Thursday, June 22, 2023

06/22 Links Pt1: Melanie Phillips: Israel’s American ‘frenemy’; Palestinians: We Prefer Terrorism to Peace with Israel; PA portrays murderers of 4 as innocent victims “assassinated” by Israel

From Ian:

Melanie Phillips: Israel’s American ‘frenemy’
Whatever the real reason, by minimizing the mortal threat Iran poses to the West, the Biden administration now views Israel as a threat instead because it is determined to stop Iran.

The administration therefore regards Israel as a major obstacle to be neutralized. Accordingly, Israel must now view the U.S. as a “frenemy.”

Of course, the U.S. depends on Israel to be the West’s front line of defense in the Middle East, and Israeli intelligence is critical to American security.

Israel’s biggest potential defense against U.S. perfidy, however, is the American people. American support for Israel is not based on the small U.S. Jewish community but the Christian heartlands of middle America—which would take a very dim view indeed of a political party that was putting Israel at risk.

Yet Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who famously alerted the American public to the risks of the 2015 nuclear deal, is now silent. As pointed out by Michael Doran in Tablet, Netanyahu appears to be trapped.

The U.S. is projecting friendship with Israel through joint military exercises, working within CENTCOM towards integrated missile defense and dangling the biggest prize of all—the administration’s apparent enthusiasm for promoting normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

This enthusiasm is false, since normalization would jeopardize the administration’s all-important courtship of Iran. But the carefully spun optics—with the intention of preventing Israel from attacking Iran—are that the U.S. is working hand-in-hand with Israel. It appears that Netanyahu has decided to play along with this cynical fiction.

So, Netanyahu has sacrificed Israel’s biggest diplomatic weapon: The ability to alert the American people to their government’s lethal abandonment of the Jewish state.

If Netanyahu can’t or won’t do this, others should step up to the plate. Israel has numerous friends in Congress. All those Republican presidential candidates should be using Israel to put clear blue water between the Democrats and the American people. In a country where love of Israel is key to its core values, this should become a defining election issue.

It’s high time for Israel’s truest friends in the US to tell the American people about the betrayal of Israel taking place in their name, and the frightening ways in which the Biden administration is hanging the Jewish state out to dry.
Bassam Tawil: Palestinians: We Prefer Terrorism to Peace with Israel
The findings of the poll, which was conducted between June 7 and 11, show that the Biden Administration and all those who continue to talk about reviving the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians are living under an illusion. The results of the poll indicate that most Palestinians are more interested in killing Jews than making peace with them. The results, in addition, show that most Palestinians want as a successor to their current leader, PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who has ties to terror.

According to the poll, the largest percentage of Palestinians (24%) believe that the rise of extremist Islamist terror groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) was "the most positive or the best thing that has happened to the Palestinian people since the Nakba."

[A] majority of the Palestinians see terrorist groups and the murder of Jews -- not the construction of schools and hospitals -- as their proudest accomplishment over the past seven decades.

More than half of the Palestinians, the poll showed, prefer an "armed struggle" (terrorism) against Israel to negotiations with it.

The only thing that seems to disturb the Palestinian public is the possibility that Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority security forces might go after the terror groups.

The armed terrorists of these groups are regularly hailed by Palestinians as heroes and martyrs.

The Palestinians want the gunmen to remain on the streets and continue their terror attacks against Jews. The vast majority (86%) say that the PA does not have the right to arrest members of these terrors groups to prevent them from carrying out attacks against Israel. This view seems to be one of the reasons that Abbas is reluctant to order his security forces to crack down on these terror groups and confiscate their weapons. Abbas is undoubtedly aware of the widespread support the terrorists enjoy among the Palestinian people. He undoubtedly knows that if he goes against the terrorists, he will be denounced by his people as a traitor and Israeli collaborator. Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are already facing severe criticism for conducting security coordination with Israeli security forces in the West Bank.

According to the latest PSR poll, support for the concept of the "two-state solution" stands at 28% and opposition stands at 70%. A poll conducted by the same center three months earlier showed that support for the "two-state solution" stood at only 27%, while opposition to it stood at 71%.
How social media boosts terrorists’ recruitment of minors
Social-media networks are being exploited by Palestinian terror factions to boost the recruitment of minors, an Israeli military source has told JNS.

