Tuesday, November 15, 2022

11/15 Links Pt1: Israel’s Partial Victory; Three killed, three wounded in Samaria terror attack; assailant shot dead; American Rabbis Blast Biden Admin for Funding Palestinian Terrorism

From Ian:

Daniel Pipes: Israel’s Partial Victory
These developments have two main implications for Israel.

First, Israel won a victory over the Arab states, with their far larger populations, resources, economies, and diplomatic heft, a signal accomplishment that deserves far more attention than it has received. In 1994, for example, then–IDF Chief of Staff Ehud Barak argued that “in the foreseeable future, the main threat to the State of Israel is still an all-out attack by conventional armies.” This year, Israeli strategist Efraim Inbar insisted that the “idea that Jewish and Arab states will coexist peacefully…ignores the reality on the ground.” Granted, no Arab state signed a document of surrender or otherwise acknowledged defeat, but defeat was their reality. After going into battle with guns blazing in 1948, expecting easily to snuff out the nascent State of Israel, rulers in Cairo, Amman, Damascus, and elsewhere incrementally realized over a quarter-century that the scorned Zionists could beat them every time, no matter who initiated the surprise attack, no matter the terrain, no matter the sophistication of weapons, no matter the great-power allies. The fracturing of Arab-state enmity constitutes a tectonic shift in the Arab–Israeli conflict.

That said, lasting victory can take many decades to be confirmed. Russia and the Taliban looked defeated in 1991 and 2001, respectively, but their resurgences in 2022 put these in doubt.1 A parallel revival seems unlikely for the Arab states, but the Muslim Brotherhood could again take over Egypt, Jordan’s monarchy could fall to radicals, Syria could become whole again, and Lebanon could become a unified state under Hezbollah rule. We can say with confidence that the Arab states have been defeated at least for now.

That defeat raises an obvious question: Does it offer a model for Palestinian defeat?2 In part, yes. If states with large Muslim-majority populations can be forced to give up, that refutes a common notion that Islam makes Muslims immune to defeat.

But in larger part, no. First, Israel is a far more remote issue for residents of Arab states than for Palestinians. Egyptians tend to care less about making Jerusalem the capital of Palestine than installing proper sewer systems. Civil war has consumed Syrians since 2011. Second, states compromise more readily than ideological movements because of rulers’ multiple and competing interests. Third, governments being hierarchical structures—and especially the Arabs’ authoritarian regimes—a single individual (such as Anwar al-Sadat or Mohammad bin Salman) can, on his own, radically change policy. No one disposes of such power in the PLO or Hamas. Thus are state conflicts with Israel more tractable and more prone to change than the Palestinian conflict.

Fourth, despite claims about imperialist aggression directed against them, large Arab states never convincingly portrayed themselves as victims of little Israel, something the even littler Palestinians have done with great skill, making themselves the darlings of international organizations and senior common rooms alike, giving them a unique global constituency. Finally, long-ago peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and the recent Abraham Accords have great importance in themselves but have next to no role in diminishing perfervid Palestinian hostility toward Israel. Likewise, the Palestinians’ groupies—Islamists, Tehran and Ankara, global leftists—completely ignore the accords. If only victimized Palestinians matter, the retreat of Arab states is irrelevant.

For these reasons, Arab states withdrew after just 25 years of leading the charge against Israel, but Palestinians keep going at 50 years.
The Abraham Accords at Year Two: A Work Plan for Strengthening and Expansion
Two years on, Jerusalem’s agreements with multiple Arab states have started to prove their durability; yet, argues Meir Ben-Shabbat, much still must be done to deepen these newly established relationships and to broaden them to include more countries. Ben-Shabbat notes those factors that have slowed such developments and suggests what both the U.S. and Israel can do to encourage them. He also stresses the role of Muslim-majority countries outside the Middle East:

While it is not counted among the Abraham Accords countries, Chad should also be noted in this survey of Israel’s changing relations in the region. Led by the late Idriss Déby, this nation made its way to Jerusalem on its own, neither with a regional framework nor a supportive U.S. position. Diplomatic relations were resumed in November 2019 but kept at a low profile. In May 2022 Israel’s ambassador to Senegal presented his letter of accreditation to Chad’s current president, Déby’s son Mahamat. The focus now should be on building trust in the peace process by manifesting the fruits of peace to the people in Chad. If the people see the balance sheet of normalization with Israel as negative, this could increase the risk of negative momentum, which could block and harm the achievements of the Abraham Accords.

