Monday, December 12, 2022

12/12 Links Pt1: Shireen Abu Akleh Death ‘Witness’ Turns Out To Be Islamic Jihad Terrorist; Hady Amr’s Fantasy; Palestinian teen said killed in Jenin firefight with IDF forces

From Ian:

Matthew Continetti: Why Is the FBI Investigating Israel?
The State Department treated the IDF statement as the final word. “We welcome Israel’s review of this tragic incident, and again underscore the importance of accountability in this case, such as policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future,” said spokesman Ned Price. The bureaucratic tut-tutting was unnecessary and offensive to Israeli ears—American history, after all, is replete with evidence that the best policies and procedures cannot prevent human error or freak occurrences. Still, though, after months of controversy and two investigations, the unfortunate matter appeared finally settled.

Then things got weird. On November 14, months after the IDF report and not long after elections in both Israel and the United States, Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz acknowledged that the FBI had opened an investigation into the Akleh killing. Even more remarkable than this unprecedented move was the fact that neither the White House nor the State Department seemed to be aware of it. The National Security Council provided Axios a banal statement of regret for Akleh’s death. Both the White House and the State Department let it be known that they had had nothing to do with the FBI inquiry. And the Department of Justice would not comment.

The only government that seemed to have its business in order was Israel’s. Gantz said the obvious thing: There was no way Israel would cooperate with the FBI. Van Hollen, meanwhile, cheered the news from his office in Washington. Yet imagine his reaction if the Shin Bet announced an investigation into the U.S. Army.

At the time of writing, no one knows the details of the FBI inquiry, or the identity of the official who authorized it, or how long it will go on before the U.S. government realizes its ineffectuality. What is known is that the anti-Israel gang successfully bullied an agency of the United States government into taking the extraordinary step of treating the military of the Jewish state as a criminal enterprise, with no consideration of the potential fallout in the Greater Middle East or the precedent that might be set for U.S. soldiers in future actions.

Tyrannical governments in China, Iran, Venezuela, and the West Bank and Gaza Strip murder, unjustly imprison, and violate the dignity and human rights of individuals every day, yet the Biden administration sees fit to crack down on Israel. It’s hard to decide whether to be more outraged at Biden’s appeasement of Israel’s enemies or at the confusion and incompetence of his lieutenants.

In early December, Secretary of State Blinken spoke to the anti-Israel group J Street and pledged his commitment to expanding the circle of peace encompassing Israel and her Arab neighbors. “Integrating Israel,” Blinken said, “also means continuing to fight for Israel to be treated the same way as every other nation—no more, no less.” Maybe he should tell that to the FBI.
HonestReporting EXCLUSIVE: Shireen Abu Akleh Death ‘Witness’ Turns Out To Be Islamic Jihad Terrorist
A key “civilian” eyewitness in the formal complaint against Israel filed by Al Jazeera at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the death of Shireen Abu Akleh Tuesday is a terrorist affiliated with the US-designated terrorist organization Islamic Jihad, HonestReporting discovered exclusively on Sunday.

Jenin resident Sleem Awwad’s social media profiles reveal that he is a staunch supporter of Islamic Jihad, having posed with the flag of the jihadist terror group. Our editorial team found at least five photos of Awwad brandishing firearms, including military-style rifles with scopes.

“The credibility of the investigations of Al Jazeera in probing Abu Akleh’s death are questionable now that HonestReporting exposed their chief witness as an active member of a murderous terrorist organization,” HonestReporting executive director Gil Hoffman said.

On December 6, Al Jazeera filed a formal complaint against Israel with the International Criminal Court over the death of Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American reporter tragically shot on May 11 during a counter-terrorism operation in Jenin.

A thorough Israel Defense Forces probe previously concluded that she was likely mistakenly shot by a soldier who failed to identify her as a member of the press. After pinpointing every spot where troops had come under fire, the investigation found that they had strictly complied with the IDF’s rules of engagement.

In July, a report issued by the US State Department similarly said that Israeli forces probably fired the deadly shot, but that there was no indication Israelis intentionally killed Abu Akleh.

Nevertheless, Al Jazeera last week announced it contacted ICC prosecutor Karim Khan in the wake of “new evidence” it uncovered “based on several eyewitness accounts.” Without presenting proof, the Qatar-run broadcaster argued that their correspondent was somehow “targeted” as part of a campaign by “Israeli Occupation Forces [sic]… to silence Al Jazeera.”

