Thursday, May 25, 2023

05/25 Links Pt1: Caroline Glick: Israeli power is the foundation for regional peace; EU envoy: ‘No such thing as Area A and B, it’s all Palestine’; Iran unveils Khaybar missile capable of reaching Israel

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: Israeli power is the foundation for regional peace
In all cases, the Arab states that have made formal peace deals with Israel in the past did so because Israel had something to give them. With both the Abraham Accords and Israel’s peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt, by making peace with Israel, the Arab states received better ties with the United States.

Today, the Biden administration is moved far more by its domestic constituents who are hostile to Israel than by U.S. strategic interests as those were understood by the United States until the Obama administration. As a result, the Biden administration is adopting policies that are hostile to both Israel and Saudi Arabia, and to peace between them. Biden’s refusal to date to host Netanyahu at the White House is a graphic demonstration of his administration’s hostile bent.

Netanyahu cannot deliver the concessions Washington is demanding. If he accepts the U.S./Saudi demand to give the Palestinians security powers in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem that Israel holds, Israel will undermine its national security and endanger its national interests. If Netanyahu agrees to cancel his efforts to reform the legal system, he will destabilize his government.

Moreover, given the current anti-Saudi bent among Democrats, Netanyahu will be hard-pressed to persuade Biden to agree to MBS’s demands.

To foster peace with Saudi Arabia, Israel has to do what it has been doing all along: serve as a block on Iran’s rise. Israel’s ties with Saudi Arabia were forged in 2013 as a result of Obama’s realignment towards Iran and away from Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Saudis saw that Israel was steady in its opposition to Iran’s empowerment and that it was militarily and technologically competent to prevent Iran from becoming the regional hegemon. To protect themselves, the Saudis set aside their longtime hatred of the Jewish state and began supporting its efforts to defeat Iran’s Palestinian proxies and sabotage its nuclear program and nuclear diplomacy.

The way to transform these sub rosa ties into an above-the-table alliance is for Israel to undermine Iran’s power. Israel doesn’t need to take military action to accomplish this goal. The best way to avoid a devastating regional war with Iran’s proxies in Lebanon, Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and Syria is for Israel to help the Iranian people to overthrow the regime.

A “highly confidential” IRGC document leaked this week to Radio Free Europe documents concern among senior regime officials that the country is on the verge of an “explosion,” with civil unrest reaching a crescendo. Nearly every day, more industrial plants blow up. Workers strike. And even as the regime ratchets up its execution of protesters, the protests continue. An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base was bombed earlier this month. IRGC forces are under attack on the roads and in their bases.

Israeli support for striking Iranian workers and sabotage of Iranian military installations will go a long way towards destabilizing the regime and empowering the people rising up against it.

Such action, in turn, will demonstrate both Israel’s power and its importance as a regional power, drawing its neighbors, first and foremost Saudi Arabia, closer to Jerusalem.

This may cause MBS to conclude that he wants to directly negotiate a peace with Israel without preconditions. It may cause Biden to drop his demands for mediation. It may convince another party to step into the breach and mediate an accord. Whatever the case, destabilizing the Iranian regime and empowering the Iranian people will strengthen Israel, diminish the chances of regional war and so stabilize the region far more than paying an unwarranted price for a paper peace.
US, Israeli diplomats slam Abbas, as potential UN blacklist worries Jerusalem
The American ambassador to the United Nations blasted the Palestinian Authority’s leader during a U.N. Security Council meeting on Wednesday morning.

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield chastised P.A. head Mahmoud Abbas for his incendiary speech during the U.N.’s “Nakba Day” event on May 15.

Thomas-Greenfield said that Abbas’s equivocation of Israel “with the lies of infamous Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels” was a “gross affront to Holocaust victims and survivors.”

She added that making such a statement “about the world’s only Jewish state is entirely unacceptable, especially during a time of rising antisemitic violence around the world.”

In that speech, Abbas aired out a list of grievances he said contributed to the Palestinians’ current predicament, including a claim that the United States and the United Kingdom sent their Jews to the Land of Israel in order to benefit their own countries.