Ben-Shabbat has several recommendations as to how Jerusalem and Washington can proceed in other arenas, among them:

First, do not take the Abraham Accords for granted or assume they are irreversible. The acts of signing the Accords did generate a true sense of celebration, gave rise to a new spirit, mobilized fresh energies, restored optimism, and offered new hopes. But as in matrimony, real life begins after the party, including the challenges of consolidating the relationship, enhancing and expanding it, preserving its vitality, its spirit, and its passion.

Second, change course on Iran. The U.S. administration should take the next steps from its current, growing expression of frustration and displeasure with Iran, given its involvement in the war against Ukraine. A firm approach toward Iran . . . would serve the broader interests of the American administration and respond to the main challenges the West faces: weakening Russia’s ability to pursue the war, taking actions to resolve the global energy crisis, reversing the Gulf states’ drift toward Russia and China, blocking Iran’s destructive ambitions, and enhancing the process of normalization.
American Rabbis Blast Biden Admin for Funding Palestinian Terrorism
The United States’ largest rabbinic public policy organization says the Biden administration is facilitating terrorism against Israel by injecting nearly half a billion dollars into Palestinian government organizations that incite violence against the Jewish state.

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), a pro-Israel advocacy group representing more than 2,000 American rabbis, slammed the State Department on Monday for its allotment of U.S. tax dollars to the Palestinian government, which is funding a program known as "pay to slay," in which money is funneled to convicted terrorists and their families.

The CJV says the State Department is engaged in a "blatant double standard" on support for terrorism, given its recent comments accusing Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir of "celebrating the legacy of a terrorist organization." State Department spokesman Ned Price called Ben-Gvir "abhorrent" for his recent attendance at a memorial event for murdered religious leader Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose far-right views spawned an eponymous radical organization that the United States designated a global terrorist organization.

The State Department’s willingness to criticize Ben-Gvir—who has repeatedly condemned Kahane’s more radical views—while refraining from offering similar criticism of Palestinian terrorism is evidence of the Biden administration’s bias against Israel, according to the rabbinic group.

"The State Department is funding the [Palestinian Authority’s] ongoing support for terror while rushing to wrongly condemn Ben-Gvir for attending a memorial service for someone who died over three decades ago," Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, CJV’s Israel regional vice president, said in a statement provided to the Washington Free Beacon. "This reflects both an egregious violation of American law and a blatant double standard, at odds with the State Department’s proclamations of neutral and fair treatment. We can and should expect better from the U.S. government and its officials."

Price, in remarks late last week during the State Department’s daily press briefing, said that "celebrating the legacy of a terrorist organization is abhorrent; there is no other word for it. It is abhorrent." The State Department spokesman went on to criticize Israeli "right-wing extremists" and accuse them of promoting "violence and racism."

Price did not acknowledge the Palestinian government’s role in inciting and orchestrating deadly terror attacks on Israeli citizens, fueling the CJV’s calls of a "double standard."


Why Congress Should Invite Benjamin Netanyahu for a Fourth Speech
In 2015, the Israeli prime minister addressed a joint session of the House and Senate. The editors of the New York Sun recommend that the new Congress ask him to return:

Mr. Netanyahu is, after all, one of only two foreign leaders to have addressed a joint meeting three times. Winston Churchill used his third speech to dilate on, among other things, how he himself had become a Zionist early in the 20th century and to kvell over Israel’s progress. That speech was in 1952, when Harry Truman was still in office. Were Mr. Netanyahu to be invited back, he’d be the only four-timer.

Mr. Netanyahu could also talk about Israel’s democracy, given the way the latest election is being portrayed in the pro-Democratic press. . . . So Netanyahu could pick up from where he ended his speech last time he addressed Congress. That was where he gestured to the bas-relief of Moses, whose exodus from Egypt helped inspire America’s own early settlers and whose image now overlooks our legislature and whose laws have served as a kind of constitution of the Jewish people. We don’t want to press that point to any inappropriate degree, but neither would we ignore it.

