Monday, July 24, 2023

07/24 Links Pt1: Opponents of Netanyahu's judicial reforms want government by tantrum; What Happened to Robert Malley?

From Ian:

Richard A. Epstein: Opponents of Netanyahu's judicial reforms want government by tantrum
It’s ironic because, at least in the American context, progressives are the biggest champions of administrative and political decisions and have been quick to decry what they see as an activist, conservative court striking down laws and regulations where they have no business or expertise doing so. Many Democrats, including President Biden, have entertained making fundamental changes to the size and jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court — plans known as “court packing.” They have a double standard when they turn to Israel.

The protesters and their leaders never explain why Israel should remain a global outlier. Instead, they throw a tantrum intended to disrupt the deliberative processes of a democratic government. The intensity of their preferences are meant to drown out any serious substantive discussions, and their explicit threats to economic and national security are a powerful veto over any action. Trying to decide whether to resist these threats or beat an unhappy strategic retreat puts the government in the position of a store owner who has to decide whether to pay protection to the Mafia or risk vandalism to his store.

And why the crisis now? Because the protesters know that their political power is ebbing. What is most upsetting to the protestors is not any particular proposal on the table, but their loss of influence and control. Israel has become more religious and less white since its founding and the ruling elites there are not happy about either situation. But the same Joe Biden who favours diversity in the U.S. is loath to let the Israeli government and courts reflect the values of their citizenry, and Israel now risks becoming ruled by out-of-touch WASPs (that’s White Ashkenazic Supporters of Peace).

There is no question that these reforms could set back economic progress in the short term because of the self-inflicted wounds caused by the protests. Worse still, the threat to draw military reservists into the fray could compromise national security. Just think how it would look in the United States if tomorrow many Republicans were to go on strike in objection to Joe Biden’s recent criticisms of the American Supreme Court — or if Democrats would not show up to military service to protest Donald Trump’s tax cuts.

Brinkmanship never pays, and in the long-run, good policy wins out. Investors will continue to pour money into Israel because they understand that these changes are necessary to rein in a judicial system that has, among other faults, led Israel’s level of contract enforcement to rank between South Sudan and Samoa.

Acts of civil disobedience should be reserved for only the direst of circumstances: vandalism, the harassment of public officials, the closing down of major public transportation, the disruption of Knesset proceedings, and the threats of military insubordination should not be the first response to reasoned public debate. By castigating these rather measured reforms, such as preventing judges from appointing their own successors, the protesters engage in behaviors that they would denounce were the shoe on the other foot. Pity that they and their too numerous supporters fail to see that they are holding a lit match next to a political powder keg.
Arsen Ostrovsky: There is still time to get this right, but shouting matches won't work
I have actually never thought that Iran presented an existential threat to us (albeit not from lack of effort on their part, or the vigilance and actions of our security forces and intelligence). Our military knows very well how to deal with those who seek us harm and I continue to place absolute faith in them.

It is the internal division and the incendiary rhetoric, that is unprecedented, and threatening to rip us apart.

Our people have a history unlike any other, with no shortage of tragedies that have befallen us, both due to outside foes and our very own doing and disunity. That we are today on the eve of Tisha B'av should only remind us of this danger and serve as a clarion call to action.

We need to accept that our brothers and sisters, with whom we disagree, even passionately so, have legitimate views. We need to reach out to one another, not scream at each other from competing rallies.

The rhetoric on both sides needs to be toned down immediately.

Our leaders need to listen to their people, with empathy and fair hearing. They need to put aside their ego, sit down and negotiate a compromise until there is a resolution.

There is still time to do the right thing.

Until that happens, we cannot commence the process of healing that we truly need, and the gaping wound that is ripping at our nation, will only tear us further apart.

I made aliyah exactly eleven years ago, out of a deep Zionist yearning. Throughout that time, there has been no shortage of challenges and tribulations, including multiple wars. But I have never regretted a day.

Now more than ever, I am still profoundly inspired by Israel's story and will always continue to unwaveringly fight for the Jewish nation – both against foreign enemy and for what I believe within.

In the immortal words of Ehud Manor, "I have no other country even if my land is burning."
Meir Ben Shabbat: Lessons of destruction resonate louder than ever
Our enemies are rubbing their hands in glee
"Earthquake in the Israeli Army of Occupation's air force" – this is the headline that the Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen gave to the worrying development of IAF pilots refusing to serve. Our enemies are gazing at us in wonder and rubbing their hands in glee. This crisis fills them with hope, as they see Israel torn apart by internal strife, continuing to rip itself up into pieces.

