Col. Richard Kemp: A Deal Based on Lies: The Iran Nuclear Agreement Will Make War More Likely
Iran has been waging war non-stop on the West and its allies in the Middle East since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Appeasing Tehran by endorsing its nuclear program and handing it billions of dollars from sanctions relief will empower and encourage the ayatollahs to even greater aggression.
The mantra of the apologists for President Biden's attempt to revive President Obama's failed agreement from 2015 that paved the way to an Iranian nuclear bomb is "a bad deal is better than no deal." Well, no, it is not. The argument is that it buys time for the West, with optimism that "something will turn up." But optimism is not a strategy and certainly not for dealing with a violent revolutionary regime dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state, which it sees as the proxy of its ultimate enemy, America.
The "buying time" argument only works if you do not understand Iran and are naive enough to believe the regime will honor what it agrees to. The reality is that the regime in Tehran will ignore constraints imposed by the deal that it does not like. That is what it did with the original JCPOA and its other international undertakings including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that it has frequently breached.
Tehran will continue to develop its nuclear capability - deal or no deal - at the speed it wants until it is physically stopped from doing so. The $100 billion a year it will receive as a result of lifted sanctions will enable Iran to speed up its nuclear program, including development of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads to Europe and the U.S. Iran's regional aggression will shift into overdrive with the massive cash injection.
What kind of Temple Mount access do Israelis want?
The issue of the Temple Mount becoming a geopolitical flashpoint between Israel and its neighbors has robbed us of the opportunity of speaking about it religiously and historically. The increasing numbers of Israelis supporting a Jewish presence on Temple Mount, and the growing number of Jews ascending to Temple Mount – most famously the recent visit by conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro – demand that we ask ourselves: where is this all heading, and what would we like to see happen on the Temple Mount?Unpacked: The Secret Agreement That Shaped the Middle East | History of Israel Explained
If the White House, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jordan’s Abdullah, China’s Xi Jinping, and the Secretary General of the UN all called and told the Israeli government that they would be delighted to see Israel take full control of Temple Mount, what would we do next? Differing Jewish views on the matter
To answer this, we must note the different positions among the Jewish people on this matter. The overwhelming number of Orthodox rabbis and the Chief Rabbinate would ask that the area be fenced in and that no one be allowed at the site known as Har Habayit until the messiah miraculously arrives.
On the other side of the spectrum, there is a fringe group of religious Jews who have been anticipating such a moment and would like to engage in a complete reconstruction of the Temple, build the Third Temple, and bring daily sacrifices and offerings so that “the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem shall be pleasing to God as in the days of yore and in the years of old” (Malachi 3).
In fact, in 1962, five years before the Six Day War, the IDF’s chief rabbi, Shlomo Goren, published an article saying that if Israel were to take over Jerusalem, we would be obliged to rebuild the Beit Hamikdash.
These two sides of the spectrum are irreconcilable. Those who believe in fencing the area off until the messiah arrives are not neutral on the matter – it is their belief, and they are the majority. To them, building the Temple and offering sacrifices – or even going up there today – is a far worse problem than the current status quo.
It was 1916 and World War I was raging. Countries were fighting for resources, land and power and the Ottoman Empire was on its deathbed.
With all eyes on the Empire’s territories, the secretive Sykes-Picot agreement was created to decide who would get control over what would become Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq, as well as parts of future Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
However, in 1920, representatives at the San Remo Conference tossed these secret plans out in favor of “mandates'' AKA territory temporarily governed by an Allied power. This led to the British Mandate over Palestine, and the eventual establishment of Israel as a legal national home for the Jewish people.
PMW: The Palestinian “holocaust” lie
In a recent press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said that Israel “committed 50 holocausts” against the Palestinians. While Abbas, other Palestinian leaders, and many supporters of the Palestinians often make accusations to attack and vilify Israel, in this instance one need look no further than the Palestinian Authority’s own publications in order to show that these claims are simply untrue.
