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Monday, April 24, 2023

04/24 Links Pt1: Ruthie Blum: Tears of heartbreak and joy; Danny Danon: Grieving together for our fallen heroes; Jerusalem terror attack: Seven wounded in car ramming, terrorist killed

From Ian:

Danny Danon: Grieving together for our fallen heroes
This year, Israel’s annual Remembrance Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel will have a special meaning.

At the height of a polarizing political storm, we will all pause for a day and recognize that our enemies do not differentiate between left and right, between supporters or opponents of judicial reform or between civilians and soldiers. To our enemies, we are one target, no matter our religious practices or political leanings. Today, we recall that only together, united, will we be able to face down those who threaten us and wish to destroy us.

Today, as on every Remembrance Day, the entire nation of Israel feels the deep pain that Israel’s bereaved families experience all year round. This year especially, against the backdrop of current events, our coming together will take on a unique significance. When we stand together in the military cemeteries where the fallen among our family and friends are buried, we will know without a doubt that we are all one people, a nation united.

Alongside the bereaved families, there are thousands of us who are named after a father, an uncle, a brother or a friend we will never have the opportunity to meet. I was privileged to be named after one of these thousands of heroes, the late Danny Verdon, and thus join those who have become living monuments to fallen heroes.

Danny Verdon was my father’s commander in a special reconnaissance unit of the Negev Brigade. As a child, I tried to gather as much information as possible about this man and legend. I had many questions, and no matter how much I was told, and how many facts I gathered, I always wanted to know more.

Danny Verdon was a member of Kibbutz Givat Brenner. He loved our country and knew it inside out. During his service, he was twice awarded Medals of Honor and the Medal of Valor for the attempted rescue of one of his soldiers who was wounded by sniper fire. Despite the danger, he tried to save his comrade, but it was not to be.

This final heroic action took place during Danny Verdon’s last rescue mission. He was sadly trapped in an alley in the town of El Arish at the end of the Six-Day War, where an Egyptian sniper ended his life abruptly. His sudden and unexpected death left his unit and friends stunned and distressed. Danny Verdon left behind his young family—a widow and two children. At that very moment in that alley in El Arish, my father vowed to name his own child after his revered commander whom he greatly admired.
Memorial to Independence Day: How Does Israel Move from Mourning to Joy?
i24NEWS interviewed Dr. Michaël Larrar, a psychiatrist and author of the book “The Secrets of our Unconscious,” to try to understand how the mind can, in such a short time, adapt and fully experience these diametrically opposite emotions.

“We must clearly distinguish between personal mourning and the mourning of a nation, they are not at all the same elements of temporality. Personal mourning is something that will touch us in the intimate, and the time of this mourning is several months, usually a year. The mourning of a nation is much more symbolic, to evoke the memory of the people who sacrificed for a country,” Dr. Larrar told i24NEWS.

“This association between Memorial Day and Independence Day is singular and interesting, it reminds us that just before celebrating the independence of a living country, we must never forget the people who gave their lives for it, it is a symbolic message of remembrance. Otherwise, of course, we cannot be in deep and sincere mourning and celebrate the same evening. We are clearly in the register of the symbol and not of reality,” he continued.

According to him, “The celebration of Independence Day is all the more powerful because it is linked immediately and chronologically to Memorial Day, it gives deep meaning to the celebration. It is also a holiday of thanks for those who have sacrificed themselves, and it shows the importance of national unity. The link between Memorial Day and Independence Day is very special and thus gives a certain depth to the Independence Day.”

Tonight, the Israeli nation will remember the 24,213 soldiers killed in the war since 1860 and the 4,255 people murdered in attacks. Ceremonies will be organized throughout the country in their memory and a siren will sound to mark a minute of silence.

