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Friday, January 06, 2023

01/06 Links Pt1: What killed the two-state solution? Cheers and cash for terrorists; Middle East Quartet no longer relevant to Israel-Palestinian conflict

From Ian:

Debunking the Arab Narrative
The facts are otherwise. Jews have lived in the land continuously for at least 3000 years. The San Remo Resolution in 1920, gave the Jewish people legal title to the land and the Palestine Mandate of 1922 gave them the right to settle the land.

After the ’67 War, the United Nations Security Council passed Res 242. It made no mention of the "Palestinian people", because there was no such people.

“1. Affirms that the fulfilment of Charter principles requires the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East which should include the application of both the following principles:

“i) "Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict;

“(ii) Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force;”

Thus the Security Council; gave Israel the right to stay in possession of “territories occupied in the recent conflict” until she had a peace agreement with all states in the area which provided for “secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force”. It did not require Israel to withdraw from “all territories” and allowed Israel to keep some of the land which it required for security. So far, no such agreement has been attained but Israel has already withdrawn from 91% of the territories.

Israel considers the Jordan River to be its secure boundary and will not withdraw from it.

Yet, since 1999, the UN, EU and the PA refer to the remaining land as “occupied Palestinian territory”. This was due to the fact that the Oslo Accords gave the Palestinian Arabs autonomy over Area A, partial autonomy over Area B and no autonomy over Area C as delineated by the Accords. But even they recognize that these lands are not sovereign Palestinian Arab territory.

The preamble to the Accords provides;
“Recognizing that the aim of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations [..], leading to a permanent settlement based on Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338;

Reaffirming [..] that the negotiations on the permanent status, [..] will lead to the implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338,[,,]”

This is the bottom line. Res 242 rules, and the Oslo Accords is nothing more than a path to it.

And as I pointed out in “Israel should terminate the Oslo Accords”, such autonomy can be cancelled by Israel at any time.

In conclusion, these lands are not Palestinian Arab lands and they are not illegally occupied by Israel.
Jonathan Tobin: What killed the two-state solution? Cheers and cash for terrorists
This is hardly an isolated case, as a shockingly biased article published last week in The New York Times showed, Palestinian society is obsessed with honoring “martyrs” who died trying to kill and injure Israelis and Jews. The conceit of the piece centered on the assertions that the Israel Defense Forces have been killing growing numbers of civilians, and that 2022 had been the “deadliest year” since 2005 for Palestinians. But efforts to smear the IDF are being undermined by the fact that most of the Palestinian casualties from such encounters are claimed as operatives by Hamas, Islamic Jihad or terror groups, like the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, associated with the Fatah Party that runs the P.A.

As Honest Reporting pointed out, 90% of those killed by the IDF were involved in violent incidents, with 60% taking part in armed attacks on Israeli civilians and security forces, and the rest being participants in riots. The claim of IDF targeted killings of innocent Palestinian civilians is worse than bad reporting on the part of a journalist biased against Israel, as CAMERA noted in an article on Times correspondent Raja Abdulrahim; it’s a blood libel.

Lies about Israeli actions aside, a crucial fact repeatedly omitted from most coverage of the conflict is that the factions competing for popularity among Palestinians understand that the way to gain political influence is by playing a role in terrorism and shedding Jewish blood. The problem is not just that the P.A. engages in a pay-for-slay scheme that rewards Younis and his ilk with salaries and pensions. It’s that such an incentive is so popular that neither P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas nor any of his potential successors would dare end it.

The valorization of terror is an integral element of Palestinians’ culture. It’s part and parcel of the way their national identity is inextricably tied to the century-old war on Zionism.

Indeed, Palestinian protests are not motivated by grievances about Israeli policies or aspirations for statehood. Rather, they are about rejecting the legitimacy of a Jewish state, no matter where its boundaries might be drawn. That’s why Abbas and his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, refused numerous compromises and peace offers, dating back to the Bill Clinton administration, which would have resulted in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

This leaves Israel with an anomalous situation in which it must not relinquish security control over Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), even as the Palestinian population is governed in most of the area by Fatah and by Hamas in Gaza, which has functioned as an independent Palestinian state in all but name since the 2007 coup that ushered in the rule of the radical-Islamist group.

All of the above explains why Israeli voters turned their back on parties that support a two-state solution and brought to power a coalition that has stated its determination not to tolerate more Palestinian terrorism.

