Thursday, December 22, 2022
JCPA: The EU's Secret Palestinian Building Plan for Area C
Its actions in unilaterally advancing a Palestinian state in Area C, territories assigned to Israel both administratively and regarding security responsibilities by both the PLO and Israel in a mutually signed agreement of September 28, 1995, represent a violation of international law and call into question the EU’s ability to continue serve in any capacity as diplomatic interlocutor.Melanie Phillips: The European Union’s subversion of Israel
The EU’s unpublished policy plan also violates Israel’s legal rights as affirmed by the EU at Oslo and reveals a pro-PLO bias that renders the EU as de facto supporters of the official PA policy of allocating payments to Palestinian terrorists who were killed, captured, or imprisoned as a result of their jihadi terror activity. Israel and the international community bear a responsibility to reveal the EU’s gross violations of its diplomatic responsibilities and those of Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as well as European Commission President Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen.
This latest revelation is only the most recent example of EU malfeasance as an entrusted diplomatic interlocutor. Ambassador Alan Baker, former legal advisor to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, pointed out in a July 2022 policy brief for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, that EU member states restored funding to six Palestinian civil society organizations designated by Israel as terror-supporting organizations, rejecting evidence submitted by Israel that these organizations are linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, an EU-, U.S.-, and Israel-designated terror group.
As Baker notes, contrary to its special status as witness, sponsor, and facilitator of the Oslo Accords, the EU and specifically Norway have consistently conducted a one-sided, partisan policy aimed at prejudging the issues that are still to be negotiated between the parties, such as the issue of Jerusalem and the permanent status of the territories.
Baker added that, “Facilitating international funding to support and encourage Palestinian terror, including providing funds for salaries and benefits of terrorists serving prison sentences, is the antithesis of any genuine international action to promote human rights, peace, and stability in the Middle East.”
Now this is out in the open. The E.U. can no longer pretend it is merely contributing to Palestinian “civil society.” Yet even now, there is no mention of any of this by the Western mainstream media. In Britain, the BBC has instead been busy fomenting yet more anti-Israel feeling by telling its audience that Netanyahu has finalized “the most extreme right-wing government in Israel’s history.”
Similar denunciations by Israel’s outgoing leftist prime minister, Yair Lapid, have been fueling hysteria in the West, not least among liberal-minded Diaspora Jews.
These have been heard describing the yet-to-be-formed Israeli government as “horrific,” and have already been blaming Israel for putting them in danger as a result.
Now the E.U. has been engulfed by revelations of a corrupt relationship with Qatar—the sponsor of Hamas and mortal foe of Israel. While details are still unfolding, this axis isn’t surprising. There’s a nexus between the universalism embodied by the E.U. and the desire to bring down Israel, the nation state of the most particularist culture in the world.
And it’s no coincidence that the majority of British Jews, who in 2016 voted for the U.K. to remain in the E.U. partly through their ludicrous belief that universalism actually protected them against antisemitism, have also swallowed many of the lies about the Palestinian cause—and, like their liberal American counterparts, are now clutching their pearls over Smotrich, Ben-Gvir and Maoz.
While concerns about the extremism of this trio are justifiable, the people they most resemble are the Maccabees. They were Jewish religious zealots who fought the Hellenized Jews because the Hellenizers were adopting Greek universalist precepts and, as a result, taking a wrecking ball to Jewish practices such as circumcision and Shabbat observance.
But the Maccabees fought and defeated the Jews’ Greek oppressors. While being rightly excoriated for violent extremism, the heroes of the Hanukkah story saved the Jewish people from tyranny.
It may be that today’s Maccabean Three are channeling Jewish history once again.
Israeli MKs slam EU policy document for ignoring Jewish land rights in West Bank
A group of 40 Israeli lawmakers led by Likud MK Amichai Chikli sent an open letter on Tuesday to the European Union protesting an official policy document that they say denies historical Jewish ties to the so-called Area C of the West Bank.Israeli lawmakers slam EU policy document on West Bank
The classified June 2022 document exposed by Israeli media gives an overview of the continental bloc's policy toward Area C of the territory, which is fully administered by Israel.
According to the Oslo Accords, a series of interim peace agreements between Israel and the Palestinians signed in the 1990s, this territory is supposed to be gradually relinquished to Palestinian control, with an option for land swaps under a final status agreement. The document shows that the EU is working in concert with the Palestinian Authority to integrate Area C into a future Palestinian state.
The EU criticizes Israeli policies of building in Area C of the West Bank, which the Israeli government refers to by its biblical name — Judea and Samaria.
In the letter, lawmakers criticize EU policies in the West Bank as favoring the Palestinians and ignoring the historical claims of the Jewish people to the land.
"In the last decade, we've witnessed the increasing involvement of the European Union in construction, planning road projects and erecting water and solar energy facilities in hundreds of outposts in Area C," Chikli told i24NEWS.
"The document uncovered this week shows that this is a deliberate strategy that completely ignores Israel's position and sovereignty in the area.
