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Monday, March 20, 2023

03/20 Links Pt1: The protest movement can’t unravel the thread of Israel’s unique tapestry; Tel Aviv terror victim Or Eshkar succumbs to wounds; Israel's Targeted Counter-Terror Raids Contrast with Wanton Palestinian Attacks

From Ian:

Ruthie Blum: The protest movement can’t unravel the thread of Israel’s unique tapestry
Observers at home and abroad of the current crisis fear—or hope—that Israel is headed for a full-fledged civil war. Hearing members of Israel’s military and other security forces join the fray by announcing their refusal to fulfill their duties causes them to consider this a real possibility; watching thousands of Israelis march to the beat of former prime ministers and defense officials calling on foreign governments to censure Netanyahu will do that.

What the ill-wishers purposely obfuscate, and the pearl-clutchers don’t take into account, is the way in which average citizens are going about their daily lives behind the lens of TV news cameras. This is certainly true of citizens who have little interest in and no clue about how the branches of government operate. But even activists are hard to discern at supermarket check-out lines and bus stops.

On Thursday night, for instance, as the so-called “Day of Resistance” came to a close, every trendy restaurant, bar and nightclub in the White City was packed to the brim with millennials eating, drinking and making merry. When I pointed this out to a friend, she quipped: “All that demonstrating must have made them hungry and thirsty.”

It’s unclear, though, whether this particular crowd—munching happily on shrimp and pork—had taken part in the protests at all. In fact, according to a recent Direct Polls survey, the civil “unrest” is populated mainly by silver-haired boomers. You know, the ones who think they’re at Woodstock or something.

In a lopsided debate (what else is new?) with two left-wingers, I cited this example of the “life goes on” resilience that’s characteristic of Israelis in the face of adversity. Their response was that the people I was referring to won’t be able to be out enjoying themselves, and certainly not in non-kosher establishments, if the government clips the wings of the Supreme Court.

Sigh.

“Ok,” I said. “So, you and the rest of the protesters can try to change the situation during the next elections.”

Their humorless answer was hilarious. If the judicial reforms proceed, they argued, elections will be banned.

It was a ludicrous pronouncement that Opposition leader Yair Lapid had made several days earlier. It’s baseless hype that he and the pundits parroting him know to be nonsense.

Despite the damage they’re doing to Israel’s standing and security, the one thing they won’t be able to shake is the underlying health of a society that cares deeply about preserving Judaism, Zionism and—yes—popular culture. Faith in this unique blend, which the over-reaching judiciary has been attempting to dilute, is what the majority reasserted at the ballot box on Nov. 1.

Voters must not be bullied into forgetting it. It’s no accident, after all, that Israel just ranked No. 4 in the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network report on world happiness.
Lapid: I believe High Court will rule against law that gives coalition control of justices; not sure we’ll still have a country on 75th anniversary
At a faction meeting of his Yesh Atid party in the Knesset, opposition leader Yair Lapid decries the coalition’s fast-moving “hostile takeover of the judicial system.”

Regarding the coalition’s updated legislation that gives it the right to fill the first two empty High Court justice seats in each Knesset session, and heavy sway over any after the first two, Lapid notes: “If they control the justices, there is no separation of powers. There is no independent judiciary. Israel is not a democracy.”

If the law passes, as the coalition vowed late Sunday would happen before the Knesset’s Passover recess, “we’ll go to the High Court,” Lapid says.

“If it passes, Israel stops being a democracy. We won’t let this happen. The liberal camp simply will not live in an Israel that is not a democracy. Hundreds of thousands of patriots will continue to take to the streets.”

He says the opposition is prepared to debate judicial reform on the basis of President Herzog’s alternative proposal.

“If the coalition wants to stop the destruction of the economy, the harm to security, the collapse of Israel’s international standing,” and the internal rift, Lapid says, it must stop the legislation. “Then we can talk — about a constitution based on the Declaration of Independence.”
Netanyahu, Biden discuss Huwara shooting, judicial reform, Iran threat
With respect to the Israeli government’s effort to reform the judiciary, Biden “underscored his belief that democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship, that democratic societies are strengthened by genuine checks and balances, and that fundamental changes should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support,” said the statement.

He furthermore offered support “for efforts underway to forge a compromise on proposed judicial reforms consistent with those core principles,” it added.

