective and report in ways that enable our audiences to make their own assessments about who is doing what to whom.”

Although the BBC balks at the use of the term “terrorist” even to describe the perpetrators of attacks on unarmed civilians, it is notably less pedantic about other language. In its coverage of the death of a journalist in a location in which a military operation against terrorists was taking place, the BBC clearly had no qualms about amplifying inflammatory and unproven allegations such as “Israeli troops “deliberately” shot her”, “crime of execution”, “blatant murder”, “assassinated in cold blood”, “targeting her with live fire”, “the “intentional targeting and killing” of a journalist” and “heinous crime”.

The copious promotion of such unproven allegations from a totalitarian state and its media mouthpiece is clearly not conducive to “due accuracy and impartiality” and did nothing to “enable our audiences to make their own assessments” about what actually happened that morning in Jenin. Both the scale and content of the BBC’s coverage of the death of Shireen Abu Alkeh demonstrate that for the BBC, the responsibility “to remain objective” is all to often a subjective matter.
In Arabic (but not English), BBC, Sky News blame Israel for Abu Aqleh's killing
Five Western Arabic-language media outlets – Sky News Arabia, France24 Arabic, Independent Arabia, Vice Arabia and Euronews Arabic – have falsely claimed, as if it’s a fact, that the “Israeli military” was responsible for the killing of Aljazeera reporter Shireen Abu Aqleh in Jenin, and have failed to issue corrections.

However, English versions of the same outlets have correctly refrained from determining the identity of the shooter. (The coverage of BBC Arabic and AP’s Arabic Twitter account was also highly problematic.)

Examples are as follows:
Sky News Arabia (strap line): “Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh was shot dead Wednesday morning by the Israeli military”. Another version is also available on YouTube: “Journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh shot dead by the Israeli military in Jenin”

Sky in English: “Shireen Abu Akleh: Al Jazeera journalist shot and killed during Israeli raid in West Bank”

France24 Arabic (YouTube): “Correspondent Shireen Abu Aqleh of Qatari channel Aljazeera shot dead by the Israeli military in Jenin”

Another item was published several hours later on both France24 Arabic’s website and on YouTube: “Who is the journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, whom the Israeli military killed ‘in cold blood?’”

France24 English (YouTube): “Al Jazeera journalist killed during Israel West Bank raid”
Palestinian Teen Killed in Confrontation With Israeli Forces at Joseph’s Tomb
A 16-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces on Tuesday night during a violent riot at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus/Shechem, according to Palestinian media.

The violence broke out as Israeli soldiers escorted Jewish worshipers to the site, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered, hurling rocks and fire bombs at the Israeli forces, and shots were also heard in the area, the IDF said in a statement. Soldiers fired on and hit a suspect in the act of hurling a firebomb, the military said.

The casualty, identified by the the Palestinian Authority’s official WAFA news agency as Ghaith Rafiq Yameen, was critically wounded and was later pronounced dead at Rafidia hospital, according to WAFA.

Also on Tuesday night, Israeli security forces arrested six security suspects in Judea and Samaria counter-terror operations and seized tens of thousands of shekels in suspected terror funds, according to the IDF.
IDF Forces Come Under Palestinian Fire Near Jenin; Seize Terror Suspect, Assault Rifles
Israeli security forces came under fire as they apprehended a terrorism suspect and assault rifles during a Tuesday morning raid in Wadi Burqin, near the Palestinian city of Jenin, the military said.

Palestinian gunmen shot at the Israeli troops during the operation, who returned fire and identified a hit, according to the Israel Defense Forces. No injuries were sustained on the Israeli side, which included IDF commandos, the Israeli Border Police, and the Shin Bet internal security service.

Two M16 rifles and an Israeli military vest were found in the home of the suspect, who was taken for further questioning.

In a separate West Bank operation overnight, the IDF said it arrested five individuals suspected of terrorist activity and illegal weapons possession, including in Al-Sawahreh, Zurif, Qarawat Bani Hassan, and Nablus, as well as Harmala, the town from which an armed Palestinian man tried to break into an Israeli home in Tekoa earlier this month. Another 11 suspects were arrested in the West Bank overnight Monday.

The IDF has described the Jenin area as “a hotspot of terrorism,” with a heavy presence of armed militants, illegal weapons, and terrorist cells. Israeli security forces have recently stepped up operations there, amid a surge of terrorist attacks by Palestinian and Israeli Arab perpetrators that killed 19 people since March.


