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Monday, July 03, 2023

07/03 Links Pt1: Inside the Jenin Refugee Camp, the Palestinian ‘Martyr’s Capital’; Fatah announces it is fighting with the terrorists against Israel; Reform opponents try to blockade airport, grind Israel to halt

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: The limited potential of the operation in Jenin
What can we expect from the IDF’s current operation in Jenin?

According to the IDF, the goal of the operation is to disable the massive terror infrastructure that Palestinian groups have built in the Jenin refugee camp.

Over the past year and a half, due to the policies of the previous government and to IDF support for those policies, the area has become a mini-Gaza. In September 2021, in conjunction with then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Central Command head Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs ordered a five-month moratorium on IDF operations in Jenin, in the interest of “strengthening the Palestinian Authority.”

The current operation then is geared towards repairing the damage caused by the policies of the previous government and Central Command. As IDF Spokesman R. Adm. Daniel Hagari explained Monday morning in a spate of television and radio interviews, the purpose of the operation is not to seize control over Jenin or parts of the city. It is not directed against the P.A. It is meant simply to regain the tactical advantage and degrade the capabilities of the terror groups operating in the refugee camp.

As a limited, tactical engagement, the operation has limited, but important, potential. Over the past several weeks, the Palestinians have shot four rudimentary rockets at Israeli communities from Jenin. Although military experts insist these were mere pop guns, the missile industry in Gaza began the same way in 2000. Today, missiles from Gaza have ranges that cover most of the country. The operation in Jenin can destroy all the rocket workshops and kill or arrest all of the terrorist operatives engaged in the development of the rocket program.

The operation in Jenin can also disrupt and degrade the Palestinian terror capacity by killing and capturing the terror commanders and foot soldiers who together have been carrying out shooting, stoning, roadside bomb and pipe bomb attacks against Israelis throughout the region. These attacks have made life a crap shoot for tens of thousands of Israeli citizens who live and work in the communities in northern Samaria and the Binyamin region.

In the hours before the operation in Jenin began, Palestinian terrorists carried out four shooting attacks against Israeli vehicles, communities and IDF personnel in the area around the city. To get a sense of the magnitude of the problem, every day Palestinians from Jenin and the wider area carry out hundreds of stoning attacks against Israeli vehicles on the roads. And according to the Shin Bet, in May alone, Palestinians attacked Israeli vehicles with Molotov cocktails 139 times. They carried out 51 pipe bomb attacks and 11 shooting attacks.

While some of the terror infrastructure behind these attacks is located in Nablus, and in villages like Huwara and Umm Tzafa, because of the free rein terror groups enjoy in Jenin, the bulk of the operational infrastructure is located in Jenin.
Inside the Jenin Refugee Camp, the Palestinian ‘Martyr’s Capital’
Since Monday’s predawn hours, the Jenin refugee camp has been the epicenter of intense fighting between Palestinian terror groups and the Israel Defense Forces.

The camp is home to 18,000 Palestinians densely packed in an area about half a square kilometer (0.2 square miles) in size. Established in 1953, the U.N.-administered camp is often referred to by Palestinians as the “Martyr’s Capital.” Between 2000 and 2003, during the Second Intifada, at least 28 Palestinian suicide bombers came from the Jenin camp.

The refugee camp became a stronghold of terror, particularly for those aligned with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and a number of smaller local factions. PIJ receives direct support from Iran while other factions often receive indirect assistance. Tehran’s relations with Palestinian terror groups, like its other regional proxy militias, are overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared in 2014, “I believe the West Bank should be armed just like Gaza.”

Hamas and Islamic Jihad have transferred tens of millions of shekels to terror groups in the camp in 2023 alone.

The results speak for themselves. In 2023, 50 attacks against Israelis came from the Jenin Camp. Since September, 19 terrorists have fled to the camp after carrying out attacks. Ten homes inside the camp have been demolished by Israeli authorities so far in 2023.

One PIJ terrorist killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in May had worked to establish rocket capabilities for the terror group in Jenin. Israeli intelligence has also detected an increase in the quality of explosive charges being used in the camp. Soldiers operating in the camp on Monday discovered a weapons laboratory and an improvised rocket launcher.