The network’s submission under article 15 of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, followed just days after the airing of “The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh,” a 40-minute documentary produced by Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines series, which set the stage for Israeli soldiers to be prosecuted in The Hague.


Defending the Jewish State: HonestReporting Exposé Featured on Israeli Prime-time News Program
In an exclusive report, HonestReporting revealed that the star witness in the complaint against Israel filed by Al Jazeera at the International Criminal Court over the death of Shireen Abu Akleh is a terrorist affiliated with the US-designated terrorist group Islamic Jihad.

On December 11, 2022, HonestReporting Executive Director Gil Hoffman was invited to discuss our findings on Channel 13, one of Israel’s most-watched television stations. In the broadcast, outgoing Diaspora Affairs Minister and former IDF spokesperson Nachman Shai praised our work in defending Israel from media bias.


When antisemites sue the Jews: Lessons for Al Jazeera - opinion
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 lawsuit that Al Jazeera has filed in the International Criminal Court (ICC), 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 (ADL).

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 antisemitic extremists” in its commentary sections, the ADL notes.

Another question is whether Al Jazeera should be compelled to register with the US 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. The US 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.
BBC News again promotes Al Jazeera lawfare
Readers are not informed that the UK based lawyer’s previous activities at the ICC include representation of the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation in the Mavi Marmara case.

As has been the case in the past, BBC audiences are not provided with any of the relevant context concerning Al Jazeera such as its throwing of a birthday party for a terrorist, its record of Holocaust revisionism, its hosting of antisemitic content from the late Muslim Brotherhood leader Qaradawi, its acceptance of an award from Hamas for ‘exemplary coverage’ or the fact that it is funded by the same government that has poured millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip.

Gritten’s report continues with amplification of a statement from a person who was invited to Al Jazeera’s press conference concerning its submission to the ICC: “Abu Aqla’s family, who submitted their own complaint to the ICC in September, said they supported Al Jazeera’s submission.

“The evidence is overwhelmingly clear, we expect the ICC to take action,” her niece, Lina Abu Aqla, told a news conference in The Hague.”


Benjamin Netanyahu: Why Israel's Fate Affects the Rest of the World | The Rubin Report
Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about how Israel has been able to harness free markets and capitalism to achieve a higher GDP per capita than France and Japan; how socialism was holding the Israeli economy back; the difficulty of forming a coalition government; what issues matter most to right wing Israelis; the importance of democratic compromise; why he stood up to Barack Obama about the Iran nuclear deal; what naive leftists don’t understand about the importance of military power; why becoming one of the richest countries in the world is key to Israel’s strategy to be able to defend itself from its neighbors; why so many people are ignorant of history, especially Israel’s; the history of Israel; how the Israel Palestine conflict is misunderstood; what Rashida Tlaib doesn’t seem to understand about Jewish history; and much more.

0:00 Intro
6:02 Differences Between Israel's Left & Right-Wing Politics
9:32 How A Free Market System Benefit Israel
17:04 Why Giving Land Away Won't Provide Peace
25:53 The History Of Judaea
35:43 What Drives Benjamin Netanyahu?


Caroline Glick Speaks at the Freedom Center’s Restoration Weekend
And then this brings us to Netanyahu, who is going to be forming a government next week, thank god, and I think that — we got a miracle. We really did. I mean, I can’t tell you how terrified I was beforehand. But it worked. And the thing is that we can expect from Netanyahu essentially what we had from him in the past. Again, rebuilding our economy, lowering inflation — we are also suffering from inflation, largely also because of what’s happening in Ukraine, but other things as well that have increased food prices, increased energy prices, building material prices, things like that. But I think that — luckily, not our energy prices, because thanks to Netanyahu, we are now energy-independent with our gas.

But I think what we’re seeing, what we’re going to see, what we’re likely to see, is a very strong push by Israel to expand our regional ties with our Arab allies, which is something that I haven’t mentioned yet. The last thing that Netanyahu did in his last tour of office wasn’t just the Abraham Accords, which came at the end of the Trump Administration, but what preceded the Abraham Accords; that is, the normalization of accords with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, was that when the Arabs of the Gulf saw Israel standing up to the Obama Administration, they recognized that they could actually work with Israel to get out from under Obama’s animosity, hostility and pro-Iranian policies, and they began working in sort of an operational alliance with Israel beginning as early as 2013 and 2014.