Thomas-Greenfield said on May 24 that Abbas’s rhetoric was “totally without basis and it is deeply offensive to the American people.”

Notably, the United States was among 45 countries that did not attend the “Nakba Day” event, according to the Israeli mission to the United Nations, and no U.S. State Department officials met with Abbas during his trip. No senior U.N. officials met with him either.
Israeli officials met UN chief on Children and Armed Conflict blacklist
Israeli officials pushing to ensure that the Jewish state is not blacklisted in the United Nation's Children and Armed Conflict report due to be published in the coming months met this week with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“There is, understandably, a lot of interest in different parts of that report,” Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Wednesday when quizzed about the meeting.

“I just ask for everybody's patience to wait” for the report’s release “which should be late June or early July,” he added.

Involvement of UN Ambassador from Israel Gilad Erdan
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Major General Ghassan Alian spoke with Guterres in New York on Tuesday to provide him with data regarding Palestinian casualties during IDF military operations in advance of the report’s release.

“We presented the Secretary-General with clear data proving that the majority of Palestinian minors killed in the past year were involved in acts of violence and terrorism,” Erdan said.

“This information was omitted from the UN data, along with the fact that terrorist organizations use Palestinian children as human shields and fire missiles and rockets from densely populated areas,” he added.

"Whoever is responsible for the incitement and recruitment of minors for murder and terrorism is the one who should be included on the blacklist, not the IDF, which is the most moral army in the world,” Erdan stated.

Israeli officials similarly provided such information to the special representative of the UN secretary-general for children and armed conflict Virginia Gamba when she visited Israel in December. Neither Erdan's office nor the IDF has released that data to the public.

The UN had warned Israel and the Palestinian Authority last year that both governments could be blacklisted in this year’s report if steps were not taken to protect children in armed conflict.
EU envoy: ‘No such thing as Area A and B, it’s all Palestine’
German diplomat Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, who represents the European Union in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, said on Wednesday during a visit to Samaria, “There is no such thing as Area B and C, it’s all Palestine.”

Areas A, B, and C are three administrative zones in Judea and Samaria established under the Oslo Accords. Area A is under Palestinian Authority civil and security control. Area B is governed by P.A. civil control but joint Israeli-Palestinian security. Area C, roughly 60% of the area, is fully under Israeli civil and military control.

Von Burgsdorff also said that “what we’re seeing in Homesh is not just a violation of international law … it’s a violation of Israeli domestic law.”

He was referencing the Knesset’s vote in March to repeal articles of a 2005 law banning Israelis from residing in the four communities in northern Samaria—Homesh, Sa-Nur, Ganim and Kadim—that were evacuated during the disengagement.

The E.U. on Wednesday issued a statement saying it is “gravely concerned by and condemns the decision of the Israeli authorities to allow Israeli citizens to establish permanent presence in the outpost in Homesh.”

Von Burgsdorff made his comments during a tour for senior E.U. diplomats organized by three Israeli NGOs opposed to Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria—Peace Now, Yesh Din and Emek Shaveh.


Biden administration unveils strategy to counter antisemitism
US President Joe Biden unveiled an unprecedented broad strategy to combat antisemitism on Thursday morning local time, launching a plan that has been in the works for months and that has sparked debate among Jewish organizations.

The 60-page National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism was announced in a video presentation and live-streamed conversation between its two architects — Susan Rice, Biden’s chief domestic policy adviser, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is the first Jewish spouse of a US vice president. Also on the livestream were Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall and Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.

Joe Biden: New antisemitism plan is the most ambitious, comprehensive
Biden, who did not attend the launch but was featured in a recorded message, called the plan "the most ambitious and comprehensive" government initiative in combatting antisemitism, which includes 100 new actions the Administration will take to raise awareness of antisemitism and its threat to American democracy, protect Jewish communities, reverse the normalization of antisemitism, and build cross-community solidarity.

