Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Friday, September 13, 2019

09/13 Links Pt1: Melanie Phillips: Boltonism must not be allowed to disappear; Caroline Glick: Israel and John Bolton’s departure; Most Arab Israelis Satisfied with Life in Israel

From Ian:

Melanie Phillips: Boltonism must not be allowed to disappear

Even when Iran was killing American and British soldiers in Iraq, or when its proxy army Hezbollah bombed the US embassy in Beirut in 1983, and the Israel embassy, and a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1992 and 1994, the West failed to treat these as acts of war.

It failed to do so even after Iran seized a British-registered oil tanker this summer in the Strait of Hormuz and harassed other commercial shipping there.

It was revealed this week that two British-Australian women and one man have been arrested and jailed in Iran, adding to a growing number of British nationals being effectively held as hostages in Iranian jails.

And yet, Britain has not only been a principal cheerleader for the Obama nuclear deal but, along with the European Union, is seeking ruses to get round the sanctions on Iran reimposed by America.

It is still possible that Trump will hold firm against Iran. If he does not, Israel will act alone to defend itself if that becomes unavoidable; and if that happens, the United States will find itself unavoidably sucked into a terrible war.

John Bolton’s steady and clear-minded focus on preventing this from happening was a standing rebuke to the feeble-minded West that has supinely stood by as this unconscionable threat by the Iranian regime has remorselessly increased.

Bolton has now left the West Wing; but Boltonism — the strategic grasp of how to defend the West against its mortal foes — must not be allowed to disappear with him.

With Bolton’s departure, the world has not become a safer place. It has become far more dangerous.

Caroline Glick: Israel and John Bolton’s departure

From the day he took up his duties a year and a half ago as Trump’s third national security adviser, Bolton was under assault. The campaign against Bolton was initiated by the Iranian regime.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blamed poor US-Iran relations on Bolton, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Zarif’s campaign was quickly joined by Obama administration officials who took to the US media parroting the same allegations. The Iranians, by their telling, were guileless lambs. The big bad wolves were Bolton, Netanyahu, and the crown prince.

In recent months, as Iran stepped up its aggression against international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the attacks against Bolton were joined by members of the isolationist wing of the Republican Party led by Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.

It is true that Bolton is known as a prickly policymaker, out of his element in the Trump world. But it is also true that Trump and Bolton agreed far more than they disagreed. Unfortunately, every time there was a dispute between the two men, former President Barack Obama's carry-overs in government and their allies outside government from the Obama administration and the media were quick to report those disagreements and angrily slander Bolton as a warmonger and a mercenary who had neither America’s nor the president’s best interests at heart.

The allegations were entirely false. But their force and volume transformed every normal and entirely legitimate disagreement between Bolton and Trump into a major, widely reported event.

Under the circumstances, it was probably a foregone conclusion that Bolton’s days would be numbered.

In other words, Bolton’s departure had more to do with the stress of working in the toxic environment in Washington than with a change in Trump’s basic predisposition regarding foreign policy.

JPost Editorial: Fair-weather friend

Asked on Wednesday whether the US would ease up its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, Trump left open the possibility that he would ease sanctions, saying “We’ll see what happens.”

“I do believe they’d like to make a deal,” Trump added. “If they do, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s great too.”

Not long after, The Daily Beast reported that Trump is also open to a proposal from Macron to extend a $15b. line of credit to the Iranians if they comply with the Iran Deal.

These recent developments follow a trend that is extremely dangerous, and it appears that there is no longer someone in the White House fighting Iran.

Iran has never stopped cheating, and sanctions have been putting the necessary pressure on the regime. Lifting them now would squander all of Trump’s work before Tehran is ready to make real concessions. And a $15b. credit infusion would allow Iran to bolster its sponsorship of terrorism across the Middle East.

Trump has, thus far, been a good friend to Israel. Most of the Israeli political spectrum views his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and of the Golan Heights as part of Israel to be extremely positive; and while he plans to present his “Deal of the Century” later this month, he is not expected to put undue pressure on Israel.

But if Trump were to repeat his performance with Pyongyang – talking tough about North Korea before negotiating weakly without following up – in the Iranian arena, he would be putting Israel in great danger.

Trump needs to be a true friend to Israel, and not a fair-weather friend that would pander to those who seek to destroy us. The Iranian threat not only endangers Israel; it is a matter of national security, and, as Netanyahu said, the way to handle it is through “pressure, pressure and more pressure.”

Atallah Hanna, Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Palestinian territories, said today that the real estate in the area of Hebron is under threat and that "the extremist settlers may seize these properties at any time."

