Wednesday, December 07, 2022

12/07 Links Pt1: When Antisemites Sue the Jews; Will Bibi Make the Left’s Nightmares Come True? It’s Never Happened Before; Terrorist Killed After Shooting at Military Post Near Ofra

From Ian:

Two former diplomats display their inveterate animus towards Israel
We must ask: Why are Miller and Kurtzer not calling on the Biden administration to simply uphold U.S. law—namely, the Taylor Force Act—which stipulates that American financial aid misappropriated by the P.A. in order to reward terrorism must be withheld? Why do the authors not criticize the administration’s decision to continue funding the P.A.— $816 million this year from American taxpayers—despite the law?

In contrast to the kind words for the P.A., Miller and Kurtzer refer to the incoming Israeli government in the most vitriolic terms: “Radical, racist, misogynistic and homophobic.” Yet Israel’s next Gay Pride Week and Parade are scheduled for June 2023. There is no such celebration scheduled in any territory controlled by the P.A. or Hamas. In fact, gays are routinely murdered—often thrown off buildings head first—in Hamas-controlled Gaza. As for misogyny, do Miller and Kurtzer really believe that women in Palestinian-controlled territories are living as equals to men and enjoy greater rights than women in Israel?

It is telling, moreover, that Miller and Kurtzer do not even mention the issue of religious tolerance. Christians live in peace and freedom in Israel. This is most definitely not the case in P.A.- or Hamas-controlled territory. Seventy years ago, Bethlehem was 86% Christian; in 2022, it is 12% Christian. Of course, Israel is routinely blamed for this, but Christians who dare to speak the truth are unequivocal: Islamists are the cause of this mass exodus, as has occurred in Christian communities in Muslim-majority states such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt.

Miller and Kurtzer do not confine their vitriol to Israel. Their contempt for Muslims—especially those from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, which have normalized relations with Israel—is palpable. The authors believe that the United States should coerce those Arab states into adopting the policies preferred by Miller and Kurtzer themselves.

It is shocking and sad that, after decades of work persuading Arab governments to adopt non-ideological and pragmatic foreign policies that could stabilize the Middle East, there are spiteful Americans like Miller and Kurtzer who want to bully those governments into prioritizing the Palestinians over the needs of their own people. It is remarkable that former diplomats, allegedly dedicated to peace, have taken positions that are inherently anti-Israel, anti-Arab and anti-peace.

Miller and Kurtzer also have unabashed contempt for their own countrymen. They fulminate, for example, over the “blindly pro-Israel Republican majority soon to control the House.” Yet Miller and Kurtzer have never had a harsh word to say about the current Democrat-controlled House, which has “blindly” tolerated antisemitic and anti-Zionist members like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.

Under Democratic control, the House has summarily ignored the proposed Anti-Semitism Awareness Act (2019) and the Israel Relations Normalization Act (2021). Miller and Kurtzer, so far as I know, have never referred to the “blindly anti-Israel and antisemitic Democrat majority that controls the House.”

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, which has been adopted by the State Department, recognizes that criticism of Israel that is not leveled against any other country constitutes antisemitism. What Miller and Kurtzer have done in their screed is to judge Israel by one standard and its enemies by quite another, more generous, standard. I leave it to the reader to ponder the implications.
Nearly 50 lawmakers urge Thomas-Greenfield to work to defund U.N.’s Israel inquiry
House lawmakers are urging the U.S. delegation to the United Nations to work through the body’s upcoming budgeting process to limit funding to, and ultimately shut down, the U.N. Human Rights Council’s dedicated Commission of Inquiry investigating Israel — a new push in ongoing congressional efforts to scrap the open-ended probe.

A bipartisan group of 49 lawmakers wrote a letter, obtained by Jewish Insider, to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Tuesday, in which they encouraged “the United States delegation to strongly advocate to restrict this biased commission’s funding from within the UN system, and take steps to eliminate the commission completely.”

The commission was launched in the wake of the May 2021 conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The letter was organized by Reps. Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).

The lawmakers note that the U.S. led efforts in 2021 to cut the commission’s budget for 2022 by nearly 25%, and argue that the U.S. delegation should “assemble a coalition of like-minded allies and partners to ensure a timely end to the operations of this commission through the restriction and ultimate elimination of its funding from within the UN system.”

The letter highlights a string of concerns about the commission, referring to its “profoundly problematic” and “incomplete and biased reports,” “numerous antisemitic comments” by commission staffers and the body’s ongoing mandate.

