Thursday, April 27, 2023

04/27 Links Pt1: DeSantis: ‘There’s never been a Palestinian Arab entity’; UN body will host a ‘Nakba Day’ event; Pahlavi Visit to Israel Brings Hope

From Ian:

Why ‘Foreign Aid’ to Israel Benefits the United States
The U.S. does not give foreign aid to Israel - the U.S. makes an annual investment in Israel, giving U.S. taxpayers a return of several hundred percent. Israel serves as a battle-tested, cost-effective laboratory for the U.S. defense and aerospace industries. The Israeli Air Force flies Lockheed-Martin's F-16 and F-35 combat aircraft, providing Lockheed-Martin and the U.S. Air Force with invaluable information on operations, maintenance, and repairs, which is then used to manufacture a multitude of upgrades. The F-16 has been improved by several hundred Israeli-driven upgrades, sparing Lockheed-Martin years of research and development amounting to billions of dollars.

Israeli experts have also trained U.S. personnel in neutralizing car bombs, suicide bombers, and IEDs. According to the late Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), chairman of the Senate Appropriations and Intelligence Committees, the scope of Israeli intelligence shared with the U.S. exceeded that provided by all NATO countries combined. Israeli intelligence helped foil sinister plots against U.S. airliners and airports, and provided vital data on advanced Soviet/Russian military systems.
John Podhoretz: Biden insults all Americans in using race hustler Al Sharpton to get re-elected
Sharpton’s key moment as a public figure came when he helped lead a pogrom in Brooklyn in 1991 after a tragic car accident in which a ?asidic Jew struck and killed a black boy. During those three days of mob violence, Sharpton screamed into a microphone about “diamond merchants right here in Crown Heights” in the vanguard of a horde that shouted, “Kill the Jews!” A student named Yankel Rosenbaum was stabbed to death.

Four years later, Sharpton called the Jewish owner of a Harlem building that housed a store called Freddy’s Fashion Mart a “white interloper” in the midst of a rent dispute. The mob he summoned then referred to Jews as “bloodsuckers” and shrieked about “burning the Jews.” The protests continued for two months, until an armed man stormed the premises with a gun and set Freddy’s on fire. Seven people were killed.

Yes, it’s a quarter-century later, and yes, Sharpton has not lit New York City on fire again or played a role in the deaths of eight people, as he had in the 1990s. [But] Sharpton has never accounted, nor been called to account, for his monstrous words and conduct.

And he never will be. After all, Joe Biden wants African Americans to vote for him in 2024 in record numbers, and to secure those votes, he has decided to run the gamut from Justice [Ketanji Brown] Jackson—who has spent her adulthood trying to serve as a constructive force in American public life—to Al Sharpton. And that’s an insult to Jackson, to African Americans, and to Americans altogether.
In Jerusalem, presumptive GOP hopeful DeSantis blasts Biden’s Middle East policies
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a presumptive challenger to Donald Trump as the Republican presidential primary gains steam, refused to confirm in Jerusalem on Thursday that he would be running, focusing instead on the importance of the US-Israel relationship and alleged missteps by the current White House.

“There’s not been anything set,” he said at a press conference following his keynote address at an event marking the 75th anniversary of Israel’s independence. “I’ve been focused on this mission that we’ve been doing.”

He did take several swipes at the Middle East policies of US President Joe Biden, who announced on Tuesday that he would seek reelection.

“Prior to this administration taking office, the Middle East was probably in as good a shape as it’s been in in a long time,” he said, indirectly lauding his likely GOP primary opponent.

“I think that this administration has worked overtime to alienate the Saudis,” DeSantis charged.

Biden had pledged as a candidate to treat Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” because of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and as president threatened “consequences” for the Gulf kingdom after it led OPEC oil cuts.

Israel is working to normalize relations with the Saudis, a goal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to achieve. “Absolutely I think with proper policy and proper relations, you could see Saudi Arabia recognize the existence of Israel,” said the Florida governor.

He also blasted the approach Biden and his former boss Barack Obama took toward Iran.

“We saw the failure with the Iranian nuclear deal that was done in 2015 that flooded Iran with money, that rejuvenated their economy, and that led to the funding of terrorism all across the Middle East,” he said.


DeSantis: ‘There’s never been a Palestinian Arab entity’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Thursday to strengthen his state’s ability to combat antisemitism and emphasized that there has never been a Palestinian state in the Land of Israel or elsewhere.

The Republican politician was in Israel, where he keynoted the Celebrate the Faces of Israel event, a project of the Jerusalem Post and the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem.

“When your focus is only on one Jewish state, and you hold it up to a different standard than any other country in the world, that is antisemitism,” said DeSantis.

