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Monday, December 05, 2022

12/05 Links Pt1: Glick: The Peace Processors Turn Against Peace; Reclaiming the Narrative: It was never about the territories; US Funds Arabs Who Want to Destroy Israel

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: The Peace Processors Turn Against Peace
The purportedly "pro-peace" diplomats' most revealing recommendation related to Israel's Abraham Accords peace partners.

"The Biden administration," they wrote, "needs to inform the Abraham Accord countries—the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan—that their evident lack of interest in the plight of the Palestinians will undermine their relationship with Israel and damage their credibility in advancing other regional objectives with the United States."

So to advance their anti-Israel agenda, the two men who built their careers through their supposed efforts to build Middle East peace, call for scuppering Middle East peace.

This tells us something very basic about the true nature of their work—and that of their like-minded colleagues—across the decades, and still today. It was never peace that they were after. "Peace," for them, was a fig leaf behind which they hid their true goal. That goal is clear, given that their noxious policy prescriptions are the same today as they have always been.

In the name of the vaunted "peace process," for more than 30 years Miller, Kurtzer, and their colleagues in the Washington foreign policy establishment pressured Israel to appease the Palestinians despite their anti-Jewish bigotry and terrorism. "In the interest of peace," they threatened and coerced Israel to concede its national and strategic interests in unified Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. The goal wasn't peace. The goal was to get the U.S. to implement anti-Israel policies.

Likewise, they aren't demonizing Israel's incoming government because they actually believe that any of the terrible things they attribute to Netanyahu and his colleagues are true. They are demonizing them because the utter failure of the "peace process" they helped orchestrate and oversee is now indisputable. They, like their friends in the Biden administration, openly admit the "peace process" is "moribund."

The intense demonization of Israel is the new fig leaf. It is also a way to justify capsizing actual Arab-Israel peace. If Israel is evil because it elected a fascist, racist, homophobic government, then everyone who supports Israel or lives in peace with it is also evil, fascist, racist, etc.

The Miller/Kurtzer op-ed is a conclusive demonstration that the so-called "peace process," which never led to peace, was a complete sham. They knew it all along, and they didn't care.

Peace is not the goal of the "peace processors." It never was. Their singular aim, for the past generation of fake "peace processing," has been to undermine and end the U.S.-Israel alliance and replace it with a set of hostile policies toward Israel. The natural end of their policies has always been clear: to promote Arab wars on Israel, delegitimize the Jewish state, and legitimize the Palestinian terrorists that seek its destruction. Their demonization of Israel's yet-to-be-sworn-in government is both instrumental and as insincere as their former love for "peace." Without the guise of a "peace process," the Washington poobahs have fabricated a new failing of Israel to serve as a new fig leaf. Supporters of the U.S.-Israel alliance should be wary of falling for their cynical act.
Reclaiming the Narrative: It was never about the territories - opinion
To be clear - in 1964, there was nothing “occupied” to be “liberated,” but that didn’t stop the formation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). The false narrative of occupation and liberation began to spread well before there were disputed territories in Israel. The fact is, the antisemites who loathe Jews and Israelis simply do not believe in Israel’s right to exist at all, territories or not.

Facts are always important, and context is as well. The territories are disputed land. They were not “taken” or “stolen,” as some wish to falsely portray. In 1967 Israel was forced to fight a defensive war to stave off annihilation once again. It was from precisely those lands that Arab armies were massed in order to annihilate and put an end to the world’s only Jewish state.

Of course, today those territories have become a de facto impediment to peace, due to the false narrative that has now been shamefully accepted in the capitals of western Europe and certainly in the Democratic party in the United States. I am not naive; today, they are an impediment. That does not change the “fact” that they are not the reason for the lack of peace.

It is past time for liberals and progressives in the United States and Europe to acknowledge the historical and present-day realities. The Palestinian narrative of victimization has been all too easily accepted, and the facts have been ignored.

