Tuesday, December 20, 2022

12/20 Links Pt1: Secret document reveals EU plans to help Palestinian takeover of Area C; Palestinian stubs toe, U.S. demands investigation; The UN's not-so-Interim Force in Lebanon

From Ian:

Secret document reveals EU plans to help Palestinian takeover of Area C
A document composed by the European Union’s mission in eastern Jerusalem and defined as secret exposes the E.U.’s intention to help Palestinians gain control over Area C of Judea and Samaria, commonly known as the West Bank, Israel’s Channel 13 revealed on Monday.

Under the Oslo Accords, Judea and Samaria is divided into three zones with Area C falling fully under Israeli control.

The six-page document calls for mapping the territory in order to prove Palestinian rights to the land and monitoring Israeli archaeological activity, as ancient Jewish ties reinforce Israeli claims.

The document also recommends strengthening Palestinian infrastructure in Area C and supporting Palestinians with legal aid.

In response to Channel 13‘s expose, the E.U. said, “As a general rule, we do not refer to documents. The policy of the E.U. is created by its 27 member states. Our policy has not changed—we are committed to a two-state solution with Jerusalem as the future capital of both states.” Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicate by email and never miss our top stories

The report raised an outcry among politicians and various Israeli groups.

“It is not by chance that the European Union chose to classify the document as secret since it reveals its antisemitic attitude towards Israel for all to see,” tweeted Religious Zionism Party Chairman Bezalel Smotrich.

“It’s not content with accelerating the Palestinian takeover of Area C, it is important for it to thwart Israeli archaeological activity in Judea and Samaria lest the truth be revealed: ‘We have not taken foreign land, nor foreign property of our own; but the land of our ancestors…,'” he said, quoting the Book of the Maccabees.
Israel Can’t Allow Bigots to Control the Narrative on the Temple Mount
The trope that Jews are trying to seize and desecrate Muslim holy sites — “Judaizing the Temple Mount”– has been used to foment violence since the 1920s. If Israel is “Judaizing” the Temple Mount, it is certainly taking its sweet time. One might even argue that Israel is going about it all wrong.

For instance, when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, they did not work out a deal by which Eastern Orthodox clerics and Byzantine authorities retained control over the Hagia Sophia. They just conquered it and converted it into a mosque. Israel by contrast won control of the Temple Mount in a defensive war, after imploring Jordan not to attack. Upon its military victory, Israel then gave control over the Temple Mount to the Jordanian Waqf. There is no historical precedent in which a militarily victorious country made such a concession to a vanquished foe. One might have expected that the world would credit Israel for its tolerance.

Today, the concepts of human rights, dignity, equality, and tolerance are thankfully considered to be paramount in most of the world. The demand to bar only Jewish worship at a site that is sacred to multiple religions is akin to the worst examples of segregation. Jewish worshipers on the Temple Mount are not guilty of disrupting Muslim prayer. They are not the ones rioting, shouting, burning tires, throwing rocks, or even murdering worshipers. Indeed, neither Jews nor Israel even consider banning Muslim worshipers from the holy site.

While most controversial issues in the Middle East have some shade of gray, this is one of the most black and white ethical dilemmas. Jews want to pray and let Muslims pray. Those manufacturing a crisis want the Jews banned, period.

Unfortunately, many international leaders and the international media outlets automatically blame Israel and thus, peaceful Jewish worship, for the tension. Even the US State Department called upon Israel to defuse tensions caused by Arab rioting on the Temple Mount. It is amazing that this centuries-old excuse for violence still bears weight.

Israel cannot allow bigots to control the narrative around the Temple Mount, and it is high time its leaders get out in front with a well-articulated explanation. While many Jews and Israeli officials have made this case, Israel’s leadership must make an articulate, public, and unapologetic case to its Arab neighbors and the world, that it respects religious freedom, demands that same respect, and explains that it is those perpetrating violence who are truly desecrating this holy site. This is urgently needed, not just to combat antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment, but to save the hopeful promise of the Abraham Accords.
Will Mahmoud Abbas and PA Leaders Face ICC Prosecution for Murder
In a statement, the Banat family directly accused PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of being responsible for their son’s death, because of his responsibility for the Palestinian security forces. The family announced their determination “to go to the end and bring justice to the gang that murdered Nizar Banat.”

The PA’s trial in Ramallah of those accused of the murder opened following heavy pressure exerted on the Palestinian Authority by the Biden administration, the European Union, human rights organizations, and the Palestinian street, which held a series of demonstrations, mainly in Ramallah and Hebron, against the dictatorial regime of Mahmoud Abbas.

Until the start of the trial, the Palestinian Authority tried to reach a compensation settlement with the family in exchange for canceling the trial. It offered them a large sum of money and jobs in the PA, but all its offers were rejected.