The source noted that although the trend of recruiting minors is not new, its current form and scope are both relatively new phenomena.

In 2004 during the Second Intifada, 16-year-old Hussam Abdo, who was stopped at a Huwara military checkpoint wearing a suicide-bomb belt, made headlines across the globe.

Since then, however, the smartphone revolution and the arrival of social media networks have created many new recruitment opportunities.

The military source said that while in the past, incitement in Palestinian education and informal educational systems was the main vehicle for terror recruitment, today, the device in every minor’s possession is a potential recruitment tool.

In 2019, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement calling on Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and others to cease targeting Palestinian minors for recruitment. Needless to say, his call fell on deaf ears.

Terror organizations continue to go after Palestinian children and teens of all ages, though they especially target teenagers.

The Israel Defense Forces has monitored efforts by the local Lions’ Den terror group, based in Nablus, to target for recruitment youths with no previous organizational affiliation by exposing them to incitement to violence.

The group has skillfully used platforms like TikTok to encourage youths to arm themselves and join the group.

“Social media networks are used for two goals. One is for recruitment—minors are told to meet terror operatives, to join such and such activity—and the second is for incitement. Jews and Israelis are described as evil Zionist occupiers and youths are encouraged to turn to violence,” said the source.


JPost Editorial: There is no equivalence between Palestinian terrorists and their Israeli victims
This is not a cycle ordained by nature. Without terror, there would be no reason for IDF operations inside Palestinian areas. Because there is terror, those actions are essential to safeguard Israeli lives.

With that in mind, US Ambassador Tom Nides’s hasty tweet after the murders at Eli, lumping that attack together with what happened in Jenin and seeming to equate terror victims with terrorists killed in a gun battle, was regrettable, as were other tweets and statements by foreign officials that appeared to draw such a parallel.

Israel’s ambassador to the US, Mike Herzog, conveyed the feelings of many Israelis: “Any attempt of a so-called balanced condemnation is misguided and disrespectful to the memory of the victims.”

To his credit, Nides, a friend of Israel, quickly corrected the error with a follow-up tweet that put it right: “I condemn in the strongest terms the senseless murder of four innocent Israelis today – my heart is with their grieving family members.”

There will be those who try to link Tuesday’s murders to Israeli government actions, as if the two Hamas terrorists who murdered four Israelis in cold blood did so because of this or that Israeli policy. That is false. Ideological hatred of Jews and Israel fueled the terrorists who carried out Tuesday’s attack. They needed no excuse to seek out victims to murder. To search for a rational reason or cause-and-effect excuse for these murderous acts is an exercise in futility.

Terrorism has no justification and there can be no equivalence between terrorists and their victims.
Israelis, Palestinians are not morally equal now - opinion
So what do you do when the UN secretary general swallows every bit of Abbas’ bile, and then immorally denounces “hateful discourse on both sides” and contemptibly says that Israel’s response to the recent terror attacks has “added to the already difficult challenges of restoring calm” – when there is no factual or moral equivalence between Israeli and Palestinian actions?

What do you do when fair-weather friends abroad cast aspersions on the defensive measures taken by the Israel Police and IDF in response to Palestinian terrorism?

You guffaw at the UN leader and remind yourself that the dissolute UN once declared Zionism was racism and that the earth was flat. You do not go running scared and draw back on needed anti-terrorist operations or mistakenly curb Jewish access to the Temple Mount to appease Palestinian or global opinion.

You insist that your friends reject the fallacious throwaway line that “both sides should show restraint”; and you do not allow them to slyly hit you over the head by averring that “the status quo is unsustainable” and by failing to hold the PA accountable for its corruption and extremism.

You remind friends that in 2022 there were more than 5,000 Palestinian terror attacks against Israeli Jews, including car rammings, shootings, stabbings, and bombings of innocent men, women and children. These attacks included over 500 Molotov cocktail attacks (firebombs) leading to the injury of more than 150 Israelis.

There was a 210% rise in rock throwing incidents in 2021 over 2020, and a 156% rise in bomb throwing incidents in 2021 over 2020. The comparative statistics for 2022 and 2023 (not yet fully tabulated) are even worse.

Over the past few months, Palestinian terrorists have slaughtered close to 40 Israelis in and beyond the Green Line. These murderous attacks constitute a continuing Palestinian mega-pogrom against Israel. And yet too many international observers prattle on about the “cycle of violence” – as if there was some “cycle” demanded by nature, and they are seized by settlement building as if settlements were the cause of Palestinian terrorism.