The fact that the Arabs rejected the United Nations partition in 1947. The fact that the PLO was chartered in 1964 precisely because they never accepted the UN, making Israel a sovereign Jewish state in the first place.

It would have been nice had President Obama stated in his 2009 speech at Al-Azhar University in Cairo before the entire Arab world that Israel was legitimately remade sovereign once more, because of its historical roots, and not as he implied as some sort of “colonial implant” resulting from the guilt of western nations because of the Holocaust. With one line, this presumed brilliant President could have deconstructed the big lie. He chose not to.

The lack of peace has never been about the territories. Make no mistake; the West Bank and Gaza (which has been relinquished), along with the Golan Heights, are not the reason for the lack of peace in the region. This is what needs to be stated boldly and frequently. Israel should not be afraid to ruffle feathers. Israel should not be afraid to justify what took place in 1948 or 1967.

I am tired of Israel’s poor public relations posture and how this false narrative has permeated into some twisted sense of truth used to condone antisemitism. The Jewish people should not be afraid to engage in this debate to set the facts straight. We should not be afraid to offend sensibilities. I believe Israelis are ready for peace, but a peace that must be based on facts.
US Funds Arabs Who Want to Destroy Israel
What is disturbing is that a large portion of this incitement is coming from Arabs whose governments signed peace treaties or other agreements with Israel: Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians.

What is even more disturbing is that the hate against Israel is coming from Arabs who continue to benefit from unconditional US financial aid.

The Palestinian Authority, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, continues to spearhead the Arab campaign of incitement and delegitimization against Israel. In addition to the incendiary rhetoric, the Palestinian Authority does not hide its vehement opposition to any kind of peace with Israel.

In its latest tirade against Israel, Abbas's ruling Fatah faction claimed that the Israeli counter-terrorism measures, designed to save the lives of Jews and Arabs alike, are acts of "terrorism and war crimes." According to the logic of the Palestinian Authority, a terror attack against Israel is legitimate and the perpetrator is a hero and martyr, but an Israeli action to stop terrorism is illegitimate.

This is the same Palestinian Authority that maintains good relations with the Biden administration, which recently decided to upgrade US relations with Abbas and his associates....

[T]he allegation that Israel is committing "war crimes" can be seen as a direct call to Palestinians to engage in violence against Israelis. The "war crimes" libel is also intended for Western audiences as part of the campaign to delegitimize Israel and pave the way for prosecuting its leaders before international courts.

It is worth noting that since April 2021, the US has provided more than half a billion dollars in assistance for the Palestinians.

If the US thinks that showering money and concessions on the Palestinian leaders will lessen the tension, you heard it here first: this approach definitely will not work. All that will happen is that the hostilities will increase so that the bribes will increase. Giving hard, concrete gifts in exchange for soft promises is inevitably doomed from the start.


Herzog visits the UAE after historic trip to Bahrain
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday touched down in the United Arab Emirates, kicking off the second day of his state visit to the Gulf.

Herzog was greeted at the airport by Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Israeli leader then addressed the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, a forum on space exploration that included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“As humanity gazes up at the stars, I wish to bring this discussion back to earth because I believe that the greatest promise of space exploration lies not only in discoveries on distant planets but also in rediscovering our potential for collaboration here on the blue planet we call home,” said Herzog.

“Let us move onwards and upwards, not with the competition of a cold war, but with the cooperation of our warm peace. Let us harness the power of space for the promise of Earth. Let us gaze at the heavens with our sights set firmly on our planet. Together, we can take space exploration to new heights and save our planet from new depths. Today we can say: The sky is just the lower limit!” Herzog added.
Bahrain: Netanyahu believes in peace, we look forward to working with him
Bahrain gave a vote of confidence to Benjamin Netanyahu and his presumptive incoming government on Sunday, as the kingdom’s foreign minister described the Likud leader as man of peace.

“Allow me at this point to congratulate Israel for the successful election that took place,” Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdul Latef Al Zayani told Israeli and Bahraini journalists during a state visit by President Isaac Herzog. “And we truly in Bahrain look forward to work with the new government under the leadership of one of the major signatories and partners of the Abraham Accords.”