Even after the killing of Nizar Banat, the PA continued to use force and its security forces violently suppressed the demonstrations that called for the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas, the punishment of the murderers, and the establishment of an international commission of inquiry in the case.

According to Palestinian law, the PA defendants face prison sentences ranging from seven years to life. However, this is not going to happen. The Palestinian Authority is determined to protect them. Therefore, the Banat family appealed to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to put pressure on the Palestinian Authority by opening an investigation into the case.

Meanwhile, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is taking advantage of concerns over the PA’s possible collapse and the consequences of this for regional stability, in order to delay the trial.

The murder of Nizar Banat was intended to send a clear message to all the political opponents of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who will continue to forcefully suppress his critics and opponents, just like the other dictatorial rulers in the Arab world. There is no difference between them.


Palestinian stubs toe, U.S. demands investigation
Remember: this is the same PA which has repeatedly claimed—among other things—that the Holocaust is a hoax; that Israel has manufactured earthquakes in order to undermine the foundations of the al-Aksa mosque; that Israeli planes drop poisoned candies near Palestinian Arab schools in order to sterilize the children who eat them; and that former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger masterminded the 9/11 attacks.

So why in the world would anybody believe anything the PA says whether about this traffic accident or anything else?

The answer is that nobody would believe the PA—nobody, that is, except those who have a political agenda.

Which is exactly what many of us warned when the Biden administration recently announced that it has established a “U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs” inside the American embassy in Israel and has appointed Hady Amr to serve as the Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs.

Soon after news of the accident was reported, Amr rushed to Twitter and, in the name of the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs, called for “a thorough police investigation.” Strange—I don’t recall seeing any tweets from Amr demanding that the PA investigate any of the recent Arab terrorist car-rammings of Israelis, which were genuine attacks, not accidents.

Amr is a veteran pro-Palestinian activist. In the early 2000s, he was national coordinator for an anti-Israel group called the Middle East Justice Network. In a 2002 article, Amr wrote, “I was inspired by the Palestinian intifada.” Somebody who says he was “inspired” by mass Palestinian Arab violence against Israelis usually does not end up in a senior U.S. government position related to Israeli-Palestinian affairs. The Biden administration seems to have a peculiar idea of what constitutes appropriate qualifications for such a position.

Ironically, one of the first attacks of that “inspiring” intifada was a firebomb assault on the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem on December 13, 1987. Had the attack proceeded in the way that those terrorists intended, the American diplomats inside the building would have been burned alive. So, a man who was “inspired” by violence that included an attempt to slaughter American diplomats has now become one of those diplomats. Go figure!

But the problem extends far beyond any single official. The problem is a U.S. administration which increasingly seems to be searching high and low for ways to make Israel look bad. It started with the demands to investigate the accidental death of an Al Jazeera reporter. Now it demands an investigation into a traffic accident. What pretext will the administration find next for harassing the Israelis?

Let’s not wait to find out the answer to that question. Let’s not wait until the headlines read something akin to “Palestinian Stubs Toe, U.S. Demands Investigation.” Let’s do everything we can to make it clear to the Biden administration that this sort of grotesque exploitation of traffic accidents for the sake of scoring political points is unacceptable.
Politico: Biden’s strategy for a far-right Israel: Lay it all on Bibi
The second U.S. official noted that Netanyahu will need American support on certain priorities, and that those are potential points of leverage.

For instance, Netanyahu wants to expand the diplomatic normalization deals with Arab states, known as the Abraham Accords, and he wants such a pact with Saudi Arabia in particular. But that’s unlikely to happen without significant U.S. backing.

Likewise, Netanyahu wants to rein in the Islamist government in Tehran, which has threatened to destroy Israel and is a foe of the United States, as well. While the details of Netanyahu’s plans for Iran will matter, especially if they involve sabotaging the country’s nuclear program, he may nonetheless need U.S. backing for them.

“Netanyahu wants a bunch of stuff from us,” the second U.S. official said. “It’s a two-way street. … We’ll work with him on the things he cares about, and he’ll work on the things we care about.”

Netanyahu opposed the Iran nuclear deal, which was negotiated under President Barack Obama but abandoned by President Donald Trump. Although Biden has sought to revive that agreement, which curbed Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, it’s effectively dead.

And recent protests that have gripped Iran and threatened the government there have meant the odds of restoring the agreement are lower than ever, removing an irritant in the Biden-Netanyahu relationship.

The U.S. officials also insisted that American rhetoric toward Israel matters. Israelis, after all, face many hostilities in the Middle East and they highly value being able to tout their strong partnership with the United States. Criticism from Washington undermines that ability.

