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Friday, June 16, 2023

06/16 Links Pt1: Pittsburgh synagogue shooter found guilty of murdering 11; Biden's (Iran) Deal That Dare Not Speak Its Name; Uyghurs Condemn Palestinian 'Support for Genocide'

From Ian:

Pittsburgh synagogue shooter found guilty of killing 11 in the deadliest attack on Jews in US history
A truck driver who expressed hated of Jews was convicted Friday of barging into a Pittsburgh synagogue and shooting everyone he could find, killing 11 congregants in an act of antisemitic terror for which he could be sentenced to die.

The guilty verdict was a foregone conclusion after Robert Bowers' own lawyers conceded at the trial's outset that he attacked and killed worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, in the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. Jurors must now decide whether the 50-year-old should be sent to death row or sentenced to life in prison without parole as the federal trial shifts to a penalty phase expected to last several weeks.

Bowers was tried on 63 criminal counts, including hate crimes resulting in death and obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death. His attorneys had offered a guilty plea in return for a life sentence, but prosecutors refused, opting instead to take the case to trial and pursue the death penalty. Most of the victims' families expressed support for the decision.

Bowers turned a sacred house of worship into a "hunting ground," targeting his victims because of their religion, a prosecutor told jurors on Thursday. Reading the names of each of the 11 victims he killed, prosecutor Mary Hahn asked the jury to "hold this defendant accountable ... and hold him accountable for those who cannot testify."

Bowers, who was armed with an AR-15 rifle and other weapons, also shot and wounded seven, including five responding police officers.

Prosecutors presented evidence of his deep-seated animosity toward Jews and immigrants. Over 11 days of testimony, jurors learned that Bowers had extensively posted, shared or liked antisemitic and white supremacist content on Gab, a social media platform popular with the far right, and praised Hitler and the Holocaust. Bowers told police that "all these Jews need to die," Hahn said.

Survivors testified about the terror they felt that day, including a woman who recounted how she was shot in the arm and then realized her 97-year-old-mother had been shot and killed right next to her. Andrea Wedner, the trial's last witness, told jurors she touched her mother's lifeless body and cried out, "Mommy," before SWAT officers led her to safety.

With Bowers' guilt established, survivors and family members of the deceased victims are expected to tell the jury about the devastating impact of his crimes. The penalty phase is scheduled to start next week.
Biden's (Iran) Deal That Dare Not Speak Its Name
This deal that dare not speak its name will have no force. It will rely entirely on the goodwill of the 84-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a grizzled trickster and ally of Vladimir Putin. The New York Times reports that Khamenei has authorized the deal because it leaves Iran’s nuclear infrastructure in place. The second Biden begins to doubt the wisdom of paying further ransom money, Khamenei will start spinning his centrifuges once more. And if paramilitaries controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fire mortars on Americans—well, he could say the bloodshed came from militants over whom he exercises no control.

Notice that the deal-that-is-no-deal says nothing about Iran’s deadliest proxy, Hezbollah, or about Iran’s drone traffic. This omission is consistent with Biden’s nasty habit of selling out America’s allies whether it be the democratic government of Afghanistan, the peoples of Lebanon, Syria, and, of course, Israel, or the Ukrainians resisting Russian occupation. Biden’s bribe—what Richard Goldberg of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies calls Biden’s "pay and pray" strategy of fueling the Iranian terror machine in the hope that it doesn’t go nuclear—is limited in scope, bereft of accountability, brazenly desperate, and lacking in strategic purpose. Its aims are political.

Biden wants to keep the Middle East quiet ahead of Election Day 2024. That is why his support for the Iranian rebellion was merely gestural. Why he allowed these talks in Oman to continue despite Iran’s assistance to Russia. Why his government welcomed the détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran that China brokered in April. And why he has submitted to the humiliation of paying off rogues for promises of good behavior in a few select areas.

This is partly a story of diminished diplomatic expectations. Biden’s old boss, Barack Obama, dreamed of subletting the Greater Middle East to Iran. Now Biden is left paying the bully to leave him alone. It is also another entry in the saga of Joe Biden’s incompetence. In his rare discussions of foreign policy, President Biden has portrayed international relations as a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. I am inclined to agree with him. Then I look at his actions—where he has an awful tendency to give the authoritarians the upper hand.