So what do you do? You remind your friends that there is no moral equivalence whatsoever between Palestinian terrorists and Israeli troops, period. You remind them that settlements are a red-herring issue; not necessarily an obstacle to peace if only Israel had a peace partner. You remind them to stand by principle and eschew falsely “balanced” diplomatic formulations that only retard the cause of peace.
65 senators urge Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program by end of September
Some 65 U.S. senators from both parties have urged the Biden administration to finalize Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program by Sept. 30.

Israel has sought to join the program, which enables citizens to travel to the United States without a visa, for decades. Currently, Israelis who do not hold citizenship in any of the 40 countries in the waiver program must apply for permission to travel to the United States, a process that typically results in a visa but can be extensive.

The letter, sent Wednesday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Majorkas, was spearheaded by Jacky Rosen, a Nevada Democrat, and Rick Scott, a Florida Republican. It alludes to the final roadblock keeping Israel out of the program — the profiling of Arab Americans seeking entry into the country — while pressing for the September deadline.

“We recognize that there are still outstanding issues that must be addressed before Israel’s participation in the program can be finalized, and we urge both sides to continue working toward addressing these issues – including the reciprocal treatment of U.S. citizens — to ensure Israel’s compliance with all program requirements before the deadline of September 30, 2023,” the letter says.

The letter, which is backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, comes as the current U.S. ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, aims to wrap up Israel’s entry into the visa program before he leaves the post this summer.


The Caroline Glick Show: From Eli to Jenin, the Engine behind the Terror Machine EXPLAINED
Disclaimer: This show was taped before the terror attack in Eli, but seeks to explain the uptick in terror happening in Israel currently.

A horrific terror attack in Eli, a massive roadside bomb in Jenin, and the State Department condemns settlements. Caroline explains the bigger picture in her run-down this week.

Tuesday, Palestinian terrorists from Northern Samaria armed with M-16s, massacred four Israelis at a restaurant by the town of Eli in the Benjamin District. Seven other Israelis were wounded, one critically. The previous day, Palestinian terrorists in the northern Samaria city of Jenin ambushed IDF forces with a massive roadside bomb.

In her news analysis this week, Caroline Glick set out the rationales for Palestinian terror, and the engines behind the terror machine that grows more powerful before our eyes.


New outpost established near site of Samaria terror attack
A new outpost community was established in the Binyamin region of Samaria on Wednesday night, near where Palestinian terrorists murdered four Israeli civilians earlier in the week.

Called “Hamore,” it is located between the towns of Eli and Ma’ale Levona.

According to its founders, Hamore strengthens the Jewish hold on the area by creating a sequence of communities with Givat HaRoa’a and Givat Harel.

“The army must fight the enemy and enter the nests of terrorism. The settlement must work to deepen its roots. The residents of [the] Binyamin [region] are pioneers and determined to strengthen the settlement bloc and the succession of settlements in the region,” said Israel Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council.

Tuesday’s shooting, which claimed the lives of four Israelis and wounded four others, took place at a restaurant and gas station located on the highway overlooked by Eli.


Palestinian terrorist cell killed by IDF drone strike near Jenin
The IDF on Wednesday night killed a terror cell in the West Bank using a drone, an unusual move generally reserved for targeting major terrorists or rocket-firing cells in Gaza.

A joint statement by the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) said that intelligence from the domestic security agency had located the terror cell in real-time as it was perpetrating a shooting attack near Jalma in the Menashe region.

According to the statement, this same terror cell has recently carried out a number of shooting attacks throughout Judea and Samaria.

Once the cell was identified, the IDF gave a rapid order to have the drone fire on and kill the cell before they could escape again, as they have after past shootings.

IDF was given green light to conduct drone strikes in September The drone attack came only days after the IDF used a helicopter strike to help rescue ambushed soldiers in Jenin, signaling the defense establishment is taking off the gloves in the West Bank in an unprecedented way - at least in comparison to recent years dating back to Operation Defensive Shield in 2002.

In September 2022, IDF commanders in the West Bank were given the green light to use armed drones to carry out targeted killings of Palestinian terrorists, with the approval of then chief of staff Aviv Kohavi.