Moreover, the construction moves show that the goal is for the most part to interrupt the sequences of Jewish settlement and to create choke rings around the settlement blocks that will make it difficult for Israel to exercise its sovereignty in the future." "These moves constitute serious damage to the relations between the European Union and the State of Israel."
Ex-Israeli Military Officers Call EU's Area C Policy "Hostile and Aggressive"
Letter from Israel Defense and Security Forum calls EU policy 'to advance illegal Palestinian development' a threat to Israel's national security
An Israeli organization consisting of more than 16,000 former military, security, and police officers called the revelation that the European Union is working on a Palestinian takeover of Area C of the West Bank "an act of blatant hostility and aggression."
In an open letter sent Wednesday from the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) and addressed to Dimiter Tzantchev, head of the EU delegation to the State of Israel, the NGO slammed the EU for its confidential policy document revealed by media outlets on Tuesday.
The EU policy document, which was leaked by Israeli media, gives an overview of the EU's policy toward Area C, which is administered by Israel. The document shows that the EU is working with the Palestinian Authority on making Area C a part of a future Palestinian state. The EU criticizes Israeli policies of building in Area C, which the Israeli government calls by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria.
"According to our professional understanding of national security, the dominant terrain of Judea and Samaria in Area C is key strategic terrain that controls or can threaten most of the modern State of Israel’s infrastructure and strategic assets," the letter stated. "The EU’s reported clandestine activity to undermine Israeli control in Area C and to advance illegal Palestinian development in those areas constitutes a clear and present threat to the security of the State of Israel, and is an act of blatant hostility and aggression."
The letter was signed by 12 former military officers and includes the names of dozens more. The IDSF describes itself as a "Zionist, security-based movement" that includes senior officers from all branches of Israel's armed forces, as well as researchers, academics, and Israeli citizens.
The founder and director of the IDSF Brig. Gen. (Res.) Amir Avivi told i24NEWS that the EU's activity undermines the Oslo Accords, which established Israel's control over Area C.
"These areas are crucial to Israel's existence in the long term. It's an existential issue," said Avivi.
"We are the only ones who can define what we need, talking about national security, talking about the Jewish national aspirations. No European country can decide for us what we need, and certainly not go against an accord that everybody should adhere to."
Time for an Israeli Victory
It is not a simple task to defeat Palestinian violent rejectionism as it has been allowed to fester for generations but as with all wars throughout history, once the will of the antagonist to continue fighting has been broken and that their war aims will not be reached are accepted, the war can finally end.Returning the Palestinians to Center Stage Undermines Stability in the Middle East
This is the strategic solution that the government must reach now.
It might be painful and difficult but it is the only one that will finally end the conflict for the good of both Israelis and Palestinians.
It will be good for Israelis because the country will finally see peace without the threat of endless military operations and can focus on potentially greater threats like those posed by a nuclear Iran. It will allow Israel to dictate the terms for peace that will ensure its permanent security needs.
For the Palestinians, it will free them of hate that unrelentingly permeates so much of their lives, whether in the media, the education system or in the mosques. It will free up the budget of violent rejectionism that incites and pays for mass murder which can then be freed up for social welfare, education, health and public services. This will mean a better future for Palestinian society which is being crushed by its own crucible of hate and rejectionism. It will ensure that Palestinians elect leaders who do not distract and deflect from allowing greater progress, development and democracy for their people by constantly blaming Israel for all of their ills. It is a win-win for all.
Just as importantly, the international community is starting to understand that wars are still simply won and lost, and diplomacy, unfortunately, isn’t enough when one party insists on playing a zero-sum game.
Beefing up the police force or arresting some terrorists will simply not work, a solution must be viewed in a holistic manner. Only by adopting the strategy of victory can this or any government deliver true and enduring security.
Any Israeli policy must derive from the understanding that this conflict will end only when the Palestinians will be forced to accept that the battle to destroy Israel is over, that they lost it and it is pointless to continue fighting.
It is time for them to have a new goal, living side by side in peace. The details of any possible agreement are irrelevant at this point.
Two former American diplomats, writing in the Washington Post on Nov. 29, called on President Biden to take measures against the incoming Netanyahu government and called on him to warn the four Abraham Accords countries that if they do not return the Palestinian issue to the agenda, the U.S. will take action against them. The writers were so worried about the inability of the people in Israel to take care of their state's future that they felt compelled to act to save the Jewish state despite itself.PreOccupiedTerritory: Israeli Right, Left Admit They Kinda Just Waiting For Palestinians To Give Up (satire)
Beyond the arrogance of their approach, it amounts to a blatant violation of avoiding interference in the internal affairs of a foreign country - one that is also an ally - and a rejection of the results of a democratic process (the only one that exists in the entire Middle East).
Despite the collapse of the paradigm that claimed the solution to the Palestinian problem is the key for Arab states normalizing relations with Israel, the writers nevertheless insist on resurrecting the failed paradigm that for generations gave the Palestinians veto power over any progress on normalization with the Arab world.
