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06/12 Links Pt1: Terror victim’s family sues PA for NIS 100 million; Trump increases his support for Israel to unprecedented levels

June 12, 2020 Ian General News

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2020/06/0612-links-pt1-terror-victims-family.html

From Ian:

Terror victim’s family sues Palestinian Authority for NIS 100 million
The family of 13-year-old Hallel Ariel, killed in a violent terror attack in 2016, is suing the Palestinian Authority for NIS 100 million.

Since the incident of the terror attack, Hallel’s parents, Rina and Amichai Ariel, have been involved in inter-state legal battles against the Palestinian Authority (PA). The NIS 100 million is the same amount the PA is paying the terrorist’s family, in the form of monthly payments, for having carried out the attacks, and is the basis of the Ariel family’s legal pursuit.

Prior to Hallel’s murder, the terrorist who carried out the attack, Muhammad Tarayrah, 17 at the time of the incident, shared multiple posts on Facebook in which he praised terror attacks and stated his intentions to be a martyr. Carrying out his intentions, the terrorist infiltrated the West Bank Settlement of Kiryat Araba, located next to Hebron, snuck into Hallel’s bedroom and stabbed her multiple times.

Following the attack the PA has paid the terrorist’s family a monthly amount of NIS 12,000, according to Shurat HaDin, the legal body helping the Ariel family with their case.

Hallel was a dancer, and had performed in Jerusalem the night before the incident. Her family had allowed her to sleep in while they left to carry out the day’s activities. Tarayrah had managed to infiltrate the settlement, and though alarms were set off, managed to sneak into the girl’s bedroom, stabbing her to death, before the settlement’s security team, of which her father was a part of, captured the terrorist, shot and killed him.

Lawsuit Alleges Qatar Secretly Financed Terror Attacks that Killed Americans

Qatar secretly provided funding for several terror attacks that killed Americans and Israelis, according to allegations leveled in an unprecedented new lawsuit filed in New York City on Wednesday that seeks compensation for the families of those killed.

Multiple Qatari financial institutions, largely controlled by the country’s ruling monarch, provided millions of dollars to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), two U.S.-designated terrorist organizations that waged multiple successful attacks on American citizens, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. As part of this alleged funding scheme, Qatari charities allegedly used the U.S. banking system to illegally funnel these groups the money necessary to orchestrate and conduct the attacks.

As Hamas’s most prolific funder, “Qatar coopted several institutions that it dominates and controls to funnel coveted U.S. dollars (the chosen currency of Middle East terrorist networks) to Hamas and PIJ under the false guise of charitable donations,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act and has been in the works for the last two years.

Revelations of Qatar’s alleged involvement in these terror plots is likely to fuel ongoing congressional investigations into Qatar’s support for terror factions and other anti-U.S. militia groups. Qatar’s involvement with these groups has also been a source of tension with its regional neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt—all of which cut ties with the regime in 2017 due to its support for terrorism.

The lawsuit was filed by American attorney Steven Perles, who has prosecuted several notable terrorism cases filed on behalf of the families and victims of these terror attacks. The current case includes among its plaintiffs the family of Taylor Force, an American military veteran killed by Hamas in 2016.

“In addition to holding those who have financed terrorism accountable, this case should serve as a strong deterrent to others who might consider similar activities,” Perles told the Free Beacon.

JPost Editorial: The Palestinian Authority’s intransigence in the face of annexation

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh was firm in his resolve on Tuesday. Speaking to members of the Foreign Press Association in Ramallah in an effort to disseminate the Palestinian point of view to the world on Israel’s upcoming plans to declare sovereignty over undisclosed areas of the West Bank, he announced that “annexation is the erosion of a future Palestinian state,” and called Israeli annexation “an existential threat to our future.”

It’s the same, predictable message that the Palestinians have been parroting since the concept of a unilateral annexation by Israel emerged with the publication of the Trump peace plan in January, which followed years of protracted stasis between Israel and the PA surrounding a negotiated settlement to the disputed territories that have been in Israel’s hands since 1967.

His statements came days after crowds of Israelis and Palestinians gathered in Tel Aviv and Ramallah, respectively, to rally against the Israeli plans, which could vary anywhere from annexing large settlement blocs in Area C like Ma’aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion or strategic areas like the Jordan Valley, to a more sweeping annexation of all settlements and surrounding areas in the West Bank.

Many of those who gathered in Tel Aviv were likely not demonstrating against the national consensus that those heavy Jewish population areas of Area C will become part of Israel in a negotiated deal on two states with the Palestinians – they were protesting the unilateral aspect of the prospective move, which will create facts on the ground, create a stateless category for thousands of Palestinians surrounding those annexed areas and make the already remote likelihood that Israel and the PA can come to terms over a two-state solution that much more difficult.