In 2022, 28 Israeli citizens lost their lives in terrorist attacks, compared to 23 in 2021. Since the beginning of 2023, 19 people have been killed in terrorist attacks, a heavy toll while the country is experiencing a wave of attacks and particularly heightened tensions.
Rabbi Leo Dee ‘If we can come together in tragedy, we can come together anytime’ - interview
He added that he sees himself as “an educator, I have a lot of interests. And I read a lot. That’s where I come from.”

He also criticized CNN, calling it “a partner in international terror. I think that the perception of Israel in the world press is very negative. I’m not sure why that is. But one of the things that I hoped to achieve was to equate Israel and the Israeli flag with good, because in this situation, it was very clear where the good lied and where the evil lied,” Dee explained.

Dee had recently interviewed on CNN, and called it a “pleasant,” that he talked about “the cycle of violence,” which he said “was caused by the world media, because when a terrorist attack happens and the world media is not out there to condemn it absolutely – that creates an opening for the next terror attack, which then you know, not responding to appropriately and that causes the next one. So that’s the cycle of violence.”

What is the way to stop it?
“For the media to stop praising the terrorists or giving them any credibility,” Dee continued, saying that during the interview, the CNN anchor was listening to him and “nodding her head,” but at the end of the interview, she said something around the lines of, “‘After this, we’ll be turning to Palestinians who had a very similar situation.’”

Dee said: “If I’d had the opportunity to respond to that, I would have said, ‘Excuse me, how many Palestinians have been attacked by Israeli terrorists this week and killed in cold blood on the way up to holiday, intentionally.’ Or maybe these Palestinians that you’re talking about were actually terrorist suspects who the Israeli police or army were interrogating? Perhaps they are, in fact, the very people who killed my wife and daughters. But to equate them to my wife and daughters is exactly the problem.

That is why he considers the network a “partner in international terror. Through the interview, they demonstrated that very obviously, I think, to anyone intelligent.”


Ruthie Blum: Tears of heartbreak and joy
Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, begins on Monday evening. When it ends on Tuesday night, cheer will replace mourning as the nation embarks on a 24-hour celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel Independence Day.

The pairing of the two dates was purposeful. The idea behind the juxtaposition of grief and gratitude in such proximity was that Israelis owe the birth and continued existence of the Jewish state to the men and women killed while living in and defending it.

Though this week marks the country’s diamond anniversary—at the young but ripening age of 75—internecine political battles are threatening to take center stage at the somber ceremonies and at the happy ones to follow. Thankfully, there are many Israelis who intend to treat Yom Hazikaron with the respect it deserves and then go on to enjoy Yom Ha’atzmaut festivities.

These citizens understand that Memorial Day isn’t merely for the loved ones of the fallen, who don’t need annual reminders of a loss always lingering. It is held, rather, to highlight the collective nature of a sacrifice made by individuals, each a world onto him/herself, with a name, a face and a grieving family left behind.

The same applies to Independence Day. Its message to all Israelis is that the wonderment around them is both a personal and a shared accomplishment, regardless of the issues that divide them.

It’s a tall order for people about whom it is aptly quipped: “Two Jews, three opinions.” But more than a handful manages to set aside the latter when called upon to do so, which helps to explain why Israel repeatedly ranks high on the happiness scale.
Jews Are Not Israel’s Only Mourners on Yom Hazikaron
On an early April morning in Daliyat al-Karmel (pop. 16,000), the largest Druze village in Israel, Lutfi Eldeen was speaking about his father, Amal Nasereldeen. Nearing 97 years old, Nasereldeen will this week receive the prestigious Israel Prize for his life’s work, in a nationally televised ceremony from Jerusalem on Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. He will be the third Druze so honored.

We were sitting at Eldeen’s desk in the local branch of Yad Labanim, a national organization that memorializes individuals who fell in Israel’s defense. Eldeen, the branch’s director, spoke of his family’s losses. His brother, a command sergeant major, died in 1969 in a battle with terrorists who had infiltrated from Jordan. His nephew, a sergeant major, was killed in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead in 2008.