During the Holocaust, the Nazis murdered almost two thirds of the Jewish population of Europe. In 1933 there were an estimated 9,500,000 Jews living in Europe. By 1950, as a direct result of the murder of the Jews by the Nazis, the Jewish population had plummeted to 3,500,000 people. In contrast, since 1948, the Palestinian population in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza has grown by 400%. While in 1948 there were 1,010,000 Arab inhabitants (they were not yet known as “Palestinians”) in those areas, in 2022 the number of Palestinians living in those areas stands at 5,354,656. The term "Holocaust" is individual in its nature and refers to the actions taken by Nazi Germany prior to and during World War II, to exterminate the Jewish people. During the Holocaust, the Nazis and their accomplices systematically murdered 6,000,000 Jews.
Among the actions taken by the Nazis, in January 1942 senior Nazi government officials met in Wannsee to ensure the cooperation of all the relevant departments in the implementation of the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question” - the name given by the Nazis to their plan to murder the Jews. The minutes of the meeting included a list of European countries and areas and the number of Jews living there:
No @EUSR_Koopmans, what limits your potential is the ongoing singling out of Israel for condemnation, while giving free pass to Palestinian terror ... and in fact helping underwrite it! @eu_eeas @EUinIsrael https://t.co/h0eZLQOq51
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) September 1, 2022
I’m sure @TiranaHassan’s long time anti-Israel advocacy and antisemitism, will put her in good stead to fill in for Ken Roth at HRW. https://t.co/lqBWRG33zw
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) September 1, 2022
UN human rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet has finally released her report on China's record in the Uyghur region of Xinjiang: https://t.co/EcsWm7eFAW
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) September 1, 2022
Kowtowing to Beijing, Bachelet and her office delayed publishing this report until the very last minute of her 4-year term. https://t.co/ZDNgU5zT2Y
Palestinian PM Mohammad Shtayyeh says during meeting with US envoy Hady Amr that the Palestinians will seek full membership in the UN. Shtayyeh also called on the US to recognize the Palestinian state and reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/A1bJx2RED0
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) August 31, 2022
Poland to demand $1.3 trillion in WWII reparations from Germany
Poland’s top politician said Thursday that the government will seek equivalent of $1.3 trillion in reparations from Germany for the Nazis’ World War II invasion and occupation of his country.Two Palestinians Killed in Israeli Anti-Terrorism Raids
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the Law and Justice party, announced the huge claim at the release of a long-awaited report on the cost to the country of years of Nazi German occupation as it marks 83 years since the start of World War II.
“We not only prepared the report but we have also taken the decision as to the further steps,” Kaczynski said during the report’s presentation.
“We will turn to Germany to open negotiations on the reparations,” Kaczynski said, adding it will be a “long and not an easy path” but “one day will bring success.”
Poland’s right-wing government argues that the country, which was the war’s first victim, has not been fully compensated by neighboring Germany, which is now one of its major partners within the European Union.
Germany argues compensation was paid to East Bloc nations in the years after the war while territories that Poland lost in the East as borders were redrawn were compensated with some of Germany’s pre-war lands. Berlin calls the matter closed.
Two Palestinians were killed early Thursday in separate clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank, according to local media.The Israel Guys: They Accidentally Drove Into Nablus & Got ATTACKED
In the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, in the northern West Bank, armed clashes erupted after Israeli troops entered to arrest wanted people.
A Palestinian, identified as Samer Khaled from nearby Ein Beit al-Ma’ refugee camp, was shot in the neck and died of his wounds, Palestinian media reported.
The Israeli army said that fire from Palestinian militants caused the death of the person in the Balata camp.
Reports indicate that a second Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes in the town of al-Bireh near Ramallah. He was identified as Yazan Afaneh, from the nearby Qalandiya refugee camp, north of Jerusalem.
Tensions have recently escalated in the West Bank amid Operation “Break the Wave,” launched by Israeli forces amid a spate of terrorist attacks in the spring that killed 19 people.
When 5 Jewish Israelis drove into Nablus, Palestinian Arabs opened fire and two people were seriously injured, in response, the IDF arrested two terror suspects along with a Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader. 700 new housing units are supposed to be approved for construction, former Israeli spy, Jonathan Pollard, just made an endorsement for a political party running in the upcoming elections, and a member of Knesset was found inciting violence against Jews.
