Thursday, October 05, 2023

10/05 Links Pt1: Saudi-Israel normalization would transform Middle East; Congress Passes Bill to Block Biden from Moving Jerusalem Embassy

From Ian:

Dennis Ross: Saudi-Israel normalization would transform Middle East
There is much speculation about the Biden Administration’s brokering of Saudi-Israeli normalization, and for good reason. President Biden has made it clear that he would like to achieve this. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks of his hopes for it. And Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has publicly said that it is getting closer.

Make no mistake, Saudi normalization with Israel would represent a geopolitical transformation in the Middle East and beyond, especially because of what the Saudis and Americans would be committing to each other – commitments that would bind Saudi security to our own, while also setting boundaries to the Saudi-Chinese relationship.

The Saudi-Chinese commercial relationship will remain significant but would be limited where it crosses into sensitive security areas – not surprisingly in the context of the security relationship that the Saudis want formalized with the United States.

For Israel, normalization with Saudi Arabia has enormous implications for normalizing Israel’s relationship with Muslim-majority countries in the region and internationally. After all, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques would be making peace with Israel.

The putative leader of Sunni Muslims, who make up close to 85% of all Muslims, would be reconciling with Israel, the state of the Jewish people.

It is hard to exaggerate the meaning of that in terms of greatly reducing the religious nature of the historic conflict between Arabs and Jews.

It is also hard to exaggerate the significance of such a breakthrough for what it is likely to do for building coalitions between those countries in the region that are seeking to build modern, resilient societies.

Their prospects for dealing with climate change, pandemics, and disruptive technologies will improve – unlike those failed or failing states that will not manage to cope with increasing food, water, and health security challenges and will offer their people only hopelessness because “resistance” remains their raison d’etre.

Palestinian impact on normalization
So, such a breakthrough is likely to be of enormous significance. Of course, it will not simply happen.

It is being brokered by the Biden administration, and its bilateral parts – defense treaty, access to weapons and nuclear partnership – do have implications for Israel and need to be part of the US-Israel bilateral discussion.

But the Saudis have one other condition for normalizing: Steps must be taken for the benefit of the Palestinians. From the Saudi perspective, when they do this deal, they want to show that others, like Indonesia and Malaysia, will follow their lead.

For that to happen, the Saudis believe, they cannot settle for merely preventing a negative (e.g. no Israeli annexation), like the UAE did. Instead, they must be able to point to the achievement of something positive and meaningful for the Palestinians.
Israel in the dock (again): UN court sits in judgment on Israeli ‘occupation’
Two pro-Israel NGOs are defending Israel against the United Nation’s latest attack as the world body’s International Court of Justice considers a case which could have serious ramifications for the Jewish state, the groups say.

U.K. Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) and the European Leadership Network (ELNET) submitted a 40-page memorandum to the court on Sept. 29 challenging the “false allegations” made against Israel.

UKLFI CEO Jonathan Turner, the memorandum’s main author, told JNS, “An adverse outcome will encourage violence by Palestinian groups and individuals. It will promote terrorism and it will also promote boycotts, divestment and sanctions targeting Israel.”

A U.N. General Assembly resolution, passed by 87-26 on Dec. 30, 2022, asked the court to issue an advisory opinion on the “legal consequences” of Israel’s “ongoing violation” of “the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination” and “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.”

It also asked the court to judge alleged actions Israel took to alter “the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem.”

Israeli officials sharply criticized the resolution at the time, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it “disgraceful…The Jewish people is not occupying its land and is not occupying its eternal capital Jerusalem. No U.N. resolution can distort this historical truth.”

The International Court of Justice is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is meant to settle disputes between states. Its advisory opinions are often used as sources of international law.

