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Thursday, July 20, 2023

07/20 Links Pt1: EU commits to PA funding freeze over textbook incitement; Friedman has a Herzog problem; Islamic Jihad terrorists attack worshippers at Joseph’s Tomb

From Ian:

Bassam Tawil: Palestinians' Summer Camps To Kill Jews
For more than a decade, the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas terror groups have been holding summer camps for thousands of schoolchildren throughout the Gaza Strip. These camps have served as a framework for inculcating an extreme ideology that glorifies Jihad (holy war), terrorism, and armed struggle against Israel with the aim of "liberating Palestine from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea."

The camps also provide military training, such as practice with knives and firearms; hand-to-hand combat, and marching and foot drills. The children also stage plays and enact scenes of fighting and capturing Israeli soldiers or firing rockets at Israel.

On July 8, Hamas launched its summer camps for 2023, with the participation of more than 100,000 boys and girls.... The children are being trained to carry out terror attacks and serve as human shields in the Jihad against Israel.

In June 2022, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh denied any trace of Jewish history in Jerusalem...

When Hamas talks about "liberation," it is expressing its desire to eliminate Israel, as explicitly stated in the charter of the group:

"Article 11: The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine has been an Islamic Waqf throughout the generations and until the Day of Resurrection, no one can renounce it or part of it, or abandon it or part of it."

"Article 13: [Peace] initiatives, the so-called peaceful solutions, and the international conferences to resolve the Palestinian problem, are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance Movement. For renouncing any part of Palestine means renouncing part of the religion...."

The summer camp director in Rafah, Muhammad Barhoum, said that the camps are part of Hamas' activities that focus on the [younger] generation "due to its importance as "the generation of liberation and victory." — MEMRI, July 17, 2023
EU commissioner commits to PA funding freeze over textbook incitement
The European Union official who oversees aid to the Palestinian Authority has voiced support for conditioning the release of funds on the removal of incitement and antisemitism from P.A. textbooks.

The remarks follow two European Parliament resolutions last week demanding the “deletion of all antisemitic references, and removal of examples that incite hatred and violence” in Palestinian textbooks, and calls for a funding freeze.

“Incitement to hatred and violence and glorification of terror violate E.U. core values,” tweeted Olivér Várhelyi, the European commissioner for neighborhood and enlargement. “It is a poison for our society, in particular in classrooms and textbooks. There can be no justification to turn a blind eye, neither in Europe nor beyond.”

In the tweet, the E.U. official said that the “commission duly notes this request from the budgetary authority.”

In May, Várhelyi said that the European Union “will make sure it’s not funding Palestinian textbooks that incite against Israel.” He had previously announced that the European Union would conduct a second study of the P.A.’s textbooks.

Unlike previous resolutions, which mentioned incitement to violence without directly calling for the removal of antisemitism, the wording of the resolutions last week explicitly links E.U.-funded textbooks to “rising involvement of teenagers in terrorist attacks.”


Israeli President Isaac Herzog Blasts Democratic Anti-Semitism in Landmark Congressional Address
Israeli president Isaac Herzog took aim at the Democratic members of Congress who boycotted his Wednesday speech, saying that "questioning the Jewish people's right to self-determination is not legitimate diplomacy, it is anti-Semitism."

Though Herzog did not name the lawmakers, his comments appeared to be directed at representatives who refused to attend his speech, which commemorated 75 years of Israeli independence. That group includes "Squad" members Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Cori Bush (Mo.), and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.).

Omar and other members of the far-left "Squad" have routinely employed anti-Semitic rhetoric when criticizing Israel and working to undermine the U.S.-Israel alliance. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.), the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, drew outrage in the days before Herzog's speech when she publicly slammed Israel as a "racist state."

"I'm not oblivious to criticism among friends, including some expressed by respected members of this House," Herzog said. "I respect criticism, especially from friends, although one does not always have to accept it."

"Criticism of Israel must not cross the line into negation of the State of Israel's right to exist," Herzog said to wide applause in the chamber. "Vilifying and attacking Jews, whether in Israel, in the United States, or anywhere else in the world, is anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is a disgrace in every form."

Herzog also delivered a dire warning about Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon, imploring Congress to work alongside Israel to confront Tehran's genocidal designs.

"Perhaps the greatest challenge Israel and the United States face at this time together is the Iranian nuclear program," the Israeli leader said. "Let there be no doubt: Iran does not strive to obtain nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Iran is building nuclear capabilities that pose a threat to the stability of the Middle East and beyond."

The Islamic Republic "is the only nation on the planet publicly calling, plotting, and developing means to annihilate another nation and member of the family of nations, the State of Israel," Herzog warned. "Allowing Iran to become a nuclear threshold state, whether by omission or by diplomatic commission, is unacceptable."


Biden’s new anti-Israel policy
Even if one believes that a two-state solution is in the “mutual interests” of Israel and the U.S., that does not explain why the prohibition on scientific and technological research extends to eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. That otherwise inexplicable provision confirms that the policy is rooted in domestic politics.