“Respect for human rights is a core American value, and an ideal to which all international actors must be held accountable. That accounting must be done in a balanced manner consistent with international norms, and the U.N. Commission of Inquiry abjectly fails to meet these standards,” the letter continues. “The coming weeks will require the administration to redouble its diplomatic efforts to ensure that funding to this discriminatory investigation ultimately ceases. We stand ready to assist you in any way in defending our democratic ally, Israel.”
US State Department spokesman mute on Israeli ‘war crimes’ accusation
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price on Tuesday failed to push back on a reporter’s accusation that Israel was perpetrating “war crimes” against the Palestinians.

“I mean, what we have seen in the past couple weeks is really an uptick of Israeli aggression against the Palestinians. We see war crimes being committed on—in front of everybody. So that would not bother the United States of America, despite the fact that these guys [Religious Zionism Party head Bezalel Smotrich and Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir] have such a long rap sheet?” a reporter asked Price during the daily press briefing.

Answered Price: “Said, whether it—whether the question is government formation or any other hypothetical, we just don’t entertain those types of questions. It doesn’t do us any good to comment on something that may or may not come to pass. When it comes to governments that haven’t been formed, I’ve been asked this question from this podium for any number of democratic countries around the world—how, whether, will we work with various individuals around the world—and our answer’s always the same. We are going to judge a government on how it governs, once it is in place—on the policies that it pursues.”

Price also failed to correct the reporter’s assertion in a follow-up question that an Israeli policeman had shot “at point blank an unarmed Palestinian,” when in fact the officer in question had fired on a terrorist in the process of attacking him.


Palestinian refugee: We were told in 1948 to “leave and go to Jordan. It's just for a few weeks”

When Antisemites Sue the Jews
The Al Jazeera media network has filed suit against Israel over the accidental shooting of its reporter, Shireen Abu Akleh, last May. The history of extremists suing prominent Jews suggests that Al Jazeera may regret what its lawsuit will reveal.

The suit that Al Jazeera has filed in the International Criminal Court could shine an embarrassing spotlight on the network itself. Those who do not regularly follow Al Jazeera might be surprised to learn that it is “a major exporter of hateful content against the Jewish people, Israel, and the United States,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The ADL points out that Al Jazeera “has sought to cast doubt upon the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people” (referring to it as “the alleged Holocaust”); “routinely glorifies violence against Israeli Jews”; and has ranted against what it calls “the control of the Jews over the pornography industry.” Al Jazeera also has a record of “providing a platform to all manner of virulent anti-Israel and even anti-Semitic extremists” in its commentary sections, the ADL notes.

Another question is whether Al Jazeera should be compelled to register with the U.S. Justice Department as a foreign agent, just as the Russian television channel RT was required to register as an agent of the Russian government. Al Jazeera was founded by the government of Qatar, receives funding from the government, and maintains “extensive ties to the Qatari regime,” according to the ADL. Both Al Jazeera and the Qatari corporation for public broadcasting are overseen by the same government official, and the U.S. ambassador in Doha “determined a number of years ago that Qatar’s government uses Al Jazeera as a tool of Qatari statecraft,” the ADL reports.

Hearings before the ICC about the Abu Akleh case would enable the defense to ask uncomfortable questions about both the content of Al Jazeera’s reporting and the details of its relationship with Qatar.
Does Al Jazeera have a case against Israel at the ICC?
We're joined by Nick Kaufman, defense council at the International Criminal Court, on whether the ICC may take up Al Jazeera's case against Israel over the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.




International Criminal Court prosecutor says he aims to ‘visit Palestine’ in 2023
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said this week that he plans to “visit Palestine” next year.

Karim Khan made the remark on Monday at the 21st session of the Hague-based court’s Assembly of State Parties, adding that he also intended to visit Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to human rights activists who were at the session and posted updates from it via Twitter.

Speaking about the places he has visited, Khan said that “God willing,” he would visit those locations in 2023, presumably as part of probes the court is leading, including into possible Israeli and Palestinian war crimes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank during a war in the summer of 2014 and afterward.

Israel’s Kan public broadcaster said the ICC had confirmed that “a visit to Palestine is one of the prosecutor’s goals for next year.”

Last year, Khan’s predecessor Fatou Bensouda announced an investigation that would “cover crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court that are alleged to have been committed in the situation since 13 June 2014, the date to which reference is made in the referral of the situation to my office.”