The St. John's building of the church in the Old City of Jerusalem was sold to Jews several years ago. Hannah is trying to avoid having this happen in Hebron.

"We have sent appealing letters to the rest of the world over the past months, demanding that there be a move to stop this impending catastrophe in Hebron, but we have not yet seen any serious action and did not touch any initiatives aimed at nullifying this deal, which was concluded by the unworthy and submitted to he worthless. "

Archbishop Atallah said, "Those who make these sales are betraying the Church and Jerusalem. They are no less evil than Judas Iscariot, who betrayed his teacher with 30 silver coins."

Selling to Christians or Muslims is OK. Selling to Jews makes you as bad as Judas.

Nah, that isn't antisemitic at all.

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David Abrams of the Israel Advocacy Center has filed a lawsuit against Oxfam using a very interesting argument.

The text of the suit says:

Oxfam has received substantial USAID funding in recent years. In order to be eligible for funding, Oxfam had to execute certifications indicating that it has not provided material support or resources to terrorist persons or entities in the last 10 years.

...From approximately 2013 to 2017, Oxfam sponsored a project in the Gaza Strip to promote agriculture in urban and suburban areas. The project came to be known as "GUPAP," which stands for "Gaza Urban and Peri-Urban Agricultural Platform."

Among other things, the GUPAP project provided support and assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of National Economy in Gaza.

Since Hamas controls the government in the Gaza Strip, the substantial effect of such assistance is to aid Hamas, which has been a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. State Department since 1997.

There is no question that Hamas controls all Gaza government institutions, which means Abrams' lawsuit has merit because Oxfam misrepresented itself by saying it was not supporting terror. giving money to Hamas government functions means it can free up money for building tunnels and rockets.

The lawsuit was filed in February 2018 but was only unsealed this week.

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Dr. Adva Biton, 39, suffered the worst tragedy a parent can imagine. In 2013, Adva and three of her children were returning home from a visit to their grandmother when their car came under attack by Arab terrorists hurling stones. Adva’s little girl, Adele, was critically injured, sustaining severe head injuries. Two years later, little Adele succumbed to her injuries.

During the two years leading up to her death, all of Israel prayed for Adele. We watched for every scrap of news about Adele and about Adva, whose dedication to her daughter’s recovery seemed never to flag. She never seemed to leave her daughter’s side. Adva Biton was every Israeli mother in a dreaded situation that could have happened to any of us, God forbid. Our hearts were collectively broken in 2015, when Adele left this world.

In the run-up to the election, I wanted to know more about Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), the far right party associated with the values of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane. I was surprised to learn that Dr. Biton was number two on the list of this party, which looks as though it will just make it over the electoral threshold. I was also surprised to learn that Adva Biton was Dr. Adva Biton, an academic in the field of medical chemistry.

I had known her only as a mother. And now it seemed she was also an academic running for Knesset. I spoke with Dr. Adva Biton to learn more:

Varda Epstein: Where were you born and raised?

Adva Biton: I was born in Beersheva and grew up in Ariel, a wonderful city in Samaria

Varda Epstein: Can you tell us a bit about your family background? Who were your parents and grandparents?

Adva Biton: I was raised in a simple home based on the love of man and the earth. My grandparents were land workers, farmers. They found their livelihood toiling in the Land of Israel. My grandfather was a shepherd and farmer. He had a goat farm.

They raised their eight children in nature, without the noise of technology.

Varda Epstein: I see you are a PhD in medical chemistry. Can you tell us a bit about your academic career?

Adva Biton: I come from the world of research and academics in pharmaceutical chemistry with more than 15 years of experience as a lecturer and researcher on a wide variety of medical science medical topics. My thesis dealt with DNA Photocleavage by TFO-Dye conjugates: from Mechanistic Aspects to in-vivo Applications.

Varda Epstein: You’re the mother of a large family who suffered a terrible loss. The entire country prayed for Adele, HY”D. What is it about your life that has prepared you to run for office?

Adva Biton: Throughout my dealings with the tragedy that befell us, many channels opened up to me. I discovered abilities and skills in myself. I became a social activist, participating in forums. I took part in protests, particularly in the general Knesset committees. These things gave me the opportunity to rise and reach the Knesset. I see the Israeli Knesset as a place to advance the social agendas in which I am involved.

When a person goes through a horrible tragedy, they get up from their low place, not from a place of experience, and find something in themselves: some strength to go help and fight for others.

Adele Biton, before the tragedy

Adele Biton

Dr. Adva Biton, with Adele, HY"D

Varda Epstein: Practically speaking, what can Otzma accomplish if it makes it into the government?