“Right now, we’ve been very measured,” the second U.S. official said, noting that the incoming Netanyahu government has yet to be formed, much less impose any policies. “We could turn up the criticism very quickly.”
U.S. challenges Israel at U.N. Security Council while two longtime Israel critics say farewell
A pair of Israel antagonists bid farewell to the United Nations Security Council on Monday, but it was the Jewish state’s closest ally that made headlines.

In the council’s monthly meeting on the Israel-Palestinian file, Robert Wood, the alternative representative of the U.S. for special political affairs in the U.N., demanded Israel provide “equal allocation of resources” to countering Israeli “extremists” and Palestinian terrorists.

During a call for action to decrease violence and tensions in Judea and Samaria, Wood told the council that “the United States expects to see equal treatment of extremists—whether Israeli or Palestinian—in arrests, convictions and punishments, as well as equal allocation of resources to prevent and investigate violent attacks.”

The message from Washington, which has been largely supportive of Israel at the Security Council under President Joe Biden, stood out and can be read as a warning to Israel’s presumptive incoming government, which aims to alter the structure of governance in Judea and Samaria and hand greater police and civil authority powers to members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s presumptive coalition who have long called for harsher crackdowns on Palestinian terrorism and more freedoms for Israelis living in communities beyond the Green Line.

Wood did condemn a Palestinian effort to request an International Court of Justice advisory opinion against Israel, describing the proposal as “counterproductive.”

Meanwhile, Ireland and Norway joined India, Kenya and Mexico in what will likely be their final meeting on the file before their departures from the Security Council at year’s end.

Mona Juul, Norway’s ambassador to the U.N. and an Oslo Accords negotiator, recalled the failed accords in her farewell speech, saying that “at the time, courageous negotiators from the PLO and the state of Israel, considered by each other as a terrorist organization and an illegitimate state, respectively, came together to agree to disagree on the past—but also, to agree on a way forward towards a two-state solution based on U.N. resolutions.”

Irish Ambassador Fergal Mythen, meanwhile, lamented that “while we would have liked to acknowledge progress on this file, the reality is that the prospects of reopening a political horizon and achieving a two-state solution are as remote today as when we joined the council two years ago.”

He unleashed a litany of criticism and demands of Israel and asked nothing of the Palestinians


The State Department wants more antisemites in Jerusalem
At a Dec. 19 press conference, State Department spokesman Ned Price was asked about the deportation of Hamouri. There were a number of ways Price could have answered the question. For example, he could have said, “Last week, President Biden announced the creation of a task force to combat antisemitism. Conspiring to murder the chief rabbi of Israel clearly fits any definition of antisemitism. So, we see the Israeli deportation of a violent antisemite as part of the fight against antisemitism.”

Or Price could have focused on the terrorism aspect, along these lines: “The United States and Israel are partners in the war on terror. We see the Israeli deportation of an admitted terrorist as part of the fight against terrorism.”

Or Price could have just focused on the Jerusalem aspect, such as, “We can understand why Israel does not want violent bigots in its capital. We don’t want violent bigots in our capital either.”

Instead, Price replied: “We have concerns about the practice of deportation and revocation of residency, and the potential threat of such policies on the demographic character of Jerusalem.”

In other words, President Biden’s State Department believes that for the sake of the “demographic character” of Jerusalem, Israel should permit a violent antisemite to reside there.

Keep in mind that statements such as Price’s are not made off the cuff. Before he steps to the podium, the State Department spokesman and his colleagues carefully plan what he is going to say about the various issues that are likely to be brought up by reporters in the room.

What State Department officials are hoping, in a case like this, is that the journalists on hand are so sympathetic to the Palestinian cause that they will not ask the State Department spokesman any uncomfortable follow-up questions. They could have asked Price if he regards the planned murder of a chief rabbi as an act of antisemitism. They could have asked Price how his objection to the deportation of an antisemite is consistent with the president’s creation of a task force to combat antisemitism. But they didn’t.

All of this creates a potentially embarrassing dilemma for Prof. Deborah Lipstadt, who was recently appointed as the State Department’s Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.

To be clear, the State Department never wanted to have a position called “Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.” It fought tooth and nail against creating such a post. But Congress forced them to do it, and now they have to deal with Lipstadt.

Lipstadt has promised to speak out against all antisemitism, no matter what its source. She has vowed to be nonpartisan, and to denounce all antisemites, regardless of whether they are affiliated with causes or regimes that the Biden administration befriends. So, what does she have to say about the deportation of a violent Palestinian Arab antisemite from Jerusalem?