The June 13, 2014, date is significant. The previous day, Palestinian terrorists kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teenagers in the Gush Etzion area of the West Bank. By asking for an investigation beginning on June 13, the Palestinians ensured that the ICC will not look into the killing of Eyal Yifrach, Gil-ad Shaer, and Naftali Fraenkel.
FDD: Will Bibi Make the Left’s Nightmares Come True? It’s Never Happened Before
As Benjamin Netanyahu is poised to begin his sixth term as prime minister, Shany Mor and Einat Wilf consider some of the dire predictions about his premiership, and place them in historical perspective:

Since the electoral upheaval of 1977, in which the possibility of a change in government in Israel became real for the first time, every elected government has been received with utter shock by the defeated side, which conjured up scenarios of horror and failure to come in the immediate aftermath of electoral defeat. But only two governments since 1977 have justified the nightmare scenarios illustrated by the other side: the Menachem Begin government of 1981 and the Yitz?ak Rabin government of 1992. The Netanyahu governments have never justified the threat the defeated side attributed to them, especially after the 1996 and 2015 elections.

In all of his governments, including the one formed in 2015 that was considered extremely right-wing, Netanyahu—unlike any prime minister before him, except perhaps for [his fellow Likudnik] Yitz?ak Shamir—evinced a clear tendency to contain and to de-escalate violence. His terms of office stand out as years of relative security in which the number of Jewish and Arab casualties from violent conflict was one of the lowest in the history of the conflict. In domestic matters, the years of Netanyahu’s rule were generally characterized by economic prosperity, the expansion of the circle of participants in the Israeli economy, and the expansion of the secular liberal space.

For decades, the left has had alternating demons: Begin, Ariel Sharon, Avigdor Liberman, Naftali Bennett—the political success of each of whom was seen at the time as the end of Zionism. Today every one of them stars in one way or another in the gallery of heroes of the left. But Netanyahu remains a demon whose political victory instills an atmosphere of raging pessimism on the defeated side.
Blinken Elevates Palestinian Claims to Jerusalem at J Street Conference
Secretary of State Antony Blinken elevated Palestinian claims to Jerusalem during a keynote speech on Sunday before the anti-Israel group J Street, which Blinken described as "a remarkable organization."

While the Biden administration "continues to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital," it is "central to the national visions of both Palestinians and Israelis, and must be a city for all of its people," Blinken said. He also touted the Biden administration’s renewed engagement with the Palestinian government, which includes nearly $1 billion in U.S. taxpayer aid, and accused "Israeli settlers" of perpetrating violence against Palestinians, a line that drew applause from J Street’s crowd.

The secretary’s comments about Jerusalem raised eyebrows with pro-Israel leaders in Congress, particularly as the Biden administration seeks to elevate diplomatic ties with the Palestinian government by reopening a Palestinian Affairs consulate in the city. This decision has drawn accusations that the administration is working with the Palestinians to erode Israel’s sovereignty over the city. Groups like J Street opposed the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital, calling it "a reckless decision that brings with it no tangible benefits."

Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) told the Washington Free Beacon that Blinken’s comments are an effort by the Biden administration to "elevate Palestinian claims" to Jerusalem.

"The Biden administration is committed to leveling the claims between the Palestinians and Israel to Jerusalem, Israel’s eternal and unified capital," Cruz said. "If they could move our embassy out of Jerusalem they would, but they’re not prepared to pay the political price that would incur. So instead, they intend to elevate the Palestinian claims, most notably by trying to open a Palestinian-facing consulate in the city. It’s both predictable and abhorrent."

A State Department spokesman told the Free Beacon that "Jerusalem itself is a final status issue to be resolved through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians." The spokesman added that the "U.S. position is that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel" and that "the United States is committed to keeping the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, which we recognize as Israel’s capital."

Blinken’s engagement with J Street—an activist group that has positioned itself as the leading critic of incoming Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu—sparked concerns within the State Department and drew outrage from prominent pro-Israel groups, which accused the secretary of seeking to undermine Netanyahu’s government by elevating J Street’s far-left mission. Amid this criticism, Blinken told J Street attendees that he regularly consults with the group on Israel issues and that its views "inform our thinking" at the State Department.
Jordan B Peterson: Does Israel have the right to exist? | PM-Elect Benjamin Netanyahu | #311
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson and Israel Prime Minister-Elect Benjamin Netanyahu discuss the history of Israel, its status as an embattled nation, the importance of the struggle for statehood, why and how the PM came back from political demise, and his vision for the future.

Benjamin Netanyahu was recently reelected as Prime Minister of Israel, having previously served in the office from 1996–1999 and 2009­–2021. From 1967–1972 he served as a soldier and commander in Sayeret Matkal, an elite special forces unit of the Israeli Defense Forces. A graduate of MIT, he served as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations from 1984–1988, before being elected to the Israeli parliament as a member of the Likud party in 1988. He has published five previous books on terrorism and Israel’s quest for peace and security. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Sara. In his newest book "Bibi: My Story" the newly reelected prime minister of Israel tells the story of his family, the story of his people, his path to leadership, and his unceasing commitment to defending his country and securing its future.