Supreme Court rejects appeal of Israeli convicted of murdering three Palestinian family members
Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday rejected Amiram Ben-Uliel’s appeal of his 2020 conviction for the murder of three members of a Palestinian family in an arson attack on their home in Duma, a village located between Nablus and Ramallah.Jordan Chafes at Israel's Move to Let Palestinians Fly via Ramon Airport
In their ruling, the judges said that after watching footage of Ben-Uliel’s confession to police, they had no doubt he committed the attack.
The court described the firebombing and its consequences as “terrible acts” that “damaged the fabric of common life,” adding that the attack was shocking and sickening, Channel 12 News reported.
“The severity of the acts speaks for themselves, and it seems that any words of condemnation will not reflect the weight of the horror in them,” the judges said in the ruling.
They added that the attack violated “all ethical values and Jewish culture, which educates for tolerance. Hatred of members of other religions, as well as racism, are not the path of Judaism,” said the court.
Jordanian officials have expressed anger at Israel's move to utilize Ramon Airport in southern Israel for Palestinian travel abroad, claiming it jeopardizes the kingdom's economic interests.New Palestinian City Rising on Jewish-Owned Land near Karnei Shomron
Previously, Palestinians wishing to fly abroad were required to travel to Jordan and board a flight there.
But in an effort to alleviate crowding at the King Hussein Crossing (the Allenby Bridge) from the West Bank to Jordan, the Israel Airports Authority announced an initiative allowing Palestinians to fly to Turkey through Ramon Airport.
Jordan had opposed the establishment of Ramon Airport from the outset, citing its proximity to King Hussein Airport in Aqaba.
Massive development works on a new PA Arab city have been carried out in secret on Israeli state-owned and privately owned Jewish land in areas C, at the heart of Samaria, near the Karnei Shomron industrial zone. The works include the development of lots, construction of buildings, opening and paving roads, and laying down infrastructure connections.Khaled Abu Toameh: Is Violent Palestinian "Armed Struggle" Returning to West Bank?
About six months ago, at the start of the initial groundbreaking works, the Regavim movement contacted law enforcement authorities but received no response and the fieldwork continued. So the group petitioned the court, detailing the extensive scope of works near the Karnei Shomron industrial that are carried out illegally every day on state lands as well as on privately owned belonging to Har VaGai, a company owned by the Zer family.
It should be noted that in similar cases when Jews settled Amona, Migron, and Netiv Ha’avot, the authorities were quick to order their removal and the destruction of their homes, even when only parts of the settlements stood on Arab-owned land. Here, they don’t bother, allowing a blatantly illegal Arab to take shape on Jewish-owned land.
Moshe Shmueli, the field coordinator for Regavim in Judea and Samaria, said, “We see before our eyes how, day by day, construction criminals take over huge areas of state land and private land belonging to Jews and only recently we documented another new building and tree plantings. It’s not a single house but a massive infrastructure of roads, water, electricity, and the preparation of lots for huge neighborhoods. The reality in which the enforcement authorities do nothing and the Jewish landowners stand helpless is simply infuriating.”
Head of the Samaria Regional Council Yossi Dagan said: “The government is systematically abandoning Area C and now also private lands that Jews have purchased. If these were private Arab lands used by Jews, everyone would be up in arms. This failure is inconceivable. Selective enforcement is reaching a peak we have not seen before. We demand from the relevant elements both in the field and in government to immediately stop the construction and takeover of areas C, on private land and state lands, which are all assets of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”
Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who is the lone ruler of Judea and Samaria under Israeli law, has declared over the past two years he spent in office that he aims to strengthen the Palestinian Authority in its struggle against Hamas. But on the way, he has also boosted the PA’s terrorist arm Fatah, promoted family reunifications that threaten to flood Israel with PA Arabs, and encourages Palestinian expansion into Area C, while choking the Jewish settlements by limiting them to “natural growth only.”
