Monday, December 26, 2022

12/26 Links Pt1: EU document proves ‘what we’ve been seeing on the ground’; PA’s incitement to terror and murder continues; Shin Bet foils Palestinian bomb plot targeting inside Israel

From Ian:

EU document proves ‘what we’ve been seeing on the ground’
A recently leaked European Union document outlining E.U. strategy to help extend Palestinian control over Area C of Judea and Samaria reveals “a gross violation of Israel’s sovereignty and jurisdiction by purported allies,” Naomi Kahn, director of the International Division for Regavim, an Israeli NGO that deals with land issues, told JNS.

Under the Oslo Accords, Area C, covering 60% of Judea and Samaria, commonly known as the West Bank, falls fully under Israeli authority.

The document, which came to light last week, for the first time reveals that official E.U. policy is to help the Palestinian Authority take over Area C, Kahn said. The document declares the ultimate objective is to integrate Area C with Areas A and B, which fall under Palestinian control.

“The goal of the Europeans is to encourage Palestinians to register land in Area C; land under someone else’s legal jurisdiction. It’s a violation of international law and treaty,” Kahn said. “The government of Israel has to make it clear to the European Union that foreign intervention that is changing the map and undermining its ability to negotiate a resolution will no longer be accepted.”

Forty Knesset members sent a strongly worded protest to E.U. leaders saying it constituted a “grave breach” of the Israel-E.U. relationship. A Knesset committee will hold a special hearing on the issue.

The E.U. document, dating from June and obtained by JNS, was composed by the E.U.’s mission in eastern Jerusalem and is marked “confidential—not for circulation.” It outlines a plan for “defending the rights of Palestinians living in Area C and preserving Area C as part of a future Palestinian State, in line with the Oslo Accords.”

The document focuses on the E.U.’s plan to strengthen the P.A.’s illegal holdings in Area C and suggests various improvements— a “strategic evolution”—to that plan. The document said the current plan rests on four pillars: 1) Planning and mapping; 2) Social and public infrastructure projects; 3) Private sector development, particularly in agriculture and green energy; and 4) Local governance.

“It’s essentially proof of what we’ve been seeing on the ground,” Kahn said. “Mapping, first of all, is an act that expresses some sort of sovereignty. If something is registered, that is legally binding and can be acted upon. It accrues rights and responsibilities.”

The P.A., which employs 600 people in its land registry department, doesn’t hesitate to register Israeli territory.

“Palestinians have shown up in Israeli courts when there’s a dispute over land, and said, ‘It’s registered to my name, or it’s registered in the State of Palestine.’ The [Israeli] Supreme Court hasn’t yet accepted these land registrations, but neither has it thrown them out,” Kahn said.

In 1967, Israel suspended land registration in Judea and Samaria. “We’ve created a vacuum and we’re allowing the other side to fill the vacuum,” she said.

Emmanuel Navon, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Security Studies (JISS), agreed that Israel shares responsibility for the situation.
PMW: PA’s incitement to terror and murder continues
The incitement of the Palestinian Authority to murder Israelis takes many forms. In some instances, the incitement is clear and direct, such as when PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas called to take revenge for the death of three terrorists and “dish out to them [Israel] twice as much as we’ve received.” In other instances, the incitement is more complex and subtle, and takes the form of glorifying imprisoned terrorist murderers and inventing libels to blame Israel for their deaths.

While the latter form of incitement is less direct, for the PA it is often sufficient in order to drive Palestinians to participate in terror, especially when the claim is made over and over and over again, ad nauseam.

This was the case with terrorist Muhammad Kabha, who cited the insidious PA incitement regarding the death of his imprisoned terrorist murderer friend, as his reasoning and motivation to murder Israeli Esther Horgen, on December 20, 2020.

Imprisoned terrorist murderer Nasser Abu Hmeid died on Dec. 20, 2022 after a year and a half long battle with lung cancer. He was serving 7 life sentences and 50 additional years in prison for his part in the murder of 7 Israeli civilians and the injury of many others in multiple terror attacks, during the 2000-2005 PA-instigated terror war.