Adva Biton: We can change the policy and response to terror: no tying our IDF soldiers’ hands in response to the enemy. No more five star hotel for terrorists. No more protection money to Hamas. We can change in the judicial system, which is totally corrupt. Education. Rights for divorced fathers, alienated parents, and victims of the welfare system

Varda Epstein: Some of us are thinking about voting for Otzma Yehudit for the first time but we worry about the background of some of the members, the criminal indictments and ties to mosque arson and violent price tag attacks. What can you say to reassure us that you are mature, law-abiding citizens?

Adva Biton: Itamar Ben Gvir always goes according to the law. None of our representatives have ever broken the law. Everything done in Otzma is legal.

Price tag attacks are not representative of Otzma Yehudit. Rather, Otzma is representative of Israeli society and hopes to represent any and every Israeli citizen in the Knesset.

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09/12 Links Pt2: Jerusalem Skyline Lights Up in Memory of 9/11; Qanta Ahmed: Sarsour as Sanders surrogate: Intersectionality meets Islamist anti-Semitism; Labour's Anti-Semitic Conference Line-Up

From Ian:

Jerusalem Skyline Lights Up in Memory of 9/11

A new art installation lit up Jerusalem's skies Tuesday evening in a ceremony marking 18 years since the devastating attacks in the U.S. on September 11, 2001.

The ceremony held at the KKL-JNF 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza in Jerusalem Park presented an art installation called a “Tribute in Light.”

The installation comprises two 300-meter tall illuminated pillars shining from Emek Ha’arazim in the north of the city all the way to the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway.

At the ceremony, jointly held by KKL-JNF and JNF-USA, the beams were lit up by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, U.S. Ambassador David Friedman, KKL-JNF Chief Development Officer Ronnie Vinnikov and JNF-USA Chief Israel Officer Eric Michaelson.

The “Tribute in Light” has been held each year in New York in remembrance of the victims of the September 11 attacks, with Israel being the first country to participate in this ceremony outside of the United States.

“Tribute in Light” will continue through the annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony on Wednesday until the morning of September 12.

MEMRI: Jordanian Journalist: Muslims Are The True Victims Of 9/11 – Since Then, Six Million Muslims Have Been Killed In Wars Against Them Launched By The West

To mark the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, columnist for the Jordanian Al-Dustour daily Ismail Al-Sharif, a previous CEO of the paper, wrote that the Muslims are the real victims of the attacks. Since September 11, 2001, he claimed, "no fewer than six million Muslims" have been killed in direct and indirect crimes and wars launched against Muslims by the West.

He explained that after the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S. and the West needed a new enemy to fight and chose Islam, as they saw it as a threat to Western civilization, and that ever since, and in particular ever since 9/11, the West has provoked wars in various Arab countries – Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, and others. It is fanning the flames of these wars to this very day, he added, thus allowing Muslim blood to continue to be shed as they are slaughtered in droves. He urged Muslims to adhere to Islam and to instill its lofty values in their children, because this, he added, is the only way to become stronger and change the situation.

The following are translated excerpts from his column:
"In a few days it will be the 18th anniversary of the events of September 11, [2001], and on television we will see the victims' families shedding tears for their loved ones and hear commentary attempting to prove that this operation was nothing but a big conspiracy. Obviously, the president of the world's most powerful country [the U.S.] will deliver a speech in which he will say: 'These events have made the U.S. stronger.'

"[Meanwhile,] in other parts of the world, mothers will weep for children who died in an attack in the springtime of their lives; people will be arrested for no reason; refugees will be expelled; and people will be tortured. The common denominator of all these people is that they are Muslims – the greatest victims of the September 11 events. We will perhaps debate the question of whether the events were [indeed the result of] a conspiracy, or whether bin Laden planned them in a cave in Afghanistan. In this context, it should be mentioned that the well-known British journalist Robert Fisk wrote in one of his books that he had met with bin Laden in a cave in Afghanistan, and that bin Laden was eager to know what was happening in the world since the [only] source of information he had at the time was a two-month old copy of Newsweek!...

MEMRI: Al-Qaeda Releases Video Featuring Its Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri Urging Mujahideen To Target Israeli, American, European, And Russian Interests Worldwide

On September 11, 2019, Al-Sahab, the media arm of Al-Qaeda, released a video featuring the group's leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri urging the mujahideen in Palestine and across the Muslim ummah to target Israeli, U.S., European, and Russian interests worldwide.