Emhoff called the plan personally meaningful. "This plan will save lives," the second gentleman said. "Antisemitism can only be combatted with united efforts. We are committed to making sure everyone can live openly and safely in their communities. We cannot normalize hate seen across our nation."

Rice reflected on growing up in a mixed Jewish-Black community. She spoke of her first trip to Israel at age 14 with her father and brother. "At the UN I was proud to defend Israel against unfair attacks. I loathe injustice, antisemitism and racism. Jewish commitments to tikkun olam, repairing the world, have long been inspirations for me.

A firm and unrelenting response from government is urgent and essential."

Rice said next year the US Holocaust Memorial Museum will launch the first-ever US-based Holocaust education research center.

Eighty-five percent of Americans believe at least one antisemitic trope, Rice said, calling the statistic "unacceptable."

Arsen Ostrovsky, CEO of The International Legal Forum, echoed praise for the plan.

“The International Legal Forum (ILF) applauds the White House on the release of its comprehensive national strategy on combating antisemitism and reaffirming once and for all, that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition, as the sole indispensable definition.

Simply put, you cannot fight what you cannot define and there is only one ‘gold standard’ definition, IHRA, which is the most widely endorsed, comprehensive and respected definition in the world, targeting the full cross-spectrum of antisemitism from the left and right, which has also received consistently bi-partisan support in the United States," Ostrovsky continued.

"We also commend the White House for resisting relentless pressure by extremist and fringe anti-Israel forces, who sought to extricate or minimize any reference to Israel in the action plan, so as to create a veneer of legitimacy to masquerade their own Jew hatred behind a façade of anti-Zionism and avoid culpability for their own discriminatory and hateful actions.

The White House plan also contains many other positive elements, including access to kosher food, security grants, inter-agency involvement and promotion of education material.

Ultimately, adopting the IHRA working definition is only the first, but necessary step, in the legal fight against the scourge of Jew-hatred in all its manifestations. The definition also needs to be unwaveringly implemented and applied, and we look forward to working with our global partners in doing so."


Ten takeaways from new US national strategy to combat antisemitism
The Biden administration released the first-ever US National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism on Thursday.

This strategy includes over 100 new actions the Administration will take to raise awareness of antisemitism and its threat to American democracy, protect Jewish communities, reverse the normalization of antisemitism, and build cross-community solidarity.

The Jerusalem Post has read the new strategy and highlighted 10 of the main actions that will be taken by the administration and by non-profits, as well as companies.

Ten takeaways from the Biden administration’s new strategy for combating Antisemitism
1. The US government will increase education about antisemitism and its threat to democracy, the Holocaust, and Jewish contributions to American society.
2. In 2024, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will launch the first-ever US-based Holocaust education research center.
3. The government will also counter antisemitism in K-12 schools and on college campuses.
4. The US government will raise awareness on these topics both inside and outside of classroom environments.
5. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy will launch an interagency effort to understand and eliminate the impediments to reporting of hate incidents.
6. The Administration will continue to prioritize combating hate and discrimination in all its forms.
7. The FBI and National Counterterrorism Center will conduct an annual threat assessment on antisemitic drivers of transnational violent extremism.
8. The Biden administration will continue speaking out clearly and forcefully against antisemitism and those who peddle it.
9. Federal agencies also commit to using and raising awareness about federal laws prohibiting antisemitic discrimination.
10. The White House Office of Public Engagement will launch the Ally Challenge, inviting Americans to describe their acts of allyship with Jewish or other communities that are not their own.


Cruz Challenger Who Says He's Pro-Israel Rakes in $200K From Anti-Israel Group
The Texas Democrat running to unseat Senator Ted Cruz says he supports Israel but has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from an anti-Israel group.

Rep. Colin Allred (D., Texas) has taken nearly $200,000 in campaign donations from J Street, which routinely criticizes Israel for defending itself against Palestinian terrorism. The group has given Allred, who claims to be a "strong supporter of the State of Israel," just under $8,000 since March, and $118,025 in total since 2018, according to federal election disclosures. It has also established an Allred donation page on its website, which also serves as a forum for attacks on Cruz and his pro-Israel policies.