A major security operation by the Palestinian Authority seeking to crack down on the terror groups in 2022 failed as soon as it started because the terror groups had far higher morale. The operation’s leader was subsequently dismissed by Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.

When Israel raided the camp in 2002, it met fierce, well-armed resistance.


Reform opponents try to blockade airport, grind Israel to halt
Thousands of protesters attempted to bar access to Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday, in the latest effort to bring Israel to a halt by opponents of the government’s judicial reform initiative.

Organizers called for demonstrators to arrive in convoys and gather en masse at Terminal 3, which is used for most international departures and arrivals.

Demonstrators blocked roads leading in and out of the country’s principal international gateway, prompting police to use riot dispersal means.

Authorities were also seen ejecting protesters from the airport’s arrivals hall.

At least four protesters were arrested for blocking the primary road to the hall.

“We once again emphasize that people can exercise their basic right to protest, but we will carry out enforcement to ensure emergency services maintain access to Ben-Gurion Airport and in order to maintain public order,” said the police in a statement.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which has spearheaded the anti-reform movement, wrote a letter to Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai demanding that authorities act with restraint on Monday.
Israel to Buy Third F-35 Squadron
Latest Developments
Israel’s Defense Ministry on July 2 green-lit the procurement of a third squadron of F-35 warplanes. The 25 new planes, worth $3 billion, will be financed by U.S. defense grants to Israel, the ministry said. They will bring the Israel Air Force’s (IAF) F-35 fleet to 75. The purchase is expected to go through in the coming months after Israel files an official letter of request to the F-35 Lighting II Joint Program Office.

The F-35, made by Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney, is also known as the Joint Strike Fighter and, in Israel, as “Adir” — Hebrew for “mighty.” According to the ministry’s statement,

U.S. firms will be involved with Israeli defense industries to produce components for the purchased planes.

In December 2016, Israel became the first country outside of the United States to acquire the F-35, an advanced and mission-versatile stealth jet. In May 2018, then-Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin said that Israel became the first country to use the plane in combat, telling his foreign counterparts that the Jewish state employed Adirs in attacks on two different fronts. He did not name the Adirs but displayed a photograph of an Adir overflying Beirut.

Expert Analysis
“The growth of Israel’s F-35 fleet is a resounding endorsement by an ally that has battle- and budget-tested this premier American aircraft.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“The F-35 provides Israel with unique capabilities to ensure its qualitative military edge and confront threats both near and potentially not-so-near. As Israel’s fleet grows, its defense relationship with the United States grows with it.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor
Turkey uncovers alleged Mossad spy network; seven arrested
Turkish counterintelligence recently detained seven alleged Mossad agents on suspicion of espionage, Ankara’s National Intelligence Organization announced on Monday. According to local media, all seven confessed to working for the Israeli spy agency.

Reports noted that the men are believed to have spied on “non-Turkish nationals.” The suspects, who carried passports of various Middle Eastern countries, were reportedly members of a 56-member team, which was in turn part of a larger network consisting of nine cells.

In May, Turkish officials announced the arrest of 11 people for spying on an Iranian company and individuals with business ties to Teheran. At least one member of the cell received training in Israel, reports said at the time.

Jerusalem and Ankara last summer announced the restoration of full diplomatic ties, with then-Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid saying that the move would “contribute to deepening ties between the two peoples, expanding economic, trade and cultural ties, and strengthening regional stability.”

Six months ago, Irit Lillian presented her credentials to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, becoming the first Israeli ambassador to Turkey since 2018.

However, significant points of contention between the two countries remain. Most notably, Hamas maintains its operational headquarters on Turkish soil, which it uses to orchestrate and fund terrorism in Judea and Samaria.

While Erdogan has expelled a handful of Hamas members from Turkish soil in recent months, its foreign minister late last year reaffirmed that Turkey “do[es] not see Hamas as a terrorist organization.”
Turkey uncovers 56 suspected Mossad agents
Turkey has arrested 7 people after uncovering 56 suspected Mossad agents in the country




Jenin counterterror op 'proceeding as planned, no international pressure to stop,' official says
The IDF’s extensive counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank city of Jenin is “proceeding as planned” and the time-limited offensive will continue as required, unaffected by international pressure, a senior government official told Ynet on Monday.