Or is Lipstadt also counting on journalists to refrain from asking such questions? Is she hoping that American Jewish organizations will never bring up the issue? Does she imagine she can just wait out the news cycle and avoid the embarrassment of having to face up to what her own State Department is doing? Time will tell.
How a Palestinian journalist slanders Israel at the US State Department
A Palestinian journalist routinely bashes Israel during the question and answer period at U.S. State Department briefings, and State Department spokespersons rarely correct the record. By allowing anti-Israel bias to penetrate the briefing room unchallenged, the State Department is inviting questions as to whether it shares the same views.

On Dec. 6, State Department spokesman Ned Price failed to push back on the accusation by reporter Said Arikat, the Washington Bureau chief for the Jerusalem-based newspaper Al-Quds, 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,” Arikat stated during the daily press briefing.

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

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz had praised the Border Police member who neutralized Palestinian terrorist Ammar Mifleh, saying, “I fully condemn the attempts to present the incident in a false and manipulative manner.…All IDF and Border Police combat personnel have full backing to continue to act against terrorism and to preserve the security of Israeli citizens.”

A widely circulated video showed Milfeh trying to steal the officer’s weapon after having already stabbed another Israeli in the face.

“If no one complains, why should they [State Department representatives] bother? They are focused on answering questions and if you have followed Said for the past few years like me, they know he is bs-ing but most of the time it serves their interests,” Yisrael Medad, the former director of Israel’s Media Watch, told JNS.

“And then there is ‘Do not interfere with free speech,’ especially from a journo,” he added.


Biden Taps Qatar Shill To Lead Effort To Counter Foreign Propaganda
The State Department's Global Engagement Center is charged with understanding and countering propaganda from America's adversaries. So a man who has shilled for Qatar, Zimbabwe, and a Turkish state bank linked to Iran may be an awkward fit as its leader.

As a partner at the firm Ballard Partners, James Rubin until 2020 lobbied State Department and White House officials on behalf of Qatar, the oil-rich Gulf nation that funds terrorist groups and is allied with Iran, according to disclosures filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Rubin, who served in the State Department under President Bill Clinton, also represented Halkbank, a Turkish state bank indicted in a gold-for-oil scheme with Iran. He shilled for the government of Zimbabwe in its effort to alleviate sanctions over the "unusual and extraordinary threat" the regime poses to the United States.

Biden on Friday appointed Rubin to serve as special envoy and coordinator of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, formed to identify and expose foreign propaganda "that threatens the security of the United States, our allies, and partners." According to the State Department, Rubin will focus on countering foreign disinformation and propaganda with a focus on Russia, China, Iran, and terrorist groups like ISIS and al Qaeda.

Rubin’s work for the controversial regimes is likely to raise questions about the revolving door between the Biden White House and lobbying firms. As a candidate in 2020, Biden said he would prohibit foreign governments’ use of lobbyists, saying that "there is no reason why a foreign government should be permitted to lobby Congress or the Executive Branch."

Rubin, the ex-husband of CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour, is the latest in a string of foreign agents hired by the Biden administration. Amos Hochstein, a top White House adviser on international energy issues, represented Equatorial Guinea, one of Africa’s most repressive regimes. Erin Pelton, who served as special assistant to Biden, lobbied for Qatar prior to joining the administration. George Salem, appointed chairman of a board at USAID this year, represented the Palestine Monetary Authority, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.


Syria accuses Israel of strike that injures 2 soldiers
Syria accused Israel of airstrikes in the vicinity of the Syrian capital of Damascus early Tuesday in which two soldiers were injured, the first such attack in over a month.

A military statement said that in addition to the injuries, the strikes caused some "material losses," noting that Syrian air defenses had intercepted and shot down a number of missiles.

The last reported alleged Israeli attack in Syria was on Nov. 13 and killed two Syrian soldiers and wounded three others when airstrikes hit an airbase in the province of Homs.

Israel is said to have carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years. Although specific operations are rarely acknowledged, Israeli leaders have in the past acknowledged striking targets in Syria and elsewhere in an effort to thwart Iranian attempts to smuggle weapons to proxies such as Lebanon's Hezbollah terrorist group or to destroy weapons caches
Police officer injured in ramming attack, suspect escaped
A 22-year-old police officer was hit by a car and suffered light-medium injuries in an apparent ramming attack, near the town of Karmit north of Beersheba on Tuesday.

The ramming occurred after a group of police officers noticed a suspicious car carrying multiple passengers on Highway 60, driving in the direction of Meitar checkpoint.

The officers suspected the passengers to be illegal residents and it is possible the driver was smuggling weapons as well, Ynet News reported.

When the officers signaled the driver to stop and walked in front of the car, the suspect then started driving erratically and hit one of the officers before fleeing the scene.

Police forces launched a search for the suspect, including a police helicopter. The car was found in the Bedouin town of Hura and two suspects were apprehended.

