Monday, February 20, 2023

02/20 Links Pt1: How the Palestinians Lost their Way; US planned to veto UNSC resolution on settlements, PA knew this; IAEA find uranium enriched to 84% purity in Iran

From Ian:

How the Palestinians Lost their Way
From the time Israel was established in 1948, the Palestinians missed many opportunities to make peace. The late Israeli foreign minister Abba Eban put succinctly when he stated: “the Palestinians never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity,” a fact that prevented a multitude of young Palestinians from enjoying the fruits of peace and becoming constructive players in nation-building who are able to take pride in their achievements.

Starting with their refusal to accept the UN partition plan in 1947, the Palestinians have indisputably missed a number of opportunities, but it will suffice to name only a few. Following the Six Day War in 1967, the Palestinians turned down Israel’s offer to return all the territories captured in war in exchange for peace (with the exception of the final status of Jerusalem). In 1977, the Palestinians rejected the invitation to join the Israeli-Egyptian peace negotiations which could have resulted in in an Israeli-Palestinian peace along with the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement signed in 1979.

At Camp David in 2000, the Palestinians missed another historic opportunity and walked away the last minute when a comprehensive agreement was afoot. The most violent uprising—the Second Intifada—that began a few months later stunned the Israelis who concluded that Palestinians are simply not interested in peace. And finally, in 2007-2008 the Palestinians once more walked away from negotiations, this time over a disagreement in connection with percentages of land swaps.

Since then, largely under Netanyahu’s and Abbas’ leadership, no substantive peace negotiations have taken place, and sadly a fourth generation of Palestinians is now flagging between corrupt dictatorial leadership, self-destructive extremism, and no prospect for any meaningful life. Neither the Palestinian Authority nor Hamas have any plans or strategy that will bring an end to the most destructive conflict to which they have subjected their youth for 55 years and counting.

This is how the Palestinians lost their way. As they continue to revel in the illusion that they can destroy Israel, they in fact are sowing the seeds of their own destruction. It’s time to wake up before they forfeit the next generation’s chance to live in peace and realize their dreams and aspirations to prosper in their own country, which they richly deserve if only given the opportunity.
US lawmakers introduce bills to halt flow of American tax dollars to UNRWA
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) formally introduced The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Accountability and Transparency Act on Friday, which aims to stop the flow of American taxpayer dollars to that body.

“UNRWA’s lengthy and detailed history of promoting anti-Semitism, violence and terrorism through ‘educational’ materials, and its continued ties to Hamas, should completely disqualify this corrupt entity from receiving any U.S. taxpayer funding,” said Roy when announcing the bill.

“UNRWA has failed to meet previous commitments to stop its hostility towards Israel, and it is an obstacle to peace. Israel is one of our greatest allies and closest friends; we cannot say we truly stand with them while helping prop up a corrupt organization like this. If our actions do not match our words, then our word means nothing,” he added.

Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a companion bill into that chamber on Wednesday.

UNRWA, which tends to some five million descendants of Arabs displaced in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, employs those affiliated with Hamas, and its schools have been used by the Palestinian terrorist group to store weapons and promote anti-Semitic propaganda.

The Trump Administration cut off U.S. funding to UNRWA in 2018, a move that the Biden administration reversed.

The bills would require reforms of UNRWA before any U.S. taxpayer dollars are directed to the organization. Specifically, the Biden administration would need to certify that:
• No UNRWA employee is a member of a terrorist organization such as Hamas or Hezbollah, or has advocated terrorist activity, or propagated anti-American, anti-Israel, or anti-Semitic rhetoric.
• No UNRWA infrastructure or resource is being used by terrorist organizations.
• UNRWA is subject to a comprehensive financial audit and has implemented a system of vetting and oversight to prevent any diversion of UNRWA resources to terrorist organizations.
• No UNRWA school or facility uses textbooks or other educational materials to disseminate anti-American, anti-Israel, or anti-Semitic rhetoric.
• No recipient of UNRWA funds is a member or affiliate of a foreign terrorist organization.
• UNRWA holds no affiliations with financial institutions that the United States deems or believes to be complicit in financing terrorism.
Inside schools in east Jerusalem: How hate is taught
What is happening inside schools in east Jerusalem? Witnesses came to speak with Israel Hayom to expose the environment in which students are taught in the eastern part of the capital. While they are not directly inciting terror, the environment in which students are taught in some schools raises difficult questions.