"The operation is proceeding as planned, with responsible and deliberate progress. There is no international pressure to stop, and in any case, it is a time-limited operation," the official said.

After consultation with IDF commanders, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said mid-day that troops have complete backing to do whatever is needed to defend Israelis. "We've dealt a massive blow on terror organizations in Jenin in the past hours, and have achieved impressive successes," Gallant said

Meanwhile, defense officials are closely monitoring other parts of the West Bank for attempts to carry out attacks on Israeli troops and civilians, as well as heightened tensions and clashes in various flashpoints.

The army reported that Israeli forces were engaged in heavy gun battles with armed terrorists firing from residential buildings and mosques. Fighter jets were reportedly scrambled to neutralize targets.

Large IDF forces poured into the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank early Monday as part of what the army dubbed a "wide-scale effort" to clean out what has turned into a hotbed of terrorist activity which produced numerous attacks against Israeli security forces and civilians.

The operation commenced with aerial strikes followed by the entry of ground troops into the city. The military emphasized it was focusing on targeting terrorists rather than civilians, stating its objective to eliminate Jenin as a safe haven for those involved in terrorist activities.

The army reported that dozens of terror suspects have been arrested so far in the offensive and large quantities of weapons were seized.

Mourad Malaishe and Muhammed Barhama, senior members of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, were reportedly arrested by the Palestinian Authority in the city of Tubas near Nablus while en route to join the fighting in Jenin.

According to the IDF and Shin Bet, Air Force fighter jets have carried out over 10 strikes targeting terrorist infrastructure and armed suspects in the refugee camp. Additionally, the forces destroyed a laboratory involved in the production and storage of explosives. Furthermore, the troops found and confiscated an improvised rocket launch pad and other armaments.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, eight people have been killed so far during the operation and dozens wounded, some of them in critical condition. Another Palestinian was killed in clashes with IDF forces in the West Bank city of al-Bireh north of Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, the IDF reported that one soldier sustained light to moderate injuries caused by shrapnel from a grenade in the early morning hours and has since recovered and returned to action. Sergeant Major O. of the elite Duvdevan undercover commando unit insisted on rejoining his comrades in arms in Jenin after receiving medical treatment.

Armored bulldozers were deployed to clear the city roads and identify and avoid improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In a separate raid earlier this month, an IDF armored vehicle was immobilized after encountering a powerful explosive charge planted on a road in Jenin. The incident prompted an extensive rescue operation to extract the immobilized vehicle, during which Israeli security forces faced intense gunfire for hours.


IDF offensive in Jenin provides temporary fix only
It is very doubtful that the IDF counter-terrorism offensive on Jenin on Monday will provide a much-needed response to the uptick in violence in the northern West Bank and would likely only act as a temporary fix. Clearing the area from terror cells would last for weeks or months at best, but without the Palestinian Authority stepping in to assume responsibility, Israel may find itself launching another operation, before too long.

That is the crux of the problem for security forces, which is growing daily. The PA is absent in the area. It cannot and will not be responsible for events in it, allowing Iran and its proxies to step in to fill the vacuum.

This is no longer the familiar Iranian standard of operation to limit its involvement to financing local militants. Iran has provided funding to the Palestinian terror groups since the establishment of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and later the Hamas terror organizations. Tehran has known how to pad those groups with cash and often provide training for their members, in order to bolster attacks against Israel.

But in recent months there has been a shift. Iran had decided to increase pressure on Israel, perhaps in response to alleged Israeli operations on Iranian soil, and to the strikes against Iranian targets in Syria. Tehran saw that only a concentrated effort to launch terror attacks against Israelis can bring about change, as opposed to international terror strikes that result only in newspaper headlines and opted for an offensive.

Signs on the ground have been evident in the past few months indicating Iranian involvement in terror strikes meant to destabilize the West Bank. There is no one commander in this effort, unlike past occurrences when the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds force had taken the lead in Palestinian operations. Now multiple Iranian organizations are competing for the lead, providing funds, but also weapons and explosives as well as intelligence and technology.

Mostly these are smuggled across the Lebanon-Israeli border, using drug smugglers who hide explosive material among their products. Sometimes more considerable smuggling operations are made.
What's in a name? Israel's messaging downplays IDF operation in Jenin
Israel launched its largest military action in Jenin in two decades overnight Sunday, but in contrast with its efforts to root out terrorism in Gaza, the current action is not being called an “operation,” nor has the IDF or Foreign Ministry called it by a specific name.