Magen David Adom first responders described the scene: "The injured officer lay on the road fully conscious and suffering from injuries on the back and limbs. We gave her initial treatment including fixations and evacuated her for further treatment at the hospital, while she was in stable condition."

The injured officer was evacuated to Soroka-University Medical Center in Beersheba.
IDF defends soldiers being probed for killing alleged Bedouin smuggler
The IDF on Tuesday issued a statement essentially providing cover for its soldiers who are being criminally probed for shooting and killing Bedouin-Israeli Nimar Amraani on December 14 as he was allegedly trying to smuggle in drugs from the Sinai Peninsula.

The IDF unit involved in thwarting the alleged smuggling attempt has foiled 70 such attempts this year and had a hand in obstructing over 450 such attempts.

Defense sources have said that the IDf border unit encounters fire from smugglers in almost every incident and that this means smugglers are risking their lives and IDF border guard lives at virtually all times.

KAN reported that an initial operational probe of the IDF Southern Command had found that the soldiers on site fired dozens of bullets at Amraani.

He was killed near Harif Mountain as he tried to smuggle drugs into Israel from two locations on the border with Egypt.

Others allegedly working with Amraani were arrested.
The Israel Guys: Actual Footage of IDF Forces Under HEAVY FIRE in Jenin
If you walked through any of the streets of Jerusalem last night, you would have seen candles burning in windows, all throughout the city, because last night started the first night of Hanukkah.

Positive things are happening in regard to terror here in Israel. A convicted terrorist was deported Sunday morning and had his residency in Israel revoked by the Minister of Interior.

Stay tuned for a first-hand video glimpse into what the IDF faces on a daily basis trying to keep the nation of Israel safe, and surprise surprise, the New York Times is at it again, spewing their hatred for Israel like never before.


Palestinians in Samaria inflict 'irreparable damage' to heritage site
Over the past few days, dozens of Palestinians have descended on the Old Samaria National Park to carry out "repair works" in which they deliberately destroyed antiquities. The perpetrators built a giant flagpole right next to the ruins, on which they hoisted a Palestine Liberation Organization flag. They also hung other flags all over the site.

In the Samaria National Park, located in Area C (which is under full Israeli control), there are important historical remnants from the First Temple Era, which are attributed to the capital of Samaria from the time of King Ahab of Israel. Old Samaria was the Kingdom of Israel's ancient capital. According to tradition and the Bible, it was built by King Omri of Israel, who bought the place. Archaeological excavations revealed the remains of a magnificent palace, considered one of the largest in the region.

According to the accepted research opinion, the palace was built by Omri and his son Ahab. The 218-dunam (approximately 54 acres) archaeological excavation site was declared a national park, and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority runs it. Remains from different eras can be seen, especially those of public buildings and worship centers from the Herodian / Roman period and sections of Hellenistic fortifications and towers.

In addition, there are remains of a column-lined road (the Roman Kardo) that served as a commercial center.

Dozens of Palestinians carried out the vandalism act in the middle of the day as part of a move organized by the Palestinian Authority. In the post published on the Facebook page of modern-day Sebastia (a Palestinian town), they took pride in the defacement, published photos of it, and wrote: "Sebastia is thriving. Its administration has proven that it can face challenges and strive towards flourishing even more." Later they wrote: "We are continuing."


PMW: PA Shari'ah Judge: Israelis are “the enemies of Allah”
Shari'ah Judge Nasser Al-Qirem: “In the battle with the occupation and with the enemies of Almighty Allah, what is the status of the believer? It is [that he achieves] one of two favors – either victory or Martyrdom. And in both cases we triumph and overcome… The battle with the occupation is continuing until Resurrection Day. [Official PA TV, Sept. 23, 2022]


PMW: Abbas’ newest superhero - murderer of seven!
Eli Cohen, Binyamin and Talia Kahane, Gadi Rejwan, Yosef Habi, Eli Dahan, and Sergeant-Major Salim Barakat, were murdered in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Samaria, in terror attacks that were planned by terrorist Nasser Abu Hmeid.
Having killed so many Israelis, this murderer has been turned into the PA’s and Mahmoud Abbas’ superhero. Abbas himself chose to personally announce his death this morning. The terrorist was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2021, and has been treated repeatedly in Israeli hospitals, yet this did not stop Abbas from adding the libel that Israel murdered Abu Hmeid:
“President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas announced to our people, the fighters, and the free people of the world the death of heroic Martyr, prisoner, and commander Nasser Abu Hmeid, who died as a Martyr today as a result of the policy of deliberate medical neglect, ‘slow murder’.