We are struck that in recent years not a single world leader—including Presidents Biden and Macron, say, or Prime Minister Johnson or Chancellor Merkel—has given a major strategic speech or call to global action. Who better to do that than Mr. Netanyahu, a combat veteran, a son of one of the West’s greatest historians and, by time in grade, a senior statesman? What an opportunity for the 118th Congress to get off on a historic footing.
Arab MK Ayman Odeh Refused to Be Photographed Next to Israeli Flags
The members of the 25th Knesset came to be sworn in, and as part of the process were asked to be photographed next to Israeli flags and the Country’s Menorah symbol. The vast majority of MKs were delighted, and the new members were even excited to have their picture taken, for later use next to their bios on the Knesset website. A few didn’t.

Hadash Chairman MK Ayman Odeh was videoed going in, being asked to have his portrait taken, agreeing, but then, after realizing this would be next to the flag, backed out.

Ofer Cassif, also from the Hadash Communist party and its token Jews, also refused to be immortalized next to his country’s flags.

Happy 25th Knesset, y’all!


Jonathan Tobin: Ukraine backs antisemitism at the UN while pressuring Israel for arms
Still, Ukraine’s pleas for Israeli help would be more reasonable if Kyiv were actually a friend of the Jewish state. Let’s ignore his lies about Ukrainians standing with Jews during the Holocaust, as opposed to what they actually did, which was to aid the Nazis in their slaughter.

Let’s set aside, as well, the fact that Ukrainian nationalism, historically, has been closely connected to antisemitism. Instead, let’s just focus on the attitude of the modern Ukrainian republic, and specifically Zelenskyy’s government, toward Israel.

This brings us to last week’s U.N. vote—98 nations in favor, 17 opposed and 52 abstentions—for referral to the International Court of Justice.

The 17 “nos” consisted of Israel, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Liberia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and the United States.

Among those voting in favor was Ukraine.

This is, of course, far from the first time that Ukraine has sided with the mob of haters at the U.N. attacking Israel. It has consistently done so since becoming independent 30 years ago, including just last month, when it joined others in a demand that Israel unilaterally renounce its right to nuclear weapons.

One would think that, at a time when it is seeking help from Israel, Ukraine might at least abstain on votes aimed at isolating and destroying the Jewish state. But such is the hypocrisy and arrogance of the Zelenskyy government that it had no compunction about both voting against Israel and simultaneously trying to strong-arm it into handing over its most valued and scarce weapons, integral to its self-defense, like Iron Dome batteries.

This says a lot about how off base many of those who speak as if Ukraine were a Jeffersonian democracy and a bastion of decency are while trying to persuade American taxpayers to go on funding a war, which has no end in sight, to the tune of tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars.

But it is also a reminder of how the U.N.’s toxic environment acts to enable the worst instincts of so many governments around the world. It allows those with foul motives, tainted by antisemitism, to work together under the false banner of human rights.

Rather than ignore or downplay it, Israelis should be taking the U.N. threat seriously. And Americans should be working to defund the body, rather than supporting, facilitating and standing aloof from its worst excesses, as the Biden administration continues to do.
Israel abstains in UN call for Russia to make reparations to Ukraine
Israel abstained in a UN General Assembly vote on Russian reparations for Ukraine on Monday, less than a week after Ukraine voted with the Palestinians on a resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to consider whether Israel’s “occupation” of the West Bank should be viewed as illegal annexation.

The UN resolution, supported by 94 of the assembly’s 193 members, said Russia, which invaded its neighbor in February, "must bear the legal consequences of all of its internationally wrongful acts, including making reparation for the injury, including any damage, caused by such acts."

Israel was one of 74 countries that abstained; 13 opposed.

Israel voted with Ukraine and against Russia in every other UN vote since the start of the war.
Ukraine’s envoy blasts Israeli ‘summons’ as ties deteriorate
Ukraine’s envoy to Israel on Tuesday condemned the country’s restrictions on the entry of Ukrainians into the country during a meeting at the Foreign Ministry. The officials from both countries met amid rising tensions between the countries surrounding the war in Europe.