The idea that the Golan Heights remains “subject to final-status negotiations” and Israeli sovereignty over it is “inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy” is shocking. Not even Ben & Jerry’s stopped selling ice cream on the Golan, which has nothing to do with the Palestinian issue. Israel captured the Golan from Syria in 1967. Syria had previously conquered and annexed the Golan in 1948. Putting aside the critical military necessity of Israeli control over the territory, to whom is Israel supposed to return it? Syria remains in a state of perpetual civil war. Its President Bashar Assad is a war criminal and an ally of Russia and Iran. Are these the countries with whom the White House believes Israel should negotiate?

Former President Donald Trump understood this. Thus, he recognized Israeli jurisdiction and authority over the Golan Heights. This is the final status. Enemies of Israel and America should never be allowed to think that this territory is negotiable or that Israel will make any further concessions to keep it. Whatever happened to America keeping its word?

Like the Golan, the final status of eastern Jerusalem is decided. It is and always will be the eternal and undivided capital of Israel. For Israel, there is no issue more unifying or emotional than that. Letting the Palestinians believe they can slice off any portion of Jerusalem is cruel because it will never happen.

But confronting Israel on this point is good domestic politics for Biden. It mollifies the progressive left, which believes Israel is an apartheid colonial occupying power that oppresses people of color. Progressives hold up “occupied” Jerusalem as an example. When Jordan illegally annexed and controlled eastern Jerusalem from 1948-1967, it prohibited Jews from entering or praying at their holy sites. In contrast, Israel permits peoples of all faiths to pray in Jerusalem. It should not be lost on anyone that Jordan currently oversees and exercises jurisdiction over the Temple Mount. Solutions other than two-states do exist.

When the U.N. adopted its partition plan for Mandatory Palestine, it separated out Jerusalem and proclaimed it an international city. Only under Israeli sovereignty can that vision be realized.

In short, Biden’s new policy undermines Israel, our many Gulf allies and American national security. It empowers our enemies, including Iran, Russia and Syria. It advances the goals of radical Islamic terrorists. It holds out false hope to the Palestinians, which will only embitter them further. But it will help Joe Biden keep the far-left progressive vote. And in the end, all Joe Biden cares about is Joe Biden.
WSJ Editorial: Biden and Netanyahu
On Monday, President Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and made plans to meet this year. Will it be a White House meeting or a quick 30 on the sidelines of the UN? The Biden Administration seems to think it matters. The point is driven home by the treatment accorded this week to Isaac Herzog. For him, the Biden Administration rolls out the red carpet it refuses Mr. Netanyahu.

The message to Israelis is that the U.S. is with you but not your government. It's the kind of thing we tell Cubans and Iranians, or at least we used to. That the White House adopts the same approach with an allied democracy is a sign of the times.

Last week the White House issued a statement urging Israel "to protect and respect the right of peaceful assembly" for judicial-reform protesters - as if Israel has done something else.
NYT’s Friedman says he believes Biden warned Netanyahu over judicial shakeup in call
New York Times columnist and author Thomas Friedman said he believes US President Joe Biden’s recent warning that the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul push could harm the US-Israel “special relationship” was conveyed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their call on Monday.

Friedman spoke to Army Radio on Thursday, two days after Biden gave an interview to the Times columnist in which he noted the “enduring protest movement that is demonstrating the vibrancy of Israel’s democracy, which must remain the core of our bilateral relationship.”

The Times interview on Tuesday came a day after Biden and Netanyahu spoke by phone, and was reportedly initiated by the president to refute some of the content of the call with Netanyahu the administration felt was misrepresented by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Biden also shared his concerns on the judicial overhaul with a visiting President Isaac Herzog during their private meeting in Washington on Tuesday, Friedman said. The purpose of Biden’s interview was to ensure that Israelis also got that message, the columnist added.

“The president wanted to be sure, having spoken to the prime minister of Israel, and the president of Israel, that he also found a way to speak to the people of Israel, directly, and that was really the motivation for our interview,” Friedman told Army Radio on Thursday.

According to Friedman, Biden wanted to express that if the judicial overhaul proposals are passed, “you’d be breaking one of the most important bonds between the United States and Israel, our shared values around democratic decision-making and an independent judiciary.”

It is Biden’s “deep worry” that such a process of reigning in the judiciary cannot be reversed, Friedman said. For the US, “it doesn’t make sense” that Israel would want to change its system when it boasts such a successful and attractive economy, according to the columnist.
Thomas Friedman has a Herzog problem
Most of all, what Herzog said about the Palestinian Arabs demolished what Friedman has been writing on the subject for decades.

The Israeli president denounced Palestinian Arab leaders for “condoning or legitimizing terror.”

Not Friedman. He never demands that the Palestinian Authority stop “condoning” and “legitimizing” terror. He doesn’t write about the statements by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and other PA officials praising terrorists. Friedman doesn’t mention that the PA names streets, schools, and sports tournaments after terrorists. He never talks about the PA’s pay-for-slay policy of paying salaries to imprisoned terrorists and the families of dead terrorists. He never calls on the PA to disarm or outlaw terrorist groups or extradite terrorists to Israel.

The problem of the PA condoning and legitimizing terrorist is not on Friedman’s agenda. He must have winced and grimaced when Herzog brought it up in his speech to Congress.