However, the Palestinian protesters and the government in Ramallah aren’t concerning themselves with nuances and terms like “unilateral” or “negotiated.” There has never been a serious indication from the Palestinian side that it is willing to accept anything beyond a return to the pre-1967 war lines, meaning the nonstarter premise for Israel of dismantling dozens of cities, towns and settlements and relocating hundreds of thousands of Israelis.

The Palestinians’ insistence at choosing to ignore the last 53 years of reality, which for better or worse, has seen massive Israeli settlement in the disputed areas that it won in the Six Day War, is the crux of the problem that the region faces and which has led to the unfortunate scenario of unilateral annexation.

International Law and Israeli Sovereignty in Judea and Samaria

There has been a cascade of dire warnings about the consequences should Israel’s elected government follow through on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s campaign promise to apply Israeli law in parts of Judea and Samaria.

The Jewish people are the only people in fact who have a recognized legal right over Judea and Samaria. This was enshrined in the mandate drafted and approved by 51 members of the League of Nations guaranteeing the “right of Jewish people to reconstitute their national home” in the Land of Israel (1922). Judea and Samaria have never been under the sovereignty of any other country than the State of Israel. Jordan’s invasion of the territory in 1948 and its attempt to annex it in 1950 was widely opposed internationally.

The prohibition against the forcible transfer of civilians to territory of an occupied state under the Fourth Geneva Convention has no relevance. It was never intended to relate to circumstances of voluntary Jewish settlement on legitimately acquired land which did not belong to a previous lawful sovereign and which was designated as part of the Jewish state under the League of Nations Mandate.

Trump increases his support for Israel to unprecedented levels

After threats comes action: Years of American warnings about the International Criminal Court’s continued probes prompted US President Donald Trump to take unprecedented steps against the problematic institution in The Hague on Thursday.

Trump, being Trump, has struck a direct blow to the staff of the ICC who were supposed to investigate ‎US soldiers who were active in Afghanistan and Iraq. This applies not only ICC personnel, but also their ‎property in the US and their families, who will not be allowed to enter the ‎US.

The American move has teeth. It makes the cases against American soldiers pointless since the ICC will not be able to investigate the events in which they were allegedly involved, so it is likely they will fall apart. In addition, and more importantly, the step seriously damages the stature of the ICC, which has been trying to win international legitimacy for years. The stigma of being refused entry to the US will have an effect. Any country harmed by the ICC will now allow itself to fight it, as America did.

The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, spit in America’s face when she insisted on investigations. Now that America is spitting back, she is drowning – along with the institution she directs.

But things don’t end there.

Trump’s sanctions include not only US military personnel, but IDF commanders, as well. Yes, ICC investigators who focus on Israel will not be allowed into the US or access to their property there. Practically speaking this is treating the IDF commanders as if they were US soldiers.

Caroline Glick: Trump should be Trump at home and abroad

Contrary to the consensus view, Trump understood Israel wasn’t responsible for the absence of peace. The source of war, radicalism and terror in the Middle East was radical Islam and the Arab world’s rejection of the Jewish people’s right to freedom and sovereignty in their homeland. The rejectionist Palestinians were the apotheosis of the Arab world’s pathologies.

Trump’s plan recognizes that the first step to peace is for Israel to render permanent its control in Judea and Samaria because only by doing so will it kill the myth that Israel is an “occupier” in its ancestral homeland and extinguish the hope of the Palestinians and their supporters that Israel can be destroyed. Peace can be accomplished only after Israel’s legitimacy and security are taken off the table.

So the first step on Trump’s road to peace is for Israel to apply its laws to all of its communities in Judea and Samaria and to the Jordan Valley, Israel’s eastern frontier with Jordan. Once that step is implemented, the Palestinians will be expected to take specific actions, like ending their payments to terrorists to show that they are willing to make peace. Peace itself, which can lead to a Palestinian state, requires the Palestinians to do basic things like accept Israel and dismantle Hamas.

It is hard to know if peace will ever come. But if it ever does, it will be on the basis of the Trump plan. Because unlike all the plans that preceded it, Trump’s peace plan is based on reality.

Unfortunately, the excitement that greeted Trump’s plan was overtaken by the multiple crises of more recent months. Moving it forward is likely not on the top of Trump’s list of priorities.

That list ought to be reconsidered though. Now is the time for decisive action. Trump’s domestic enemies and international rivals are using his distraction to try to undermine his revolutionary accomplishment. Democrats are threatening Israel with a downgrading of relations if Israel dares to apply its laws to the areas envisioned in Trump’s plan. Germany is leading Europe’s passive-aggressive charge with threats of sanctions if Israel implements its sovereignty plan in accordance with Trump’s vision for peace. Threatening Israel is seen by these forces as a means to begin dismantling all of Trump’s foreign policy achievements and undermining the public’s perception of his competence.

If Trump wishes to defeat his opponents and restore his credibility, the first thing he should do is call on Israel to apply its sovereignty to its communities in Judea and Samaria and to the Jordan Valley in accordance with his blueprint for peace. Doing so will restore faith in Trump’s seriousness of purpose, and increase his credibility at home and abroad.