In the video, which was posted on Al-Sahab's official Telegram channel,[1] Al-Zawahiri addressed Muslim scholars, who had condemned Al-Qaeda for killing unarmed civilians and asked them to attack U.S. and European military bases around the world if they want jihad to be only against military targets. Al-Zawahiri also accused Iran of partnering with the U.S. in its wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, and praised the Taliban saying they have drained the U.S. "which sought to negotiate with Taliban to get out of Afghanistan."

The video, which is titled "And they shall continue fighting you" (Quran 2:217), started by condemning the U.S. and accusing it of continuing to be hostile against Islam and Muslims, citing President Trump's decisions to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, and recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights as examples.

Al-Zawahiri then claimed that the majority of Zionists throughout history have been non-Jews, saying Napoleon, Balfour, Mark Sykes, President Trump, and thousands of others were "non-Jew Zionists." According to Al-Zawahiri, "these Zionists plot against Muslims everywhere and immigrate to Israel from all over the world; therefore, it is necessary to take the battle to them everywhere."

Encouraging martyrdom-seeking mujahideen to carry out attacks around the world, Al-Zawahiri noted that those who want to wage jihad against Israel can do so anywhere. He said: "After ensuring that his target is permissible in the light of the shari'a, that no harm should occur to Muslims as a result of his actions, and that the benefits of his actions outweigh the costs, all he needs to do is to put his trust in Allah and head for his target after leaving a message that the aim of his jihad operation is avenging the crimes in Palestine and all such Muslim lands."

MEMRI: MEMRI TV Clips And Reports From The MEMRI 9/11 Archives Project 2019: Iraqi News Flash: 'Heart Of Evil' Has Been Struck; HTS Official: Post-9/11 Attacks Would Have Brought Down U.S.; Iranian Filmmaker: 9/11 Is A Big Lie, 3,000 Jews Were Warned To Stay Away; Al-Qaeda Urdu Magazine Marks 9/11, Quotes Bin Laden; Pittsburgh Imam: 9/11 Was False Flag Operation

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has been monitoring, translating, and documenting content about them in Middle East- and South Asia-based media. For the 10th anniversary of 9/11, MEMRI launched its 9/11 Documentation Project, which examines the roots of the ideology that ultimately led to the attacks. It features primary-source material from Arab and Islamic print, broadcast, and online media, and from other sources; together with the archive of MEMRI research from the past two decades, it comprises the most extensive collection of material on this and related subjects in the world.

The MEMRI 9/11 Documentation Project includes MEMRI translations of documents from Al-Qaeda and affiliate organizations, speeches by and interviews with Al-Qaeda and affiliated leaders, wills and statements by the 9/11perpetrators and their colleagues, and Al-Qaeda recruitment and indoctrination materials. It also tracks and documents conspiracy theories from across the Arab and Muslim world denying any Arab responsibility for the attacks and implicating others in them.

Throughout 2019, MEMRI has added new clips and reports to the project website. Among these are an archival clip of a September 11, 2001 Iraq TV news bulletin in which a reporter stated, in a voice-over to footage of the burning World Trade Center and chaos in Manhattan, that the "heart of evil" had been struck; a clip of an official of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) organization stating that additional large-scale attacks in the U.S. after 9/11 would have caused the country's collapse; a clip of an Iranian filmmaker calling 9/11 a "fabricated crime" and reiterating the claim that 3,000 Jews had been warned the previous day to stay away from the area; a report from the MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor on Al-Qaeda's Urdu-language magazine's commemoration of 9/11; and, from the MEMRI Sermons By Imams In The West project, a report on a Pittsburgh imam who in an audio recording stated that 9/11 – and most other terrorist attacks – were false flag operations.

"No dialogue and no negotiation" - Palestinian Arab intransigence is the same as it was in 1930

From Wikipedia Commons:

This was a photo-op protest of women and girls, probably taken out of school for the protest, in Jerusalem.

The sign says "No dialogue and no negotiation - We demand the abolition of the Mandate."

Those "no's" sound exactly like Palestinian Arabs today who also demand to be given everything they demand without negotiations.

(h/t Ibn Boutros)

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Gazans burn synagogue in Netzarim

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy keeps slowly releasing the results of a poll of Palestinian opinion from July. We looked at some earlier results, and the new releases are just as awful.

Mostly consistent across generations... was rejection of permanent peace with Israel. Asked if a two-state solution should be “the end of conflict with Israel,” just 34% of young West Bank respondents answered yes; the proportion was even lower among older residents (25%).

In Gaza, overall opinions on this and many related issues were somewhat more moderate, but the generational difference was reversed there: 38% of young Gazan respondents said that a two-state solution should end the conflict, while 46% of their elders agreed with that ideal.