The donations could hurt Allred’s chances of unseating Cruz, who has won praise in Texas for supporting Israel and fighting the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which wages economic warfare on Israel. Texas is home to around 120,000 Jews, and the state’s Republican Party enjoys close ties with Israel.

"Anti-Israel J Street’s endorsement of Texas Democrat Colin Allred comes as no surprise, because Allred aligns with J Street’s radicalism," said Sam Markstein, national political director for the Republican Jewish Coalition. "Allred fancies himself a moderate, but he voted to keep anti-Semite Ilhan Omar on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, supported the disastrous [Iran] nuclear deal."

Allred’s campaign disputes these claims, telling the Washington Free Beacon in a statement that the one-term congressman and former football player is a "steadfast supporter of Israel."
48 Democrats in Congress sign letter backing Israeli anti-overhaul protesters
Forty-eight Democratic House members have signed onto a letter expressing support for the protest movement in Israel against the effort by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to overhaul the judiciary.

The letter is led by Reps. Anna G. Eshoo of California and Jamie Raskin of Maryland.

“We proudly stand with you, the Israeli pro-democracy movement, as you fight to preserve your democratic institutions and ensure that the rule of law prevails,” the letter states.

“As we confront challenges to our democracy at home, we admire the fortitude you have shown in facing down efforts to erode Israeli democracy. We share your belief that a strong, vibrant democracy with an independent judiciary is essential to Israel’s future success and the success of the US-Israel relationship.”

The protest movement is in its 20th week though its saliency with the broader public has dipped over the past two months, since Netanyahu agreed to temporarily halt the overhaul in order to engage in talks with the opposition in order to reach a compromise. The prime minister has vowed to return it to the agenda now that his government passed a budget early this morning.


Terrorist who attacked busload of soldiers captured
In a joint IDF, Border Police and Shin Bet operation overnight, one Maher Aseid was arrested in Al-Yamun, near Jenin.

Aseid, a resident of Burqin, also near Jenin in northern Samaria, allegedly planned and carried out the shooting and attempted arson attack against a bus carrying soldiers in the Jordan Valley on September 4, 2022. Six soldiers were wounded.

Aseid carried out that attack together with his son and nephew. His son died of burns suffered during the attack.

After his arrest, Aseid was handed over to the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) for questioning.

Jericho raid
At least 13 Palestinians were wounded and 14 others detained during an Israeli counterterror raid on Wednesday in Aqbat Jaber near Jericho, the Palestinian Authority’s Wafa news agency reported.

One Palestinian was reportedly critically wounded during an exchange of gunfire with Israeli forces.

The news agency reported that a large number of Israeli personnel entered the refugee camp, deployed on rooftops and raided more than 50 apartments, including the home of Jihad Yousef Abu al-Asa, the head of the P.A.’s Jericho Governorate.

JNS is your ideological home. Situated at the center of the pro-Israel ecosystem, we provide readers with the critical context they need on issues facing Israel and their Jewish world.
Motivation to Enlist in IDF Remains High
On Sunday, the IDF's Manpower Directorate released its annual figures on army enlistment.

What emerges is a country where motivation to serve remains high.

Localities with the highest enlistment rate include Modi'in, Ra'anana, Kfar Saba, Herzliya, and Rishon Lezion, all cities in the higher socio-economic bracket in the center of the country.

Moreover, the figures showed that the higher a person's socio-economic level, the greater their presence in combat units.

That puts to rest the myth that the poorer segments of society send their sons and daughters to fight, while the rich and elite - if they go into the army at all - are going into the high-tech units.


Dubai police arrest 8 suspects from Israel over fatal stabbing of fellow Israeli
Police in Dubai said Thursday a dispute between two families was behind the fatal assault of an [Arab] Israeli man by eight other [Arab] Israelis who have been arrested in the emirate.

Ghassan Shamsyeh, 33, died of wounds suffered in Wednesday’s attack in the Business Bay area of Dubai, the main tourist hub of the United Arab Emirates, according to the authorities.