The American voters elected Trump to be Trump. They will reelect him if he sticks to his guns. Staring down the mob, defending the police and protecting the public; standing with Israel and advancing his vision of reality-based peace are the two legs on which he built much of his pre-coronavirus success. Now they are the two main bases on which he will reassert his leadership and win his second term.

Israel coordinated US sanctions against ICC with Trump administration – report

The Trump administration and Israel coordinated the executive order authorizing US sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) employees who launched an investigation into whether US forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan, according to Channel 13 diplomatic correspondent Barak Ravid.

Sourcing Israeli officials, Ravid added that the main reasoning for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Israel last month was to accomplish this exactly. More so, the exchanges between the two nations regarding to the ICC were kept very close to the chest on both sides, not being mentioned at many briefings before of after Pompeo’s visit, presumably to prevent the information from leaking into the wrong hands.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yuval Steinitz, the minister responsible for defending the Israeli side against the ICC, were both present at the meeting in Jerusalem and, according to the report, Steinitz pushed Pompeo to issue sanctions against officials within the international court right then and there.

Following Pompeo’s visit, the two sides kept in close contact regarding the timing of the move as well as what the sanctions would entail, Ravid reported.

Within the White House statement, the US cited anti-Israel bias against the ICC, noting that they are under the impression that a good portion of their investigations are “politically-motivated.”

Secretary of State Pompeo: ICC Targeting Israel for Political Purposes

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday: “We’re also gravely concerned about the threat the [International Criminal] Court poses to Israel. The ICC is already threatening Israel with an investigation of so-called war crimes committed by its forces and personnel in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. Given Israel’s robust civilian and military legal system and strong track record of investigating and prosecuting wrongdoing by military personnel, it’s clear the ICC is only putting Israel in its crosshairs for nakedly political purposes. It’s a mockery of justice.”

“They’re a trusted and wonderful partner and a buttress of American security. If a rogue court can intimidate our friend or any other ally into abrogating its right to self-defense, that puts Americans at risk as well.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Ashkenazi Congratulates Trump for ICC Sanctions

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi on Thursday evening congratulated US President Donald Trump and his administration on the decision to impose sanctions on officials at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

“I thank President Trump for taking steps against the politically driven tribunal which illegitimately claims jurisdiction over Israel and the United States,” Ashkenazi said on Twitter.

Jewish Leaders Applaud Executive Order Sanctioning ICC Officials

Arthur Stark, Chairman, William Daroff, CEO, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Vice Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said Thursday: “We welcome the Administration’s executive order today imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) officials in response to politically motivated and inappropriate investigations into matters regarding the United States and Israel that are well beyond its province.”

“In pursuing these illegitimate investigations into the U.S. and Israel, the ICC betrays its purpose, distorts international law, and jeopardizes its own legitimacy as an unbiased judicial forum. We also commend the bipartisan call by 69 Senators and 262 Members of the House of Representatives who called upon the ICC to end its discriminatory campaign.”

We need to take Donald Trump’s deal for annexation – opinion

It is up to us, the settlers, along with the leadership of the State of Israel to accept the deal – but it is not entirely in our hands. Without the support of the international community we will find ourselves in the International Criminal Court in The Hague time after time, at every step of the way. The questions surrounding the definition of a Palestinian state is a matter of semantics and have been blown out of proportion – the very definition of background noise. The reality is that in the very small territory, there are both Arabs and Jews. We live adjacent to each other, but we do not overlap. Anyone who travels the roads of Judea and Samaria recognizes the large red signs that prohibit Israelis from entering the Arab regions. Call it a state, an entity, or an authority – these are just words. While the plan mentions a “Palestinian state,” it also explicitly assigns restrictions that will be placed upon it, clearly indicating that it will not function as a typical state.

Unfortunately, those opposed to the plan have spread a lot of misinformation about the significance of the map. It does not demarcate a future Palestinian state, but merely designates the territory where Israeli law is to be applied in the coming weeks. Despite the declarations from those opposed to the plan, the truth is that very little will change from the status quo. The security situation, jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority and traffic in the area will all stay the same. The IDF will remain right where it is today. And the Palestinians will not be any more threatening.

Once we apply Israeli law in Judea and Samaria, the “Vision for Peace” requires us to enter into negotiations with the Palestinians only if they meet the significant preconditions laid out in the plan. Until then, and in order to secure the future of the Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria, it is not only our responsibility to accept the plan but to embrace it wholeheartedly. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has explained multiple times the plan contains no directive to freeze construction in any Israeli municipalities in Judea and Samaria. It is clear that the Americans do not desire such an outcome either. In fact, the only freeze that has been discussed is in territories where there are currently no Israeli settlements or development. The fact is, every municipality that receives an upgraded status will be able to develop itself, within its borders and without soliciting permission from the military. These measures will strengthen the settlements, not weaken them.