Finally, President Herzog’s harshest blow to Friedman’s beliefs about the Middle East: “True peace cannot be anchored in violence,” Herzog declared. “Palestinian terror against Israel or Israelis undermines any possibility for a future of peace between our peoples.”

That’s not how Thomas Friedman sees it. Going all the way back to the 1970s (!), Friedman has been claiming that what undermines any possibility of peace is Israeli behavior—Israeli "settlements", Israeli actions against terrorists, Israeli reluctance to make one-sided concessions. In short, Friedman believes that Israel is the main obstacle to peace; but Herzog said that Palestinian Arab terror is the main obstacle to peace.

I wonder if Friedman will be repeating his praise of Herzog as “a good man” and “very decent and moderate” any time soon.


Not a Jew France24 Arabic Commentator Errs on Reps Boycotting President Herzog
Commenting on the anticipated speech of Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the US Congress, France24 Arabic pundit Ramatène Aouaitia yesterday erred:
The judiciary reform plan will probably appear in the speech which Israeli president is about to hold in front of the US congress on Wednesday, in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Israel’s creation. Tellingly, several Democratic members of congress – Jews and non-Jews – will boycott this speech, a precedential [move] of this kind in the US.

However, not one of the eight US congress members who said they intended to boycott the speech is Jewish. Presenter Faiza Garah let the error pass unchallenged.

Once again, France24 Arabic’s Israel coverage fails to meet the standards of accuracy and impartiality of the publicly-funded corporation which operates it, France Media Monde.
Rep. Jayapal's Myopic View of Israel Obscures the Reality
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) told demonstrators on Saturday, "I want you to know that we have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state." Jayapal has implied in the past that Israel is at fault for there not being a two-state solution. She forgets to mention that the Palestinians rejected every peace plan offered, and that there could have been an independent Palestinian state as far back as 1947.

The facts are that Zionism is deeply rooted in Jewish history and tradition. It is the right to self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland. False claims that Israel is a racist state serve to advance hatred, including right here in Seattle.

On April 16, the day before Holocaust Remembrance Day, Temple De Hirsch Sinai, the region's largest congregation, was defaced with antisemitic graffiti. Antisemitic incidents across Washington state hit record numbers last year. Jewish places of worship are vandalized, Jewish schools receive bomb threats and Jewish leaders are targeted by extremists. Many of these incidents are directly tied to libelous claims about Israel.


How the U.S. Can Make Peace, Give Saudi Arabia Nuclear Power, and Pursue Its Regional Interests
As part of a possible deal that would involve normalization of relations with Israel, the Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman has requested that the U.S. aid his kingdom in acquiring the means to enrich uranium and produce nuclear energy. The second part of the request, explain Anthony Ruggiero and Andrea Stricker, is entirely reasonable, but the first would give Riyadh the capacity to produce nuclear fuel both for reactors and for bombs. They suggest a better alternative, which could be part of an improved U.S. approach to the Middle East:

[T]he U.S. should offer to sell the kingdom a fleet of reactors from Westinghouse, an American company. Alternatively, the U.S. and South Korea could undertake a joint reactor venture. Seoul is already bidding on the Saudi reactor project. It has built three reactors in the United Arab Emirates and is working on a fourth. America should also offer its nuclear safety, security, and technical expertise, while assisting Riyadh’s uranium mining and milling endeavors.

Instead of enriching this uranium at home, however, Saudi Arabia would ship out the material to Europe’s Urenco consortium or the United States for nuclear-fuel fabrication. Washington might also offer an assured reactor-fuel supply, should the kingdom require it. . . . In securing these commitments, America would retain its “gold standard” of nonproliferation in the Middle East and prevent the spread of enrichment technology.

To seal the deal, Washington must reimpose United Nations sanctions against Iran, including a prohibition against Tehran’s uranium enrichment. This would mitigate the Saudis’ drive to match Tehran and convince the kingdom of American seriousness about reversing Iran’s proliferation efforts.

If the administration pursues such a plan, America will meet U.S., Saudi, and Israeli security objectives as well as win bipartisan support in a skeptical U.S. Congress, where Riyadh has few consistent friends.
Behind the scenes: How Israel decided to side with Morocco on Western Sahara
In Israel, for over two years, going back to the period of the Bennett-Lapid government, the politicians have been toying with the question of whether or not to recognize Western Sahara. The arguments against doing so were the anticipated criticism from some European states and concern that some of them might even declare recognition of "Palestine" as a counter to this. Israel Hayom has also learned that during his visit to Israel in March 2022, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, met with then-Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu. It was during this meeting that Netanyahu promised that should he return to power, he would recognize Western Sahara as part of Morocco in the name of the State of Israel.

As things turned out, in January 2023, Netanyahu indeed returned to serve as prime minister, but due to various reasons, implementation of this decision was delayed. Among others, Netanyahu sought to secure a clear undertaking from Rabat that it would provide Israel with something in return for such a move, but the Moroccans gave him the cold shoulder.