Is I2U2 the next step for Saudi-Israel ties? - opinion
Speaking at Yale University and Columbia University last week, I was asked several questions about the Abraham Accords: its sustainability in light of the new right-wing Israeli government and who are the most likely nations to join next. The questions were well thought out, highlighting the potential of the Accords for regional stability and setting a new paradigm that begins to erode the Palestinian veto on Israeli-Arab relations.
“With the US recalibrating its regional commitment... (there is a) need for the establishment of structures enabling long-term strategic cooperation between regional powers. The formal establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in August 2020 paved the way for an emergent three-way alliance between Jerusalem, Abu Dhabi and New Delhi.”
Jonathan Spyer, Middle East expert
An equally game-changing geopolitical initiative, the I2U2 agreement, an Indo-Abrahamic Alliance, needed to be added to the student’s radar. In July 2022, Israel, India and the UAE, under the leadership of the United States, issued a statement on joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health and food security. With India surrounded by adversaries to the north and east, Pakistan and China, and soon to be the most populous nation on earth, its influence and importance in regional affairs will only grow.

According to Middle East expert, Jonathan Spyer, “With the US recalibrating its regional commitment... (there is a) need for the establishment of structures enabling long-term strategic cooperation between regional powers. The formal establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in August 2020 paved the way for an emergent three-way alliance between Jerusalem, Abu Dhabi and New Delhi.”

Ultimately, this new economic arrangement can evolve into a regional security order that could join with the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) to confront the rising powers of China and Iran. Quad members include – Australia, India, Japan and the US, with the common denominator being India. The goal of Quad is to limit Chinese maritime actions in the South China Sea. This policy objective applies to an assertive Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz, something important to the US, India, the Saudis, Israel and the UAE.
Saudi official says normalization with Israel only a 'matter of time' - EXCLUSIVE
What will it take for Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel and establish diplomatic ties?

Our senior diplomatic correspondent Owen Alterman and Bahraini geopolitical analyst Abdulla Aljenaid discuss what conditions would make it possible.




Pope equates Nazi extermination campaign to Russia’s war in Ukraine
Pope Francis on Wednesday likened Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to an intense mass-slaughter campaign, mostly of Jews, carried out by Nazi Germany during World War II.

“May the memory of this horrible event arouse intentions and actions of peace in everyone,” the pope said in a weekly address at the Vatican, after mentioning a memorial service held for Operation Reinhard at the Catholic University of Lublin, in Poland.

Francis called the notorious action an “extermination,” then went off-script, adding: “And history is repeating itself. We see now what is happening in Ukraine.”

The infamous campaign during the Holocaust was carried out by Nazi Germany between March 1942 and November 1943 in the Treblinka, Belzec, and Sobibor death camps, killing some 1.7 million Jews, most of whom were Polish.

President Vladamir Putin and his allies have rationalized Russia’s war on Ukraine as a “special military operation” to “denazify” the country, falsely claiming Kyiv was aligned in some way with Nazism.

Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelensky is Jewish.

Throughout the war, Francis has denounced the bloodshed but has lately become increasingly critical of Russia.
MEMRI: Article In Pakistan's Islamist Newspaper 'Roznama Islam' Examines Arabs' Hatred Of Israel At FIFA World Cup Tournament In Qatar
In recent weeks, reports and articles in Urdu-language dailies in Pakistan have generally approved of the hatred against Israel and Jews seen at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Roznama Islam is one of the major Islamist newspapers in Pakistan. Recently, it published an article titled "FIFA Football World Cup – The Expression Of Arabs' Love And Brotherhood, Israel Caught In Fear" written by Mansur Adil.

In the article, the author cites instances of hatred and revulsion against Israelis, particularly Israeli journalists, at the World Cup.

Following is the text of the article.

"A Glimpse Of Arabs' Hatred For The Occupier Of Arab Lands – Zionist Israel – And The International Powers Standing Behind It Was Also Seen And Shown; The FIFA World Cup Has So Far Caused The Biggest Difficulty For Israel"

"Discussion is taking place on the positive and negative aspects of the FIFA World Cup being hosted by Qatar. Some experts are describing it as an important event for the Arab world, while others talk about its negative consequences. After analysing the situations and events as well as news and debates on social and mainstream media, it is not difficult to assess that this event has engendered strong ties and Islamic brotherhood among Arabs to an extraordinary level.