Napoleon Hill, a leading American self-help writer, said “your big opportunity may be right where you are now.” Who knows if this deal is a once in a lifetime opportunity to fundamentally change the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? This deal will benefit “the settlements” and, by extension, the State of Israel. The application of Israeli law alongside recognition of the American government is not just an insurance policy, but a recalibration toward a brighter future. Which is why the behavior of those who wish to reject the plan is so threatening to the Israeli (and American) interests.

We need to internalize that in the US it is an election year. And while most policy initiatives that are advanced during these years often have a political angle, in this case it is not so. The pro-Israel Trump base is thrilled with the recognition of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, not to mention the change in tone from the previous administration. The fact that they are continuing to expend so much capital in presenting this plan during such a sensitive period demonstrates that the Administration genuinely believes that plan serves the interests of the US and the overall US-Israel relationship. There is no doubt the Trump administration has been the most pro-Israel government that the country has ever seen. To reject the plan would harm Israel and insult the US-Israel relationship. The decision could not be easier to make. The time to apply Israeli law in Judea and Samaria has come.

We must not let that time expire.

No Normalization if Annexation Goes Ahead, UAE Diplomat Warns Israeli Public

Israel cannot expect to normalize relations with the Arab world if it annexes land in the West Bank, a United Arab Emirates envoy wrote in Israel‘s top newspaper on Friday.

Some Israeli officials have dismissed the notion that applying sovereignty to West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley would slow a discreet opening between Israel and Arab countries — particularly with Gulf states who share Israeli concerns over Iran.

But, in a rare appeal to the Israeli public by an Arab official, the UAE’s ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, said the move would be what he called an “illegal takeover” of land Palestinians seek for a state.

“Annexation would — certainly and immediately — upend all Israeli aspirations for improved security, economic and cultural ties with the Arab world and the UAE,” he wrote in an op-ed in Israel‘s best-selling daily, Yedioth Ahronoth, published in Hebrew.

Israel has no diplomatic relations with Gulf Arab countries, but common concerns over Iran’s regional influence have led to a limited thaw in ties. In May, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad made the first known flight by a UAE carrier to Israel, carrying coronavirus aid for the Palestinians.

Five reasons the unprecedented UAE annexation warning matters

The regional implications
There is a growing crescendo of warnings to Israel about annexation. This has come particularly from Jordan and also from Egypt and Russia in recent weeks. Most countries feel the need to say something, but the question is which are serious in their opposition and which are paying more lip service to the issue?

There are already enough crises in the Middle East, so annexation could either add fuel or could be seen as yet another problem. For instance Lebanon and Syria are in the middle of an economic disaster. ISIS is rising again in Iraq as the US contemplates withdrawing some forces. Iran is stoking tensions in Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon and Syria with weapons trafficking. Turkey is sending drones and forces to Libya. The unseen opposition to annexation may come from Turkey, for instance, has been distracted by Idlib conflicts in Syria and by Libya, but it is possible it will ramp up opposition to inflame the region. Turkey supports Hamas in Gaza and is one of the largest implacable foes of Israel’s policies. When Trump moved the embassy to Jerusalem, Turkey became the main opponent to the move in the region.

In this context the UAE warning and messages about shared interests or threats could have larger implications relating to the regional alliances in the Middle East today. Turkey and Qatar are opposed to the UAE-Saudi-Egypt-Bahrain alliance system. Iran and its work in Lebanon-Syria-Yemen is opposed to the Saudi-led system as well. Potentially this means Iran and Turkey could coordinate opposition to Israel’s annexation. The UAE’s message may be saying symbolically that Israel and the Gulf need each other and that growing relations are necessary, not pouring cold water on them. The message may be that Israel cannot get both closer relations and ignore totally the Palestinian issue by redrawing the lines of the status quo. Would Israel risk its currently strong position in the Middle East by proceeding. This is the question that presents itself as a hinge in the region. For many years the region has not hinged on changes in the Palestinian-Israel conflict. This is because of larger regional issues, such as the rise of Iran, ISIS and instability and civil wars. Annexation might put the Israel-Palestinian issue back in the center. That is the regional question mark that hangs over this issue and which was raised by the unprecedented article.

MEMRI: Lebanese Lawyer: We Should Fight Israel’s Annexation Plans Even Though It Could Bring End for Israel

Palestinian lawyer Amer Zein, who used to serve as the Secretary-General of the Arab Lawyers’ Union, said in a June 2, 2020 interview on Palestine TV that even though Israel would collapse if it annexed Palestinian territories because the Palestinians would become a majority, this is the wrong approach and Palestinians must fight the annexation. He added that armed struggle must be the duty of the Palestinian people particularly at this time.

World Council of Churches wants EU sanctions on Israel if annexation goes ahead

The World Council of Churches is asking European diplomats to punish Israel with sanctions if it annexes West Bank lands. The request has triggered a heated debate in Christian circles.