Kyiv’s Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk responded to the Foreign Ministry saying he had been “summoned” with the angry retort that “They can say whatever they want.”

In a Facebook post after the meeting with senior Israeli diplomats, Korniychuk said he “forwarded the indignation of the Ukrainian side regarding the entrenched practice of unjustifiably denying Ukrainian citizens entry to the territory of Israel.”

The envoy added that Kyiv considers the obstacles to entry “an unfriendly step.”

Senior Ukrainian officials have been vocal about Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked’s order for a cap on the number of Ukrainian refugees who were allowed to enter the country, a ruling overturned in July by the High Court. But Ukrainians are still being turned away at the airport in Israel.

“When the conflict started, many European countries canceled all travel restrictions for Ukrainian refugees and helped them, etcetera. Israel did the opposite. Israel breached the agreement and imposed visa restrictions on our entry into the country,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in October.

Under existing regulations, Ukrainians do not need a visa for a visit of up to three months in Israel.


Three killed, three wounded in Samaria terror attack; assailant shot dead
Three Israelis were killed and three others wounded on Tuesday when a Palestinian terrorist went on a stabbing spree in Ariel in Samaria.

The assailant stabbed one person at the entrance to the Ariel Industrial Park and two others at an adjacent gas station, according to the Israeli military.

He then fled the scene in the stolen vehicle, which he subsequently slammed into several cars on Route 5 before exiting the car and stabbing another person, and then stealing a second vehicle and driving it against traffic.

At this stage, security personnel shot and killed him.

The slain Israelis were Tamir Avihai, whom the terrorist drove into, Michael Ladygin, who was stabbed at the gas station, and a third person whose identity has not yet been released.

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry identified the terrorist as Muhammed Souf, 18, according to Palestinian reports.

The IDF was conducting a search for a second suspect in connection with the attack.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid released a statement following the attack, stating, “The citizens of Israel awakened today to a difficult and painful morning. A despicable terrorist has carried out a heinous terrorist attack in Ariel. On behalf of the Government and State of Israel, I send my condolences to the families of those murdered and my wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded.

“We are relentlessly fighting terrorism with the full might of…the security forces,” the statement continued, adding, “Recently, we have succeeded in dismantling extensive terrorist infrastructure and planning, but we must fight this war every day anew. Our security forces are working around the clock to protect the citizens of Israel and target terrorist infrastructure anytime, anywhere.”

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on Twitter: “Praying for the peace of those injured in the serious attack in Ariel and strengthening the security forces operating in the area.”
Three Israelis killed in West Bank terror attack

First responder describes terror of West Bank stabbing attack

Tamir Avihay, Michael Ledigin named as victims of Ariel terror attack
Tamir Avihay, 50, from Kiryat Netafim and Michael Ledigin, 36, from Bat Yam were named as two of the three victims in the Ariel terror attack on Tuesday.

Avihay was a father to six children ranging from the age of 12 to 29, he had five daughters and one son.

"Our father was a joyful man," said Avihay's daughters Liron and Shirel, adding that they are grateful to the solider who shot the terrorist.

"It is a difficult moment for all of us," said Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan. "Three people were murdered and three were injured. We are hugging the family, and Kiryat Netafim in these hard times. Tamir was a man full of light and kindness, with a will to help others, a man of grace and a full-hearted Zionist. Everyone who knew him loved him.

"I am saying it here, we will not break, the residents of Samaria and all of Israel will keep their heads up, build, live and plant. The life and the good of Israel will defeat the darkness and evil of the terrorist of the Palestinian Authority."

"We are shocked and in pain to announce the death of our friend, Tamir Avihay," said the Kiryat Netafim council. "Tamir was murdered by a despicable terrorist on road 5. we send a warm hug to the family and to Tamir's children. Kiryat Netafim community will do all in its power to help the family."