Appeasing Iran does nothing to further the cause of democracy. Nor does attempting détente with a China that has grown in belligerence since the spy balloon incident earlier this year. Nor does slow-walking weapons deliveries to Ukraine while hemming and hawing over Ukraine’s future in NATO. If Joe Biden wanted to preserve and promote democracy abroad, he would do more than give the occasional speech on the subject. He would mobilize hard power to confront authoritarians and deter them from hostile acts.

Biden has made a career out of misjudgment. This sure-to-fail bargain with Iran is another entry in a depressing catalogue.


Israel must oppose the Iran understandings with all it's got
The Biden administration's only goal is to achieve calm through the November 2024 presidential elections. The understandings will stop all action against Iran's nuclear program, based on the mistaken assumption that it would put the nuclear issue "back into a box." Jake Sullivan and now Barbara Leaf, both high-ranking White House officials, have already stated this belief. The understandings will also make it very difficult for Israel to attack alone if it concludes that the time has come. It is true that under the "understandings" it will be a little easier to attack than under an agreement, but it is still going to be very difficult.

In the background, the Iranians continue with their attacks on American interests in the Gulf and in the Middle East; violate human rights and kill women and girls in Iran; continue lending massive support to Russia; and transfer advanced weapons that help kill Ukrainian women and girls.

Instead of reaching those flawed understandings with Iran, it would be better for the US to trigger the snapback mechanism that would reinstate all canceled Security Council sanctions – including a total ban on uranium enrichment – before this mechanism expires in 2025. Such action would hollow out the Saudi desire to seek legitimacy for an independent nuclear fuel cycle.

The agreement will once again come with a heavy price for Israel, so Israel must act against it loudly and in one voice. This critical issue must not be drowned out by the noise of political debates or be compromised by the desire to reach a Saudi deal.

Iran is trying to draw Israel into a multi-theater conflagration while staying out of direct confrontation for the time being. Israel must continue to improve its military capabilities while at the same time send a clear message against the understandings being formulated. Every hint that there is anything to talk about will convey that Israel is weak – like the US – and cannot be trusted. The message will reach our friends in the Gulf, those who have signed agreements with us, and those who may sign in the future – but only if Israel will remain strong against the Iranian threats.


FDD: Don’t Stop Digging Into Iran’s Nuclear Secrets
There is no justification for the IAEA’s decision to stop any unsolved investigation instead of declaring Iran in breach of its most fundamental obligations as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and referring it to the UN Security Council for further consequences.

And yet that’s exactly what’s happening. Why?

Rafael Grossi spent years building a reputation as a maverick and he has pressed Iran for answers since his first election in late 2019. But Grossi’s power largely depends on his board’s support. If Washington and its allies were so inclined, they could pass a resolution declaring Iran in non-compliance with the NPT and refer Iran to the Security Council.

Instead, for two and a half years, the Biden administration expressed interest in negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran. At the moment, it is reportedly moving to pay Iran to keep its enrichment below weapons-grade.

Accordingly, Iran has recognized it can push the IAEA around. Tehran has responded to IAEA requests by incrementally closing off the agency’s access and verification at known nuclear-connected sites — withholding video recordings at enrichment plants, removing cameras, harassing inspectors, and accelerating enrichment to ever-higher levels. And late last year, Iran declared the IAEA’s investigations into undeclared sites to be a stumbling block to any deal with Washington.

Grossi has been diligent and independent by the standards of IAEA director generals. But he has no answer to the pivotal question, “Or else what?” In the absence of firm US and allied support, Grossi appears resigned to follow the path of least resistance.

Still, all hope is not lost. The IAEA still has open safeguards investigations related to two secret sites in Iran where nuclear material was discovered. And Grossi was careful not to declare now-stalled investigations officially closed. Indeed, his reports are filled with indictments of Iran’s undeclared nuclear weapons work and its NPT violations. This gives an opening for Congress and presidential candidates to publicly declare their intent to hold Iran accountable for all undeclared sites and materials whenever control of the White House next shifts, or for the Biden administration to recognize its error and change course.


Ted Cruz: 49 Senate Republicans Tell President Biden, Democrats, and International Community_ An Iran Agreement Without Broad Congressional Support Will Not Survive
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined 48 Republican senators today in a statement declaring they will block and reverse any new agreement with Iran that will weaken sanctions and impose fewer restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program than the original Iran deal.