Following the same pattern of incitement that drove Kabha to murder Ester Horgen, and as if they were quoting from a pre-prepared message sheet the PA, its officials and other Palestinians are again banging the same drum of incitement. According to the PA libel, Abu Hmeid died as a result of cancer, that was intentionally injected into his body, and was then left to die in his cell as part of a premeditated policy of medical negligence.

While the incitement was led, as Palestinian Media Watch already exposed, by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh, and their Fatah party, many others also joined the effort.

PLO Executive Committee Secretary Hussein Al-Sheikh, who also serves as Head of the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, Fatah Central Committee member, and Head of Civil Affairs in the PA combined the “medical neglect” libel with praise for the terrorist, whose body he said should be returned to his family to “honor him as is fitting for a Martyr,” and for his extended family:
For a long time we have been investing great efforts on the regional and international level to release Nasser Abu Hmeid, who was subjected to deliberate and planned medical neglect. What interests us now is that we sent a direct request to hand over his body to his family, his friends, and his people, so that they will honor him as is fitting for a Martyr and fitting for his family, the fighting family, which all words are dumbstruck before the greatness of this family and this mother.”

[Official PA TV News, Dec. 20, 2022]

Abu Hmeid’s family, especially the mother of the family Latifa Abu Hmeid, who is also known as Um Nasser Abu Hmeid, enjoys a special status in the PA since 6 of their children actively participated in terror and murdering Israelis. Prior to Nasser Abu Hemid’s death, the family claimed one “Martyr” - i.e. a dead terrorist - and 5 sons serving life sentences for murder. In recognition of her terrorist children, as PMW exposed, Abbas even asked Latifa Abu Hmeid to symbolically lead the PA’s effort to gain full state membership in the UN.
Shin Bet foils Palestinian bomb plot targeting inside Israel
The Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency announced on Monday that it thwarted a Palestinian terrorist bomb plot and a separate suicide bombing targeting areas inside Green Line Israel, involving operatives from Judea and Samaria who were being directed by handlers from the Gaza Strip.

A working bomb hidden in a fire extinguisher was seized.

According to the Shin Bet, a joint investigation with the Israel Defense Forces saw the plot foiled on Dec. 14, adding that the Popular Resistance Committees directed it together with Shuhada Al-Aqsa, both of them terrorist organizations based in the Gaza Strip.

Four suspected terror operatives from Judea and Samaria are under arrest, the Shin Bet said.

The Israeli security operation focused on known terrorist operatives in the Strip headed by Ahmad Fathi Hajaj, an explosives expert who lives in Jabalia in northern Gaza, the agency said.

The thwarting of the plot is “part of an ongoing campaign that the Shin Bet together with the IDF and the Israel Police are conducting, to foil terrorism in Israel while using a range of techniques and tools,” the Shin Bet said.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid said, “Following an operation that lasted several weeks, the security forces have arrested terrorists in Judea and Samaria who were planning to carry out a large-scale bomb attack in Israel, assisted by terrorist organizations from the Gaza Strip. The war against terrorists and their cells continues on a daily basis in all sectors. The security forces are constantly working to thwart all attempts to attack us.”


Mark Regev: Misconceptions about Israel's Neutrality in the Ukraine-Russia War
Some of Israel's closest friends have felt uncomfortable with its perceived impartiality regarding the ongoing Ukraine war. Yet this presumption, though widespread, is erroneous. Since Russia's February 2022 invasion, Israel's position has been far from even-handed.

At the outbreak of the conflict, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated: "The Russian attack on Ukraine is a serious violation of the international order. Israel condemns this attack and is ready and willing to offer humanitarian aid to Ukrainian citizens." From the outset, Israel's representatives at the UN emphasized its support for Ukraine's "territorial integrity and sovereignty."