Netanyahu has been piecing together a right-wing/ultra-Orthodox government, and so signing coalition deals with the far-right Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, and Noam parties.

Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir has pledged to seek to deport “disloyal” Arabs, impose the death penalty for those convicted of terror acts and ease security forces’ open-fire rules against Palestinian suspects. Religious Zionism chief Bezalel Smotrich has pushed for the dismantlement of the Palestinian Authority and supports annexing large parts of the West Bank without granting equal rights to Palestinians in those areas.

Zayani, however, appeared unconcerned with the notion that Netanyahu’s emerging government would harm the Abraham Accords: “We believe that he firmly believes in peace, especially as stated in the Abraham Accords, and in the principles of the Abraham Accords.”

Bahrain “will continue to work with the Israeli government to solidify the concept of peace,” Zayani pledged.
‘I will not step on that landmine’: Netanyahu dodges open support for Trump return
Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu dodged answering whether he supported former US president Donald Trump’s planned bid to retake the White House Sunday, citing both appreciation for the one-time ally and disapproval of his recent dalliance with antisemitic figures.

Speaking to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Netanyahu made clear he preferred not to weigh in on internal American politics and declined to definitively back Trump, with whom he had a vocal and unabashed allegiance when both were in office.

“Keep me out of it,” Netanyahu joked when asked by Chuck Todd about whether he would “like to see Donald Trump as president again,” calling the question a “landmine.”

“I’ll deal with anyone who’s elected president, those that I worked with in the past, and anyone new who comes to the plate, because the bond between Israel and America … it really is a bond of peoples and a civilizational bond, and it’s strong,” said Netanyahu, who is expected to return as premier backed by far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies. “I’ll deal with anyone, and I certainly will not step on that landmine… I’ve been in this business long enough.”

His comments came as Trump has been buffeted by criticism due to a recent dinner at which he hosted antisemitic rapper Kanye West and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, which has caused a number of past Trump backers to publicly distance themselves from the ex-president. He is also accused of fomenting the violent storming of the US Capitol by his supporters in 2021, and continues to reject the outcome of the elections that ousted him.

Netanyahu — who was accused over the past decade of favoring Republicans over Democrats, with whom he often disagreed — fostered close ties with Trump during his presidency.


PMW: Two-tongued PA: Abbas asks UN for “partition” into two states, but his own PA says goal is that “Palestine” will replace Israel
When PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas last addressed the UN, he asked the international community to implement the 75-year-old Partition Plan. Its other name is UN General Assembly resolution 181, which in 1947 suggested dividing the area west of the Jordan River into a Jewish state and an Arab state:
Abbas to the UN: “Therefore, I present today to this UN organization, the title of international legitimacy in this world, with a formal request to implement General Assembly resolution 181, which formed the basis for the two-state solution in 1947…”

[WAFA, English edition, official PA news agency, Sept. 23, 2022]

As is known, the Arabs rejected the plan and launched a war to destroy the nascent State of Israel.

Abbas’ recent request is in line with the PA leaders’ expressed aspirations for the future when they meet with leaders of the international community. They advocate for “two states living side by side in peace and security.”

However, as Palestinian Media Watch has demonstrated repeatedly, when PA and Fatah leaders address Palestinians at home, the message is entirely different: Israel will eventually cease to exist and all of Israel is “Palestine” – “from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.”

This was recently stated explicitly by Fatah Revolutionary Council Secretary Majed Al-Fatiani:
Fatah Revolutionary Council Secretary Majed Al-Fatiani: “There is not one Palestinian who would relinquish Palestine. Palestine is in the Palestinians’ memory. It is what is between the [Jordan] River and the [Mediterranean] Sea, and between the earth and the sky, and therefore our right to Palestine is something permanent and undeniable.”