Just as was the case during the destruction of the Temple, today too, it is difficult to find a figure of consensus, somebody who can really bang down hard on the pulpit and warn everybody of the potential ramifications of this current vector. Where are we headed?

If we insist on focusing our attention on the question of who is to blame and who is right – we will not succeed in extricating ourselves from the quicksand that threatens to pull us further down. Instead of going out to prove that we are right, now is the time to display responsibility: for the security and resilience of the state and to ensure that society remains intact. Above all we need to remove the IDF, the defense establishment, and the health system from all disputes. The damage that these domains might incur could well be irreparable, or in the eternal words of King Solomon in Ecclesiastes (1:15) "A twisted thing that cannot be made straight".

The representatives of the various camps must engage each other in a meaningful dialogue to reach agreement. Such a dialogue must be conducted based on recognition of the genuine concerns troubling each side, founded on trust and respect, and mainly out of a sense of responsibility. Beyond the need to reach agreement on any specific issue that is on the agenda, it would be advisable to regard these talks as a good opportunity to pave the way towards addressing the root causes of the conflict and the key questions of identity, vision, and "rules of the game" during situations of discord.

It is probably safe to say that it won't be possible to reach a formula upon which everybody will agree, but a formula with a broad and solid basis of consensus would be a sufficiently good achievement.

Just as is true of any family, when dealing with the state too, a formal arrangement of relations will never be able to replace those "soft" components that are essential to preserving a viable framework for living together: mutual respect, consideration for others, friendship and above all: a sense of responsibility. Only when we begin to walk down this path will we know that we have learned the historical lessons of the Temple's destruction.


What Happened to Robert Malley?
Malley has served in three Democratic administrations over the last four decades, handling high-profile, sensitive diplomacy such as the Arab-Israeli peace process and the Syrian war. After leaving the Clinton administration, he joined the International Crisis Group where, as he told me for a 2010 Tablet profile, his “mandate” was “to come up with ideas about how to prevent or resolve deadly conflict.” This brought him into contact with organizations like Hamas, a relationship that forced candidate Obama to remove him from his advisory role with the 2008 presidential campaign.

But it’s precisely Malley’s willingness to deal with the hard men of the Middle East that sets him apart from other U.S. diplomats. Where others who work in the region prefer to engage moderates, cultivate them with cash incentives, or invent them out of whole cloth, Malley makes no apologies for dealing with the men who really run the show. Accordingly, Obama named him lead negotiator in 2014 to bring the JCPOA home.

The fundamental untruth about the deal is that it was designed to stop Iran from getting the bomb. The agreement’s so-called “sunset” clauses tell the real story. These are the provisions restricting Iran’s nuclear activities that are scheduled to expire after only a few years, at which point Iran’s nuclear weapons program becomes entirely legal. From the beginning, the purpose of the JCPOA was to get the world to accept a terror state’s nuclear weapons program.

With Malley at the helm, the U.S. foreign policy establishment assumed he’d revive the JCPOA in short order. But his appointment signaled something else to the Iranians.

For the 2015 agreement, the U.S. side negotiated with Javad Zarif, the slick-talking diplomat lionized by the D.C.-based Iran lobby, including the Malley associates identified in the Tehran Times stories. It’s unclear whether Zarif’s U.S.-based friends project any power inside Tehran’s political circles, but by tying their influence inside the Beltway to Zarif, Malley’s Iranian associates earned the contempt of rival factions.

One of those factions came to power when Ebrahim Raisi was made president of Iran in June 2021. Almost immediately the new leadership started messaging against Zarif, whom they accused of giving away too much to the Americans. The Raisi crew also began attacking Zarif’s U.S.-based interlocutors, in particular the International Crisis Group. The English-language vehicle of choice for those attacks was the Tehran Times.

In an opinion article days after Iran’s presidential election, the Tehran Times wrote: “The Crisis Group began spreading rumors that Iran’s elections will be rigged, presenting Raisi as a pre-announced winner, estimating that the participation would be very low. The high voter turnout and competitive election changed the direction of the Crisis Group. Now they have focused on obstructing the process of reviving the JCPOA, implying that the president-elect will throw immovable obstacles on the way of reviving the nuclear deal.”