In recent months, Palestinians in the West Bank have returned to the "armed struggle" against Israel. Dozens of gunmen stay awake all night to watch out for soldiers entering their areas. In some instances, when the soldiers don't show up, the gunmen go out searching for them. The gunmen have replaced the Palestinian security forces, who often disappear just before the arrival of the soldiers.PMW: Palestinian museum encourages rock throwing and intifada
IDF soldiers who carry out nightly incursions into Palestinian villages are usually met with barrages of stones and firebombs. Nowadays, they are almost always met with heavy gunfire. "We have a popular resistance during the day and an armed resistance during the night. The number of young men carrying weapons is increasing every day," said a senior Palestinian official in Ramallah.
The Palestinian Authority does not seem to be capable of - or willing - to confront the gunmen, who enjoy the support of the Palestinian public. Gunmen, especially in the Jenin and Nablus regions, are being armed and funded by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Both Iranian-backed groups seek to push Palestinians in the West Bank toward an armed confrontation with Israel.
Several Fatah gunmen have no problem cooperating with Islamic Jihad and Hamas as long as they are offered money and weapons. The two groups hope that an increase in shooting attacks also undermines the PA's control of the West Bank and encourages some members of the Palestinian security forces to join them in the fight against Israel.
Hamas reported 44 shooting attacks in the West Bank in July and 33 more since the beginning of August.
During a visit to The Palestinian Museum near Ramallah, a PA TV host tried her skills at virtual rock throwing.
At the museum visitors can participate in a number of interactive stories. One such story is about “the intifada” – the name given by Palestinians to their waves of violence and terror against Israel. Director of The Palestinian Museum’s Information and Communication Technology Unit Nasri Shtayyeh explained that in entering the interactive story, the visitor “needs to respond” to the “environment of intifada that could contain throwing rocks.” And indeed, the PA TV host is seen throwing virtual rocks in the broadcast:
Director of The Palestinian Museum’s Information and Communication Technology Unit Nasri Shtayyeh: “The user can choose one of these interactive stories. The first story is the intifada, and they have a kind of emotion, because the moment [the museum visitor] enters the story he needs to respond, since he is entering an environment of intifada that could contain throwing rocks, it could have road closures, it could have vehicles entering.” …
Official PA TV host: “Let’s try it.”
Nasri Shtayyeh: “It’s really nice, and it’s interactive.”
[Official PA TV, At the Museum, Aug. 24, 2022]
For years, Palestinian Media Watch has exposed Palestinian indoctrination to violence and terror to the world. The violence promoted includes deadly rock throwing at Israeli targets. One such example was a guide for children how to throw rocks published by Fatah, the movement headed by PA leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Now that The Palestinian Museum has been revealed as a partner to this by openly endorsing violence against Israel, any institution - be it public or private – supporting the museum should reconsider whether they want to continue giving a hand to terror promotion.
Hamas in Turkey: Money Laundering, Turkish Passports, Government Collusion and Terror Bank Accounts
Beside Erdogan's regular antisemitic outbursts, other alarming issues -- such as Hamas' secret investment portfolio in Turkey and Turkey's granting passports to Hamas terrorists -- need to be addressed by Turkish government authorities.
See the US Treasury's list of specially designated nationals whose businesses operate in Turkey and elsewhere.
"It seems that Hamas has chosen to manage its secret investment portfolio in Turkey because of the weak financial system in Turkey, which enables Hamas to hide its money laundering activity and tax violations from the regulatory bodies. Trend Gyo, controlled by Hamas, has five subsidiaries in Turkey. Senior officials in the investment portfolio hold dual, high-ranking positions in all five companies." — Double Cheque, February 2, 2018.
As Turkey-Israel relations appear to be entering a so-called "new phase", the government of Turkey needs to publicly explain the following: When Hamas began operating in Turkey, what its political, financial, military, and diplomatic activities have been there, how many Hamas terrorists have lived in Turkey, and why Turkey has enabled them. Why did Turkey give them Turkish citizenship? And if they really deported a few of them, what has changed? Does Turkey see Hamas as a terrorist organization now? How many Hamas terrorists remain in Turkey as of today? And why?