Unless and until Americans acknowledge the reality of the conflict and the nature of Palestinian politics, the disconnect between the two countries about two states will continue. What both the administration and liberal Jews need to finally understand is that if their coveted solution is dead, it wasn’t slain by so-called Israeli hard-liners. It was murdered by Palestinian cheer and cash for terrorists.
David Singer: Are there under the radar negotiations on Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine?
Israel and Saudi Arabia have reportedly begun US-brokered peace negotiations that will be conducted far away from the media and public gaze.

Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu made that perfectly clear in his 50 minute interview on Saudi Government-controlled Al Arabiya TV on 15 December:
“You know, I’m sort of a champion of a slight twist in what Woodrow Wilson said in the Versailles Peace Conference. He said he believed in open covenants, openly arrived at. I believe in open covenants, secretly arrived at or discreetly arrived at. There we will have to have discussions about all the questions that you asked today and see how we can advance this. If you try to sort it out in advance you get stuck. That’s what happens.

"In Israel, we say 'climb the tree.' Everybody climbs on their own tree and says, 'I’m here, and I’m not climbing down and no matter how many ladders you give me.' I’m stuck in my tree, the other guy is stuck in his tree, and we just shout at each other across tree trunks and we never get to a meeting of the minds or an actual meeting on the ground. I think we have to take a different position. All these things need to be discussed discreetly, responsibly and, within the confines of closed meetings, openly. And once we get an agreement, then we can come out.

"I don’t need the public fanfare, I don’t need it. You know, if you come to an agreement, it will be publicized. If you don’t come to an agreement, nothing happens. I think we can come to amazing agreements.”

One topic for discussion will assuredly involve the implementation of the Saudi-based Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine solution published in Al Arabiya News on 8 June 2022. Its author – Ali Shihabi – is a confidant of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister – Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) and also a member of MBS’s advisory board on Neom – a US$500 billion megacity being built in north-western Saudi Arabia covering an area equal to the size of Israel.

Shihabi’s plan calls for the merger of Jordan, Gaza and part of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) into one territorial entity to be called “The Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine”


JPost Editorial: Middle East Quartet no longer relevant to Israel-Palestinian conflict
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine casts significant doubt on how Moscow can play a role in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The reasons for this are multifaceted. On one hand, Moscow is distracted by the war. It will not be able to focus on the Middle East and the ongoing impasse between the sides.

On the other hand, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means it is no longer looked upon as a legitimate arbiter by the US and the EU, even if for some Palestinians it is perceived to be more objective due to the strong US alliance with Israel.

How can Russia annex Crimea and parts of Ukraine, for instance, and then condemn Israel for policies in the West Bank, or “annexation?” Russia will have a hard time playing a role in a peace process if it is actively engaged in a major war that is a blow to international law.

Nevertheless, Vladimir Safronkov, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s special representative for the Middle East, recently said Moscow would not be distanced from its role in the Middle East.

“I am convinced that any attempts to push Russia out of the region, to influence its relations with the region [will not work],” he said, indicating that the West has tried to isolate Russia from the work of the Quartet.

Considering these new realities, it is worth asking what the logic of the Quartet is now. Is the group taking a realistic look at events taking place in the West Bank and Gaza, such as rising violence in the West Bank, fueled by the erosion of the Palestinian Authority’s role in Jenin and Nablus? Gun smuggling, too, is a major challenge.

Is the Quartet or its members taking a serious look at how weapons smuggling undermines the PA and causes violence? Is it addressing this with neighboring authorities, such as Jordan and Egypt?

Countries involved in supporting peace need to address realities on the ground, not just make due with statements or unrealistic ideas. Israel and the Palestinian Authority need the commitment of the international community, but they also need the global community to recognize the changes that have taken place over the last decades.
Ruthie Blum: Netanyahu’s new administration is getting to work - opinion
IN A press conference on Wednesday evening, he presented his plan to clip the over-interventionist judiciary’s wings on behalf of the executive and legislative branches.

“We go to the polls, vote and elect but time and time again, people we didn’t elect decide for us,” he said, referring to the power-grab of judges at the expense of lawmakers. Outlining the first phase of the plan, he said, “No longer will judges elect themselves behind closed doors without [documented minutes of the meetings],” he declared. “Instead, the three branches of government will have equal representation on the Judicial Selection Committee.”