[Official PA TV, Palestine This Morning, Nov. 15, 2022]

Al-Fatiani made a similar statement a day earlier:
Fatah Revolutionary Council Secretary Majed Al-Fatiani: “The Palestinian people still holds in its national memory that we have a Palestinian homeland between the [Jordan] River and the [Mediterranean] Sea, between the land and the sky, and its name is Palestine.”

[Official PA TV News, Nov. 14, 2022]

The denial of Israel's right to exist and the message that all of Israel is “Palestine” is reinforced by the PA and Fatah in numerous ways. One way is by presenting individual Israeli towns and cities as being located in “Palestine.” In the following TV program named Palestinian Cities, Israel's coastal city of Jaffa - the southern suburb of Tel Aviv - was presented as “one of Palestine’s points of access to the Mediterranean Sea”:


Blinken: US will judge next Israeli government on policies, not personalities
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that policies, and not the people implementing them, will define the relationship between Washington and Jerusalem’s next government.

During his keynote address to the J Street National Conference in Washington, Blinken said, “We will gauge the government by the policies and procedures, rather than individual personalities.” While the United States would adhere to the standards of the U.S.-Israel relationship established in recent decades, he added, “We will speak honestly and respectfully with our Israeli friends, as partners always should.”

Following Israel’s general election in November, there has been speculation that the Biden administration might decline to engage with some of the more controversial figures in the incoming Israeli government. These include Religious Zionism Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich, who is set to become finance minister, and Otzma Yehudit Party head Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has been promised the national security portfolio.

Asked about the topic last week, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides refused to commit to meet with Ben-Gvir.

While Blinken noted that the administration welcomed Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu’s public pledge that his government will work for the benefit of all the residents of Israel, he reiterated Biden’s message to Netanyahu that “we expect the new Israeli government to work with us to promote our shared democratic values. We will continue to support LGBTQ rights and the equal administration of justice to all citizens of Israel.”

The reference was almost certainly to Avi Maoz, the chairman of the one-seat Noam Party, who has pledged to end the Jerusalem Pride parade.

Addressing the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Blinken said, “We know that at this moment prospects for a two-state solution feel remote—that may be an understatement.”

Nevertheless, he stressed that the Biden administration objects to any actions or policies that add to tensions or undermine the viability of a two-state solution. These include the expansion of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, any Israeli attempts to apply sovereignty there and any change in the so-called status quo at the Temple Mount, along with incitement to violence, he said.


Two Border Police hurt in West Bank as Palestinians throw explosive device, rocks
Police say two Border Police officers were lightly hurt after Palestinians hurled an explosive device and rocks at troops in the West Bank’s Aida Refugee Camp, near Rachel’s Tomb on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

One of the officers, who was hit by the explosion, is taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek medical center. The other officer is treated at the scene, police say.

A Border Police spokesman says the group of some 40 Palestinians also hurled stones and marbles at troops.

“Border Police troops responded with riot dispersal means,” the spokesman says.
Sky News journo tweets deceptively edited shooting video
At 8:28 p.m., former IDF spokesperson Peter Lerner responded to Stone’s tweet, showing the Sky journalist the full unedited video.

At 8:43 p.m – two and a half hours after the Israeli Police statement – Stone finally tweeted full video by Lerner. However, it wasn’t merely a “response” by Lerner. It was proof that the video Stone circulated to his 73,000 followers represented a lie – a clip intentionally edited to falsely suggest that the Israeli soldier ‘executed’ a Palestinian for no reason.

During Stone’s previously stint as Middle East reporter, we revealed that he at times showed a similar to rush to judgement against Israel, failing to temper his visceral reactions to violent incidents with enough due diligence to accurately verify the actual sequence of events. He also once evoked an antisemitic trope about the ‘root cause’ of antisemitism, in a tweet he subsequently was forced to delete.

