Monday, February 27, 2023

02/27 Links Pt1: Brothers slain in terror attack laid to rest as parents call for unity amid the pain; PM urges 'not to take law into own hands'; Israeli shot in Jordan Valley terror attack

From Ian:

Orly Goldschmidt (Guardian-UK): Israel Was Hit by 5,000 Palestinian Terror Attacks in 2022. It Has to Defend Itself
An article published in the Guardian days after a Palestinian terrorist murdered seven innocent people near a synagogue in Jerusalem on Holocaust Memorial Day subordinates the value of Israeli lives. The article illustrates a problem in the wider discourse - the denial of, and refusal to accept, Israeli suffering.

In 2022, Israelis suffered from over 5,000 Palestinian terror attacks, including car-rammings, shootings, stabbings and bombings targeting innocent men, women and children on the streets of Israel. This is the reality on the ground.

On 10 February, for example, a Palestinian drove his car into a crowded bus stop, killing three people, including two brothers aged six and eight. Just imagine you or your loved ones falling victim to such abhorrent terror on your way to work.

This is precisely why Israel's counter-terrorism apparatus exists, because without it I dread to think how many more zeros would be added to that 5,000 total.

Israel has shown its desire for peace with the Palestinians throughout the years, including several attempts to sign peace agreements in 1993, 2000, 2008 and 2014, and we continue to reach out for peace.

For peace to happen, there must be recognition from the Palestinian leadership that incitement and violence must end.

The writer is Spokesperson of the Embassy of Israel to the UK.
Learning some painful Mideast history lessons
We have to ask ourselves: Is this experiment of “land for peace” really working?

Another important point: Are these territories “disputed territories” or “Palestinian-occupied territories?”

Alan Baker, former ambassador to Canada and former legal advisor to Israel’s foreign ministry, in a recent presentation by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs stated that although the phrase “Palestinian occupied territories” is accepted parlance, that has no basis in law.

However, it represents the majority of states that voted in favor of hundreds of resolutions, and further stated that “in the agreements between Israel and the Palestinians (the Oslo Accords and the 1995 Interim Agreement), the Palestinians themselves agreed that these are disputed territories that will be agreed upon during final status negotiations.”

Does the world remember the offers in 1936 from the Peel Commission, the November 1947 vote in the United Nations, the 1967 Khartoum Conference, and the offers by Israeli prime ministers Ehud Barak at Camp David in 2000 and Ehud Olmert at Sharm el-Sheik in 2008?

Each one was successively more and more generous, and all were summarily rejected by our Palestinian interlocutors. They didn’t want to share the pie; they wanted the entire thing.

Since the bar was set so high by Barak and PLO chief Yasser Arafat, and Olmert and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, it makes it very difficult for a Palestinian interlocular to accept less. And in all of the years of ensuring terrorism and violence, it makes it extremely hard for an Israeli interlocutor to offer as much or more.

Yet there are many powerful voices in the international community that refuse to learn the lessons of history. They want a precipitance withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, and try to delude themselves into thinking that Israel giving up land will bring peace. They are looking at the current impasse with the Palestinians and, as difficult as this situation is, many want to seize upon a solution—any solution—not realizing the lessons of the Gaza withdrawal or the stream of later rejected offers.

It has become a mantra, a quick and superficial solution that has really proven to be no solution at all—one that emboldens the terrorists and their Iranian sponsor.

Palestinians chose to willfully blind themselves to what their leaders say—of how their leadership from the P.A. on down is guilty of the very worst kind of child abuse by exhorting Muslim children to become shahids, or “martyrs.”

This has taken root within the Palestinian body politic for generations and has only served to radicalize the Palestinian population. It is no wonder that according to a recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, a majority of the Palestinian population in both Gaza and the West Bank (72%) say they are in favor of forming armed groups, such as the Lion’s Den.

It is time we finally examine some of the premises behind our glib and superficial mantras and learn the painful lessons of history.
‘Long Overdue’: Jewish Advocacy Groups Throw Weight Behind Bill Defunding Agency Linked To ‘Antisemitic Propaganda’
Jewish advocacy organizations are backing a bill introduced a bill last earlier this month by Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Republican Sen. James Risch of Idaho that would pause funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) until steps are implemented to ensure that funds are not used to promote antisemitism or potential terrorism.