For his part, Netanyahu told the American president that “Israel was, and will remain, a strong and vibrant democracy.”

Finally, Biden expressed his “unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and the ongoing cooperation between [U.S. and Israeli] national security teams, including to counter all threats posed by Iran.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency recently confirmed in a report that its inspectors had found particles of uranium enriched to 83.7 percent at Iran’s underground nuclear site in Fordow.

In response, Netanyahu said that history has shown that in the absence of a credible military threat or actual military action, Iran will become a nuclear power.

“The longer you wait, the harder that becomes [to prevent]. We’ve waited very long. I can tell you that I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. That is not merely an Israeli interest; it’s an American interest; it’s in the interest of the entire world,” he said.

During their call, Netanyahu thanked Biden for his commitment to upholding Israel’s security.

The leaders agreed to stay in regular contact over the coming weeks.
Biden Lectures Netanyahu on Judicial Reform — After Launching His Own Court-Packing Commission
President Joe Biden has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against pursuing judicial reform — after his own administration considered a radical proposal to pack the Supreme Court with liberal justices.

The Times of Israel reports that Biden “raised his concerns with the judicial overhaul being advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government during a ‘candid and constructive’ phone call” on Sunday.

The article fails to note that Biden entertained his own, far more radical, proposals to change the U.S. judiciary after Democrats grew irate at the increasingly conservative composition of the Supreme Court after 2018.

For months, Democratic Party presidential candidates pushed proposals to “pack” the Supreme Court by adding four extra seats, then having the president nominate left-wing justices whom the Senate would confirm.

Biden dropped his former objections to such ideas and promised to consider them. He appointed a commission to consider the idea of court-packing, among other reforms, and it delivered its draft final report in 2021.

The commission warned that the benefits of packing the court were “uncertain.” However, Democrats — led by then-House Judiciary Committee chair Jerry Nadler (D-NY) — had already introduced legislation on the idea.

Ironically, Nadler has led Democrats in objecting to Israel’s judicial reforms. (He was joined by Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois, who claims to be pro-Israel when campaigning among Jewish constituents in his district.)


Israeli judicial overhaul threatens to rip society apart
Dr. Michael Oren, Professor Emeritus Moshe Zimmermann, and Likud Libertarian Caucus Head Amir Weitmann discuss the judicial reforms and whether this is fracturing Israeli society.


MK Danny Danon on Huwara terror attack, judicial reform

Netanyahu's gov't revived Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, PA official says
Palestinian officials on Monday expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the security summit with Israel in the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh, while Hamas and other Palestinian factions continued to criticize the Palestinian Authority for participating in the gathering, held under the auspices of the US Representatives of Jordan and Egypt also took part in the summit.

One Palestinian official said the results of Sunday’s Sharm El-Sheikh summit, as well as the previous summit held in Jordan’s Aqaba resort city on February 26, “show that the Palestinians can work with the government of [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu.” PA officials on the status of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process

The official told The Jerusalem Post that the “peace process between Israel and the Palestinians has effectively been revived through the two summits.”

He pointed out that the previous government of Naftali Bennet and Yair Lapid had refused to conduct any political negotiations with the Palestinians, keeping the contacts limited to security matters.

PLO Executive Committee Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh, who headed the Palestinian delegation to Sunday’s summit, said the negotiations were “characterized by difficulty in the face of the Palestinian delegation’s firm position by refusing to engage in any security or economic path before reaching a political agreement where Israel is committed to stopping all unilateral measures.”

Sheikh, however, pointed out that “there has been progress in some issues and tracks, and there are still some disputed files.”

He did not provide further details regarding the reported progress and differences.
Israel affirms brief halting of new settlement at Egypt security summit
Israel reaffirmed its brief suspension of new West Bank settlement announcements at the quintet meeting of the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the United States in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday.

“The Government of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority reaffirmed their joint readiness and commitment to immediate work to end unilateral measure for a period of three to six months,” the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a communiqué summarizing the conclusions of the meeting.

“This includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussion of any new settlement units for four months and to stop authorization of any outposts for six months,” the communique said.

Israel had already pledged to take this step at the quintet meeting in Aqaba, Jordan, in February and reaffirmed it on Sunday.

Violence expected to rise during Ramadan
The five governments gathered first on February 26 in Aqaba and then in Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday to discuss ways to prevent an upsurge of violence in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem during Ramadan, which begins this week.