[A] senior Turkish official and other sources told Middle East Eye that Turkey had not expelled any Hamas members and was not planning to expel the Muslim Brotherhood presence in the country, either. As Hamas is the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, it is probably not a reach to assume that Turkey has no plans to ask Hamas to leave any time soon.
Until the Turkish government officials honestly and transparently answer these questions and take concrete steps to end Hamas' presence in Turkey, its "rapprochement" with Israel should be understood only as an unauthentic attempt to benefit Erdogan's regime and harm Israel.
Taliban Parades US Military Gear in Celebration of Afghanistan Withdrawal Anniversary
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) August 31, 2022
Representatives from Russia, China, Pakistan, and Turkey also took part in the ceremony.
Via @PhilipECaldwell https://t.co/BcZuXMNKnr
In Al-Jazeera Interview, Taliban Spokesman Dr. Muhammad Naeem Wardak Refuses to Rule Out Relations with Israel: What Problem Do We Have with Israel? It Is Strange to Ask Me about Issues That Have Nothing to Do with Us #Taliban #Israel #Afghanistan @IeaOffice pic.twitter.com/wvkHsQ6pZW
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) September 1, 2022
UN Security Council extends UNIFIL’s Lebanon mandate by another year
The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday approved Resolution 2650, extending the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon until Aug. 31, 2023.US: Hezbollah’s amassing of weapons on Israel’s northern border must stop
In its resolution, council asked that UNIFIL take “temporary and exceptional measures” to help the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) with food, fuel, medication and logistical support,” adding that the LAF and the United Nations must set concrete benchmarks and timetables for the deployment of the LAF in southern Lebanon.
Richard M. Mills, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations, welcomed the resolution, saying it would enable the peacekeepers to act independently and conduct “announced and unannounced patrols.”
But he also warned that “UNIFIL peacekeepers are being blocked—with increasing frequency—from conducting mandated tasks and accessing sites of concern,” according to a readout of the meeting published on the United Nations’ official website.
Hezbollah must stop amassing weapons on Israel’s northern border, the US’s Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Mills, told the UN Security Council in New York on Wednesday, after it voted to renew the mandate of the organization’s peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
“The US shares this council’s significant concern about the state of affairs in southern Lebanon, in particular, Hezbollah’s threatening activities,” he said.
The UNSC vote comes as tension has increased between Israel and Lebanon over their maritime dispute.
On Wednesday, Reuters posted a video of two Lebanese ministers symbolically throwing rocks towards Israel.
Since 1978, the UN has maintained a peacekeeping force along the border between the two countries known as the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Since 2006 it has been specifically tasked with maintaining the cease-fire agreement that ended the Second Lebanon War and that was codified in UNSC Resolution 1701.
UNIFIL currently has a force of 10,500 peacekeepers from 48 UN countries. Its patrols focus on the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River, with an eye to preventing another arms build-up that could lead to another war, particularly by a non-state actor such as Hezbollah.
Israel holds that Hezbollah is an Iranian proxy group.
This is how Team Obama-Biden launders funds to the LAF from the UNIFIL account — “exceptionally” and temporarily. They’ve done it twice now, and can renew it every year — “exceptionally” and temporarily. The LAF, by the UN’s own account, is blocking UNIFIL on Hezbollah’s behalf. pic.twitter.com/YV9ROFj2cs
— Tony Badran (@AcrossTheBay) August 31, 2022
Syrian Opposition Figure Asaad Al-Zubi: Hizbullah Refuses to Return Chemical WMDs, Missiles, Tanks, and Weapons Given to It by the Syrian Regime #Hizbullah #Lebanon #Syria @alzoubiasad pic.twitter.com/DdKc8INg5S
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) September 1, 2022
Seth Frantzman: Amid airstrikes, Iran nuclear talks, all eyes are on Syria
The recent rounds of airstrikes in Syria are raising tensions between Iran and the US as well as potentially between Iran and Israel. They might even affect Russia.Supporters Of Syrian Regime: By Letting Israel Attack Inside Syria, Russia Abets The Aggression Against Syria
The Syrian Defense Ministry said that at "approximately 20:00 this evening, the Israeli enemy targeted Aleppo International Airport with a missile strike that caused material damage to the airport."