While the IDF used the term “Home and Garden” internally – Jenin means garden in Arabic - the lack of a name for external use is meant to signal that this raid is narrow, focused, and intended to be short.

“This is not an operation. It’s not semantics; I’m not saying that for no reason,” a senior Israeli diplomatic source said, calling it a “brigade-level raid.”

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen characterized the IDF’s actions as a “large-scale effort to thwart terrorist activity in Jenin,” in remarks at an event to launch his ministry’s participation in the next UN climate change conference.

An operation usually takes many days and even weeks, while this is meant to be “very focused on targets in Jenin found by our intelligence,” the source stated.

The IDF raid on Jenin “won’t be too long, but we don’t know if things will get complicated. We didn’t commit to a certain timeline, but it’s not an operation; it’s a few days of battle,” he said.”

Cohen emphasized that Israel is “operating in a targeted manner” and “making a conscious effort to prevent harm to the local civilian population.”

“Our goal is to focus on Jenin and our goal is to focus only on the terrorists,” Cohen said. “The people in the Palestinian Authority, although they don't say it...they are supporting this since they also don’t want that the terrorist movement will run their life in Jenin and in other places.”
BREAKING: Israel's army launches operation in West Bank's Jenin
Palestinian factions warning against the continuation of operation

Watch the i24NEWSDesk special edition hosted by Calev Ben David with the latest updates of the ongoing operation in West Bank's Jenin.


Israel informed US before ‘unavoidable’ IDF action in Jenin
The Israeli government informed the US of its plan to enter Jenin, a senior diplomatic source said on Monday.

Jerusalem told Washington about 10 days ago that it plans to try to root out terrorism from the West Bank city, without saying when it would do so or providing further specific details, the Israeli source said.

“We said that security officials think that we cannot avoid entering Jenin, though we had not yet made an exact decision of how and when we would do it,” the source stated. “We said we would enter for a focused action when we have enough intelligence.”

American interlocutors understood the necessity of the actions, according to the source, who compared it to the US Army fighting ISIS in Iraq or Syria: “Sometimes, you know you can’t wait.”

Israel reportedly put off the action for two years
The source argued that Israel put off the action for two years, but it became necessary: “We tried to avoid it and made an effort to stop the terrorist cells when they got out of the [Jenin refugee] camp. We hoped the Palestinian Authority would take responsibility, but they didn’t.”

“There was no avoiding a more focused operation,” he stated.

“What the Americans care about is stability and de-escalation, and they know, like we do, that the terrorists want to destabilize and escalate,” he stated.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also met with US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides on Monday.

The IDF launched its largest operation in Jenin since the Second Intifada overnight Sunday, with airstrikes and infantry in the northern Samaria city. The Palestinian Authority lost security control of Jenin over the past six months, and the city turned into a hub for many recent terrorist attacks. As of Monday morning, the IDF killed seven suspected Palestinian terrorists and wounded dozens.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinians Lynn Hastings tweeted that she is "alarmed by [the] scale of Israeli forces operation in Jenin, occupied West Bank. Airstrikes were used in the densely populated refugee camp. Several dead and critically wounded. Access to all injured must be ensured. [The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory] is mobilizing humanitarian partners to provide assistance."


Israel army: "Jenin operation will continue as long as needed"
Panel with Ben Dror Yemini from Yedioth Ahronot daily and Prof. Uzi Rabi, from Tel Aviv University.

Palestinian factions warning against the continuation of operation

Watch the i24NEWSDesk special edition hosted by Calev Ben David with the latest updates of the ongoing operation in West Bank's Jenin.




Palestinian terror groups: Jenin raid won’t achieve its goals
The Palestinian Authority on Monday urged the US and the international community to intervene immediately to halt the Israeli security operation in Jenin.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), meanwhile, said the large-scale operation won’t achieve its goals.

Palestinian sources said on Monday morning that at least three Palestinians were killed and 27 injured, seven of them critically, since the beginning of the operation.

The sources identified the three slain Palestinians as Sameeh Firas Abu al-Wafa, Aws Hani, and Hossam Abu Theebeh.