Eventually, the breakthrough occurred following a speech delivered in March 2023, of all people, by Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Ofir Akunis, in which, on behalf of Israel he gave a promise to invest in desalination plants in Western Sahara. Subsequently, a meeting was held between him and Morocco's Minister of Water, Nizar Baraka.

The process moved ahead positively until an address given by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, at a briefing to the foreign media about ten days ago. In response to a question regarding the Israeli position on Western Sahara, he stated that "We are currently working on that issue, and our plan is to reach a final decision at the Negev Forum scheduled to take place in September." Cohen was simply reflecting the process taking place behind the scenes, in which Israel had indeed intended to recognize Western Sahara as part of Morocco. However, in the Moroccan media, his words were interpreted as an attempt to ratchet up the pressure on Rabat and to apply conditions to Jerusalem's recognition.

Following this incident, last week, Foreign Minister Bourita phoned the Head of the National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, asking for clarification on what Cohen had said. In response, and in order to make it crystal clear that Israel had absolutely no intention of trying to gain any leverage over Morocco, both the National Security Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel worked to expedite the dispatch of Netanyahu's letter, in which he declared Israel's recognition of Western Sahara. The current assumption is that the Moroccans will now upgrade the status of their diplomatic mission in Israel to an embassy and invite Netanyahu to visit the kingdom.
Israel’s recognition of Western Sahara a blow to Iran
Dr. Yechiel Leiter, the director-general of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, also views Israel’s gesture to Morocco as positive.

“Morocco shares a long border with Algeria, an ally of Iran, which directly threatens it militarily and through its support for Polisario separatism. Were the Polisario to achieve its goal, Western Sahara would be an Algerian puppet state, contributing to strengthening an Iranian proxy,” Leiter told JNS.

He noted that the Iranian regime “supplies the Polisario with antiaircraft missiles and drones through the services of Algeria and Hezbollah. Together with the IRGC [Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], Hezbollah is also training Polisario fighters. The Polisario itself has provided cover for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a terrorist group that is active in the Sahel region.”

Morocco also plays a key role in global food production, a major component of which is fertilizer, which requires phosphates. As Leiter points out, “A full 72% of the known phosphate deposits are found in Morocco, and 7% are in Western Sahara. Allowing moderate Morocco to be surrounded by hostile and destabilizing Iranian proxies could potentially have great impact on food security worldwide.”

“The implications of such a concentration of a critical component of the world’s food supply are sobering,” he said. “Were 7% of the world’s known phosphate deposits (in Western Sahara) to fall into the hands of a sovereign entity under the direct influence of Iran, the ramifications could be ominous. But what is far more threatening would be the influence brought to bear on a moderate Morocco with its overwhelming control of the world’s food supply, surrounded by hostile and destabilizing Iranian proxies.”

According to Leiter, “Hezbollah is already deeply involved in West Africa, and the last thing the region needs is another dysfunctional state under the influence of the world’s most significant terror and illicit drug trade organization.”

“Morocco stands against the fanatical Islam exported by the ayatollahs and their proxies,” he said. Its battle against the Polisario and terrorism “is also Israel’s battle.”


Seth Frantzman: US innovates to counter growing drone threats in MidEast
Crucial drones for MidEast
This is important in the Middle East and especially in areas the US operates here. This comes under US Central Command. The report notes that in recent years, “the threat posed by UAS increased as malign regional actors continue to use and experiment with this relatively cheap weapons system. Due to its low cost to entry, it is becoming the weapon of choice for potential adversaries resulting in rapid technology proliferation and increased employment.” This matters on a regional scale because US partners and allies are also being threatened by drones.

In another post on the same DVIDS website a member of the US 386th Air Expeditionary Wing is shown using a “counter-unmanned aerial systems technology to electronically disable a small drone during a 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron demonstration at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, July 10, 2023.”

The numerous systems being deployed or examined to help counter drones are part of a wider context in the region. First of all, knowledge of the drone threat goes back years. In 2021 then head of Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr. said that small drones posed a major threat. Since then Iranian drones have also been on the radar as a threat in the region. Iran has used drones to attack Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as exporting the technology to places like Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Iran has now sent drones to Russia to be used to terrorize Ukraine.

Countering drones has also been part of the wider discussion about regional air defense integration. This could include air defenses in the Gulf but it also has implications for Israel because Israel is an innovator and leader in counter-drone efforts. This includes countering small quadcopters and also larger drones. After the Abraham Accords Israel’s IAI and the company Edge in the UAE signed a strategic agreement back in 2021. Back in 2018 the US defense budget also foresaw cooperation with Israel on countering drones.

All this adds up and it is clear that most countries are now aware not only of the drone threat but are putting a lot of technology in the field to deal with the threat. These innovations matter and they will continue to be important in the Middle East. This is despite the fact there is a new diplomatic era in the region and many countries are seeking to tone down the conflicts that divided the region over the last decades.
Joe Truzman: Iran's Network of 19 Terrorist Organizations on Israel's Borders
The terrorist organizations highlighted in this report are active, possess military capabilities to attack Israel, and have acknowledged receiving support from Iran or are closely affiliated with armed groups who do.