Kiryat Netafim's community leader, Avi Baruch has said that "Tamir was always an inseparable part of Kiryat Netafim, and the entire village is in grief and pain. We hug the whole family in this difficult time, and stand with it with whatever it'll take. Michael Ledigin was a new oleh

Ledigin made aliyah five years ago and some of his family still lives in Russia. He was the father of two kids aged seven and 12.

"I'm in shock, I still cannot believe he's gone," his wife told Kan.

"We embrace Michael's family, who immigrated to Israel five years ago for Zionism. We are ready to give his wife and two children full support also through the education system," said Bat Yam mayor Zvika Brot. "Bat Yam is mourning and hurting over the death of its resident who was killed this morning by sons of iniquity in the Ariel attack. We are supporting the family and helping them in these difficult hours."


Lapid: We won't abandon our soldiers to FBI investigation
Prime Minister Yair Lapid slammed the US Administration's decision to launch an FBI investigation into the death of Al Jazeera Shireen Abu Aqleh during the swearing-in ceremony for the 25th Knesset Tuesday.

“The IDF is a moral and ethical army. IDF soldiers and their commanders defend the State of Israel. The IDF thoroughly investigates any irregular event and is committed to the values and laws of democracy," Lapid said.

"Our soldiers will not be investigated by the FBI or by any other foreign country or entity, however friendly it may be. We will not abandon our soldiers to foreign investigations. We have conveyed our strong protest to the United States,” he added.

The FBI investigation into the death of Abu Aqleh, which occurred during a shootout between IDF forces and Arab terrorists in Jenin on May 11, was revealed yesterday.
'Serious mistake': Gantz blasts FBI probe into Abu Akleh death
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched a probe into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May, with Israel immediately rejecting cooperation with the inquiry.

"I made it clear to the American representatives that we stand behind the IDF's soldiers, that we will not cooperate with any external investigation and we will not allow interference in Israel's internal affairs," Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, adding that the decision to investigate "the unfortunate death of Shireen Abu Akleh is a grave mistake."

He noted that the IDF conducted its own investigation into the death of Abu Akleh, who was killed during a firefight between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen in Jenin, and that those findings were shared with the US administration.

The military stated at the time that although there was a high probability of Abu Akleh having been accidentally hit by IDF gunfire it was not possible to unequivocally determine its source. It also added that the fire was directed toward suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen during an exchange of fire in which life-risking, widespread and indiscriminate fire was directed toward IDF soldiers.
PA welcomes US probe into the killing of Al-Jazeera journalist
The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday welcomed the decision by the US Department of Justice to open an investigation into the killing of Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot in Jenin earlier this year.

PA presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the decision constitutes “further evidence of the lack of credibility of the occupation authorities’ account of all cases of deliberate killings carried out by their forces against our people.”

Abu Rudaineh called for holding accountable those responsible for the killing of Abu Akleh, a resident of east Jerusalem who held US citizenship.

The spokesperson denounced the Israeli reaction to the decision, saying the Israeli policy defies international law through its disregard for international and UN resolutions and its refusal to comply with them.

What did the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs say?
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also welcomed the US decision and said that the Palestinians are ready to cooperate with an investigation into the case of Abu Akleh and other Palestinians allegedly killed by the Israeli security forces.

The ministry said that the US investigation was needed because of Israel’s attempts to “obliterate” the case of the veteran Al-Jazeera journalist.

“The Palestinians are ready to cooperate with any international or US investigations into the execution of the martyr Abu Akleh and other victims of extrajudicial killings,” the ministry added.
HonestReporting: Did Disproportionate Media Focus Prompt FBI Investigation Into Shireen Abu Akleh's Death?
The United States Department of Justice has notified the Israeli government that the FBI opened an inquiry into the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

The Al Jazeera reporter was killed in May while covering an Israeli counter-terror raid in Jenin. An IDF probe previously concluded that Abu Akleh was likely mistakenly shot by a soldier who failed to identify her as a member of the press.

The unprecedented decision by the Biden Administration to launch a criminal investigation into alleged wrongdoings by a US ally comes after a months-long assault against Israel in the media, with some accusing Jerusalem of "murder." HonestReporting found that in the first six months after Abu Akleh's death, prominent US news outlets produced over 500 articles about the tragic incident in the West Bank.