In parallel, Israel has given tangible humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian people: establishing a field hospital in the western Ukrainian city of Mostyska; shipping 100 tons of relief materials to Ukraine, including medical supplies, water purification equipment, tents and blankets; welcoming some 15,000 refugees from the conflict; sending 25,000 ration packs to the city of Kharkiv; and accepting Ukrainian war wounded, military and non-military alike, in Israeli hospitals for specialist medical treatment.

Israel has also provided Kyiv with protective equipment such as helmets, body armor, gas masks and mine protection suits.

Israel's policy is nuanced, but it cannot be labeled as neutral. Jerusalem aims to support Kyiv within parameters that avert shattering avenues of communication with the Kremlin. This strategy seeks to protect Israel's national security interests, and it also serves the larger global good.

While an Israeli decision to supply offensive capabilities to Kyiv would likely have a marginal impact on the Ukrainian battlefield, it could simultaneously undermine Jerusalem's ability to help advance a negotiated agreement when the time is right.
India-Israel ties strong for three decades
This year, Israel and India are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their full diplomatic relations. In the last three decades, bilateral trade has increased from $200 million in 1992 to over $7.86 billion in 2021-22. It is expected to rise sharply once the free trade agreement is concluded.

The economic relations, once dominated by three Ds – i.e., defense, diamonds and drip irrigation – are now driven by hi-tech, cyber security, innovation and mobility.

India is attractive to Israeli businessmen
India’s emergence as one of the fastest-growing major economies – its democratic character and its maturing relations with the US and the Arab Gulf – makes it an attractive proposition for Israeli businesses. More direct flights and opening of new routes with the Gulf airlines have significantly increased tourism in both directions. The launch of the I2U2 group has multiplied the avenues of cooperation. It addresses the issue of financing the use of cutting-edge Israeli technologies in the price-sensitive Indian market.

The Israeli TV series Fauda is wildly popular in India, which spawned an Indian remake, Taanav. The road is paved for more collaboration in the areas of cinema and entertainment. Indians have become the largest contingent of foreign students studying in Israel.

Start-up entrepreneurs from Israel and India are extremely successful in Silicon Valley, and they get along well with each other due to numerous common values. It has a spillover effect. A number of delegations of Indian CEOs and Family Offices have started visiting Israel on a regular basis. The successful bid by India’s Adani Group and Israel’s Gadot Group to purchase Haifa port has paved a way for cooperation on large infrastructure projects.
Oman’s parliament votes to expand Israel boycott, in interim step
Oman’s lower house of parliament voted to expand its Israel boycott law on Monday, amid speculation in Israeli press that certain restrictions could be lifted.

The Majlis al-Shura, or Consultative Assembly, voted to amend the first clause of its Israel boycott law to include any sports, cultural or economic contact. The amendment also specifically bans in-person or online interaction with Israelis.

Assembly Vice-President Yaaqoub Al-Harethi explained that the amendment will “expand the criminalization and expand the boycott” of Israel, according to WAF news agency’s Twitter account.

There was no mention of the amendment on the WAF site itself.

The law in its current form bans interaction with “the Zionist entity” for private and public figures.

The amendment now moves to debate by the Majlis legislative committee before a final vote.

On Sunday, Israeli media outlets speculated that the boycott debate may be tied to Israeli efforts to secure Omani authorization for civilian overflights of the country.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia — which also has no ties with Israel — allowed Israel to use its airspace, but Oman has held out against doing so, which means Israeli flights to Asia must still take a much longer route.

Hebrew media said at the time that Oman’s reluctance to follow suit was the result of pressure from neighboring Iran. Later attempts by the Biden administration to push the Omani government to allow Israeli flights to use its airspace have not borne fruit so far.

Currently, Omani law prohibits citizens from making contact with entities or individuals based in Israel directly or through mediators, for any purpose.