This broadside served two purposes. First, it was meant to inculpate Zarif, whose D.C. allies, according to the Tehran Times, had brought talks to a standstill. Ali Vaez mocked the paper’s assessment on social media, prompting the Tehran Times to ask him directly if the ICG was responsible for trying to “strengthen” the JCPOA—that is, deny Iran its rightful place as a nuclear power. Because Vaez didn’t validate his interpretation of reality, the reporter assessed that he “dodged our question about the role of the Crisis Group in the negotiations.”

But the article was also a warning to Malley, without naming the U.S. negotiator, that if he expected to revive the JCPOA, he’d have to agree to all of Iran’s demands. Malley hardly needed the hint: He came to the job prepared to give the Iranians everything in his power to give.

The problem, I believe, is that the Iranians wanted what was beyond Malley’s ability to grant: a guarantee that Biden’s successors wouldn’t withdraw from the deal and reimpose sanctions as Trump had. Tehran also wanted the IRGC taken off the foreign terrorist blacklist and the U.S. agreed, provided Tehran called off the hit squads detailed to kill Trump administration officials it blamed for assassinating Soleimani: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the State Department’s Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, and National Security Adviser John Bolton.

According to Vaez, Tehran wouldn’t budge. “It is politically impossible for the Iranians to publicly close the file on taking revenge for Soleimani.”
Former NSC chiefs: Calls for US to stop aid ‘irresponsible,’ ‘damaging’
Former heads of Israel’s National Security Council spoke out against recent calls for an end to US military aid to Israel. The calls, in this case, were not coming from the usual anti-Israel crowd.

“These are totally irresponsible statements by people who see a narrow view and don’t understand the needs of Israel to defend itself, and therefore are giving bad advice,” former National Security Council Yaakov Amidror said.

Jacob Nagel, the ex-chief of the National Security Council who negotiated the 2016 memorandum of understanding between Israel and the US about military aid, said that anyone making the argument against the funds “is harming Israel’s security.

“They aren’t hostile, they just don’t understand that they’re doing damage,” Nagel said.

The former National Security Council heads made the remarks after the publication of two buzzed-about articles calling for a stop to US military aid to Israel.

The articles calling to cut off the assistance do not come from the usual voices who claim Israel is violating human rights or committing war crimes. Additionally, the advocates of ceasing US aid to Israel are also not attempting to leverage the aid to force Israel to change its policies.

The first article, in Tablet Magazine by Jacob Siegel and Liel Leibovitz, puts forward the argument that "America's manipulation of the Jewish state is endangering Israel and American Jews."

The writers argue that by accepting US funding, Jerusalem gave Washington veto power over its military strategy, even though Israel's security interests are not always aligned with America's. In addition, the fact that all of the aid must be spent in the US weakens Israel's defense industry, they wrote.

They call for a "more forthrightly transactional relationship," which they say "would allow Israel to benefit economically, diplomatically, and strategically."

Liebovitz and Siegel also make the case that US military aid is spiritually impoverishing American Jewry, because its major organizations are more invested in lobbying for the funds than in Jewish observance and history.


Seth Frantzman: Italy hosts major migration conference with Middle East states
Arab News also highlighted the event. “EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Tunisian President Kais Saied are among participants in the forum, which will be held at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs amid high security,” it said. That report noted that “high-ranking representatives from North African and Middle Eastern countries include the presidents of the UAE and Mauritania, and prime ministers from Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta and Niger. Greece, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait have sent ministers to the talks.”

The pope said “May the Mediterranean never again be a theater of death and inhumanity. May the Lord enlighten the minds and hearts of all, arousing feelings of fraternity, solidarity, and welcome.”

Saudi Arabia and the UAE played an important role at this conference. Al-Arabiya noted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia “was represented at the International Conference on Development and Migration by Minister of the Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, who headed a delegation on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.” Prince Abdulaziz expressed Saudi Arabia’s appreciation for the efforts exerted by Meloni in organizing the event, the report said.

The ability of Italy to bring together all these countries shows how Rome is increasing its clout in the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Middle East. According to Al-Arabiya, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a call from the Italian prime minister last week. She discussed various issues of cooperation. According to that report she is heading to the US on July 27 for a meeting with US President Joe Biden. According to Al-Arabiya, “Italian diplomats have said Meloni wanted to see Biden before deciding whether to pull Italy out of China’s Belt and Road (BRI) initiative. Meloni said support for Africa would also be discussed in her talks with Biden.”