Both quintet meetings were marred by terrorist attacks in the West Bank town of Huwara. On February 26, a Hamas terrorist fatally shot two Israeli brothers as they drove on Route 60 in Huwara. On Sunday, as officials from all five governments held talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, a terrorist shot and wounded an Israeli-American couple near the same location.

The quintet agreed to “establish a mechanism to curb and counter-violence, incitement and inflammatory statements and actions,” it said. There would also be a mechanism to help improve the Palestinian Authority’s economic situation, it added.
Israel, Palestinian Authority summit at Egypt analyzed

Palestinian Authority PM pans Smotrich for saying his people doesn’t exist
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Monday that remarks from a senior Israeli minister denying the existence of a Palestinian people is evidence of what he called the “racist ideology” governing Israel.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had said that the Palestinian people were “an invention” from the last century and that people like himself and his grandparents were the “real Palestinians.”

Shtayyeh, responding at the start of a government meeting in Ramallah, said Smotrich’s “inflammatory” remarks demonstrate the “extremist, racist, Zionist ideology that governs the current Israeli government,” according to the PA’s official Wafa news agency.

Shtayyeh further claimed that antiquities and history prove the tie between the Palestinian people and the land “since the dawn of human history,” the report said.

The Palestinian people “are not shaken by the statements of the falsifiers of history and their false claims,” he declared.

“We are the ones who gave Palestine its name and the land, its value and status,” Shtayyeh said. “This land is ours, and Israel is a colonial state established by the colonialists and settlers.”

Speaking in Paris at a private memorial service for prominent Likud activist and Jewish Agency board member Jacques Kupfer, Smotrich said Sunday there was “no such thing as Palestinians because there’s no such thing as the Palestinian people,” a comment that was met with applause and cheers from attendees, as seen in a video from the event posted online.

“Do you know who the Palestinians are?” asked the head of the ultranationalist Religious Zionism party as he stood at a podium bearing a map of “Greater Israel” that included the territory of modern-day Jordan, as well as the West Bank, in accordance with hardline aspirations by some early Zionist groups.

“I’m Palestinian,” he said, also mentioning his grandmother who was born in the northern Israeli town of Metula 100 years ago, and his grandfather, a 13th-generation Jerusalemite, as the “real Palestinians.”
NGO Monitor: FAQs: The International Court of Justice and the Question of Israel
What happened in November and December 2022?
On November 11, 2022 the 4th committee of the UNGA voted to pass a resolution to request an advisory opinion from the ICJ regarding Israel’s “occupation of Palestine.” The vote passed with 98 votes in favor, 17 votes against, and 52 abstensions.

In December 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted this resolution, asking the ICJ to provide an advisory opinion on the “Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory ,including East Jerusalem.”

The ICJ is charged with addressing two questions:
“What are the legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, from its prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures?”
“How do the policies and practices of Israel referred to in paragraph 18 (a) above affect the legal status of the occupation, and what are the legal consequences that arise for all States and the United Nations from this status?”

Third-state responsibility will be a key feature of the opinion and will be used to bolster BDS campaigns.

What was the role of the UN Commission of Inquiry in the UNGA vote?
In October 2022, the COI issued a report, which was presented to the General Assembly on 27 October. The COI recommended that the UNGA urgently request ICJ intervention on the “legal consequences of the continued refusal on the part of Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, amounting to de facto annexation, of policies employed to achieve this, and of the refusal on the part of Israel to respect the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and on the obligations of third States and the UN to ensure respect for international law.”

The COI welcomed the passage of the resolution, stating that “The Commission considers that a definitive clarification of the legal consequences of Israel’s refusal to end the occupation, and what the obligation of third parties to ensure respect for international law are, will be crucial to member States and the UN in considering what further measures should be adopted to ensure full compliance with international law.”

What NGOs have been involved in the ICJ campaign and who funds them?
There are many international, Israeli, and Palestinian NGOs involved in the campaign to use the ICJ against Israel. These NGOs have been a central part of the Palestinian campaign to exploit international institutions and legal bodies to “internationalize” its conflict with Israel. Unsurprisingly, these European-funded NGOs have also been seeking the prosecution of Israeli officials at the ICC and in some cases have received EU and European-government funding to do so. Some of these groups also promote antisemitic rhetoric and have alleged ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) – a designated terrorist organization by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel. (See NGO Monitor’s report “The Role of NGOs in Supporting the International Court of Justice Case Targeting Israel.”)