At the family’s mourning tent in 2008, someone asked Nasereldeen whether he felt angry at Israel for the losses in action of his son and grandson. (Another son, Saleh, who likewise served in the Israel Defense Forces, was abducted as a civilian in 1995 by Hamas terrorists. He was never heard from again and is presumed dead.)

“To attain a strong, independent state, you must sacrifice,” Eldeen remembered his father responding. “And if I have to, I’ll sacrifice another son.”

At the time, Eldeen was serving in the IDF. His late brother and late nephew also were called Lutfi.

“My name is Lutfi … so my chances were not good,” he said, smiling, of his father’s comment. “But I respect what he said. He had to have been strong mentally and in his belief to say it a few days after losing his grandson. I’m proud of him, to say something like that.”

When sirens sound for two minutes across Israel on the night of April 24 to open Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, the family will be commemorating the occasion, too.

Jewish Israelis aren’t Yom Hazikaron’s only mourners.

Bereaved families among the country’s ethnic and religious minorities also will attend memorial ceremonies that night and the next morning, light candles at gravesites, be embraced by friends and family and comrades of their fallen, flip wistfully through scrapbooks and reminisce.

Israel’s Defense Ministry counts 24,213 people as military fatalities (including those serving as police officers and prison guards) and victims of terrorist attacks, dating to before the state’s founding 75 years ago. My interviews this month with representatives of several minority groups reveal that the number includes 427 Druze, 221 Bedouins, 27 Christians, and approximately 10 Circassians.
Israeli court orders government to let Palestinians attend Memorial Day event
Israel’s Supreme Court, sitting as the High Court of Justice, overruled Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday and ordered him to allow Palestinians to cross the Green Line to attend an annual joint Memorial Day event.

In its decision, the court expressed “regret” over Gallant’s decision earlier this month to bar Palestinian participants, despite previous rulings ordering the state to allow them to attend the event, now in its 17th year, hosted by Combatants for Peace.

Gallant attributed his decision to “the complex security situation” in Judea and Samaria, citing the standard practice of closing the crossings into Green Line Israel over Memorial Day and Independence Day to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks.

However, the court noted that the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories unit, which oversees civilian affairs in Israeli-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria, had approved the request, and that tens of thousands of Palestinians are routinely allowed into Israel every day for various reasons.
Arsen Ostrovsky: The UN must dismiss its 'Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories’
You will also be hard pressed to find a single occasion where Ms. Albanese has ever unequivocally condemned Palestinian terror, whereas she has repeatedly excused and even encouraged Palestinian violence. In November 2022, she even addressed a Hamas conference in Gaza, instructing them “you have the right to resist.” Hamas is designated by UK as a terrorist group.

The situation became so untenable that, in February this year, a bi-partisan group of Members of Congress wrote to the Secretary General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, calling for Ms. Albanese’s immediate dismissal, on the basis of her incessant antisemitism and anti-Israel bias, noting “her inexcusable silence against terrorism targeting Israelis and her outrageous and prejudicial remarks clearly reflect the irredeemable bias of her mandate.”

It is also noteworthy that, pursuant to the UN's own Code of Conduct for Special Rapporteurs, the Rapporteurs work shall be guided by the notions of “impartiality and objectivity”. When it comes to Ms. Albanese, there is not even the pretext of these values, with an unadulterated display of persistent, ongoing and blind bias and hostility.

The UN Charter itself demands equal treatment of all Member States, yet Ms. Albanese seems to believe that the one and only Jewish state is not entitled to the same inalienable right to self-defense, afforded to all other countries.

This begs the question, how much longer can the United Nations tolerate this, and for this matter, the British government also, which has remained conspicuously silent with respect to Albanese.

The United Kingdom, and this government particularly, have been one of the leading voices speaking out against the scourge of antisemitism and are a central force in the United Nations, sitting also as a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council.