Iranian influence in the West Bank
Last week, a Palestinian security source told The Jerusalem Post that “Iran was already in the West Bank.”

In the past 18 months, Iran’s proxy, PIJ, has managed to establish several armed cells and recruit dozens of gunmen in the areas of Jenin and Nablus, the source said. PIJ has become a dominant force in the northern West Bank, largely thanks to the financial aid it receives from Iran, the source added.

The source expressed concern over growing cooperation between PIJ and Fatah gunmen in the northern West Bank.

“Security and peace won’t be achieved in the region unless our Palestinian people feel them,” said PA presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudaineh in an initial response to the Israeli operation, which he denounced as “a new war crime against our people.”

Abu Rudaineh said the Palestinians “won’t surrender and will remain steadfast on their land in facing this [Israeli] aggression.”

He called on the international community to “end its shameful silence” and move to end the security operation and hold Israel accountable for its “crimes.”


The Jenin Raid: The IDF’s Fight Against Iran in the West Bank
The Media’s Blind Eye to Iran’s Support of Palestinian Terror
At the same time as the global media have been glossing over Iran’s creeping involvement in Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank, they have been dedicating a considerable amount of attention to Iran’s relations with the United States and Europe.

Recent pieces by several international media outlets have reported on nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, the likelihood that the UK, France and Germany will breach the 2015 nuclear deal by not lifting sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s use of missiles, and Tehran’s material support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

By focusing on these aspects of the Iranian regime while ignoring its support for Palestinian terrorism and the destabilization of the West Bank, the international media have failed to provide their audience with a complete picture of the Islamic Republic’s aggressive intentions and threat to stability within the Middle East and around the world.

Until Iran is brought to account for its continued efforts to destabilize the Jewish state, Palestinian terrorism will continue to rear its ugly head in the West Bank and the IDF will continue to be forced to engage in counter-terrorism operations to protect Israeli lives.
Media Fails Come Thick and Fast as Israel Launches Precision Strikes on Jenin Terrorists
Overnight on July 3, the IDF launched what it described as a contained and precise operation to foil terrorist activity in the Jenin area, which consisted of surprise attacks on terrorist infrastructure in a West Bank city that has been dubbed the Palestinian “terror capital.”

In total, the operation saw approximately 2,000 soldiers deployed, as well as drones which were used to carry out precision strikes designed to clear a path for forces on the ground.

At least eight Palestinians — seven of whom have been claimed by terror groups — were killed in the raid at this time of writing.

Predictably and depressingly, HonestReporting was forced to call out many international media outlets where their coverage of the Jenin raid fell short. Operation vs. Attack

The New York Times, BBC, Washington Post and CNN all failed to highlight the nature and scope of the Israeli operation in Jenin in their headlines, variously referring to it as a series of “strikes,” an “assault” and a “deadly raid,” while the fact that Jenin is a hotbed of terrorist activity was noted in just one headline by the Associated Press (describing Jenin as a “militant stronghold”).

Such headlines give readers the false impression that Israel has indiscriminately targeted Palestinians in Jenin, as opposed to launching a counterterrorism operation designed at destroying infrastructure and apprehending armed suspects.

The BBC fell short of its duty to report the full, unbiased facts when it aired footage of the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh claiming Israel was trying to “erase [Jenin] refugee camp completely” and failed to challenge or contextualize the obviously false assertion.

Several outlets, including the Associated Press and the Daily Mail, sought to cast doubt on whether the operation was indeed for the purpose of destroying terrorist infrastructure, with the former suggesting the IDF may have struck a “crowded area” and the latter adding an air of ambiguity by using inverted commas around the word “counterterrorism” in its headline.


Friendly Fire: Terrorists Execute Terrorist They Mistook for Undercover Israeli Agent
We certainly can’t complain when the terrorists do the work for us.

A group of terrorists in Shechem (Nablus) mistakenly thought that another terrorist, Daha Abu-Jasser from the village of Silat al-Kharithiya, was an undercover Israeli agent. The terrorists followed him in their car, got out, chased him down and then shot him to death, on Sunday.


Palestinian teen stabs Israeli man in Bnei Brak
A 14-year-old Palestinian stabbed an Israeli man in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak on Monday.