The call to punish Israel came last month in a letter to EU foreign ministers from the Geneva headquarters of the council, an umbrella body established in 1948 that now has 350 member churches with about 500,000 followers among them. The Catholic Church is not a member.

If Israel annexes land, the letter said, “the EU must surely suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement,” a reference to a 1995 contract that promotes trade between the bloc and the Jewish state. In addition, the EU should apply sanctions on Israel “at least commensurate with those adopted by the EU in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea.”

The EU has blacklisted hundreds of Russian individuals and firms over alleged involvement in the Crimea annexation from 2014, subjecting them to entry bans and freezing of EU properties.

“The unilateral annexation of yet more of the territory that remains to Palestinians cannot lead to justice or to peace, but only to greater injustice,” the church body wrote.

In recent years, the council has been accused of pursuing an anti-Israel agenda, a claim rejected by its leaders.

In 2019, it emerged that the council had gathered information for years on the Israeli army’s actions in land that the council and international community regards as occupied, with activists masquerading as tourists.

If AIPAC isn’t supporting Israel’s government, what’s its purpose?

That creates a dilemma for the lobby. Does it loyally back Israeli policies or hedge its bets in order to maintain ties with Democrats, who both loathe Trump and are increasingly hostile to the Likud-led coalition government in Jerusalem?

AIPAC appears to be picking the latter course. Although it hasn’t joined major liberal Jewish groups in opposing annexation, its silence is tantamount to opposition.

If the Democrats win back the White House, as well as control of Congress in November – an outcome that can’t be discounted – that might seem like the correct move. But Netanyahu will still be in power in Israel next year, and there is at present no conceivable scenario in which there will be an Israeli government whose policies are more in sync with those of the Democrats rather than Trump.

If AIPAC is going to worry more about what the Democrats want rather than seeking to persuade them to back Israel’s policies, then it has for all intents and purposes become one more liberal group, and not the reliable force it has always been. Its right-wing critics, such as the Zionist Organization of America, have been saying as much for years. Until now, those criticisms have not been entirely fair since the lobby’s efforts to preserve a crumbling bipartisan pro-Israel consensus were crucial.

While bipartisanship is important, that doesn’t excuse AIPAC’s willingness to wink at those who oppose Israeli policies. Moreover, it’s AIPAC’s duty to make the case for the decisions of Israel’s governments to Democrats, not to lobby Netanyahu to bow to their demands.

That means it’s up to AIPAC to stop temporizing and start telling Congress that annexation is Israel’s right, and that it poses no threat to the interests of either the United States or the Jewish state. Though Netanyahu’s American critics believe they know more about what’s good for Israel than him, if the organization can’t or won’t rally behind the government, then its time as a unifying force for the pro-Israel community is truly over.

Over 100 international law experts sign letter against West Bank annexation

Over 100 experts and scholars of international law from around the world have called on Israel to not annex parts of the West Bank, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared it is his intention to do.

In a letter sent Thursday, the signatories warned that annexation would “constitute a flagrant violation of bedrock rules of international law, and would also pose a serious threat to international stability in a volatile region.”

The document was addressed to Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn, and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.

Netanyahu has vowed to swiftly, and unilaterally, extend Israeli sovereignty to some 30 percent of the West Bank in accordance with the Trump administration peace plan, which also paves the way for the eventual creation of a Palestinian state on the remaining territory.

The letter was published on the website of Kevin Jon Heller, associate professor of public international law at the University of Amsterdam. Among those who signed the letter were several academics from Israel.

“The norm prohibiting unilateral annexation of territory acquired by force has come to be universally recognized as a basic rule of international law,” the letter said.

Unilateral annexation of any part of the West Bank “would be null and void, entail consequences of international wrongfulness, and – under certain circumstances – lead to individual international criminal liability.”

“In this context, it matters not whether such actions would be effected through ‘extension of sovereignty,’ ‘extension of law, jurisdiction, and administration,’ or explicit annexation,” the letter noted.

400 Jewish studies scholars denounce annexation as a ‘crime against humanity’

More than 400 Jewish and Israel studies academics have signed a statement denouncing potential Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank as “apartheid” and saying it would be a “crime against humanity” according to international statutes.

“Representing a spectrum of viewpoints, we write in opposition to the continuation of the occupation and the stated intention of the current elected government in Israel to annex parts of the West Bank, thereby formally (de jure) creating apartheid conditions in Israel and Palestine,” the statement said.

It continued, “Under these conditions, annexation of Palestinian territories will cement into place an anti-democratic system of separate and unequal law and systemic discrimination against the Palestinian population.”

Israel’s government may begin the process of annexing parts of the West Bank on July 1, an action Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to take. The Trump administration gave a green light to annexation when it released its Middle East peace plan this year, but figures in the administration are divided about the move.

Palestinian leadership, which views the West Bank as the territory of its state, has decried the move as illegal and a death blow to any future peace process.