The bill, titled “The United Nations Relief and Works Agency Accountability and Transparency Act,” would “stop the flow of U.S. taxpayer dollars to this body with a rampant history of anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda and activity,” according to a press release from Roy and Risch. Jewish groups have voiced support for the bill, arguing that the UNRWA is in dire need of accountability.

The UNRWA has been criticized for its social media having “glorified suicide bombers” in the past and its educational curriculum supporting the jihad, according to the Jewish News Syndicate. A non-public report from the State Department found that the department had issued UNRWA with multiple infractions for abetting “armed incursions,” along with “the use of weapons in or near facilities” as well two terrorist tunnels found under UNRWA schools, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO StandWithUs, a non-partisan educational organization that supports Israel and opposes antisemitism, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the bill must be a “bipartisan effort.”


FDD: Israel, Palestinians Reaffirm Need to Work Together
Pushing for Diplomacy
A Jordanian communique issued after the six-hour talks marked an effort to prod the sides back toward past diplomacy on a two-state solution to their conflict. Israel and the PA “affirmed their commitment to all previous agreements between them, and to work towards a just and lasting peace,” the communique said. It further outlined mutual steps “to end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months” while specifying only an Israeli commitment to refrain from announcing new settlement construction or the retroactive authorization of settlement outposts. Israel, for its part, has demanded that the PA cease acting against it at the International Court of Justice or other fora at the United Nations.

Conflicting Messages
Geopolitical realities intruded on the Aqaba meeting before it began, with Palestinian terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad condemning any PA engagement with Israel. While the talks were under way, a Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli brothers in their car in the West Bank. Meanwhile, two partners in the Israeli governing coalition, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, publicly spurned the call to restrain settlement growth — spelling a possible new political crisis for Netanyahu.

The head of Israel’s National Security Council insisted that Jerusalem’s policies would not change. “Contrary to reports about the meeting in Jordan, there is no change in Israel’s policy,” said Tzachi Hanegbi in a Hebrew statement. “In the coming months, Israel will legalize 9 outposts & approve 9,500 new housing units in Judea and Samaria. There is no construction freeze or change in the status quo on the Temple Mount and there is no restriction on IDF activity.”
Israel to curb IDF ops in Judea and Samaria after Jordan meeting—report
Israel agreed on Sunday, during an emergency security meeting between Israel and Palestinian officials in Aqaba, Jordan, to reduce its counter-terror operations in Judea and Samaria.

“We are giving it a chance. We will only act in the face of ticking bombs or an urgent operational need,” said an unnamed senior security officer, according to Ynet.

The meeting, a bid to reduce tensions in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip ahead of Ramadan, was also attended by U.S. and Egyptian representatives.

The Israeli delegation reportedly included Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) head Ronen Bar, with the Palestinian team being led by Palestinian Authority intelligence chief Majed Faraj. The United States was represented by White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk.

“Israel accepted the American offer to participate in the meeting, during which the security representatives from the participating countries will discuss ways to calm tensions in the region ahead of the [Muslim holiday] month of Ramadan,” according to a statement by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

Israeli media quoted a Jordanian official as saying that “the political-security meeting is part of stepped-up ongoing efforts by [Amman] in coordination with the Palestinian Authority and other parties to end unilateral measures [by Israel] and a breakdown that could fuel more violence.”

The meeting comes amid an ongoing Israeli counter-terrorism offensive in Judea and Samaria prompted by a wave of deadly attacks.
Netanyahu denies agreeing to construction freeze at Jordan summit
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied on Sunday that Jerusalem had agreed to halt building activities in Judea and Samaria as part of understandings reached earlier in the day at a security summit with the Palestinians in Jordan.

“Construction in Judea and Samaria will continue in accordance with the original planning and building schedule, without any changes. There is not and will not be any freeze,” said Netanyahu.

The denial came after the Jordanian Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that in addition to Israel and the Palestinian Authority having affirmed the need to “commit to de-escalation on the ground” and work toward a “just and lasting peace,” the Netanyahu government had consented to curbing “settlement” approvals for four to six months.

The statement also said that the two sides had reiterated their commitment to preserving the status quo on the Temple Mount and emphasized the Hashemite Kingdom’s custodianship.

A communique released by the U.S. State Department following the summit also stated that Israel had agreed to halt construction in Judea and Samaria.