The U.N.’s Palestinian delegation and its supporters want the ICJ to issue a verdict that Israel is occupying Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, areas captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, (even though it left the Gaza Strip in 2005), Turner said, adding, “The verdict won’t be legally binding, but a lot of people will regard it as authoritative and treat as if it were an accurate statement of the law. It will be quite difficult to displace it in anything but the most friendly tribunals.”
The Palestinian Olive Tree Litmus Test
The Palestinian Arabs have created a narrative based on a falsehood: that they are the indigenous people of "Palestine." One of the many proofs of this is the olive tree. Olive trees play a major role in Palestinian Arab society and culture. They are a constant presence near any Palestinian Arab home. Thus, the "Palestinian olive tree litmus test" can be used to accurately assess how long a Palestinian Arab has been living in their home or on the plot of land they claim has been in their possession for hundreds of years.

Olive trees are very long-lived. In the Galilee, there are olive trees that are over 1,000 years old. Yet botanists and biologists have told me that the vast majority, if not all, of the olive trees in Judea and Samaria are less than 80-90 years old. If the Palestinian Arabs have populated Judea and Samaria for centuries, why is this the case?

The answer is that, prior to 1948, the vast majority of Arabs in Palestine were foreign workers who migrated to the area seeking employment. They were motivated by the economic opportunities presented by Zionist development of the land.


House Passes Tenney Amendment to Block Biden from Moving Jerusalem Embassy
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an amendment last week that barred the Biden administration from moving the U.S. embassy in Israel out of Jerusalem, though 67 Democrats opposed it.

The amendment passed 360-67 on a bipartisan vote, with all Republicans voting in favor. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was among those who opposed the amendment.

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) proposed the amendment, and delivered a statement on the floor of the House:


The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the oldest pro-Israel group in the U.S., issued a congratulatory statement, though ZOA president Morton A. Klein noted that the Senate had yet to pass a similar amendment:
This overwhelming support for Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital is a significant milestone. Except for those with extremist, even Israel-hating opinions, large majorities of both parties support the continued presence in Jerusalem of the U.S. Embassy. There is a true consensus that Jerusalem is important to both the United States and to Israel.

ZOA is troubled by the small but fanatical opposition to acknowledging the status of Jerusalem within the Democratic Party. We will continue to work to make this issue beyond politics.

The final appropriations bill, H.R. 4665, also requires State Department personnel who deal with the Palestinians to report to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel — and not directly to Washington, as they have done under Joe Biden.

The Biden administration opposed the passage of the bill, and the Senate version may hew closer to its priorities.
Twenty Senate Democrats lay down their conditions for a Saudi-Israel normalization deal
A group of 20 Senate Democrats laid out their expectations for a deal with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, expressing skepticism of a proposed defense treaty with Riyadh, demanding significant protections for Palestinians in the West Bank and insisting on strict conditions on any potential nuclear cooperation with the Saudis.

The lawmakers’ letter, organized by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Peter Welch (D-VT) and sent to President Joe Biden, highlights the difficulties that lie ahead even if the administration is able to secure a trilateral deal to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and broaden the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

Depending on the contours of the deal, Biden may not automatically be able to count on the support of a sizable number of Senate Democrats, among whom distrust of Saudi Arabia is widespread. The fate of a deal, some facets of which could require a two-thirds majority for ratification in the Senate, could rely heavily onSenate Republicans.

The Democrats said they’re “concerned” about the prospect of a U.S. security guarantee to Saudi Arabia, noting that the U.S. has historically offered such agreements primarily to fellow democracies and has not pursued them in the “volatile Middle East.” They also called for “careful deliberation” before providing more advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia.

“A high degree of proof would be required to show that a binding defense treaty with Saudi Arabia — an authoritarian regime which regularly undermines U.S. interests in the region, has a deeply concerning human rights record, and has pursued an aggressive and reckless foreign policy agenda — aligns with U.S. interests, especially if such a commitment requires the U.S. to deploy substantial new permanent resources to the region,” the letter reads.

Murphy said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday he’d view an agreement as a “bet” that a treaty with Riyadh would “convince Saudi Arabia to begin consistently acting in accordance with U.S. national security interests.”