And so the Abraham Accords were basically an expression of those ties that had already begun, beginning in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and really came into full blossom in 2014. So you can expect that now, under a new Netanyahu Administration, that we’ll have a lot more cooperation, whether under the table or above the table, between Israel and Saudi Arabia vis-à-vis Iran and the UAE as well, and hopefully that will, first and foremost, come to — come into full view with significant support to the Iranian revolutionaries on the ground in Iran to help them overthrow this regime, because the most significant thing that could happen, arguably, since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, would be the downfall of the Iranian regime.

So I think that would be a very important thing that would happen almost immediately, would be expanding Israeli operational cooperation with the Saudis and assistance for the Iranians to just hold out for a little bit longer; help is on the way.

And the other thing that you’re going to see is an expansion of the Abraham Accord alliance to more Arab states. Again, this is a way around America and a way to mitigate things. And looking at this as an American, I think that people have to see that you have, unfortunately, this situation in the United States where every time that you have a different party in power, you get a completely different foreign policy, and that puts America’s allies in a real disadvantage because you’re not dealing with one America anymore; you’re dealing with two completely separate countries that have totally different foreign policies, and when the Democrats come in, they completely undercut the United States as an alliance, and when a Republican, whenever it is, comes back into the White House, is going to be dealing with a completely torn apart alliance structure in the Middle East that — and so what Trump did, and I think what every Republican is going to have to do going forward, is not to try to return to the way things were under Reagan or Bush or whatever, where the United States is the 500-pound gorilla, but rather the entire American alliance structure is going to have to be based upon empowering America’s allies to stand up for themselves, or the exact opposite of the Obama-Biden concept that the problem for the United States in the Middle East is America’s allies and their power, and that the way to rebuild American credibility in the Middle East is actually to stand with America’s allies and enable them to fight the threats posed against them, and that, of course, redounds to America’s strategic benefit because those enemies are shared, and that’s why allies are allies to begin with.

So I think that, looking forward, America, Americans, Republicans, should be wanting to see Israel as powerful as possible, Saudi Arabia under MBS as powerful as possible, Egypt under el-Sisi as powerful as possible, because the more powerful we are and the more able we are to work together, the less Americans are going to have to do, the less wars the United States, the Americans are going to have to fight.


Lahav Harkov joins JI’s ‘Limited Liability Podcast’
Lahav Harkov, The Jerusalem Post’s senior contributing editor and diplomatic correspondent, is as prominent of a figure on Twitter as she is within Israel’s political journalism scene.

Harkov, who moved to Israel at the age of 17, is the Post’s point person for all things relating to Israeli foreign policy and its revolving door of prime ministers. She also co-hosts The Jerusalem Post’s own podcast: “The Yaakov and Lahav Show,” alongside Editor-in-chief Yaakov Katz.

On this week’s episode of Jewish Insider’s “Limited Liability Podcast,” Lahav joins co-hosts Rich Goldberg and Jarrod Bernstein for a conversation about the U.S.-Israel relationship and potential policy changes under Netanyahu.
Hady Amr’s Fantasy
Amr proudly asserted that the United States is now “the world’s largest donor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees” (UNRWA) – having bestowed more than $680 million within the past eighteen months alone. But he evades the reality that fewer than thirty thousand genuine Palestinian refugees from the Arab war in 1947-48 to obliterate the fledgling Jewish state are still living.

Consequently the overwhelming majority of recipients of UNRWA funds are, and forever will be in increasing numbers, the descendants of refugees. Indeed there now are as many UNRWA employees as there are genuine Palestinian refugees. It is, in a word, a scam to which Amr seems oblivious.

But Amir seems to understand that the success of his fantasy depends upon the (unlikely) willingness of Israelis and Palestinians to embrace it. Equating their violence against each other, he ignores the reality of Israeli responses to Palestinian terrorist attacks. Instead he offers reassurance that the United States “cares deeply” and “will continue to address those issues with the parties” – as if American “caring” is sufficient to resolve a decades-old conflict that shows no sign of abating.

Amr describes his appointment as an “unprecedented move” that will “elevate” the relationship between the United States and Palestinians. He makes clear that his primary focus will be “engagement with the Palestinian people and leadership and on Palestinian-related issues with other governments in the region.”

In translation, Amr will become the de facto American representative to “Palestine.” But he will learn, if he does not already know, that Israel is unlikely to abandon Biblical Judea and Samaria (Jordan’s “West Bank” until the Six-Day War) for a Palestinian state.