Averaging these numbers out, the number of Palestinians who want to keep the conflict going even after they get a state outnumbers those who disagree by a 2-1 margin.

J-Street and Peace Now and practically the entire Democratic Party and all of Western Europe take it as axiomatic that a new "State of Palestine" would bring peace. Voices who point out that Israeli concessions in the past to Palestinians has brought less, not more, peace have been drowned out.

Here we have actual evidence that a two-state solution is not a solution at all. Rather, Palestinians themselves say that it should bring more terror and attacks.

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09/12 Links Pt1: Jordan Valley Needed to Protect Israel from Threats to the East; Evelyn Gordon: Palestinians Are Tired of Being the Only Refugees Denied the Right to Resettlement

From Ian:

Evelyn Gordon: Palestinians Are Tired of Being the Only Refugees Denied the Right to Resettlement

Hundreds of Palestinian refugees demonstrated outside the Canadian Embassy in Beirut on Sept. 5 to request asylum in Canada or the European Union, the second such protest in the last month. The most surprising aspect of these demonstrations is that they have been so long in coming. Only now, after more than 70 years, are Palestinians publicly protesting the fact that they alone, of all the world’s refugees, are denied the most basic of refugee rights—the right to seek resettlement in a safe third country.

All other refugees worldwide are handled by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, which resettles tens of thousands of refugees in third countries every year. But Palestinian refugees aren’t allowed to apply to UNHCR; they are handled by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, an agency created exclusively for them. And UNRWA hasn’t resettled a single refugee in its 70 years of existence.

The only option it offers the refugees and their descendants is eternal limbo: awaiting a “return” to Israel that will never happen. Thus it’s unsurprising that the protesters also assailed UNRWA for depriving them of “their most basic rights.”

Moreover, this refusal to grant Palestinians a right of resettlement enjoys the full support of so-called human-rights organizations and self-proclaimed advocates of human rights like the European Union. Thus it’s equally unsurprising that groups like Amnesty and Human Rights Watch completely ignored the demonstration.

PMW: Abbas dictates content of PA media: Promote terrorists

Palestinian Authority media is controlled by PA Chairman Abbas himself. A statement by the General Supervisor of the Official PA Media Ahmad Assaf who has the rank of minister and was appointed by Abbas demonstrates that Abbas actively involves himself in determining the content of the official PA media:

"Assaf expressed his pride that the official media is representing the cause of the Martyrs, the wounded, and the prisoners under the instructions of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas, who is constantly reemphasizing that this is our people's most important cause."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 26, 2019]

Assaf made this statement in July at a tribute ceremony held at the Palestine Broadcasting Corporation headquarters in Ramallah for "journalists who are members of the official media."

Abbas' control over the content of the media is effective. Earlier this month, a Palestinian Martyrs' association honored the head of PA media Ahmad Assaf for doing precisely what Abbas had instructed: "To serve the Martyrs and their families and the prisoners and their families":

"Secretary-General of the National Association of the Families of the Martyrs of Palestine Muhammad Sbeihat honored General Supervisor of the Official [PA] Media [with the rank of] Minister Ahmad Assaf for the role that the official media plays in serving the Martyrs and their families and the prisoners and their families."
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 3, 2019]

Fatah wants Palestinian children to see these men as role models & is using Facebook to publicize its terror mission. Demand Facebook stop partnering with Palestinian terror promotion & close Fatah’s page. #CloseFatahFB

Email Facebook: https://t.co/7VhTTIU47H pic.twitter.com/DpWrwAXIuw
— Pal Media Watch (@palwatch) September 12, 2019

PMW: "Lies, damn lies and statistics" - the PA version

Announcing the Palestinian Authority's intention to begin international arbitration proceedings regarding the tax revenues Israel collects and transfers to the PA, the PA Minister of Finance Shukri Bishara chose to obfuscate reality presenting a financial picture that has little to do with real facts, but rather simply reinforces the PA narrative.

In the announcement, Bishara claimed that the payment for services Israel provides to the PA and an agreed handling fee are unrightfully "withheld" by Israel:
"The total amount of what Israel has withheld from the clearance revenues, which are the Palestinian taxes on imports from Israel and abroad collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA), has exceeded $3.5 billion in the last five years alone, of which $400 million was taken as 3% commission on the collection and over $3 billion for services, electricity, water, medical transfers and sanitation."
[WAFA, English edition, Official PA news agency, Sept. 4, 2019]

Comprehensive statistics obtained by Palestinian Media Watch from Israel's Ministry of Finance under the Freedom of Information Law, show that Bishara's claims are outrageous.

