Wednesday, May 03, 2023

05/03 Links Pt1: IDF struck 16 targets in Gaza overnight in response to 100 rockets; Media Give Friendly Image Overhaul to Dead Hunger Striking Terrorist

From Ian:

PMW: What is US Department of State’s Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs doing to implement the Taylor Force Act?
The 2018 bi-partisan US Taylor Force Act (TFA) conditioned much of the US aid to the Palestinian Authority on the latter abolishing its Pay-for-Slay terror reward policy. TFA was not merely a financial law. Rather, it contained substantive Congressional findings and direction, inter alia, to the US Department of State regarding the activities required of their representatives to pressure the PA to abandon its policy.

After finding that “The Palestinian Authority’s practice of paying salaries to terrorists serving in Israeli prisons, as well as to the families of deceased terrorists, is an incentive to commit acts of terror” TFA added the “Sense of Congress.” In this section of TFA, Congress called on the PA to abandon its terror reward policy and on other PA donor countries to cease aid to the PA until the PA abolished the policy.

TFA then added directions to urge “the Department of State to use its bilateral and multilateral engagements with all governments and organizations committed to the cause of peace between Israel and the Palestinians to highlight the issue of Palestinian Authority payments for acts of terrorism and to urge such governments and organizations to join the United States in calling on the Palestinian Authority to immediately cease such payments.”

In recent weeks, the PA approved its 2023 budget. While the PA hides its finances, the PA’s 2023 budget includes hundreds of millions of dollars that the PA will spend on its terror incentivizing and rewarding payments.

Soon after the announcement of the PA cabinet approval of the budget, Mr. Hady Amr, who according to the US Department of State website currently serves as the Special Representative for Palestinian Affairs within the Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs met with different senior PA, PLO and Fatah officials.
Funding crisis endangers Palestinian statehood, UN warns donor parley
UNSCO painted a bleak picture of the Palestinian economy, explaining that it was beset by so many forces beyond its control that even if it successfully executed all reforms possible, it could still not escape its funding crisis.

It highlights the steep drop in donor funding to the PA of over 80% from 2013 - when it stood at $1.4 billion - compared to just $350 million last year. UNSCO projected that the PA would receive only $300 million in donor funds this year as foreign financing continued to decline.

Israel’s decision to double the funds it withholds from the tax fees it collects on behalf of the PA to $30 million per month has only “exacerbated” the situation, UNSCO said. Israel does so to offset the monthly payment the PA makes to Palestinian terrorists and their family members.

“Resolving the issue could unlock an estimated 800 million USD ormolu in total withheld revenues b year-end 2023,” the UN said.

Then there is the issue of Israel's restrictions on goods that enter and exit the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing, which has over time pushed Palestinians to seek an alternative route through the Rafah crossing into Egypt.

“More than one-third of total comical traffic into the Strip” now goes through the Rafah Crossing where the PA does not generate any revenue, UNSCO explained.

Israeli elimination of restrictions on Palestinian access to farmland in Area C of the West Bank would improve PA revenues by some six to nine percent of the GDP, UNSCO said.

The World Bank issued a report which spoke of the PA’s fiscal crisis, but took a less pessimistic approach as it spoke of the PA’s recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but still spoke of a bleak outlook, particularly in light of Israeli-Palestinian violence and the absence of peace process.

“Despite signs of recovery in 2022, growth remains sensitive to the escalation of tensions in the Palestinian territories and the ongoing restrictions on mobility, access and trade,” said Stefan Emblad, World Bank Country Director for West Bank and Gaza.

The World Bank said that the PA’s financing gap had “fared better than initial forecasts, closing the year at US $351 million, or the equivalent of 1.8% of the GDP, down from 5.7% in 2021.”


Ukraine starts testing Israeli missile warning system in Kyiv
An Israeli early warning system for missile attacks began operating in Kyiv this week, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Kornichuk said on Wednesday.

Kornichuk had asked Israel for missile warning systems since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. The previous government promised the system to Ukraine, but the ambassador credited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal involvement in ensuring the project’s quick completion. Saving people's lives

“Hopefully they will finalize [the warning system] quickly and we can copy-paste it to all major cities. The Ukrainian government controls six cities with over a million residents and we will definitely be using Israeli technology to help save people’s lives,” the ambassador said.