These are big moves for Italy. This shows how countries in the Middle East are ready to cooperate on migration issues. A deal with Tunisia’s President Kais Saied, for instance, is in the spotlight. Rome’s ability to gather together so many countries, including key Gulf states, is important.

Israel did not receive an invitation to the conference. Israel has ties with some of these countries, such as the UAE and Jordan, as well as Turkey, Greece, Egypt, and others. However, Israel lacks ties with other countries that participated. While Israel is not a major destination country for migration, nevertheless it has an important role in the Eastern Mediterranean and also has ties with some of the regional countries via the Negev Forum, I2U2, and other frameworks.
INSS: The Road to Normalization: Relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia
Conclusion
A political breakthrough between Israel and Saudi Arabia is possible, but will require deep US involvement and agreement over US recompense to the Saudis that are also acceptable to Israel. This matter is very important because many of the Saudi demands, particularly in the nuclear field, are sensitive for Israel.

Although the Saudis are mainly looking to the United States to reward them for normalization, they will also need to show that the move yields benefits on the Palestinian front. The Saudis still have some room for flexibility and could even agree to make progress with Israel below the “Palestinian state threshold,” but other steps that the Saudis could demand include blocking any moves to annexation, limiting construction in settlements, promoting calm in the Palestinian territories, maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount, and other moves to build trust between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, partly to prevent its collapse. At the same time, changes in the composition of the current Israeli coalition would help progress by allowing more Israeli flexibility on the question of relations with the Palestinians.

As of the time of writing, on the matter of a full peace treaty, the Israeli maximum does not yet meet the Saudi minimum. For Saudi Arabia, a peace treaty with Israel is still a step too far. At the same time, Saudi Arabia has chosen to strengthen its ties with Israel gradually, with terms and circumstances that it deems convenient, while maintaining its secret contacts with Israel. There is still a possibility for greater closeness based on confidence building measures, including, for example, permits for pilgrims to fly directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia, plus some incentives for doing business, in other words, a continuation of creeping normalization.


Are protests just about judicial reform or political agendas?
Part of the confusion comes from the chaotic nature of the protests. Demonstrators at Sacher Park seemed to be part of multiple organizations at once, and they brought their own signs, T-shirts, and people – and undoubtedly their own agendas as well.

While Israeli flags are always dominant, anti-settlers signs, Palestinian flags and other political messages will inevitably be found in the massive crowds if everyone is accepted under the loose coalition of NGOs and protest groups.

Some groups may be trying to use the reform to promote their special interests, or they may be pushing them as a secondary objective. But based on anecdotal conversations with different activists on Sunday, it’s likely that many can’t help but unintentionally or subconsciously tangle their thoughts and feelings on different issues together.

It is no wonder that rhetoric is so heated about judicial reform when everything is all bound together in one package of political concerns. Consequently, the specific judicial reform issues can’t be differentiated from general misgivings about Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition agenda.

Reactions to the controversial bridge sign in Tel Aviv, however, show that accident or intentional, lumping political sentiments together creates polarization.

Rather than just deal with a contentious debate about proper governance, we are creating a war of all political agendas versus all political agendas, in which everything is on the table at once with the highest stakes possible. Much-needed debates about the relationships between government branches become a conflict of secular versus religious, center vs settlements, and Left vs Right – despite both sides insisting otherwise. With such stakes, it becomes difficult to de-escalate.

The judicial reform is confusing enough as it is, and if Israelis want to be able to address the issues with the legal system, they need to be able to disentangle all their other political problems and address them separately – no matter how noble they might believe them to be. Otherwise, issues that might be negotiated on will remain unsolvable.
Reasonableness bill passes 64-0 after compromise falls at last minute
The reasonableness standard bill has officially passed into law, marking the first bill in the government's contentious judicial reform to pass into law after six months of fierce public debate and negotiations on a possible compromise that lasted until the last minute.

The opposition boycotted the vote, and the final tally was 64-0. Every member of the coalition voted in favor of the bill.

"We are now heading to a long recess, I am setting out knowing that we passed an important bill, but with no gloating and with a true wish to bring all parts of the nation together," Justice Minister Yariv Levin said in the Knesset plenum after the bill passed.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, "After hard work and effort over many years, we are beginning to fix the justice system and returning the balances between the branches of government that were violated 30 years ago by [former Supreme Court Chief Justice] Aharon Barak."

Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid gave a statement to the press minutes after the bill passed, and charged that the bill's passage was the beginning of the government's "canceling the checks and balances, canceling the separation of powers, canceling the gatekeepers, canceling Israeli democracy's entire immune system."

"This is not a victory for the coalition – it is a defeat for Israeli democracy," Lapid said.

The leader of the opposition announced that his Yesh Atid party would appeal to the Supreme Court against the bill on Tuesday morning.
Opposition to petition High Court against ‘reasonableness bill’
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) will petition the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on Tuesday after the Knesset voted into law a bill to restrict judges’ use of the “reasonableness” standard.

On Monday afternoon, all 64 members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition voted in favor of the key judicial reform legislation. Opposition lawmakers boycotted the third and final vote.

The amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary bars “reasonableness” as a justification for judges to reverse decisions made by the Cabinet, ministers and “other elected officials as set by law.”

“As early as tomorrow morning, we will petition the High Court against the unilateral abrogation of the democratic character of the State of Israel and the anti-democratic and predatory nature in which discussions in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee were conducted,” Lapid said.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel said it has already requested an injunction from the Supreme Court.
Judicial overhaul threatens to throw Israel into 'chaos'
Tal Schneider, Dr. Michael Oren, and Prof. Avi Bell discuss the protests and the judicial overhaul.


The Commentary Magazine Podcast: Israel Goes Nuts
Hosted by Abe Greenwald, Christine Rosen, John Podhoretz & Matthew Continetti Liel Leibovitz joins the podcast today to talk about the unprecedented showdown between the duly elected democratic government of Israel and mass protestors claiming to speak for the true spirit of democracy.


White House calls passing of reasonableness bill 'unfortunate'
Opposition MKs encourage High Court to strike down law
After the vote, opposition leader Yair Lapid addressed the press.

"I look at the coalition celebrating and ask, what are they celebrating?" he said. "The fact that you're breaking apart the Jewish state we have? The fact that people who served together in reserve service for 30 years are canceling their annual meeting because they know it will end badly?

"Today, we saw an unprecedented show of weakness by Netanyahu. There is no prime minister in Israel. Netanyahu has become a puppet on a string of messianic extremists.

"In a democracy sometimes you lose and sometimes you win. We all understand that. But what happened here today is not within the framework of democracy. It's something else. This is a complete violation of the rules of the game.

"We will not give up. We will not surrender. We will not let them turn Israel into a broken, undemocratic country, which is run by hatred and extremism."

He then addressed the reservists, telling them to wait until the High Court of Justice has discussed the new law before striking.

"Knowingly and with eyes wide open, the government today passed a law that seriously harms the national interest and ignores the heart of the majority of the public who expressed their cry in an unprecedented manner," said MK Gideon Sa'ar. "My friends and I are committed to continuing the fight for the image and future of the country. Those who cheered today in the Knesset plenum after the vote - will be punished by the people of Israel at the ballot box."

"This is a messianic government on steroids," said MK Avigdor Liberman. "Passing the law to cancel the reasonableness standard means [Shas Chairman Arye] Deri is back among the line of ministers and getting rid of the attorney-general. I call on the High Court of Justice to disqualify the law that just passed in the Knesset plenum. The State of Israel cannot turn into North Korea."

"It is unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority," said a statement from the White House. "We believe that for major democratic changes, you need to work for consensus. We urge Israeli leaders to work toward a consensus-based approach through political dialogue."


What are the Palestinians saying about Israel’s judicial reform crisis?
Palestinian political activists and columnists are closely monitoring the controversy in Israel surrounding the judicial overhaul, but they are divided over its implications for both Israel and the Palestinians. They are also divided over the magnitude of the crisis between the US administration and the Israeli government.

While some Palestinians have expressed hope that the crisis would mark the beginning of the “collapse” of the “Zionist entity” and the “disintegration” of Israeli society and the IDF, others said they did not rule out the possibility that the Israeli government would initiate a military confrontation with the Palestinians or the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist group as part of an effort to reunite the Israeli public.

The Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and other major Palestinian factions have thus far avoided commenting directly on the crisis. But political analysts and columnists from across the Palestinian political spectrum have not hesitated to express their views on the ongoing crisis.