He went on, “No longer will the [Supreme] Court hold hearings [and decide] on basic laws; no longer will it override laws passed by the Knesset without its consent. Instead, it will act by virtue of the basic laws, not be above them. It will [only] be able to override laws by a special majority [of judges].”

Furthermore, he continued, “No longer will [the court] overrule completely legal decisions by an elected government on the grounds of what a judge deems unreasonableness. Instead, the ability of the elected government to make decisions will be restored.”

Finally, he pointed to the purview of the state’s attorney general. “No longer will the government be subordinate to unelected officials. As their title [in Hebrew] suggests, they are advisers, not decision-makers.”

THE NECESSITY of such reforms is as obvious as the mindset of the lawyers, journalists, academics and high-techies who’ve been up in arms over the mere mention of them. All those decrying the content of Levin’s groundbreaking disclosure would be amenable to it if it hadn’t emanated from the wrong milieu.

In the not-so-distant past, Lapid himself launched harsh criticisms of the legal system. And despite his acknowledging, even while serving as caretaker prime minister, that it needs fixing, he failed to propose any remedies.

To obfuscate this fact, he responded to Levin’s speech by asserting that upon his return to the premiership – no, he wasn’t joking – he would overturn every item in it. Meanwhile, he and the rest of the new government’s detractors have been busy claiming that judicial reform is nothing but a twofold cynical ploy to whitewash Shas Party leader Arye Deri’s suspended sentence for tax evasion and ultimately to annul Netanyahu’s trial.

It’s nonsense, of course. And just as similar ramblings weren’t reflected at the ballot box, the latest droning is no match for the flurry of welcome activity underway in Jerusalem.
Let Israel's new gov't do what the voters want – govern
This government is, without a doubt, very different. The most left-wing member is Netanyahu himself and everybody else is to his right. Can he maintain balance when he is the most left-wing member? It will undoubtedly be hard for him, but when judging his past 15 years, he might succeed.

He might be able to create the balance that will provide his coalition partners with their needs on the one hand, but retain the caution that has almost become his trademark on the other hand.

I’ve had my fair share of criticism of Netanyahu and his policies over the last few years and there is an inherent problem when a politician is on trial at the same time that he is serving as prime minister. Decisions become clouded and priorities become mixed between personal and national.

Unfortunately, we have seen that play out too many times. Nevertheless, this is the government that we now have and we have to hope it will find the right balance between caution and responsibility to make decisions that serve the national interest.

This will be hard. Had these reforms been presented without Arye Deri’s future hanging in the balance at the Supreme Court or Netanyahu on trial, they would have been easier to swallow.

Unfortunately – and due to reality – that is not the case. Nevertheless, I think we have to give a government that won a resounding victory in an unchallenged process a real chance to govern. Israel has been plagued by instability for decades and we have forgotten what it means to have a stable government.

The legal clouds that hover over this government might end up being a stain on its decisions, but they do not mean that this government does not have the right to govern. It does and it should.
Dershowitz on Israel Supreme Court reform plan

Israel’s UN envoy mocks meeting over Ben-Gvir’s ‘uneventful’ Temple Mount visit
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations said he was “overjoyed” when he heard that the U.N. Security Council was holding an emergency meeting Thursday over the “quiet, orderly, uneventful” visit of an Israeli government minister to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

“I figured that if this important body is meeting to discuss such a trivial matter, then we clearly achieved world peace overnight,” Gilad Erdan said, mocking the council’s decision to submit to the Palestinians’ demand for a discussion on the matter.

Unsurprisingly, much of the rest of the council didn’t share Erdan’s perspective on Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to Judaism’s holy site, which serves as a flashpoint for conflict with the Palestinians and their adjacent Al-Aqsa mosque.

Robert Wood, a diplomat representing the U.S., told the Security Council, “We are concerned by any unilateral acts that exacerbate tensions or undermine the viability of a two-state solution.” He added that the U.S. “firmly supports the preservation of the historical status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem, especially on the Haram al-Sharif Temple Mount,” including both the Jewish and Muslim names for the site.

“In this spirit, we oppose any and all unilateral actions that depart from the historical status quo that are unacceptable,” Wood said, noting that Washington expects Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to follow through on Netanyahu’s commitment to the status quo at the holy site, which the Palestinians and others accused Israel of flouting.

