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Thursday, August 29, 2019

08/29 Links Pt1: Nauru recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital; Unprecedented Meeting in Mecca Rejects Extremism; IDF identifies Iranian officers behind Hezbollah's secret missile project

From Ian:
Israel: Republic of Nauru recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital
The Republic of Nauru has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Israel Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.

"I commend @Republic_Nauru’s important decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. We will continue to strengthen Jerusalem and to bring about the recognition and opening of diplomatic missions and embassies in our capital," Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz tweeted on Thursday.

In a letter the country’s mission to the UN in New York wrote to the Israeli mission on the matter, it stated: “The Mission of Nauru has the honor to convey the decision of the Government of the Republic of Nauru to formally recognize the City of Jerusalem as the Capital City of the State of Israel.”

The island country from the Pacific joined a small number of other countries who have taken this step in the last several years, including the United States, Guatemala and Honduras. The President of Honduras is due to arrive in Israel this weekend to open a trade office in Jerusalem.

Unprecedented Meeting in Mecca Rejects Extremism
The "Charter of Makkah," unanimously endorsed on May 28, 2019, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, by leading Muslim scholars from 137 nations, offers Muslims guidance on concepts that champion moderate Islam.

"All people, regardless of their different ethnicities, races and nationalities, are equal under God. We reject religious and ethnic claims of 'preference.'"

"Differences among people in their beliefs, cultures and natures are part of God's will and wisdom. Religious and cultural diversity never justifies conflict."

"We recognize and respect the other's legitimate rights and right to existence. We set aside preconceived prejudices, historical animosities, conspiracy theories and erroneous generalizations."

"We should advance laws to deter the promotion of hatred, the instigation of violence and terrorism, or a clash of civilizations, which foster religious and ethnic disputes."

"The empowerment of women should not be undermined by marginalizing their role, disrespecting their dignity, reducing their status, or impeding their opportunities, whether in religious, academic, political or social affairs. Their rights include equality of wages and opportunity."
A New Middle East?


10,000+ Hindus unite in a major rally in India to denounce terrorism, show support for Israel
Braving extremely inclement weather, with a flood-like situation, Singha Bahini, a grassroots organization in India, held a pro-Israel rally in Kolkata, India on August 16, 2019. Over 10,000 people braved the heavy sudden downpour and flooding, which caused bumper-to-bumper traffic and clogged roads. Many thousands more could not make it through the treacherous conditions to the rally site. While the organization SinghaBahini is just a year old, the organizers have been on ground helping in the existential battle for the Hindus in the villages of Eastern India for over a decade.

Pro-Israel rallies are not new to the founder of the organization Devdutta Maji, who was instrumental in organizing two large pro-Israel rallies in India: 20,000 people in 2014 and 70,000 people in 2018. At the rally, demonstrators held placards saying, "We Support the Jewish People in their 2,000-Year-Old Struggle," "India and Israel Friends Forever," and "We Support Israel in Her War against Terrorism."

The rally reflects the positive turn in the India-Israel relationship under the leadership of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. The Indian prime minister visited Israel in July 2017 and Prime Minister Netanyahu reciprocated with a visit to India in 2018. With strong trade ties, people-to-people contact, and rallies in support of Israel as seen recently, ties between India and Israel and between the Hindus and Jews worldwide are expected to strengthen further.



Greenblatt praises New Zealand for suspending aid to UNRWA
US Special Envoy Jason Greenblatt praised New Zealand for suspending their donations to UNRWA following reports of serious ethics violations and corruption at the agency.

"Good on New Zealand joining Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland in suspending money to UNRWA while corruption investigation is ongoing. UNRWA is a failed system & Palestinians deserve better. More UNRWA donor countries should pay attention," Greenblatt wrote on Twitter Thursday.

New Zealand announced yesterday that it would suspend its aid to UNRWA, which provides assistance to the descendants of Palestinian Arab refugees.

The funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency is on hold until the release of the October report by the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services on allegations against the agency including misconduct, corruption, links to terror groups, perpetuation of the Israeli-Arab conflict and anti-Semitism.

“We expect UNRWA to cooperate fully with the investigation under way and to report back on the investigation’s findings and recommendations,” the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement. “The Ministry will review the findings of the UN OIOS report once the investigation is complete and, after that point, will provide advice to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on future funding.”