It is incumbent, therefore, on the Foreign Office to ensure that the UN lives up to its own rules and standards, and to send a clear message that antisemitism and such obscene endorsement of violence against Israelis will not be tolerated at the UN, by demanding Ms. Albanese’s immediate dismissal and abolishing her one-sided mandate altogether.

The Dee family deserves at least this much.


US, Greek, Cypriot, Israeli lawmakers meet to advance ties
Legislators from the United States, Greece, Cyprus and Israel met this week via video conference to further cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The inter-parliamentary conference took place amid burgeoning relations between Israel and both Cyprus and Greece over the last decade and a half in a variety of fields including tourism, medicine, cybersecurity, energy and military cooperation.

“We are pleased to have convened the first meeting of the 3+1 interparliamentary group with elected representatives from the United States, Cyprus, Greece and Israel,” according to a statement.

“We reaffirmed our shared commitment to promoting security, stability, and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean, and discussed ways our legislative bodies can promote joint priorities including energy security, maritime security, economic growth and overall stability.”

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, hosted the event along with a bipartisan group of American lawmakers, including Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

“The importance of cooperation in various fields, including energy, cybersecurity, disaster readiness and more, cannot be overstated,” said Knesset member Dan Illouz of Likud. “The parliamentary oversight that we can bring together will push cooperation between countries forward.”
Caroline Glick under consideration for New York consul post
The prominent Israeli-American columnist Caroline B. Glick is among the candidates being considered for the high-profile position of consul general in New York.

The move comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided not to appoint Likud lawmaker May Golan to the posting, following criticism from left-wing American Jewish leaders and the State Department over her past remarks.

Glick, who worked with Netanyahu a quarter century ago before becoming a widely-read columnist, including for JNS, has been critical of the Biden administration’s policies vis-à-vis Israel.

Another leading candidate reportedly under consideration is Davidi Hermelin, the president of the International Centre for Public Diplomacy, Israel. Hermelin’s candidacy might be more palatable to Biden administration officials and liberal American Jewish community leaders, both because of his views and the fact that he is gay, according to Israel’s Channel 14.

The consul general in New York is considered Israel’s third-most senior diplomatic position in the United States after the ambassadors to Washington and the United Nations.
Netanyahu planning “million-person protest” in favour of reforms
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working behind the scenes to drum up backing for a “Million-person Protest” planned for Thursday in support of his government’s judicial reform initiative.

Netanyahu has met with stakeholders to ensure that they have the necessary resources to get people out onto the streets, and is urging Charedi members of the governing coalition to call on their constituents to participate. The prime minister reportedly views the prospective rally as an “expression of public legitimacy” for the governing coalition and, by extension, for its reform program.

Netanyahu is not, however, expected to attend the rally, with officials citing security concerns.

Hundreds of Israelis joined a “freedom march” last Wednesday that concluded with a demonstration outside the Tel Aviv home of former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak.

Protesters held placards calling the court a “dictatorship” and declaring it is “harming national security.”

Barak, who served as Supreme Court president between 1995 and 2006, is widely considered responsible for the “Constitutional Revolution” that the current government seeks to moderate with its reform initiative.

Reformers will gather for the “Million-person Protest” outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on April 27, in a show of strength and support for the government’s effort to restore checks and balances on the court.


Judicial reform architect harassed at JFNA General Assembly
Member of Knesset Simcha Rothman, one of the key figures behind the government’s judicial reform initiative, was continuously interrupted by hecklers during a panel discussion at the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly in Tel Aviv on Monday.

Although the panel discussion at the Expo Tel Aviv convention center was not on judicial reform but rather on issues related to the Law of Return, protesters, many identifying with Achim L’Neshek (“Brothers in Arms”), an extremist group made up of IDF reservists, chanted slogans as Rothman, who is chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, tried to speak.

“From the get-go, from the first word, people were standing up in the crowd, and it was an onslaught from beginning to end,” an audience member who preferred to remain anonymous told JNS.