Thank you Hamas for making sure there must be a Flag Parade
In what should be cited as a classic example of the Laws of Unintended Consequences, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has just reminded the Government and the People of Israel of the critical importance of holding the annual Flag Parade held on Jerusalem Day.

Not only should we be holding the parade, but we need to be holding it the way it was always done, through the Damascus Gate and into the Old City.

Haniyeh has hurled down a gauntlet that must be taken up. He is acting like he already controls what happens in Jerusalem, and in case you didn’t get the memo to that effect and still suffer under the delusion that Jerusalem is Israel’s dominion, Haniyeh is willing to show you how wrong you are.

Haniyeh has taken the measure of the Israeli Government and has reasonably concluded that in the face of threats, “calmer” voices will prevail, worrying that the Flag Parade is just so provocative.

Haniyeh said that actions by “Jewish, Talmudic rubbish” would not go unanswered. Presumably he was referring to the “rubbish” that we call our children, our future, those who are being inculcated with a love for their People, Land and State.

In exhorting the crowd in Gaza to the idea that he will not allow any desecration of Al Aqsa – the usual dog whistle designed to produce frothing mouths and violent retribution – Haniyeh said something that should be a wake-up call to anyone who has an interest in seeing Jerusalem remain in Jewish hands.


PMW: Fatah openly supports “the pure and heroic” Tel Aviv / Bnei Brak terrorists who murdered 8
The two Palestinian murderers who killed 8 people in two separate terror attacks in central Tel Aviv and in Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv in March and April have been named “heroic Martyrs” by Abbas’ Fatah Movement.

Terrorist Ra'ad Hazem shot and murdered 3 Israeli civilians and wounded 14 others when he opened fire on a crowded bar on Dizengoff Street in central Tel Aviv on April 7, 2022.

Terrorist Diya Ahmed Hassan Hamarsheh, a Fatah member himself, shot and murdered 5 people – 2 Israeli civilians, 1 Israeli police officer, and 2 foreign workers from Ukraine – in Bnei Brak on March 29, 2022.

Fatah Secretary in Jenin Ata Abu Rmeileh counted these crimes as part of the “triumph over the occupation,” and stressed Fatah’s admiration for the murderers. He vowed that “we adhere to the covenant and the oath to these Martyrs” and to arch-terrorist Abu Jihad who was behind the murder of at least 125 Israelis:
Fatah Secretary in Jenin Ata Abu Rmeileh: “The Jenin district is triumphing, triumphing over the occupation… As a sign of support for the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the pure Martyrs and heroic Martyrs Ra’ad [Hazem], Diya [Hamarsheh] (i.e., terrorists who murdered 8), and all the Martyrs, today we light the torch of freedom and the torch of the prisoners to emphasize that we adhere to the covenant and the oath to these Martyrs and to the Martyr leader, the First Stone and the First Bullet, Khalil Al-Wazir ‘Abu Jihad’ (i.e., terrorist, responsible for murder of 125).”

[Official PA TV, Giants of Endurance, April 19, 2022]

During Ramadan, Palestinian Media Watch documented the PA and Fatah’s encouragement of Palestinians to carry out attacks and kill Israelis. Not only did PA Chairman Abbas send condolences to the family of murderer Ra'ad Hazem, the PA actively incited riots and terror using the PA libel that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is being “desecrated” by Jews. One imam directly called for the “extermination of the evil Jews,” while another asked Allah to “liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the defilement of the evil Jews” – both requests were broadcast live by official PA TV. Abbas’ own advisor also fueled the terror wave, teaching Palestinians that “Ramadan is… not a month of laziness but rather … a month of Jihad, conquest, and victory.”




FBI uncovers ISIS plot to assassinate former US president Bush - report
The FBI uncovered a plot by an ISIS-linked suspect to assassinate former US president George W. Bush, Forbes revealed on Tuesday. Revenge for Iraq War

The Ohio-based suspect reportedly said during interrogation that he sought to kill Bush because he sees the 43rd president of the United States as responsible for the killing of Iraqis in the Iraq War, the invasion of the Middle Eastern country by US forces in 2003 in order to overthrow Saddam Hussein as part of Bush's 'War on Terror' following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The suspect even went as far as to travel to Dallas, Texas in November to take videos of the former president's home, Forbes further reported. The assassination plan also included recruiting a team of Mexicans smuggled through the US' southern border.

According to the report, the man claimed to have killed "many Americans" as part of the "Iraqi resistance" between 2003 and 2006, even claiming he had filled vehicles with explosives, waiting for American soldiers to pass by for the detonation.