“The government of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority confirmed their joint readiness and commitment to immediately work to end unilateral measures for a period of 3-6 months. This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new settlement units for 4 months and to stop authorization of any outposts for 6 months,” read the statement.
Israeli Democracy Rests in the Democratic Spirit of Its People
Although Alan Dershowitz is skeptical about the reforms to the judicial system currently being considered by the Israeli government, he finds the attention they are receiving outside the Jewish state entirely unmerited:
The world paid little attention when left-wing Democrats demanded the packing of the U.S. Supreme Court and limitations on the terms and powers of the justices following the controversial overturning of Roe v. Wade. Even when President Joe Biden appointed a commission to study these issues and make recommendations, the international community ignored it. But the world seems obsessed with the Israeli debate, as it does about so many other issues relating to Israel. This obsession is part of the dangerous double standard that the international community has long imposed on the nation state of the Jewish people.

The international community has little or no stake in the outcome of this debate. It will have little effect, if any, on any peace process or on the Abraham Accords or on Israel’s relationships with other countries.

And what of the dire warnings, exported from the pages of Israeli newspapers to those of the New York Times and the Guardian, that democracy is under threat in the Jewish state? Dershowitz continues:
Democracy produced the new government [now pushing for judicial reform], and democracy produced the protests against it. So much for the fear mongering among those who are telling the world that Israel is on the verge of becoming an autocracy—or in the false and dangerous words of some extremists, that it has already become the Germany of the 1930s. . . . I don’t believe that the Israeli people will easily succumb to the temptations of authoritarianism—and certainly not fascism. They are too independent, opinionated, and ornery. They have chutzpah, in the best sense of that term. More importantly, and more relevant to this discussion, if the pendulum were ever to swing in the direction of fascism—which I do not believe it will—the Supreme Court alone will not save it.
Architects of legal overhaul likened to Hitler as posters backing them are defaced
Amid growing mass protests against the government’s intention to remake the justice system, public posters of the plan’s two architects were defaced Monday with graffiti that likened them to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

The posters are part of a recent campaign supporting the government’s plan, spearheaded by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.

Placed at intersections in major cities, the banners feature images of Levin and Rothman alongside a message that “The nation is with you!” and a claim that “2,304,964 citizens voted in favor of the reform to fix the judiciary” — the number of people who voted for the current coalition parties in the November election.

However, recent surveys have consistently shown that the judicial overhaul push is unpopular, with a large minority among those who voted for the current coalition parties opposing the plan currently being blitzed through.

In Bnei Brak, unknown vandals used black graffiti to draw a mustache and forelock on Levin’s and Rothman’s faces, making them resemble Hitler.

Posters elsewhere were also vandalized. Red graffiti was spray-painted on one in Kfar Saba, stickers and other flyers were placed on one in Givatayim, and reports said others were removed or vandalized as well.


Brothers slain in terror attack laid to rest as parents call for unity amid the pain
The parents of two brothers shot and killed in a terror attack a day earlier spoke Monday of their pain at having to bury their children, and issued a plea for unity among Israelis ahead of their funeral in Jerusalem.

Hallel Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaniv, 19 were killed as they drove through the West Bank Palestinian town of Huwara on Sunday. Their funeral procession set out from the Har Bracha settlement where they lived, and they were laid to rest at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem in the presence of thousands of mourners.

“Words can’t describe this disaster,” their mother, Esti Yaniv, said at a press conference ahead of the funeral. “Instead of accompanying children to the wedding canopy, we need to bury them.”

She called for unity among Israelis, who have recently been deeply divided over government policy.

“People, we are brothers,” she said. “We love the country, we love the army and we want security,” she continued. “The army is everyone’s and we shouldn’t use it for anything political.”

Their father, Shalom, added: “I plead that this is the last such incident. That all the children can marry, have children and build homes.”

“We are trying to accept with love the hard news that God gave us yesterday,” said Rachel Yaniv, the victims’ sister. “This is hard, and this hurts. We are going through not-so-simple times. But we are strong, and the Jewish people have gone through so many other difficult things. I am sure we will be able to bear it.”

At the funeral in Jerusalem, Chief Rabbi David Lau delivered one of the eulogies: “When we are here, next to a fresh grave, how can we possibly be comforted?” he asked.

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, the rabbi of the Har Bracha settlement where the Yaniv family lives, also spoke at the funeral, decrying how Hallel and Yagel, “full of vigor and vitality, were killed for the sanctification of God.” While their lives were cut short, Melamed added, “in the real world, they are very much alive — and the girls and boys who play and are happy around the country are due to their strength.”
The Israel Guys: Say Their Names | What Was Their Crime?
These are only a few of the Israelis who have been killed in the recent months. What was their crime? They chose to believe in the promise God made to them. We cannot forget their names.