The letter was signed by a range of liberal and left-wing Jewish studies scholars across North America, Europe and Israel. They include prominent professors such as New York University’s Hasia Diner, Stanford’s Steven Zipperstein and Dartmouth’s Susannah Heschel, the daughter of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the most prominent rabbis of the 20th century.

ISRAEL
The Israel Defense Forces Plan for the Future

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi is working on a multi-year program called “Momentum” to give the State of Israel a more efficient, modern and powerful army. In closed military forums, Kochavi displays confidence that the IDF – in two or three years’ time – can achieve a swift and clear military victory if forced into war, while dramatically reducing the casualties and destruction among Israel’s civilians, and inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy and its assets.
The plan is intended to significantly reduce the number of rockets that Israel’s home front will absorb, both because the duration of the fighting will be significantly shortened, and because the IDF will maneuver to the main launch areas found deep inside enemy territory. The IDF thereby hopes to instill such a clear military victory that it will create long-term strategic deterrence for Israel that will postpone or prevent the next war.
Kochavi says that to win with minimum losses, the IDF needs to make a big leap forward in a number of areas:
Combined “multidimensional” combat, in order to increase the deadliness of the IDF’s land units. The goal is to organize, equip, and train the IDF in a way that allows units from all branches to work together.
The production of a continued, reliable stream of targets identified by intelligence agencies.
Innovation in warfare methods including cyber.
New preparations to protect against aerial threats, including laser technology.
The Momentum plan defines the required mix of the IDF budget as including 70% of investment for offensive operations and 30% for defensive measures.
As part of the plan, the procurement of Israeli-made products will include Merkava Mark IV tanks, the Namer APC, small armed drones, and urban warfare robots for fighting in places like Gaza.

Orthodox Jewish Man Stabbed on London Street; Attacker Detained, Motive Unknown

An Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed on a northeast London street on Friday morning.

The victim, in his 50s, was said to be in stable condition at the Royal London Hospital following the attack, which took place in the Stoke Newington neighborhood.

The assailant — an unidentified man in his 40s, reportedly of “south Asian descent” — was pinned down by passersby and later arrested by police on suspicion of attempted murder.

At least one eyewitness was quoted as saying it appeared to have been a hate crime in which the victim was targeted over his religion.

Board of Deputies of British Jews President Marie van der Zyl commented, “Our thoughts are with the victim and we pray for his speedy recovery. It has been reported that a man has been arrested and we hope justice will be swiftly served. We are liaising with contacts in the Stamford Hill community to share our concern and solidarity. We would like to thank the members of the public who restrained the attacker, incapacitating him until police arrived.”

The Community Security Trust (CST) tweeted, “We are in full contact with Police and there is no current assessment that this was, or was not, antisemitic.”

Man Bites Dog: Jerusalem Police Bans Islamic Guard for Praising Terrorist

The Jerusalem Police on Thursday issued a rare five-month ban from the Temple Mount compound to an Islamic Waqf guard who praised arch-terrorist Ramadan Shalah over the Waqf’s radio system.

Ramadan Shalah, former leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group, died this past Saturday after battling a long illness. In 2006, Shalah was placed on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list (Ramadan Shalah Who Turned Islamic Jihad into Iran’s Proxy Dies of Stroke).

“On behalf of the Al-Aqsa guards, we mourn the passing of the late great of our nation and of Palestine, Ramadan Shalah,” the Waqf guard said on the group’s radio system.

The Temple Mount, although under Israeli sovereignty, is administered by the Jordanian Islamic charity known as Waqf.

The police were notified by Tom Nisani, head of the Arab Desk at Im Tirtzu and founder of Students for the Temple Mount, who uncovered a video of the incident on the Facebook page of the Hamas-affiliated Shehab News Agency.

Palestinian Authority unable to pay May salaries

The Palestinian Authority cannot pay government employees’ salaries for May after refusing to accept tax monies collected for it by Israel, which comprise 60% of the Palestinian leadership’s budget.

The Palestinian Finance Ministry said there is no money for government workers for May after President Mahmoud Abbas refused to accept the so-called tax-clearance funds from Israel.

Abbas said the PA was also halting security cooperation because of Israeli plans to annex some or all of its West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley.

“We aren’t receiving the clearance funds and at the same time, our domestic income has been reduced by 50%, so we don’t have the money to pay the May salaries,” said Finance Ministry spokesperson Abd al-Rahman Byatneh.

The PA had paid the March and April salaries in full.

The ministry is doing its best to obtain money from other sources “but so far, we don’t have anything. The moment we have an update or change, we will announce it,” Byatneh said.

For more than two decades, Israel has deducted monies beyond its 3% service fee (in accordance with the 1994 Protocol on Economic Relations, or Paris Protocol) from the funds it collects on behalf of the PA.

These funds include taxes on imports to the Palestinian territories and income tax for Palestinians working in Israel.

The Israeli government stated that additional deductions − more than $5 million per month in some cases − pay for treatment given to Palestinians in Israeli hospitals and delinquent utility bills.