It’s hard to ignore the tone of satisfaction in their statements over the deepening crisis, especially reports concerning the refusal of IDF reservists and pilots to serve or volunteer in protest of the judicial overhaul. Moreover, it’s hard to ignore the growing hope among Palestinian officials in Ramallah that the crisis would eventually topple the Israeli government.

On social media, the hashtag “The [Zionist] Entity is Collapsing” has been trending almost since the beginning of the widespread protests in Israel. Several Palestinian and Arab social-media users predicted that the crisis would lead to the “collapse” of Israel, especially in light of the opposition of many IDF reservists and pilots to the judicial reform.
PreOccupiedTerritory:Anti-Bibi Protester Blocking Highway Unable To Convince Motorists Traffic Tie-Ups Any Worse Than Normal (satire)
A demonstrator who spent much of yesterday morning as part of a crowd that impeded passage on the main artery running through Tel Aviv recalled that he had failed in his effort to convey to many of the occupants of vehicles thus affected that their lack of forward movement owed anything to his and his comrades’ actions, because congestion on that road is always like that.

Ohr Shamir, 35, spoke to reporters this morning, recounting his experiences Sunday during the latest round of protests against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s campaign to restrict the powers that the Supreme Court has arrogated to itself for more than two decades.

“There were literally thousands of us on the Ayalon, holding signs,” he related. “Traffic was at a standstill for more than two hours. We chanted. We sang. We waved our flags and banners. We blasted music. We blew vuvuzelas. Everything we could do to make our presence and our dissatisfaction known, we did. Yet nothing I could say or do would convince the drivers or passengers I talked to that we were disrupting their trips. they all just assumed things were normal, that this highway is basically a parking lot twenty-four-seven.”

“Obviously it’s frustrating,” acknowledged the marketing consultant. “The whole point of blocking the busiest road in the country is to maximize the impact of our direct action. We want as many people as possible to feel the pain so they understand the importance of this issue and that we will not simply let a would-be dictator emasculate the judiciary so he and his far-right allies can cement their backward, barbaric control over this country.”

“They barely noticed,” he spat.
The Israel Guys: Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu Rushed to Hospital For Life-Saving Surgery
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was taken to the hospital and underwent emergency heart surgery yesterday morning. There is a lot of tension in the air today in Israel as the Knesset is supposed to pass into law the first of the Judicial Reforms. The political left in Israel is having a tantrum and doing everything they can think of to try and stop this controversial bill, including manually submitting 27,000 objections against the bill. Literally.




Israeli forces clash with Islamic Jihad terrorists in Samaria
Israeli forces engaged Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists on Sunday night in the Nur Shams camp east of Tulkarm in northern Samaria.

The clashes erupted after more than 60 IDF vehicles entered Tulkarm and Nur Shams, with army bulldozers destroying streets and infrastructure in the camp to clear possible roadside bombs.

Ten explosive devices were neutralized, according to the IDF, which said in a statement that the overnight counterterrorism operation was carried out to “neutralize explosive devices and apprehend wanted suspects.”

The IDF said that a wanted terrorism suspect was arrested and that other suspects were questioned.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Tulkarm Battalion published a video appearing to show an IED detonating next to an IDF bulldozer.

The IDF has been deploying bulldozers to clear IEDs since a roadside bomb exploded next to an armored vehicle during a counterterrorism operation in Jenin in June, wounding several soldiers.

Palestinian media reported 13 wounded during Sunday night’s confrontation. No Israeli casualties were reported.

The IDF confirmed that exchanges of fire took place and rioters there explosive devices at the personnel, with hits detected on the terrorists.


MEMRI: Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Secretary-General Ziad Al-Nakhaleh In Interviews With Iranian Media: We Manufacture Weapons Thanks To Aid Provided By Iran And Seek To Arm All West Bank Cities; No Jew Anywhere In The World Lives In Greater Danger Than The Jews In Palestine
On June 12-23, 2023, the secretary-general of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Ziad Al-Nakhaleh, visited Iran and met with several regime officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Ebrahim Raisi, and figures in the Qods Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).[1] The meetings centered around the ongoing Iranian aid to the Palestinians, especially to the PIJ, and the strengthening of the resistance in the West Bank.[2]

During the visit and after it, Al-Nakhaleh gave a series of interviews to Iranian media, in which he spoke at length about a wide range of topics, including the armed resistance against Israel carried out by the PIJ in coordination with other terror organizations in Gaza and the West Bank; the growing efforts to arm the West Bank, and the Palestinians' independent manufacture of arms, made possible by Iranian assistance.