According to sources, commanders were then allowed to use the platforms not only as cover and intelligence for forces during operations but also to carry out strikes should armed gunmen be identified as posing imminent threats to their troops.


The Israel Guys: BREAKING: 4 MURDERED In Horrible Terror Attack
Yesterday, two Palestinian Arab terrorists pulled up to a gas station here in Samaria and opened fire, murdering four and injuring five other innocent Israelis.

The US administration’s response was at best, apathetic.

And CNN wrote an article, desperately trying to justify the murderers.


Palestinian teens killed in accidental blast while handling explosives
At least two Palestinian teens were killed late Tuesday when explosives they were handling accidentally blew up near Nablus in the restive northern West Bank, Palestinians.

The Islamic Jihad terror group announced the deaths in a statement of condolence Tuesday, a day after claiming responsibility for a massive roadside bomb that wounded eight soldiers.

The two fatalities were named by the group as 17-year-old Mohammed Hashah and 18-year-old Alaa Hafnawi. A third person was critically wounded in the blast, according to Palestinian media.

The explosion took place in the Balata refugee camp, a cramped warren of buildings and alleys adjacent to Nablus. Along with Jenin, the city has been the focus of a year-long military offensive focused on stemming terror emanating from the northern West Bank.

On Monday, troops who entered Jenin to arrest a pair of Palestinian suspects were caught in intense clashes, during which they were targeted by explosive devices, including a large roadside bomb that hit a military jeep, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The local Islamic Jihad wing, known as the Jenin Battalion, claimed its members had detonated explosive devices near IDF vehicles and then targeted them with gunfire.

The IDF said that “as the security forces exited the city, a military vehicle was hit by an explosive device, damaging the vehicle.”


Israel demolishes home of IDF soldier’s killer
The Israel Defense Forces demolished the home of Palestinian terrorist Kamel Jouri in Shechem (Nablus) on Thursday morning.

Jouri and another terrorist killed Staff-Sgt. Ido Baruch, 21, in a drive-by shooting near Shavei Shomron in northern Samaria in February.

During Thursday’s demolition operation in the city’s Mahfiya neighborhood, explosives were thrown and shots were fired at Israeli troops. Stones and burning tires were also thrown.

Israeli forces last week demolished the Nablus home of the second terrorist, Osama Tawil.

Last month, the IDF mapped for demolition the home, also in Nablus, of Hasam Bassam Bashir Aslim, who directed the attack.

Baruch was securing a civilian march near Shavei Shomron when he was shot from a moving vehicle. He was evacuated to Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba, where he died of his wounds.

Israeli forces arrested Tawil and Jouri in February.


Eli Massacre: Media Mess Ups
However, in their reporting on the Eli massacre, several media outlets opted to frame the unprovoked murder of four innocent Jews, including two children, as being a ‘tit-for-tat’ response to Monday’s IDF raid that targeted members of US-designated terrorist organizations in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

It’s legitimate for journalists to cite Hamas’ assertion that the well-planned killing spree near Eli was somehow a “response to the crimes of the occupation in the Jenin camp yesterday and the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque [sic].” But when this false equivalence is presented as fact, legitimate reporting turns into what some have dubbed “terror journalism.”

In what was perhaps the most egregious example of this shocking moral perversion, The Australian’s headline described the events in Eli as a “revenge raid.” The Times of London, for its part, similarly wrote of a “revenge attack by Palestinian militants” without attributing the claim to Hamas.

PBS Newshour anchor Geoff Bennett downplayed the vicious attack by referring to the victims as mere “settlers.” At the same time, the PBS report failed to mention that two of the slain Israelis were minors, while explicitly noting that “Palestinians are mourning five people killed in [Monday’s IDF] raid, including 15-year-old Ahmed Saqr, whose family grieves.”

Crucially, evidence from multiple Palestinian sources suggests that Saqr was part of a group of violent rioters who had thrown rocks at Israeli troops.

Enough with the moral equivalence. Is it too much to ask that the media stop excusing the cold-blooded murder of Israeli children?
NBC News Fails in Its Coverage of West Bank Violence
During a week that has witnessed a sharp rise in West Bank violence, one news outlet has stood out for its continued inaccurate and misleading reporting: NBC News.