Erdan noted that Ben-Gvir entered through the only non-Muslim entrance to the Temple Mount at one of the limited designated times of the week for Jewish admittance, entered alone save for the security detail needed to protect him and made no attempt to pray.


How the World Is Making Ben Gvir More Popular
Make no mistake: on its face, the Temple Mount status quo is absurd. If one were to ask most Jewish Israelis about whether Jews should be allowed to visit and pray on the Temple Mount, they would say yes. If one were to ask a disinterested observer the same question, he too would say yes. The only long term solution, as every reasonable person knows whether they’re willing to say it publicly or not, is equal visitation and prayer rights for everyone—Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike.

That doesn’t mean the status quo should change now, or soon, and it doesn’t mean Ben Gvir is the one to bring that change about (he’s not). It does, however, mean that global meltdowns about this issue are unwarranted and counterproductive.

Ben Gvir knows that most Israelis think this way. By going to the Temple Mount, he wants the world to react like this. It puts him in the public eye and indicates, as he tried to show in his campaign, that he alone is willing to speak unspoken truths and confront underlying tensions with Palestinians and Israeli-Arabs that other Israeli politicians would prefer to ignore. By reacting the way they have to his visit, the United States, the UAE, and other countries are playing right into his hands. This entire charade allows Ben Gvir to set himself up as the great defender of Jewish rights on the Temple Mount, a position that he greatly values. Even if they (with good reason) find him execrable, most Jewish Israelis are sympathetic to his insistence on Jewish rights there. Creating a phantom international crisis out of a visit that did not violate the status quo only makes Israelis more likely to support him and others like him who can use the ridiculous situation on the Temple Mount to their political advantage.

If, by contrast, world leaders had listened to Palestinian complaints and left it at that, Ben Gvir’s public image, appeal, and justification for his politics wouldn’t have gained. Indeed, he likely would have been ignored, which is the last thing he wants.
Israeli actions on Temple Mount unacceptable, US tells UNSC
The Biden administration holds Israel responsible for maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount and any steps that undermine it are unacceptable, United States Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday.

“We oppose any and all unilateral actions that depart from the historic status quo, which are unacceptable,” Wood said.

He noted that Prime Minister Benjamin Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing platform “calls for preservation of the status quo with relation to the holy places. We expect the Government of Israel to follow through on that commitment.”

The United States firmly supports the preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem, especially on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount,” Wood explained.

UN holds special meeting to condemn Ben-Gvir’s Temple Mount visit

He spoke at a special meeting held to condemn National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s 13-minute visit Tuesday to the Al Aksa mosque compound on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount in the Old City, a move with the international community has viewed as a violation of the status quo there.

Under the terms of that status quo, anyone can visit but only Muslims can pray there. The ancient site is Judaism’s holiest site and is the third most important one for Muslims.

Israel has insisted that Ben-Gvir’s visit was not a violation of the status quo, but in New York, the 15-member body said that it felt otherwise.


PA UN Envoy to Israel: If You Don’t Stop Ben Gvir, We Will
The UN Security Council met Thursday to discuss the situation on the Temple Mount in light of Tuesday’s ascent of a Jewish politician to the holiest site for Jews (Ben Gvir Ascends to Temple Mount on Fast of Tevet Commemorating Siege of Jerusalem) but dispersed without a vote or a joint statement of condemnation.

PA Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour warned Israel: “Listen carefully to me. The Security Council should stop you. It is their responsibility. It’s the responsibility of this Council and of all States to uphold international law and the historic status quo. The SC should stop you, but make no mistake, if they don’t, our people will.”

Mohamed Abushahab, the UAE’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN, whose country joined the PA’s appeal to the UNSC to condemn the flagrant Jewish presence in the holy site, told the council that Ben-Gvir’s visit might jeopardize the Abraham Accords, and “it also constitutes a serious development that moves the region further away from the desired path of peace and contributes to perpetuating the negative trends of the conflict.”

Otherwise, the session ended without a condemnation of Israel, which was the best UN Envoy Gilad Erdan could hope for. Erdan applied heavy pressure on Israel’s Western friend on the council not to let the debate slide into a condemnation, which the US would have vetoed, but preferred not to.