BBC News silent on the PA’s refusal of Coronavirus aid

After the BBC began to focus on the Coronavirus pandemic in mid-March, audiences saw no small amount of reporting concerning the perceived ability of health services in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority controlled areas to deal with the crisis.

Unfortunately, that coverage included the promotion of politicised narratives relating to healthcare in those two areas.

Contrary to BBC predictions, the health services in those two places were able to cope with the relatively low number of Covid-19 patients.

Interestingly, the BBC has chosen to completely ignore a related story concerning the Palestinian Authority (which is responsible for health services in both Areas A and B and the Gaza Strip) and donations of Coronavirus related aid.

Khaled Abu Toameh: PA Works with Fatah Armed Groups after Ending Coordination with Israel

Palestinian Authority security forces have stepped up their cooperation with the Tanzim and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades armed groups that belong to Fatah in the West Bank, a Fatah official confirmed on Thursday. The cooperation began shortly after the outbreak of the coronavirus in the West Bank in early March, when PA security forces sought assistance in enforcing lockdowns in Palestinian areas.

Following Abbas’ decision to halt security coordination with Israel, the PA security forces stopped operating in Area B, which is jointly controlled by Israel and the PA. This enabled members of the Tanzim and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades to increase their activities in these areas. A senior Tanzim member in al-Eizariya, east of Jerusalem, said PA security commanders “told us that Palestinian security officers would assist the Tanzim members, but without appearing in their uniforms because there’s no security coordination with the Israelis.”

Axis of Resistance mourns the death of Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shalah

Ramadan Shalah, the former Secretary-General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) died June 6 at the age of 62. Shalah reportedly died in Lebanon of complications from a stroke he suffered in 2018.

Shalah was appointed Secretary-General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in 1995 shortly after the killing of his predecessor Fathi Shaqaqi in Malta. During his tenure, Shalah was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for racketeering and a host of other charges. He was also on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list for his illegal activities involving PIJ.

“Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shalah is wanted for conspiracy to conduct the affairs of the designated international terrorist organization known as the “Palestinian Islamic Jihad” (PIJ) through a pattern of racketeering activities such as bombings, murders, extortions, and money laundering,” the FBI statement read.

Shalah managed PIJ through several major conflicts against Israel, most notably; Operations Cast Lead, Pillar of Defense and Protective Edge. However, within some Palestinian militant circles, Shalah is most recognized for his efforts in building the group’s military capability.

According to “Abu Hadi,” a senior al Quds Brigades leader, because of Shalah’s efforts, the group acquired the military capability to strike Tel-Aviv, which first occurred during Operation Cast Lead in 2012.

“We do not forget when he [Shalah] was searching for an answer. How would we strike Tel-Aviv before the year 2012? The resistance killed and inflicted pain against the occupier who harmed the Arab and Islamic nation. Days went by and in 2012 during the press conference in Cairo he answered the question, when he said – at that time: The Mujahideen in Palestine answered the difficult question which is how to strike Tel-Aviv? After the Arab capitals were unable to beat it, we say to you after trusting in God, we have struck Tel-Aviv and its environs in the name of the Arab and Islamic nations and revolutionary peoples.”

Balloon units threaten to turn Gaza envelope into ‘hell’

The Descendants of Nasser (Ahfad Al-Nasser) balloon unit in the Gaza Strip threatened Israel with renewed incendiary and explosive balloon launches on Thursday, warning that the coming days would be the “beginning of hell” for Israelis who live near the Strip.

The balloon unit published videos and images of a number of balloon launches on Thursday and promised they would be launching 1,300 balloons on Friday.

The videos on Thursday warned that they would not stop the launches until they achieved their “goals” and received rights, adding that the unit has “surprises” that Israel “wouldn’t imagine.”

Earlier on Thursday, the unit stated that they were awaiting a response to their demands “in the coming hours.” The unit did not specify what demands they were referring to.

The unit also shared a photo of a makeshift aircraft carried by a bundle of balloons with a caption reading “soon.”

Seth Frantzman: Russian Air Defense Systems Outmatched by Turkish Drones in Syria and Libya

Recent battles in Syria and Libya illustrate how drones and air defense systems are increasingly used by non-Western powers and proxy forces. Drones provide a relatively inexpensive and expendable air force.

Russia may suffer a setback in marketing its air defense systems if it can’t improve the Pantsir’s track record.

Total reported downings of drones increased from 31 in 2016 to 123 in 2019, with 67 already shot down in 2020.

Turkey’s occupation of Syria slammed for ethnic cleansing

Turkey’s occupation of parts of northern Syria has led to ethnic cleansing, several experts testified to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom during a virtual hearing on June 10. It is some of the first clear statements being gathered that point to systematic abuses against women and minorities after Turkey invaded parts of Syria in 2018 and 2019. Turkey backs a plethora of Syrian rebel and extremist groups that have wreaked havoc across Afrin and Tel Abyad, destroying the sites of indigenous Kurdish and Yazidi minorities and kidnapping women.