“According to press reports, the Biden Administration may soon conclude an agreement with Iran to provide substantial sanctions relief in exchange for merely short-term limitations on Iran’s nuclear program.

“By every indication, the Biden Administration appears to have given away the store. The administration appears to have agreed to lift sanctions that were not even placed on Iran for its nuclear activities in the first place, but instead because of its ongoing support for terrorism and its gross abuses of human rights. The nuclear limitations in this new deal appear to be significantly less restrictive than the 2015 nuclear deal, which was itself too weak, and will sharply undermine U.S. leverage to secure an actually ‘longer and stronger’ deal. What is more, the deal appears likely to deepen Iran’s financial and security relationship with Moscow and Beijing, including through arms sales.

“The administration has thus far refused to commit to submit a new Iran deal to the Senate for ratification as a treaty, as per its constitutional obligation, or for review under statutory requirements that passed on a bipartisan basis in response to the 2015 deal. Additionally, despite earlier promises to the contrary, the administration has failed to adequately consult with Congress.

“Republicans have made it clear: We would be willing and eager to support an Iran policy that completely blocks Iran’s path to a nuclear weapons capability, constrains Iran’s ballistic missile program, and confronts Iran’s support for terrorism. But if the administration agrees to a deal that fails to achieve these objectives or makes achieving them more difficult, Republicans will do everything in our power to reverse it. Unless Iran ceases its support for terrorism, we will oppose removing and seek to reimpose any terrorism-related sanctions. And we will force the Senate to vote on any Administration effort to do so.

“We strongly urge the administration, our Democrat colleagues, and the international community to learn the lessons of the very recent past. A major agreement that does not have strong bipartisan support in Congress will not survive.”


Argentine Judge Asking Interpol to Arrest 4 Lebanese in Connection with 1994 Jewish Center Bombing
Argentine Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas on Tuesday asked Interpol to arrest four Lebanese citizens for questioning regarding their role in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.

The AMIA suicide bombing took place on July 18, 1994, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, targeting the large Jewish community center Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (Argentine Israelite Mutual Association). A Renault Trafic van loaded with 275 kilograms of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and fuel oil explosive mixture was driven into the AMIA building and was detonated, killing 85 people and injuring over 300. The bombing was and still is the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentine history.

On October 25, 2006, Argentine prosecutors Alberto Nisman and Marcelo Martínez Burgos formally charged the Iranian government with directing the bombing through its proxy, Hezbollah.

Judge Rafecas requested that Interpol capture the four individuals so they could be compelled to testify in the ongoing case: “Regarding these individuals, there are well-founded suspicions that they are collaborators or operational agents of the … armed wing of Hezbollah,” Rafecas wrote in a resolution dated June 13 that the Associated Press obtained on Thursday.

According to the Mail Online, the four suspects are living in the tri-border region that connects Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, which is a haven for terrorists and operations to finance terrorism. One of the suspects is Salman Raouf Salman, a senior member of Hezbollah reported to be living in Paraguay.
Biden pick for counterterror post botched handling of Hezbollah, Cruz says: 'Utterly disqualifying'
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, clashed with colleague Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., over the nomination of Ambassador Elizabeth Richard for counterterrorism coordinator, saying that multiple failures during her time as ambassador to Lebanon proved "utterly disqualifying" for the role.

"What did Mrs. Richard do when she was in Lebanon? She pushed for policies to fund and boost the Internal Security Forces (ISF) with American taxpayer dollars," Cruz said during his speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. "She even oversaw the building of the ISF Academy funded by American tax dollars."

"Mr. President, I wish we had a nominee for this post whom I could enthusiastically support," Cruz said. "I wish I were not obliged to come down and object to an extreme nominee, whose record demonstrates she is unfit and unqualified to serve in this post, but unfortunately, President [Joe] Biden has not given me that choice."

Cruz noted the case of Amer Fakhoury, a former U.S. hostage who spent six months detained in Lebanon after a Hezbollah-backed newspaper accused him of torturing Hezbollah and Palestinian prisoners in the 1980s and 1990s. Fakhoury of New Hampshire was never previously accused of the charge, and his family and attorney denied it.