"Teachers sit in the teachers' room quite contently after terrorist attacks. They aren't concerned about the death of Israelis, and some of them even say 'hopefully the wounded will die'. There are others that do not publicly express joy, but in their hearts, they are happy – or at the very least, they just don't care," says one teacher who has taught for the last decade in a school in the eastern part of the city.

"Many teachers identify with the Palestinian cause. Israel's existence is a technicality for them, that they put up with as they have no choice, but they do not feel any sentiment towards Israel. You might even overhear a teacher in the hallway say to him or herself 'may God free us from the occupation, Israel must disappear'," the teacher adds.

"There are also extremist teachers teaching Islam in a way that brainwashes children, and the message that the students receive is that it's okay to persecute Jews", the teacher explains. "For example, a mathematics teacher who decides to devote the last 15 minutes of class every day to teach religion. Some will say to the kids: Don't watch television, it's against Islam. Some of these teachers support the Arab Liberation Front – a movement of radical Islam."

Not all these movements directly incite violence. However, none of these movements encourage the students to look at Israel as a partner instead of an enemy. Another teacher that taught at a girls' school in east Jerusalem explains "teachers did not discuss politics in the classroom because classes were supervised, and it is forbidden. Any teacher that does that knows that he or she is putting his or her job at risk."


Israel: US planned to veto UNSC resolution on settlements, PA knew this
The United States planned to veto the United Nations Security Council resolution against settlements and as a result, the Palestinian Authority pulled the text, Israel’s National Security Advisor Tzahi HaNegbi said on Monday.

“I think the Palestinians understood from the discussion with the administration that they are not going to gain anything from this effort because it will be vetoed,” HaNegbi said in a conversation with The Jerusalem Post’s Editor-in-Chief Yaakov Katz.

HaNegbi spoke at the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish-American Organizations hours before the UNSC is scheduled to hold its monthly meeting in New York on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The United Arab Emirates, which holds a rotating UNSC council seat, had been expected to push forward a resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity after Israel’s security cabinet authorized the transformation of ten West Bank outposts into nine new settlements.

The United States holds one of five permanent seats on the council and had the power to veto the resolution, but it had preferred to sway the PA not to push forward with the matter.

On Sunday at the PA’s request, the UAE pulled the text. The UNSC is now expected to issue a statement, with the US agreement.


Israel to US: we won't authorize new settlements in coming months
Israel does not intend to authorize any more new settlements in Area C in the West Bank in the next few months, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office told the United States on Monday.

The pledge, which is likely to create a coalition nightmare for Netanyahu, was made after the security cabinet legalized nine West Bank outposts earlier this month, transforming them into nine new settlements.

The move was taken in response to the terror attacks in Jerusalem, which have claimed at least 11 lives in the last month.

But even before the attacks, Netanyahu’s coalition deal with the Religious Zionist Party included a promise to authorize some 70 illegal outposts, although many of them are expected to become neighborhoods of existing settlements rather than new settlements.


Honest Reporting: Israel’s Legalization of Outposts and Settlement Construction: An Explainer
The Israeli cabinet recently voted in favor of the legalization of ten West Bank outposts as well as the advancing of plans for 10,000 new homes in already-existing West Bank Jewish communities.

Coverage in international media outlets, including the BBC, AP, The Guardian, and Reuters, failed to provide the proper context and vital information necessary to fully understand the Israeli government’s decision.

The Ten Outposts: A Guide
In the West Bank, a Jewish community that has been established without the recognition or permission of the Israeli government is referred to as an “outpost.”

Outposts sprang up in the early 1990s after Israel, as part of the Oslo peace process, froze the construction of new Jewish communities in the West Bank, leading to ideologically driven settlers taking unilateral measures to build in the region.

Outposts can range in size from a few families to hundreds of people. Most are composed of caravan homes (that may not be connected to basic Israeli services like electricity and water) while some feature more advanced dwellings.

As they were built without the permission of the Israeli government, all outposts are threatened with evacuation and destruction by the Israeli authorities.

The vote to legalize ten outposts now begins the process of granting them official recognition by the state. This will protect them from destruction, connect them to basic Israeli infrastructure, and allow their residents to build permanent homes.

With over 100 outposts dotting the West Bank, these specific outposts seem to have been chosen for legalization as the majority are located near established settlements and many were previously slated for legalization.


Israeli Minister Tells US Envoy to ‘Mind his Business’ on Judicial Reforms
Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli rebuked US Ambassador Tom Nides on Sunday, after the American envoy jumped into the debate over Jerusalem’s proposed judicial reform package.