The writers' obsession with the Palestinian issue is strange because they ignore the decline of the power of the Palestinian Authority and the widespread rot in Palestinian politics. They do not understand the depth of Palestinian society's crisis and the PA's inability to contribute to stability in the region.
A new study confirms a longstanding understanding that prevails regardless of an individual’s progressive or conservative leanings, showing that the vast majority of the Jewish State’s polity operates under the desire and possible anticipation that the rival claimants to the land that state controls will simply drop their century-old opposition to Jewish sovereignty there.Together with Increased Military Cooperation, U.S. Upgrades Spying on Israel
A meta-analysis of public opinion surveys bore out this week that aside from the fringes that seek drastic measures to settle the conflict once and for all, Israelis just want the Palestinian armed factions to realize sooner rather than later that if the Resistance hasn’t driven the Jews into the sea as promised in 1948, perhaps further pursuit of that goal is both unattainable and counterproductive, and just change careers or something. The Israelis also acknowledged the remote nature of such a development in their lifetimes.
Researchers collated replies from more than two hundred public-opinion surveys conducted over the last three years. Their analysis indicated that with the exception of the extreme right – representing no more than five percent of the population – and the extreme left – in similar proportions – the overwhelming majority of Israelis believe that eventually, maybe in the not-too-distant future, Palestinian opposition to Israel’s existence will simply fade away, and can we get there already, but in the meantime let’s pretend there’s something we can do about it, for political gain.
Preparing for any potential war against Iran, the Biden administration has formally elevated Israel in military planning with its 2021 shift of Israel to U.S. Central Command, responsible for the Middle East, from its previous assignment as part of European Command. For the Pentagon, Israel is the most prized military and intelligence partner in the Middle East, with its vast combat experience and advanced technologies.Why Jordan has not embraced Trump's peace
"Israel is coming out of the closet, allowed now to openly cooperate with the [U.S.] military, while at the same time being denied access to another closet," says a senior intelligence official, referring to the world of American intelligence. The official says that for some things, such as targeting, exchanges are part of the new military alliance. Israel is a world military leader and an expert in many forms of modern warfare, including air and missile defense, directed energy weapons such as lasers, and unmanned systems.
But where U.S.-Israeli interests might diverge, such as uncovering secrets about Israel's own nuclear arsenal, the U.S. has redoubled its collection efforts. The CIA is responsible for collecting information on the Israeli leadership. The U.S. armed forces are responsible for military intelligence on Israel's technology, capabilities and plans. Within the military, the NSA eavesdrops on Israeli communications - while also cooperating with its Israeli counterparts, who in turn spy on its Arab neighbors and Iran.
About 1,000 qualified Hebrew linguists in the U.S. government work on questions related to Israel. About 1/3 work in intelligence collection and analysis specifically related to spying on Israel. The NSA - responsible for signals intelligence - currently has 250 Hebrew linguists who translate secure Israel government dispatches, military communications, and targeted cell phone traffic. By 2025, according to intelligence sources, the number of qualified military Hebrew linguists is programmed to double, partly to service the increased cooperation.
Israel is a difficult country to spy on because of its technical expertise and its routine focus on "operational security." It practices good communications and cybersecurity discipline and uses sophisticated cryptography in coding its messages. Much of the U.S. intelligence collection effort consequently is focused on micro-targeting of individuals (i.e., their cell phones, computers and other devices).
A chapter of history Israeli leaders seldom discuss publicly: When the first Arab-Israeli war came to a halt in 1949, Jordanian forces had conquered the biblical lands of Judea and Samaria (quickly renamed "the West Bank") from which they expelled the Jewish population. Even Jews living in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem were driven out, and their homes and synagogues were destroyed.Abraham Accords, Contact with Israelis, Remain Unpopular in Egypt
Upon taking east Jerusalem in the defensive war of 1967, then-Defense Minister Moshe Dayan decided to award a Jordanian waqf (a government-controlled religious entity) authority over the two important Muslim sites – Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock – that stand atop the Temple Mount, the holiest of all Jewish sites. This profound gesture of conciliation has never been fully appreciated, much less reciprocated.
Nor do Jordanians express gratitude for the essential goods Israel currently provides, for example, water (Israel is a world leader in desalination technology) and energy (40 percent of Jordan's electricity comes from Israeli gas). Israel also cooperates closely with Jordan on "a wide range of security-related issues."
Dr. Schanzer notes that King Abdullah, in a conversation with former US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster last May, "voiced concerns that Iranian forces in Syria could soon destabilize his country…Jordan also faces a threat from Iran-backed militias in Iraq to the north. Additional threats loom in the south, with Iranian assets reportedly operating in the Red Sea."
Though the enemy of Jordan's enemy should be Jordan's friend, Dr. Schanzer expects relations with Israel to deteriorate further. He notes the king's "unabashed distaste" for Benjamin Netanyahu who is now forming a new government.
Mr. Netanyahu, for his part, is undoubtedly reading with distress "reports that Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has been spending more time in Jordan with the approval of the Hashemite Kingdom."