"The matter is not limited to the expression of shared sympathies among Arabs; rather, a glimpse of Arabs' hatred for the occupier of Arab lands – Zionist Israel – and the international powers standing behind it was also seen and shown. The FIFA World Cup has so far caused the biggest difficulty for Israel, which the Israeli media has admitted and discussed.

"Israel has so far been successful in establishing diplomatic relations with six Arab countries. After establishing relations with Egypt and Jordan in the 1990s, Israel achieved its second success in 2019 in the form of the establishment of diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. Subsequently, the Israeli media launched evil-mongering propaganda about the other countries of the Arab world.

"According to experts who observe developments in the Middle East, Israel is extremely worried about the diplomatic boycott by the Islamic countries, especially its Arab neighbors. After this boycott, Israel is forced to take a long detour for air and sea routes adding huge expenses for Israeli inhabitants and the government. It is extremely difficult to get fruits, vegetables, and other vital necessities in Israel due to which the rich European Jews who are brought to Israel remain unhappy and head toward America and other Western countries."

"Israel Is Dreaming Of Establishing A Great Jewish Sultanate By Bringing Jews From Around The World, But The Local Diplomatic Boycott, The Retrenching Perimeter Of Land [Around It]..."

"Israel is dreaming of establishing a Great Jewish Sultanate by bringing Jews from around the world, but the local diplomatic boycott, the retrenching perimeter of land [around it], unconcern of the Arab neighbors are becoming the biggest obstacle in the realization of this dream. Israeli institutions – with the above-mentioned four countries and through the mediation of Western media – spun a web of hope and fear at the international level.


Terrorist Killed After Shooting at Military Post Near Ofra
A terrorist shot from a passing vehicle at a military post near the Israeli settlement of Ofra on Wednesday before being chased by security forces and shot and killed, the Israeli military said in a statement.

Arab sources identified the terrorist as Mujahid al-Najjar from the Palestinian town of Silwad.

No casualties to Israeli forces were reported during the incident and Israeli troops were searching for additional suspects.

Israeli soldiers responded to the shooting attack by firing at the vehicle and then began a pursuit of the vehicle, according to the military statement. The suspect got out of the vehicle and started firing at the soldiers. The soldiers responded by shooting and killing the terrorist.

He is suspected of carrying out a series of shooting attacks over the past few days against the Ofra settlement, including Tuesday night. Another shooting attack was reported near Ofra on Monday night. That shooting reportedly occurred at the gate of the rear of the West Bank settlement, located several miles northeast of Ramallah. A security force at a military post reported that a vehicle approached and several shots were fired from it. The vehicle then fled the scene.


Arab arrested after attacking Jewish visitor to Temple Mount
An Arab man was arrested on Tuesday after attacking a Jewish visitor on the Temple Mount plaza in Jerusalem’s Old City.

The victim, who wished to remain anonymous said, “I stood a little further away from the rest of the group and signaled to the policemen to let them know I was far away. While I was signaling the policemen I felt someone coming up from behind me, grab me, and try to strangle me. I fell to the ground and was released.”

Roei Zaga, a guide from Beyadenu, a student group that promotes Jewish ties to the site, who accompanied the visitors, said, “We were on the western part of the Mount. Suddenly, I saw the policemen running. I turned around and saw them taking down a large Arab man with the … pilgrim standing next to them, his glasses broken and shirt ripped.”

Tom Nisani, CEO of Beyadenu, said that “the Arabs who roam freely on the Temple Mount compared to the restricted groups of Jews encourage the Arabs to feel like the owners of the Temple Mount.

“There must be a decisive and immediate change in the Israeli government’s attitude regarding the Temple Mount to prevent such incidents. Kudos to the policemen who responded quickly in the area and acted … to maintain order and security. Now it must be ensured that the terrorist goes to prison for a long time.”
China opens police station to spy on citizens in Israel – report
China has opened a police station in Israel to spy on Chinese nationals abroad, according to the NGO Safeguard Defenders. The station is one of 110 around the world cited by the Madrid-based organization, which seeks to support civil society groups and human rights lawyers in Asia.

The latest update to the list of police stations includes a branch of the Nantong Police at an unknown location.

Safeguard Defenders cite a news report from the Chinese site Our Jiangsu on April 29, 2020, describing a meeting between the Nantong Police and Overseas Chinese Linkage Service Centers in which "Xu Weisong from the Israeli workstation," among others, participated.

"The Nantong City Overseas Police and Overseas Chinese Linkage Service Center is an important link between Nantong and the international community and safeguards the rights and interests of Nantong overseas," the news report states.