These strikes come in the wake of two rounds of airstrikes carried out by the US against Iranian affiliates in Syria over the last two weeks.
The spotlight on Israel matters because it comes as pro-Iranian media, like Al-Mayadeen and also Iran’s own Fars News reported the strikes. What Iran is doing is highlighting these strikes in contrast to past incidents.
Additionally, rumors seem to indicate a return to the Iran deal while the US has carried out two rounds of airstrikes on Iranian IRGC affiliates in Syria. This was apparently in response to a large drone attack from Iraq which targeted US forces in Syria. It also comes as Russia is working on acquiring Iranian drones and reports have circulated saying Russia moved an S-300 battery from Syria back to Russia.
What do all the airstrikes mean?
The recent incidents in Syria raise many questions about how the Syrian battlefield may be changing and how Syria is becoming a focus of activity, both regionally and globally.
While Iran has been entrenching Syria for years, moving weapons to Hezbollah and constructing bases, moving drones and even trying to move air defenses to Syria. Overall, the focus on Syria matters now because to the Iran deal.
On August 25, 2022, Syria's official news agency SANA reported that the Israeli air force had attacked targets near the cities of Hama and Tartous in the northwest of the country.[1] According to the Saudi Al-Arabiya channel and the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, affiliated with the Syrian opposition, the attack targeted a military research facility in the town of Masyaf in the western Hama Governorate, which is operated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and a facility for the production and storage of Iranian missiles. According to the reports, the strikes caused extensive fires and explosions were heard for many hours.[2]A New Strategy to Counter Iran Is Required
The images of the fires in Masyaf, along with Israeli media reports that, a few days prior to the airstrike, Russia had removed a battery of S300 aerial defense missiles from the area (apparently for reasons having to do with the war in Ukraine),[3] elicited responses from many Syrians on social media, who expressed criticism and anger at Russia. The critics, among them Syrian field commanders and figures close to the Assad regime, as well as Syrian citizens who support the regime, slammed Russia for greenlighting the Israeli attacks, and some even accused it of betraying its Syrian ally.
It should be noted that criticism of this sort has been heard from regime supporters in the past.[4]
This report presents some of the criticism against Russia expressed by Syrians on social media.
Prominent Syrian Businessman: Israel Is Attacking With Russian Consent
Some Syrian regime supporters claimed that there is cooperation between Russia and Israel in the context of the Israeli airstrikes. The head of Syria's Federation of Chambers of Industry, Fares Al-Shehabi, who has spoken in the past about Russia's failure to respond to the Israeli operations, wrote following the attack on Hama and Tartous that Russia consents to these attacks. He tweeted on August 26: "Russia-Israel relations are much deeper than we think. The Syrian-Russian alliance and cooperation agreements will not change this, nor will a few declarations of solidarity with Russia [made by Syrians] on public media! Israel will continue to attack [Syria] with Russian acquiescence, until we ourselves draw the line!"[5]
Commander Of Assad Militia To Russia: We Need Deeds, Not Declarations And Condemnations
Jihad Barakat, the commander of the Syrian regime's Maghawir Al-Ba'th militia, who is married to the cousin of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, wrote on Facebook, hinting at Russia: "[Our dear] allies, we do not need declarations, we need actions." Commenting on his own post, he wrote: "We have had enough condemnations."[6]
Syrian Media Activist: The Russian Umbrella That Should Defend Us Is Full Of Holes
Pro-Assad media activist Fatima Salman wrote on August 25 on her Facebook page: "It seems that the Russian umbrella is full of holes and is unable to defend anyone. The barbaric [Israeli] strike on Tartous and Masyaf is a disgrace for Syria's [Russian] allies."[7]
Now that Iran is de facto becoming a nuclear state, Israel's attention should be towards developing a new strategy in which no Iranian regime would dare wage a nuclear war against Israel.Iran deal bashed in letter to Biden from 5,000 Israeli security experts
Over the years, Israel has taken every possible method to slow down the Iranian nuclear program, aided by Western partners. Nuclear facilities were sabotaged, Iranian nuclear scientists were eliminated, and a cyberattack using the Stuxnet worm penetrated the control and command array of the centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear facilities.