“We are doing what we can do in Florida to enhance the ability to hold people accountable when that really crosses the line into threatening conduct. We are fighting back,” added the Republican, who is considering a 2024 U.S. presidential run.

“We must reject those who reject Israel’s right to exist,” he said.


DeSantis signs legislation to fight antisemitism at Celebrate the Faces conference
Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis signed an anti-hate bill that would strengthen his state's ability to fight antisemitism at The Jerusalem Post and Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem Celebrate the Faces of Israel Conference in the nation's capital on Thursday.

“We are doing what we can do in Florida to enhance the ability to hold people accountable when that really crosses the line into threatening conduct,” he said. “We are fighting back,” he stated at the conference that was also sponsored by The Museum of Tolerance.

DeSantis spoke of how important US support for Israel was at the United Nations given the number of anti-Israel resolutions passed there and about Florida’s strong opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement.

When the focus is on one Jewish state and the conduct of rogue regimes is ignored, that is anti-semitism, DeSantis said, as he recalled Florida.

The BDS movement is “DOA” (Dead on Arrival) in Florida, DeSantis said.

“We must reject those who reject Israel’s right to exist that is antisemitism,” he said.

In Florida, we treat antisemitism the way we treat racism, “we have stood on the side of combatting antisemitism” providing millions of dollars for security in Jewish day schools, DeSantis said.


Alan Dershowitz: What Makes Israeli Protests Different From Other Protests?
The spirit of liberty is alive and well throughout Israel. Reasonable Israelis believe that Israeli democracy will be undercut if the proposed reforms are allowed to weaken the Supreme Court. Other reasonable Israelis believe that the extensive power of the unelected justices compromises liberty and democracy. Most Israelis agree with President Isaac Herzog that extremists on both sides are exaggerating the stakes and that compromises are possible and would be beneficial. I am in that camp. But I also believe that even if all the government proposals were to be adopted, democracy and liberty would continue to thrive among the opinionated and contentious citizens of Israel. I oppose some of the proposed reforms because I believe they endanger minority rights and some civil liberties that are now enforced by the Supreme Court. But the impact of these reforms—ill-advised as some may be—are considerably exaggerated by many of their opponents. They would make Israel more like Great Britain, Canada and even the United States, and not at all like Hungary, Poland and Turkey.

The current Supreme Court, absent any of the reforms, is the most powerful and influential Supreme Court among current democracies. It is also somewhat self-perpetuating, because the commission that appoints new justices allocates an effective veto to current justices. It is the only court, of which I am aware, that has no requirement that petitioners have "standing" to bring the case - that is that they are uniquely affected by the laws or procedures they challenge. This means that non-government organizations and even external groups can bring lawsuits challenging israeli laws. It is also the only court I know of that strikes down political and economic rules on the ground that they are extremely unreasonable. American courts used to do something similar during the new deal under the rubric of substantive due process, which was roundly criticized, especially by liberals. But despite these controversial attributes, the Supreme Court of Israel has done much good for the country and is among the most respected high courts in the world.

These peaceful protests have garnered support throughout Europe and the United States, even among Jewish supporters of Israel, despite the reality that the proposed judicial reform is largely a domestic issue with little impact outside the borders of Israel. Whatever Israel does seems to receive disproportionate attention from the international community. Little attention has been devoted to the praiseworthy nature of Israeli protests and the government's non-provocative reaction to them.

Democracy is too deeply embattled in the hearts of most Israelis for autocracy ever to take root in that young nation.
Thousands attend right-wing protest in Jerusalem: 'We are tired of being second class'
More than 100,000 people are expected to attend a pro-judicial reform demonstration in front of the Knesset on Thursday evening, under the slogan: "The people demand judicial reform."

Starting at 7 p.m., protest organizers have said that they have more than 100 fully booked buses traveling to Jerusalem where the protest will be held.

Various government ministers and MKs are expected to take part in the demonstration, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Energy Minister Israel Katz, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, chairman of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee MK Simcha Rothman and others.

Protest organizer MK Avihai Boaran (Likud) spoke to Maariv ahead of the protests, explaining that "an entire [political] camp cannot live with the knowledge that it is worth less. If there is no [judicial] reform, it means that our vote in the ballot box is worthless. We are the majority at the ballot box but we cannot really run the country.

"This reality must change. The national camp is also allowed to have a share in the management of state affairs. We are tired of being second class."

In a video clip published on Wednesday, Levin turned to his supporters: "I need you. We need to go to Jerusalem to sound a clear voice in favor of reform."
For the first time, a UN body will host a ‘Nakba Day’ event
One of many United Nations bodies dedicated to the Palestinians announced last weekend an upcoming U.N. commemoration of “Nakba Day,” the supposed “catastrophe” that marked the birth of the State of Israel in 1948.