[WAFA, official PA news agency, Dec. 20, 2022]

Abbas’ "heroic Martyr" was one of the founders and a commander of the internationally designated terror organization the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades - Fatah's terror wing. Abu Hmeid comes from a terror family. Four of his brothers are also serving multiple life sentences for murder of Israelis, and another brother was killed while committing terror attacks. Abbas chose this opportunity to likewise glorify the entire terror family as:
“A family that has constituted an example of sacrifice and resolve. He prayed to Allah, glorified and praised, that He endow them with patience and consolation.”

[WAFA, official PA news agency, Dec. 20, 2022]

In addition to the words of honor from Abbas, Abu Hmeid who died last night had received PA terror rewards amounting to $405,000 (1,399,500 NIS) while the entire family has received terror salaries and monthly grants totaling $1,665,924 (5,756,700 NIS).
Fatah calls for ‘Day of rage’ after arch-terrorist dies of cancer in Israel
Palestinians across Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip marked the death from cancer on Tuesday of arch-terrorist Nasser Abu Hamid with “Day of rage” protests and a general strike.

Abu Hamid co-founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, which is aligned with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction, during the Second Intifada. In December 2002, he confessed in Jerusalem District Court to killing seven Israelis and received seven life sentences and 50 additional years’ imprisonment.

Abu Hamid died at Assaf Harofe Medical Center in Rishon Lezion after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. Since September, Palestinians had called for his release on medical grounds.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh accused Israel of “deliberate medical negligence,” while Hamas called for “a real escalation in the occupation prisons” in response to Abu Hamid’s death.

Fatah called for a general strike across cities in Judea and Samaria “in response to the crimes committed against Palestinian prisoners.”

Fatah “also called for a day of rage at contact points with the Israeli army,” official P.A. news outlet Wafa reported.


PreOccupiedTerritory: That War Could’ve Been An Email by King Hussein of Jordan (satire)
OK, I’ll say it: our efforts were not entirely an exercise in futility, but they were a massive waste of resources, time, and manpower to accomplish next to nothing. In other words, that six-day war could have been an e-mail.

Oh, stop it. I know e-mail doesn’t exist yet. Allow me the rhetorical license. You know exactly what I mean.

Gentlemen, it was completely unnecessary for us to sacrifice hundreds of troops, hundreds of square kilometers of territory, our glorious military reputation, and our position in the Arab world, just to kill a few dozen Israeli soldiers and conduct a pointless bombing raid on Netanya, as if that was going to precipitate an assault on Israel’s narrow coastal neck and split the country in two. Really, gentlemen. A simple electronic order to withdraw to the east bank of the Jordan would have been a better way to accomplish all of that, without all those losses in men and materiel. Admit it, you know it.

We all have our organizational and personal biases. I understand that an army, the vaunted Arab Legion, no less, has its formidable name to maintain, and that simply withdrawing from the West Bank without firing a salvo or two at some Jews would violate your Arab pride, but be honest: is the outcome we incurred by ignoring Israel’s warnings in favor of Nasser’s boasts better or worse than had we simply emailed our commanders instructions to retreat on the first of June? How is your pride now, gentlemen?
The Lebanese Front in the War with Russia
Through its intervention in Syria’s civil war, the Kremlin has acquired a significant foothold in the Middle East. Its regional adventures also include a close alliance with Iran, building a nuclear power plant in Egypt, providing support for one side in the Libyan civil war, and much else. Russell Berman suggests that Moscow may now have its sights on Lebanon, a country sinking into ever-deeper economic and political crisis:

Along the highway that leads from Beirut north to Baalbek, the ancient city of Heliopolis and the site of the spectacular ruins of the temple of Zeus, you reach a point where suddenly a series of billboards lines the road, and the familiar face of Vladimir Putin stares down at you as you drive past. It would be hard to describe his expression as friendly exactly, but the Arabic-language text on the signs conveys a warm greeting from Russia. . . . Three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia is actively trying to reacquire its former spheres of influence, returning as a major player in the Levant. This assertion of power on the part of Putin poses a direct challenge to the network of U.S. partners in the region.

Most obvious, the further collapse of Lebanon would unleash a new wave of refugees, presumably traveling into Cyprus or Greece or otherwise into Europe. . . . An influx of refugees from Lebanon will inevitably pose a threat to the political stability of America’s European allies. In order to avoid far-right electoral victories in Europe—far-right and therefore pro-Russian—the challenges in the Middle East and especially Lebanon need attention. The Biden administration’s diplomats should be worrying about this connection.

Those billboards of Putin on the road to Baalbek are clear indications of Russian ambitions and a direct challenge to American influence. Lebanon is a front in the war with Russia: at this point, Lebanon may not be an active theater like Ukraine, but it is an important piece in the puzzle of the Russian strategy to expel the U.S. from the region.
Barry Shaw: The UN's not-so-Interim Force in Lebanon
Interim is supposed to mean temporary, but the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) was given their authority way back in 1978, and we are in a worse position today than we were then.