While every death is a tragedy in war, the disproportionate news coverage and lack of comparable international outcry when it comes to incidents that do not involve Israel suggest that bias against the Jewish state might be at play.




Guardian's worst journalist misleads on Shireen Abu Akleh probe
The IDF report concluded that “there is a high possibility that Ms. Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire that was fired towards… Palestinian gunmen, during an exchange of fire in which…indiscriminate shots were fired toward IDF soldiers”.

The omission by McGreal of the word “accidentally” in the IDF report, and his decision to accept at face value claims that the journalist “was not near Palestinian gunmen” when she was killed, is important, as it denies readers context regarding why, even if Abu Akleh was shot by the IDF, there are no criminal prosecutions.

Let’s recall that, in July, the U.S. Security Coordinator which analysed the bullet and oversaw both the Israeli and Palestinian investigations stated that while gunfire from the IDF was “likely responsible” for the death of Abu Akleh, it, echoing the Israeli report, “found no reason to believe that this was intentional.”

Such distortions about Israel are of course par for the course for McGreal.

We’ve previously referred to him – the Guardian’s former Jerusalem correspondent – as the outlet’s worst journalist in light of his flagrant disregard for the principles of professionalism and objectivity when covering Israel and pro-Israel organisations in the US. McGreal demonstrates his visceral hostility towards the Jewish state and its supporters consistently.

McGreal, an apparent supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, once all but accused IDF soldiers of deliberately murdering innocent Palestinian children, and achieved notoriety for being one of the few mainstream journalists in the UK singled out by name in a CST report on antisemitic discourse.

We’ve complained to Guardian editors about McGreal’s false claim that “the IDF initially denied responsibility for killing Abu Akleh and pointed the finger at Palestinian gunmen”
The Israel Guys: Palestinian Leader WHO PAYS TERRORISTS Says Netanyahu Doesn’t Want Peace
Benjamin Netanyahu has officially received the mandate to form a majority government.

The chairman of the PA Mahmoud Abbas, who pays terrorists to kill Jews, is claiming that Netanyahu is not interested in making peace.

A Bedouin mayor says that he will not preemptively judge MK Itamar Ben Gvir before he takes office as Public Security Minister, saying that he should be given a chance at doing his job.

IDF stops a car ramming attack while arresting terrorists in an Arab village.


JCPA: Palestinian Terrorism Is Getting Stronger in the Northern West Bank
When they are not carrying out attacks, the new terrorist groups engage in military parades and training to encourage the idea of resistance to Israel and recruit new members to their ranks.

The Palestinian Authority still has a security presence in Nablus, but the establishment of additional armed groups challenges the PA and Israel. The IDF’s arrest operations are not enough to stop the terror wave and a major military operation is needed in the northern West Bank to eliminate the hundreds of armed terrorists, who are also planning attacks inside Israel.

The Israel Security Agency revealed last week that three terrorists captured in Nablus with weapons were planning to carry out a major attack to avenge the death of the terrorist Ibrahim al-Nabolsi, one of the leaders of the “Lions’ Den” group. They received assistance from an Islamic Jihad operative from Gaza to purchase weapons.

The new Minister of Defense in the Netanyahu government will have to reevaluate the security policy in the West Bank and change the strategy, which has been proven to be insufficient to stop the new wave of terrorism.

Prime Minister Lapid and Defense Minister Gantz appeared to be afraid of the reactions of the Biden administration and the Palestinian Authority and have avoided taking an iron-hand policy against the terrorist wave. This is interpreted as weakness by the terrorist organizations, which take advantage of this for the purpose of strengthening and building new terrorist groups in the field.

The renewal of the policy of targeted killings appears to have been only a symbolic step and the IDF and the Israel Security Agency have used it only once in Nablus to assassinate a senior terrorist from the Lions’ Den group. The use of this tool should be increased, which is a decision of the political echelon.
Palestinian factions applaud 'heroic' attack, vow to pursue ‘resistance’
Several Palestinian factions praised Tuesday’s terrorist attack in the northern West Bank in which three Israelis were killed, saying it underscored the failure of the Israeli security forces to subdue the “resistance.”