What are the next steps for the Court?
On February 8, 2022, the ICJ issued a press release noting that it will take information from UN Member States, including the observer “State of Palestine”, on the “legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.” The deadline for submission will be July 25, 2023.

As with the 2004 “Wall” case, the resulting opinion will almost surely be crafted to downplay Palestinian responsibility and culpability for the conflict, minimize and even erase the context of terrorism, and will be worded in such a way that it can be specifically utilized by the ICC to target Israelis.
Is Putin's arrest warrant by the ICC a warning to Israel?



US can counter China in the Middle East with Abraham Accords free trade - opinion
IN ORDER to counter China’s economic influence and promote a regional trade order favorable to the US and its partners, the US should work to establish an Abraham Accords free trade area, with the eventual goal of both expanding the accords and establishing a broader Middle East free trade area by the end of the decade.

In order to make such a free trade area a reality, the US and accord members should map the complex array of barriers and impediments to integration and provide options to address each. The US trade representative (USTR) should convene trade ministers and appropriate counterparts from Abraham Accord member nations, potentially in the framework of the Negev Forum, to discuss the potential benefits, parameters and an incremental approach to establishing a free trade area by 2025.

These discussions could build upon the first Trade and Investment Forum convened by the Abraham Accords Peace Institute in December 2021, which brought together senior public and private decision-makers from the Abraham Accord countries to assess economic progress, prioritize strategies to optimize trade and investment and advance multilateral initiatives to realize the full potential of the Abraham Accords.

The USTR should also complete free trade agreements with Abraham Accord members who do not already enjoy their benefits, as well as with other key regional allies, such as Saudi Arabia. Having done so, the dividends of cumulation could be leveraged. European and Asian trading partners should also meet to consider how their own constellation of trade agreements can create mutually-beneficial synergies with the countries of the Abraham Accords.

Building upon past efforts at economic integration, driven by the Abraham Accords’ spirit of mutually-beneficial cooperation and informed by the need to counter malign Chinese activities, a US-led Abraham Accords free trade area could help ensure a regional future of prosperity and peace. Now is the time to turn this vision into a reality.
Israeli-Saudi Intelligence Ties Stirred, Not Shaken by Iran Rapprochement
"The clandestine Saudi intelligence relationship with Israel dates to the early 1960s and has survived many upheavals in the region," said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA Middle East analyst. "It will continue quietly, despite the Saudi-Iran deal to restore diplomatic relations." Since Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman effectively took power in 2016, the kingdom's intelligence relationship with the Mossad has deepened exponentially.

In November 2020, the Mossad reportedly tipped off Saudi Arabia about an imminent Iranian attack on its embassy in The Hague, enabling the Saudis to take precautions and avoid suffering any casualties. Last May, Ha'aretz reported that over the preceding decade, several senior Israeli officials, including two Mossad directors, a defense minister and two national security advisers, secretly visited Saudi Arabia for talks with senior Saudi officials. Since then, the Saudi prince has met unofficially with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

James Spencer, a former British military intelligence officer, stresses that the Saudi-Iran competition for influence will remain, resulting in a cold peace rather than warm relations. "So the need for their intelligence relationship will remain, he said, referring to the Saudis and Israelis. "They will absolutely continue to collaborate against Islamist terrorism, and their collaboration will most likely continue on nuclear issues....There will be cooperation where there is mutual interest."
What was behind the Saudi detente with Iran?

Israeli racecar driver 'makes history' in Saudi Arabia - latest sports news from Middle East

Morocco is key to bolstering the Abraham Accords - opinion
Morocco is a natural partner
Morocco is a natural partner and unique in being culturally and strategically attuned to the importance of relations with Israel, which boasts a significant Moroccan Jewish Diaspora. It sits at the geographic nexus of several threats, from terrorism to China’s economic predation, which continues to spread and peel would-be partners away from the American and European orbits.