First, it should be noted that when Bishara refers to the amounts "Israel has withheld," he is, in reality, referring to the PA's payments for services provided by Israel to the Palestinians, such as "electricity, water, medical transfers, and sanitation." Distorting this simple fact - in order to create the impression that Israel arbitrarily deducted these sums - becomes an additional element of the PA's "Palestinian victimhood" narrative. Clearly, however, if Israel provides services to the PA, Israel is entitled to be paid for those services.

New US sanctions target Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah leaders

On Tuesday, the US announced another round of sanctions against terror supporters and organizations, from the Taliban, ISIS and others.

It also included sanctions against some major Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad figures.

Here they are:

Marwan Issa: Marwan Issa is the deputy commander of the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the operational arm of HAMAS.

Al-Hindi

Muhammad al-Hindi: Muhammad al-Hindi is the Deputy Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata: Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata, a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Higher Military Council, is a commander of the Gaza and North Battalion in the Al-Quds Brigade.

Ali Karaki: Ali Karaki, is a senior leader within Hizballah’s Jihad Council. He led Mu’awaniyeh 105 (Southern Command) and was responsible for military operations in southern Lebanon. Southern Command was divided into five geographic fronts (Mihwar), each consisting of a group of villages in a geographically contiguous strip.

Muhammad Haydar: Muhammad Haydar is a senior leader within Hizballah’s Jihad Council. Haydar was the Chief of Bureau 113, and ran Hizballah networks operating outside of Lebanon and appointed leaders of various units. He was very close to deceased senior Hizballah official Imad Mughniyah. In 2004, Haydar was elected to the Lebanese Parliament.

Fu’ad Shukr: Fu’ad Shukr, a senior Hizballah Jihad Council member, oversaw Hizballah’s specialized weapons units in Syria, including its missile and rocket unit. He is a senior military advisor to Hizballah Secretary General Hasan Nasrallah and played a central role in the planning and execution of the October 23, 1983 U.S. Marine Corps Barracks Bombing in Beirut, Lebanon, which killed 241 U.S. service personnel.

Ibrahim ‘Aqil: Ibrahim ‘Aqil, a senior Hizballah Jihad Council member, is Hizballah’s military operations commander.

So why weren't these done years ago?

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The Arab League held a meeting of Arab foreign ministers this week.

Despite the many problems in the Arab world, their final statements appears to be nothing but a litany of anti-Israel resolutions:

* Calling on the UN to convene an international conference to impose a "peace process" against Israel

* Condemning anyone (meaning the US) that is not working towards a political solution and that emphasizes economic and humanitarian issues

* Work vigorously to mobilize broad support for the renewal of the mandate of UNRWA.

* Condemn any decision by any state to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital

* Support the PLO holding Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people, to provide the necessary technical and financial support for these Palestinian endeavors

* Help the PLO in any legal actions against Israel including going to international court to overturn the Balfour Declaration

* Condemning Israel withholding funds from the Palestinian Authority that goes to terrorists and their families

* "Respect the legitimacy of the PLO, the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas," and to have the PA take over Gaza from Hamas

* "The Ministers expressed their deep concern over the malicious Israeli plans on the African continent," meaning any diplomatic activity whatsoever in Africa

* "Confront any Israeli attempt to circumvent the status of Palestine in Africa, which was built on the common values against colonialism, oppression and segregation.

* "The Council warned against the establishment of Israeli-African conferences, and urged African countries not to participate in any of them."

* Condemn Israel for closing the "Bab Al-Rahma" chapel on the Temple Mount which was opened by Hamas earlier this year

*Condemn "all violations by Israel (the occupying Power) of Islamic and Christian holy sites, especially attempts to change the historical and legal situation in Al-Aqsa Mosque, to divide it temporarily and spatially, and to undermine the freedom of Muslim prayer and deportation from it, and to try to control it."

* Condemn "Israeli excavations under Al-Aqsa Mosque and its walls."

* "Strongly condemn repeated incursions by extremist settler gangs and Israeli officials to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, attacking its sanctity, under the support, protection and participation of the Israeli government and forces, and warning the so-called 'Israeli Supreme Court' to allow Jewish settlers and intruders to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, after allowing them to storm and desecrate it, within the Israeli plans to divide the mosque temporarily and spatially, including what is going on around the "Gate of Mercy" Jewish incursions and 'Talmudic' prayers, and warn that these attacks It has serious implications for international peace and security.