The factions described the attack as a “heroic operation.”

The Palestinian Authority did not comment on the attack by Tuesday afternoon.

In some parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinians were documented celebrating the attack by handing out sweets to passersby and drivers.

What did Palestinian factions say about the terrorist attack?
“The operation demonstrates the ability of the Palestinian people to continue their revolution and defend al-Aqsa Mosque from daily incursions,” Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou said.

He was referring to routine visits by Jews to the Aqsa Mosque compound and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Hamas and other Palestinian groups, including the PA, regularly describe the visits as violent incursions by Jewish extremists.

“The continuous aggression against the Palestinians and the daily storming of al-Aqsa Mosque will be met with the expansion of the resistance’s strikes,” Qanou said.


PMW: Hamas MP: “The West Bank was immersed in pure blood of a new group of Martyrs”
Hamas MP: “The West Bank was immersed in pure blood of a new group of Martyrs… This holy land must be perfumed by this pure blood”

PA Parliament Member Marwan Abu Ras: “This morning the land of the West Bank was immersed in pure blood of a new group of Martyrs of Palestine, of whom we are proud. We are honored by this new group of Martyrs of Palestine (i.e., 5 killed terrorists). The processions of Martyrs will not end until our land is liberated… Salvation, liberation, and victory – they have a price. Victory over this criminal enemy cannot be a free gift out of kindheartedness or generosity of this enemy. Rather victory must be extracted by force, and our land must be immersed in our blood. This holy land must be perfumed by this pure blood.”
[Hamas Ministry of Interior and National Security in the Gaza Strip, YouTube channel, Oct. 26, 2022]

The “Martyrs” referred to by MP Abu Ras were all terrorists:
Wadi’ Al-Houh, Ali Antar, Hamdi Qayyim, Mash’al Baghdadi, Hamdi Sharaf – Palestinian terrorists and members of the independent terror cell “the Lion’s Den” who shot at Israeli soldiers raiding and destroying a headquarters and weapons and explosives laboratory of the cell in Nablus on Oct. 25, 2022. The soldiers returned fire in self-defense, killing the 5 terrorists. Al-Houh was a senior member of “the Lion’s Den.” During the raid PA Security Forces shot at the Israeli soldiers, who returned fire in self-defense and wounded several of them.

The Lion's Den - an independent Palestinian terror cell largely based in Nablus. It has not stated an official affiliation and its members come from a variety of terror organizations, including Fatah's military wing the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. The Lion's Den was responsible for numerous shooting attacks in the West Bank during 2022, with an uptick in shootings during September-October. Two of the main founders of the cell were Fatah terrorists Muhammad Al-Azizi and Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi, both killed in shootouts with Israeli forces on July 24, 2022 and Aug. 9, 2022 respectively.

MP Abu Ras gave this speech at a graduation ceremony of the “‘Obligatory’ training courses for the Hamas Ministry of Interior and National Security officers – class of Martyr Uday Al-Tamimi. Oct. 25, 2022”

Uday Al-Tamimi – 22-year-old Palestinian terrorist who shot and murdered 18-year-old female Israeli soldier Sgt. Noa Lazar and wounded an Israeli security guard at the Shuafat checkpoint in northern Jerusalem on Oct. 8, 2022. Al-Tamimi managed to escape and later shot and wounded an Israeli security guard at the entrance to Ma’ale Adumim east of Jerusalem on Oct. 19, 2022, before other guards at the scene shot and killed him in self-defense.




Georgia foils Iranian plot to kill Israeli businessman
Security services in the Republic of Georgian announced on Tuesday that they had foiled an attempt to assassinate an Israeli businessman who was living in the country.

The suspects connected with the plot included a Pakistani man and a dual Georgian-Iranian citizen, both of whom are now in custody, the security services said.

The operator who allegedly ordered the assassination is an Iranian national living in the United States, according to the statement.

The terror plot allegedly involved sending the Pakistani to Georgia after briefing him on the Israeli target.

The would-be assassin entered Georgia through an unnamed third country, according to the statement, and moved into an apartment that was described as being equipped with devices for implementing the attack.