The system identifies rockets and missiles of all kinds and projects where they will fall, in order to narrow the radius in which residents may be in danger. It also calculates how much time people in that area have to seek shelter.

“This is very important for our civilian and military infrastructure. It is equipment that will allow us to save lives,” Kornichuk stated.


The Israel Guys: Joe Biden Makes VERY CLEAR His Disregard for Israel
If you’re an American, and still have any doubts about how Joe Biden’s administration feels about Israel, today’s program should clear up your confusion. From fawning over Jew-haters to shunning Israel’s prime minister, Biden and the US Administration seem to be bending over backwards to make sure the world knows that they do NOT support Israel.




IDF struck 16 targets in Gaza overnight in response to 100 rockets
A total of 104 rockets were fired into Israel between Tuesday and Wednesday, most by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad with some minor participation from Hamas, the IDF confirmed on Wednesday morning.

In response, Israel countered with approximately 16 airstrikes, mostly on Hamas positions, to hold the group responsible for what occurs in Gaza.

IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari said that despite an apparent ceasefire starting around 5:30 a.m. “all options are on the table” should any Palestinian group fire additional rockets at Israel.

Most of the Israeli strikes in Gaza focused on Hamas’ armament capabilities, including weapons factories, operational headquarters for its naval forces, underground tunnels and other similar sites, with indications that only one Hamas member was killed.

Despite the low number of casualties on the Gaza side, Hagari denied that Israel had avoided targeting Hamas sites with personnel who were present.

Hagari said that Hamas had participated with land-to-air missiles against Israeli aircraft which were not particularly effective, but had mostly left the fighting to Islamic Jihad.

He said that this was an early sign that Hamas did not want a major conflict and eventually led the group to force the ceasefire on Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
104 rockets launched from Gaza toward Israel in 24-hours
A tentative ceasefire has reportedly been reached between Israel and the Palestinian terror groups in Gaza, following a 24-hour escalation, as residents in border communities return to their daily routines.


Sderot schoolteacher responds to rockets throughout the day
Atara Orebouch, a school teacher from Sderot, talks about the harrowing experience in the classroom and at home as barrage after barrage of Gazan rockets targeted southern Israel.




FDD: Islamic Jihad Attacks Israel from Gaza with Hamas’ Assent
Palestinian terrorists launched more than 100 rockets and mortar bombs at Israel from the Gaza Strip on May 2 and early May 3 with the assent of the territory’s ruling Hamas faction. The salvoes — mostly fired by the terrorist group Islamic Jihad — focused on the Israeli border town of Sderot but reached as far as the port city of Ashkelon, sending residents to shelters and seriously wounding a construction worker who was caught out in the open. The Palestinian launches ceased at daybreak on May 3 as part of a deal brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.

Expert Analysis
“Hamas is still loathe to provoke a full-on conflict with Israel. But its public closing of ranks with Islamic Jihad suggests that deterrence is eroding. This should be of no surprise, given that both terrorist groups are Iranian proxies and Tehran has been stepping up its efforts to foment multi-front assaults on Israel.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Following another exchange of fire, the IDF released an impressive list of Hamas and Islamic Jihad military targets hit in Gaza, demonstrating that this round was a tactical win for Israel. Despite the tactical victory, the citizens of Israel’s south have once again had their lives upended, Israel has failed to reestablish deterrence, and the mullahs in Tehran will surely tout this exchange as a win for the regime. For now, Israel seems content to pull its punches and allow Iran-backed terrorists in Gaza to define the rules of the game in exchange for relative quiet.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network


Senior PIJ member Khader Adnan's death sparks Gaza rocket barrage
Col. (Res.) Jacques Neriah and Fatah activist Samer Sinijlawi discuss the death of Khader Adnan and the aftermath, in which dozens of rockets were fired at Israel.




Media Give Friendly Image Overhaul to Dead Hunger Striking Terrorist
Khader Adnan was a prominent member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. Convicted multiple times by Israel on terrorism charges, he died during his 13th spell in custody this week, on the 87th day of a hunger strike, having refused all medical treatment offered to him by Israeli authorities.

Despite the self-inflicted nature of his demise, the reaction of his fellow Islamic Jihad terrorists and their Hamas colleagues in Gaza was to hold Israel entirely responsible, firing a barrage of over 100 rockets and mortars on Israel’s south over the course of 24 hours, including one rocket that landed in Sderot, wounding three foreign nationals.