Morocco, therefore, has not only unique strengths but also a unique responsibility to help our allies understand and holistically address shared threats. The country should begin by reexamining its relationship with China. As a prime example, a year ago, Morocco became the first North African nation to sign an implementation plan for China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Furthermore, Morocco continues to elevate the Palestinian cause of statehood despite the lack of accountability for the Palestinian Authority’s decisions to reward terrorist activities. One year after joining the Abraham Accords, Morocco sought to restart negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, boasting of its “total solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

These are just two milestones Morocco could work on to make its solidarity and alignment with the US and our allies on shared priorities clear even when times are not. By doing so, Morocco can become a key asset in bolstering the Abraham Accords and navigating uncertainty in the region.
Report: Foreign Ministry weighing firing Noa Tishby as antisemitism envoy due to overhaul criticism
The Foreign Ministry is reportedly weighing cutting ties with its antisemitism envoy, Noa Tishby, after she spoke out repeatedly against the government’s planned judicial overhaul.

According to Ynet, the ministry is considering firing Tishby from the position, which was created for her by Yair Lapid when he was foreign minister last year.

The unpaid position was the first of its kind and did not require cabinet approval.
Israel's Targeted Counter-Terror Raids Contrast with Wanton Palestinian Attacks
Terrorism originating from the West Bank soared in 2022, according to a comprehensive analysis released in January by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. Attacks by Palestinians from the West Bank increased 62% in 2002, killing 31 Israelis. Four Israelis were killed in 2021 attacks.

Israel launched "Operation Break the Wave" a year ago to try to curb these attacks. Security forces made more than 2,600 terrorism-related arrests, seized 493 weapons, and shut down 14 weapons manufacturing workshops. These raids often led to deadly confrontations. Israeli security forces killed 154 Palestinians in 2022, identifying 130 who were involved in terrorist activity.

The Center's report noted that the Palestinian Authority continues to foster a "martyrdom culture." It "continued encouraging popular terrorism, what they refer to as 'peaceful popular resistance.' It includes hard core and often fatal violence, and is not, as Palestinian leadership rhetoric claims, or as the PA represents it to the West, in any way 'peaceful.'...The PA praises the terrorist operatives and gives their families special treatment, including financial support."

Palestinian media often deliberately twists reality to further incite the killings of Jews by turning the terrorist into the victim and turning the victim into the terrorist. Rather than report the truth that a Palestinian was killed ramming a car into Israelis, or was shot stabbing an Israeli civilian, Palestinians are told the Israelis "executed" an innocent person.

Western governments deliberately turn a blind eye to decades of Palestinian institutional incitement to carry out terrorist atrocities against Jews and provide payouts of massive financial rewards to those who do. They have an ideological anti-Israeli bias that does not hold the Palestinians to any standard.
Israel's National Security Council issues travel warnings ahead of Passover
The NSC travel warning range from level one to level four, with one being "No warning, normal precautions are recommended," and four being "High threat level, do not come to this country, and in case you are staying, leave as soon as possible."

In cases of a level two threat, visitors are advised to take increased precautions, and a level three threat means that non-essential travel should be avoided.

According to the latest NSC recommendations, countries including Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Mali are all level four threats, and Sudan, Egypt and Turkey are all level three threats.

Antisemitic threats in Europe and the US
Although neither the US or Europe has been issued a travel warning by the NSC, they note an increase in antisemitic and racist attacks carried out by white supremacists and Neo-Nazis in recent years. This, the report states, means that "Jewish communities (and other minorities) are a major target" over Passover, the NSC report states, adding that "religious and community institutions [are] a preferred target and holidays and special occasions [are] particularly sensitive."

In addition, the report notes, the month of Ramadan, during which Passover also falls, is a particularly sensitive time for regional security, and tensions in Israel could overflow and impact Jewish communities and Israelis abroad.
Tel Aviv terror victim Or Eshkar succumbs to wounds
Or Eshkar, 32, died on Monday from a bullet wound sustained during a terror attack in Tel Aviv on March 9.

Eshkar was wounded when 23-year-old Palestinian Mutaz al-Khawaja, a Hamas member from Ni’lin beyond the Green Line, opened fire outside a cafe on the corner of Dizengoff and Ben-Gurion Streets in the city center.

The terrorist also shot Rotem Mansano, 34, and Michael Osdon, 36.

“We hoped and prayed. Unfortunately, Or Eshkar, who was wounded in the attack in Tel Aviv, died today,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The heart breaks. I send condolences to his family and friends. May his memory be for a blessing.,” he added.