“People were shouting things that weren’t of any substance, just to disrupt. They were shouting ‘Busha’—Shame. Liar—‘Shakran.’ To his credit, Avi Mayer, the moderator, editor of The Jerusalem Post, did try to quiet the crowd and tell them we’re trying to have a respectful discussion. That lasted merely a matter of seconds. It did not work.

“There was a real failure of security because they would take a protester out and then I’d see him return. The same protester would come back two or three times and continue disrupting,” said the audience member.

“It was terrible,” a second audience member concurred. “I wanted to hear what he had to say. It’s not about whether you agree with him or not. He should be allowed to speak.”

Rothman’s aide told JNS, “They shout ‘Democracy’ but they silence everyone who doesn’t think like them.”


Jerusalem terror attack: Seven wounded in car ramming, terrorist killed
Seven people were wounded as a result of a car-ramming terrorist attack in the heart of Jerusalem on Monday.

The victims include a man in his 70s who is in serious condition, a woman in her 30s in moderate condition, and a man in his 50s and two 25-year-old men who are only lightly wounded.

All victims have been hospitalized at Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hadassah-University Medical Center.

According to a Hadassah spokesperson, one of the victims was hospitalized due to shock.

The terrorist was identified as Hatem Abu Nijmeh, a 39-year-old resident of Beit Safafa in east Jerusalem, was shot and killed by a civilian who was at the scene. He was a married father of five who was unknown to security forces but has a history of mental illness. Terror in the heart of Jerusalem

The terror attack occurred in the area of Davidka Square, between Kiah and Agrippas and a block away from the Mahane Yehuda market.

According to police, Nijmeh arrived at an intersection and sped up, deliberatley hitting pedestrians, including people crossing the street. He then slowed down while reversing and came to a stop, at which point a nearby armed civilian shot and killed him.

Minutes after the attack, security forces, off-duty soldiers, police and train security officers rushed from as many as two blocks away to the scene of the attack. A crowd formed around the area, with Israelis and tourists observing the scene. At times, they had to be shepherded aside to allow the evacuation of victims.
Five Israelis injured in suspected Jerusalem terror attack ahead of Memorial Day



Seth Frantzman: Weapons smuggling is an increasing threat to stability in West Bank
Iran praises 'unseen hands' giving weapons to terror groups

At the same time, there are more terrorist groups in the West Bank that claim to be carrying out attacks. This follows another round of tensions that also took place during Ramadan in April. These tensions involved rocket fire from Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. During a speech by Iran’s president on Quds Day, he encouraged Palestinians to continue attacks on Israel. Clearly, the Iranian regime's message has been to try to undermine the Palestinian Authority. In addition, the head of the IRGC Hossein Salami gave a speech recently where he praised “unseen hands” for supporting the Palestinians and moving weapons to them. He specifically mentioned rifles according to Iranian media reports.

Although Israel has walls and fences with security systems, “unseen hands armed the West Bank, and you have modern automatic rifles and automatic weapons in the hands of the Palestinians,” he said. He might have been referring to weapons smuggling to the Palestinians.

The overall context therefore of the weapons smuggling is that the number of weapons being smuggled continues to be clear from photos and videos on social media that show Palestinians with M-4, M-16 and other types of rifles. Many of the rifles appear to be recent acquisitions, clean and with modern sights, rails and other accessories.

On the other hand the Iranian reference to trying to move rifles to Palestinian groups using “unseen hands” also hints at Iranian attempts to arm groups in the West Bank and destabilize the Palestinian Authority. Over the last year, there have also been clashes between Palestinian gangs and large clans. In all these cases the presence of illegal weapons is clear. The Palestinian Authority has also had trouble controlling Jenin and Nablus, and there have been increased terror threats from Jericho as well.