In stark contrast with the indiscriminate Palestinian rocket fire aimed at civilians, the IDF struck 16 separate targets belonging to Islamic Jihad and Hamas terror groups across the Gaza Strip overnight.

The reaction from some mainstream media to the events was all too predictable.

Who Was Khader Adnan?
While Human Rights Watch’s Israel and Palestine Director Omar Shakir gushed about how Adnan “valiantly struggled” and “dies [with] his head raised high,” the reality is that Adnan had been convicted for encouraging and inciting terror attacks on innocent Israeli civilians and was likely on his way to a further conviction while awaiting trial.

In fact, video footage of Adnan speaking at a rally gives a good insight into his views. “Oh Quds Brigades, strike a blow! Oh Quds Brigades, shake the earth! Who among you is Hasan Abu Zaid [suicide bomber who killed five civilians]? Who among you is the next suicide bomber? Who among you will carry the next explosive belt? Who among you will fire the next bullets? Who among you will have his body parts blown all over?” Adnan can be seen screaming to an excited mob of Palestinians.


Bill to let victims sue terror paymasters advances in Knesset
The Knesset plenum on Wednesday approved in a preliminary reading a bill allowing victims of terrorism to file tort claims against those who provide remuneration for committing acts of terrorism.

This proposed legislation takes on the Palestinian Authority’s “pay for slay” policy in which it pays monthly stipends to terrorists and the families of slain terrorists.

The proposal introduced by United Torah Judaism MK Yitzhak Pindrus passed in a 24-8 vote. The legislation now heads to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

The proposal stipulates that the compensation to the victims of terrorism will not be offset against the monies the State of Israel pays to citizens affected by terrorist attacks.

Victims will also be able to pursue financial compensation from any assets belonging to those funding terrorism, including tax and tariff payments Israel transfers to the P.A.

“Civil tort claims by victims of terrorism are an effective and efficient tool in many countries to combat terrorist financing since they harm the resources of those involved in terrorist financing and create financial deterrence,” the draft law states.

“However, Israeli law places many barriers before victims of terrorism who wish to file these claims, in a way that a considerable [number] of the victims refrained from submitting them. Thus, the State of Israel loses a cheap and effective means of combating terrorism and another injustice is caused to the victims of terrorism who do not receive adequate compensation,” it continues.
Israeli forces demolish homes of terrorists who committed deadly attacks
Israeli forces demolished overnight Tuesday the home of Mohammed Souf, from Haris, a village southwest of Nablus, who killed three Israelis in a terror attack in Samaria in November 2022.

Souf stabbed one person at the entrance to the Ariel Industrial Park and two others at an adjacent gas station. He then fled in a stolen vehicle, which he subsequently slammed into several cars on Route 5 before exiting the car and stabbing another person, then stealing a second vehicle and driving it against traffic.

At this stage, security personnel shot and killed him.

The slain Israelis were Michael Ladygin, 36, a father of two, and Mordechai Ashkenazi, 59, a father of three and grandfather of two, who were stabbed at the gas station, and Tamir Avihai, 50, a father of six, whom the terrorist drove over.


"Israeli Security Personnel Thwart Weapons Smuggling from Gaza to the Palestinian Authority"
Security guards from Israel’s Defense Ministry have thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons from Gaza into the Palestinian Authority. The arms were hidden in furniture sent from Gaza to Judea and Samaria.

Among the items tucked away inside the furniture were firearms, silencers and cartridges, all hidden in a delivery en route from Gaza to Judea and Samaria.

The furniture shipment, however, aroused the guards’ suspicion.

Upon closer inspection, the guards uncovered various types of firearms hidden inside the furniture, in addition to loaded cartridges and silencers; all were confiscated.

The weapons were allegedly being shipped for terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria, initial assessments determined. The contraband was transferred to security forces for further investigation.