The three Israeli friends were on their way to a wedding when they were attacked by al-Khawaja, who fled the scene while firing at other people before being killed in a shootout with police officers.

“Or came to us after extensive resuscitation attempts in the field, which were ongoing in the hospital, and he was immediately taken to the operating room where against all odds doctors managed to stabilize his condition,” said Roni Gamzu, director of Ichilov Hospital.

“Unfortunately, the … wounds were fatal, and after a lengthy struggle over a number of days … we were forced to declare his death,” he added.


German Mainstream Media Silent as Palestinian Mob Attacks Country’s Tourists Visiting Israel
German mainstream media has remained largely silent over the attack on the country’s tourists by a Palestinian mob. On Saturday, two German nationals were beaten by a crowd of angry Palestinians as their vehicle passed through the West Bank town of Nablus. The tourists were rescued by the Israeli security forces and were provided medical assistance, Israeli media reports say.

German media, which has recently been obsessed with the protests against the proposed judicial reform by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, failed to pick up the story as of this writing.


‘Zero Hostility to Germans,’ Palestinian Official Says After Tourists Attacked
Palestinians who attacked German tourists in Nablus took them for Israeli forces, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority security services said Sunday, stressing there was “zero hostility” towards Germany among Palestinians.

The two tourists drove on Saturday through central Nablus, a city in the northern West Bank, when they came under attack.

“A group of young men… hurled stones at a civilian car with Israeli license plates,” a local Palestinian security official said on condition of anonymity.

Germany’s ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, said on Twitter: “A mob attacking tourists because they don’t like their license plate is disgusting and cowardly.”

Talal Dweikat, spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, said that “we clearly have zero hostility towards a country whose citizens visit our cities,” stopping short of condemning the attack.

According to Dweikat, the mob who assaulted the tourists were “wary” of a “foreign” car, fearing it may have been used by undercover Israeli forces, who often operate in the West Bank.

The spokesman said the tourists had been rescued by a Palestinian police officer who helped them exit the city center, while Seibert thanked “the Palestinian Israeli citizen who saved them.”


PMW: PA lie: Israel “assassinated 3 young people driving in their car,” Reality: Terror cell brags “3 Jihad fighters fell in battle”
Last week, 3 “commanders” who were part of “a fighting squad” of the independent terror cell the Lion’s Den from Nablus were killed while attacking Israeli soldiers.

In the PA narrative, they were described as 3 innocent young “Martyrs” who were “shot at” and “assassinated” by Israeli forces while “driving in their car.” According to the PA “eyewitnesses reported that the occupation authorities hurried to hide the traces of their new crime… and confiscated the security cameras at the site to hide the traces of the crime and the way it was committed.” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 13, 2023]

However, in a press release the Lion’s Den explained in detail that the three “heroes” died “in confrontation” while trying to ambush Israeli soldiers:
“O masses of our heroic people, following a precise monitoring of the Zionist Golani unit at the occupation’s Sarra checkpoint, one of our fighting squads set out to lay an ambushfor this unit and confront it. After it became clear that the soldiers of this unit were laying an ambush for the fighters of our squad, the squad’s heroes decided to sneak in to bring down the soldiers of this unit in a larger ambush. As Supreme Allah would have it a confrontation broke out from point blank range before our fighters deployed in the area, and they ascended to Heaven as Martyrs while advancing forward and not retreating…”

[Ma’an, independent Palestinian news agency, March 12, 2023]

And so that there would be no doubt who the three “Jihad fighters” were, the Lion’s Den mentioned the terrorists by name:
“Today ‘the Lion’s Den’ squads accompany to Heaven the best of their members and fighters, heroes of a series of revenge operations (i.e., terror attacks), and the best of the sons of Nablus:
Jihad fighter Martyr who fell in battle Jihad Al-Shami
Jihad fighter Martyr who fell in battle Uday Al-Shami
Jihad fighter Martyr who fell in battle Muhammad Al-Dabeek…”

Moreover, the terror cell threatened Israel with more terror, addressing “the Zionist enemy”:
“Our message to the Zionist enemy: …
We reemphasize to you that the Lion’s Den is seeking you everywhere and at all times. You will find us in the utter darkness and in the light of day. You will find our lions under the rocks and behind the trees. We will burst forth at you from the rocks and we will land on you from the skies… the series of revenge operations continues, and you currently have nothing to do but prepare for a new wave of operations, which our lone wolves will sign off on.”