New Zealand joined Belgium and Switzerland, which suspended their aid to UNRWA last month in light of the investigations.
Maryland Man Indicted for Planning ISIS-Inspired Truck Attack
A 28-year-old Maryland man was indicted Wednesday on a federal terrorism charge for planning a truck terror attack to kill pedestrians at a popular waterfront district near Washington, D.C.

A federal grand jury charged Rondell Henry of Germantown, Md., with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Henry planned to drive a truck into a large group of pedestrians at National Harbor, a waterfront district in Maryland with restaurants and stores. He was inspired by the 2016 Bastille Day truck attack in Nice, France. That terror attack killed 86 and injured hundreds.

Court documents state that Henry wanted to create "panic and chaos," and he indicated he wanted to do the "same as what happened in France." He was also intent on finding a sizable crowd to attack.

On March 26, Henry walked off his job in Maryland and searched for a large truck to steal. He stole a U-Haul in Virginia "to use it to commit mass murder, in the pattern established by ISIS," according to court documents.

"The defendant, allegedly inspired by ISIS and its violent ideology, stole a vehicle as part of his plan to kill and injure innocent pedestrians," said John C. Demers, assistant attorney general for national security.


Israel Faces a Serious Escalation in its Proxy War with Iran
The fact that Israel has found it necessary to attack targets so far from its traditional area of military operations close to its immediate borders is indicative of the alarming escalation that has taken place in recent months in the threat Iran poses to Israeli security.

Earlier this week, in Lebanon, an Israeli drone was reported to have bombed a Palestinian base that is said to be funded by Iran. Israeli warplanes were also reported to have bombed Iranian military bases on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus.

The very idea of Washington sitting down with the Iranians at a time when it is continuing to threaten the security of its closest Middle Eastern ally would be unconscionable.

The reality is that there can be no meaningful dialogue between Washington and Tehran on a future deal so long as Iran remains committed to its long-standing policy of seeking the wholesale destruction of the Jewish state.


JCPA: What Was the Mysterious Target Hit by a Drone in Beirut?
On August 24, 2019, two drones crashed in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut. One exploded in what the Arab News1 called a “botched Israeli drone strike.” Hizbullah media claimed that the attack was against its media offices. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri described the vehicles as “reconnaissance” drones, and Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that the incident was “very, very, very dangerous.” Gen. Qasem Soleimani, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Qods Force, took to Twitter to label the actions “insane operations.”

The London Times provided some clarification about the targets: “crates believed to contain machinery to mix high-grade propellant for precision-guided missiles.”2

Specifically, the target was an “industrial planetary mixer.” What was unique about this mixer? Some models are available from Chinese companies on the internet for mixing food, cakes, paint, and dough.

The Beirut target was a very special, eight-ton piece of machinery used for the production of solid fuel propellant for precision-guided missiles. Also destroyed was an electronic control system for the machine, packed in a separate crate.

The machine is heavy and delicate and was shipped in heavy wooden crates (without markings and special inscriptions) and anchored to the containers to prevent shocks. It is a complex and expensive process to deliver and install the equipment.
Rockets and Drones: Israel's Management of Two Fronts
With rockets on the southern border and drone surveillance operations on Hezbollah in the north, Israel remains occupied monitoring threats constantly. Our Jonathan Regev analyzes.


IDF identifies Iranian officers behind Hezbollah's secret missile project
Israel has released information on senior Iranian and Hezbollah militants involved in the terror group’s precision missile project in Lebanon.

The group, which has been working on the expensive and classified project since 2013, has been attempting to build factories to produce precision missiles in South Lebanon, Beirut and the Bekaa under the guidance of senior Iranian officers.

The Iranian officers have been identified as Brig. Gen. Muhammad Hussein-Zada Hejazi, Col. Majid Nuab,Brig. Gen. Ali Asrar Nuruzi.

Hejazi is the Lebanon Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qud’s Force, responsible for all Iranian activities in the country and in charge of the precision guided missile program. He operates directly under the command of Quds Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Nuab, an engineer who specializes in surface-to-surface missiles is the technological manager of the project. He actively manages and oversees the precision missile sites in Lebanon. Nuruzi is the Chief Logistic Officer of the IRGC and is in charge of transferring logistical components and equipment from Iran through Syria to the project sites in Lebanon.