A drawn-out battle between Israeli security forces and Palestinian terror groups in Jenin, a deadly terror attack against Israeli civilians outside the community of Eli, a violent rampage by Israeli settlers through the town of Turmus Ayya, and an IDF drone strike on a car driven by terrorists fleeing the scene of a shooting all taking place within the span of less than 72 hours.

In two separate reports, NBC News has misrepresented Israel’s operation in Jenin and the drone strike on the fleeing terrorists.


Hamas flags on display at funeral of Eli attack perpetrator
The Hamas terror group had a clear presence at the funeral of one of the perpetrators of Tuesday’s terror attack at Eli.

In the attack, two gunmen opened fire at a gas station and adjacent hummus restaurant near the settlement, killing four Israelis and wounding another four. One of the gunmen was shot dead at the scene, while another fled and was killed by security forces hours later.

A nighttime video filmed at Khaled Sabah’s funeral procession in the village of Urif showed Hamas operatives waving the group’s green flags, chanting that Hamas is “their army” and the Quran “their constitution,” and shouting the name of Muhammad Deif, commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing.

It was a relatively rare display of force for Hamas in the West Bank, and a possible show of its increasing hold on the region’s north. The terrorist group has ruled over the Gaza Strip since it ousted Fatah from power there in a violent coup in 2007, and has full control over civilian and military activities in the enclave. However, its operations in the West Bank, which is controlled by the rival Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, have been kept under the radar.

A Hamas spokesman claimed responsibility for the Eli attack on Tuesday, describing it as a “heroic” response to the deaths of seven Palestinians during heavy clashes between gunmen and Israeli troops in Jenin on Monday.
Israel will 'pay the price for settler crimes,’ Palestinians vow
The Palestinian Authority and Hamas on Wednesday called for the formation of “popular committees” to defend Palestinians in the West Bank against attacks by Jewish settlers.

In the past, Palestinian officials and activists called for the formation of such committees in some villages and towns in the West Bank.

The call came after dozens of settlers attacked the town of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah, in response to Tuesday’s shooting attack in which four Israelis were killed and four others wounded outside the settlement of Eli.

The PA, Hamas and other Palestinian parties strongly condemned the attack on Turmus Ayya and said Israel would pay the price.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said 27-year-old Omar Kattin was shot and killed during the violence in Turmus Ayya. Another 12 Palestinians were injured, one critically, the Ministry added.

Palestinian sources said at least 30 houses and 60 vehicles were set on fire during the settler rampage.

PLO Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh held the Israeli government “fully responsible for the organized settler terrorism.” He called on Palestinians to form “popular committees” to defend their properties “confront this terrorism.”

Sheikh demanded that the US administration and the international community force Israel to reign in the settlers.


PMW: "The victory of Allah will come… in spite of the infidels” - PA Ministry of Religion’s instructions for mosque preachers
Every week, the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs dictates talking points for all PA mosque preachers for the upcoming Friday sermon through a sheet of instructions. As Palestinian Media Watch has exposed, the preachers can’t freely choose their own subjects.

A recent example is the letter above. It instructs preachers to teach worshippers that “Almighty Allah” will be victorious and “send His light in spite of the infidels.” The word “infidels” of course refers to the Jews in “Palestine” – which according to the PA includes all of the State of Israel:
“Through faith, piety, endurance, and carrying out Ribat, the victory of Almighty Allah will come and will stabilize our legs, Allah will send His light in spite of the infidels.”
[PA Ministry of Religious Affairs, Facebook page, June 4, 2023]

The PA preachers are also to praise worshippers for “their defense of the religion, and the homeland”:
“The resolve of those carrying out Ribat (i.e., religious conflict over land claimed to be Islamic) on the holy land at the front line and their defense of the religion, the land, and the homeland, embody the most magnificent acts of heroism and sacrifice.”

This “defense” is said to “embody the most magnificent acts of heroism and sacrifice” - needless to say, this implies acts of violence and terror for which terrorists “sacrificed” themselves, either as prisoners in Israeli jails or as “Martyrs” who died while attacking Israelis.
PMW: PA portrays murderers of 4 as innocent victims “assassinated” by Israel
Two days ago, 2 Hamas terrorists murdered 4 Israelis at a gas station and restaurant. As Palestinian Media Watch reported, Abbas’ Fatah Movement was quick to praise them as “heroic Martyrs” and “men true to what they promised Allah.” Fatah also stressed that the two murderers were “two heroic Martyrdom-seekers… who carried out the heroic ‘Eli colony’ operation.”