Palestinian and their supporters mark this annually on May 15, one day after Israel announced its independence on May 14, 1948.

The day purportedly memorializes the displacement of Palestinian Arabs. During the course of fighting beginning in November 1947, when U.N. member states voted to partition the land, and lasting until the summer of 1949, many Arabs in the area fled during hostilities or heeded instructions from Arab leaders to leave their homes as five Arab armies tried to annihilate the nascent Jewish state at birth.

Pursuant to a U.N. General Assembly resolution passed in December, the U.N. Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) announced that a Nakba Day event will be held inside the halls of the United Nations for the first time.

“Commemorations … will bring to life the Palestinian journey and will aim at creating an immersive experience of the Nakba through live music, photos, videos and personal testimonies,” CEIRPP stated in a weekend release.

The resolution itself was sponsored by Egypt, Jordan, Senegal, Tunisia, Yemen and the Palestinians; it passed by a vote of 90 in favor, 30 against and 47 abstentions.

Israel, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States were among the countries that voted against.


Lavrov: US not honest broker, economic peace doesn’t help Palestinians
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sharply criticized both the United States and Israel for failing to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict, claiming the Biden administration was not an “honest broker.” He made his comments at a United Nations Security Council meeting he chaired, on the same day as the Jewish state’s Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars and Victims of Terrorism.

“Washington claims to be the only sponsor of the Middle East peace process, ignoring the fact that it has long ago lost its neutrality and impartiality – qualities that are integral for a fair broker,” Lavrov told the 15-member body in New York on Tuesday.

Russia, which holds the UNSC presidency this month, dismissed requests from Israel to change the date of the monthly meeting, during which countries often attack Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians.

More than 50 speakers took the floor in a session that began in the morning and continued into the afternoon. Moscow’s decision not to change the date of the meeting came as tensions between Moscow and Jerusalem have risen over Israel’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

UNSC gatherings are typically chaired by ambassadors, so Lavrov’s presence at the meeting’s helm gave it added weight. He later told reporters in New York that holding the meeting on Israel’s Memorial Day was not a move against the Jewish state, given that Israel was on the council’s agenda on a monthly basis.

“This wasn’t an anti-Israel event,” he said, adding that criticism was also voiced at the meeting against Palestinian terror attacks that claimed the lives of Israelis.


Reformed Egyptian textbooks; improved attitudes to Jews, study
A newly released study showed Egypt was successful in removing antisemitism and other hatred from its school books, The Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) found. The research and policy institute that analyzes curricula around the world through UNESCO-defined standards, has released its second full report on the Egyptian curriculum, from its London office.

This latest IMPACT-se report evaluated 271 textbooks from the Egyptian national curricula, published between 2018 and 2023. The study focuses on the Arabic language, Islamic and Christian religious education, social studies, values and respect for others, history, geography, philosophy, and more. Egypt has the largest education system in the Middle East and North Africa, with 25 million children currently enrolled in its schools - the largest in the Arab world.

"Our findings show major improvements in attitudes toward Jews and Judaism in the revised textbooks, part of the year-by-year reform of the Egyptian national curriculum between 2018-2030 across all grades, which has already reached Grade 5," IMPACT-se said.

"Promisingly, elementary school textbooks rewritten since 2021 do not include traditional, harmful antisemitic stereotypes such as attributing evil deeds and negative traits like disloyalty, fraud, greediness, and violation of contracts to Jewish people. These were replaced with values of tolerance and coexistence between Islam and Judaism, highlighting common ground such as Islam's recognition of the Torah, and permission for Muslims to eat Kosher food."

While the curriculum is lacking in information about Jewish history in general, and the rich history of Jews as Egyptians over two millennia in particular, there are stories featuring the Prophet Moses.

"The year-by-year nature of the reform means that students are exposed to antisemitic prejudices in both religious and historical contexts, in higher-grade textbook editions as yet not included in ongoing reforms. This includes blaming Jews for causing antisemitism in Europe; describing them as an ethnic group engaged in finance; and a Jewish collective hatred of Muslims. It is very notable that in one case, antisemitic tropes featured in a multiple-choice exercise about the reason why Jews were not allowed to live in Jerusalem after it was conquered by ‘Umar, including as options their love of money, their treachery, and betrayal, were removed." the study said.

According to the study, the Holocaust is not taught, although a history textbook blames the Zionists for exploiting the “claim” that six million Jews were “killed or burned by the Nazis” in order to justify the immigration of Jews to Palestine at the expense of the Arabs living there.