Israeli shot in Jordan Valley terror attack, in critical condition
An Israeli man was seriously injured in a shooting attack near the Beit HaArava Junction on Highway 90 in the Jordan Valley on Monday afternoon.

Video from the scene showed the terrorist driving up to the junction and firing at passing cars. A passing car was damaged although no injuries were caused. The terrorist then proceeded to the Mul Nevo area where he shot an Israeli, critically injuring him.

The victim, a man about 25 years old, was transferred to Hadassah Medical Center at Har Zofim in critical condition as paramedics conducted resuscitation efforts.

The terrorist proceeded to drive to the area of the Monastery of Saint George in Wadi Qelt, burned his vehicle and switched to a different vehicle before driving away from the area.

The roads leading to Jericho were closed as Israeli forces searched for the terrorist.

The IDF confirmed the reports of the two interconnected terror attacks near the Beit HaAravah Junction late Monday. It added that it has set up additional checkpoints and positions in the area to check for weapons and suspects. Attacks and military action in Jericho

The attacks took place near the West Bank city of Jericho. In January, a terrorist cell from Jericho attempted to carry out a shooting attack at a restaurant in Vered Yeriho. No people were injured in the attempted attack as the terrorists' weapons jammed.
West Bank: Palestinian Killed in Revenge Riots by Israeli Settlers in Huwara
Israelis and Palestinians clashed on Sunday in the Palestinian town where a terrorist murdered two Jewish Israelis earlier in the day.

There were reports of violent rampages by far-right Israelis targeting Palestinians.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that two were seriously injured, one from a shot in the stomach and the other from a stone hit to the head, following the clashes in Huwara. One of the casualties died of his wounds, the ministry said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog took to Twitter to condemn the violence, saying that taking the law into one’s own hands “is not our way. We must allow the IDF, police, and security forces to apprehend the despicable terrorist and restore order immediately.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a religious ultra-nationalist accused by some of complicity with Jewish extremists, issued a statement to a similar effect, imploring Israelis to resist taking the law in their own hands.

According to Palestinian reports, at least 15 homes sustained damage and over 25 cars were torched.

Earlier on Sunday, a Palestinian terrorist shot dead two Israeli brothers from close range, as the two sat in their vehicle in a traffic jam near a checkpoint.
Settlers take revenge after deadly attack, PM urges 'not to take law into own hands'
Israeli settlers went on a violent rampage in the northern West Bank late Sunday, setting dozens of cars and homes on fire after two settlers were killed by a Palestinian terrorist. Palestinian medics said one man was killed and four others were badly wounded in what appeared to be one of the worst outbursts of settler violence in decades.

The deadly shooting, followed by the late-night rampage, immediately raised doubts about Jordan's declaration that Israeli and Palestinian officials had pledged to calm a year-long wave of violence.

Palestinian media said some 30 homes and cars were torched. Photos and video on social media showed large fires burning throughout the town of Hawara – scene of the deadly shooting earlier in the day – and lighting up the sky.

In one video, crowds of Jewish settlers could be heard reciting the Jewish prayer for the dead as they stared at a building in flames. And earlier, a prominent Israeli Cabinet minister and settler leader had called for Israel to strike "without mercy."

Late Sunday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said a 37-year-old man was shot and killed by Israeli fire. The Palestinian Red Crescent medical service said two other people were shot and wounded, a third person was stabbed and a fourth was beaten with an iron bar. Some 95 others were being treated for tear gas inhalation.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned what he called "the terrorist acts carried out by settlers under the protection of the occupation forces tonight." "We hold the Israeli government fully responsible," he added.

As videos of the violence appeared on evening news shows, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed for calm and urged against vigilante violence. "I ask that when blood is boiling and the spirit is hot, don't take the law into your hands," Netanyahu said in a video statement.
Israel’s Military Says Treating Huwara Riot As ‘a Terror Attack’
During a Monday briefing, an Israeli military official stated that the army was treating the deadly riots in Huwara as a “terror attack.”

The official said that the rioters, inflamed by a Palestinian terror attack that resulted in the death of two Israelis, were “expected on the main road” however they “dispersed around Huwara.” He added: “It was not a good day for us.”