[Ma’an, independent Palestinian news agency, March 12, 2023]


MEMRI: Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad In Russian Outlet Interview: We Welcome More Russian Military Bases In Syria, As Well As The Deployment Of Zircon Hypersonic Missiles And Other Advanced Weapon Systems
On March 16, 2023, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) published an interview given by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to the Sputnik News Agency (Russia). President Al-Assad said that the BRICS countries have begun distancing themselves from the U.S. and the Western "bloc" and that when an alternative to the U.S. dollar becomes available, the U.S. will no longer be able to control other countries' economies. He also said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his "army of Nazis," and the Islamist terrorists in the region are fighting "on behalf" of the West, and he claimed that the U.S. bases in Syria house terrorists which are deployed against Syrian regime forces. In addition, he said that Russia would be better able to "defend" itself if it expanded its military presence in Syria, and he explained that Russian bases in Syria should house advanced weapons, such as hypersonic missiles, in order to create deterrence and establish a global balance of power.

To view the clip of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad click here or below:
"[Ukrainian President] Zelensky And His Army Of Nazis Are Waging A War On Behalf Of The West; The Same Thing Applies To The [Islamist] Terrorists"

Bashar Al-Assad: "The BRICS and other countries have begun to distance themselves from the U.S.. They started to lose trust in the United States, and feel that the U.S. endangers global stability. When I say the United States, I mean also the Western bloc that supports it politically. Another thing is that the American fleets around the world serve one thing and one thing only. All the wars they wage have one goal — the U.S. dollar. So when there is an economic alliance that will offer an alternative to the dollar for any interested country, the U.S. will not be able to control the economies of nations and countries. That is when these wars will come to an end.

"Zelensky and his army of Nazis are waging a war on behalf of the West. The same thing applies to the [Islamist] terrorists. They constitute armies that fight on behalf of the West, in Syria and elsewhere.

"Al-Tanf is an entire [American] camp designated for terrorists. It has no other purpose. How does the U.S. benefit from its presence there, in the middle of the desert? It doesn't. It has camps of terrorists, where there are tens of thousands of [terrorists] with their families, and from time to time, it sends them to attack the Syrian army, in order to disperse the Syrian units. We are certain of this thing. It is happening on the ground."
Leaked Document Reveals Loss Of Loyalty, Insubordination In IRGC
Top officials had serious concerns about loss of loyalty among the ranks of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) amid the recent protests, a new document reveals.

Iran International has received a copy of a 44-page document that contains citations of the remarks made by 45 IRGC commanders and clerics at a meeting with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at his office on January 3 on the anniversary of the death of IRGC’s extraterritorial Quds Force commander, Qassem Soleimani.

The document ends with an excerpt of Khamenei’s own remarks complaining that those present had spoken about loss of faith and the hardships that the rank and file endure, but no one had talked about those who had kept their faith in the regime despite hardships.

The meeting was held more than three months into the anti-regime protests following the death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of ‘morality police’ and quickly spread across the country.

Participants in the meeting included top IRGC officers such as Major General Gholam-Ali Rashid, commander of IRGC’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Hojjat ol-Eslam Mahmoud Mohammadi-Shahroudi who heads the Basij Militia Organization of Seminary Students and Clerics and Hojjat ol-Eslam Abdollah Haji-Sadeghi, Khamenei’s representative in the IRGC.
NYT spins Democratic conspiracy theory on Jimmy Carter, Iran hostage talks as fact
When is a single-source story good enough for The New York Times?

When it appears to confirm a 40-year-old Democratic conspiracy theory.

Peter Baker, the Times’ chief White House correspondent, published Saturday a bombshell report, “A Four-Decade Secret: One Man’s Story of Sabotaging Carter’s Re-Election.”

It was indeed merely one man’s story.

An 85-year-old Democrat, Ben Barnes, claims to have personal knowledge of efforts by Ronald Reagan allies to delay the release of US hostages from Iran until after the 1980 election.

A reader has to plough through 10 paragraphs of this sensational story before encountering a concession that “Confirming Mr. Barnes’s account is problematic.”

But not to fear — Baker assures us Barnes “has no obvious reason to make up the story.”