"New elementary school Christian Education textbooks acknowledge Jewish religious connection to the historical land of Israel, emphasized through the use of such terms as “the land of Israel,” and “the Jewish land,” to designate the territory of the Roman province of Judaea during the early days of Christianity. However, they blame Jews for the Crucifixion of Jesus.
Brazil's Lula facing backlash after claiming Israel 'created by UN'
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) is facing fresh backlash from his country's Jewish community after claiming the United Nations (UN) founded the state of Israel. During a speech in Spain, Lula stated that the UN created the State of Israel in 1948, but did not say the same in relation to the Palestinians. "The UN was so strong that, in 1948, it managed to create the State of Israel. In 2023, it fails to create a Palestinian state," Lula said.

In a statement reacting to the Brazilian leader's words, StandWithUs Brasil said that "contrary to what the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said, Israel was not created by the United Nations." "In 1947, what the UN Partition advocated was the creation of two countries, one for Jews and the other for Arabs. The Jews accepted; the Arabs did not. The State of Israel was founded after a war waged by the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq against the Jews," the organization said. The statement was personally signed by André Lajst, executive president of StandWithUs Brasil.

"As for a State for Palestinians, neither the UN nor other international organizations currently have the role of creating it, unless Palestinians and Israelis themselves come to seal the peace independently," the statement added. Lula's statement is not the first he has come at odds with the Jewish state. In March, Israel criticized Brazil's decision to allow two Iranian warships to dock at its port in Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian leader – a veteran leftist politician who was already a former president of Latin America's most populous country – has a long track record of pro-Palestinian statements. In 2009, then-president Lula warmly welcomed former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a notorious Holocaust denier who vowed to "wipe Israel off the face of the earth," during a visit that sparked international criticism.

A year later, Lula became the first Brazilian head of state to visit Israel since Emperor Pedro II visited the Holy Land in 1876. He had, however, refused to go to the tomb of Theodor Herzl, which was part of the itinerary planned for foreign officials visiting for the 150th anniversary of the father of Zionism. A few days later, he laid a wreath at Yasser Arafat's grave in Ramallah. Finally, in the last month of his previous term, his government officially recognized a Palestinian state.
IDF: Palestinian attempts ramming, stabbing near Ariel in West Bank, is shot dead
A Palestinian man attempted to carry out a car-ramming and stabbing attack in the West Bank on Thursday afternoon and was subsequently shot dead, the military and medics said.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, the man drove onto the opposite lane on the Route 5 highway, and tried to ram his car into civilians and security forces at the Gitai Avisar Junction near the West Bank settlement of Ariel. The suspect then got out of his car while allegedly brandishing a knife, before being shot dead by troops.

“The terrorist was holding a knife and IDF forces neutralized him,” the military said in a statement, adding that the suspect attempted to stab a police officer.

The Rescuers Without Borders emergency service said the suspect died of his wounds. He was named by the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry as 39-year-old Ahmed Taha.

The service added that one Palestinian was lightly hurt after the suspect crashed his car into a Palestinian-owned vehicle during the ramming attempt.

A graphic video circulating online showed a police officer standing next to the crashed vehicle, before the suspect got out suddenly. The officer was seen attempting to reach for his weapon, as two soldiers standing nearby opened fire.


US taps munition stockpiles in Israel to help Ukraine
The volume of U.S. munitions stored in Israel has been dwindling due to the Ukraine war and it is unclear when it will be replenished, Israel Hayom has learned from Israeli sources.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the depots storing U.S. munitions in Israel had been partially tapped in order to help Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion. The depots are officially designated as U.S. military storage facilities and as such are considered to be on American soil under bilateral agreements with Israel. The understanding between Jerusalem and Washington over many decades has been that the munitions there would be earmarked for Israel in times of emergency, for example if the Jewish state faces a major attack along the scale as the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

According to sources who spoke with Israel Hayom, some of the munitions have been shipped out in recent months through the Port of Ashdod, mainly on Saturdays to avoid drawing media attention. The shipments, which began under the premierships of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, continued until recent weeks. Israeli and foreign sources have told Israel Hayom the munitions had been drawn down because of the shortage of reserve stockpiles in the West in the wake of the continued fighting in Ukraine.

Change of priorities
An Israeli defense official said the White House had made the decision to shift the resources to another front but that given Israel’s fragile security situation in recent weeks, this could have unanticipated effects. “These are Israel’s reserve stockpiles for times of war,” a former cabinet minister said. “The move has had a bigger implication in light of the threats on Israel in multiple theaters.”

A U.S. official confirmed this, telling Israel Hayom that “it is still not clear when the reserves will be restocked.”