While the overall extent and number of illegal weapons are unclear, the fact that they show up in videos and photos of various Palestinians shows that there are a number of rifles. In addition, the shooting attacks, which sometimes involve the use of rifles, handguns and other weapons, illustrate the presence of illegal firearms.

Lastly, the number of smuggling incidents in which rifles and pistols are discovered is another aspect of the issue of illegal weapons moving into the West Bank. The smuggling attempts may represent a large percentage of the illegal rifles being interdicted, or it may be only a tip of the iceberg. What the videos posted online show is that modern rifles, such as M-4s and M-16 variants, are common. These tend to be much more common than AR-15s in the videos that Palestinians themselves post on social media to brag about the weapons they have.
Jordanian lawmaker must face trial for weapon smuggling - Israel's Cohen
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen called on Monday for the prosecution of a Jordanian lawmaker held on suspicion of trying to smuggle weapons into the West Bank.

Sunday's arrest of Imad al Adwan at a border crossing threatened new strains on the neighbors' almost three-decade-old relations, often tested by Israel's policies toward the Palestinians and a major Jerusalem mosque.

The Amman foreign ministry said al Adwan was suspected of trying to smuggle arms and gold. Israel Police said only that a "security investigation" was underway.

Eli Cohen: Adwan must be put on trial and pay the price
"This is a very grave incident...an attempt to smuggle not just commercial goods but weaponry as well," Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told Ynet.

"The basic demand is for him to be put on trial and pay the price," he said. "Such an incident cannot be allowed to pass."

There have been calls in Jordan's parliament for al Adwan to be repatriated. Asked if Israel might make this conditional on a guarantee that he would face charges at home, Cohen said only that the two governments were discussing the matter.

"I don't necessarily think that this thing (al Adwan's case) is linked to Jordan as a whole, but rather, comes down to a foolhardy criminal act," he said. "I don't want to ascribe blame to the entire government or entire parliament" of Jordan.

Israel enjoys close security ties with Jordan, the Arab neighbor it shares its longest stretch of border, but political relations have soured in recent years.
Report: Israel arrests Jordanian MP over weapons smuggling



Jerusalem dentist convicted for spying for Hezbollah
A Jerusalem dentist was convicted of spying for Hezbollah and sentenced by the Jerusalem District Court to five years in prison as part of a plea deal, the Justice Ministry said on Monday.

Jerusalem resident Ahmad Zahra had reached out to a released terrorist living in Lebanon and sought to work for Hezbollah.

Zahra had delivered to the Lebanese terrorist organization updates on Jerusalem and the West Bank, as well as reports on routines of senior police and IDF officers.

The dentist was eager to join the group, but according to the court had suggested multiple ideas that Hezbollah wasn't interested in, such as shooting fireworks at security vehicles. He had requested a physical fitness program and intelligence course to help him be better suited to complete his tasks.

After several years, the terrorist operative was recieved funds and a cell phone with encrypted messaging software in Turkey during his honeymoon. He attempted to make further contact with Hezbollah, but was arrested. The funds were confiscated by the authorities.

How was the dentist able to move freely throughout the nation?
Zahra's Israeli identity card gave him the ability to move around the country, said the Jerusalem District Attorney's office.

While the reports and updates weren't of high value, it was "information that the Hezbollah members requested, so it is presumed that the information was required," said the Attorney's Office.
IDF shells Hezbollah assets in Syria
Israel Defense Forces tanks reportedly shelled a Syrian army post used by Iranian terrorist proxy Hezbollah early on Monday morning, in the second such incident in as many weeks.

According to Syrian media, the artillery strike targeted a military observation post located close to the village of Hader in the Quneitra Governorate.

Thereafter, the IDF dropped leaflets in the area warning Syrian soldiers against cooperating with Hezbollah.

The Israeli military did not comment on the development.

The IDF last week struck assets belonging to Hezbollah in the Syrian-held part of the Golan Heights.