“Minister Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount was not an invasion of al-Aqsa or any other Palestinian lie,” Erdan––who visited the Temple Mount as Internal Security Minister, Ben Gvir’s portfolio––informed the council, explaining: “The minister’s visit was in line with the status quo and anyone who claims otherwise is only inflaming the situation. Jews are allowed to visit the Temple Mount. Every Jew. The very fact that this discussion is being held is an insult to the intelligence.”
Israel to withhold PA tax revenue, impose other sanctions after Abbas’s UN success
The security cabinet on Friday voted to approve a series of sanctions against the Palestinian Authority in response to Ramallah’s successful initiative at the United Nations last week to have the International Court of Justice draft a legal opinion regarding Israel’s conduct in the Palestinian territories.

Among the measures approved by the ministers, whose government took office last week, were seizing tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the PA and channeling them to Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism; deducting from the revenues to offset payments the PA makes to Palestinian terrorists, attackers, security prisoners and their families; freezing Palestinian construction in much of the West Bank; and canceling some Palestinian VIP benefits.

The security cabinet vote represented a significant departure from the policy of the previous government, which in several ways sought to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, fearing that its collapse would only boost more extreme Palestinian forces such as Hamas. At the same time, that government’s prime ministers — Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid — would not meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, let alone hold negotiations toward a two-state solution with him.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long boasted of his efforts to isolate the PA and he has cobbled together the most right-wing government in Israeli history, made up of many lawmakers who support collapsing the PA and view it as a terror-inciting body. They do not share the view of the defense establishment, which stresses the importance of Israel’s security cooperation with the PA and has pushed successive governments to prevent its dissolution.

The security cabinet instead voted Friday to follow through on sanctions it had threatened to impose if the PA moved forward with its campaign against Israel in the international arena, with ministers approving five measures against Ramallah.


The Israel Guys: America’s SHOCKING Opposition to Jews Living in the Land of Israel
Nearly thirty Jews were murdered in Israel in 2022 simply because they were Jews. The world was silent. An Israeli Minister visited the Temple Mount on a Jewish holy day and the world flew into an outrage, saying that this could spark violence, and was a violation of the status quo.

A vineyard was destroyed in Samaria this week. Only 300 meters away, a mosque, which is located in Area C, and has had a demolition order for the past 15 years, sits untouched.

The US could not have been more strong in their condemnation of Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount this week. The US State Department also roundly condemned Israel’s announcement that they plan to legalize a yeshiva in Homesh, the same site where a Jewish community was destroyed in 2005.

Watch today’s program to find out just how vehemently opposed the State Department is to Jews living in the Heartland of Israel.


Biden compares asylum seekers at US border to Jews escaping Nazi Germany
In a speech on border security and enforcement Thursday, President Joe Biden compared asylum seekers at America’s southern border to Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. The remark came in response to a question about whether Biden viewed migration as a human right.

“Well I think it is a human right if your family is being persecuted,” Biden said. “I thought it was a human right for, you know, Jews in Germany to be able to go […] escape and get help where they could.”

Vice President Kamala Harris nodded in agreement with the president’s remarks.

Biden went on to say that Americans have basic fundamental rights to make sure asylum seekers do not have criminal histories.

The president’s comparison drew criticism on social media from policymakers and federal lawmakers.

“Biden just compared illegal aliens—lawbreakers who have been found to be terrorists, drug dealers, and bad actors—to Jews fleeing Germany during the Holocaust. Not even remotely the same situation. This kind of mindset prevents us from legitimately securing our border,” tweeted Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.)


US gives Palestinians looted antiquity owned by Steinhardt, in 1st such repatriation
US and Palestinian officials held a ceremony in Bethlehem on Thursday to mark the return of a looted antiquity seized from a Jewish American billionaire, in what the sides said was the first time the United States has repatriated a cultural object to the Palestinian Authority.

George Noll, head of the US Office of Palestinian Affairs, gave the “cosmetic spoon” to the PA’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister Rula Maayah.

According to Maayah, the tool — which is from between 700-800 BCE — dates to the Assyrian civilization and was used to pour incense.

Citing information from US investigations, Maayah said the artifact was stolen from an archaeological site near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

“This artifact is important as it acquires its real scientific and archaeological value in its authentic location,” she was quoted as saying in a statement from the US Office of Palestinian Affairs.