Terrorists Attack Israeli Car, Military Forces in Northern West Bank
The Lions’ Den terrorist group said it perpetrated a shooting attack on the northern West Bank outpost of Havat Gilad near Nablus, according to Palestinian sources early Monday, while another overnight shooting that targeted a nearby army checkpoint was claimed by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

No one was wounded in the attacks. In the Havat Gilad attack no bullet hit the vehicle and later several bullet casings were found in the area. The Israeli military (IDF) confirmed the incident.

“During the night there was an attempted shooting attack on an Israeli vehicle near the settlement of Havat Gilad in the area of ​​the Shomron regional division. There were no injuries and the vehicle was not damaged. After IDF forces searched the area, several backpacks were located,” the IDF said in a statement.

According to the IDF statement, during the raid on early Monday, “a wanted man suspected of involvement in terrorist activity was arrested in the city of Nablus.” Another man was arrested “in the city of Hebron in the area of ​​the Yehuda regional division” and an “M16 type weapon, an “airsoft” rifle and an “airsoft” pistol were confiscated.” A total of five wanted people were arrested as IDF soldiers, the Shin Bet domestic security agency and the Security Guard operated in the West Bank overnight.


Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah says ready to confront Israeli ‘threats’
The ruling Fatah faction headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is set to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the launch of its first armed attack against Israel.

This year’s anniversary comes as the faction’s armed wing, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, has increased its activities, particularly in the cities of Nablus and Jenin, more than 10 years after the group seemed to have vanished.

In the past year, the PA security forces have done almost nothing to stop the group from operating within areas under its control.

In several places, the Fatah gunmen have replaced the PA security services as the main law enforcers.

The growing cooperation between al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and other groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, has raised concern among some senior Fatah officials, who are nevertheless reluctant to speak out for fear of being accused of undermining Palestinian unity. Palestinian gunmen from the Balata Brigade of the Fatah movement carry their weapons during a military parade, in Balata refugee camp, in the West Bank, on November 4, 2022. (credit: NASSER ISHTAYEH/FLASH90) Palestinian gunmen from the Balata Brigade of the Fatah movement carry their weapons during a military parade, in Balata refugee camp, in the West Bank, on November 4, 2022. (credit: NASSER ISHTAYEH/FLASH90)

As long as the cooperation is directed only against Israel, the Fatah officials see no reason why they should turn against their own loyalists. Such cooperation, by the way, was extremely rare in the past.

The activities of the Palestinian Authority's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
In the past few days, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which first appeared at the beginning of the Second Intifada, claimed responsibility for three shooting attacks in the northern West Bank. During the intifada, the group was responsible for hundreds of terror attacks against Israelis.

The group recently took credit for several shooting attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians in the vicinity of Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus, the village of Bet Ummar near Hebron and other areas.

Since the death last week of Nasser Abu Hmeid, one of the founders and top commanders of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the group has issued a number of statements in which it threatened to avenge his death.


Lebanon Detains Hezbollah Supporter in Probe of Irish UN Peacekeeper’s Killing
The Lebanese army detained over the weekend a main suspect in the recent killing of an Irish UN peacekeeper in a move coordinated with the powerful armed group Hezbollah, two security sources and a Hezbollah spokesperson said.

The man is a supporter of the Iran-backed militia and heavyweight political party, but not a member of the group, the Hezbollah spokesperson told Reuters.

The security sources said the man was suspected of firing shots at a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vehicle that was traveling through south Lebanon on Dec. 15.

Private Sean Rooney, 23, was killed in the incident, the first fatal attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015.

Hezbollah has officially denied involvement in the incident, calling the killing an “unintentional incident” that took place solely between the town’s residents and UNIFIL.

On Dec. 16, Ireland’s then-foreign and defense minister Simon Coveney told state broadcaster RTE that he did not accept Hezbollah‘s assurances that it had no involvement.