The victim was evacuated in moderate condition to Maayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in the city, located east of Tel Aviv.

The suspected Palestinian terrorist was arrested at the scene.

Authorities were investigating the circumstances of the attack.
PMW: Fatah announces it is fighting with the terrorists against Israel
As Israel attacks in the Palestinian city of Jenin to root out the central command of the terror cells that have launched dozens of terror attacks murdering over 50 Israelis in the last year, Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah has announced that they have joined the terrorists to counter the Israeli offensive.

Fatah announced on one of its Telegram channels today:
“The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (i.e., Fatah’s military wing) – Jenin:

With Allah’s help and might, our fighters are waging serious armed confrontations with the Zionist occupation forces in the surroundings of the Jenin [refugee] camp, and they are aiming large barrages of gunfire at them.”

[Fatah Movement – Bethlehem Branch, Telegram channel, July 3, 2023]

In a second post today, Fatah declared that the conflict is a religious war for Allah, by applying a quote from the Quran to today’s battle:
“The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (i.e., Fatah’s military wing) – Jenin

‘Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory’ [Quran 22:39, Sahih International translation].

Almighty Allah’s words are true. The battle has begun, and its end will be victory or Martyrdom.

Allahu Akbar (i.e., “Allah is greatest”), and victory for the resistance – the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades – Palestine the occupied land”

[Fatah Movement – Bethlehem Branch, Telegram channel, July 3, 2023]

Mahmoud Abbas’ spokesman condemned Israel’s fighting the terror cells as a “war crime”:
“The Palestinian Presidency said today that the Israeli army assault on the northern West Bank city of Jenin is another war crime and that it will not bring security and stability to the region… He stressed that the Palestinian people will not surrender or raise the white flag, but ‘will remain steadfast on their land in the face of this brutal aggression until the occupation is defeated and freedom is achieved.’… He called on the international community ‘to break its shameful silence and take serious action to compel Israel to stop its aggression against our Palestinian people, and to hold it accountable for all these crimes.’”

[WAFA, official PA news agency, English edition, July 3, 2023]
Martyr”– father of dead terrorist
“[Our] child was shot and wounded… praise Allah, we found him as a Martyr” – father of dead terrorist

Father of terrorist Zakariya Za’oul: “News arrived that the child was shot and wounded. We set out towards Yamamah Hospital, and praise Allah Master of the Universe, we found him as a Martyr.”

[Official PA TV News, June 20, 2023]

Zakariya Za’oul – 20-year-old Palestinian terrorist who threw a Molotov cocktail at Israeli soldiers while participating in violent confrontations at Husan, west of Bethlehem, on June 19, 2023. The soldiers returned fire in self-defense, killing Za’oul.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this video do not represent those of Palestinian Media Watch in any way. PMW monitors and analyzes the Palestinian Authority through its media and schoolbooks.




PreOccupiedTerritory: I Hate Having To Pretend I Like The Sweets Fadi Distributes When Jews Die by Nimr Shehade, Palestinian (satire)
It happens every time. Every time Jews die as a result of Arab violence, or not through Arab violence but in large numbers, Fadi makes his “famous” knaffeh in celebration and insists that everyone have some – and no one dares to refuse, because that would look like refusing to celebrate Jewish misfortune, which would be unpatriotic. But his stuff is just terrible.

It’s his “secret family recipe” – yeah I’ll bet it is – it’s a secret because he’s too embarrassed that it uses pigeon droppings instead of cheese, or something like that. And we can all probably guess where the orange color on top comes from.

But no one will decline, because social pressure. Nobody wants to be seen as not rejoicing when Jews die in horrible ways. The situation puts anyone with taste buds in a serious bind. I’ve started to become a news junkie, not because I’m any more emotionally or politically invested in events than the next guy, but because I need to know, in real time, when it’s time to book it, because some of our guys killed some Jews and Fadi’s going to make something horrible that he thinks is good and that no one will be permitted to decline. It works most of the time except when he’s making a batch already for some stupid reason and there’s no time to escape.