In stark contrast, the PA presented the two murderers as innocent victims and mentioned their terror attack as something that happened of its own accord:
Official PA TV newsreader: “The deaths as Martyrs of two young people: Young Muhannad Shehadeh, 26, was shot by the occupation… and an additional act of assassination against young Khaled Sabah (i.e., Hamas terrorists, murdered 4)… Today a shooting operation took place that caused the killing of 4 settlers, and the wounding of 4 others.”
[Official PA TV, June 20, 2023]

The official PA daily called the murderers “civilians” who “died as Martyrs,” while “4 settlers were killed and 4 others were wounded.” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 21, 2023] It then quoted Israeli media to describe the two murderers’ terror attack, while still taking pains to refer to the attack as “a shooting operation.”




Aunt of dead teen terrorist: “Allah granted him Martyrdom… the most beautiful thing in the world. Allah chose him”
Aunt of teen terrorist Fares Hashash: “Allah granted him Martyrdom. He received the most beautiful thing in the world. Allah chose him as a Martyr. Our Lord chose him as a Martyr because he deserves [Martyrdom]… Congratulations to him on the Martyrdom.” [Official PA TV, June 13, 2023]

Fares Hashash - 19-year-old Palestinian terrorist who participated in violent confrontations in which Palestinian terrorists shot at Israeli soldiers arresting a wanted terrorist at the Balata refugee camp in Nablus on June 13, 2023. Hashash was shot and killed in the ensuing gun battle.


63-65% of the dead terrorist “Martyrs” are from Fatah, “most of them are [PA] Security Forces officers”
Director of Palestinian Center for Strategic Studies Muhammad Al-Masri: “More than roughly 63-65% of the number of Martyrs in the West Bank, in the daily confrontations, are members of the Fatah Movement. And most of them are members of the [PA] Security Forces or their sons… The ones who are being pursued in the streets, arrested, and imprisoned are the Palestinian Security Forces officers. If we count the number of prisoners, we will find that Fatah is equal to all the factions, the independent and non-independent ones.” [Official PA TV, Topic of the Day, June 14, 2023]

Muhammad Al-Masri is also a former head of PA intelligence in the Gaza Strip and former deputy head of PA general intelligence.


Fatah: ”More than 355 of the prisoners are from the [PA] Security Forces - the PA’s soldiers”
Fatah-run Awdah TV host: “More than two thirds of the Martyrs in the West Bank over [the last] year and a half belong to the Fatah Movement and the PA… More than 355 of our Palestinian people’s prisoners inside the prisons are from the Palestinian [PA] Security Forces – in other words, the PA’s soldiers.” [Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, May 27, 2023]

In the upper right corner of the video is the logo of Fatah-run Awdah TV.


PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Disappointing Visit to China
Despite the media hype in the Palestinian Authority and some Arab outlets, senior officials within the Palestinian Authority expressed disappointment with the outcome of Abbas’s visit to China.

China continues to support Israel as a Jewish state and invests in settlement projects in Judea and Samaria.

There are currently no indications that China intends to mediate between Israel and the Palestinians to revive the stalled negotiations. Likewise, China has not shown any intention to assist the Palestinians in achieving permanent member state status at the United Nations. Presently, the Palestinian Authority holds only observer status.

A senior Palestinian official noted the significant disparity between China’s verbal promises and their practical willingness to take action.

Abbas returned to Ramallah empty-handed, as his expectations of China pressuring Israel were not met. China cannot suddenly become a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians. The United States remains the primary mediator since the signing of the Oslo Accords, and Israel is unwilling to accept Chinese mediation.

While China supports the convening of an international peace conference leading to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Israel opposes this idea, viewing it as a means of exerting international pressure on Israel and attempting to impose a solution desired by the Palestinians.

In summary, China defines itself as a neutral country. However, from the Palestinian perspective, its support for the normalization process between Israel and Arab countries, as well as its opposition to rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip, raises doubts about its neutrality.