Fakhoury developed cancer during his incarceration in Beirut, where he was beaten and tortured. Shaheen and Cruz eventually proposed bipartisan sanctions against senior Lebanese officials involved in Fakhoury’s detention, and the State Department pushed for his freedom.

Ultimately, the Trump administration's pick to replace Richard, Dorothy Shea, lobbied for Fakhoury’s release, and American forces rescued him in March 2020 despite a Hezbollah-affiliated judge attempting to block his release, which was ordered by a military tribunal.

Fakhoury died five months after his return to the U.S.


Iranians Walk Out as Israeli MK Urges Parliamentarians to Adopt Antisemitism Definition
At an international gathering of parliamentarians in Morocco, Israeli MK and former Danny Danon called on lawmakers to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism on Wednesday, even as Iranian delegates walked out of the hall.

“Antisemitism, discrimination against Jews, has persisted for centuries…I would like to take this opportunity to call and encourage all parliaments worldwide to adopt the IHRA definition,” said Danon, a Likud Knesset member who previously served as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations.

He was addressing the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which has 179 parliaments as members. The organization aims to foster cooperation between the world’s lawmaking bodies.

Iran’s delegation to the conference walked out of the hall, prompting Danon to respond, “Just a few hours ago you spoke loudly and publicly about the importance of religious tolerance. In practice, you and your government only export hatred and terror. The Iranian people deserve better leadership.”

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is an intergovernmental organization based in Berlin that seeks to strengthen Holocaust education. The organization released a widely-adopted, non-binding definition of antisemitism in 2016.

The definition cites 11 examples, including, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” and “Applying double standards by requiring of it [Israel] a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.”
Israel a ‘serial bomber of civilian places,’ reporter says at State Department briefing
Arikat continued, saying “Israel is really a serial bomber of civilian places and so on. Let me ask you on an issue—a related issue.”

“Today the commander of the soldier that shot the 2-year-old boy said that he will not—he will spare—those were his words—he will spare the soldiers involved any trial or—and he will only reprimand them,” Arikat said, per a State Department transcript. “Is that—is that acceptable to you that somebody shot a 2-year-old boy, and they get reprimanded? I mean, what—what deterrent is there for soldiers not to do that again?”

Miller, who did not contradict the characterization of Israel being a “serial bomber of civilian places,” told Arikat: “As I said yesterday, we continue to offer our condolences to the family. We always mourn the loss of civilian life, and we continue to look into the investigation into this matter.”

Another reporter, Matt Lee, Associated Press diplomatic writer, jumped in. “It’s simply not true that you don’t offer assessments or talk about reports from outside organizations,” Lee said. “In fact, in the Human Rights Reports every year, there are specific citations to reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.”

“The fact of the matter is, is that you don’t talk about them when they don’t serve your own interests. So if Amnesty or Human Rights Watch or Freedom House or some other group comes out with something that is critical of one of your friends or allies, you say you don’t want to—you don’t talk about it,” Lee said. “But when they come out with reports about China or North Korea or Russia or a foe, you’re all over it. So please don’t go with this ‘we never talk about this.’”

“As a general matter, we do not. There are always exceptions, of course,” Miller said.


Russia to open new Israel embassy branch in Jerusalem
Russia plans to open a branch of its embassy in Jerusalem, in exchange for acknowledging the boundaries of Moscow’s historic and present ownership of the plot of land on which the office will be built, the sides announced on Friday.

The “branch office of the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Israel,” as the embassy calls it, will be opened on the corner of King George and Ma’alot streets in downtown Jerusalem, where a parking lot is currently located, after Russia and the Jerusalem Municipality, in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry, signed an agreement clarifying the boundaries of the plot.

The Foreign Ministry said that the building complex will include a residence for Russian diplomats and a conference hall, which makes it more than a regular consulate.

The ministry called the agreement a “diplomatic achievement.”

Russia says Jerusalem branch office 'in line with Middle East policy'
Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum said “we are constantly in talks with many different countries about the recognition of Jerusalem as our capital and opening a presence in our city. We are pleased that this deal brings us a step closer towards that goal with the Russian Federation.”

The Russian Embassy stated: “We believe that this step fully serves the interests of further strengthening friendly multifaceted relations between Russia and Israel, as well as goes in line with our country’s unchanging course towards a fair Middle East settlement.”