Palestinian groups: Abd Al-Qadir Al-Husseini Brigades, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Lions' Den, Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, Popular Resistance Committees

Lebanon: Hizbullah, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Quds Force

Iraq and Syria: Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Badr Organization, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba', Kataib Hezbollah, Liwa Al-Quds, Liwa Fatemiyoun, Liwa Zeynabiyoun
What I saw in Jenin doesn't match the media reports
It was just the first of several scenes that called into question recent reporting of the IDF’s two-day incursion into the West Bank city of Jenin.

At the government hospital outside the Jenin Camp, medical staff told me that no Israeli soldiers had entered, even though they had the power to arrest any of the 100 or more people being treated.

Nor, apparently contrary to extensive reports, was there any visible damage to the hospital courtyard. Reporters had, it seemed, ignored videos on social media showing that only smoke bombs had landed — hardly an attack on a hospital.

The staff members in the emergency ward also told me most of the injured were young men who appeared to have been fighters. Just a small handful, they said, were civilians, who had not been shot but had suffered injuries from falling masonry or possibly from shrapnel.

Twelve fighters were killed in the raid earlier this month and an IDF soldier also died, possibly as a result of friendly fire.

Inside the hospital, staff told me that only three casualties were there, in the orthopaedic ward. A 17-year-old allowed me to photograph his metal-encased injured leg but not his face, while the other two, each aged 23, were willing to have their faces appear.

They confirmed they had fought the Israelis but declined to say how their injuries were sustained. Claims of a massive injury toll, distributed by local propaganda outlets and reported by much of the world’s media, appear to have been questionable.
Israel grants free entry to Palestinian Americans in 'trial run' for Visa Waiver Program
Israel announced Wednesday that it would be allowing all American citizens, including dual-nationality Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, to enter the country through its international airport as part of an agreement to qualify for the Visa Waiver Program with the US

Israel has pushed for years to secure visa-free entry for its citizens to the US, a privilege enjoyed by 40 countries, mostly in Europe and Asia.

But that request has been thwarted over the US government's demand that the country provide equal treatment at its borders to all American citizens, including Palestinian Americans, who are often barred from entering the country through Israel's Ben-Gurion airport. Instead, those traveling to the West Bank or the Gaza Strip must enter via neighboring Jordan or Egypt.

Other Americans of Arab origin or Muslim faith say they've suffered similar restrictions, as well as US citizens with political views Israel finds objectionable. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US "will monitor not just their implementation of these policies, but their compliance with these policies and compliance with other facets of the Visa Waiver Program" and decide on Sept. 30 whether to admit Israel.

National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said the regulation would take effect Thursday and will strengthen ties between the countries and "brings us closer to full qualification for the terms of the US government to the visa waiver program."
Islamic Jihad terrorists attack worshippers at Joseph’s Tomb
One person was reported dead and several wounded in clashes that erupted in Shechem (Nablus) on Wednesday night after Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists attacked Jewish worshippers and their military escort at Joseph’s Tomb.

In addition to being fired upon, Israeli forces were attacked with explosives and stones, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The soldiers responded with live fire and riot dispersal measures, and several hits were identified.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that one person was killed and at least four wounded in the exchange, two seriously. The Palestinian Red Crescent identified the casualty as Egyptian citizen Bader Sami Rabhi, 19.

The Nablus battalion of the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad terrorist group, said its members were “fighting the occupation forces and groups of settlers who had stormed the area of Joseph’s Tomb,” the Reuters news agency reported.

Among the visitors to the tomb on Wednesday night was Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, the first serving police chief to visit the site since the establishment of the state, according to Israeli media reports.
Knesset advances bill to ban PLO flags on campus
Israel’s parliament voted on Wednesday for a bill to ban the display of PLOF flags, or the flags of any other terrorist organization, on Israeli university campuses.

The vote passed its first reading in the Knesset plenum by a vote of 52 to 30. It will require two more plenum votes to become law.

The proposed law would not only ban the flag of “an enemy state, terrorist organization or the Palestinian Authority,” but would remove supporters of terrorism from academic institutions and immediately disband student cells that support terrorism.

For a first violation, a student would be suspended for “a period of not less than 30 days.” A second offense would lead to the student’s permanent removal from the institution. Moreover, the student would be denied the right to obtain an academic degree in Israel for a period of five years.

The bill notes in its explanatory section that “academic institutions have become in the last year a central stage of incitement in the State of Israel. At Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion and Hebrew universities, students held demonstrations explicitly in favor of the Intifada and, in some cases, even explicitly chanted slogans in favor of terrorists.”

The bill had been delayed for a month following opposition from university heads and the Attorney General’s office.

“This is a problematic and dangerous bill—they want to turn the institutions [of higher education] into an arm of the Shin Bet,” said the Association of University Heads, referring to Israel’s internal security service.
Seth Frantzman: Lebanon claims to build 'road' near Israeli Hermon border
Pro-Iranian media Al-Mayadeen says that people in a village near the border with the Golan and Mount Hermon have begun building a new road with a bulldozer. This comes after weeks of provocations in the border areas, including Hezbollah setting up a tent months ago in the disputed Mount Dov area, attacks on the border fence near Ghajar, the firing of a missile and Lebanese politicians coming to the border area.