The eight suspects, all of whom are in police custody, “had arrived from a European country for tourism and shopping,” Dubai police said in a statement.

They encountered Shamsyeh in a cafe which led to a “confrontation and a mutual assault that eventually resulted in the death of the victim due to the use of a sharp tool.”

“The fatal assault stemmed from an ongoing dispute between two families,” said the police statement.


MEMRI: Pro-Hamas Conference In Sweden Sparks Debate Among Palestinians About PLO's Status
On May 27, 2023 the European Palestinians Conference organization is scheduled to hold its 20th annual conference, in Malmo, Sweden. The conference will mark the 75th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba and, like previous conferences held by this organization, will deal with the right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, including within the state of Israel. [1] According to Israel and elements in the Palestinian Authority (PA), the European Palestinians Conference organization is affiliated with Hamas. [2]

The organization's annual conference, held each year in a different European city, focuses on the right of return.[3] It is regularly attended by Hamas members and supporters, such as Hamas Political Bureau head Isma'il Haniya, who has spoken at the conference several times.[4] According to Amin Al-Rashed, the organization's board chairman, this year's conference, titled "75 Years On.. We Will Return," is expected to be attended by some 20,000 Palestinians from all over Europe, and by European parliament members and other politicians.[5]

PLO, Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah officials regard the Malmo conference as an attempt by Hamas to challenge the PLO's status as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and have called to boycott it. The controversy over the conference has led to a wider debate about the PLO's current role in the PA and the diaspora. As part of this debate, former Palestinian information minister Nabil 'Amr published two articles in which he lamented the decline in the PLO's status over the years and stated that the dispute over the upcoming conference in Malmo is just a symptom of the deep problems that plague the PLO and its institutions.

This report reviews the controversy among Palestinians over the Malmo conference, and presents excerpts from Nabil 'Amr's articles.

PLO Elements: Malmo Conference Is Organized By Hamas; Whoever Attends It Will Be Expelled From PLO
As stated, the upcoming 20th European Palestinians Conference sparked a controversy among Palestinians over the legitimacy of conferences held by Hamas-affiliated organizations in Europe about general Palestinian issues like the right of return. This debate is part of the deep dispute between the PA and Fatah on the one hand and Hamas on the other regarding the PLO's status as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Hamas rejects the PLO's claim to be the representative of all Palestinians that is exclusively responsible for Palestinian activity abroad. In fact, it maintains that the PLO cannot be the Palestinians' source of authority at all until it enacts profound reforms that include holding elections to all its institutions, making changes to its political program and incorporating representatives of all the Palestinian organizations and factions, including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Until such reforms take place, Hamas demands to turn the Temporary Leadership Framework, of which it is a member,[6] into the Palestinian source of authority, a demand that Fatah sees as an illegitimate attempt to create an alternative to the PLO.

Against this backdrop, figures in the PLO, the PA and the PA's ruling party Fatah attacked Hamas and its supporters for holding the European Palestinians Conference in Malmo, presenting this as an attempt by Hamas to undermine the PLO's status and to replace it with a different body. The conference, they added, will harm the Palestinian cause as a whole and deepen the intra-Palestinian schism, and should therefore be boycotted.


Hizbullah Is Much Weaker than It Seems
With thousands of men under arms, a missile arsenal, Iranian backing and much of the Shiite religious community behind the party, Hizbullah remains a potent force in Lebanese society. Yet its ability to act as Iran's deterrent has been severely compromised by Lebanon's domestic situation. Hizbullah's plan is to turn the country into a "resistance state" that acts as an outpost for Iranian influence, and another counterweight to Israel and the U.S.

Hizbullah has lost two of the essential prerequisites needed to conduct a war against Israel, were Iran to demand it. The first is Lebanon's ability to absorb Israeli retaliation and rebuild, as happened in 2006. Lebanon's bankruptcy means that after a war against Israel, the country would be unable to bounce back from the destruction.