* Condemn "the systematic Israeli policy of distorting the educational curricula in the city of Jerusalem, and the imposition of the fabricated Israeli curriculum instead of the Palestinian curriculum in Arab schools, including the application of financial and administrative sanctions on Palestinian schools that do not comply with this malicious policy aimed at distorting the Islamic culture and identity of the Arab city of Jerusalem."

* "Rejection and condemnation of attempts to terminate or reduce the role and mandate of UNRWA through systematic Israeli campaigns against it, including seeking to close all centers and schools in the occupied city of Jerusalem and the replacement of Israeli occupying institutions"

* Rejection of the US decision or any similar decision to stop funding UNRWA

* "Express concern about UNRWA's annual budget deficit. Emphasizing the necessity of calling on the UN General Assembly Member States to launch a global appeal to expand the donor base of UNRWA to all Member States"

Literally every statement is about "Palestine."

The interesting part is that while "Palestine" seems to control the agenda of what statements to issue, even the Palestinians don't expect the members of the Arab League to actually do anything for them. Before the conference, the alternate Palestinian representative to the Arab League Muhannad al-Aklouk stated that he intended a resolution "to take punitive measures, whether political, diplomatic or economic, against any country that recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and it will be up to each country to implement them as they see fit."

Even the PLO knows that it cannot call for Arab states to boycott countries, or close diplomatic missions, against nations that recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital - because they won't do it. Palestine is something to support with words and with occasional cash but the PLO no longer asks the Arab League nations to actually do anything concrete.

The Arab League was created to oppose Zionism and this is part of its DNA.

These statements at the end of many hundreds of Arab League meetings are meaningless but they make Palestinians feel important. Deep down, though, even the Palestinians know that the Arab League is one of the last institutions that can be counted on to reliably rubber stamp their demands as long as the members states aren't asked to actually do anything.

(h/t Ibn Boutros)

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Ken Roth tweets how all refugees should be resettled - but @HRW never said that for Palestinians

Another hypocritical tweet from Human Rights Watch's chief Ken Roth:

Beyond humanitarian reasons, there are good strategic reasons to resettle refugees in safe places: the frustration of endless stays in refugee camps tend to make them breeding grounds for radicalism and regional instability. But Trump isn't listening. https://t.co/lLt2uCwRQF pic.twitter.com/Xy2LwFpNuK
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) September 11, 2019

Since Ken Roth took his position, I am fairly certain that he never said anything remotely like this for Palestinian "refugees." On the contrary, HRW advocates the "right to return" for them claiming that Israel must be forced to accept an arbitrary number of Arabs as citizens if they choose to "return" to where their grandparents lived.

The further irony is that the camps in Lebanon and Syria, Gaza and the West Bank are indeed places that so-called "refugees" get radicalized. In Lebanon, fighting erupts between different parties in the camps fairly regularly, and the sometimes spill into the rest of Lebanon. Roth doesn't care about Palestinians getting radicalized. He doesn't call for the camps to be demolished and the residents integrated into their host countries. And if anyone should be resettled, it is Palestinians whose statelessness has gone on for three generations, a much more acute problem than that of any real refugee group.

Just like Israel is expected to live up to standards that no other nation does, Palestinians have unique human-rights rules as well. They can be denied human rights as long as the reason is to make them cannon fodder against Israel.

Roth is a hypocrite, and this tweet proves it.

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09/11 Links Pt2: Danny Lewin H'yd: The very first victim of 9/11; In Her New Book on Anti-Semitism, Bari Weiss Bravely States the Obvious; Why Israeli TV is irresistible to American producers

From Ian:

Awakening feelings about 9/11

As we began Kabbalat Shabbat, I asked everyone to rise and the Cantor led us in the “Star Spangled Banner.” Since our synagogue, like most in the US has an American flag proudly displayed, we all turned and looked at it. Some saluted. Some put their hands over their hearts. Some war veterans wore their caps for the service, and some people cried – both women and men. Those moments were parallel to what was going on the city where almost every block had an American flag flying.

When I took the pulpit, I first asked everyone to rise and recite the Kaddish mourner’s prayer for the nephew of a doctor in our congregation. The young man in his 30s had been killed in the Pentagon where he worked. Most people have forgotten that Washington, DC, was a major target. The only place the first plane was able to hit was the Pentagon. The plane, which the assailants took over before the passengers overpowered them, was headed for the White House. The passengers triumphed over these terrorists.

Sadly, the plane went down and everyone aboard was killed.

I read from President Bush’s address to the nation the night of 9/11. Then I added a few of my own thoughts.

“I feel today that we are one nation – Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, black and white and brown. We are one nation, indivisible, united in our fear and outrage. Our compassion and resolve from now on September 11 will be a second Memorial Day in honor of our civilian casualties of war.