“I say to the American ambassador, slam the breaks on yourself and mind your own business,” said Chikli regarding Nides’s call for the Israeli government to modify its initiative. “You’re not the sovereign here. We’d be happy to debate with you international or security affairs, but respect our democracy,” he added.

“The relationship with the United States is very important, but this intervention by Nides is very problematic,” said Chikli.

Chikli’s remarks came after Nides told former Obama administration official David Axelrod during a podcast interview that the Biden administration was demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “pump the brakes” on the judicial reforms.

“We’re telling the prime minister—as I tell my kids—‘pump the brakes, slow down, try to get a consensus, bring the parties together,’” said Nides. While the United States was not going to “dictate” to Israel how to conduct its internal affairs, Nides qualified that “the one thing that binds our countries together is a sense of democracy.”

Last week, US President Joe Biden weighed in on the showdown taking place in Israel over the government’s judicial reform plan.

In reply to a question from The New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, Biden said that for any fundamental change to be sustainable, consensus was required.
Protest leaders are trampling Israeli democracy, not me, Netanyahu says
The leaders of the protests against the government's proposed judicial reforms are trampling democracy by not allowing Israel's elected representatives carry out their policy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a statement to the press ahead of his Likud Party's weekly faction meeting on Monday.

"They do not accept the outcome of the election, they do not accept the majority's decision, they do not condemn calls to kill the prime minister and his family, they block roads and call for civil disobedience, they call without shame for a civil war and for blood in the streets, they threaten Knesset members aggressively," Netanyahu said.

"You talk above our heads in high terms of values, the rights of minorities and individuals, while they are trampling to dust the rights of a girl with special needs and the rights of an elected representative," the prime minister added, referring to protestor's attempt early Monday morning to block Likud MK Tali Gottlieb from leaving her home in the morning with her daughter.

"This is what new Israeli democracy looks like"

Netanyahu then criticized the fact that the attorney general barred him from speaking publicly about the reforms due to his conflict-of-interest agreement regarding his ongoing criminal charges.

"This is what the new Israeli democracy looks like: Do not respect the majority, try to block votes, do not allow speech.
Protesters harass lawmakers outside their homes ahead of Knesset vote on judicial reforms
Protesters harassed several Israeli coalition lawmakers outside their homes on Monday in a bid to block them from reaching the Knesset, where the first bill in the government’s judicial reform package was set for the first of three readings required to pass into law.

In one instance, members of the Ahim L’Neshek (Brothers in Arms) group blocked the car of Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party) in the town of Pnei Kedem, located in the Gush Etzion region just south of Jerusalem.

Concurrently, demonstrators from the Block the Revolution organization surrounded the apartment of MK Tally Gotliv (Likud) in Givat Shmuel, linking arms to prevent her from exiting.

Police were called to the scene and dispersed the protesters.

“These are predators,” said Gotliv after finally arriving at parliament. “You can’t come to a person’s home and tell them they can’t leave—that’s anarchy. You will not harm the right to privacy in the name of a demonstration,” she said, adding, “Had it come to violence I cannot defend myself.”


JPost Editorial: Israel must stand with Ukraine against Russian, Iranian aggression
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Ukraine last week, sending a message that Israel stands with the country, which was invaded by Russia a year ago this week.

This important trip was the first by a senior Israeli official to the war-struck country since the start of the hostilities and marks an important change in stance.

When Russia invaded Ukraine last year, there were obvious reasons that Israel needed to take extra care in its response. The fact that Russia is firmly entrenched in Syria means that from a security point of view, Israel needs to be coordinated with Russia – Israeli-reported actions over Syrian airspace primarily aimed at preventing the transfer of Iranian arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon need to avoid accidentally hitting Russian assets or personnel and to ensure that Russia doesn’t fire on Israeli aircraft.

There was a genuine fear that with Russia on the border, taking an open stand in favor of Ukraine and supplying it with weapons could basically open a war front with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The situation today is not the same, however. Putin clearly thought he would be able easily invade Ukraine, take over Kyiv, and remove Zelensky.

He was proven wrong.


The New Honeymoon between Israel and Turkey
Turkey expressed great appreciation to Israel for the humanitarian aid it provided following the earthquake and promised to upgrade relations between the two countries.

Several international medical and rescue teams, including Israel’s, left Turkey earlier than planned because of an undisclosed “security situation.” In May 2022, Israeli citizens were warned of an Iranian attack targeting Israelis in Turkey.