And earlier this month, the IDF attacked targets in Syria in response to six rockets fired towards the Golan Heights. Among the targets were a military compound of the Fourth Division of the Syrian Armed Forces, military radar systems and artillery posts.

“The IDF sees the Syrian state as responsible for all activities occurring within its territory and will not allow any attempts to violate Israeli sovereignty,” the military said.


MEMRI: Repercussions Of Saudi-Iranian Deal: Jordan Is Close To Normalizing Relations With Iran
The China-brokered deal signed by Saudi Arabia and Iran on March 10, 2023, in which they agreed to renew their relations after a hiatus of seven years, [1] is beginning to cause significant changes in the region, including moves to renew the relations between Jordan and Iran, which have been at a low diplomatic level since 2016.[2]

In an April 20, 2023 phone conversation between Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, it was agreed that the two countries would move towards normalization and address various points of contention between them, including the drug trafficking by Iran-backed elements across the Syria-Jordan border.

According to the online daily Raialyoum.com, the rapprochement between Jordan and Iran was initiated by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, in coordination with American elements that green-lighted the move. The London-based Qatari daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi assessed that Jordan intends to appoint a new ambassador in Tehran.

It should be noted that, since the signing of the normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, there has been a heated public debate in Jordan about the implications of this agreement for Jordan's relations with Iran and about the possibility of renewing these relations. Some articles in the Jordanian press described such rapprochement as a Jordanian interest and called for returning the ambassadors. Others urged caution and called to test Iran's intentions between taking steps to warm the relations.[3]

Below are details from reports in the Arab and Iranian media about the phone conversation between the Jordanian and Iranian foreign ministers and about the signs of rapprochement between the two countries.
Seth Fratnzman: Former Jordanian PM Mudar Badran dies at 89
Mudar Badran, a key figure in Jordan who was prime minister four times, as well as defense and foreign minister, died on Saturday, as announced by Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh. Badran played a central role in the history of Jordan, coalescing its intelligence service and helping navigate various crises from the 1960s to 1990s.

According to Jordanian state media, Khasawneh paid tribute to Badran’s efforts in public service and diplomacy, expressing “his condolences to the former prime minister’s family.” Badran was named prime minister four times, and assumed office as prime minister, defense and foreign minister twice between 1976 and 1979, and prime minister and minister of defense in 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1991.

Both Jordanian Senate President Faisal Al Fayez and Lower House Speaker Ahmad Safadi put out statements, with one report saying that Safadi “paid tribute to Badran’s efforts in public service and diplomacy.”

Mudar Badran's life
Badran played a key role in the Hashemite kingdom’s history. His life, in some ways, mirrored that of the kingdom’s growth and challenges. He was born in 1934 in Jerash, which, in those days, was a small town with a small but diverse population of about a thousand, including Circassians who had settled in Jordan in the 19th century under Ottoman rule.

The city in northern Jordan is a tourist destination with Roman ruins and by the 2000s, the population swelled to some 30,000 and today is around 50,000.

Badran moved to Karak in the south at a young age, where his father worked as a religious court judge. He went to Cairo and Damascus to try university studies, first medicine and then law, according to biographies. In 1956, he joined the Jordanian Army. By this time, Jordan had already gone through turmoil following Israel’s War of Independence in 1948 and the consequent flight of thousands of Palestinian Arabs to Jordan.

The West Bank came under Jordanian occupation, and in 1952, Hussein bin Talal became the new king at 17. In 1956, he dismissed British commander John Bagot Glubb, in charge of Jordan’s Arab Legion.

When Badran joined, the army was at a time of great transition. Not only was Glubb on the way out, but the 1956 Suez crisis in Egypt, in which Israel went to war with Egypt and British and French forces intervened, also led to turmoil. Arab nationalism, led by Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser, was sweeping the region. There were riots against the Baghdad Pact and in neighboring Iraq, where a revolution on July 14, 1958, overthrew the monarchy – related to the monarchy in Jordan.
Iranian Military Developments and Trends
The Islamic Republic of Iran has three core components to its national security policy: its grey zone regional strategy, its unconventional force structure, and its nuclear hedging strategy.