The official added that this depends on the manufacturing pace in the U.S. The change in how the munitions are used is also part of the U.S. pivot towards China and Ukraine, which has seen Washington put less of an emphasis on the Middle East.
Israel complains to U.S. about reduction of ammunition stores
The U.S. has reduced the amount of ammunition stored at warehouses in Israel, redirecting it in recent months to the war effort in Ukraine. But amid concerns of a possible multifront war in Israel, security officials are pressing the Pentagon on its plans to resupply the stores.


IDF arrests Palestinian trying to infiltrate from Gaza
A Palestinian was arrested while attempting to infiltrate Israel from the northern Gaza Strip early Thursday morning.

The infiltrator was spotted on surveillance cameras and troops were dispatched to intercept him.

Last month, the military arrested four unarmed Palestinians attempting to cross the border from the Hamas-ruled Strip.

Earlier Thursday, Palestinian terrorists in Gaza apparently test-fired a rocket towards the Mediterranean Sea that exploded mid-air.

Tensions along the Gaza border remain high.

In early April, Palestinian terrorists there fired 44 projectiles, including rockets and anti-aircraft missiles, towards southern Israel. The IDF responded by striking more than 10 Hamas targets.

The military also struck Hamas assets in southern Lebanon, after the Palestinian terrorist group fired 34 rockets from the Hezbollah-controlled country towards northern Israel on April 6.
PA Arab Praises United Hatzalah EMT – ‘You Don’t Care What our Nationality Is… You See Someone in Need’
On Tuesday morning (Yom Hazikaron) just before 9:00 A.M., a collision between two Palestinian Authority (PA) Arab vehicles took place in the village of Umm Salamuna near Efrat. United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Julian Fridman was on his way to drop off his baby at daycare on Tuesday morning when he came across the accident. Julian slowed down to ask if someone needed medical assistance and saw someone trapped in one of the vehicles. He immediately stopped his car on the side of the road and stepped out of the car while holding his baby in his hands.

The man trapped in the car was a PA Arab in his 60s who was conscious. The EMT reported the situation to United Hatzalah’s Command and Dispatch Center and began bandaging the man’s wounds. In the second car were two Arabs in their 40s. However, all of the injured seemed in light condition, and more help began arriving, including IDF soldiers, the Israeli Fire and Rescue Department, and the Palestinian Red Crescent, prompting Julian, who was unable to provide assistance effectively with his baby in his hands, to leave the scene.

When United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Kalanit Taub arrived minutes later, the Red Crescent was readying to immobilize the man on a spinal board as fire crews were cutting the car in order to get him out. As a member of the United Hatzalah Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit, Kalanit looked around to see if anyone was suffering from emotional shock and needed to be attended to.

At that moment, the daughter of the trapped man arrived at the scene and began to cry hysterically.

Kalanit introduced herself to her, but the young Arab woman could not understand Hebrew or English. Kalanit asked the crowd that had begun to amass at the scene if someone could act as a translator and an Arab man came forward and agreed to help. Kalanit reassured the woman, saying that she was not alone and emphasizing that her father was conscious and likely in light condition.

The volunteer also asked the Arab woman if there was someone else in the family who needed to be informed, in order to encourage the woman to take positive action, thereby alleviating her feeling of helplessness. The woman progressively calmed down and began to make phone calls.

The translator then turned to Kalanit and expressed his gratitude, saying, “All of you. Soldiers, policemen, firemen, and EMTs. You don’t care what our nationality is and treat us simply because you see someone in need. Thank you.”
Understanding PA ideology: Israel's illegal creation and inevitable demise, in 40 PA statements
Introduction
Part 1: Jews have no history in the land; Palestinians have a 5,000-year-old history; therefore, Israel is an “artificial” state with no right to exist

Part 2: Colonial Europe’s justified hatred of the Jews because of their evil nature and “social role” caused them to “vomit” them out and create Israel as a place to send the Jews

Part 3: Palestinians will inevitably destroy Israel

Introduction
Yesterday was Israel's Independence Day, and Israelis and its many supporters around the world celebrated Israel's 75th anniversary.

Israel's major challenge after 75 years, which continues to cast a shadow on all its great successes and accomplishments, is that the neighboring Arab population, under the Fatah leadership of the PLO and the Palestinian Authority, has refused to accept Israel's right to exist, and continues to support the murder of Israelis towards its proclaimed goal of seeking Israel's destruction.

The PA has created an entire fictitious history to justify its goal of destroying Israel. The PA’s revisionist history erases thousands of years of well documented Jewish history in the land of Israel, and fills in the void with a fictitious ancient Palestinian history. In the name of that fictitious Palestinian people, the PA/PLO proclaims it will fight for “justice” and will achieve Israel's inevitable destruction.