We similarly call upon Stone to delete the initial deceptively edited video he tweeted of Friday’s terror incident, and apologise for the error.
Toronto Star Frames Israeli Officer’s Killing Of Palestinian Terrorist As Use Of Unauthorized Or Excessive Force
In back-to-back days on December 3 and 4 respectively, the Toronto Star’s print edition produced coverage that framed an Israeli officer as having used excessive or unauthorized force against a presumably innocent Palestinian, whereas video footage confirms that a Palestinian terrorist assailant allegedly tried to stab Israeli motorists and then proceeded to stab an Israeli border officer in the face and tried to steal the officer’s gun, which led to him having to act in self defense by killing the terrorist at point-blank range.

The Star’s headlines focused on a “Palestinians’ killing…” and the “Fatal shooting of Palestinian…” but did not mention that he was 1) an armed terrorist assailant with a knife, 2) had carried out a stabbing attack, and 3) had fought with the arresting officer and tried to steal his assault rifle.

Israeli Police noted that the officer, “Fearing for his life and the well-being of others in the vicinity, the officer shot the terrorist and neutralized him.”

The incident, according to the Star “occurred in occupied West Bank town of Hawara,” and the Star focused on how Palestinians were “mourning” and created a “makeshift memorial” for the dead terrorist, 22-year-old Ammar Adili. The report failed to question why Palestinian society would mourn and make memorials for a terrorist who attempted to murder innocent Israelis.

The Associated Press report published by the Star said that (emphasis added): “They said the officer killed Adili without justification, and that Israeli security forces prevented Palestinian medics from trying to save the gravely wounded man as he lay on the sidewalk of a busy thoroughfare.”
Rafael, Lockheed Martin to develop laser weapon system for Israel, US
A newly signed teaming agreement between US-based Lockheed Martin and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems will result in the joint development, testing and manufacturing of a high-energy laser weapon system (HELWS) in the US and Israel.

The joint development will be based on preexisting assets developed independently by Rafael and the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) within the framework of the Iron Beam project, and it will be geared toward developing a variant of the system to be used in US markets and elsewhere.

“This strategic teaming agreement serves as a force multiplier for Rafael and the Israeli market,” Rafael CEO and president Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Yoav Har-Even said in a press release. “We are working to ensure our customers receive the most advanced, effective and best-in-class systems. This agreement will expand and diversify the capabilities we can offer to a variety of customers.”

Iron Beam is a 100kW-class HELWS and is expected to be the first-ever operational system for ground-based air defense against threats, including rockets, mortars and UAVs. The system is to be integrated into Israel’s multilayered air-defense array to counter emerging threats while also defending critical infrastructure, strategic sites, maneuvering forces and population centers.

Rafael executive vice president Ran Gozali, head of the company’s Land and Naval Systems Directorate, said: “The system is designed to provide defense against emerging threats in today’s complex battlefield, bolstering the strength of the Israeli home front, and is a catalyst for forging bilateral collaborations.”

The Iron Beam initiative has been under joint development in Israel by DDR&D and Rafael for several years. Last year, the system underwent several tests that proved its operational capability.
Son of senior PIJ official arrested in overnight raid, terrorist killed
A Palestinian terrorist was killed on Monday morning during a clash with Israeli forces near Bethlehem, Palestinian media reported.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said that soldiers entered the Deheishe refugee camp early on Monday, sparking clashes with residents. The soldiers then directed tear gas and opened fire at the crowd, it said.

The agency said Omar Manaa, 22, was killed while six other Palestinians were wounded. In that operation and in similar raids overnight, many Palestinian terrorist suspects were arrested, including four from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Another terrorist who was arrested, according to Palestinian media, is the son of a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad official, Bassem Sa'adi, whose detention by Israeli troops in August led to a several-day flare-up. The son, Yihya, is in charge of the PIJ's operations in Jenin.

The Israeli military said soldiers entered the camp to arrest three wanted terrorists. It said the soldiers opened fire after the crowd hurled rocks and firebombs at them.

Palestinians later declared a general strike throughout Bethlehem, shuttering schools, businesses and government offices to protest the killing. The strike came as the city, revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus, is getting ready for the busy Christmas season.