The Palestinian opposition views Abbas’ visit as yet another failure in his policy, emphasizing the urgent need for him to step down from the political stage as soon as possible.
Fatah Central Committee Member: U.S. Sent COVID to China; China’s Message to World Is One of Peace
Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki said in a June 12, 2023 show on Awda TV (Palestinian Authority) that the U.S. had “sent” COVID-19 to China, and he praised the way China dealt with the virus and provided aid to the Palestinian Authority and elsewhere in the world. Zaki added that China spreads a message of “peace, love, and cooperation” while the U.S. spreads a message of “plague, oppression, and killing.”




Seth Frantzman: How US plans to deter Iran amid tensions with Russia in Middle East
Integration of regional air and missile defense, the use of a new drone task force, dealing with Russia’s “behavior” and deterring Iran are all key goals for the US Air Force and US Central Command these days in the Middle East.

The United States is continuing to work in the region to deal with challenges, such as Russia’s actions in Syria and to deter Iranian threats. United States Air Force Lt.-Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander of the Ninth Air Force and the Combined Forces Air Component Commander for US Central Command, gave a briefing Wednesday about some of the current actions the US is taking in this respect.

On the one hand, he addressed air operations in the Middle East and coordination to advance peace and stability in the region. He also focused on Russian aggression in Syria and the continuing war against ISIS.

The US has been in the Middle East for decades but its role is often shifting. Recently there has been “unprofessional” behavior by Russia in Syria as well as Iranian threats against US forces. Iran’s proxies use rockets and drones and recent reports suggest they will shift to using explosive devices.

Grynkewich said that Russia has been ignoring deconfliction protocols that Russia previously observed in Syria. These protocols go back to 2019. However, recently Russia hasn’t been informing the US when it flies into airspace long recognized as being used by the US-led Coalition in Syria. Grynkewich said that even on the morning of Tuesday and Wednesday, there were incidents of Russian activity. Sometimes these incidents may occur 3-4 times a day. Russian planes also apparently fly into areas where US forces are garrisoned and the planes are armed with bombs.

To address this behavior, the US deployed F-22s to the region. “This is part of a multi-faceted US show of support and capability in the wake of unsafe and unprofessional Russian behavior,” said Grynkewich. The F-22 is the most advanced air superiority fighter in the world, he noted. As Russia increased its actions it was necessary for the US to change its stance and take defensive measures, he noted.

The US general also pointed to the deployment of a bomber task force on June 8 to the region. This included work with partners in the region, such as Israel. It also shows how the US is committed to the region, he said. America can bring “overwhelming combat power at moment’s notice.” The US also used GBU-38s and AMG munitions in recent drills. It shows America’s “enduring commitment,” the officer said.
Seth Frantzman: Iran wants hypersonic missiles to reach Israel, eastern Europe
It is not clear if its new missile will be tested and whether it can reach the Mediterranean. However, Iran is clearly trying to show off that it now has a missile that can threaten the whole Middle East, and likely reach Europe. If Iran moved this missile to Iraq or Syria, among its partner forces in both countries, it could reach Europe. If it provided the missile to Russia it could also reach Europe.

Hajizadeh is Iran’s leading missile man, the key leader behind the missile programs and threats to Israel, the US and the region. He said recently, according to the reports that "for progress in the country, we should not look outside. Power generation in the IRGC happens daily.”

He also praised new ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran. He said that Iran’s president is personally invested in the success of the Fattah hypersonic missile. The Iranian missile project leader remarked on how they had to develop the hypersonic missile last year amid protests. This shows that the internal problems in Iran may have affected the success of this project.

The main point of Hajizadeh’s discussion was that Iran has achieved all of its goals in terms of indigenous production of complex systems, such as missiles. The hypersonic project is just one project among many. It wants better satellites and it wants to build more drones.
House committee advances bipartisan bill to make Iran sanctions permanent
The House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced a bipartisan bill on Wednesday to make the 1996 sanctions against Iran permanent.

Reps. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., and Susie Lee, D-Nev., alongside committee chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, are the muscle behind the Solidifying Iran Sanctions Act (SISA) that is heading to a full vote on the House floor.

The bill would make permanent the 1996 economic sanctions against Iran that that are credited with stunting their research and development of nuclear and biological weapons as well as preventing terroristic actions against the U.S. and its Arab allies and partners.

The measure passed out of committee unanimously by voice vote and will be headed to the full House floor for a vote.

"I am very grateful to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs for voting to pass my bill, the Solidifying Iran Sanctions Act today," Steel said in a press release exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.