How short or long is Interim? It was reported that Private Sean Rooney was killed, and another Irish soldier seriously wounded, when their military vehicle came under fire by "a hostile mob."

This was repeated by Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney who said their vehicle "got surrounded by a hostile mob - I think that's the only way you could describe them."

No, Mr. Coveney. That is not the only way to describe them. Try Hezbollah operatives or Hezbollah supporters.

Which other Lebanese civilians would object to a UN force keeping law and order, or ensuring that Iranian missiles and explosives are not stored in their homes, schools, and mosques for future use against Israel - if that is what UNIFIL actually does?

Try replacing "a hostile mob" with Hezbollah and cut the diplomatic anonymity, Mr. Coveney. The grieving Rooney family will not have closure or justice until you provide them with the truth.

The 2004 UNSC Resolution 1559 called for the disarmament of all armed militias in Lebanon. Isn't Hezbollah an armed militia in Lebanon?

UNIFIL was formed as a peacekeeping UN force in Lebanon to enforce United Nations requirements. It has persistently failed over an almost 20-year period to fulfill any of its missions.

UNSC Resolution 1701 of 2006 states that it prohibits all armed militias from operating anywhere in Lebanon. So, what have they done to disarm Hezbollah, and why are there no-go zones in which UNIFIL personnel are forbidden to enter in South Lebanon?


IDF says troops downed suspected Hezbollah drone on Lebanon border
Israeli forces on Tuesday downed a small drone that Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group apparently flew over the border, the Israel Defense Forces said.

A statement from the IDF said air control units tracked the unmanned aircraft “throughout the incident” before taking it down.

It did not specify how the drone was brought down as it entered Israeli airspace; however, it was believed to have been done using electronic warfare means.

“The drone apparently belongs to the Hezbollah terror group,” the IDF said.

“The IDF will continue to operate in order to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty,” the statement added.

In an image shared by the army, the drone appears to be a commercially available quadcopter manufactured by Chinese company DJI.

Defense officials have previously noted that at least some of the drones Hezbollah apparently uses for surveillance purposes are commercially available devices.

There was no immediate statement from Hezbollah or affiliated media outlets on the drone downing.


The Iranian protesters have a secret weapon
Last week, various senior Israeli intelligence sources suggested that, while they believe the Iranian uprising is serious, they do not think the regime will fall. This followed weeks of private signals from the United States that it believes the same.

Israel and the U.S. appear to have reached their conclusions for the same reasons: The uprising lacks a centralized opposition leadership and sufficient funding. A revolution, the intelligence community has concluded, needs both to succeed.

Is this analysis correct? Israel’s intelligence on Iran surpasses that of any other country, and the U.S. is no slouch in that department either, so one should be cautious about dismissing their conclusions. However, there is a strong chance that they are mistaken.

First, those with the best understanding of the current situation are the people on the ground in Iran. Even a cursory survey of communications over the last three months indicates that the opposition both in exile and in Iran believes that “this time it’s different.” They are certain that the regime is finished.

The opposition’s confidence is matched by its actions. Several times, the regime has ominously demanded that the protests stop immediately or else. The protests, however, usually escalated after these threats. The government then applied the “or else”: Live ammunition, executions in public, systematic torture and unspeakable brutality on a vast scale. But this butchery failed to suppress the uprising. Clearly, the government has the will to kill, but the population is undeterred. When a tyrannical regime has lost the power of fear, it cannot rule.

Regarding the issue of funds, a new situation is taking shape, not because the opposition is receiving money, but because the regime is losing it. There have been widespread strikes by everyone from oil workers to bazaar merchants, and the general unrest has paralyzed economic activity. There are strong signs that this is starting to inflict serious pain on the regime. For example, its funding of foreign terror groups has declined.

There is every reason to think that a tightening of sanctions on the regime, coupled with domestic labor unrest, could easily snowball if Western governments choose to pursue such a strategy. Indeed, one can only imagine what might happen if all of Iran’s frozen assets were handed over to the Iranian opposition.
Member of Iran’s Jewish community remains in custody over protests as 2nd released
One member of Iran’s small Jewish community remains in custody in Tehran as part of a crackdown on the ongoing anti-regime protests, a leader of the community has said.

The source, based outside Iran, told The Times of Israel that another member of the community, who was arrested in Shiraz earlier this month, was released last week.

The update comes after the source previously said that three Jews were arrested by Iranian authorities. One of the arrested Jews had already been released in Tehran when the report first came in, the source said.