Palestinians entitled to fight Israel 'by all legitimate means,' ruling Fatah says
For the second time in recent weeks, Palestinian leaders who met in Ramallah on Sunday evening said the Palestinians are entitled to “resist the occupation by all legitimate means,” implying they also have the right to resort to violent activities against Israel.

The latest call, made during a meeting of the ruling Fatah faction’s Revolutionary Council, came amid an upsurge in violence in the West Bank.

The meeting, attended by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who also serves as chairman of Fatah, was held under the banner: “Resisting the occupation and settlement colonialism by all legitimate means.”

Abbas has declared on several occasions that he remains opposed to the use of violence against Israel, insisting that the Palestinians should stick to a “peaceful, popular resistance.”

PLO Executive Committee arguing for use of violence against Israel
Earlier this month, the PLO Executive Committee, also headed by Abbas, hinted during a meeting in Ramallah that the Palestinians were entitled to use force against Israeli soldiers and civilians in the West Bank.

The committee called for the “continuation of our struggle and resistance, especially the popular resistance... All forms of resistance are a legitimate right of our people that are guaranteed by international laws.”

The separate meetings of the Fatah and PLO leaders also came on the heels of the recent election in Israel and Palestinian concerns over the rise of Jewish right-wing parties to power.


The Russo-Iranian Partnership Poses a Global Threat
Iran’s provision of drones and military advisers to Russia has called international attention to an alliance that has been evident to those paying attention to the Middle East for at least a decade. While putative experts have tended to express doubts about the depth of Tehran-Moscow ties, citing centuries of conflict between tsarist and Persian imperial ambitions, Oved Lobel points out that these ties began with the Islamic Republic’s inception. Nor are they limited to the Middle East: Lobel identifies cooperation between the Kremlin and the mullahs as stretching from Latin America to Africa to Myanmar.

The relationship between Iran and Russia is neither recent nor transactional. This entirely ideological alliance began before the collapse of the Soviet Union, particularly with the division of Afghanistan in the mid-1980s, and it is strange that until this year, the conventional wisdom continued to stress tensions and differences rather than partnership.

The first Russian move following the collapse of the USSR was the massive sale of arms to Iran, despite severe U.S. pressure and a secret mid-1995 pact between then-Vice-President Al Gore and Russian’s then-Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin to cut off such sales to Iran by 1999 in exchange for not being sanctioned. In 2007, Iran and Russia signed a deal for the S-300 air-defense system, which was ultimately delivered to Iran in 2016.

During the second intifada, it was via Moscow that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a former Soviet proxy, was able to meet with and secure help from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), ultimately resulting in the Karine A affair, in which a massive arms shipment to Palestinian terrorists was intercepted by Israel. Russia continues to maintain ties with all Palestinian terrorist groups, including IRGC clients and proxies like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Pro-Iran Shiite Iraqi Militia Leader: Military Force Is the Only Way to Drive Americans Out of Iraq
Akram Al-Kaabi, Secretary-General of the Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement, said in a November 28, 2022 interview on Russia Today TV that the “military option” is the only viable solution to the American “occupation” of Iraq, since the political option has always been “useless.” He said that the Al-Nujaba Movement has been active “on the ground” against the American presence, and he explained that only military pressure can force the Americans to leave Iraq or to negotiate with the Iraqi government about their withdrawal. When asked whether the withdrawal of U.S. forces may lead to the Iraqi “resistance” no longer having a legitimate reason to have weapons, he answered that the “legal owner” of the resistance’s weapons is the Twelfth Imam, the Shi’ite messianic figure, and that the resistance is not obligated to hand over its weapons to anybody other than him.

In addition, he said that the Israeli “presence” in Iraq is no less dangerous than the American presence, that the resistance factions will not allow it, and that those who aim to normalize relations with Israel are legitimate targets just like “the Zionists in Iraq.” Moreover, he said that if the Iraqi government has the will to do so, it can reassert its sovereignty in Erbil with the help of the PMU and other forces. Al-Ka’abi gave the interview during his recent visit to Moscow, during which he also met with Russia’s deputy foreign minister.