Israel Risks Losing Its Deterrence over Hizballah
Since its 2006 war with Hizballah, the Jewish state has been able to maintain relative calm on its northern border. The IDF has for the most part refrained from attacking the Iran-backed terrorist group in its South Lebanon stronghold, where it has an arsenal of some 120,000 rockets, while Hizballah has been reluctant to retaliate when the IDF strikes its positions in Syria. But Orna Mizrahi and Yoram Schweitzer fear that the Shiite militia has been gradually eroding this uncomfortable status quo:

Hizballah can boast of several accomplishments over the past two years, including its claim that its own activities have forced Israel to scale back its operations in Lebanon’s airspace; the expanded presence of Hizballah operatives along the border with Israel in observation posts (which were constructed under the guise of Green Without Borders, a Lebanese environmental NGO); skirmishes with Israeli forces along the borders; and the self-confidence that [its leader Hassan] Nasrallah has demonstrated since the maritime border agreement between Israel and Lebanon was signed in October 2022, which Nasrallah claims as a victory for Hizballah thanks to its threats against Israel.

In addition, Hizballah—like the other members of the [pro-Iran] axis—sees the internal Israeli dispute over [judicial reform] and the widespread protests against the Israeli government as an expression of Israel’s inherent weakness and mistakenly interprets this as a significant blow to its military strength. The false narrative that Nasrallah has spun, especially over the past twelve months and that has come to the fore in his speeches, is, it seems, the reason for the excessive daring that he has displayed during recent events.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun: Europe Conspires To Keep Syrian Refugees In Lebanon
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said in an April 30, 2023 address on OTV (Lebanon) that Lebanon is a victim of a "big game" and a "conspiracy" that is keeping the large influx of Syrian refugees in the country. He said that most of the European countries do not want the Syrian refugees, so they are trying to force Lebanon to keep them. President Aoun continued to say that these are not "political" refugees, rather they have been displaced due to security reasons. He added that the European countries want Lebanon to adopt the "big lie" that pollical refugees are the same as refugees due to security concerns and that it is an "insolent lie" to claim they will be killed by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad if they return to Syria.




U.S. must expedite delivery of KC-46A aerial refueling tanker to Israel
Iran has arrived at the nuclear threshold. It has already enriched uranium to just shy of weapons grade and could make a bomb’s worth of fissile material in just days. It is essential that the United States and its partners work together to deter and prevent Iran from advancing any further. One critical component of that deterrence is the new KC-46A aerial refueling tanker and ensuring that Israel receives, and is ready to fly, these aircraft as soon as possible.

Deterring Iran from achieving nuclear weapons capability is a vital U.S. national security interest. Each of the last four presidents has pledged to prevent a nuclear Iran because they understood that if the brutal regime in Tehran were to acquire such a dangerous weapon, it would threaten the existence of U.S. regional partners, trigger a proliferation cascade, endanger the free flow of energy, and distract from other U.S. priorities, such as competing with Russia and China.

The United States has the necessary capability to target Iran’s nuclear facilities, but the Biden administration appears unwilling to launch a strike. Yet the United States can contribute to deterrence against Iran, with minimal cost to itself, by enhancing Israel’s ability to launch a preventive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. The KC-46A tanker would provide the single greatest boost to Israeli capabilities against Iran and demonstrate U.S. support for its Israeli partner.

Currently, if Israel needs to launch a strike against Iran, it will face a trade-off between having its aircraft carry more fuel to extend operations or larger payloads to strike more targets. Midair refueling solves this problem by enabling aircraft to carry more and larger payloads and sufficient fuel to complete the missions.

Israel’s ability to operate at range, however, is limited because it operates roughly 50-year-old Ram refueling tankers, with limited refueling capacity and speed, not to mention defenses. The advanced and largely autonomous KC-46A would be a major upgrade. It can refuel three jets simultaneously in three to four minutes and has cutting-edge defensive systems.
MEMRI TV Videos: Iranian President: Iran’s Response to “Small Step” by Israel Will Be Annihilation of Zionist Entity
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi issued threats against Israel in a May 2, 2023 interview with Mayadeen TV (Lebanon) during his visit to Lebanon. He said that if Israel makes a “small step” against Iran, then Iran’s first response would be to annihilate it. President Raisi reiterated that any “foolish act” will be its last one. He further stated that the “Zionist entity” cannot even provide security within it and that it can’t even confront the young Palestinian resistance fighters inside it, so it cannot possibly even “talk” about attacking Iran. President Raisi added that these are nothing but “empty threats” on the part of Israel, and that no one in the world takes them seriously. He said that it has “become clear” that peace treaties such as the Oslo and Camp David Accords cannot provide the “Zionist entity” with security, and that circumstances are not determined on the negotiations table, but by the mujahideen. President Raisi stated that the new world “circumstances” serve the interests of the resistance and not the Zionist entity.






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