Noll touted his office’s role in returning the spoon, which he called “an example of Palestinian cultural patrimony.” A looted ceramic spoon dating to the Assyrian period that the US returned to the Palestinian Authority. (Manhattan District Attorney’s Office)

“This is a historic moment between the American and Palestinian people and a demonstration of our belief in the power of cultural exchanges in building mutual understanding, respect, and partnership,” he said.


West, wake up: the Arab world isn't monolithic
There is no such thing as an Arab world, but rather a collection of distinct Arab countries.

The Arabic language is not uniform and exhibits significant variation among different countries. For example, an Algerian may struggle to understand the Qatari language, and Emirati Arabic is distinct from the languages spoken by Palestinian or Syrian Arabs.

The only Arabic language understood by all Arabic speakers is the language used in the Quran, considered by the Islamic faith to be the words of God himself.

Although the Arabic language spoken in the Quran unites all Arabic speakers and all non-Arab Muslims in the world, it does not necessarily create a single Arab nation or a united Arab world.

It is important for those who come to teach us about ourselves and our governance methods here to recognizethat they come with their own cultural and social baggage and these things are completely different from those found here in the Middle East and North Africa.

The diversity in the Middle East
In the Middle East, there is a diverse range of cultures and social dynamics that can be complex and even contradictory in some cases. This can make it difficult for Westerners to understand certain conflicts, such as the ongoing war in Yemen between the Houthis, who are Arab and somehow willing to become allied with Persian Iranians, and the Saudis who are Arab as well. If those Western researchers and so-called professionals knew that the reason for this conflict is that the Yemenis believe they are the source of Arabism in the Arabian Peninsula, while the Saudi side disputes this claim and asserts its own culture as the origins of Arabism, then they may gain insights into why the conflict in Yemen does not end and has recorded a very high number of casualties.
84% of Arabs oppose their country's diplomatic recognition of Israel - poll
An average of 84% of Arabs opposes diplomatic recognition of Israel by their countries, according to results from the soon-to-be-released 2022 Arab Opinion Index (AOI). The AOI is an annual series of opinion surveys conducted by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS).

The Arab Center Washington DC (ACW) is an affiliate of the ACRPS. They released some early results of the AOI.

The AOI surveyed Arabs in over a dozen Arab countries, asking participants various questions in face-to-face interviews. The survey included people from Algeria, Mauritania, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Libya, Iraq, Tunisia, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, Libya, and Saudi Arabia.

Would Arabs support or oppose diplomatic recognition of Israel by your country?
Survey participants were asked the question, "would you support or oppose diplomatic recognition of Israel by your country?" Perhaps unsurprisingly, the overwhelming majority responded that they would oppose it. In total, 84% responded in opposition, 8% responded that they would support it, and 8% were unsure or declined to answer.

The most Israel-friendly country included in the survey is Morocco, of whose participants 67% answered in opposition, 20% answered in support, and 13% didn't know or declined to answer.

Conversely, none of the survey participants from Algeria supported diplomatic recognition of Israel while 99% were against it. This is even more extreme than the Palestinian response, 3% of whom supported diplomatic recognition of Israel.

The AOI has been asking the same question to survey participants since 2011 when the survey was first conducted.
Morocco reportedly delaying TLV embassy over Western Sahara

Europe at the Mercy of Qatar?
The stadiums for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar were built in conditions described as slave-like and hellish. For ten years, armies of Asian workers were put to work for miserable wages in wretched living conditions. According to the Guardian, since the emirate was awarded the World Cup, 6,500 workers died on Qatar's construction sites. This carnage did not predestine Qatar for praise from the Socialist Group in the European Parliament.

"The recent backroom deal approved by the Bureau to appoint a new EP Secretary-General is emblematic of an institution that thinks that rules for ethics and integrity should only apply to others." — Michiel van Hulten, director of Transparency International EU, December 10, 2022.

That the Socialist Group, the second-largest in the European Parliament, was so easily bribed by little Qatar, to the extent of cheering on the "labour law reforms" of a slave emirate, is yet to be confirmed by the courts. It is also possibly just the "tip of the iceberg."

Other geopolitical actors, who are known to have an interest in the resolutions of the European Parliament, have even more considerable means at their disposal.
Police arrest two teens for vandalizing Christian cemetery in Jerusalem
Israeli police said Friday that they had arrested two teens from central Israel for the “deliberate” vandalism of a Christian cemetery in Jerusalem that resulted in damage to roughly 30 graves.