The king of Jordan is a moderate, modern, and savvy sovereign. But without Israeli support, his future and that of his country will be precarious.
And if there is to be peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Jordan will need to join the pragmatic Arab states advocating for a new regional order, one based on stability and prosperity.
For King Abdullah to explain all this to his subjects – penetrating the fog of Palestinian irredentism and rejectionism – will not be easy. But that is his job.
The most recent poll results from Egypt suggest a disconnect between public opinion and pubic policy, especially on economic concerns and relations with Israel.Egypt holding up Red Sea island deal, sources say
A new public opinion poll of Egyptian citizens, commissioned by the Washington Institute and conducted by a regional commercial firm in November 2022, showed that more than half of Egyptians place equal importance on their country’s relations with the United States and Russia, while a significant majority of the population voiced negative views of ties with Iran.
On the domestic front, a deepening economic crisis in Egypt has likely influenced the increasing percentage of Egyptians who are not satisfied with their government’s performance on key economic issues. However, half of the Egyptians polled do not support street protests. Notably, on this issue and other questions addressed in the survey, there are no statistically significant differences between the responses of Egyptian adults under age thirty and the country’s older generation.
Egyptians are Sharply Divided on Importance of Relations with U.S. and Russia, while Iran Seen as Unimportant
Consistent with the results of the last poll conducted in July/August 2022, Egyptians retain mixed views on the importance of their relations with foreign countries. The United States seems to be at the forefront, with 57% of respondents stating these relations are either “very” or “somewhat” important. And despite the fact that almost three-fourths of Egyptians see the Russian military actions in Ukraine as at least “somewhat” negative—in part due to the war’s impact on their daily lives through rising food prices—50% of Egyptians continue to value relations with it.
Such mixed views are also apparent given the 49% of the Egyptians polled who agree at least “somewhat” with this proposition: “We cannot count on the U.S. these days, so we should look more to other countries like China or Russia as partners.” In contrast, and consistent with the previous poll, a significant majority (87%) of respondents say that good relations with Iran are either “not so important" or "not important at all.”
In the same vein, more than one-third (38%) of respondents agreed on the proposition that "since Iran is now getting so close to having a nuclear bomb, it’s time for an Arab country to get one too." Notably, more than half of Egyptians (60%) disagreed with this proposal. Reactions to this statement could depend on the respondents' political backgrounds—some may believe it risky to own such technology, whereas others may view a nuclear bomb as a national security requirement.
Egypt is holding up the implementation of an agreement over two strategic Red Sea islands that paved the way for Saudi Arabia to take steps toward normalizing relations with Israel, according to four Israeli officials and one U.S. source.Report: Israel targeted secret Hezbollah drone site in Syria strike this week
Why it matters: The agreement, which was composed of a series of understandings between the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt, was a significant Mideast foreign policy achievement for the Biden administration.
The deal would finalize the transfer of the Tiran and Sanafir islands from Egypt to Saudi Arabia.
Behind the scenes: As part of the agreement, the U.S.-led multinational force of observers that have been present on Tiran for years are required to leave the islands by the end of December.
But Israeli officials told Axios that Egypt in recent weeks began raising reservations, mostly of a technical nature, including over the installation of cameras on the islands that were part of the agreement. The cameras are supposed to monitor activity on Tiran and Sanafir, as well as in the Strait of Tiran.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met last week with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who was in Washington for the U.S.-Africa summit. According to the U.S. and Israeli sources, Sullivan raised the issue of the Red Sea islands deal and stressed that the Biden administration wants it implemented.
Israeli officials said the agreement, including the withdrawal of the multinational force from the Islands, won't be implemented by the end of December due to the Egyptian reservations.
The Egyptian embassies in Tel Aviv and Washington and the Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
State of play: Senior Israeli officials told Axios they believe Egypt is holding up the deal due to U.S.-Egypt bilateral issues, including American military assistance.
Citing human rights concerns, the Biden administration has twice frozen 10% of the roughly $1.3 billion in military aid it allocates to Egypt annually.
The Israeli Air Force struck a clandestine drone research and development site belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group in Syria earlier this week, according to a Thursday report by the Saudi-funded al-Arabiya network and its sister channel al-Hadath.Palestinian killed in clashes with IDF as Jews pray at Joseph's Tomb
Citing unnamed sources, al-Arabiya said Israeli jets struck the Hezbollah site at the al-Qusayr military air base, close to the border with Lebanon, and the northwestern Syrian city of Homs overnight between Sunday and Monday. The strike was not previously reported.
The report said the site belonged to Hezbollah’s 127th unit, which has previously been reported to be responsible for the research, development, and maintenance of UAVs operated by the Iran-backed terror group in Syria.
There was no comment from the Israel Defense Forces, in line with its policy of not generally commenting on air raids in foreign countries.
Separately, Syria accused Israel of launching strikes against sites near the Syrian capital Damascus late Monday, leaving two soldiers wounded.
The second strike, according to al-Arabiya, also targeted an Iranian control center in Damascus. It cited the same unnamed sources.