Al-Nakhaleh also discussed the Jenin Brigade, a militia that has been active in that city for about two years and which comprises fighters from multiple factions but predominantly from the PIJ's military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades. He said that this force was established thanks to intense efforts by the PIJ, which had decided to cooperate with other factions, including with Fatah-affiliated elements, and to aid and arm them. This move, he explained, had yielded several positive outcomes, such as strengthening elements within Fatah that are opposed to the Palestinian Authority (PA), uniting the various elements in the field and significantly enhancing the resistance activity in Jenin. He added that the PIJ seeks to replicate the Jenin Brigade model in all the West Bank cities and that it has already started to form and arm more brigades of this kind. Addressing the Israeli claim that the PIJ is acting to enhance the capabilities of the resistance in Jenin, including in terms of manufacturing drones, firing rockets and excavating tunnels, Al-Nakhaleh said that this is indeed happening, but currently on a limited scale.

The PIJ leader stated further that the increase of armed resistance in the West Bank is partly due to the aid provided by Iran and its Supreme Leader, Khamenei, who already a decade ago ordered to arm the fighters in the West Bank.[3] The Palestinians are implementing this directive by smuggling arms into the West Bank and even buying arms from the Israelis themselves, he said. The Palestinians' independent manufacture of weapons in Gaza, including rockets, anti-tank weapons and explosive charges, he added, is likewise thanks to the extensive knowhow and experience Iran has shared with them since the advent of the Islamic Revolution regime. Al-Nakhaleh praised the contribution of the late Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani to developing the abilities of the Palestinian armed factions, and noted that the relations with the Qods Force continue to be close in the era of Soleimani's successor, Esmail Qaani.

Referring to Israel, Al-Nakhaleh proclaimed confidently that it will eventually cease to exist, but that how long this will take depends on the efforts of the resistance. If the resistance is strong and willing to persist and to sacrifice, he said, this goal may be achieved within a decade or two. He called to continue carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis, because, once they understand they cannot live peaceful lives in Palestine they will surely go back to where they came from.

Al-Nakhaleh attacked the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the PLO for recognizing Israel and signing the Oslo Accords with it, saying that even they now realize that this was a pointless move. He also slammed the Arab regimes that hold ties with Israel and support the notion of peace with it, calling this a degrading surrender to American pressures. He criticized those countries for pressuring the PIJ to sever its ties with Iran without offering to aid it instead of Iran.
16 PLO summer camps named after terrorists teach kids “their obligations towards the cause”
Official PA TV newsreader: “Qalqilya District Governor and representatives of a number of institutions toured the summer camps organized by the [PLO] Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, whose headline is ‘Moons and Not Numbers,’ and whose goal is to instill the national concepts in the souls of the male and female participants.” …

Qalqilya District Governor Rafe’ Rawajbeh: “The [summer] camps are establishing a generation that is aware and young people who internalize their cause… What the Palestinian cause is… and what the obligations of this generation are towards this cause, towards the liberation, independence, and establishment of our independent Palestinian state.”

Official PA TV reporter: “Sixteen [summer] camps throughout the district, all of them bearing the names of Martyrs, with a message expressing loyalty to this section [of society] that has sacrificed and watered the land of the homeland with its blood, for freedom and liberation from the occupation.”

Text on sign: “Martyr Daoud Zubeidi group, May 15, 2022 (i.e., terrorist, and date he was killed)” [Official PA TV News, July 16, 2023]

Daoud Zubeidi – Palestinian terrorist and member of the PA Security Forces who shot at Israeli soldiers in Jenin on May 13, 2022. Israeli Police officer Noam Raz was murdered in the attack. Zubeidi was wounded in the exchange of fire and died of his wounds two days later.


Fatah glorifies death, encourages violence: “If I fall, take my place, O my comrade in the struggle, Carry my weapon”
The sentence “A fighter avenges his comrade with gunshots and inherits his rifle” refers to the video in the background, which shows a terrorist getting out of a car, shooting, and getting back in. Apparently wounded or dead he falls from the car and a fellow terrorist gets out, takes the fallen terrorist’s rifle and starts shooting as well until he too is hit.