It was not clear what grounds, if any, were given for the arrests.

Protests have spread across Iran since the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the so-called “morality police” in Tehran in September.

Authorities have responded with a crackdown that the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights says has killed at least 458 people, including more than 60 children.

Thousands have been arrested, including prominent actors and soccer stars.
‘It Is Dead, But We’re Not Gonna Announce It’: Biden Downplays Renewed Iran Nuclear Deal in Resurfaced Video
As EU and Iranian representatives met in Jordan on Monday to discuss the possible revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, amateur video posted to social media on Monday showed US President Joe Biden telling a woman during a campaign stop that while the deal was “dead,” the US was not going to announce this publicly.

The video of Biden was reportedly filmed at a Nov. 4 midterm elections campaign stop in Oceanside, California.

In the footage, an Iranian woman off-camera is heard asking Biden whether he would announce the death of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — the technical name for the 2015 deal — to which the president responded, “no.”

Pressed as to why, Biden answered: “A lot of reasons.”

He went on to say that the JCPOA “is dead, but we’re not gonna announce it.”

Biden’s interlocutor responded, “We just don’t want any deals with the mullahs…They don’t represent us, they’re not our government.”

“Oh, I know they don’t represent you,” Biden replied. “But they have a nuclear weapon that they’ll represent.”

Later at the rally, Biden responded to activists displaying “Free Iran” signs by telling them, “Don’t worry, we’re gonna free Iran. They’re gonna free themselves pretty soon.”


EU tells Iran to halt repression, support for Russia
The EU foreign policy chief told Iran's foreign minister that Tehran should immediately halt military support for Russia and its repression of protesters at home, reflecting diplomatic tensions with efforts to revive a nuclear deal at a standstill.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said his meeting on Tuesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Jordan, where both were attending a regional conference, was necessary "amidst deteriorating Iran-EU relations".

While there is currently no sign of a return to talks, Borrell said the EU would continue to work with Iran on restoring its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

"Agreed we must keep communication open and restore #JCPOA on basis of Vienna negotiations," Borrell said in a tweet, referring to talks that have been stalled since September.

Amirabdollahian said Western powers should adopt a "constructive" approach to reviving the nuclear accord, Iran's foreign ministry said, adding that he told Borrell that parties to the deal should take the "necessary political decision" to salvage the pact.


Analysis: Possible Tehran purchase of Russia’s Su-35 jet sign of troubling partnership
The potential future purchase by Iran of Russia’s Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet would be a strong and troubling signal of a new level of defense cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, but it would not necessarily be a strategic game-changer for the Middle East or Israel’s security.

While considered significantly better than Russia’s MiG 29 fighter jet, the fourth-generation Su-35 aircraft lacks the stealth capabilities of the U.S.’ fifth-generation F-35 aircraft, of which the Israel Air Force has 36 so far. The F-35’s intelligence-gathering and data-sharing capabilities are also considered world-leading.

Iranian Air Force chief Brig. Gen. Hamid Vahedi said that purchasing the Su-35 is on the agenda, the opposition website Iran International reported on Sept. 5.

The arrival of such an aircraft could create new challenges for the ability of countries threatened by the Islamic Republic to detect and intercept them, but the Israel Air Force would likely be able to deal with such challenges effectively.

The Israel Defense Forces’ more immediate concerns remain the threat of swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles that adversaries, foremost among them Hezbollah, can unleash to challenge Israeli air defenses and strike critical targets, as well as the threat of mass projectile fire, particularly Hezbollah’s growing inventory of precision-guided missiles.
US says UN is yielding to Russian threats on Iranian drones

Iran leader's mouthpiece slams 'Jerusalem Post' for supporting opposition
The mouthpiece of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei blasted The Jerusalem Post for its report last week on Iranian dissidents who urged the end of the flourishing German-Iran trade relationship.

Khamenei’s newspaper Kayhan (The Universe) wrote on Saturday that “a Zionist newspaper stated that the Germans ridiculed the opposition of the Islamic Republic because Germany claims to support the rioters but at the same time earns €1 billion from trade with Iran.”

The radical Islamist newspaper uses “Zionist” as a pejorative word and its articles mirror the views of Khamenei who reiterated his long-held position in June 2022 in a speech that "The Zionists have always been a plague, even before establishing the fraudulent Zionist regime.”

Kayhan, whose editor-in-chief is the “representative of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,” according to the New York Times.

Khamenei's paper said, “Citing the data of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, the Jerusalem Post newspaper reported: In the midst of the repression of the Islamic Republic, Germany had trade with Iran worth more than €1.2 billion.”

The Post article quoted a number of prominent Iranian dissidents in Germany and in the United States.
Iranian judoka calls on Israelis to keep supporting protests





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