Al-Hadath published images reportedly showing the two sites that were struck by the IAF in al-Qusayr and Damascus.
Israeli security forces were involved in a late Wednesday night gunfight with Palestinian rioters near Joseph's Tomb, in the West Bank city of Nablus.1 Palestinian killed in clashes at Joseph's Tomb
Heavy gunfire was reported near the tomb as the IDF secured the area for hundreds of Jewish worshippers, according to Israeli media.
Early on Thursday morning, clashes also erupted in the Balata refugee camp, on the outskirts of Nablus.
23 Palestinian rioters were injured during the clashes in and around Nablus, including three others who were seriously to critically injured, according to Palestinian reports citing the Red Cresent.
Palestinian killed during clashes outside Joseph's Tomb
One Palestinian was reportedly critically injured during the exchange of gunfire. He was rushed to a nearby medical facility in the West Bank city, where his death was called shortly after.
Palestinian media identified the killed Palestinian as 23-year-old Ahmed Daraghmeh.
The Israel Guys: Israel Deported a Terrorist. The UN SLAMS Israel With War Crimes The European Union is trying to help the Palestinians take over Area C in Judea and Samaria. The UN Human Rights Office is criticizing Israel for the deportation of a terrorist. And northern Galilee was ranked number 5 on the top 23 places to visit in 2023.
Just what is going on with @garylineker?
— David Collier (@mishtal) December 22, 2022
Now he is mourning the loss of Hamas operatives just because they play football?
Hamas is a proscribed terror group.
Lineker is turning into a fool - who promotes anti-Israel propaganda at will, no matter the truth behind the image.. pic.twitter.com/mDCMUFzDgo
Nothing to see her, just Gary mourning the death of a terrorist.
— Israel Advocacy Movement (@israel_advocacy) December 22, 2022
From the Hamas website:
“Hamas mourn … its martyr, the fighter Ahmed Atef Mustafa Daraghmeh (23 years old), from Tubas, who rose at dawn today in an armed clash while confronting the occupation forces” https://t.co/vJlWS7WwmP pic.twitter.com/DITxANeall
Chile president says he’s planning to open embassy ‘in Palestine’
President Gabriel Boric of Chile, whose country has the largest Palestinian population outside of the Middle East, said Wednesday that he planned to open an embassy “in Palestine.”Abbas praises terrorist responsible for the murder of 7 Israelis
The announcement by the leftist president, who began his four-year term in March 2022, came at a Christmas ceremony for Chile’s Palestinian community, estimated to be more than 300,000 strong.
“One of the decisions we have taken as a government, I think we have not yet made it public… is that we will raise the level of our official representation in Palestine,” Boric said. “We will open an embassy under our government.”
Chile opened a representative office to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah in 1998, and in 2011 recognized Palestine as a state, supporting its entrance to UNESCO.
Though dozens of countries have representative offices in the West Bank, few have formal embassies, among them Venezuela, Tunisia and Oman.
As a lawmaker, Boric supported a bill proposing to boycott Israeli goods from the Golan Heights, West Bank settlements and areas of Jerusalem that were seized from Jordan in the Six Day War in 1967. He has a tense relationship with Chile’s 18,000 Jews and has encouraged them to lobby for Israeli territorial concessions.
Earlier this year, Boric accepted the credentials of Israeli Ambassador Gil Artzyeli, two weeks after snubbing the envoy amid increased Israeli military activity in the West Bank.
Artzyeli had arrived at the Presidential Palace in Santiago earlier in September for the formality but was turned away by the Chilean government due to the killing of a 17-year-old Palestinian the night before, sparking a diplomatic spat.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas posted a video on his Facebook page Visual: The video shows PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas giving a speech.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: “And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision” [Quran 3:169]. The assassination of Nasser Abu Hmeid (i.e., terrorist, responsible for murder of 7) is a war crime in the full sense of the word (sic., Abu Hmeid died of cancer)… We hold the Israeli government fully responsible for the murder of Martyr Nasser Abu Hmeid… Allow me on all of your behalf to express the warmest condolences to the family of Martyr leader Nasser Abu Hmeid and his mother, the mother of the heroes, we call her the mother of the heroes (i.e., mother of 5 terrorists), and the sincerest condolences to the masses of our people as well.
[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Facebook page, Dec. 20, 2022]
Nasser Abu Hmeid - Palestinian terrorist and a commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Fatah's military wing) in Ramallah who was responsible for the murder of 7 Israelis: Eli Cohen in a shooting attack on Route 443 in central Israel on Dec. 21, 2000; Binyamin and Talia Kahane in a drive-by shooting attack near Ofra, north of Jerusalem, on Dec. 31, 2000; Gadi Rejwan in a shooting attack in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Atarot on Feb. 27, 2002; and Yosef Habi, Eli Dahan, and Police Officer Sergeant-Major Salim Barakat in an attack at the Seafood Market and Mifgash Hasteak restaurants in Tel Aviv on March 5, 2002. Abu Hmeid was serving 7 life sentences and an additional 50 years. Abu Hmeid was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2021 and died of his cancer on Dec. 20, 2022.