Sports Governing Body Reviews Complaint by British Legal Group About Lebanese Runner Discriminating Against Israeli Opponent
The legal department of World Masters Athletics (WMA) said it is reviewing a complaint by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) regarding the actions of a Lebanese runner who withdrew from a recent competition to avoid racing against an athlete from Israel, the British legal group revealed to The Algemeiner on Tuesday.

Mazen Chreim pulled out from the semi-finals of the 200-meter race in the World Athletics Masters Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, last month because the race included an Israeli runner. He explained his decision in a Facebook post, saying he consulted with the Lebanese Athletics Federation and was inspired by the late Hezbollah leader Sheikh Ragheb Harb, who refused to shake hands with Israelis. He also told Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television channel that he supports Hezbollah, does not formally recognize Israel, and refuses to take part in any competition where Israeli athletes are also participating.

Chreim’s actions were later praised by Abdul Salam Haneyya, assistant secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports in Gaza, according to UKLFI, who cited Palestinian media. Organizers of the World Athletics Masters Indoor Championships reportedly expressed disappointment in the runner’s actions but have taken no disciplinary measures against him thus far.

“This leaves WMA in the uncomfortable position of having its event used as a platform for the cause of, and incitement for the policies of, designated terrorist organizations,” UKLFI wrote in its complaint to WMA on April 11. “The organizers of the competition did not stand up to that challenge and it is now up to WMA to choose whether it to allow its athletes to decide who they do and do not compete against, to use your events for political and discriminatory purposes, and to further the agenda of designated terror organizations.

“Instead, WMA can show that it will not allow its events to be hijacked for illegitimate purposes and that athletes will not be permitted to choose opponents based on their own views on ‘acceptability’ … failure to act in this case, beyond the organizers expressing ‘disappointment’ would allow a frontal assault on the principles of WMA. It would be entirely contrary to masters athletics interests, tarnish WMA’s reputation, and undermine its integrity.”
MEMRI: Lebanese Media Expert And Activist Eli Khoury: What's Stopping Us From Making Peace With Israel? We Say Israel Is Our Eternal Enemy, Yet We Cozy Up To Iran And Syria, Who Attack Us
Lebanese media expert and activist Eli Khoury asked in an April 6, 2023 interview on Spot Shot (Lebanon) what is stopping Lebanon from making peace with Israel, and when the interviewer said that this was because Israel has carried out massacres, Khoury said that Iran and Syria have also carried out massacres and atrocities, yet the Lebanese people treat them as "best friends" and send their armies and militias to defend them. He also said that the Ba'ath party in Syria and the mullahs in Iran are more "stupid" than Israel, which has at least achieved technological success while they have failed in liberating Palestine.

Syria And Iran Have Perpetrated Massacres Against Us, Yet We Treat Them As Our Best Friends

Interviewer: "Would you like to live in a country that signs a peace [deal] with Israel?"

Eli Khoury: "Why not? Why not? I don't understand. What's stopping us?"

Interviewer: "Israel has perpetrated massacres against us."

Khoury: "Syria and Iran have also perpetrated massacres. Let's open a ledger and see who has a debt to whom. Let's assume that Israel is Lebanon's eternal enemy, as you claim. I am willing to accept that, in order to protect national unity, even though I don't really believe in this. I'm not talking about me personally, but about the public at large.

"You brainless people should really explain the issue of Syria and Iran to me. They perpetrated atrocities but you have no problem with this. You keep smooching them day and night. You treat them as your best friends, and send your army and your militias to defend them, while you send your compatriots, who were destroyed by the Ba'ath Party to the garbage bin. Why is that?'

"I Consider The Ba'ath Party And The Iranian Mullahs Much More Stupid [Than Israel]... What Have They Created Apart From The Stupid Situation We Are In?"

"You refer to Israel as an enemy..."

Interviewer: "Don't you consider Israel to be an enemy?"

Khoury: "No. I don't consider anyone to be an enemy, and I don't consider anyone to be a friend either.
Lebanese Political Analyst Saleh El Machnouk: If Lebanon Was a Real State, It Would Banish Hamas
Lebanese political analyst Saleh El Machnouk said in an April 16, 2023 episode of the MTV Podcast, which belongs to the Lebanon-based MTV channel, that Lebanon is bearing the brunt of the “unity of fronts” against Israel. He asked why the joint operations room of the “resistance axis” is set up specifically in Beirut and not in another capital, and he said while countries in the Gulf deliberated over the location of U.S. CENTCOM commander General Kenneth McKenzie, Lebanon has hosted IRGC Qods Force commander Esmail Qaani. He elaborated that Iran uses Hizbullah as a “subcontractor” that in turn uses Hamas as its “subcontractor” to fire rockets at Israel from southern Lebanon, particularly since the Palestinian Authority won’t allow Hamas to operate in the West Bank. El Machnouk also said that if Lebanon were a “real state,” it would have arrested the people who fired the rockets at Israel and banished Hamas and its leader Ismail Haniyeh, in a fashion similar to how the Colombian government went into the jungles to fight the Colombian drug cartels. He added that regardless, Lebanon is not a “normal country” and people don’t even know the name of its defense minister.