Amy Austin Holmes, a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, praised the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces for their role defeating ISIS. The US has backed the SDF but in October 2019 Ankara ordered the US to leave Syria and threatened to invade areas US forces were in. US President Donald Trump ordered US forces to partly withdraw in the face of Turkey’s threats and within days 200,000 people were forced to flee at Turkey bombed and attacked the formerly peaceful areas around Tel Abyad.

Holmes said that the SDF has “evolved into a multi-ethnic, multi-religious force in which all the indigenous peoples of the region were represented.” She mentioned how Christian groups such as Assyrians, Syriacs and Armenians are part of this mosaic, along with Yazidis and Turkmen, Arabs and Kurds. However those groups are threatened by Turkey and Turkish-backed opposition groups. “They have been killed, disappeared, kidnapped, raped, detained, subjected to forced religious conversion and held for ransom.” Minorities have been removed or threatened in areas Turkey occupies.

MEMRI: Editor Of AKP Mouthpiece On Protests In U.S., Europe: ‘It’s The End Of The Road For The Enslaving Western Order’; ‘Turkey Is Now A Superpower… Will Never Withdraw From Libya’

İbrahim Karagül, who for eight years has been editor in chief of Turkey’s Yeni Şafak daily, which is a mouthpiece of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling AKP, recently expressed an example of AKP perceptions of the protests and riots in the U.S. and Europe following the May 25 killing in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd.

In a column titled “As Angry Masses Hit Western Capitals, We Bid Farewell To The World We Know. The Fight In US, Europe Is Not About Racism! It’s The End Of The Road For The Enslaving Western Order. Turkey Is Now A ‘Superpower,’ Whatever We Say, Goes In Libya And The Mediterranean,” Karagül wrote: “People no longer believe in the Western world order… Turkey had started to act not like a front country but a superpower… Turkey will never withdraw from Libya.”[1]

Concerning what he views as the end of the U.S.-led world order, Karagül wrote in his June 9, 2020 column: “The looting in NATO capital Brussels cannot be considered as a temporary social wave… Those who destroyed Muslim countries, ancient cities until now have started to sense similar events in their own cities… The Atlantic axis is no longer going to be able to rule the world… It’s the end of the road for the enslaving Western order… They are no longer unrivaled in technology. They are no longer unparalleled in wealth. They are no longer incomparable in military power. They are no longer unmatched in space research or anything else.”

On the growth of Turkish power, he wrote: “We need to comprehend what we are doing in Syria, why we have a presence in Libya, and the depth of the fight in the Mediterranean… The true endurance and power of countries that seemed to be weak – like Turkey – have also been revealed.” While a last section of Yeni Şafak’s English translation of the title of Karagül’s column reads: “Its Words Carry Weight In Libya, The Mediterranean,” the Turkish version of that section reads: “Whatever We Say, Goes In Libya And The Mediterranean.”[2]

Coronavirus has not stopped Iran’s march to a nuclear bomb

If anyone thought that the coronavirus would slow down Iran’s nuclear program, they are in for a surprise. Recent intelligence assessments in Israel indicate that not only has Iran not slowed down its nuclear program in recent months, it has even sped up the machine.

The estimated tens of thousands of dead from COVID-19 – the regime claims only 8,500 have been killed – and the spate of new infections in recent days has not stopped the advanced IR-6 centrifuges from spinning and churning out 4%-enriched uranium.

Use of the IR-6, unveiled in November, is important. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium with just over 5,000 of its first-generation IR-1 centrifuges. The new IR-6 machines can refine uranium 10 times faster. But it also shows something else – that Iranian R&D is continuing, and its expertise in the nuclear realm is improving.

According to the latest assessment in Israel, it would take Iran about six months from the decision to break out to a bomb to the point that it would have enough enriched material to make one. The next stage – assembling a warhead – is a bit more difficult, and it likely will take the Iranians another year or even two.

It is also believed in Israel that the odds the ayatollahs would decide now to break out to a bomb are limited.

UN: Arms seized by US, missiles in Saudi Arabia attack ‘of Iranian origin’

Cruise missiles used in several attacks on oil facilities and an international airport in Saudi Arabia last year were of “Iranian origin,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council in a report seen by Reuters on Thursday.
Guterres also said several items in US seizures of weapons and related material in November 2019 and February 2020 were “of Iranian origin.”

Some have design characteristics similar to those also produced by a commercial entity in Iran, or bear Farsi markings, Guterres said, and some were delivered to the country between February 2016 and April 2018.

He said that “these items may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent” with a 2015 Security Council resolution that enshrines Tehran’s deal with world powers to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the U.N. report.

Washington is pushing the 15-member council to extend an arms embargo on Iran that is due to expire in October under the nuclear deal. Council veto-powers Russia and China have already signaled their opposition to the move.

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