“Each of us is a reservoir of hope and strength. Surely we all saw hope in the firefighters who stood in burning debris, with boots melting, trying so hard to find more survivors. That hope should be a part of all our lives. We must do what we can to help. Ve’im lo achshav, aymatai? If not now, when?”

Then I asked everyone present to rise, and we offered a prayer for America and for all of us. As we stood, we sang “Hatikvah” as we looked proudly at the Israeli flag. On this 9/11 eighteen years later, let us pray that terrorism will be combated and peace will reign.

StandWithUs: Remember their names

2,977 men, women and children lost their lives on September 11th, 2001. We remember their names. We mourn the lives that could have been.

Danny Lewin H'yd: The very first victim of 9/11

Danny Lewin, veteran of the IDF’s elite commando team, outstanding graduate of Israel’s Technion and MIT PhD student at MIT will be forever remembered for his attempt to prevent the hijacking of Flight 11, becoming the very first victim of 9/11.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Danny Lewin boarded American Airlines Flight No. 11 in Boston, expecting to reach Los Angeles. Instead, the flight was hijacked and commandeered by Arab terrorists, crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. On that fateful flight, Danny Lewin became the very first victim of the largest terrorist attack in history in which almost 3,000 Americans died. An internal memorandum of the Federal Aviation Administration says “that in the course of a struggle that took place between Lewin, a graduate of Israel’s elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal, and the four hijackers who were assaulting that cockpit, Lewin was murdered by Satam Al Suqami, a 25-year-old Saudi.”

Sometime after the attack, the Lewin family in Jerusalem received a telephone call from the FBI offices in New York. On the line was the agent responsible for the investigation of the attack on Flight 11. He told Danny’s parents that there is a high degree of certainty that Danny tried to prevent the hijacking. The FBI relied, among other things, on the testimony of the stewardess Amy Sweeney.

Sweeney succeeded in clandestinely getting a call out during the flight to a flight services supervisor in Boston, from the rear of the plane: “A hijacker slit the throat of a passenger in business class and the passenger appears to me to be dead.” To this day the American investigators are not convinced that Danny Lewin was murdered on the spot. An additional stewardess, Betty Ong, who succeeded in calling from a telephone by one of the passenger seats, said that the passenger who was attacked from business class seat 10B was seriously wounded. It turned out that 10B was the seat of Danny Lewin.

The Lewin family, Danny’s parents and brothers, have no doubt that Danny battled the hijackers. And it is for them a tremendous consolation. “I wasn’t surprised to hear from the FBI that Danny fought. I was sure that this is what he would do,” Yonatan, his younger brother, said. “Danny didn’t sit quietly. From what we heard from the Americans, the hijackers attacked one of the stewardesses and Danny rose to protect her and prevent them from entering the cockpit. It is a consolation to us that Danny fought. We see it as an act of heroism that a person sacrifices his life in order to save others. That battle in the business section ended quickly. Lewin was overcome and bled to death on the floor. Two additional flight attendants were knifed and the captain was murdered. The hijackers were already inside the cockpit. They announced to the passengers to remain quiet in their seats.

Clifford D. May: Another unhappy 9/11 anniversary

Eighteen years is a long time. If you were born 18 years ago, you are today a young adult, old enough to find a job, begin college, enlist in the military, and vote for the first time. You also should know what happened in 2001, the year you were born. But, given the state of America’s educational system, I’m not confident you do. So let me briefly fill you in.

Back then, the Soviet socialist experiment had collapsed ending the Cold War which had followed World War II which had followed a decade of economic depression which came 11 years after the end of World War I.

That led to the belief – naïve but widely held – that there was a “new normal,” that Americans could cash a “peace dividend,” that whatever differences remained among the world’s peoples could now be resolved through diplomacy, commercial relations, and the intercession of transnational bureaucrats.

Then, on Sept. 11, 2001, a sparkling late summer morning, enemies of America hijacked four passenger jets and turned them into guided missiles.

Two planes brought down the World Trade Center, symbol of America’s economic might. One struck the Pentagon, headquarters of America’s military strength. A fourth was headed for the White House, where America’s top elected leader resides. That fourth jet failed to reach its target thanks to the heroic resistance of the passengers onboard.

Nearly 3,000 people, ranging in age from 2 to 85, were killed, a higher death toll than Pearl Harbor in 1941. Al-Qaida, the organization responsible, spent about a half million dollars to plan and execute the attacks. The cost to the U.S. has been estimated at over $3 trillion.