Tuesday, May 02, 2023

05/02 Links Pt1: Military Aid to Israel Offers Valuable Returns; Al Sharpton said to be appalled by Palestinian pay-for-slay policy; Rockets fired from Gaza into Israel, 7 civilians wounded

From Ian:

Military Aid to Israel Offers Valuable Returns
As we commemorate Israel's 75th birthday and the longstanding friendship between the United States and the Jewish State, we must reassert our bond—and spurn efforts to diminish it, as cooperation between both nations safeguards Israel from the destruction of war, maintains regional stability, protects vital American strategic interests, and ultimately saves countless lives. This partnership is now being threatened by a few fringe members of Congress calling on President Biden to restrict military aid to Israel.

The benefits of U.S. military aid to Israel are well known and well documented. Since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, the U.S. has allocated over $150 billion in military and economic aid to Israel. American support helped Israel develop a strong military that can repel a variety of attacks from terrorism, ballistic missiles, and the many other dangers menacing Israel's borders. U.S. assistance also enables Israel to maintain its qualitative military edge over adversaries such as Iran, ensuring that it can defend itself effectively against any global threat.

U.S. military aid to Israel is not simply about Israel's defense—it also serves critical and undeniable American national security interests. Israel is a key ally in an important region. Our military partnership enables the U.S. to maintain an active presence without having to deploy U.S. troops and potentially put Americans in harm's way. Israel's thriving defense industry produces cutting-edge military technologies, such as the Iron Dome missile defense system, which has saved thousands of lives. Military aid to Israel also contributes to new scientific innovations that benefit the entire world, including the development of breakthrough medical devices and water-conservation technologies.

Additionally, more than 75 percent of security assistance provided to Israel is spent in the United States. This spending boosts the U.S. economy and helps support thousands of high-quality American jobs across the country.

Efforts to cut or condition military aid to Israel would have lasting and disastrous implications for Israel's ability to defend civilians from existential threats. Moreover, such proposals are far too often fodder for those who viscerally oppose the very existence of Israel, the world's only Jewish State, as well as those who hide their antisemitism behind the fig-leaf of anti-Zionism. Cutting military aid not only lessens Israel's ability and readiness to defend itself, but also, intentionally, or otherwise, incentivizes those who seek to do harm to the prospects of a lasting peace in the region.
EU promises funding won’t go to PA textbooks inciting against Israel
The European Union will make sure it is not funding Palestinian textbooks that incite against Israel, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi told Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Brussels on Tuesday.

“Israel does not oppose aid to the Palestinian Authority, but we will not allow a situation in which those funds indirectly fund terrorism or incitement against Israel,” Cohen said.

Várhelyi also promised the EU will fund additional research on incitement and antisemitism in Palestinian Authority textbooks, following a previous paper on the topic from 2019, Cohen’s office said.

In addition, the senior EU official and foreign minister agreed to work together to strengthen and expand the Abraham Accords, forged between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020.

Israel and the EU also plan to work together on sweeping mines in Ukraine.

Cohen also met with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who backed a resolution passed in January calling on the European Council and member states to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the EU terrorist list, banning financial activity related to the IRGC and its affiliates. Cohen and Metsola discussed ways to turn the resolution into action.

“The Iranian regime threatens the Middle East and the Western world,” Cohen said. “European states understand the Iranian threat today more than ever and see eye-to-eye with Israel on the need to fight the terrorism that the Iranian regime leads and funds.”
Al Sharpton said to be appalled by Palestinian pay-for-slay policy
It was an unlikely image, to say the least. Rev. Al Sharpton tweeted a photo of himself last week with Mort Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America.

Much of the Jewish community has long considered Sharpton antisemitic for his incendiary rhetoric, accusing him of inciting violence against Jews back in 1991 in Brooklyn, N.Y., as part of the Crown Heights riots. He has expressed regrets about such actions in recent years, which some take as genuine remorse, though others think that he is more focused on rehabilitating his reputation.

Sharpton expressed support of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in 2019, calling it “inexcusable” that Israel banned the congresswoman, who has a history of antisemitic statements, from entry the country that summer. And as recently as 2020, Klein said that the Anti-Defamation League head should not go on Sharpton’s MSNBC program, “PoliticsNation.”

Klein told JNS that he received a call from Sharpton’s National Action Network offices, looking to set up a get-together.