The Israeli defense establishment is in consensus about the inability to end the Iranian nuclear program with one military action, like Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007. The Iranians have scattered their plants in various locations, in the depths of the earth.
The late Mossad chief Meir Dagan believed that at some point, Israel would be required to shift from a strategy of preventing an Iranian bomb to a strategy of conducting itself under the assumption that Iran is a nuclear power. Facing this new era, Israel will be forced to increase its intelligence supremacy via Iran even more, and make the regime feel completely transparent, so it doesn't dare make that final step towards the bomb.
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Nitzan Nuriel, a former executive at the National Security Council, suggested creating a comprehensive network of radars and satellites linked to an array of interception measures that would be able to intercept a warhead over the launching area a mere seconds following the launch. No one is interested in having their own warhead intercepted in their territory and suffering all of the damage meant to be inflicted upon the enemy, especially when unconventional warheads are used.
Over 5,000 retired Israeli military officers and former security officials have signed an open letter to US President Joe Biden urging him not to sign the new nuclear agreement with Iran.5,000 Israeli defense officials urge President Biden not to sign nuclear deal with Iran
“Based on our collective experience and assessment, we believe that this deal is catastrophic for American, Israeli and for global peace and security for a broad range of reasons,” the letter said.
The letter, authored by the Israel Defense and Security Forum, includes 34 senior officers and thousands of other officers and from all branches of Israel’s armed forces and from security and law-enforcement agencies, researchers, academics, and others.
Some of the signatories include retired generals Amir Avivi, Gershon Hacohen, Yossi Bachar, Kamil Abu Rokon, Yossi Kuperwasser, Avigdor Kahalani and Tzvika Haimovitch, among others.“Based on our collective experience and assessment, we believe that this deal is catastrophic for American, Israeli and global peace and security for a broad range of reasons.”According to the forum, which describes itself as a forum dedicated to “ensuring that Israel’s security in the homeland of the Jewish people is never taken for granted,” a revived deal gives Iran a “clear legal pathway” to obtaining nuclear weapons by 2031 and does not give the signatories any tools to stop.
“The deal will unleash a regional nuclear arms race, in which countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Sunni states will be forced to either develop or acquire nuclear weapons to mitigate the Iranian threat. Sectarian and religious war will likely be triggered,” the letter warned.
It added that it “will deliver a windfall of previously frozen funds to the Islamic Republic of Iran, funds that will undoubtedly be used to export terror and instability throughout the region and beyond, at an unprecedented scale, with the addition of a future nuclear umbrella as a force multiplier.”
Israel is opposed to a return to a 2015 deal that lifted sanctions by the West on Tehran in return for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
Dozens of IDSF generals signed and sent a letter urging @POTUS Biden to honor his administration's pledge never to allow the Iranian regime to obtain nuclear weapons.
— Habithonistim IDSF (@HabithonistimEn) September 1, 2022
This catastrophic deal jeopardizes Israeli security and will unleash a regional nuclear arms race. pic.twitter.com/a7IpHw7EP6
Israel buys refueling tankers that will help it attack Iran's nuclear sites
In seeking to further its reach as a nuclear deal between Iran and the United States looks more likely to be signed, the Israel Air Force has signed a contract with Boeing to purchase four multi-mission KC-46 refueling tankers in a deal valued at $927.5 million.AIPAC Unleashes a Major Campaign Against the New Iran Deal
The four new planes that will begin to arrive in 2025 are set to replace the IAF’s aging fleet of Re’em Boeing 707 tankers, aircraft that have been flying in various guises for well over half a century.
The deal includes tanker services support, maintenance and repairs, logistics and spares. The planes, that are based on the veteran Boeing 767 widebody airliner, will be built by Boeing in Seattle.
“This contract further strengthens the US-Israel alliance and continues the decades-long relationship between Boeing and the Israeli Air Force,” said Ido Nehushtan, president of Boeing Israel and a former commander of the IAF.