“To the extent that this does come before the Senate, this will be a question for every senator — do you believe that the Saudi regime is willing to consistently align itself with U.S. security interests?” Murphy continued. “Or do you believe that they will continue to act as they have been, which is to constantly play the United States off against Russia and China to effectuate the best possible deal for Riyadh?”
Saudi deal should include West Bank settlement freeze - US Senators say
An American agreement with Saudi Arabia should include a West Bank settlement freeze and the demolition of outposts, including those that have already been authorized, 20 Senators said in a letter they wrote to US President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

"The agreement should include meaningful, clearly defined, and enforceable provisions to achieve your stated objective of preserving the option of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the senators said in their letter.

The appeal to Biden was composed by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)

They addressed their concerns regarding the complex arrangement which includes a security pact between Washington and Riyadh, an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal, and a possible interim agreement with the Palestinians.

Their opinion carries weight because elements of the deal, which is expected to be considered a formal treaty, would need the approval of 67 out of the 100 UN Senators. At present, according to the Senate website, there are 48 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and three independents.

Any agreement would require bi-partisan support, but Democratic support is particularly essential. Such an agreement is expected to bolster Biden’s re-election campaign so it's presumed that it would be easier to secure the support of Democratic senators and harder to sway Republicans to back the deal.

Among the hurdles facing the deal is the Democratic insistence that it include concessions to the Palestinians that are beyond the scope of what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition could be expected to approve.

In their letter to Biden, the Democratic Senators laid out what those demands could be.

There should be “equal measures of dignity and security” for both Israelis and Palestinians, the Senators wrote.

“This should include, among other measures, a commitment by Israel not to annex any or all of the West Bank; to halt settlement construction and expansion; to dismantle illegal outposts (including those that have been retroactively “legalized”); and to allow the natural growth of Palestinian towns, cities, and population centers and the ability to travel without interference between and among contiguous Palestinian areas,” they explained.

“These elements are essential to any sustainable peace in the Middle East and to preserving Israel’s own future as a Jewish, democratic state,” they added.
Kirsten Gillibrand: Israel is a vital ally, and I'm proud to support it
In an increasingly interconnected world, America needs allies ready and able to help us build a better future and deter dangerous threats.

In the Middle East, we have had no more consistent friend over the past 75 years than Israel. The flourishing alliance between the United States and Israel is a partnership in the truest sense of the word, and America’s commitment must remain bipartisan.

In Israel, we have an ally on the front lines of the fight against terrorism, nuclear proliferation and an emboldened Iran. We have a partner who is developing cutting-edge solutions to our most complex challenges in medicine, climate change and cybersecurity. We have a friend who stands with America, helps create and support American jobs, and promotes our interests and values.

Despite its small size, Israel consistently punches above its weight and is now an irreplaceable partner that greatly benefits the United States. Israel has achieved remarkable successes while overcoming increasing dangers, principally from Iran and the regime’s terror proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. With a land mass the size of New Jersey and a population of only 9.7 million, Israel has no room for error when it comes to its security.

Each year, my colleagues and I on the Senate Armed Services Committee carefully study our defense strategy and set policies to guide America forward.

In Israel, we see the model of what a strategic partnership should be. Israel wants to defend itself by itself — it doesn’t ask for American troops. It is in our national security interests to ensure that our ally has the resources and support it needs to defend itself against unprecedented threats. Security assistance is in the US' national interest

Annual security assistance and support for programs like Iron Dome are a vital cornerstone of this support, and I am proud to help build support for this funding year after year. Every year, I lead my Senate colleagues in supporting $500 million for US-Israel cooperative missile defense programs — lifesaving cooperation that has prevented thousands of rockets from striking Israeli homes and communities. In addition to saving countless lives, the majority of this funding is spent in the United States with domestic manufacturers, creating American jobs and benefiting the American economy.