Forbes cited an FBI search warrant application which was filed on March 23 and obtained after it was unsealed this week by the Ohio Southern District Court.
PodCast: Generation Jihad Ep. 71 — Al Qaeda under Zawahiri
Al Qaeda’s central leadership remains organized with its branches actively carrying out orders passed down from Ayman al Zawahiri who sits at the helm and remains an influential figure in Jihad. Host Bill Roggio is joined by Long War Journal contributor Caleb Weiss to discuss the state of Al Qaeda under Zawahiri’s leadership.

Take a look around the globe today and you’ll see jihadists fighting everywhere from West Africa to Southeast Asia. They aren’t the dominant force in all of those areas, or even most of them. But jihadism has mushroomed into a worldwide movement, with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS and other groups waging guerrilla warfare and launching terrorist attacks on a regular basis.

Each week Generation Jihad brings you a new story focusing on jihadism around the globe. These stories will focus not only on Sunni jihadism, but also Shiite extremist groups. We will also host guests who can provide their own unique perspectives on current events.
Only The Iranian People Can Prevent A Nuclear-Armed Iran
No matter which party is in office in Washington, and regardless of Western policy vis-à-vis Tehran, Iranians have taken to the streets, calling “death to the dictator!” whenever they were able to gather, before being gunned down. They have but one enemy: the clerical regime in power.

They chanted, “Reformists, principalists, the game is over!” and “let Syria go and start thinking about us!” The political line of the Iranian people, written in their own blood, has been more than clear to Khamenei and the rest of the world. This is exactly why the supreme leader ended the twenty-four years-old political games of “moderation” and consolidated power in all branches.

Besides the regional saber-rattling and the harsh tone in his rhetoric, Khamenei knows perfectly how much he can count on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to save his reign on D-Day. Numerous accounts of infiltration and intelligence blunders have depicted his top-secret sites as almost transparent to every major agency. Morale in his armed forces is at an all-time low and fear in Iranian society is waning.

For decades, hundreds of thousands of Iranian families have mourned their loved ones who fell victim to the regime’s oppression or warmongering. A mere 4 percent are living luxurious lives in palaces, on the backs of an entire population suffering under the poverty line. Various types of security or intelligence agencies that are interfering in private affairs have rendered the patience of the people thin.

If history is a guide, the people on the streets have never asked policymakers for their blessing to revolt. Iran is ready for change, and no amount of nukes or appeasement can prevent it. If the leaders in the West want the troubling nuclear threat off the table, there is no better way than to stop dealing with the blackmailers and follow the lead of Secretary Pompeo. He once got the mullahs in his grip, and he’s showing us how to do it again.
Iran's IRGC will remain on terrorist blacklist, Biden told Bennett - report
US President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Naftali Bennett last month that his decision to keep Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on the list of designated foreign terrorist organizations (FTO) is final, Politico reported on Tuesday citing a senior western official.

According to the report, Biden decided to pull the plug on the idea to remove the IRGC's Quds Force from the US' terrorist blacklist after it was clear it would not be enough to force Iran to compromise in talks to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Biden reportedly informed Bennett of his decision during a phone conversation between the two in April, when Bennett formally invited the US president to visit Israel, an invitation Biden accepted.

Bennett and other Israeli leaders have been publicly voicing their strong opposition to delisting the IRGC for the past six weeks, along with top Emirati and Bahraini officials.

According to State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter, Biden shares the view that members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force are terrorists and had no plans to remove them from the FTO list.
Prospects for Reviving Iran Nuclear Deal ‘Tenuous’ at Best: US
The chances of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are shaky at best and Washington is ready to tighten sanctions on Tehran and respond to “any Iranian escalation” with Israel and other allies if it cannot be saved, the United States’ Iran envoy said on Wednesday.

“We do not have a deal with Iran and prospects for reaching one are, at best, tenuous,” US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley said in prepared congressional testimony, saying that if the accord could not be resurrected, the United States was “ready to continue to enforce and further tighten our sanctions … and to respond strongly to any Iranian escalation, working in concert with Israel and our regional partners.”

Under the agreement, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and struck by Iran and six major powers in 2015, Tehran limited its nuclear program to make it harder for it to get a bomb in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

Then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed harsh US sanctions, and Iran began violating the nuclear limits a year later. President Joe Biden has sought to revive the accord, but indirect talks in Vienna unraveled in March, and it is not clear whether they might resume.

In remarks prepared for delivery before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Malley criticized Trump’s decision, saying this had not produced “longer and stronger” limits on Iran’s program but rather left them “shorter and weaker.”




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