MEMRI: A Look Into The Discussion On Kuwaiti Salafi Cleric Othman Al-Khamis's Argument Opposing Palestinian Factions' Attacks On Israel, Criticism Of Hamas, And Call For Temporary Truce With Israel
On September 10, 2022, the YouTube channel of Podcast Insan published an interview[1] featuring Kuwaiti radical Salafi cleric Othman Al-Khamis in which he reiterated his position objecting to the operations that Palestinian factions carry out against Israel. In the interview, Al-Khamis described these attacks as "wrong" and recommended that the Palestinians focus on preparing themselves militarily and raising their children according to the right ideology to fight Israel at the right time. Al-Khamis justified his position by arguing that the Palestinians have no chance of winning a war with Israel, which is more powerful than them and would kill and imprison more Palestinians and destroy their houses in response to these operations. In the past, Al-Khamis has also criticized Hamas for fighting with Israel, questioned the legitimacy of its jihad, and pointed to its alliance with Iran and praise of Ruhollah Khomeini, the former supreme leader of Iran, whom he accused of killing Sunni Muslims and insulting and cursing Prophet Muhammad's companions.

Furthermore, Al-Khamis criticized Hamas for eulogizing Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Qods Force in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020. Along with his criticism of Hamas, Al-Khamis has repeatedly stressed his conviction about the divine prophecy that Muslims will eventually defeat the Jews and expel them from Palestine.

On the other hand, Al-Khamis's critics defended Hamas and its ideology and downplayed its alliance with Iran and its officials' praise for both Khomeini and Soleimani. Al-Khamis has also been criticized for his lack of knowledge about the conflict and for his support for the wars in Syria and Yemen, which contradicts his argument regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This report will highlight the argument behind Al-Khamis's call, his views on Iranian-Shi'ite support of Palestinian resistance groups along with his views on other armed conflicts in the region and will present the counterarguments of those who disagree with him.
MEMRI: Iranian TV Report Showcases 200 New Drones Entering Service In Iran's Army
On April 20, 2023, Channel 2 (Iran) aired a report about 200 new UAVs that are entering service in the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. According to the report, these drones are of various types and serve a variety of functions. The commission of the drones is part of a deal involving 1000 drones between Iran's Defense Ministry and the Army. One of the drones commissioned by the Army is the Arash suicide drone, which has been used in recent military exercises.

"Over 200 UAVs Of Various Types – Reconnaissance, Combat, And Suicide Drones – Were Added To The Army's UAV Fleet In Different Locations In The Country"

Reporter: "Less than a year after the unveiling of the army's underground drone base, over 200 UAVs of various types – reconnaissance, combat, and suicide drones – were added to the army's UAV fleet in different locations in the country.

"This is part of a contract between the army and the Defense Ministry for the supply of 1,000 UAVs. These UAVs were planned and built at the Aviation Industries Organization, in cooperation with the army, and they were upgraded with new versions.

Drones Include "The First Drone With An All-Iranian Turbo-Jet Engine" And "The Karrar UAV" Which Can Carry Out Tracking, Aerial Combat, And Suicide Missions

"Here, elsewhere, in the country, this is the first drone with an all-Iranian turbo-jet engine that does not require a runway to take off. Each unit of this UAV can be carried on a truck, and for the recovery phase a parachute system was installed in it.

"The Karrar UAV can carry out tracking and aerial combat missions, and if needed, it can function as a suicide drone.

"You could also see the Ababil-5 among the drones. This UAV was unveiled a year ago. As for this UAV the Arash it is just a suicide drone, and it was used in the recent exercises."


House Foreign Affairs passes MAHSA Act, with intentions to continue negotiations
The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday advanced the MAHSA Act, a bill aiming to increase sanctions on Iranian leadership, by a unanimous voice vote. But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said they intend to continue negotiations on the bill, which has been the subject of intensive talks and some disagreement leading up to yesterday’s vote.

The legislation, named for Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died in regime custody, sparking widespread protests, has 48 Republican and 42 Democratic cosponsors and was supported by AIPAC, the National Union for Democracy in Iran and United Against Nuclear Iran.

Ahead of the markup, HFAC Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) introduced an amendment that would have altered language in the original bill stating that the president “shall… impose” sanctions listed within the bill to instead state that the president “shall… pursue” the sanctions. The proposed change prompted backlash from some Republican lawmakers, Iranian diaspora activists and others who had been rallying support for the bill.