Posted text: “A scene of heroism and manliness in Jenin: A fighter avenges his comrade with gunshots and inherits his rifle to announce continued fighting

If I fall, take my place, O my comrade in the struggle
Carry my weapon and do not fear my blood dripping from the weapon…
I have not died – I still call to you through the wound
Therefore, carry your weapon, O my comrade, and turn towards the fighting”
[Fatah Movement – Bethlehem Branch, Telegram channel, July 9, 2023]




Iran’s Ballistic Missiles Pose a Threat to Europe
For many years, Tehran has been developing sophisticated missiles, usually by modifying North Korean models. Its most recent products may be particularly well designed for evading the detection mechanisms and missile shields employed by the U.S. and its allies. Behnam Ben Taleblu explains why European leaders should be worried about these weapons:

While Iran’s much reported potential transfer of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia is yet to materialize, the causal force behind this is likely not Tehran’s fear of transgressing some unwritten agreement that’s being secretly negotiated with Washington. Instead, the Islamic Republic may well be waiting for the termination of UN prohibitions on ballistic-missile testing and transfers this October, before further arming Moscow with precision-strike systems. In fact, Iran may even want the move to be deemed “licit” to prevent any predicate for renewed pressure—but in the interim, it has not been idle.

In late May, Iran launched a new ballistic missile simultaneously dubbed the “Khorramshahr-4” and the “Khaybar.” While the former name commemorates an Iranian city liberated during the Iran-Iraq War—a conflict that birthed the revolutionary regime’s interest in missiles as a supplement for airpower—the latter name comes from a Jewish stronghold in Arabia that was overrun by the Prophet Mohammad’s armies fourteen centuries ago, a salient event for Iran’s current revolutionary leaders who seek Israel’s destruction.

Iran has refined the weapon, developing a variant with a lighter warhead that could travel up to 3,000 kilometers—a move that, in effect, took it from being able to target parts of Southern Europe to being able, potentially, to strike nearly all of Central Europe.


Iran targets e-commerce giant over photos of female employees without headscarves
Iranian authorities have shut down one of the offices of the country’s biggest e-commerce company and launched judicial procedures after it published pictures online showing female employees not wearing the mandatory Islamic headscarf, semi-official media reported.

The move appears to be part of a new campaign launched last week to impose the Islamic dress code nearly a year after the morality police largely melted away in the face of widespread protests.

Digikala, informally known as “Iran’s Amazon,” appears to have run afoul of the rules by posting pictures of a corporate gathering in which several female employees were not wearing the hijab.

The company boasts more than 40 million active monthly users and hosts over 300,000 merchants. Iranians are largely cut off from international retailers like Amazon because of Western sanctions linked to the country’s disputed nuclear program.

The website of Iran’s Hamshahri daily, which is affiliated with the municipality of the capital, Tehran, reported late Sunday that one of Digikala’s offices had been sealed. It said the website was operating normally.

The website of Iran’s judiciary said court cases had been filed in connection with the photos, without elaborating.
Iranian Hanging Judge Under Treatment In Germany
One of the judges involved in the summary trial and execution of thousands of Iranian prisoners in the 1980s has been under treatment in a hospital in German city of Hanover.

According to German media outlet Presseportal, Hossein-Ali Nayeri was admitted to a private neurosurgical clinic -- the International Neuroscience Institute (INI) -- headed by Madjid Samii, a prominent Iranian-born neurosurgeon.

Nayeri, a cleric, judge and chief adviser to Iran’s judiciary, was one of the main figures in the "death committee" responsible for the mass execution of political prisoners in Iran in 1988. President Ebrahim Raisi was also a key member of this committee.

On July 7, Volker Beck, the president of the German-Israeli Society, notified Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutor, the Foreign Office, and the Federal Interior Ministry about Nayeri’s stay, urging them to initiate criminal prosecution measures against him.

While people are murdered and tortured to death in Iranian prisons, those responsible for the human rights violations travel to Germany with impunity, he said, stating, “This must come to an end.” He also referred to another Iranian judge -- Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi – who was treated in the same clinic in Hanover in 2018.

In July 2022, Nayeri defended the massacre in an interview with the Islamic Republic Documents Center, a government entity that collects the history of the 1979 revolution and more than four decades of rule by the Islamic Republic in Iran.

He tried to justify and explain away the killing of thousands of political prisoners, saying, “The country was in a critical state. If Khomeini [the Islamic Republic's first leader] did not stand firm... perhaps the regime would have not been able to survive.”




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