The Pakistani allegedly tracked the Israeli man’s travel patterns and routines, while remaining in ongoing communication with the Iranian group and receiving instructions from abroad.

Georgian police seized firearms, ammunition and phones allegedly used by the group during the preparation stage.


White House: Nuclear Talks ‘Not on the Agenda’ Amid Renewed Iranian Assassination Plots
Negotiations with Iran surrounding a revamped version of the 2015 nuclear deal are "not on the agenda" for the Biden administration, which is instead working on "ways to confront" Tehran, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council told the Washington Free Beacon on Monday.

Reviving the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, "is not our focus right now," the White House official, speaking only on background, said in response to questions about whether the administration is recalibrating its diplomacy with Tehran. New intelligence shows the Islamic Republic is still trying to assassinate former U.S. officials, including former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and his top aides. A State Department official echoed this stance when asked by the Free Beacon on Monday.

Both the White House and State Department warned Iran against carrying out any assassination plot against current or former American officials, with the State Department saying, "Iran would test our resolve to protect our citizens at great peril." And the White House official confirmed to the Free Beacon that the administration is focused "on practical ways to confront" Iran's assassination plots and growing military relationship with Russia.

The warning comes on the heels of an intelligence assessment by the Biden administration that indicates Pompeo and his former Iran envoy, Brian Hook, continue to face a "serious and credible threat," which the Associated Press reported on Monday. Iran continues to plot assassinations, even as the Islamic Republic faces a massive wave of protests at home that threaten to upend the hardline regime's grip on power.
No push for Iran nuclear talks, U.S. envoy says, due to protests, drone sales
Iran's crackdown on protesters and the sale of drones to Russia have turned the United States' focus away from reviving a nuclear deal, which Tehran has so far rejected, Washington's special envoy for Iran said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters in Paris, Robert Malley insisted that the United States would leave the door open to resume diplomacy "when and if" the time came, but for now Washington would continue a policy of sanctions and pressure. Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Talks to revive a 2015 accord between Iran and world powers have been at a stalemate since September. Western states accuse Iran of making unreasonable demands after all sides appeared to be nearing a deal.

"If these negotiations are not happening, it's because of Iran's position and everything that has happened since (September)," Malley said.

"Our focus is not an accord that isn't moving forward, but what is happening in Iran ... this popular movement and the brutal crackdown of the regime against protesters. It's the sale of armed drones by Iran to Russia ... and the liberation of our hostages," he said referring to three American nationals held in Iran.


Emily Schrader: Iran has started a war on journalists
Nationwide protests against the Islamic regime in Iran have continued there for over seven weeks with no sign of stopping and the mullahs are growing impatient. Last week, the Iranian parliament voted to execute protesters who had been arrested, which amounts to roughly 14,000 (known) people.

Only a few days later, the regime announced they are actively pursuing journalists working with the network Iran International – and even arrested the sister of slain wrestler Navid Afkari, falsely accusing her of being a journalist for Iran International. Yet there’s one place Iranian regime leaders and supporters are safe: Twitter.

In the aftermath of the regime’s announcement that they are pursuing journalists, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s Fars News agency released a graphic on social media with the faces and names of Iranian journalists abroad with the text, “wanted dead or alive.” These threats were amplified across that platform by pro-regime accounts, including those with tens of thousands of followers, with comments comparing the journalists to Salman Rushdie, the author who for decades has lived under a fatwa, issued by the Islamic regime, to kill him.

In August, Rushdie was brutally stabbed at a public lecture by a supporter of Ayatollah Khamenei. The same week as the attack on Rushdie, Khamenei’s response was to tweet that the fatwa remains in effect for anyone who kills Rushdie.

Activists and Journalists in UK notified that they are in danger
According to UK sources, hundreds of activists and journalists based in the UK have been notified by UK security that their lives are in danger by the Islamic regime over their support for the protests in the past month – or in the case of journalists, simply covering the demonstrations against the Islamic regime.

Iran also has a long history of kidnappings and attempted kidnappings of journalists on foreign soil, including the attempted kidnapping of Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad in New York last year. Yet apparently none of this is enough for these accounts calling for violence to be removed on Twitter.




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