Libel on medical abuse of Palestinian prisoners - the PA claims that Israel abuses Palestinian prisoners through medical neglect, medical experiments, and by intentionally infecting them with diseases. However, the International Red Cross regularly visits these prisoners and has not documented or accused Israel of any of these claims. Likewise, lists of demands occasionally issued by the prisoners during hunger strikes - such as during one in 2011 - include no demands relating to these claims. PMW has documented prisoners talking about how they "lack nothing" in the prisons, and that "the worst thing about Israeli prison" is riding in a prison vehicle that has no padding on the seat. When PMW contacted the Israeli Ministry of Health in 2007 regarding PA claims of medical experiments on prisoners, the ministry responded: "Clinical testing on prisoners in prison was never approved, never performed, and is most certainly not taking place at present."
Um Nasser Abu Hmeid (Um Yusuf Abu Hmeid/Latifa Abu Hmeid) – Palestinian woman famous and admired in the PA for being the mother of 4 terrorist prisoners serving life sentences (3 of them serving multiple life sentences), and another 2 whom the PA refers to as "Martyrs." Abu Hmeid is also called Khansa of Palestine, which refers to Al-Khansa from the earliest period of Islam who sent her four sons to battle and rejoiced when they all died as Martyrs. Abu Hmeid was honored by the PA in 2010 and 2015, and was chosen in 2011 to launch the PA’s statehood campaign with the UN.
Her terrorist sons: Islam Yusuf Abu Hmeid, murdered 1 on May 24, 2018, and is serving life in prison and an additional 8 months; Muhammad Abu Hmeid, serving 2 life sentences and 30 years for involvement in terror attacks; Nasser Abu Hmeid, was serving 7 life sentences and 50 years for murdering 7 Israeli civilians and 12 attempted murders, before dying of cancer on Dec. 20, 2022; Nasr Abu Hmeid, serving 5 life sentences for involvement in two terror attacks in which 4 were murdered, and arms dealing; Sharif Abu Hmeid, serving 4 life sentences for involvement in terror attacks in which 4 were murdered; Abd Al-Mun'im Muhammad Yusuf Naji Abu Hmeid, murdered 1 on Feb. 13, 1994, and was killed by Israel on May 31, 1994.
EU condemns antisemitism and incitement in Palestinian textbooks
?? DISTURBING IMAGES
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) December 21, 2022
Palestinian children in Jenin filmed carrying rifles during an “operational” exercise. This is gross abuse and violation of int’l law.
Where is the outrage, where is the world condemnation? @UN_HRC @UNICEF @FranceskAlbs @TWennesland @EUpalestinians pic.twitter.com/kPujb5oVuu
Seth Frantzman: Why are there so few answers to Irish peacekeeper’s murder in Lebanon?
IT WAS supposed to be a two-and-a-half-hour drive. The convoy was driving two men who were returning to Ireland on compassionate or bereavement leave. Since the unit was new to the area and it was nighttime, it is possible they simply made a wrong turn.The Killing of an Irish Soldier in Lebanon Demonstrates the Weakness of the UN
Reports said the convoy was surrounded by a mob and fired upon. Seven bullets were recovered from the vehicle in which Rooney was killed.
The vehicle was overturned after it sped away from the area while being shot at. It’s not clear how it became overturned; whether it hit something and slid down an embankment or if a mob was subsequently involved in pushing it over. Videos posted online show one of the soldiers outside the vehicle after the incident.
The vehicle was armored and the glass was bulletproof. It appears the shooters tried to shoot out the windows and targeted each soldier individually. The perpetrators were only able to get in through the back of the vehicle, after which they shot Rooney from the rear.
UNIFIL coordinates its movements with Lebanese authorities, including the army. Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack, portraying it as an “unintended” incident between the Irish unit and the people of the village of Al Aqabiya.
It is not clear the degree to which Hezbollah controls the village, however, some reports portray it as a Hezbollah-controlled area and claim that when the vehicle deviated from its usual route, it was followed.
Lebanon24 reported that Hezbollah and the Amal movement have influence in the village. Pro-Hezbollah Arabic media described how the UN convoy clashed with local residents, even hitting them with the car and sparking a riot. One pro-Hezbollah commentator on Al Mayadeen TV said the UN was “hiding something.” Another claimed that there have been increased tensions in recent months between villagers and UN forces, with locals not wanting the UN to enter. Could the “locals” have been manifestations of Hezbollah?
Anti-Hezbollah Lebanese voices expressed a different view.
One such voice wrote in an article, “What happened in Al Aqabiya was not an act of chance or a disagreement over passage. Whoever fired the shots was not a ‘villager’ angry at ‘strangers’ coming through, but rather a professional killer carrying orders to open fire.”
This was a murderous warning from Hezbollah. What was the message? To keep the UN from expanding its mandate? To make sure UN vehicles only pass where they have coordinated, so that Hezbollah’s actions are never seen?