Rather than working to undermine our alliance, now is the time for America to strengthen its ties and work together with Israel to advance broader Arab-Israeli peace.

As a founding member of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, I have seen firsthand the real-world impact of the budding partnerships between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco. The flourishing economic and cultural exchanges are a powerful testament to what is possible when America and Israel work together. There now exists tremendous opportunity for Abraham Accords signatory countries to directly invest in the West Bank and Gaza, which would further promote security, economic development, and humanitarian efforts. I am eager and committed to working toward expanding and deepening the Abraham Accords.
In historic first, Israeli minister delivers speech in Riyadh
Israeli Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi spoke at a conference in Saudi Arabia’s capital on Wednesday, marking the first speech by an Israeli minister in the country.

“As demonstrated by the Abraham Accords, when nations converge on mutual goals, outcomes can be monumentally transformative,” Karhi told the audience at the Universal Postal Union’s 2023 Extraordinary Congress.

UPU is a United Nations agency and the primary forum for international cooperation in the postal field.

He thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leaders of Saudi Arabia for “launching the blossoming ties between our nations.”

Thanking the people of Saudi Arabia for their hospitality, he added, “Our common respect for God and tradition can serve as a bedrock for harmony between our peoples.”

Karhi, whose family came to Israel from Tunisia, ended by blessing the participants in perfect Arabic, which he described as his “mother tongue.”


UN Watch: Luxembourg's anti-Israel bias exposed at the U.N.
Michael Kanter took the floor on behalf of United Nations Watch to expose Luxembourg's history of anti-Israel bias.

U.N. Human Rights Council, October 2, 2023 | Geneva, Switzerland.


The Biden Administration National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism Reaffirms its Use of the IHRA Definition
There was, however, one additional problem for OCR; because Jewish identity and the corresponding manifestations of antisemitism are so multifaceted, without a standard definition to use as a reference, it was still too easy for antisemites to hide behind this vagueness, commit horrible acts that targeted Jews, and then claim their actions were not antisemitic because they were not based on this or that particular characteristic. That led to an equal protection problem that still lingers to this day, and is a contributing factor in the high rates of antisemitic incidents we are currently seeing.

In order to correct this problem, on December 11, 2019, the Trump Administration announced an executive order codifying the (now longstanding) Marcus Policy that, for the purposes of Title VI discrimination claims, Jewish students are protected against antisemitism. The Order also clarified that when evaluating these claims, the Department should consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA’s) definition of antisemitism. The United States had already been using IHRA for a while; the Definition was incorporated as a guide by the U.S. State Department as early as 2007, unofficially adopted in 2010, and formally adopted in 2016 after it was officially accepted by a plenary meeting of the then-3 countries in the IHRA (including the US).Over the last two decades, the IHRA definition has proven to be an essential definitional tool used to determine contemporary manifestations of antisemitism and is in use by dozens of countries and 1100+ other entities worldwide. While the Definition makes clear that criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic, it also includes useful examples of discriminatory anti-Zionism that can cross the line into antisemitism.

Again, none of this was partisan; there are very few things that the Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden administrations all agree on, but the use of the Marcus Policy, and the IHRA definition, are two of them.

The Executive Order on Antisemitism (reaffirmed by the Biden administration) already applied to any agency within the entire federal government that made use of Title VI. Until now, however, only the Department of Education had been explicit in how they intend to use Title VI to protect Jewish people who are targeted for their shared ancestry, race, national origin and ethnicity. As of September 28, however, the Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Treasury, and Transportation have all committed to the same. Just a short while later that same morning, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the Special Envoy on Antisemitism, released a report confirming that from the perspective of the United States government, combating antisemitism begins with doing what the U.S. and many others have already done: embracing and applying IHRA.