Palestinian teen arrested in Lod, suspected of planning terror attack
A West Bank Palestinian teenager allegedly planning to carry out a terror attack was detained by security forces in the central city of Lod on Friday morning, the Shin Bet security agency said.

According to the Shin Bet, the 16-year-old suspect from the Balata refugee camp, adjacent to the northern West Bank city of Nablus, entered Israel illegally and sought to commit a terror attack “in the immediate time frame.”

The agency said the teenager was not affiliated with any known terror groups, but was suspected of planning to carry out an attack over recent Israeli military raids in the Nablus area.

He was detained by Shin Bet officers and members of the elite Yamam counterterrorism police unit in light of intelligence provided to forces by the agency and the Israel Defense Forces.

The Shin Bet said he had been taken for further questioning.

The agency did not identify the suspect, but Palestinian media named him as Mohammed Sawalmeh.

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been elevated for the past year, with the military carrying out near-nightly raids in the West Bank, amid a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks.


Wary of harming Israel ties, Egypt looks to bury popular praise for border attack
Egypt recognizes that it shares key interests with Israel, but there have been signs of stress on the relationship since the Netanyahu government came to power in late December.

Sissi was one of the last Arab leaders to congratulate Netanyahu on returning to office, and hasn’t invited the prime minister for an official visit. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett was summoned to Sharm el Sheikh twice during his short tenure as premier.

But Egypt still wants to maintain close security coordination with Jerusalem, especially in fighting terror and smuggling in the Sinai. It also needs continued cooperation on energy and tourism, important sources of foreign currency for Egypt’s economy.

At the same time, Cairo wants to strengthen the Palestinian Authority in Gaza at the expense of Hamas, and would like to see a long-term agreement guaranteeing quiet in the Strip.

Hardliners backing Netanyahu have pushed for punishing crackdowns on Palestinians, keeping the relationship with Gaza belligerent.

“This government is seen in Egypt as a problematic partner for those goals,” said Winter.

Egyptian media portrayed Cairo as surprised by the airstrikes on Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders at the start of Operation Arrow and Shield in May, which the government perceived as contradicting the signals it was getting from Jerusalem.

“State-run media claimed that Israel was acting based on domestic political calculations — stabilizing the tottering coalition,” said Winter.

The tone of condemnations from Sissi and Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has also gotten somewhat sharper since Netanyahu returned to power.

On Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and expressed deep concern over Israel’s incursions into Palestinian areas of the West Bank, according to a readout from Cairo.
MEMRI: In Wake Of Terrorist Attack On Israeli Border, Egyptian State Press Tries To Defend Peace Agreement With Israel While Also Accommodating Public Opinion That Regards Israel As Enemy
The terrorist attack perpetrated on June 3, 2023 by Egyptian border guard Muhammad Salah Ibrahim, who crossed the border fence and murdered three Israeli soldiers, placed the Egyptian regime in a very uncomfortable position. The regime found itself in a bind, caught between its need to maintain the peace agreement with Israel and its political and security interests on the one hand, and its desire to avoid angering the Egyptian public, most of which regards Israel as an enemy, on the other hand. The regime's request that the shooter's family keep the funeral and the condolence calls low-key and discrete was apparently a reflection of this embarrassment.[1]

Similarly, in the first few days after the incident, the Egyptian state media kept its coverage of it to a minimum, publishing only two brief reports. The regime's official account of the incident did not present it as a terrorist attack at all, but as an accidental shooting in the course of a chase after drug smugglers. A few days later, the state daily Al-Ahram started publishing articles that tried to walk a fine line between the regime's position on the incident and the view of the Egyptian public. These articles called the incident unfortunate and stressed that the cooperation with Israel is important for Egypt, but at the same time described the shooter as an Egyptian hero who was killed while defending the Egyptian border. Also notable was an article by journalist Muhammad Hussein Abu Al-Hassan, which did not explicitly mention the shooting but was apparently intended to undermine any attempt to present it as religiously justifiable. The article presented the doctrine of moderate cleric 'Abdullah Bin Bayyah, who argues that not every act of war constitutes jihad, and that military jihad should only be waged in self-defense or in defense of the religion and the homeland, and only on the orders of the ruler.

This report reviews the official position and statements of the Egyptian establishment on the shooting.