The latest provocation takes place at Kfar Chouba (Kfar Shuba) which is a town near the border line.

According to the reports and video the people in the “town have begun bulldozing operations to build a road near the so-called ‘withdrawal line’, pointing out that the current Lebanese bulldozing works are unprecedented, since the liberation of the south and western Bekaa from the Israeli occupation.”

The point here is that Hezbollah which controls southern Lebanon appears to be making a new provocation near the border. Hezbollah has been celebrating its claims of victory in the 2006 war.

“The correspondent of Al-Mayadeen reported from the occupied Kfar Shuba hills, southern Lebanon, that Lebanese bulldozers had begun on lands adjacent to what is known as the withdrawal line (the Blue Line) in the border area with occupied Palestine.”

The purpose of the road
According to this report this area “has not been inhabited since the early 70s of the last century” apparently a reference to the 1970s.

The report “pointed out that the Lebanese army strengthened its procedures, coinciding with the construction of a new Lebanese road along the cement blocks of the occupation.”
Hezbollah Secretly Films IDF Chief of Staff During Visit to Northern Border
Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, has released footage of IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi during his visit this week to Israel’s northern border.

Hezbollah-linked Al Manar television reporter Ali Shoeib shared the footage on Twitter, clearly identifying each officer — including Halevi – with closeups.

The fact that Hezbollah was able to record the footage with such accuracy is significant in that it shows its snipers are also able to target Israel’s highest-ranking military officer.

Moreover, it is obvious from the footage that none were wearing helmets, despite being so close to the Lebanese border they were within sniper range, as the Hebrew-language Kipa news outlet points out. Clearly, the IDF has learned very little since its last battle in 2006 with Hezbollah.

Halevi toured Galilee Division 91 on Tuesday evening together with Northern Command commander Major General Uri Gordin, Galilee Division chief Lieutenant Colonel Shai Klaper, and commanders from the brigade.

During the visit Halevi held a situation assessment in the nearby Israeli town of Margaliot, along the northern border, with the commanders and inspected IDF activities at the border.


Egyptian MP calls for “using military force” against “the Zionist enemy”
Egyptian Parliament Member and Head of the Tagammu party Atef Maghawry: “The Arab parliaments need a call to stop and to punish whoever holds normalization or aids the Zionist enemy, and to provide all kinds of aid to the Palestinian people, even if it requires the threat of using military force and using the Arab borders. The security borders and the borders with the Zionist enemy need to be insecure, because providing defense to the Palestinian people is a moral and international duty, the duty of the [Arab] brothers.” [Official PA TV, July 3, 2023]

The Egyptian MP made this statement in response to Israel’s counter terror operation Home and Garden




PA: No plans to disarm Jenin armed group
The Palestinian Authority does not have plans to crack down on the Jenin Battalion, whose members are affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or other armed groups in Jenin Refugee Camp, Palestinian officials said on Wednesday. The PA, however, won’t tolerate scenes of anarchy and lawlessness and won’t allow gunmen to run wild in any part of the West Bank, the officials said.

Reports concerning a decision by the PA leadership to crack down on the armed groups in Jenin and other parts of the northern West Bank surfaced shortly after the large-scale Israeli military operation in Jenin Refugee Camp earlier this month.

A Palestinian official in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post that, contrary to reports in some Israeli media outlets, the PA security forces have not launched a security campaign against the armed groups in the northern West Bank. Nor are these forces planning to deploy inside Jenin Refugee Camp, the official said.

The official blamed Israel, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad for “spreading rumors and lies” about the activities of the PA security forces. He pointed out that the five Palestinians who were recently arrested by the PA security forces are suspected of attacking a Palestinian police station in the village of Jaba’, near Jenin, earlier this month. The suspects, who belong to Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the ruling Fatah faction, are believed to be members of a local gang called Jaba’ Battalion.

What led to the attack?
The alleged attack took place in response to the arrest of two Palestinian Islamic Jihad members – Murad Malaisheh and Mohammed Barahmeh – on the first day of the Israeli operation in Jenin Refugee Camp. Sources in Jenin claimed that the two were on their way to join the fighting against Israeli troops in and around the camp.

The PA, however, said the two men were arrested after they arrived at a checkpoint manned by PA security officers in the town of Tubas, west of the Jordan Valley. The officers confiscated the rifles of Malaisheh and Barahmeh before arresting them for questioning.

The official denied that the two men were on their way to join the fighting against the IDF soldiers in Jenin Refugee Camp, but refused to provide further details as to why they were arrested.
PA security forces arrest top Hamas activist amid ongoing security crackdown
Palestinian security forces on Thursday arrested Sheikh Mustafa Abu Arra, a senior Hamas official in the West Bank, in yet another sign of mounting tensions between the Palestinian Authority and the Gaza-based Islamist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Abu Arra, a resident of the town of Tubas in the Jordan Valley, was reportedly transferred to a Palestinian hospital after his arrest due to a deterioration in his health condition. He was arrested by the PA’s Preventive Security Service after being summoned for interrogation.