In a statement, police said they had launched an investigation after receiving the report of the destruction and discovered that “this was a deliberate act of vandalism. After several investigative acts, two suspects were arrested yesterday, aged 14 and 18, both residents of central Israel.”

Police did not identify the suspects or detail their alleged motivation.

The statement said that Jerusalem District Police Commander Doron Turgeman met Thursday with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, to update him on the investigation into the incident at the Protestant Mount Zion Cemetery.

“Every attack on religious sites or institutions is serious and harms the unique and fragile fabric of life that exists in the city for members of all faiths and sects,” Turgeman was quoted as telling the Patriarch.

The announcement of the arrest came following international condemnation of the vandalism, including from the US. Jerusalem District Po
Two Palestinians, Arab Israeli teen arrested over alleged terror bombing plot
The Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police on Friday said they recently foiled an attempt by two Palestinians from the West Bank and an Arab Israeli minor to carry out a bombing attack.

According to a joint statement, the two Palestinians were detained several weeks ago. An indictment is expected to be filed against them next week.

Their arrests followed that of a teenager from the northern Arab town of Umm al-Fahm, who has since been charged for alleged affiliation with an unnamed terror group and possession of bomb-making materials.

The 17-year-old’s older bother, 18, was also detained, on November 28, but was later released without charge under restrictive conditions.

At their home, police said officers found “diagrams and chemical materials for making explosive devices.”

Full details of the teen’s indictment were withheld by the court as the identity of the minor is barred from publication.

The statement said the interrogation of the Umm al-Fahm teen led to the arrest of the two West Bank Palestinians, both in their 20s.


Israel’s longest-serving security prisoner released after completing 40-year sentence
The Israel Prisons Service on Thursday released the country’s longest-serving security prisoner, Karim Younis, an Arab Israeli jailed for murdering Israel Defense Forces Cpl. Avraham Bromberg in the Golan Heights in 1980.

Under directives from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Younis, who had completed a 40-year jail term, was driven to the Ra’anana central bus station and not released directly from Hadarim Prison, north of Tel Aviv, in order to avoid a “victory picture,” Hebrew media reported.

Younis, who was arrested by Israel in 1983, contacted family members from the junction and received a ride to the Arab Israeli town of ‘Ar’ara, in northern Israel.

He then visited his mother’s grave, stating, “I am prepared to sacrifice another 40 years for the freedom of our people. My consolation is that today prisoners are united against the barbarity of the occupation,” according to Israel National News.

“Until we pass the death penalty for terrorists, I will do everything so that God willing they leave prison in shame,” Ben-Gvir tweeted on Thursday.


Time for Australia to list the IRGC as a terrorist group
Last month, Britain imposed sanctions on the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and reports this week suggest it plans to classify the entire organization as a terrorist entity, triggering further measures. Oved Lobel points out that the group fits all of Australia’s official criteria for designating terrorist groups, and urges Canberra to follow suit:

The IRGC . . . has directly engaged in terrorism across the world and its ideology is explicitly jihadist. It also has strong, decades-long operational links to several groups listed by Australia as terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), al-Qaeda, and Hizballah; indeed, in the case of Hizballah and even PIJ, it’s unclear whether they should even be considered separate groups from the IRGC.

Moreover, both directly and via Hizballah, the IRGC has links to Australia and is a direct threat to Australian interests, be it non-proliferation goals; attacks on maritime shipping; regional destabilization and aggression; terrorism promotion regionally and globally; kidnapping or assassinating regime opponents across the world; piracy and hostage-taking; material support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; human-rights atrocities, and many, many others.

Additionally, the IRGC is intimidating, threatening, and surveilling regime opponents inside Australia itself. Given that the IRGC has attempted to kidnap or assassinate regime opponents in the UK, U.S., Canada, and across the world, and occasionally succeeded, the idea that the same is not happening in Australia is inconceivable. The IRGC poses a direct threat to the lives of Australian citizens and residents, particularly those of Iranian background.

Australia has done too little when it comes to Iran—acting later than our allies and even then only after mounting domestic and external pressure—apparently out of the misguided belief that Iran is far away and not our problem.




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