Additionally, the Israeli military official noted that they are on a “manhunt” – both for the terrorist who killed the brothers Hallel Menachem Yaniv and Yigal Yaakov Yaniv and the person who shot and killed Palestinian man Sameh Aktash during the riots. The official clarified that it wasn’t the army that killed Aktash.

During the riots, at least 15 homes sustained damage and over 25 cars were torched, according to Palestinian reports. Additionally, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent medical service, two more individuals were shot, a third person was stabbed, and a fourth person was struck with an iron bar.

A local Palestinian’s home was shown on fire in a video recorded shortly after the incident, which was apparently carried out by settlers. Settlers reportedly also set dozens of additional residences in the town on fire later that evening.
"Huwara Arabs Stunned at Ferocity of Jewish Rage; Biden Administration Not Amused"
Hassan Odeh, 62, who owns a garage in the Arab town of Huwara, south of Shechem, paid a heavy price for the murder of the two Jewish brothers Hallel Menachem and Yagel Yaakov Yaniv, Hy’d, as raging settlers Converged on the scene of the murder. “Dozens of settlers came to the area outside my house, next to the garage,” Odeh told Ynet Monday morning. “I asked all my family members to go up to the roof. The settlers yelled ‘death to the Arabs’ at me, and then they started burning one car after another.”

Ynet reporter Einav Halabi toured the town and described the shock and awe on the faces of local residents.

According to reporter Amichai Stein, citing sources privy to the story, in the last few hours there have been several conversations between American officials and their Israeli counterparts. The Americans expressed their condolences for the attack and the murdered brothers, but also urged Israel to try to calm the settlers who “rioted” in Hawara.

For many long hours, the avenging settlers set fire to houses and vehicles belonging to the residents of Huwara, which is situated on one of the most central roads in Judea and Samaria, Highway 60. According to the Arabs, 95 vehicles were torched as were another 75 houses.


Security forces evacuate Jews who returned to Evyatar after terror attack
Israeli security forces evacuated Evyatar on Monday, after a group of some 450 Jews entered the Samaria outpost on Sunday following a deadly terror attack in the village of Hawara.

Upon their entry to Evyatar, the group said in a statement that “the families of Evyatar and dozens of yeshiva students decided to return tonight to the settlement of Evyatar following the attack in the village of Huwara in which Hillel and Yagel Yaniv were murdered, and after about a year and a half in which the government did not fulfill the agreement it signed with the [former] residents,” according to Channel 12.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the group to be allowed to remain, and for Evyatar to be made an established community. Netanyahu did not accede to the request, according to the report.

Knesset Member Tzvi Sukkot of the Otzma Yehudit Party, one of the founders of Evyatar, spent the night at the abandoned outpost, and visited his old home, which he found had been destroyed.

“The correct response to terrorism is construction and settlement; that is what will deter the vile terrorists and this is how we should respond—including a full return to the settlement of Evyatar today,” he said.

Evyatar was established in May 2021 in response to the killing of Yehuda Guetta, 19, who was shot in a drive-by shooting at a bus stop by a Palestinian terrorist not far from the settlement. What began as a tent encampment quickly gave way to more permanent structures.

However, the 53 families that moved into Evyatar agreed to leave the outpost in a deal with the government, which agreed not to destroy the buildings and to carry out a land survey.

If the survey determined that the land belonged to the state and wasn’t privately owned by local Arabs, preparations for a permanent settlement would begin.


Teen arrested for allegedly posting intention to kill Jews at kibbutz
A 17-year-old was arrested Monday at a kibbutz in northern Israel for allegedly uploading a video to TikTok threatening to kill Jews and praising the terrorist that killed two Israeli brothers in the West Bank town of Huwara on Sunday.

A Beersheba resident who saw the video, in which the suspect threatened to “slaughter” any Jews that visited the popular Asi Stream at Kibbutz Nir David, alerted the police regarding the threats, according to the Ynet news site.

Police later located and arrested the suspect on the the kibbutz premises with the assistance of a helicopter.

According to Hebrew media reports, the suspect did not have his phone with him at the time of his arrest and denied uploading the video. However, police reportedly discovered the phone in nearby bushes.

The suspect, a resident of the central Arab Israeli town of Taybeh, was taken to a local police station for further questioning.

The arrest came a day after two Jewish Israelis were shot dead by a terrorist as they drove through the northern West Bank town of Huwara. In an apparent revenge attack, hundreds of Israeli settlers rampaged violently for hours in the town, setting fire to Palestinian homes and cars.