His daughter, Zuhur, said that her father’s health condition does not allow for him to be in prison. “My father suffers from a heart disease,” she said, noting that he had previously served time in Israeli prison.

Hamas called for the immediate release of Abu Arra and accused the PA of “disregarding civic and societal peace” by pursuing its security crackdown on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members in the West Bank.

Abu Arra was present in Jenin Refugee Camp when residents expelled two senior officials from the ruling Fatah faction, Mahmoud al-Aloul and Azzam al-Ahmed, and prevented them from attending the funerals of some of the Palestinians killed during the IDF’s operation there earlier this month. Some residents claimed that Abu Arra actually helped clam the situation and stopped gunmen from shooting at the two Fatah officials.

Hamas accused the PA leadership of “harming the unity of our people and sabotaging any progress towards achieving its goals of freedom and independence.” It said that the arrest of the senior Hamas official was an act of “disrespect of the symbols and prominent figures of the Palestinian people.”


Abbas: “We won’t leave our land… until they [the Jews] leave”
Abbas: “We won’t leave our land… until they [the Jews] leave… We [will] liberate this homeland in its entirety”

The video shows PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas giving a speech in the Jenin refugee camp on July 12, 2023. Standing near Abbas are PA President Mahmoud Shtayyeh, Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, Fatah Deputy Chairman Mahmoud Al-Aloul, and PLO Executive Committee Secretary Hussein Al-Sheikh. Abbas’ visit comes following Israel’s 2023 Operation Home and Garden targeting terror infrastructure in Jenin – see note below.

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: “We will remain in our land, we will not leave it. We will not leave it, until Allah inherits the land and what’s on it, until they [the Jews] leave our land after having seized it for dozens of years… Everyone is working to remain in the homeland, until we liberate this homeland in its entirety and build – as I said – the independent State of Palestine…We congratulate all our righteous Martyrs, all our free soldiers, all our free prisoners, and all the wounded and expelled – may this homeland be for everyone, and it will be open to everyone, and the 14 million Palestinian [refugees] will return to it.” [Official PA TV YouTube channel, July 12, 2023]


Fatah's terror song: "I won't lay down my weapon”
The video shows four unidentified men driving in a car and singing; two of the men are holding assault rifles.

Lyrics: “The Al-Aqsa Mosque is holy land, and we will never belittle its value…
Rise up against the colonialism (i.e., Israel’s)
Cursed are the traitor’s forefathers
We will live and die as revolutionaries…
I won't lay down my weapon and won't accept a replacement for my homeland”
[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, June 23, 2023]


Mother of terrorist Martyr: “He asked for Martyrdom and achieved it”
Official PA TV News interviews the mother of dead terrorist Khairy Shahin who shot at Israeli forces together with an accomplice

Mother of terrorist Khairy Shahin: Praise Allah, people loved him. Praise Allah, he asked for Martyrdom and achieved it.” [Official PA TV News, July 7, 2023]

Khairy Shahin and Hamza Maqbul – Palestinian terrorists aged 34 and 32 respectively who shot at Israeli forces while resisting arrest in Nablus on July 7, 2023. The forces returned fire, killing the terrorists. Shahin and Maqbul were wanted for shooting at an Israeli police car in Har Bracha, south of Nablus, on July 5, 2023.


16-year-old dreamed of meeting the “Dark-Eyed Virgins” when becoming a “Martyr”
Interviewer: “If these are the last three minutes in your life, what do you want to tell your mother?”

Terrorist Ashraf Al-Sa’adi: “Forgive me, do not cry over me, and I love you… I’m not afraid of the [Israeli] army. I‘ll die as a Martyr and take the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Interviewer: “Why do you want to die as a Martyr? Why do you want to take Al-Aqsa?”

Ashraf Al-Sa’adi: “For God, for the land, and for the homeland.”

Interviewer: “What will you find in Paradise?”

Ashraf Al-Sa’adi: “Prophet [Muhammad] and the Dark-Eyed Virgins.” [Fatah Movement – Bethlehem Branch, Telegram channel, July 9, 2023]




Iraq expels Swedish ambassador following Quran desecration in Stockholm
Iraq’s prime minister ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq and the withdrawal of the Iraqi charge d’affaires from Sweden on Thursday as a man desecrated of a copy of the Quran in Stockholm.

The diplomatic blowup came hours after protesters angered by the planned burning of a copy of the Quran stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, breaking into the compound and lighting a small fire.

The man kicked and stood on the Quran during his protest at the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm as Swedish police stood by.

Online videos showed demonstrators at the diplomatic post waving flags and signs showing the influential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr ahead of a planned burning of the Islamic holy book Thursday in Stockholm by an Iraqi asylum-seeker who burned a copy of the Quran in a previous demonstration last month.

Following the incident, the Swedish Embassy announced it had closed to visitors without specifying when it would reopen.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani convened a meeting with security officials and said in a statement afterwards that Iraqi authorities will prosecute those responsible for the arson as well referring “negligent security officials” for investigation.