Safeguard Defenders says the police stations, most of which are in Europe, are used to harass and silence Chinese nationals and dissidents living abroad, and to persuade them to return to China.

Officially, these "service stations" exist to help Chinese residents or tourists in given countries, as part of a diaspora association meant to provide a positive and helpful network abroad. The Chinese Foreign Ministry told CNN in November that they are used to help with tasks like renewing driver's licenses and other documentation.
Israel, France wrap up ‘Eastern Breeze’ joint air force exercise
The Israeli and French Air Forces concluded the “Eastern Breeze” joint exercise in Israel on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

During the drill, four French Rafale aircraft flew with four Israeli F-16i aircraft from the IAF’s 201st Squadron.

French carrier Charles de Gaulle arrived in the Mediterranean Sea to take part in the drill.

Israeli and French air pilots flew side by side during the exercise, while rehearsing coordinated strikes and countering aerial threats, the statement said.

“Eastern Breeze” was described by the IAF as a “significant milestone” in the development of the Israeli-French strategic cooperation, and according to the IDF strengthened the forces’ preparedness.

Col. G. (full name withheld), commanding officer of the Ramon Air Force Base that oversaw the drill, stated, “Together, we conducted high-quality and challenging training that combined a number of elements, which resulted in improved proficiency on both sides and closer ties between the nations and militaries.”

The exercise is one of a series of international exercises and collaborations in recent weeks as part of a regular training plan for 2022, according to the IDF.

The Israeli and U.S. air forces participated in a two-day exercise in November simulating strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.


PMW: Imagine if a presidential advisor claimed that “black people are humanoids… apes and pigs”
If a US or European presidential advisor was to stand in front of a crowd and make the profoundly racist assertion that “Black people are humanoids… apes and pigs,” the entire civilized world would rightly be up in arms. Unhinged racism of this nature would be duly condemned and the relevant president would be forced to publicly fire his disgraced advisor.

In a similar manner, Palestinian Media Watch is now calling on the entire international community to demand that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas immediately fire his special advisor and the PA Supreme Shari’ah Judge, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, who openly refers to Jews as “humanoids… apes and pigs”.

Speaking before a crowd in a mosque in Ramallah, giving a sermon that was broadcast on official PA TV, Al-Habbash launched a racist diatribe as he expressed his objection to Jews merely visiting Judaism’s holiest site - The Temple Mount in Jerusalem. After referring to Jews as “grazing herds of humanoids,” Al-Habbash equated the Jews who visit the Temple Mount with “those whom Allah has cursed… and made of them apes and pigs.”

PA Supreme Shari’ah Judge and Abbas’ advisor Mahmoud Al-Habbash: “The collective [Muslim] duty that is obligated today is the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque (i.e., the Temple Mount)… The supreme [duty] is that it be returned, liberated, defended, and purified from the defilement of the occupation and the theft… The minimal duty is at least to visit [the mosque], to awaken to it, so that it will not be abandoned as prey in the hands of the grazing herds of humanoids (i.e., Jews on the Temple Mount), of people or creatures that Allah created in the form of humans, and He said of them: “Shall I inform you of [what is] worse than that as penalty from Allah? [It is that of] those whom Allah has cursed and with whom He became angry and made of them apes and pigs.” [Quran 5:60]… [We Muslims must take care of the mosque] instead of the Al-Aqsa Mosque continuing to be the prey of humanoids who claim that they have a right to it and that they have sovereignty over it, and that [they] have religious and historical rights to it.”

[Official PA TV, Sept. 30, 2022]

As PMW has exposed, the PA’s references to Jews as “apes and pigs” are not new.

Rejecting the Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative of US President Donald Trump, General Supervisor of the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs in Tubas, Sheikh Muhammad Abd Al-Ilah, charged that Trump’s initiative expressed the “sale of Palestine at no cost to the descendants of the apes and pigs”:


Israel assassinated Arafat - Fatah official repeats libel

MEMRI: Praise For Terrorist Yahya 'Ayyash, Initiator Of Hamas' Suicide Bombings, At Palestinian University And On Social Media
On November 24, 2022 Hamas' student wing, the Islamic Bloc, held a reception for new students at Birzeit University in the West Bank. The event was titled "'Ayyash's Army," after terrorist Yahya 'Ayyash, who graduated in electric engineering from Birzeit University and was himself active in the Islamic Bloc. Known as the Engineer, 'Ayyash was one of the founders of Hamas' military wing, the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades. He specialized in the building of improvised bombs and was responsible for the wave of deadly suicide bombings in Israel in the 1990s, in which over 100 Israelis were killed, until his elimination by the Israeli security forces in 1996.