“A couple of his board members told Sharpton, ‘You should meet with a guy who fights for his people just as strong as you fight for the blacks,’ ” said Klein. “I figured if I can have a relationship with him that will help our Jewish people and Israel, I’ll do it.”

There was no preset agenda for the initial 90-minute meeting, according to Klein. Sharpton has tweeted that the meeting included Howard Teich and Michael Hardy, board member and general counsel, respectively, of National Action Network.

Klein told JNS that he sought to make common cause with civil-rights activist Sharpton, discussing his upbringing in a majority-black West Philadelphia neighborhood, as well as a friendship with Ice Cube after the rapper’s own spewing of anti-Jewish sentiment. Sharpton tried to explain his past actions that have been seen as antisemitic and said some were misrepresented in the media, according to Klein.




The Israel Guys: HALF A MILLION Israelis Take to Streets to SUPPORT Netanyahu’s Government
Half a million Israelis take to the streets after Israel’s Independence Day to support the government and to show their support for passing judicial reforms. In the words of one of the protesters at the rally, “We are tired of being treated like second class citizens.”

US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is visiting Israel right now and boldly declaring his unconditional support for the nation.


Rockets fired from Gaza into Israel, 7 civilians wounded
At least 26 rockets were reportedly fired from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel on Tuesday with two rockets even hitting Sderot and wounding at least seven civilians.

The first round of rockets started just hours after Palestinian Islamic Jihad official Khader Adnan died following a three-month-long hunger strike against his being held in administrative detention. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad both took responsibility for the rocket fire.

Of the first three rockets, fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Tuesday morning, all landed in open areas near the Gaza border. During that round of rockets, the IDF decided that there was no need to activate the Iron Dome missile defense batteries.

The IDF then responded with tank fire on one Hamas military position, a relatively light reaction.

Later Tuesday afternoon, another 22 rockets were fired, this time by a mix of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, causing sirens to go off in Sderot, Nir Am, Sde Avraham, Erez and some other towns.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad launches 3 rockets at Israel after death of senior leader
Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group has promised to retaliate, following the death of one of its senior leaders following an 87-day hunger strike while in an Israeli prison.




Khader Adnan: High-Profile Palestinian Prisoner Who Died After 87-Day Hunger Strike
He was one of the first and perhaps the best-known Palestinian hunger strikers and his death early Tuesday in an Israeli prison after an 87-day hunger strike has the potential to reignite fighting with Gaza.

Khader Adnan, a senior leader in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was found unresponsive in his cell in Nitzan jail, where he had been detained since early February, after refusing medical treatment, the Israeli prison service said.

Shortly after his death was announced, three rockets were launched from Gaza towards southern Israeli towns. There were no reports of injuries or damage. “The occupation bears full responsibility, and we will carry out our role in confronting those crimes and those assaults, in particular this crime which led to the martyrdom of Sheikh hero Khader Adnan,” said Daoud Shehab, Islamic Jihad spokesman.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society said Adnan’s death was “assassination by the Israeli occupation.” Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority demanded an investigation into his death.

A general strike has been announced across the West Bank in mourning for the 45-year-old prisoner. And in his hometown of Arrabeh near Jenin, his nine-year old son led a protest, calling his father a hero.

“We will not wait for anyone to avenge my husband. He is survived by nine children. And to the occupation I say, remember the faces of my children well. By God, we have raised them on pride and dignity,” said Randa Musa, Adnan’s wife.

Adnan was no stranger to Israeli prisons. His arrest in February on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization, was his 12th stint in an Israeli jail.

Since 2004, Adnan had gone on six hunger strikes, drawing local and international attention. And he became not only a spokesperson, but also a symbol, for the cause of Palestinian security prisoners.
Widow of dead Islamic Jihad terrorist: 'We do not seek revenge'
The widow of senior Islamic Jihad terrorist Khader Adnan, who died Tuesday morning, said the family does not seek revenge.

Adnan died following a three-month hunger strike. Following his death, three rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israeli territory.

"We do not seek revenge, and we do not wish that missiles be fired and that afterwards they will attack Gaza," she said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas promised that the Israeli government would pay for Adnan's "elimination," with a spokesman claiming that Israel "executed" Adnan "in cold blood."