When the National Strategy document was originally released, there was some legitimate concern that its very acknowledgement of the existence of other (unaccepted) definitions of antisemitism could lead to some confusion about the near-universal acceptance of IHRA. This was despite the fact that the plan was clear that the United States uses only IHRA, and that the other definitions were wrong on key points. The rollout, however, has been remarkably consistent, and it is a relief to see that with antisemitism surging to unprecedented levels across America, the Biden administration is serious about delivering the “most ambitious, comprehensive effort in our history to combat antisemitism in America,” and that instead of seeking to appease those who would undermine this effort by watering down what counts as antisemitism, it continues to unequivocally endorse the IHRA definition in a responsible, whole-of-government way.


Randi Weingarten Joins J Street Board
Teachers' union leader Randi Weingarten, who presided over a disastrous nationwide shutdown of schools during the coronavirus pandemic, is joining the board of one of the country’s most prominent anti-Israel groups.

J Street, a far-left group that works to undermine the Jewish state, announced on Wednesday that Weingarten will join its board of directors.

As president of American Federation of Teachers, Weingarten pushed draconian measures during the COVID pandemic, pushing to keep schools closed and students out of the education system, a move that drew widespread criticism from parents and Republican lawmakers.

The union leader has also waded into Israeli politics, backing a mass protest movement that has sought to undermine and unseat Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

J Street—which supports conditioning U.S. aid to Israel, routinely attacks the Jewish state for defending itself against Palestinian terrorism, and employs notoriously terrible pumpkin carvers—also has supported the protest movement as it seeks to meddle in Israel’s internal affairs.


IDF Soldiers Who Silenced Terror
Here are the stories of four soldiers who acted under fire, saving lives with their precision, vigilance and rapid response. On August 1, Corporal S., 20, from the Judea Brigade, was driving with another soldier near Eshtemoa and identified a suspicious person sitting at the bus stop usually used only by Israelis. "We approached him, initially speaking from inside the vehicle, as part of a routine check. We noticed he wasn't responding to our queries, so I decided to step out of the car....In a split second, he drew a knife and tried to stab me. I immediately took a few steps back, readied my weapon as he continued charging at me with the knife. I fired a warning shot into the air, but he continued running onto the road towards the Israeli community, intending to stab people there. I fired at him until he was neutralized....We prevented a potential attack on civilians. It could have ended entirely differently."

On July 25, Y., 19, a combat engineering soldier in the Samaria Brigade, together with his commander and another soldier, was attacked at the Tel al-Ras checkpoint by three armed terrorists. They managed to neutralize them and emerged from the incident unharmed. "In those moments, it was clear to me, it was either us or them, no other option. I felt I had to do everything to neutralize them because I knew what would happen if they managed to get past us....They had three M16 rifles and a pistol....They had planned a massacre."

On July 10, A., 20, a soldier in the Duchifat Battalion, went with three of his comrades for guard duty. A car stopped at a bend about 150 meters from their position. The driver said in Arabic, "'I'm waiting for a friend,' and then he suddenly opened the door and hurled a grenade at us - it passed right above me because he threw it too hard. I opened fire and yelled 'terrorist,' shooting at him alongside the soldier with me. He was hit, but during the shootout, he managed to reach back into the car and grabbed a Carlo gun that was on one of the seats. He fired several shots at us before he fell....Upon inspecting the vehicle, we discovered that he had three more grenades and additional ammunition."

On April 1, Staff Sergeant Y., 21, a soldier in the Givati Brigade, was with four other soldiers on Highway 60 near the Gush Etzion area, close to Karmei Tzur. Just after sunset, "we suddenly noticed a car speeding toward us with high beams on. It was evident that the driver intended to crash into us. When he was several feet away, traveling at high speed, he swerved right and crashed into our jeep. As a result, three of my comrades were injured, some of them seriously. I was a short distance from the Hummer and was thus unharmed. I immediately fired at the attacker, along with another soldier who was unharmed, and we neutralized him."
Palestinians ambush Israeli family in Samaria
An Israeli family narrowly survived a terrorist ambush near Ma’aleh Levonah in southern Samaria on Wednesday night, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The family was driving home when their car was forced to stop due to large stones blocking the entry road to the community, according to the Binyamin Regional Council.