He might even learn that “Palestine” already exists east of the Jordan River, land that British Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill removed from the Balfour Declaration promise (1917) of “the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.” It became the Kingdom of Jordan, where more than half the population is now of Palestinian origin.

Before he lacerates Israel for its evil settlements as the primary obstacle to peace with Palestinians – and promotes a Palestinian state in the Biblical homeland of the Jewish people – Hady Amr would benefit from a history lesson. Based on his past priorities, however, it is unlikely that he will learn from it.
UK's Rishi Sunak says he will visit Israel in 2023
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will visit Israel for the first time as Britain's premier next year as part of Israel's 75th birthday celebrations, he announced on Monday.

Sunak made the announcement at the Conservative Friends of Israel's annual lunch in London, which was attended by over 700 people, including some 220 British lawmakers.


Hezbollah Fleeing Damascus in Fear of IDF Bombing
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Lebanese Hezbollah militia units on Sunday repositioned their operations in the vicinity of the capital Damascus and the eastern desert of Homs, southwest of Damascus in the vicinity of Kiswah. Hezbollah ordered their weapons to be distributed to several more heavily fortified warehouses.

On November 10, SOHR sources reported that Hezbollah established camouflaged military positions near the Syrian-Lebanese border in Rif Dimashq. On Sunday, military patrols raised the Syrian flag at three Hezbollah positions and checkpoints near Dimas, some 4 km from the border.

Iranian-backed militiamen stationed at those posts and checkpoints also put on Syrian army uniforms and raise the Syrian flag on their cars, with pictures of Bashar Al-Assad.

This comes as part of camouflage attempts by Hezbollah and Iranian proxy militias to escape being targeted by Israel and the Western coalition forces.


Joe Truzman: Analysis: West Bank Violence Trending Upward
The Palestinian Authority Has Lost its Influence
On Dec. 5, the head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Military Intelligence Research Department, Brig. Gen. Amit Saar, warned violence in the West Bank would continue into 2023. Saar correctly noted the erosion of the PA’s influence in the West Bank, saying that “we are seeing the foundations that allowed us (Israel) to manage the conflict beginning to falter.”

Saar’s assessment of the violence continuing in the West Bank is likely based on several factors; While operations against the Lions’ Den have been effective in neutralizing the group’s abilities to launch daily attacks against IDF troops and Israeli settlements, other established organizations such as PIJ, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Hamas remain active. And as previously noted, the Lions’ Den appears to be resurging, claiming two attacks on Friday against IDF positions in the West Bank.

The PA is weak, and militant organizations have filled the vacuum left by Abbas’ ruling authority. They have strengthened their positions in northern West Bank cities and have used it as a base to orchestrate attacks. Coupled with foreign actors such as Lebanese Hezbollah attempting to flood the West Bank with illegal weapons, it’s unlikely attacks perpetrated by militant organizations will subside anytime soon without a significant change in the way the PA is handling the undermining activity by armed groups in its own backyard.
Palestinian teen said killed in Jenin firefight with IDF forces
A 16-year-old Palestinian was killed in Jenin on Sunday night during an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The victim, identified as Jana Majdi Assam Zakarna, was on a rooftop when she was shot, according to the report.

The Israeli troops had come under heavy fire after entering the city to apprehend terror suspects, and had returned fire, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

“We are aware of reports regarding a killed Palestinian female. The incident is under review,” the IDF said in a statement.

Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that seven bullets were found in Zakarna’s body, noting that this was not consistent with IDF fire. Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicate by email and never miss our top stories

No IDF forces were injured in the incident.

Three wanted individuals were arrested during the operation.
16-year-old Palestinian killed by accident - IDF
The IDF late Monday took initial responsibility regarding the accidental killing of a 16-year-old Palestinian girl who was shot amid armed clashes between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli forces in Jenin on Sunday night.

A statement said that an initial review of the issue found a "high probability" that she was killed by the accidental fire of IDF soldiers directed at Palestinian gunmen during the battle.

Further, the review found that the 16-year-old was likely on a roof nearby other rooves where gunmen were specifically firing on IDF soldiers who were doing their best to return fire in the midst of the "fog of battle."

The statement said that any claim that the IDF "deliberately aimed" at the girl is "groundless."