FDD PodCast: The Hashemite King’s Gambit
For decades, American policymakers have come to view the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as an indispensable ally in the Middle East, committing billions of taxpayer dollars to support Jordan’s budget, economy, and military. Indeed, Jordan’s Peace Treaty with Israel; its strategic position between Israel, Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia; and its pro-American military and intelligence services remain critical to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

And yet, challenges inside this relationship are reaching alarming levels. From harboring one of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists and inciting violence against Israel, to a member of its parliament facing charges for trafficking guns and gold into Israel, Jordan’s recent behavior has U.S. policymakers considering their options.

Filling in for host Cliff May is Rich Goldberg, senior advisor at FDD. To discuss U.S.-Jordan relations, he’s joined by FDD Senior Vice President for Research Jonathan Schanzer and Joe Truzman, research analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal.


Why Is Jordan Knowingly Promoting a False Anti-Israel Narrative?
With the blessing and encouragement of the Iranian leadership, radical Palestinians used the presence of thousands of worshippers at the Al Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount to incite and generate tension and violence by repeatedly broadcasting the false accusation that Israel intends to destroy the Mosque. This, in turn, led to waves of violence and terror against Israelis and Jews throughout the area, requiring Israel’s police to act to restore order.

Jordan’s Irresponsible Official Statements
No less regrettable is the reaction by the Jordanian leadership, which, despite being fully aware of the false basis for such incitement and the fact that groups of fanatics armed with clubs, fireworks, and rocks initiated violence within the holy Mosque, chose to join the choir of political elements condemning Israel.

Such Jordanian statements included an accusation by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi alleging unprovoked aggression against peaceful Palestinian worshippers, adding, “Israel is pushing us into the abyss of violence and undermines the peace treaty with Jordan.”1

In a similar statement, Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sinan al-Majali threatened:
“Should the Israeli police assault worshipers again, in an attempt to empty [the mosque] of worshipers, in preparation for major incursions into the mosque,” it would “push the situation towards more tension and violence, for which everyone will pay the price.”

“The Israeli government bears responsibility for the escalation in Jerusalem and in all the occupied Palestinian territories and for the deterioration that will worsen if it does not stop its incursions into the holy Al Aqsa Mosque…and its terrorization of worshipers in these blessed days.”

Jordan faces a tough internal predicament navigating between its majority Palestinian population, on the one hand, which constantly exerts political pressure to act with hostility towards Israel, and, on the other hand, its ruling Hashemite minority, Bedouin tribes, and aristocracy, which looks at the Hashemite kingdom’s broader strategic and global interests, as well as the welfare of its population.
MEMRI: Iranian IRGC Commander Hossein Salami: 'Invisible Hands Armed The West Bank – And You [Now] See Modern Automatic Rifles And Automatic Weapons In The Hands Of The Palestinians'
In an April 18, 2023 speech for Iran's Military Day, Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said that "invisible hands" – hinting at the Iranian regime – are arming Palestinian organizations with automatic weapons against Israel.

Salami's statements came several days after rockets were fired into Israel from Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza and Israeli civilians were killed in shooting attacks during the Passover holiday. The rocket fire was apparently directed by Iran in connection with Israel's killing of two IRGC members in Syria.

It should be noted that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been issuing instructions to arm the West Bank since July 2014 (see Appendix).

The following are excerpts from his statements:
"Today, for the first time, 100,000 [Israelis] protested against the Zionist regime inside the occupied territories.[1] Israel is today being attacked by missiles from Syria, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip, and the flames of wrath are spreading from the West Bank. The Zionist regime has surrounded itself with walls of several hundred meters, and uses the most powerful sensors to create [its own] security, so that not even an animal can cross its borders. But invisible hands have armed the West Bank, and you [now] see modern automatic rifles and automatic weapons in the hands of the Palestinians.

"Over the past week, the Palestinians carried out 165 [terrorist] operations, half of which were shooting [attacks]. The Zionists killed two [members] of our forces [in Syria], but seven of their own have been killed by the invisible hands [in shooting attacks]; these equations have become unequal...


Bassam Tawil: How Palestinians Are Trying to Destroy Lebanon
According to these reports, Hamas could not have carried out the rocket attack without the blessing of Hezbollah, Iran's terror proxy in Lebanon.

"[T]here are those who seek to turn Lebanon into a military base. What [Hamas] did [by firing missiles at Israel] will be an incentive for other organizations to carry out similar military actions that could drag Lebanon into disaster." — Elie Mahfoud, a lawyer for Sovereign Front for Lebanon, Asharq Al-Awsat, April 24, 2023.