"Iran’s evil regime has proven they cannot be trusted to negotiate in good faith," Steel continued. "Only through strength can we show the path to peace, end their brutal attacks on their own people, and prevent a nuclear Iran."

"By making these sanctions permanent, the U.S. is signaling to Iran that we will not tolerate their continued aggression and to our allies that they must also increase their pressure on the [rogue] nation," the California Republican added.


Khamenei Pushes for Arming Palestinians in the West Bank
During a meeting on June 14, 2023, between Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, and Ziad al-Nakhalah, Secretary-General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Khamenei emphasized that the “current situation of the Zionist regime is vastly different compared to 70 years ago….The Zionist enemy is now in a passive and reactive position…while the resistance groups, including Islamic Jihad, have accurately identified the path forward.” The meeting won a front-page headline in Kayhan, Khamenei’s mouthpiece.

Khamenei emphasized the importance of taking necessary risks to achieve meaningful goals and pointed out the Palestinian resistance groups’ growing strength and credibility, including Islamic Jihad. He cited the “recent defeat of the Zionist regime in the five-day war” (referring to Israel’s Operation Shield and Arrow) as evidence of this strengthening.

He commended Islamic Jihad for performing well and emphasized that “the conditions for the Zionist regime have changed, and the Zionist leaders are right to be concerned that they may not see the regime’s 80th anniversary.”

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution also highlighted the pivotal role of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian resistance groups in confronting the Zionist regime, emphasizing that they have found the essential key to effectively combating their enemy: “The growing power of the resistance groups in the West Bank is the key that can bring the Zionist enemy to its knees, and it is crucial that we continue along this path.”


MEMRI: Iran's Illicit Procurement Related To Weapons Of Mass Destruction In The Netherlands, Sweden, And Germany During 2022
The Islamic Republic of Iran has been trying for years to illicitly acquire in Europe various components for its military industry of weapons of mass destruction. The sale of these materials, components, and knowledge, including when they are defined as enabling "dual use" applications, are regulated in the EU and in Germany.[1] Oversight of this issue is based on relevant lists of various criteria that are made public by the governments and the EU. For example, the EU outlines its restrictive trade measures against Iran.[2]

European intelligence services are tracking these deals and their purchase routes, and this report is based on reports published by agencies in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany during the first six months of 2023.

It is noteworthy that media outlets in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany have largely not reported on their countries' intelligence findings about Iran's illicit nuclear proliferation activities in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany.

In one telling example of the Iranian regime's illicit nuclear weapons proliferation activities, the Swedish Security Service said in its annual report, published in February 2023, that "Iran engages in industrial espionage, which is mainly aimed at the Swedish high-tech industry and Swedish products that can be used in nuclear weapons program."[3]

Since 2015, and even before, open European intelligence reports and news articles have revealed that the Iranian regime has consistently sought to obtain technology for its illegal nuclear program and ballistic missile apparatus.[4] Below we present translations of sections from the most recent trove of published intelligence reports from the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden about Iran's efforts to purchase technology for programs for atomic, biological, and chemical (ABC) weapons of mass destruction.
Belgian FM in Turmoil over Visas Granted to Iranian, Russian Delegates
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib is facing calls for resignation after approving visa requests for citizens from Iran and Russia under international sanctions.

Lahbib is under scrutiny for having granted visas to delegations from Iranian and Russian cities to attend a mayors convention in Brussels last week, only three weeks after Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele was released from Iranian custody.

On June 18, state secretary for external relations and foreign trade of the Brussels government Pascal Smet resigned for inviting the mayors of Tehran and Kazan to the Brussels Urban Summit. The accommodation costs for these officials were paid by the Brussels region.

The mayors from more than 300 international cities and members of the European Commission and the European Parliament attended the gathering to discuss challenges cities are facing. A total of 15 Iranian delegates participated.

Iran-born Belgian lawmaker Darya Safai, from the opposition N-VA party, said on June 19 that her party is asking for Lahbib's resignation.

"We need a minister who accepts her responsibility," she told Matin Premiere radio.

"The pending question is why did she agree to give these visas? Why only three weeks after the release of Olivier Vandecasteele, she accepts that terrorists come to Brussels? And why must the name of Belgium always be sullied by foreign relations which it cannot manage to control?" Safai asked.




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