PreOccupiedTerritory: Centuries Of Arab Antisemitism Explained By Recent Existence Of Israel (satire)
Antipathy across the region for Jews going back at least as far as the sixth century CE can be explained as caused by Zionism in the last 150 years, experts agree.

Commentators and journalists analyzing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict concurred in separate contexts this week that the genocidal antisemitism on display from Palestinian groups, pro-Palestine activists, and Islamic supremacists, all of whom represent a continuation of a murderous hatred going back fourteen centuries, stems from Jewish activity since the 1880’s to reestablish Jewish independence in the ancestral Jewish homeland, which sometimes conflicts with the political or ideological positions of non-Jews in the Middle East.

Several dozen articles, broadcast news reports, and columns in the last seven days gave “Israeli occupation of territories seized in the 1967 Six-Day War” or “Israeli control of areas Palestinians want for a state” as the context for hundreds of Palestinian attempts to attack Jews in and around Israel, thus indicating that the murderous persecution born of permanent Jewish underclass status by Islamic Law since Islamic armies conquered the region in the seventh century and, save for a short stint of Crusader control over parts of the Levant, ruled it until 1917, resulted from repeated Arab failures in the twentieth century and beyond to exterminate Jewish sovereignty.

“Obviously, since more than a thousand years of officially-mandated anti-Jewish discrimination in the Islamic world never appears as a cause in these reports,” explained media analyst Kozen da Fect, “that discrimination and persecution, not to mention occasional massacres, must be a result of, rather than a cause of, widespread hate for Jews in the Middle East. Otherwise, we would expect to see media reports mention the longstanding antisemitism in the region as a factor in the conflict, but they invariably do not.”


Secret Hizbullah Gold Trade in South America Foiled by Israeli Intelligence
A gold smuggling operation between Iran and Venezuela is funding Hizbullah terror activity.

In May, dozens of kilograms of gold were smuggled on an Iranian Mahan Air flight from Venezuela to Tehran. The funds from the smuggled gold were transferred to Hizbullah.

This smuggling ring was uncovered during a joint effort between the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing of Israel (NBCTF) and the Israel Defense Ministry.
Hezbollah-backed terrorists form ‘dozens of cells’ on Syrian border
Hezbollah has established dozens of terrorist cells in southern Syria, just over the Israeli border, composed of local recruits, a Galilee-based defense research group says.

They could soon begin to use drones in operations against Israel, added the Alma Research and Education Center.

The assessment followed the Israel Defense Forces’ Feb. 20 announcement that on Jan. 27, soldiers apprehended two suspects who crossed the Alpha Line from Syria into Israel. The Alpha Line is near the Israeli-Syrian border barrier on the Golan Heights.

One of the suspects, a Syrian named Ei’th Abdollah, “is involved in terrorist activity and intelligence gathering operations in the area of the border in order to promote future terrorist activities,” and is a member of the “Golan File”—the Hezbollah-backed network of terror cells in the area—the IDF said.

“Ei’th was under IDF surveillance in the area of the border and was apprehended during operational activity east of the border fence in an enclave located under Israeli sovereignty, along with another suspect. During the questioning, Ei’th provided information regarding additional terrorist operatives that promote terrorist activities in the area of the border,” the army added.
Locals In South Lebanon: Hizbullah Using Environmental Organization As Cover For Activity Near Israel-Lebanon Border
During the latter half of 2022, there were two incidents of clashes between Christian residents of Rmeish, a town in the Bint Jbeil area of South Lebanon, and activists of the Lebanese NGO Green Without Borders (GWB). One of the clashes involved gunfire.

GWB describes itself as an environmental organization whose mission is to protect and develop the forests and green areas in Lebanon. It is one of several civil society organizations established by Hizbullah that claim to dispense services to the Lebanese public, but in fact serve as fronts for Hizbullah's military and financial activity. Some of the other organizations are Jihad Al-Binaa,[1] Al-Qard Al-Hassan,[2] and Waad Project,[3] which are all designated by the U.S. as having ties with terrorist elements.