Hezbollah has proven that it is the only authority in Lebanon and that the Islamic Republic of Iran controls all aspects of the country." — Kheirallah Kheirallah, veteran Lebanese journalist, Al Arabiya, April 9, 2023.

Kheirallah also took the Lebanese foreign ministry to task for protesting against Israel when it fired back "instead of asking itself what Hamas and its rockets are doing in Lebanon."

The bad news... is that Lebanon will continue to be used by Iran's ruling mullahs and their proxies as a launching pad to attack Israel as long as the Lebanese people do not rise up against them.

More bad news: this is exactly what will happen if and when a Palestinian state is established next to Israel. This new state will be used by Iran and its terrorist militias as a base for attacking Israel and killing as many Jews as they can.
Seth Frantzman: Hezbollah tees up to close historic Beirut golf course
This isn’t the first time the course has found itself in the crosshairs. Back in October 2021, The Times noted that “rival factions are ripping Lebanon apart. Even golf is in their crosshairs.

“Beirut’s local club has been earmarked for a hotly contested Iranian power station to combat the energy crisis,” the report added, noting that “with its well-groomed putting greens, fairways dotted by palm trees and views over the Mediterranean, the last remaining golf course in Lebanon is not an obvious symbol of the country’s accelerating slide towards chaos.”

The local politicians at the Ghobeiry Municipal Council claimed that the club doesn’t pay enough rent for the 100 acres of land that its greens, sand traps and fairways rest on. However this appears to be an excuse; if Lebanon wanted to maintain the club, it could do so easily.

Some of the club’s woes have been known for years. Back in 2010, CNN said the area nestled amid “the southern, dirt-poor Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh holds many secrets. After all, this is Hezbollah’s stronghold, the power base of the militant Shia Muslim organization that has dominated Lebanese politics in recent years.”

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s portrait peers back on those driving to the course, hoping to get in a round before a day of work.

CNN noted at the time: “The Golf Club of Lebanon is an expanse of rolling greens and pristine fairways; state-of-the-art gyms and turquoise swimming pools; beautifully arranged flower beds and starched white polo tops, all in the midst of tightly-packed slums.”

That report claimed it was churned up by Israeli tanks in 1982. Course greenskeeper Ali Hammoud told CNN, “All the club was destroyed completely, we built the club up from zero. The front nine took about seven or eight months, but the back nine took three years to rebuild.”

The presence of Hezbollah and the Iranians in the area has long been known, part of the overall strategy of Hezbollah to festoon parts of Beirut with its weapons. The Alma report shows areas near the club alleged to be missile storage and potential launch sites, as well as a school. Hezbollah embeds itself in the civilian landscape.

A landscape like this, with putting greens and fairways, could be a hole-in-one landscape for Hezbollah to fire rockets or build tunnels. It is not entirely clear what the terrorist group would otherwise benefit from it, but it does mean it could get rid of outsiders who wander the links, while maintaining more control on another part of Beirut.

Overall, historically, the Hezbollah attempt to muscle out the club shows how it continues to digest parts of Lebanon. For Lebanese who want to preserve green spaces in Beirut, any changes to the course would be catastrophic.
Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi Calls for Secular, Democratic Iran at ADL Summit
Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi on Sunday evening called for a secular, democratic Iran with close ties to Israel and the Jewish people on Sunday at the Anti-Defamation League’s annual leadership summit.

Pahlavi, who is the son of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and has been living in exile in the United States for decades, said the Islamic Republic was driven by a “blind animus towards the Jewish people” and cited the example of Cyrus the Great as inspiration for restoring the millennia of ties between Iranians and Jews that were severed by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“In a future secular and democratic Iran, the rule of law, based not only on the international declaration of human rights, but on Cyrus the Great’s first ever declaration, will establish and guarantee freedom of religion as a fundamental right, so that Iran can return to its roots as a nation where people of different faiths live and worship freely alongside each other,” Pahlavi said. “In such an Iran, this will extend our relation with all of our neighbors based on the principle of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. That is the Iran I envision. That is the Iran my compatriots are fighting for.”

The speech follows Pahlavi’s visit to Israel in April, during which he participated in a Holocaust memorial event at Yad Vashem on Yom HaShoah, Israel’s Holocaust memorial day, and prayed at the Western Wall.