Founded in 1978 to keep the peace after a brief Israeli campaign to drive the Palestine Liberation Organization out of Lebanon, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was granted the more difficult task of keeping military activity out of the southern part of that country following the 2006 war between Israel and Hizballah. Last week, a UNIFIL convoy passing through a Hizballah stronghold came under fire, resulting in the death of an Irish peacekeeper. Sarit Zehavi comments:MEMRI: Lebanese Journalists: Hizbullah Responsible For Death Of Irish UNIFIL Soldier
UN Security Council Resolution 2650, renewing the peacekeeping force’s mandate last August, clearly stated that UNIFIL’s freedom of movement, and its ability to move without being accompanied by the Lebanese army, must be maintained. In response to the decision, Hizballah issued explicit threats, saying [that the resolution] would turn UNIFIL forces “into occupation forces whose role would be to protect the Israeli enemy by pursuing the people and the resistance”—in other words, calling for an open season on UNIFIL.
For years, UNIFIL soldiers have been described as agents of the “Zionist entity” working for the “enemy peacekeeping forces” Additionally, Hizballah incited against UNIFIL on social media before and after the [recent attack].
This event demonstrates, on the one hand, the international system’s failure to treat Hizballah as a terrorist organization that primarily threatens the security of Lebanon itself. On the other hand, it present an opportunity to turn the equation around. . . . World powers must take advantage of this opportunity to gain leverage over the Lebanese government. Demands to investigate the killing of the Irish soldier and bring those responsible to justice could be a powerful message that the international system will no longer tolerate the strengthening of Hizballah within the Lebanese system, and that its power must be limited.
Following the incident that occurred on December 14, 2022 in the village of Al-Aqbieh in South Lebanon, during which Irish soldier Seán Rooney (23) was killed and three other members of the UNIFIL unit were wounded, Hizbullah took pains to stress that it had not been involved in the incident. Wafiq Safa, head of Hizbullah's Coordination and Communications Department, hastened to explain to the Reuters news agency that it was an "unintentional incident that took place between the residents of Al-Aqbieh and individuals from the Irish unit." He conveyed his condolences to the UNIFIL forces and called not to involve Hizbullah in the matter.[1] Ibrahim Al-Moussawi, a Hizbullah MP who paid a condolence visit to the UNIFIL headquarters, called the death of the Irish soldier "a loss for all humanity," and urged that coordination and cooperation between UNIFIL and the authorities in Lebanon be increased in order to prevent the recurrence of such instances.[2] The Lebanese Al-Akhbar daily, which is close to Hizbullah, also contended that the incident was "the result of a succession of unintentional errors on the part of all those involved" and that neither UNIFIL nor Hizbullah had any interest in politicizing it in any way.[3]Furthermore, several days after the incident, Hizbullah reportedly arrested two people suspected of involvement in it.[4]
However, despite the efforts of Hizbullah officials to deny any involvement by the organization, articles in the Lebanese press insisted that Hizbullah had been responsible for it and for the death of the Irish soldier. These articles contested Hizbullah's claim that the assailants were South Lebanon locals, asserting that the shooting was deliberate and carried out on orders from Hizbullah. This organization, they added, has usurped control of South Lebanon from the Lebanese government, and this incident, like similar incidents before it, is further evidence of the grim reality in Lebanon whereby the state is unable to impose its authority and sovereignty over this region. Some of the journalists claimed that the killing of the Irish soldier was Hizbullah's response to UN Resolution 2650, from August 31, 2022, which extended UNIFIL's mandate in Lebanon by another year and stipulates that UNIFIL has freedom of operation in the areas under their authority, with no need for prior approval from anyone. When it was passed this resolution sparked furious reactions from Hizbullah officials, who called it "a grave development that transforms [UNIFIL] into an occupying force."[5]
Lebanese medicine importers stopped sending drugs & baby formula to pharmacies due to rising USD exchange rate; Leb Pharmacists Ass'n head announced shortage of drugs, esp cancer meds, and that in 2 days most medicine warehouses, co's and plants will have no more.
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) December 22, 2022
Lebanese Sunni Tribal Leader Jihad Manee Advocates “Honor Killings”: If My Daughter Were to Fornicate, I Would Kill Her; If a Man Refuses to Marry the Woman With Whom He Fornicated, He Should Also Be Killed #Lebanon #WomensRights pic.twitter.com/nYa4Cj03Dt
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) December 22, 2022
Iranian TV Report about How Iran Would Respond to an Israeli Attack on Its Nuclear Facilities: Dimona Will Be Practically Destroyed, Tel Aviv Will Be Razed to the Ground #Iran #JCPOA #Israel pic.twitter.com/zz5unJYssu
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) December 22, 2022
Targeting Financial Entities outside Iran to Counter Tehran’s Economic Strategy
To revitalize its deterrence, the United States should target the financial institutions that help Tehran and the individuals who work in them. Iran uses American allies such as the United Arab Emirates and Turkey—which the Financial Action Task Force, a global money laundering and terrorism financing watchdog, labels as financial jurisdictions “with strategic deficiencies.” In other words, Iran can easily exploit financial institutions in these countries to evade sanctions due to a lack of regulation and loose standards.