The second is a minimum level of consensus nationally behind Hizbullah's "resistance" agenda. The rifts in the political class as a result of the popular protest movement mean that there is no discernible consensus to back Hizbullah in going to war. When Ziad Aswad, a prominent member of the Hizbullah-allied Christian Aounist faction, declares that Lebanon "cannot continue to hold a rifle when its people are hungry," he expresses a widespread view.

Hizbullah would be blamed for sacrificing Lebanon for Iran. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Shiites would have to find refuge in areas hostile to the party, which could result in a civil conflict that it could not hope to win, nullifying its usefulness to Iran. As Iran looks at Lebanon, it sees its local ally presiding over a state in ruin whose population is angry and refuses to suffer for Tehran.
JPost Editorial: Iran is the biggest threat to Israel, the Middle East
Iran continues to pose a major threat to Israel, the Middle East and the world.

This week, during the Herzliya Conference at Reichman University, Israel’s top security and defense officials raised the alarm about Iran’s continued advances toward a nuclear weapon.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi said that Iran has in recent years enriched uranium more than ever before. This is a major concern and means that the Islamic Republic has steered a path to nuclear capability, he indicated. The overall picture is that Iran continues its nefarious behavior on numerous fronts and that Israel cannot let its guard down.

It is important to focus on the comments by our senior defense officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, to understand that while we should not be overly alarmist about the Iranian threat, we also need to prepare for the continued provocations that Tehran will likely throw at us in the near term.

The good news is that while Iran has been ominously increasing its enrichment of uranium beyond what is needed for civilian use, it has not yet decided to break out toward a nuclear weapon, and has not quite reached the 90% level needed for weaponization. Even when Iran reaches that level, it would need to create a weapon and the means to carry and test it. All of these are redlines.

Iran has already violated every principle of international law
Iran cannot be permitted to approach development of a nuclear bomb because once it has weaponized uranium it will be able to blackmail the region. Tehran has already violated every principle of international law. The regime brutally executes innocent dissidents whose only crime is to oppose the regime.

It has stepped up attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, and key Western countries are helping to try to secure the sea routes to protect tankers from Iranian attack. However, Iran’s relative impunity at sea was highlighted this week by Gallant, who revealed that it has turned ships into floating terror platforms.
Iran enriches uranium, destabilizing region - Israel army chief
Ori Goldberg, Eitan Dangot, and Marzi Amirizadeh debate the looming Iran threat, with warnings coming from the top echelons of Israel's military


Iran unveils Khaybar missile capable of reaching Israel
Iran on Thursday presented to the world a new ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers (around 1,240 miles) and capable of carrying a 1,500-kg. (approximately 3,300-pound) warhead, Tehran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported.

The fourth-generation Khorramshahr-class missile is Iran’s longest-range projectile to date and is capable of reaching Israel.

It is named Khaybar after the place in present-day Saudi Arabia where the Muslim Prophet Muhammed’s forces defeated Jewish tribes in 628 C.E. Muslims often chant, “Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Mohammed will return” at anti-Israel rallies.

Thursday morning’s ceremony broadcast live on state television was attended by Iran’s Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani and featured a replica of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

Ashtiani said that the missile was unveiled to “provide comprehensive support to our friends and countries that are on the path of fighting against the domination system.”
Col. Kemp: From Gaza to Kyiv: Iran's weapon supply and war crimes
The U.S. Foreign Sovereignty Immunity Act allows service of process, attachment of property, and execution of judgment against foreign states, their agencies, and instrumentalities that would otherwise be immune from prosecution in cases where U.S. citizens or dual nationals suffer harm as a result of their actions.

Other countries, such as Britain and EU states, who do not yet have such laws, should enact them as quickly as possible to enable similar action against Iran and other rogue states.

Those countries that assert the principles of universal jurisdiction are also in a position to allow civil legal action to confiscate funds and assets from Iran and associated entities that aid and abet crimes against humanity, terrorism, and war crimes, even if carried out by foreign nationals, against foreign citizens, and on foreign territory.