Palestinian terrorists then swarmed the vehicle and pelted it with stones, forcing the father to open fire with his personal sidearm.

“Terrorists threw stones at the vehicles of Israeli citizens tonight in the vicinity of Kfar Sinjil in the Binyamin Division. An Israeli citizen [female] was injured and did not require medical attention,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“An Israeli citizen, whose vehicle was damaged by rocks, responded by opening fire,” said the IDF, adding that security forces had rushed to the scene and were investigating the incident. The military set up roadblocks in the area and launched a search for the terrorists.

Arab reports claimed one of the terrorists sustained a chest wound and was taken to a hospital in nearby Ramallah by the Palestinian Red Crescent.
IDF Operations in the West Bank
i24NEWS Correspondent Guy Azriel and Lt. Col. (Res.) Doron Avital, former commander, special forces, Israel Defense Forces join to discuss the latest developments on the security front in Israel and the region.


Terrorists open fire at Israeli on scooter, IDF shoots back
An Israeli civilian on a scooter was ambushed by terrorists at the West Bank's Shufa junction on Thursday morning, but managed to escape and notify security forces, who shot the two attackers.

The terrorist squad had waited at the intersection and shot at the rider.

They were even planning to soon carry out another attack, according to IDF estimates.

But the civilian reported the attack, including a detailed description of the terrorists’ vehicle, and seven Israeli soldiers went after the terrorists in addition to larger forces which blocked off roads in the area.

When the seven soldiers from the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion found and approached the terrorists’ vehicle, they came under fire which hit their vehicle, but did not injure them.

Terrorists identified, IDF says weapons found in vehicle
One soldier took the initiative and rammed the terrorists’ vehicle to disable it and prevent them from being able to maneuver or escape. This led the two terrorists to flee from the vehicle.

The soldiers then exchanged fire with the terrorists, and neutralized both of them. An M4 carbine and magazines were found in the vehicle, said the IDF.

Hamas identified the two dead terrorists as Abdul Rahman Fares Muhammad Atta, 23, and Hudhayfah Adnan Muhammad Fares, 27.


Five Israeli Border Police officers wounded in Tulkarm clashes
Five Israel Border Police officers were wounded by a grenade during clashes with Palestinian terrorists in Tulkarm on Thursday morning, the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Border Police said in a joint statement.

Three of the officers were seriously wounded, while the remaining two sustained light to moderate wounds. They were evacuated to hospitals in Netanya and Kfar Saba, Channel 12 reported.

According to a preliminary IDF probe, the five were injured by their own grenade. The military said it was still unsure whether the projectile bounced back, or if Palestinian terrorists grabbed and threw the grenade back before it exploded.

Local branches of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror groups said they had targeted Israeli troops with gunfire and improvised explosives.

The IDF said it had hit an unidentified number of armed Palestinians during the gun battle.

“Our soldiers acted this morning with courage and determination to counter terrorism in Judea and Samaria,” Border Police head Yitzchak Brik said, wishing the injured “a full recovery and a speedy recovery.”

“We will continue to act as joint forces with the security agencies to counter terrorism and protect the citizens of Israel. Terrorists should know that those who try to harm our forces, we’ll get to him and close the account with him,” added Brik.


Rabbi Leo Dee shoved during Sukkot prayers in Tel Aviv
Rabbi Leo Dee, who lost his wife and two daughters in a terrorist attack in April, was intentionally barged into by a passerby while praying at Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv on Thursday morning.

The passerby was caught on camera walking into Dee as he prayed in public with a lulav and etrog—palm fronds and a citron—a key ritual of Sukkot holiday, which runs from Sept. 29 to Oct. 6 this year.

The British-born Dee, who lives in Efrat, impressed Israelis with his faith and steadfastness after the murder of his wife and daughters, garnering national and international headlines for his message of unity in the wake of the deadly April shooting.