Since June the Biden administration has indeed imposed several rounds of sanctions on companies that facilitate the sale of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products. Although that is a step in the right direction, in practice such measures only force Iranians to change the names of companies and then go back to business as usual.
The US needs more deterrent actions to achieve a significant impact. Previously, the US sometimes imposed sanctions on foreign financial institutions and banks, such as the Halkbank in Turkey, Al-Bilad Islamic Bank in Iraq, and the Jammal Trust Bank in Lebanon. This kind of enforcement deters other financial institutions and causes them to improve their self-regulation. But the US has not employed such measures systematically or consistently. Of course, the US could impose less harsh measures such as fines, and cooperation with regulators in these countries remains essential to encourage their banks to comply with US sanctions. These actions may prevent the need for stricter measures.
Disrupting Iranian activity in the financial centers will not disrupt the global oil market. While Iran’s revenues from sales will be frozen, Tehran will not take its oil off the market because it fears losing market share. And as it knows from experience, it will have access to its revenues at some future date when it finally reaches an agreement with the United States.
Targeting Iranian activity in financial centers outside Iran will also target Iranian petrochemical and metal exports, sectors that previous sanctions barely hurt. These sectors generate tens of billions of dollars annually for Iran, but their decentralized nature makes them easier to disguise.
The US should strengthen compliance in the Middle East’s main financial centers even if the White House eventually signs a nuclear agreement with Tehran. Some sanctions on Iranian entities like the IRGC will remain. The US will still act against Iranian terrorism, and it will want its terrorist designations to have more than a symbolic meaning. Moreover, other countries, like Russia and Syria, are using the same methods and institutions as Iran, creating an even broader imperative for sanctions enforcement.
Maintaining an effective sanctions regime is like an arms race. As the target country builds new and more sophisticated ways to circumvent sanctions, the enforcing country has to race to block them. Blocking Iran’s main financial nodes is the critical next step to success.
Despite new UN wins in holding Iran's regime to account—urgent session, inquiry, expulsion from UN Women—a deep element in the UN wants to blame all Iran's ills on ????. Shame on you:@AlenaDouhan@SRclimatechange@LSewanyana@obioraokaforc@SR_Afghanistan @drtlaleng@fernanddev https://t.co/tU7KkrCn4i
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) December 21, 2022
3/ In their statement about how US sanctions ruined Iran's environment, the @UN_HRC officials forgot to mention ONE WORD on how the Islamic regime jails and kills environmentalists — or how the mullahs destroyed the Iranian people’s rights to clean environment, health and life. pic.twitter.com/5wPr1mNXWI
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) December 21, 2022
.@AlinejadMasih (whom the IRGC tried to kidnap and kill) exposes the privileged lifestyles in the US of the Iranian elite. But why are they in the US to begin with? Imagine how the Biden admin could use info like this to shame the regime if it wanted to. pic.twitter.com/usx4TkTPRO
— Mike (@Doranimated) December 22, 2022
Tehran Friday Sermon by Senior Iranian Official Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami: The Anti-Regime Protesters Want the Freedom to Have Obscenity, But Real Freedom Is in the Islamic Regime – American Freedom Is Actually Slavery #IranRevoIution2022 #IranianWomen #Iran pic.twitter.com/VnBAdqmq0R
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) December 22, 2022
Iran claims it nabbed 4 Mossad-linked ‘terror cells’
Iran has arrested four cells tied to Israel’s Mossad spy agency that were planning to carry out terror attacks in the country, local media reported Thursday.
The intelligence ministry said in a statement that “relentless efforts” led to the arrest of all operatives before they could carry out their assaults. Reports did not specify how many people in total were detained.
“The Zionist criminal regime, taking advantage of the recent riots over the past weeks in several parts of Iran, intended to conduct several hybrid terrorist operations by directing operative teams,” the ministry was quoted as saying.
The ministry also said it has information about a Mossad “ringleader” in Europe that it will release in the near future, the Mehr news agency reported.
Iran has been violently squelching protests that erupted throughout the country after the September death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in the custody of morality police. Hundreds of people have been killed, including members of the security forces, and over 10,000 arrested. At least two people have been executed.
Last week, Iran said it busted a Mossad-led spy network in the country that sought to gain access and sabotage its defense industry.
Iran’s state-owned Press TV reported that intelligence services uncovered an operation that employed a data broker to act as the head of a spare parts manufacturing company, and then forge connections with Iranian firms and individuals tied to the defense industry.
Your friendly reminder that the Ayatollah regime in Iran is an Islamo-Nazi mafia Jew-hating entity. This regime wall mural says; "anyone who doesn't pay his religious taxes will die a Jew!"
— Karmel Melamed (@KarmelMelamed) December 21, 2022
This is the real ugly face of vile Jew hatred coming from the regime in Iran! pic.twitter.com/pWT2SvLYJb
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