Hamas political bureau member Hussam Badran, who spoke at the reception, called on the students not to give up the freedom to resist the occupation by every means, while praising their spirit of sacrifice. The auditorium in which the reception took place was decorated with a large poster showing 'Ayyash as well as rockets and armed Hamas fighters, although the university administration has banned displays of militarism on campus.[1]

It appears that the November 23, 2022 double attack in Jerusalem, in which bombs were planted near bus stations in Jerusalem, killing two Israeli civilians, triggered a renewed interest in 'Ayyash. In addition to his commemoration at the event at Birzeit, Palestinian social media users posted images of him and messages praising him and his activities.

Islamic Bloc's announcement of the "'Ayyash Army" reception at Birzeit (facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087905595175, November 23, 2022; kutla.ps, November 25, 2022)

This report reviews the event at Birzeit and examples of social media posts glorifying 'Ayyash.

Hamas Official To Birzeit Students: Do Not Give Up "The Freedom To Oppose The Occupation By All Means"

Speaking at the reception in Birzeit, Hamas political bureau member Hussam Badran praised young Palestinians for their "willingness to sacrifice and to join the national struggle," and called on the students not to give up "the freedom to resist and fight the occupation in all ways and by all means." He added: "Birzeit is more that just a university. It is a special national education facility, which produced and continues to produce many national leaders, prisoners and martyrs. The latest of them is the martyr 'Amer Badr,[2] who is a model of initiative and sacrifice in resisting the occupation."[3]

The "'Ayyash's Army Reception" At Birzeit University: Hamas Flags, Poster Featuring 'Ayyash And Rockets

Photos of the reception posted on social media show that the auditorium in which it was held was decorated with Hamas flags and with a large poster, produced by the Islamic Bloc, showing Yahya 'Ayyash and Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, and Hamas rockets named after 'Ayyash. Below are some of the photos:[4]


Fatah glorifies participation of PA Sec. Forces in terror

Fatah brags it murdered 20 Israelis in 2022 and 90% of terrorist “Martyrs” were from Fatah



PreOccupiedTerritory: After Druze Debacle, Palestinians To Stick To Kidnapping Americans (satire)
Unwanted tensions with a different Arab demographic following the abduction and murder of a hospitalized teenager have prompted an adjustment of policy on the part of the official leadership in Ramallah and of the gangs of thugs whose violence they encourage, regarding the desirability of snatching living or dead bodies for negotiating leverage, recent reports indicate: for the foreseeable future, the thugs will target only US citizens for such treatment, given the anemic response that the US has shown to previous incidents, and the reliable concessions that Iran has extracted by the same method for years.

Quiet directives emerged from the offices of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas this morning instructing the various armed factions in the Palestinian Territories to select only Americans for kidnap-and/or-murder operations. The directive cited the incident late last month when a group of Palestinian thugs entered a hospital that was treating an Israeli-Druze teenager injured in a car accident in this Palestinian-run city, disconnected him from life support systems while his helpless family looked on, and absconded with the dying boy. Threats from the Druze community and the IDF forced turnover of the body and a Palestinian reassessment of the haphazard nature of Palestinian terrorism target selection. Rival factions to the ruling Fatah, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as numerous smaller militant groups, seconded the recommendations.

“It might have been overreach, overconfidence,” explained an aide to Mr. Abbas. “We’ve grown accustomed to weakness on the part of Israel, not realizing that it’s not so simple. We grew complacent. We forgot that not everyone plays by the stupid Western rules that are so easy to game. So now we have to focus on targeting people whose governments and communities will act with predictable weakness they label ‘restraint’ or some other nonsense. That means the US. Iran has done admirable work since the Obama administration of demonstrating exactly how and why to harass, kidnap, or kill American citizens in a way that provokes not harsh retribution, which one might expect from a country with an actual spine, but conciliatory moves.”
Lebanon cash crunch drives massive surge in Israeli spying suspicions
Lebanon has arrested 185 people suspected of collaborating with enemy state Israel since its economic collapse three years ago left many Lebanese desperate for cash, two security sources told AFP Wednesday.

That number has jumped significantly from a previous average of four or five arrests a year, one of the sources said.

“This is the first time that so many people have been arrested on charges of collaborating with Israel, and it’s because of the crisis,” said the other security source. Both were speaking on condition of anonymity.

Lebanon has been battered by a severe financial and economic crisis since 2019 that has seen the national currency crash, led banks to freeze deposits and plunged much of the population into dire poverty.

“This was a boon for the Israelis, who targeted Lebanese on social media with job advertisements for phoney companies,” the second source said.