Over 500 executed by Iran since start of year, says rights group
Iran has executed more than 500 people so far in 2022, far more than in the whole of last year, a rights group said Monday.

Norway-based group Iran Human Rights told AFP at least 504 people had now been executed in Iran this year and that it was still working to confirm additional cases of people said to have been hanged.

The figure comes as concern grows that the authorities will make extensive use of the death penalty against people involved in the anti-regime protests that have erupted in Iran since September.

IHR’s count includes four people who official media said were put to death on Sunday accused of working with Israel’s intelligence service.

The rights group said they were executed in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj outside Tehran — also known as Gohardasht — within just seven months of arrest.

“These individuals were sentenced to death without due process or a fair trial behind the closed doors of the Revolutionary Court,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam in a statement. “Their sentences lacked all legal validity.”

“These executions are intended to create societal fear and divert public attention from the Islamic Republic’s intelligence failures,” he added.

Another of those recently hanged was a woman executed on Saturday in Dastgerd in central Iran accused of murdering her father-in-law, IHR said.

Rights groups have expressed alarm over the numbers of women executed in Iran, often on charges of murdering parters or relatives in abusive relationships.

IHR said that the numbers executed this year are already the highest in five years.
Iranian City Shops Shut After Strike Call, Judiciary Blames ‘Rioters’
Iranian shops shut their doors in several cities on Monday, following calls for a three-day nationwide general strike from protesters seeking the fall of clerical rulers, with the head of the judiciary blaming “rioters” for threatening shopkeepers.

Iran has been rocked by nationwide unrest following the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16 in police custody, posing one of the strongest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

Amini was arrested by Iran‘s morality police for flouting the strict hijab policy, which requires women to dress modestly and wear headscarfs.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday that an amusement park at a Tehran shopping centre was closed by the judiciary because its operators were not wearing the hijab properly.

The reformist-leaning Hammihan newspaper said that morality police had increased their presence in cities outside Tehran, where the force has been less active over recent weeks.

Iran‘s public prosecutor on Saturday was cited by the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency as saying that the morality police had been disbanded. But there was no confirmation from the Interior Ministry and state media said the public prosecutor was not responsible for overseeing the force.

Last week, Vice President for Women’s Affairs Ensieh Khazali said that the hijab was part of the Islamic Republic’s general law and that it guaranteed women’s social movement and security.


Media Fail in Reporting on Iranian Morality Police
The Media’s Responsibility in Their Iran Reporting
Ultimately, why does it matter that the media published inaccurate pieces with sensationalist headlines about the morality police only to later revise them?

The initial slew of news pieces claiming that the morality police had been disbanded is concerning for two reasons: First, if the Attorney General’s statement was a piece of Iranian propaganda meant to curb protests within the country, why did the media publish this state propaganda without any qualifications or critical analysis?

Second, if the Attorney General’s statement was an unofficial claim that was poorly worded, why did the media not do its due diligence in confirming the substance of his claim? Since the morality police falls under the purview of the Interior Ministry, it would have behooved the media to verify the Attorney General’s claims with a ministry representative before uncritically publishing them.

As the Iranian attorney general’s statement was delivered amid ongoing civil unrest in the Islamic Regime that has cost hundreds of Iranian lives, the media have a responsibility to report credibly on these matters and to avoid publishing unverified rumors or stories.

As well, in an age where it has been proven that the Islamic Regime has lied about its nuclear ambitions (see here and here) and has also been promoting disinformation campaigns in order to fan the flames of tension between Israelis and Palestinians, journalists must exercise caution and perform their due diligence before publishing unverified claims that emerge from Tehran.

With the speed at which distortions and falsehoods can be spread around the globe, journalistic due diligence is a necessity that cannot be overlooked.
Iranian activist calls morality police suspension 'regime propaganda'





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