It added that the military "expresses sorrow at the death of any civilians, even those who are positioned in the middle of battle and rounds of firing from both sides."

At the same time, the IDF said it would not back down from its core mission of protecting Israel's civilians and rotting out terror. The particular operation led to arresting 18 terror suspects.


Terror charges filed against Bedouin man for ramming student in Beersheba
Prosecutors on Monday filed an indictment against a Bedouin Israeli man for allegedly carrying out a car-ramming attack, wounding a student in the southern city of Beersheba last month.

Amr Alkirnawi, 39, of Rahat, was charged with a terrorist act of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and illegal use of a vehicle, over the November 24 attack.

According to the charge sheet, Alkirnawi became disgruntled after getting into an argument with a Jewish Israeli man in the southern city two days before the ramming.

During the altercation, Alkirnawi allegedly spat at the resident, who asked him to move his truck which was blocking a private parking lot, and in response, the Jewish man said: “You stinking Arab, you deserve a bullet in the head.”

Both men were questioned by police over the incident.

Alkirnawi then published several posts on TikTok falsely claiming the Jewish man had threatened him with a gun.

“Nobody can threaten the Bedouins here in Beersheba or in the south. If you respect us we will respect you, and if not you will suffer. This is not a threat, but for our dignity, we are willing to give up our lives,” the suspect said in a rant.
Shin Bet: Gaza operatives try to ‘catfish’ Israelis with fake social media accounts
Terror operatives from the Gaza Strip attempted to contact and harm Israelis by posing as young Israeli women on social media, the Shin Bet security agency said Monday.

According to the Shin Bet, the operatives used photos of real Israeli women, in an attempt to “lure Israeli citizens into contact, with the aim of harming them,” a practice known as “catfishing.”

The Shin Bet said some of the recent profiles on Facebook and Instagram were ostensibly of a personal trainer by the name of Maria David or Maria Shimon.

The profiles were removed from the platform following requests made to Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, by the Shin Bet and the cyber division at the State Attorney’s Office.

“Terror elements use social networks and operate fictitious profiles to fool innocent citizens, in a way that poses a threat to their privacy and personal security,” the Shin Bet said in a statement.

It was not clear if the operatives had managed to make contact with any Israelis.

The Shin Bet did not name the terror group allegedly behind the fake accounts.

Hamas and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip in recent years have repeatedly tried to “catfish” Israelis, notably soldiers, in order to install software on their phones that the terror group could use to gather intelligence on the military.
Will Marwan Barghouti be the next Palestinian president?
The first thing one sees after crossing the Qalandiya checkpoint from Jerusalem en route to Ramallah is a huge mural of Marwan Barghouti, the imprisoned Fatah leader who is seen by many Palestinians as the successor to Mahmoud Abbas. Next to Barghouti’s portrait is that of the late Yasser Arafat. Placing these two figures together implies an obvious connection; both are revered for their struggles against Israel.

According to a poll of Palestinian public opinion conducted in September, if presidential elections were held for the Palestinian Authority and Mahmoud Abbas did not run, Barghouti would receive 41% of the vote; Ismail Haniyeh, the international leader of Hamas, would receive 17%; ex-Fatah leader Muhammad Dahlan, 5%; the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya al-Sinwar, 4%; and Abbas’s confidant Hussein al-Sheikh only 2%.

It’s unclear when presidential elections for the P.A. will take place. Abbas, who was elected to office in 2005, postponed indefinitely the vote scheduled for May 2021. But this is not the only barrier facing Barghouti.

Once an energetic student leader from the West Bank village of Kobar, Barghouti rose to become a leader in Fatah’s military wing, and was arrested 20 years ago in Ramallah by the Israeli Defense Forces. He was tried and convicted on five counts of murder in an Israeli civilian court, unlike most Palestinians, who are tried in Israeli military courts.

He was found guilty of authorizing and organizing the murder of a Greek Orthodox monk, a shooting near the settlement of Givat Ze’ev in which an Israeli civilian was killed, and the 2002 Seafood Market restaurant attack in Tel Aviv in which three civilians were killed. Security sources in Israel said that among the documents the IDF found during raids on the Ramallah offices of the Tanzim (Fatah’s military branch) were memos that showed Barghouti’s direct involvement in planning terrorist attacks.