Christian residents of Rmeish claim that GWB has illegally taken over their land by leasing it from a local who is a co-owner of the land but who signed the lease without their knowledge or consent. GWB, they say, now treats the land as its own, threatens them, and prevents them from tending their fields, thus depriving them of their livelihood. They assess that its aim is to cause the Christians of the area to leave so as to take over all their land. They also claim that the GWB activists are not involved in protecting the environment but are in fact Hizbullah operatives concerned with security operations, whose presence in the area threatens their safety. They harshly criticize the Lebanese army and authorities, who they claim permit Hizbullah to operate freely in the region.

These claims by the residents corroborate complaints made by Israel to UNIFIL and the UN Security Council in recent years, that GWB serves as a cover for Hizbullah activity on the border. Such activity contravenes Security Council Resolution 1701 from 2006, which prohibits Hizbullah presence in this area. Israel has even bombed GWB facilities near the town of Rmeish, which it suspected were being used to conduct hostile activity.

Although the Security Council did not accept Israel's claim that GWB's presence in the border area is a violation of Resolution 1701, it implicitly mentioned this NGO in Resolution 2650 from August 31, 2022. Concerned with UNIFIL's mission, this resolution states that the Security Council regards "with concern the recent installation of containers along the Blue Line which restrict UNIFIL's access to, or visibility of, the Blue Line."[4]

Using an NGO as a front to consolidate its presence in the border area is not Hizbullah's only method of challenging the authority of the Security Council, UNIFIL and the Lebanese government. In recent years there have been reports of multiple incidents in which Lebanese "civilians" prevented UNIFIL forces from fulfilling their mission.[5] The most recent of them, on December 14, 2022, resulted in the death of an Irish UNIFIL soldier. Although Hizbullah denied any connection to this incident, many in Lebanon hold it responsible.[6]


IRGC Quds Force finances terrorism through money laundering scheme
High-level Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commanders have set up a host of shell companies used to launder money in a scheme that was brought to light by documents obtained by Iran International, a Washington DC-based Persian language news organization.

According to the Iran International report, the documents they obtained outline how IRGC commanders have created fake construction companies in order to funnel money to the regime’s terrorist beneficiaries. The revenue being sent to the extremist organizations primarily originates as revenue collected from Iraq in exchange for legitimate Iranian energy exports.

The term “Quds Force” relates to the Arabic term for Jerusalem, “al-Quds.” Iran, which has a long history of financing Palestinian terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah, designates the laundered money for such groups in the name of “resistance.”

Iran International reports that the Iranian embassy in Iraq is complicit in the laundering scheme.

US position on the IRGC
It is important to note that the US State Department identified the IRGC itself, including the Quds Force, as a foreign terrorist organization. Canada, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain likewise view the IRCG as a terror organization.

Additionally, a number of the individuals and companies highlighted by the report had already been slapped with US sanctions.

Iran International also reported on the IRGC’s money laundering operation in an article published earlier this month. Therein they explain that, as per US sanctions, Tehran is supposed to only be allowed to import medicine and various other essential commodities in exchange for its energy export to Iraq.
Iran's Currency Dips to All-Time Low, Basic Prices Skyrocket
On Feb. 23, Iran's rial currency nosedived to a new record low, trading at 52,650 rials to the dollar.

A sharp increase in food prices has been particularly biting in recent months.

Videos on social media showed protesters chanting against the government as they complained that their incomes were in rials while prices were calculated based on dollars.

After the pro-reform newspaper Sazandegi highlighted skyrocketing meat prices, a government media supervisory body closed the paper for "disturbing public opinion."
Iranian girls are being poisoned to stop them from attending school
Hundreds of girls around Iran have been poisoned in their schools since November, the country's Deputy Health Minister Younes Panahi confirmed to the IRNA state news agency.

"After the poisoning of several students in Qom schools, it was found that some people wanted all schools, especially girls' schools, to be closed. It has been revealed that the chemical compounds used to poison students are not war chemicals, and the poisoned students do not need aggressive treatment, and a large percentage of the chemical agents used are treatable."

The statement came after scores of girls in Qom began to experience respiratory poisoning with several requiring hospital medical treatment.

According to Iran International, the poisoning began in Qom and spread to other cities in the area. At least 14 girls' schools in four different cities have been hit.

Last week, Moalleman News' Telegram account featured a message from a group that calls itself "Devotees of the Supreme," which said that education is forbidden for girls and will only poison them. The message also warned that girls all across Iran would be poisoned if their schools were not shut down.

Two weeks ago, parents of girls who were poisoned gathered outside the Qom's governate to protest against the attacks and urged the government to deal with the phenomena.




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