Usually I’m able to find somewhere else to celebrate, since other people in the area make halfway decent treats and I’m fine if I can get to those people first. But that last time was a disaster – I was stuck on the toilet when the news came in of the shootings, and the dead Jews, and boom – practically ran into Fadi and his atrocities on my way out. No sneaking away for me. Almost had to make my way back to the toilet to throw up after that.
Hezbollah removes one of two tents pitched in Israeli territory
The Hezbollah terror group has vacated one of two tents pitched on the Israeli side of the demarcation line separating the Jewish state from Lebanon, according to Hebrew-language reports on Sunday night.

The outpost was set up in early April north of the border fence but on the Israeli side of the U.N.-marked Blue Line in the Mount Dov region. The position, located across from an Israeli military base, was reportedly manned by three to eight armed terrorists.

The move comes after Jerusalem reportedly sent a message to Hezbollah threatening a confrontation unless the outpost was removed.

Israeli officials believe that the Iranian-backed terror group is responding in kind to avoid a conflict, the reports said.

On Saturday, the head of Hezbollah’s political wing in the Lebanese parliament told Israel to “be quiet” and rescind its demand for the terror group to remove the outpost.

Mohammad Raad, leader of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, was quoted by Arab media as saying that “the enemy is demanding the removal of the two tents and prefers that the resistance do it because it doesn’t want to enter into an undesirable war.”
Hezbollah evacuates tent on Israeli side of border
Hezbollah has evacuated one of its temporary camps on the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon


Seth Frantzman: Iran-Russia-China: Tehran believes it is moving toward triple alliance
Iran is formally joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, an important regional group that includes China and Russia. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that Iran would soon be formally admitted to the group. At the same time, Iran’s Ali Akbar Velayati, a close adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said Iran-Saudi ties are very important. He urged countries in the region to “unite against the Zionists,” according to pro-Iran regime media outlet Fars News.

“The strategic relations between Iran, China, and Russia are gradually taking shape,” Velayati said. “Stating that Iran’s relations with Russia are strategic, the Iranian official added that differences in some issues do not have a negative impact on them,” Mehr News in Iran said. The recent interviews with this key Iranian figure clearly illustrate Iran’s current strategic thinking. Iran was supposed to join the SCO on July 4.

Iran also wants to join the BRICS grouping, alongside Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. This is important because the more Iran joins these regional groups the more it can work against Israel in forums where Israel may not be present. As the US administration encourages regional “integration,” clearly Iran is thinking of a different type of integration.

It’s important therefore to note that the comments from Tehran come as the US also announced that the State Department had selected Dan Shapiro, a former ambassador to Israel, to work in the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs bureau towards “regional integration.” The US wants to strengthen the Abraham Accords and Negev Forum. However, it is clear that Iran is trying to spoil this and other issues are also creating tensions in the region.

Velayati now believes that there are key ties between Iran and Russia that are growing. These are strategic relations, he says. “We have seen that the two countries have developed their cooperation significantly... What is certain is that a kind of strategic tripartite relationship between Iran, Russia, and China is gradually being formed, which is unprecedented in the foreign policy of the three countries. The membership of the three countries in the Shanghai Pact has become very decisive and influential in the balance and strategic correlations.”

He also highlighted the recent joint military exercises the countries have embarked on. He characterized this as a challenge to the AUKUS grouping, which unites Australia, the UK, and the US. “This new arrangement of the forces of the two sides, on the one hand, the United States, [Britain], and Australia, and on the other hand, Iran, Russia, and China, determines the future of the defense balance in Asia and the Pacific.”
Seth Frantzman: A ‘dead’ IRGC commander, and the Middle East media problem - analysis
In the early hours of Sunday, reports emerged about the alleged killing of an officer from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria. It turned out that the man who was “killed” does not exist, however, and he was named after a type of baked goods, the equivalent of “Commander Cup Cake.”

The false report was apparently generated to confuse readers and spread false news, or at least to spread confusion.

“Hours after the announcement of the killing of Hussein Suhani… as a result of an Israeli attack on the Syrian city of Homs, media outlets close to the Revolutionary Guards reported that the news was published by an Iraqi website on the Internet, and there was no person named Hussein Suhani,” Iran International television reported on its Arabic-language news site.

The decision to spread this deliberately false news was apparently done by an Iraqi website and Telegraph channel named Sabareen News. This channel is generally seen as being pro-Iran and linked to Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.The “news” of the killing spread quickly and ensnared many local Arabic-language media. The point now seems to have been to purposely dupe many media in the region and then to mock them.