Barghouti claimed that he supported armed resistance to the Israeli occupation yet condemned attacks against civilians inside the 1967 Green Line. He refused to recognize the legitimacy of the court and waived his right to defend himself. The question of his release was widely discussed in Israel and the West Bank immediately after the trial. Yet in 2006, Knesset Member Avi Dichter, who had served as the director of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), said sarcastically during a TV interview I conducted with him that “Barghouti can certainly expect an earlier release—after some 100 years or so.” Today his release seems no more likely than it did 16 years ago.
Hamas: PA won’t let us celebrate in West Bank
Hamas claimed on Monday that the Palestinian Authority security forces have banned its supporters from holding rallies in the West Bank to mark the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Islamist group.

The ban coincides with an ongoing security crackdown on Hamas supporters and members by the PA security forces.

The PA security services have in the past banned Hamas from holding rallies in the West Bank to celebrate its 35th anniversary.

Hamas, established in 1987, is expected to hold a major rally in the Gaza Strip later this week to mark its birthday.

“Hamas strongly condemns the security forces of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank for banning the anniversary celebrations,” read a statement issued by Hamas. “The desperate attempts by the Palestinian Authority to prevent the activities of the [Hamas] will not succeed in removing the idea of resistance from the hearts of our people.”


The Iranian Challenge Intensifies, while the International System Seems Otherwise Engaged
In the face of ongoing stagnation in the nuclear talks, Iran continues to advance its nuclear program, while continuing to provide military aid to Russia in the war with Ukraine. Iran for the first time announced the start of uranium enrichment to 60% at the Fordow underground plant and the replacement of old IR-1 centrifuges at this facility with advanced IR-6 centrifuges, which can enrich more quickly and in greater amounts.

After years when the nuclear issue was prioritized over other issues related to Iran, the West is forced to formulate policy that relates to the Iranian aid to Russia and the regime's violent suppression of the ongoing protests. Even if in their view the diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue is still a priority, Iran's conduct in the other spheres will make it very difficult to progress on this. Consequently, the chance of returning to the nuclear agreement at the current time is very slim.

The reality, in which Iran is taking aggressive and defiant steps without facing a determined response from the U.S. and its allies, reflects an increasing sense of confidence in Tehran, which rests in part on the assessment that the agenda of the U.S. (and Europe) is focused on the war in Ukraine alongside the main conflict with China, and that Iran as an issue is not high on the list. Tehran's assessment is that it can continue its policies without fear of any harm.

From Israel's perspective, even if Iran is far from decided on whether to progress toward producing nuclear weapons, it is critical already now to create sufficient deterrence that will make it difficult for Iran to take further steps to advance the enrichment system and the levels of enrichment, and certainly to decide on a weapons program.

It is possible that Iran's defiant conduct and the protests in its territory will make it somewhat easier for Israel to enlist the U.S. administration and the international community in taking action accordingly. To this end, it is recommended that the new government of Israel maintain an environment of relations that enables discreet and practical dialogue with Washington, which will be necessary in order to coordinate the required steps.

It is important that Israel work to convince the U.S. of the need to create outside-the-box measures that, even without declaring red lines, will strengthen deterrence against Iran and undermine Iran's confidence regarding the possible price that will be exacted from it, if it continues to advance its nuclear program.
Iran’s Actions in Ukraine ‘Very Concerning:’ Israeli Ambassador
Israel’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, called Iran’s involvement in the Ukrainian war with Russia “very concerning,” while sitting down with i24NEWS in Kyiv.

Brodsky has been in Kyiv for around a year, saying that his time has been split into two parts: before the war and during.

He said that since the war began, “our main focus has been on assisting Israelis to flee the country,” continuing that he hoped to be back in Kyiv one day as a regular ambassador.

When asked about Iran’s growing involvement in the war, Brodsky called it “very concerning,” as is “anything related to Iran’s capabilities.”

“It’s very important to see how the Ukrainians cope with this said threat because one day it can be used against us,” he continued. “We understand absolutely clearly that this is a clear danger not only for Ukraine, maybe at this point of time it’s the biggest danger for Ukraine, but it might be used against us very soon.”

The conversation then shifted to the United Nations, where a vote is expected this month requesting the International Court of Justice to weigh in on Israel’s so-called “prolonged occupation” and settlement on Palestinian land. Ukraine voted to support this, an issue Brodsky said he raised with his colleagues in Kyiv.