Since its inception, the Islamic Republic has relied extensively on activities in the "grey zone" between war and peace to advance its anti-status quo regional agenda. Its toolkit consists of unilateral and proxy activities, covert or overt, in both the physical and cyber domains. They include hostage-taking; embassy invasions; terrorism; rocket, drone and missile strikes; and attacks on maritime traffic.

Tehran typically tests adversaries to see what it can get away with. It engages in covert or proxy activities to preserve a degree of deniability. It relies on incremental action and indirection to create ambiguity regarding its intentions.

In recent years the Islamic Republic has shown a greater willingness to incur risk and use force unilaterally against Israel, the Gulf Arab states and the U.S. For instance, it has plotted to kill former senior U.S. government officials and abduct or kill Iranian dissidents in the U.S. and Europe.

Iran's force structure emphasizes long-range strike systems (drones and missiles), proxy militias, and sea denial capabilities. Tehran will work to increase further the range, accuracy, and payload of its drone and missile force. It will also seek to improve its ability to neutralize enemy defenses, developing missile penetration aids and countermeasures.

Although the emerging axis between Iran and Russia may create new procurement opportunities for Tehran, Moscow will be hard-pressed to spare large numbers of modern arms when its own military is taking heavy losses.
Iran’s State-Sponsored Misogyny: A Regime Built on Brutal Violence Against Women
The Islamic regime in Iran is notorious not only for its systematic discrimination against women and other gender minorities, but also for using brutal violence to subjugate and exclude them from society. Iran’s ruling regime inflicts a wide range of cruelties on gender minorities, including murder, imprisonment, torture, rape, enforced disappearance, and other forms of sexual violence. This persecution, based solely on gender, is a flagrant violation of international law. Additionally, the regime is responsible for the use of chemical agents against schoolgirls in Iran, and perpetrates other heinous acts that cause immense suffering and severe physical and mental harm.

The conduct of the Islamic Republic reveals that since the regime’s establishment in 1979, it has been imposing a brutal system on Iranian women and girls by implementing laws, policies, and practices that perpetuate their prolonged and harsh discriminatory treatment.

Right after the revolution, Ayatollah Rohullah Khomeini issued a decree to enforce a dress code for women known as “appropriate” clothing. A group called “Zainab’s Sisters” was created to monitor and regulate the appearance of women in public and some private spaces, further restricting their freedom.

The Islamic Majlis passed a law mandating a penalty of 74 lashes for women who refuse to comply with the mandatory dress code. Female students were prohibited from studying certain subjects in university. They were also prohibited from attending sports matches and generally disallowed from participating in certain forms of entertainment like music groups.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khomeini’s successor, also urged enforcement of the dress code in its totality, even by using force. In October 2014, Ayatollah Yousef Tabatabai Nejad, the representative of Khamenei in Isfahan, ordered Ansar Hezbollah to “use coercive force and make society unsafe for those women who do not comply with the hijab law.” Acting on this order, Ansar Hezbollah carried out a series of at least 25 acid attacks, targeting women who were unveiled. Several women suffered severe burns to their faces and hands, with one woman dying in the attacks.

Ayatollah Khamenei himself authorized Ansar Hezbollah forces to “Fire at Will” (Atash be Ekhtyar) when they observed a woman taking off her headscarf in public, without waiting for orders from authorities. Ansar Hezbollah and the law enforcement’s “chastity police” (Gasht-e Ershad) were instructed to use force, arresting and torturing women who did not comply with the dress code. In September 2022, they arrested Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish girl, and beat her in custody, ultimately leading to her death, which sparked a nationwide uprising. To suppress the unrest, the regime has killed more than 500 young people, most of them girls and women, according to reports.




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