Suppose an octogenarian Republican from Arkansas comes forward tomorrow to provide a personal account of Bill Clinton’s involvement in drug trafficking in the 1980s, a notion long promoted in certain GOP circles.

No corroboration, just his word for it.


Manchester cleric reportedly praised Iranian terror chief at event where audience chanted “Death to Israel”
It has been reported that a cleric in Manchester gave a speech in which he praised an Iranian terror chief at an event where the audience chanted “Death to Israel”.

According to the JC, cleric Farrokh Sekaleshfar is listed as a trustee and director at the Islamic Cultural Centre, a Manchester-based charity, and as a speaker at the Islamic Centre of England, the latter of which is said to have been described as the “London office” of the antisemitic Islamist terrorist group known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and is currently under investigation by the Charity Commission.

Mr Sekaleshfar is alleged to have appeared as a keynote speaker at a memorial event for IRGC terrorist mastermind, Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the United States in 2020.

During the event in Qom, Iran, the audience is reported to have chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to England”.

Mr Sekaleshfar is also reported to have described Soleimani as a “martyr” in a separate speech in 2021.

Earlier this year, Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote to all MPs calling on them to back the Government’s reported proposal to proscribe IRGC under the Terrorism Act 2000.

We have provided the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, and the Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat, and all MPs with a dossier on the IRGC, detailing its horrendous record of antisemitism and violence against Jewish people.

In light of the mounting pressure to proscribe the IRGC, there have been calls made to close London’s Islamic Centre. The Islamic Centre is believed to serve as an office for Iran’s Supreme Leader, and its Director, Seyed Hashem Moosavi, is understood to have been appointed by the regime as a mid-ranking cleric.


Emily Schrader: How I became a target of the Islamic Republic of Iran
For the past decade, I’ve covered authoritarian regimes like China, Russia and Iran as both a journalist and an activist on my own social media platforms, in particular as it pertains to women’s rights.

It is no surprise therefore, that when protests erupted nationwide in Iran, I began speaking out across my social media platforms about the plight of the Iranian people and echoing their demands for regime change.

The fact that I am an American-Israeli makes me uniquely situated to deeply understand the reality of two worlds: the optimism and idealism of the West, and the harsh reality check of the Middle East. It is precisely for this reason, I believe, that the Islamic Republic has been targeting me directly with threats and attempts to silence me. I won’t let them.

As a feminist, an Israeli, an American, and a journalist, I am the epitome of everything the Islamic Republic despises and wants to destroy. Even more problematic for them, their own people are standing with me, not them – because I am speaking up for the people of Iran globally, and the Islamic regime is doing the opposite.

Over the past six months, I’ve amassed a following of over 70,000 Iranians inside Iran, and thousands more in the Iranian diaspora as well. These Iranians are coming from all communities – religious, secular, Persian, Balochi, Kurdish, Baha’i and from a wide variety of political viewpoints. This has enabled me to have a unique insight as to what the people of Iran are looking for internally and externally. For 44 years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has ruled over its population with an iron fist and a brutal theocratic and bloody agenda. But this generation, after the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, had finally had enough. I began speaking out because I know too well that the consequences for so many Iranians inside and outside of Iran can be deadly, and I owe it to those brave women, to be their voice when the Islamic Republic silences them.


Israeli officials, US ambassador celebrate Persian New Year in Tel Aviv
Senior Israeli and international diplomatic officials celebrated Nowruz, the Persian New Year, at a dinner at the Carlton Hotel in Tel Aviv yesterday night, in an event intended to show solidarity with the Iranian people.

US Ambassador Thomas Nides and Bahrain Ambassador Khaled Yousif al-Jalahma joined Iran-born “Tehran” actress Liraz Charhi, former national security adviser Eyal Hulata, and foreign and Israeli correspondents at the event, sponsored by the Washington-based ​​Foundation for the Defense of Democracies think tank.

“Both the United States and Israel do not see the Iranian people as an enemy, but only the extreme Islamic regime, which oppresses the Iranian people and wreaks havoc wherever it gets a foothold,” said FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz in his address. “The free world should be united in calling to condemn the ayatollah regime and act for the Iranian people.”

“Precisely as an American research institute that focuses on the negative effects of the regime in Iran on the peoples of the region and the entire world, we chose to celebrate Nowruz and send an optimistic message of brotherhood and peace to the Iranian people,” said Dubowitz.




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