“The [McCaul amendment] dilutes [the bill] to such an extent that the administration or other administrations could simply not enforce the bill as Congress intended,” Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) said during Wednesday’s meeting.

Mills said he negotiated with McCaul to introduce a compromise amendment that partially restored the original language — applying the “impose” language to congressionally approved statutory sanctions and the “pursue” language to sanctions imposed by presidential executive order.
Pahlavi Visit to Israel Brings Hope
The world was pleasantly surprised last week when the Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and his wife Yasmin announced on April 16 that they were visiting Israel for Yom Hashoah—that is, all the world except for the Islamic Republic of Iran and its affiliated terrorist groups. The Pahlavis’ words and actions demonstrated their profound understanding that global peace and security depends upon friendship between Iran and Israel. The Pahlavis met with top Israeli officials and dignitaries including Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, and Israel’s Minister of Intelligence Gila Gamliel.

At a moving and historical visit to the Western Wall, the Pahlavis inserted prayers into the Wall and paid tribute to the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Referencing an edict documented in the Book of Ezra, Reza Pahlavi stated “2,500 years ago, Cyrus the Great liberated the Jewish people from captivity and helped them rebuild their temple in Jerusalem.” With those words the Pahlavis refuted the fiction that Israel is a “neocolonial” entity with no roots in the Middle East and signaled that it is time to resume warm relations between Iran and Israel.

Pahlavi added, “the regime in Iran does not represent the Iranian people.” They “aspire to have a government that honors [Cyrus the Great’s] legacy of tolerance for different faiths and protection of human rights.” Recent polling has indeed shown that Iranians hold a more favorable view of Israel than the EU and the UK. This polling has also shown that Reza Pahlavi has top favorability by far, from a list of potential alternative leaders of the Iranian people.

The Pahlavis also visited Yad Vashem. While there, Reza Pahlavi emphasized that “Anti-Semitism is evil. It’s not just a Jewish problem. It’s a problem for all humanity. Together with my Iranian compatriots, I condemn the Islamic Republic’s genocidal Jew-hatred and Holocaust denial, and commit to never allow such an unconscionable atrocity to ever happen again.”

Indeed, one of the primary antisemitic tropes of Ali Khamenei, the theocratic leader of Iran, is to refer to the Holocaust as a myth. Each year, the Iranian government bankrolls the reprinting of the Tsarist forgery “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” spends nearly $1 billion to arm terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and sponsors Holocaust denial and terrorism conferences to train BDS activists. The corrosive effect of these activities keeps violence alive not only in the Middle East but also globally, and spills over into European capitals, international bodies, and onto college campuses.
Iran Orders United States to Pay $1 Billion for Alleged Terror Strikes
An Iranian court on Wednesday ordered the United States government to pay more than $1 billion in fines for terror strikes that Tehran now says were American-ordered.

The court determined "the U.S. government as well as some American officials and institutions must pay $312,950,000 in damages" to the families of those killed in a 2017 terror strike on Iran’s parliament and a popular holy site. The court "also set $9,950,000 for material damages, $104 million for moral damages caused to the plaintiffs, and $199 million for punitive damages," according to Iran’s state-controlled press.

Iran is blaming the United States for a spate of attacks that are known to have been carried out by the Islamic State, a rival terror organization that is at odds with Iran’s clerical regime. Iranian officials claim the American government is in cahoots with the Islamic State, and is chiefly responsible for the 2017 attack that killed 17 and wounded 50 others.

The judgment is likely payback for the U.S. government’s 2021 seizure of around $7 million in Iranian assets, which were paid out to the victims of Tehran’s terrorism enterprise. The United States also successfully petitioned the International Court of Justice in March to toss a case that would have barred further payments from Iranian coffers.
Iran seizes oil tanker in Gulf of Oman after alleged collision amid regional tension
Iran’s navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday amid wider tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies.

Iran’s army said two Iranian crew members were missing and several others injured after a collision in the Gulf involving the oil tanker that was later seized by its forces.

The US Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet. Satellite tracking data for the vessel from MarineTraffic.com showed it in the Gulf of Oman just north of Oman’s capital, Muscat, on Thursday afternoon. It had just come from Kuwait and listed its destination as Houston, Texas.

The Advantage Sweet issued a distress call at 1:15 p.m. while in international waters as Iran seized the vessel, the Navy said.

“Iran’s actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability,” the 5th Fleet said in a statement. “Iran should immediately release the oil tanker.”

The US Navy initially said Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized the vessel, but an American naval aircraft later confirmed that Iran’s navy captured the ship, 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins told The Associated Press.




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