“We don’t accept any assurances until we have a full investigation concluded to establish the full truth,” he said.
Is the death of an Irish soldier the Death Knell of UNIFIL? Or is it dead already?
It is, therefore, more reasonable to assume that an ambush was waiting for the vehicles rather than the excuse that the vehicles took a wrong turn and were immediately surrounded by an armed mob who immediately opened fire on two white marked UN vehicles.

Why would a crowd of civilians, who happened to be walking around with guns on a dark night, be so incensed by familiar UNIFIL vehicles? It simply doesn’t make sense.

The vehicles were armor-plated with bullet proof windows. It was reported that the gunmen got into one through the back of the vehicle shooting Rooney from the rear. One other soldier was found injured outside the vehicle.

Don’t believe this was anything but a deadly Hezbollah attack.

Don’t believe there will be truth and justice for Private Sean Rooney any day soon. It took 15 years to convict two Hezbollah murderers for the assassination of Lebanon Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri.

And don’t believe that UNIFIL can bring peace to Lebanon. It remains a lost cause. Earlier this year, Arab Gulf states demanded the Lebanese government hand over all Hezbollah arms. This is, after all, a desired Lebanese priority one would have thought, for a country truly bent on democratizing itself. But this is not the case in lost Lebanon.

In 2004, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 called for the disarmament of all non-state militia in Lebanon, of which Hezbollah is clearly the main one. However, early in 2022, the Lebanese Foreign Minister rejected the demands of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf states saying that Lebanon will not hand over Hezbollah weapons even if Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other Gulf State nation are fearful of the Iranian grip in the region and Lebanon becoming the Shiite pivot in the region with Hezbollah chief, Nasrallah, verbally threatening Saudi Arabia.

Hezbollah was founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982. It has become the most powerful non-state militia in the world. Its fighters have backed pro-Iranian allies in the region, including Syria, and its influence is widespread in Central and South Africa.

To call UNIFIL a powerful peace-keeping force in Lebanon is a sad reflection of the delusion we are living under.

The tragic death of Sean Rooney highlights the fact that UNIFIL is barely tolerated and only operates at the will, or not, of Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, and not of the Lebanese government which, at the time of writing this report, has no president, a caretaker cabinet with limited powers, and a deeply fragmented parliament.
Officials worry Iran could get Russian hypersonic missiles as collaboration grows
With Russia set to sign a procurement deal in the coming days that would see it receive another several hundred unmanned attack drones from Iran, Israeli officials worry this could be a stepping stone toward more advanced deliveries, potentially even hypersonic missiles.

Israeli officials told Israel Hayom that the UAV deal will be signed in the coming days, confirming previous such reports in the US media on the emerging military cooperation between the two sides, which according to an NBC report could reach unprecedented levels and pose a regional threat.

Russia signed its first UAV procurement deal with Iran in the summer, with hundreds of Iranian attack drones being shipped and some being already used to attack Ukraine. Israeli officials told Israel Hayom that Moscow has insisted on paying by cash rather than through some barter arrangement so as to avoid any concrete commitment other than monetary.

The new deal comes after intense talks with Iran in order to pave the way for drones being used to attack infrastructure in Ukraine, with senior Ukrainian officials warning over the past several days that the number of drones could reach 1,700. While Israeli officials believe the number is likely to be capped at several hundred drones at a total cost of several hundreds of millions of euros in cash, it is expected to be implemented in the coming days, potentially resulting in exacerbated tensions in the 10-month war.

The two sides are also in talks to establish a production line of drones in Russia, as has already been reported in the US media. Although Iran has already agreed to set up that factory on Russian soil, officials believe this could take up to two years to set up once the deal is inked. Russia has also shown interest in buying surface-to-surface missiles from Iran, but no deal has been finalized as of yet.

Israeli defense officials have been split on their assessment as to the overall strategic implications of this cooperation. The most radical estimate, which is promoted by Mossad and is backed by some in the IDF Intelligence Directorate, is that this ever-deepening collaboration is poised to become a growing threat to Israel.




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