On Sept. 10, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen appointed Dee to the post of Special Envoy for Social Initiatives.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir expressed shock at the footage, saying he had ordered police to “act decisively” against religious intolerance.


PMW: PA: Israel is a “bastard state” established to “realize the will and strategy of its lords from the colonialist capitalist Western states”
One of the repeating PA conspiracy theories is that the “colonialist capitalist Western states” established Israel so it could serve as their pawn in the Middle East.

One of the official PA daily’s regular columnists stressed this libel, calling Israel the “bastard state” that is still being “funded and armed” by the West. Omar Hilmi Al-Ghoul claimed that the goal with the creation of Israel was that it should “realize the will and strategy of its lords from the colonialist capitalist Western states.” He further argued that the plan of the Western states still is to prevent “the Arab homeland” from developing and instead “turn them into hired slaves”:
“The Western circles funded and armed and are still funding and arming this bastard state to achieve the aforementioned goal – in order to leave the Arab homeland, its peoples, and its national liberation movement devoid of any power and on the margins of the movement of history, and to turn them into hired slaves in service of their goals, by imposing rulers who have sold their conscience and history on the slave market of the West and made it easy for it to steal their peoples’ resources.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 16, 2023]

The official PA daily printed a similarly hateful statement by Al-Ghoul earlier this year when he labeled the Jews “a Satanic pawn” of the West. He also repeated another PA libel that Israel was created because Europe wanted to “get rid of the Jewish problem”:
“All the western and eastern European states led by Washington wanted first of all to get rid of the Jewish problem, and to exploit the Jews wandering in their countries so that they would fulfill the role of a satanic pawn. This was to realize the goals of the global tycoons in general, and of the Zionist Jewish families in particular: Ripping apart the great Arab world and dividing it, dismantling the Arabs’ unity, and settling accounts from ancient history with the Arabs and Muslims in general, in other words, [revenge for losses during] the Crusades.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 23, 2023]
Birzeit University provides lawyers for free to represent students arrested by Israel
Coordinator of the “Right to Learn” Campaign at Birzeit University Sundus Hammad: “The second thing [provided by Birzeit] is legal support to students who are arrested and also to academics and employees who unfortunately are being arrested by the occupation, by providing a lawyer for free from the university. Birzeit University is one of the few universities in the homeland that is providing [legal support]: There is a lawyer from the university who supports the students and represents them in the [Israeli] military courts for free.”
[Official PA TV, Palestine This Morning, Sept. 11, 2023]


Bassam Tawil: The International Day of Persecuting Palestinian Journalists
The Palestinian Authority's crackdown on journalists and political activists is part of an ongoing effort to silence and intimidate its critics.

Palestinian leaders have repeatedly shown that they reject any form of criticism directed against them. The only criticism they accept is that which is directed against Israel. Palestinian leaders are not different than most of the Arab heads of state whose governments control the media, which serves as a mouthpiece for the Arab regimes.

The latest victim of the Palestinian Authority crackdown is Palestinian journalist Tariq al-Sarkaji, a resident of the West Bank city of Nablus.

In recent weeks, several other journalists were also arrested. They include Sami al-Sa'i, Mohammed Shawasha, Jarrah Khalaf, Hatem Hamdan, Akeel Awawdeh, Ahmed al-Bitawi, and Muath Washha.

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms condemned the arrest of freelance journalist Jarrah Khalaf by the Palestinian Military Intelligence Service on September 4. The group said that Khalaf, 23, was summoned for an interview at the Military Intelligence headquarters in the city of Jenin. The next day, he was brought before the Jenin Prosecution Office and charged with "possession of weapons." This is a charge that the Palestinian Authority often uses to justify the arrest of journalists and political activists.

It is a sad truth that, three decades after the inception of the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinians still do not have a free and independent media.