“My trip to Israel was not merely to stand on principle,” Pahlavi said Sunday. “I went with a new vision for our region. A vision that is not bogged down in the forced ideological divisions of recent decades, but instead based on the ancient ways of our lands and connections between our people.”
Tehran ‘already violating’ missile embargo set to expire in October
Iran is violating a U.N. Security Council-mandated embargo on the export and import of missiles that is due to expire in October, Israeli observers of the Islamic Republic tell JNS.

U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, passed in 2015 to endorse the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—better known as the Iranian nuclear deal—placed restrictions banning Iran from buying and selling ballistic-missile-related components.

Iran maintains a large arsenal of ballistic and cruise missiles, which today carry conventional warheads and can be converted to carry nuclear warheads. It also exports missiles, rockets and drones to terrorist proxies in the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

After Oct. 18, 2023, Tehran will no longer face bans on activities supporting its missile program. A separate U.N. arms embargo on Iran, barring it from purchasing weapons such as fighter jets and tanks, expired in October 2020.

The United States maintains its own sanctions on Iranian weapons transactions.
Seth Frantzman: Aleppo airstrikes showcase Iran’s strategy, regional concerns
Al-Ain media in the Gulf focused on the airstrikes in an article this morning. It reports on the Campaign Between the Wars and also on the current tensions in the region. Russia’s state media TASS also reported on the strikes. This shows Russia is openly accusing Israel and highlighting the incident. “Israeli Air Force planes on Tuesday launched missile strikes on Syrian army positions on the outskirts of the city of Aleppo (360 km from Damascus). According to the Syria TV channel, the Israeli attack damaged the runway of Aleppo International Airport,” TASS said.

TASS says Syrian media “also quoted a source in the armed forces’ command as saying that one Syrian serviceman was killed and seven others were wounded when repulsing the attack. ‘our anti-aircraft gunners managed to hit several air targets,’ he specified, ‘One Syrian serviceman was killed and seven others, including two civilians, were wounded in repulsing the attack.’” Syria uses Russian-made air defense systems. The article points out that “on March 7, Aleppo International Airport remained shut down for more than two weeks after the Israeli attack.”

Turkish media also covered the attack. State media TRT noted that “Israel carried out the missile attack in the southeast of Aleppo, targeting the airport and some sites in the vicinity of the Syrian city and causing some material damage, the source was quoted as saying. Israel has for years been carrying out attacks against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran's influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.” Turkey’s coverage also shows that Ankara is interested in what is happening in Aleppo, which is very close to Turkey’s border.

Pro-Iranian media also mentioned the attack. Al-Mayadeen highlighted the incident. The overall context is that there is increased focus on this airstrike in contrast to some of the previous ones. The regional moves in which Syria seeks to normalize ties is likely part of this context.
Seth Frantzman: Iran seeks to bolster IRGC supranational role in production
The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, recently gave a speech in which he discussed the importance of Iran’s investment in local industries. This has long been an Iranian focus because of sanctions. The IRGC plays a role in this through such organizations as Khatam al-Anbiya, a construction and engineering firm.

Salami in his speech heralded the important of the Khatam al-Anbiya in helping Iran maintain its independent production under sanctions. He says that “this is the brilliance and has not allowed any of the workshops, plans and projects that produce all high concepts of dignity, pride, epic, honor, etc.” He celebrated the construction company as being the heart of the country’s history “working to build a glorious and a strong Iran.”

Although one can read this as just boilerplate propaganda the reality is that Iran’s IRGC does believe in this concept. It wants to control Iran’s military industrial complex. It doesn’t mind Iran being under sanctions, because it can profit off more control. It profits either way, so it’s not as if sanctions help the IRGC, but it exploits the position of Iran to gobble up resources.

One can get a sense of the IRGC’s agenda in his words. “When a refinery is opened, a power plant is put into operation or a dam is opened, the foundations for the growth of this society are formed, but this refinery and power plant are the embodiment of our honor, sacrifice and allegiance with these people and the embodiment of religion's ability to manage the society.” What he means is that the organizing force behind Iran is the IRGC and also the “Islamic” aspect of the “Islamic republic” and thus the IRGC must have a hand in every project, the way a large mafia has a hand in every construction project in a major city.




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