“I believe it’s counterproductive, and it’s even absurd, to vote against Israel whilst asking Israel to provide support and to provide weapons,” he added, noting that that was not the only example of Ukraine voting against Israel.
"Report: Iranian Uranium Intended for Houthis Falls into Al Qaeda Hands"
Parts of a shipment of uranium sent by Iran to its terror proxies in Yemen were seized by the international Al Qaeda terrorist organization, according to unnamed “Middle East sources” who spoke with Israel’s Ma’ariv newspaper.

According to the report published Monday (Dec. 12), Iran recently delivered a shipment of enriched uranium to Houthi rebels in Yemen.

However, parts of that shipment “actually fell into the hands of members of the Al Qaeda organization in the Al Bayda area,” the news outlet reported.

No information was offered on the level of enrichment the uranium had undergone, how much of that uranium fell into Al Qaeda hands, or how in fact the international terrorist group got its hands on the nuclear resource.

But the report highlights the danger of a nuclear Iran that shares its military resources with terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East.

The Houthis have been responsible for hundreds of attacks on important infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirate and present a credible threat to Israeli vessels sailing through the Red Sea.

Enough Enriched Uranium for 2 Nuclear Bombs
At present, Iran has two bombs’ worth of uranium enriched to 60 percent levels – a short hop from the 90 percent enrichment required to complete an atomic weapon.

Tehran is also continuing to install and operate advanced centrifuges that can enrich more uranium at a much faster rate than its first-generation IR-1 centrifuges.

“Only a credible threat of force will stop the regime from crossing the nuclear weapons threshold,” Dennis Ross, a fellow at The Washington Institute, warned this past September.
Iran executes 2nd protester, Majidreza Rahnavard, after reported torture
Iranian protester Majidreza Rahnavard was executed by Iranian officials early Monday morning after being sentenced to death for allegedly attacking security forces in Mashhad, according to Iranian state media. Iranian opposition activists said that Rahnavard was sentenced in a sham trial.

Rahnavard had been sentenced to death on charges that he had stabbed and killed two members of the Iranian security forces and injured four others amid protests that swept the country in recent months.

Iranian state media claimed that Rahnavard confessed to the charges, although many political prisoners have been forced by Iranian officials to film staged confessions under duress. Rahnavard was reportedly not given access to a lawyer and was tortured, appearing in court with injuries, according to opposition sources.

According to the 1500tasvir opposition account, Rahnavard’s mother visited him recently and there was no talk of the execution when she was there and she left hopeful that her son wouldn’t be executed. On Monday morning, Rahnavard’s family was called by Iranian officials and told that he had been executed and buried.

Rahnavard was hanged in public in Mashhad on Monday morning, with Iranian state media publishing photos of the hanging. According to 1500tasvir, he was buried shortly afterward in the Behesht-e-Reza Cemetery in Mashhad. Video from the scene of his grave shared by Radio Farda showed flowers placed on the grave and women chanting “Martyr of the country Majidreza Rahnavard.”

After the execution, Chief Justice of Khorasan Gholam Ali Sadeghi thanked Iranian security forces and judicial officials for “performing their legal duties in the shortest possible time.” Sadeghi added that the execution was conducted to “respond to the public demands in order to establish order and security and deal with rioters and lawbreakers.”
MEMRI: Spokesman of Iran’s Judiciary Masoud Setayeshi Justifies Execution of Protester Mohsen Shakeri
In a December 10, 2022 interview on IRINN TV (Iran), Masoud Setayeshi, the spokesman of Iran’s judiciary, spoke about and defended the recent execution of 23-year-old anti-regime protester Mohsen Shakeri. Setayeshi said that the legal proceedings against Shakeri had been fair and in accordance with Iranian law, and that Shakeri had confessed to his crimes and had had legal counsel throughout the proceedings against him. He explained that Shakeri had used cold weapons to injure the “dear brothers” who had been enforcing Iran’s security, and that Shakeri’s actions were considered an act of “rebellion against God” according to Iranian law. Setayeshi also said that all Iranians must follow the laws and that any person “who plans to harm the life, property, or dignity of the public” is guilty.

Mohsen Shakeri was arrested after he attended a September 25 protest following the death of Jina (Mahsa) Amini, he was accused of injuring a Basij member and blocking a road. He was hanged on December 8, 2022. For more information, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 9980. Iran has come under international condemnation for Shakeri’s execution, and human rights organizations have accused the Iranian judiciary of conducting a sham trial, suggesting that Shakeri had been denied access to legal representation during the proceedings.






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