BBC journalist Nafiseh Kohnavard noted the discrepancy and wrote on Twitter: “Unbelievable… A telegram channel linked to Iraqi Shia paramilitaries deliberately posted a fake news [item] regarding ‘the killing of Hossein Sohani an IRGC commander in Israel’s attack on Homs, Syria last night’ to just mock the media and amazingly most of [the] Arabic channels swallowed it and published… Hossein Sohani is a well-known brand for Sohan[,] a traditional Persian saffron brittle made in the city of Qom!”

Sabereen News appears to be making light of how this information flowed around the region, and it has then mocked those who shared it.

However, it was the source of the misinformation, reporting in the early hours of Sunday: “The martyrdom of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards general, Colonel Hussein Suhani, in the Israeli bombing tonight on Homs... The latter is considered a drone specialist.”


MEMRI: Arab, Muslim Governments, Islamic Institutions, Clerics, And Intellectuals Strongly Condemn Sweden For Authorizing Quran-Burning Event, Propose Responses Including Mass Protests, Ending Diplomatic Relations, Boycott, And 'Vengeance'
On June 28, 2023, Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee residing in Sweden, set fire to a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm during the Eid Al-Adha holiday. This act has elicited strong condemnation from Arab and Muslim countries, Islamic institutions, clerics and intellectuals. They have vehemently criticized the Swedish government for granting Momika a permit and proposed various forms of action, including boycotts of Swedish products, termination of diplomatic ties, mass protests, and unspecified "vengeance." This report will highlight these reactions and the diverse range of proposals put forth to express condemnation and prevent the recurrence of such provocative acts in the future.

On June 29, 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blasted Sweden and the West over the incident and vowed to "teach the arrogant Western people that it is not freedom of expression to insult the sacred values of Muslims." Hakan Fidan, who was chief of Turkey's intelligence agency for 13 years before being appointed as its foreign minister on June 4, 2023, said that it was unacceptable to allow anti-Islam protests in the name of freedom of expression.[1]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the United Arab Emirates released a statement on June 29, 2023, saying that it has "summoned the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the UAE, HE Liselott Andersson, to express the UAE's strong protest and condemnation of the Swedish government allowing extremists to burn copies of the Holy Quran in the capital, Stockholm."[2] The statement further stressed that "Sweden disregarded its international responsibilities and demonstrated a lack of respect for social values in this regard, emphasizing the importance of monitoring hate speech and expressions of racism that negatively impact peace and security."

In addition to government condemnations, Islamic institution, including Al-Azhar in Cairo issued statements calling for boycotts of Swedish products and urged governments of Islamic countries to "take a strong and unified stance against the violation of Quran burning violations."

On June 28, 2023, the Twitter page of Al-Azhar posted a series of tweets calling on fatwa houses around the world to issue fatwas deeming the boycott of Swedish products to be a religious obligation. Al-Azhar called on Arab and Muslim governments to "adopt serious and unified stances towards these unacceptable violations, which carry criminality and extremism towards Islamic sanctities."[3]

Calling for boycott of Swedish products, the statement added: "The Al-Azhar calls upon all Islamic and Arab nations, as well as individuals of conscience, to renew their boycott of Swedish products in support of the Noble Quran, the sacred book of Allah. This call comes in response to the repeated and unacceptable violations against the Noble Quran, and the continuous provocations that affect Muslims worldwide under the false banner of freedom of opinion and expression."
MEMRI: Lebanese Researcher: Neither Secularists Nor Islamists Have a Vision For Building Modern Arab State
Lebanese researcher Nizar Ghanem said in a June 25, 2023 show on Al-Hurra Network (U.S.) that the Arabs are going through a “moral crisis” and that neither the Arab secularists nor the Islamists have a vision of how they would build a modern Arab state. He said that this was proven by the Arab Spring and the way it came to an end. The show’s host, Egyptian journalist Ibrahim Eissa, said that the Left has allied with the Islamists because they are capable of launching protests against the existing rulers, adding: “The leftist infatuation with Islamist violence is not new.” Nizar agreed and said that the Arabs do not need a coup, but rather a good constitution, saying: “The Left is as dogmatic as the Islamists.”




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