The Official Egyptian Account Of The Incident Does Not Regard It As A Deliberate Attack On The Israeli Soldiers

As stated, the coverage of the incident in the Egyptian state press was very limited, and consisted of two brief reports: a statement by the military spokesman of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Colonel Gharib 'Abd Al-Hafez, and a report on a phone call between Egyptian Defense Minister Muhammad Zaki and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant. The official Egyptian position, as articulated by the army spokesman and the defense minister, reflected an attempt to walk a fine line. The two referred to the incident without mentioning the border guard's name or describing it as a heroic attack on the enemy, while also justifying the security coordination with Israel, which is required by the terms of the peace agreement with it. At the same time, they refrained from blaming the border guard for the shooting and from referring to it as a murder or an act of terror.

The spokesman of the Egyptian Armed Forces said: "One of the Egyptian security officers tasked with securing the international border was pursuing drug smugglers. He crossed the security barrier [i.e., the border fence] and started an exchange of fire in which three [Israeli] soldiers who were securing the border were killed, and others were wounded, and the [Egyptian] security officer was killed [as well]…" The spokesman concluded his statement by expressing his "sincere condolences" to the bereaved families and wishing a speedy recovery to the wounded.[2] The report about the conversation between the Egyptian and Israeli defense ministers, published in the state daily Al-Gomhouriyya, disclosed that the Egyptian minister had phoned his Israeli counterpart to coordinate the measures to be taken in order to prevent the recurrence of such an incident in the future. It added that the Egyptian minister had expressed sorrow over "the victims of the incident on both sides."[3]

Although the position of the Egyptian authorities does not present the incident as a terrorist attack but as an accident, it is still at odds with the prevailing popular attitude towards it in Egypt, which sees the shooter's action as deliberate and commendable. Popular opinion describes him as a "hero" and a "martyr," and praises him for following the example of other Egyptian terrorists who killed Israelis, such as the policeman Suleiman Khater, who murdered seven Israeli tourists in Sinai in 1985, and another policeman, Ayman Hassan, who murdered five Israelis near Eilat in 1990. Praise for Muhamad Salah was conspicuous on social media.[4] Users stressed that Salah's action, like those of his predecessors, had reflected the real position of the Egyptian people towards Israel, which is the opposite of the position of the Egyptian government. Some articles and cartoons in the non-state Egyptian press expressed similar sentiments.[5]
The Israel Guys: CNN Blatantly Attacked THIS Minority Group in the Middle East
Western, mega news channel CNN strikes again at the one and only Jew state of Israel with fictitious, blatant propaganda. What happened to protecting minority groups and religions? Stay tuned as we unpack CNN’s last attack on the courageous settlers of Judea and Samaria.


The Israel Guys: The LATEST INCREDIBLE Stories From the Land of Israel
Beautiful things are taking place in the land of Israel today. The land of Israel is a place of life and beauty, where far more beautiful things happen on a daily basis than negative events. On today’s show Ben gives you the latest positive news from Israel. These stories are truly inspiring!


Is US losing influence in Middle East as China swoops in?

Uyghurs Condemn Palestinian 'Support for Genocide' Against Muslims in China
The East Turkistan Government in Exile, which represents the oppressed Uyghur and other Turkic communities under Chinese communist rule, condemned Palestinian leaders on Wednesday for meeting with dictator Xi Jinping and endorsing the genocide of Muslims in the region.

East Turkistan, which China calls the “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region” or XUAR, is a Central Asian region that was once a sovereign state, prior to its seizure by mass murderer Mao Zedong in 1949. The majority of its residents are ethnic Uyghurs, though many also have Kazakh and Kyrgyz backgrounds. Islam is the predominant religion in the region.

Chinese Communist Party authorities have violated the human rights of East Turkistanis for decades, but, under Xi, Beijing launched a far more advanced campaign of genocide against the indigenous population. Xi ordered the construction of concentration camps, believed to house up to three million people at their peak, to imprison Uyghurs and force them to abandon their faith and worship Xi. Survivors say they endured communist indoctrination, were forced to eat pork, and were subject to extreme torture, such as beatings, electrocution, gang rapes, forced abortions, forced sterilization, and experiencing the killing of their children.