An even sadder truth is that most international human rights organizations care nothing about the abuse perpetrated against Palestinian journalists by their own leaders.


In Baalbek, Hizbullah's Heartland
For as long as I can remember, Baalbek has been hung with Hizbullah flags and pictures of party leaders, martyrs and militia commanders. Last month, when I went to visit the newly opened Hizbullah museum, many of those flags and posters had been taken down and replaced with Syrian Baath Party flags and portraits of Hafez and Bashar al-Assad.

The Hizbullah museum is the latest addition to a portfolio of sites that produce an "Islamic milieu." The most famous and best funded is the Resistance Museum in Mleeta, which opened in 2010. Visitors trek up to the crest of a hill and into a complex of bunkers and tunnels, where they learn about the hardship and discipline required to be a member of Hizbullah.

Since 2014, I've done fieldwork with Syrians who live in the Beqaa Valley, forcibly displaced by Assad's forces and their allies. When they describe their experiences at the hands of Hizbullah, it's as brutal as anything committed by an invading army waging a war of aggression: siege, bombardment, massacre, rape.

The Lebanese parliament is preparing a law to deport Syrian refugees. But many Syrians, still forcibly displaced after more than a decade, are unable to return to their homes while Assad remains in office, propped up by foreign allies.


Republican Senators Move To Bar Biden Admin From Waiving Iran Sanctions
New Senate legislation would codify sanctions on Iran and bar the Biden administration from lifting economic penalties on Tehran until it can certify the hardline regime has ceased all efforts to assassinate current and former American officials.

Republican leaders want to block the Biden administration through the PUNISH Act, which was introduced Thursday by Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) and obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, from providing Iran's hardline regime with access to billions of dollars in oil revenue. The bill's introduction comes on the heels of the administration's $6 billion ransom payment to Tehran last month as part of a hostage deal.

The legislation also comes as the Biden administration is engaged in diplomacy with Iran aimed at securing a revamped version of the 2015 nuclear deal. As part of these talks, the Biden administration has avoided enforcing sanctions on Iran's illicit oil trade, providing it with access to tens of billions of dollars in cash that were cut off during the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign.

Ernst and other Republicans in the Senate and House have been pressuring the Biden administration for years to enforce U.S. sanctions on Iran, but they have largely been met with inaction from senior diplomats conducting diplomacy with Tehran. Last month's $6 billion ransom payment drew particular outrage in light of Iran's ongoing efforts to assassinate current and former American officials, including former secretary of state Mike Pompeo.

"President Biden’s strategy of appeasement continues to risk the lives of Americans at home and abroad. Iran cannot be allowed to continue to attempt to kill U.S. citizens and Iranian dissidents with impunity," said Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "The world’s number-one state sponsor of terrorism is not to be trusted. I’m holding President Biden accountable by preventing his administration from providing Tehran with another cent of sanctions relief. My PUNISH Act will put an end to this failed appeasement strategy and ensure Iran feels the maximum consequences of their actions from the United States."
US Sends Seized Iranian Ammunition to Ukraine
The US has sent Ukraine more than 1 million rounds of Iranian ammunition that had been seized last year, the US military said on Wednesday.

US naval forces for years have been seizing weapons believed to be from Iran bound for Iran-backed fighters in Yemen, usually transported by fishing vessels.

US Central Command, which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, said about 1.1 million 7.62 mm rounds were sent to Ukraine.

They were originally seized by US naval forces in December 2022 and being transferred from Iran‘s Revolutionary Guards to Houthi forces in Yemen.

“The US is committed to working with our allies and partners to counter the flow of Iranian lethal aid in the region by all lawful means including US and UN sanctions and through interdictions,” the Central Command statement said.

The ammunition is unlikely to make a major difference on the battlefield at a time when long-range weapons and air defense systems are on top of Ukraine’s wish list.

The seized ammunition being transferred are also unlikely to ease concerns about the continued flow of Western weapons to Kyiv.




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