However, the statement also said that the Iraqi government had informed its Swedish counterpart on Wednesday that Iraq would cut off diplomatic relations should the Quran burning go forward.
Swedish embassy in Iraq stormed: Protesters angered over quran burning in Sweden • FRANCE 24
Hundreds of protesters in the Iraqi capital stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. The building was set on fire in the early hours of Thursday morning. According to the Swedish foreign ministry all embassy staff are safe. Thursday's protest came on the heels of authorities over in Sweden approving a so-called public meeting outside Iraq's embassy in Stockholm today. Two people are expected to participate and reportedly burn the quran and the Iraqi flag. Correspondent Paul Rhys tells us more.


Expert: U.S. Ignores Iran's Active Nuclear Weapons Activities by Using "Defective" Definition
The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence released an assessment last week that "Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities that would be necessary to produce a testable nuclear device."

However, David Albright, a physicist who is the founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, told Fox News that the agency applied an obsolete definition in making its assessment.

"It is amazing that the U.S. intelligence community is still digging its heels in and using the defective, overly defensive 2007 NIE [National Intelligence Estimate] framework."

"By their own definition, Iran had a nuclear weapons program in 2007, but they didn't realize it and will never admit it now. There are other problems as well. The European definition is more comprehensive and typically includes buying the wherewithal to develop or make nuclear weapons components."

A series of European intelligence reports from the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany point to Iran's regime actively building a nuclear weapons program.
Seth Frantzman: Iran does outreach to Russia, Egypt
Recent reports in Iranian pro-regime media say the regime has had important phone calls with Russia’s Foreign Minister and also with with the Egyptian foreign ministry. The Russian foreign ministry confirmed the discussion that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had in a telephone conversation with the Foreign Minister of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on July 18. Russia says that the Iranians made the initiative.

According to Russia “the ministers discussed topical issues of the Russian-Iranian agenda, and had a trust-based exchange of views on a number of regional and international issues of mutual interest, including in the context of the 6th Ministerial Meeting of the Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Dialogue, held in Moscow on July 10.” The UN charter and its role in dialogue

They had other general discussions about “international law” and the “UN charter.” Iranian media say they touched on the JCPOA as well. This is important because of sanctions that may end in October that relate to missiles.

The New Arab noted on Wednesday that “sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program imposed by the United Nations Security Council will expire in October. Despite this, the European Union and the United Kingdom plan to retain their restrictions, something Tehran has warned them against doing.” Iran’s Fars News said today that Iran is looking forward to the lifting of sanctions on the export and import of technology relating to missiles. Iran also wants to move forward with research and development on missiles.

On the Egyptian front Iran also believes it is making progress. The report in Tasnim News says that Iran and the Egyptian foreign ministry have held discussions. It hints at progress in ties but did not elaborate. Clearly the two Iranian initiatives are linked to Iran’s overall policy of outreach and attempts to gain influence and inroads across the Middle East and with Russia and Asia.
Is Iran “Retuning” Its Relations with the African Continent?
Following its reconciliation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the renewal of diplomatic relations with the Gulf States, Iran is stepping up its “diplomatic blitz,” this time aimed at North Africa, Sudan, and East Africa. These regions witnessed in the past the impact of Iran’s military and terrorist subversion but were at times also part of an intense diplomatic, political, economic, and military cooperation with the Islamic Republic. For the first time since the last visit of President Ahmadinejad to the African continent 11 years ago, the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, visited on July 12–13, 2023, three African countries in the Horn of Africa – Uganda, Kenya, and Zimbabwe – that have always been a focus of interest to Tehran.1, 2

Kenya’s president William Ruto and Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi signed several trade agreements during a visit by Iran to the East African country.

Indeed, Iran attaches particular importance to Eastern African countries. It sees in this region a vast and fertile field for political, military, and economic activities, particularly the countries bordering the Red Sea coast. However, until now, Iran has yet to forge robust partnerships across Africa. Despite the tendency of Iranian officials (such as the Director General of African Affairs at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to present Iran’s supposedly strong ties with African states as a replacement for its almost nonexistent relations with the European Union and lack of diplomatic ties with the United States, Tehran’s presence and influence in the region fades in comparison to that of its neighbors. With fewer than 20 embassies in Africa, Iran’s limited diplomatic presence underscores its lack of a vision for developing comprehensive African relationships to compensate for its isolation elsewhere. In contrast, Turkey has embassies in 44 African countries while Turkish Airways serves 55 destinations in Africa – two assets Turkey has used to develop strategic and diplomatic clout across the continent.3

Tehran’s diplomatic absence is not the only reason it has been relegated to the role of a junior player on the world’s second-largest continent. Iran is also perceived as a malign actor by many governments in Africa ­– mainly due to its efforts to export its favored version of political Islam – making them suspicious of Iran’s intentions and reluctant to embrace it as a trusted partner.4

Are we on the verge of a turning point towards Africa by Iran’s decision-makers?
Water Taps Are Running Dry across Iran
From Tehran to rural regions, Iranians are posting videos complaining of days on end in the heat without running water, their faucets emitting nothing but murky drops.

The water shortages are driven in large part by decades of mismanagement, experts say.

Even after a relatively rainy year, the reservoirs most crucial for drinking water and irrigation are more than 80% empty, Iran's official Water Resources Management Company reported this month.




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