“The KC-46A will benefit Israel’s efforts to ensure national security and regional stability,” he added.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has started actively campaigning against the emerging Iran nuclear deal. A detailed memo circulated on Capitol Hill said: "We have serious concerns about a prospective deal that would give the world's leading sponsor of terrorism access to $100 billion per year and fail to meet President Biden's own standards of a 'longer and stronger' nuclear agreement, all while the regime is trying to assassinate Americans on U.S. soil. Congress must review the deal including all side agreements, assess the implications for America and Israel, and vote on this important national security question." U.S. officials have indicated that the deal will be brought to Congress.The Chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency Won't Let Iran Off the Hook
"Because of sunsetting restrictions and Iranian advancement in its enrichment capabilities, a new agreement will be shorter and weaker than the original JCPOA [nuclear deal]. In essence, we will be paying more and getting less."
"Russia stands to benefit financially, militarily, and strategically from a deal. Moreover, the agreement reportedly will empower Russian President Putin as the principal judge of whether America is complying with the deal. This puts incredible power into the hands of an actor who has time and again proven his animosity to American interests."
"America must support the IAEA's investigation of Iran's undisclosed nuclear activity and reject any effort to pressure the agency to close the probe before it has complete and credible answers to the questions it has raised."
Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is refusing to close his agency's probe into Tehran's suspect atomic activities to pave the way for the nuclear accord's revival. In June, Grossi reported that Iran failed to provide "technically credible" explanations for the presence of uranium at three sites. He reiterated on Monday that the IAEA cannot settle its inquiry until Tehran obliges. He stated that the IAEA has a "legal obligation" to continue the investigation and needs to know where the Iranian nuclear material and equipment in question are today.Ex-IDF intel chief reveals more details on Israel's role in Soleimani killing
Since 2018, the IAEA has been investigating Iranian activities related to the production of nuclear material at four sites in the early 2000s that the regime failed to declare to the IAEA. In 2018, Israel seized a set of Iranian nuclear files detailing that Tehran had a robust nuclear weapons program up until 2003. The archive revealed that the regime downsized and better camouflaged its nuclear weapons activities in mid-2003. It also contains memorandums of meetings by senior Iranian officials discussing where and how to hide ongoing nuclear weapons activities.
In 2019 and 2020, the IAEA asked Iran for access to three Iranian sites, based on archive information. Iran delayed access and tried to sanitize and remove evidence from the three locations, yet inspectors detected human-made uranium at all of them. Marivan was a former high explosive testing location relevant to nuclear weapons development. Varamin was a former pilot uranium conversion facility for nuclear weapons production. Turquzabad held equipment and nuclear material.
The Institute for Science and International Security has translated and analyzed the archive and estimates that an additional 19 to 23 current and former Iranian sites require investigation.
Former IDF Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Tamir Heyman revealed in December 2021 that Israel assisted with intelligence aspects of the U.S. assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani on January 3, 2020. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Heyman said: "We gave intelligence that incriminated and proved the responsibility of Soleimani for killing Americans. The Americans' view of him was radically altered after they saw the intelligence from us and the level of danger he [continued to] present to Americans."Iranian Curriculum Prepares Students for War with Israel
"The Americans needed Soleimani during the fight against ISIS, but they did not forgive him for the attacks he had carried out against Americans....After ISIS, he rechanneled his violence toward Americans and [created new] national security dangers for America. We gave this [intelligence information] to them. This was the trigger that changed their concept of who Soleimani is."
"They accomplished one of the most successful operations against Iran in the region even to this day. The assassination of Soleimani was a point in which there was a paradigm shift. His successors have not been as effective."
The Iranian curriculum openly teaches hate. Students are taught that death in battle should be sought. Textbooks educate students in preparation for an endless war in the Middle East.
The "Islamic Revolution" is taught as a model for all the countries - people should rise up against their governments. Iran is depicted as being committed to a global struggle that seeks to defend the "oppressed of the world."
The curriculum calls for a total war against Israel until it is completely eradicated. The existence of Israel blocks Iranian efforts to hegemonize the region.
Israel's destruction is presented both as an ideal and as a realistic goal.
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