The military wing of Hamas continues to operate from Istanbul and direct attacks against Israel. The serious test of the new relations between Israel and Turkey will be during the month of Ramadan.
Netanyahu to Nasrallah: Don't Count on a Civil War in Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday: "I heard the remarks by Hizbullah [leader Nasrallah]...when he...said with satisfaction that a civil war in Israel is approaching. Therefore, I say to Nasrallah: Don't count on a civil war. It will not happen."

"It will not happen because we are indeed brothers. It will not happen because what Nasrallah does not understand is that we are a living democracy. In a democracy, there are differences of opinion and debates....There will be no civil war because we always remember that we have fought shoulder-to-shoulder to defend our state and build our land."

"At this opportunity, I am pleased to disappoint our enemies and also reassure our friends: Israel is, and will remain, a strong, vibrant and independent democracy."
IDF announces arrest of terrorist from Hezbollah’s ‘Golan File’ unit
The Israel Defense Forces late last month arrested two people, including an operative from the “Golan File” unit, who crossed from Syria into Israeli territory, the military cleared for publication on Monday.

The Golan File unit is a branch of the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist group that operates in southern Syria. Israel has long accused Tehran and its proxies of trying to entrench themselves militarily in the area and launch attacks against the Jewish state.

The arrests were made on the Golan Heights on Jan. 27, after the suspects had crossed the Alpha Line east of the border fence separating Syria from Israel, said the IDF.

The counter-terrorism operation was carried out thanks to substantial intelligence efforts, the military added.

During questioning, it emerged that one of the suspects, Ei’th Abdollah, was involved in gathering information in the border area to be used in future terrorist activities.

Abdollah was under IDF surveillance and has since provided information regarding additional terrorist operatives in the area.


Seth Frantzman: Will Palestinian Authority focus on illegal weapons in Jenin?
The Palestinian Authority is looking to send security forces to “enforce law and order in Jenin,” according to a Palestinian official quoted by Jerusalem Post reporter Khaled Abu Toameh.

A different report at Axios noted that “the Palestinians agreed to start implementing the security plan put forward by the US security coordinator Lt. Gen. Michael Fenzel to restore Palestinian Authority control in the West Bank cities of Jenin and Nablus.”

This is an important initiative. If it actually happens – depending on how robust and long-term it is – it could be a key moment for American support of the Palestinian security forces. According to reports, this is part of a wider discussion between the US, Israel, the Palestinians and the UN Security Council.

Gun violence
The status of security in the West Bank depends on the PA’s ability to reduce gun violence and the rise of armed groups that have plagued the area for the past year.

Focusing on the illegal weapons trade in the West Bank is one way to stem the violence. This likely requires more coordination with Israel and prioritizing the issue.

Over the past year, young men gained access to weapons, particularly M-16s. They have been affiliated with either Islamic Jihad, the Lions’ Den or were working alone.

The presence of so many armed groups, from different factions of Palestinian movements, shows how great the challenge is to the PA – gaining control over scattered groups, a growing generation of armed men linked to Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah.


Israel Stepping Up Talks with Saudi Arabia over Ties to Combat Iran
Israel has stepped up U.S.-backed talks with Saudi Arabia on developing closer military and intelligence ties in light of growing concerns about Iran.

"We think that other regions integrating and beginning to sit at the same table with Israel is in the interest of stability and security in the region," U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Dana Stroul said in Riyadh on Monday.

"They have contacts all the time, accelerated to an extent, though I would not overplay it," said Ehud Yaari, an Israel-based fellow of The Washington Institute.

The two sides have "fairly convenient lines of communication on intelligence and air defense."
UN inspectors find uranium enriched to 84% purity in Iran
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors last week detected uranium enriched to 84% purity in Iran, just below the 90 per cent level needed for nuclear weapons, Bloomberg reported on Sunday.

The report, citing two senior diplomats, said the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog was trying to clarify how Tehran accumulated the material, which is at the highest level of purity found by monitors in the country to date.

Iran previously told the IAEA that its centrifuges were configured to enrich uranium to 60 per cent purity.

Earlier this month, the IAEA chastised the Islamic Republic for modifying the connection between the two groups of high-tech machines at its Fordow plant that enrich uranium to up to 60 per cent purity.

The modification was discovered during an unannounced inspection on Jan. 21 at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), a location built into a mountain where inspectors are beefing up checks after Iran said it would drastically increase enrichment.

In a confidential report to member states obtained by Reuters, the IAEA stated that “they were interconnected in a way that was substantially different from the mode of operation declared by Iran.”

It was unclear exactly where the 84 per cent enriched uranium was found.




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