Outside of the camps, Chinese authorities have flooded East Turkistan with ethnic Han people loyal to the Party, forcing local families to take them in. In many cases, the government forced the men of the households into concentration camps and forced the women to sleep with Han men in their beds as part of the “Become Family” program. The Han infiltrators are tasked with ensuring the families do not practice Islam or respect local traditions. Chinese authorities have also demolished Uyghur mosques, cemeteries, and other sites of historical significance, replacing them with communist bureaucracy and, in at least one case, toilets.

Many Arab governments and leaders, despite being at the heart of the Muslim world, have supported China’s genocide campaign against fellow Muslims. This week, the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, met with Xi in Beijing to upgrade Palestinian ties with China. Abbas, according to the Chinese government, explicitly endorsed the Muslim genocide as a legitimate “counter-terror” operation.

“Palestine upholds the one-China principle and supports all efforts made by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification … and condemns external interference in China’s internal affairs including Hong Kong and Xinjiang-related affairs,” Abbas affirmed, according to China’s state-run Global Times newspaper.

“The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) strongly condemns the recent strategic partnership between Palestine and China, which shamelessly supports China’s ongoing colonization, genocide, and occupation campaign in East Turkistan,” the organization said in a statement published on Wednesday, following the meeting between Xi and Abbas.


Why is Britain dragging its feet when it comes to banning the IRGC?
As for engagement: if the recent history of dealing with Iran tells us anything, over issues as diverse as nuclear weapons and hostages such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, it is that the agenda advanced by the country’s radical, ideologues in the shape of the IRGC and its ultimate chief, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will always trump the somewhat more moderate positions advanced by its foreign ministry. Lest we forget, Khaemenei and the IRGC are sworn to do all they can to destroy Israel and kill Jews.

However, there is a deeper issue. The Whitehall debate over proscription truly pits apples against oranges, unlike against unlike. Braverman and Tugendhat want to proscribe the IRGC because it poses a real and present danger to British citizens, some of them prominent Jews, and to members of the Iranian opposition based here.

To them, this isn’t an abstruse diplomatic problem with nuanced arguments on both sides, but something that concerns the most basic role of the state: to protect those who live inside its borders. Proscription would have further consequences. It would mean that to parrot the IRGC’s ferociously antisemitic, jihadist propaganda in Britain as some are wont to do, often under the guise of “anti-Zionism”, would become a criminal offence.

The various pro-Iranian regime mosques and cultural centres, such as the Islamic Centre of England in London’s Maida Vale, would finally be forced to close. These institutions, found in many large cities, currently enjoy charitable status, despite their frequent hosting of extremist preachers who have, for example, mourned the slain IRGC terrorist mastermind Qasem Soleimani as a martyred hero.

For the moment, they provide a platform for spreading radicalisation of a highly dangerous kind. The terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah have both, rightly, already been proscribed. But both derive succour and inspiration from their IRGC paymasters in Tehran. The time has come to proscribe the terrorist organ grinder, too.
Iran’s Khamenei hosts Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders in Tehran
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hosted leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Wednesday in Tehran to “congratulate” them on their conduct during last month’s conflict with Israel.

“The Palestinian Islamic Jihad did well in the test of the recent battle of Gaza, and now the conditions for the Zionist regime have changed compared to 70 years ago, and the Zionist leaders have the right to worry about not seeing the regime’s 80th year,” Khamenei told Ziad al-Nakhaleh, the Syria-based Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency which also carried a photograph of the meeting.

Tehran routinely predicts Israel’s demise.

“The strength and credibility of the Palestinian resistance groups and Islamic Jihad is increasing day by day, and the Zionist regime’s recent defeat in the five-day war confirms this,” Khamenei said.

On May 9, in response to a wave of over 100 rockets fired at Israel, the IDF launched a surprise attack on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, killing three of the organization’s top leaders and 10 civilians. The army dubbed the campaign Operation Shield and Arrow.

By the operation’s end four days later, 34 Palestinians had been killed, including several more top leaders and 15 civilians, although some were killed by Islamic Jihad rockets falling short inside Gaza.

During the conflict, Islamic Jihad fired hundreds of rockets with most being intercepted by Iron Dome or falling in empty areas. One woman was killed in a direct hit on her home in Rehovot.

During the talks, the Iranian leader also cited the political instability in Israel and the protest movement against the judicial overhaul as signs of unprecedented Israeli weakness.




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