A recruiter would then call the applicants, some of whom did not know they had been contacted by an Israeli spy agency.

Out of all those arrested since 2019, only three had been allegedly working with Israel prior to the crisis, one of the sources said. Of the 185, so far 165 had been prosecuted and 25 convicted and sentenced.
How Sanctions Are Freeing Iran
Not long after the ongoing protests in the Islamic Republic began, an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times expressed sympathy for the demonstrators while arguing that the U.S. should loosen its sanctions on the country. After all, the commonplace argument goes, sanctions only increase the hardships of ordinary Iranians. Shay Khatiri explains that, to the contrary, economic pressure has weakened the regime, paving the way for the present unrest:

The sanctions’ negative effect on the material wellbeing of Iranians is collateral damage. . . . The half-Communist, half-kleptocratic, fully corrupt structure of the economy has much more to do with Iranians’ economic struggles than the sanctions.

Case in point: the economic wellbeing of Iranians deteriorated after the enactment of the Iran nuclear agreement, which eased some sanctions. In fact, the unemployment rate rose from 11.2 percent to 12.6 percent after the deal. Child labor and beggary kept peaking. In 2017, the last year of U.S. compliance with the agreement, Iran’s GDP grew by 2.8 percent, far behind the 8-percent inflation rate. The first major anti-regime, violent protests in Iran happened in 2017 and were triggered in response to high prices and corruption.

Meanwhile, sanctions have helped Iranians exercise more social freedoms. They bring alcohol from home to restaurants and cafés and drink in public. There are even instances of public dancing. Literally and metaphorically, observation of the hijab law is becoming looser and looser. Regime apologists outside of Iran would claim that this was because of the reformist administration of Hassan Rouhani, who served as president from 2013 to 2021. But in reality, the regime hasn’t had enough money to hire sufficient high-quality law enforcement agents. . . . The regime has been trying to compensate for its personnel shortage with increased brutality.

The impoverishment that sanctions have imposed on the regime is now an obstacle to cracking down on protests for the same reason.


Iranian War Ship ‘Attempts To Blind’ US Missile Destroyer
An Iranian Navy patrol boat "attempted to blind" a U.S. guided-missile destroyer vessel in international waters late Monday and then conducted maneuvers that almost caused a collision between the warships, according to U.S. Central Command.

The Iranian patrol boat, which CENTCOM said was controlled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), conducted the "unsafe and unprofessional" maneuvers in a bid to harass American war ships operating in the region. Iran routinely stalks American war vessels in the region and has come close several times to initiating a conflict. The IRGC, Iran’s paramilitary fighting force, also has threatened repeatedly to attack and destroy American ships operating in international waters near Iran.

"This dangerous action in international waters is indicative of Iran’s destabilizing activity across the Middle East," Col. Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesman, said in a statement explaining the incident.

Iran’s navy has spent great resources updating and building out its lethal capabilities amid an ongoing threat to initiate conflict with U.S. or other Western forces stationed in the region. Iranian military leaders, for instance, announced on Tuesday that their navy forces possess missiles with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers, putting them well within distance of U.S. and Israeli military assets.

Monday’s incident highlights the ongoing threat posed by Iranian forces.
27-year-old Iranian subjected to three mock executions in prison: BBC
A 27-year-old man who is one of six people sentenced to death in Iran over ongoing anti-regime protests has been subjected to several mock executions in prison, the BBC reported

Last month, a Revolutionary Court found Sahand Noormohammadzadeh guilty of acts of “vandalism and arson of public property with the aim of causing disruption to the country's peace and order and confronting the Islamic government,” according to the Mizan News Agency.

Prosecutors accused him of taking part in riots by blocking a highway and setting fire to bins and tires. They showed the court a video in which a man in a mask, whom they claimed was the defendant, is seen pushing a burning garbage can onto the road and placing a railing between two lanes.

Noormohammadzadeh protested his innocence and his lawyer told the court there was no evidence to suggest that his client was the masked man.

A source told BBC Persian that interrogators falsely informed Noormohammadzadeh that his mother had suffered a heart attack and that he must sign a letter if he wanted to speak to her before she died. The letter, according to a lawyer in Tehran, amounted to an admission of guilt, the BBC reported.

The court sentenced Noormohammadzadeh to death for “enmity against God” and he has been subjected to mock executions three times in prison, a source told BBC Persian.

A mock execution is a form of psychological torture whereby a victim is made to feel that their execution is taking place but is not carried out. The BBC’s source said that even before his trial, Noormohammadzadeh was told “to go on a chair, blindfolded, to be hanged.”




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