This applies to many countries in which Iranian sovereign funds and the assets of corporations that might be targeted for supporting war crimes are held.

The primary purpose of such legal action would of course be to compensate civilians and their families who suffered as a result of war crimes. But seizing substantial Iranian funds would also further discredit the regime and deprive it of resources to continue its malign actions, as well as inflicting severe damage on banks and other institutions that it depends on to launder funds and evade sanctions.

In addition to inhibiting and maybe deterring Iran, it would also send a warning to other countries considering supporting jihadist terrorism and Russia’s illegal war, such as China, which is known to supply drones and other weapon-related materials to Russia and missile technology to Iran, as well as assisting sanctions evasion; and South Africa, which has been accused of supplying weapons to Moscow.

Despite imposing sanctions on Iran for its military support to Russia, Western governments have not yet taken a hard enough line. Europeans and Americans remain intent on appeasement of the ayatollahs in order to coax them back into the deeply flawed Obama nuclear deal, the JCPOA. If they were serious about curbing Iranian aggression, P5+1 members would already have triggered a snapback of UN sanctions under Security Council Resolution 2231, endorsing the JCPOA, which Tehran is violating by exporting drones of greater than 300 kilometers range to Russia.

Rather than cravenly seeking to mollify Iran, Western governments should use all the tools at their disposal to crack down on its export of terror, including encouraging and supporting civil litigation to seize funds.

Continued failure to vigorously deter and disrupt Iran will encourage it to carry on arming Gaza terrorists and other proxies, to increase the supply of lethal drones to Russia, and also in due course to equip Moscow with powerful long-range ballistic missiles that, combined, will multiply death and destruction against civilian populations in Israel and Ukraine alike.
Iran Converting Civilian Ships into "Floating Terror Bases"
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed Monday that Iran is converting civilian merchant ships into "floating terror bases." "These vessels are of considerable size...[and] are intended to carry various types of combat capabilities, including aircraft, missiles, offensive systems and advanced intelligence, in order to serve as forward terror bases in areas located far from the Iranian border."

"Recently, one of these ships was observed when it sailed to the Gulf of Aden. This is a direct continuation of Iran's maritime terrorism, which it controls in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. It aims to expand its operations to the Indian Ocean, followed by the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a well-coordinated and planned policy: to threaten maritime routes, both military and civilian, and to create a constant threat in the maritime domain. This is a troubling policy of maritime terrorism. Iran conducts itself in this context more like a collection of pirates than a civilized nation."

Gallant added, "Since I took office, the number of Israeli attacks against Iranians in Syria has doubled. As part of this campaign, we systematically work to target Iranian intelligence capabilities in Syria, and these attacks cause significant damage to the consolidation efforts of the Revolutionary Guards, just a few kilometers from the Israeli border."


'London office' of Iran’s brutal Revolutionary Guards suspends activities
The mosque dubbed the “London office” of Iran’s brutal Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has locked its gates and posted an announcement that all services and other events have been suspended.

The closure comes amid an ongoing investigation by the Charity Commission watchdog, which stripped the trustees of the Islamic Centre of England (ICE) of their powers two weeks ago and appointed a solicitor as an “interim manager” to run its affairs.

The JC has revealed that the Maida Vale-based centre has regularly hosted extremist preachers and that its director, Seyed Moosavi, the UK representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called protesters against the regime “soldiers of Satan”.

Last year, it was used to film a regime propaganda video of a song called ‘Hello Commander’ in which children sang verses that alluded to an apocalyptic massacre of Jews.

In 2020, the commission issued an official warning to the organisation after it held a vigil to mourn the IRGC terrorist mastermind Qasem Soleimani when he was killed by a US drone strike.

A notice appeared on the gates of the premises (Photo: Staff)

The Commission also demanded it put together an anti-extremism “action plan” and, when it failed to comply, launched a statutory inquiry last year.

The notice on the locked gates states: “After receiving the concerns of the community and for their safety, we are saddened to inform you that all upcoming programmes, including prayers, have been suspended until further notice.”




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