Senior Hezbollah militant Fu’ad Shukr, a senior military advisor to Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and member of the group’s highest military body the Jihad Council, is the main Hezbollah militant involved in the project.




MEMRI: Senior Iranian Official: 150,000 Missiles in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza Are Meant to Deter Israel
Former Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Sheikholeslam, who has served as Iran's ambassador to Syria, said in an August 27, 2019 interview on Ofogh TV (Iran) that Iran has invested in the "huge defensive and strategic endeavor" of deploying roughly 150,000 missiles in Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip that are meant to be launched at Israel at Iran's discretion. He said that since the U.S. has defined Israel's national security as part of its own national security, this strategy is Iran's greatest deterrent against both countries, and he claimed that Israel would have certainly attacked Fordow, Bushehr, and Natanz dozens of times were it not for Iran's missiles in these countries. Sheikholeslam went on to say that a ballistic missile launched from Iran would take eight minutes to get to Israel and would be detected by American and NATO radars in the region. In contrast, he explained that missiles launched from Lebanon would start a rapid descent almost as soon as they can be detected and monitored. In addition, Sheikholeslam said that Iran does not intend to drive Israel into the sea or to use nuclear weapons against it. Rather, he said that Iran's military capabilities are exclusively for purposes of deterrence and that Iran simply wants the Zionists to "understand" that they have violated the rights of the Palestinians and to leave the region, especially since they "have citizenship in several European countries anyway."


UN Security Council to vote Thursday on UNIFIL mandate in Lebanon
The UN Security Council is expected to vote Thursday on renewing the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Lebanon. The proposed mandate includes calling on the Lebanese government to provide the force with a wider scope in their inspections. It also includes requests to the government for increasing efforts to curtailing weapons smuggling to non-state actors, for example, Hezbollah.

The proposal describes the Hezbollah tunnels exposed by Israel and the government of Lebanon is urged to "carry out all required investigations as fast as possible," a press release issued by the Israeli mission to the UN reported.

Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said that while Israel's interests are represented in the document, "UNIFIL is still required to take responsibility and act with decisive force within its mandate."


Hezbollah Deputy Threatens 'Surprise' Attack on Israel
A drone attack in Beirut attributed to Israel reportedly hit a key component of Hezbollah's precision missile infrastructure. One of the drones struck a high-grade propellant mixer used to improve the accuracy and engine performance of precision-guided missiles and destroyed a remote control machine for rocket guidance, according to a report in Britain's The Times.


Israeli Druze: The Case of Hezbollah and Syria
Druze living in Israel has long been loyal to the state. But those living in the disputed Golan Heights remain loyal to Syria and see Israel's strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon as unnecessarily aggressive. Our Craig Johnson has the story.




Palestinians: Why Allow Facts to Get in the Way?
Why are the details about Rina Shnerb's hometown and her age worth mentioning? Because the Palestinian media has again engaged in a campaign of fabrications and lies to justify the terror attack and the murder of an innocent Jewish teenager.

The Palestinian media, however, does not feel comfortable reporting the facts about the terror attack. In the eyes of Palestinian new editors and journalists, Rina was a "settler" and a "soldier." By using such terms, the Palestinians are trying to create the impression that she was not an innocent teenager, but a Jew who lived in a settlement and was even serving in the IDF.

Finally, it is important to note that many Palestinian media outlets and officials continue to refer to Israel as "occupied Palestine." They see zero difference between a Jew living in the West Bank and a Jew living inside Israel. For them, all Jews are settlers and colonizers, and all cities inside Israel -- Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Eilat, as well as Lod, the hometown of Rina -- are "occupied." In the eyes of Palestinians, in fact all of Israel is "occupied" and a "settlement."

When Palestinian terrorists fired three rockets at Sderot on August 25, Palestinian media outlets reported that Sderot is a "settlement." In case anyone had doubts, Sderot is an Israeli city in the Negev Desert, not a "settlement." By using the term "settlement," the Palestinians are again trying to create the impression that a city it is a legitimate target for rocket attacks because it is an "illegal settlement."
Gaza suicide bomber said to be son of prominent Islamic Jihad family
The son of a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group is believed to be behind the bombings that killed three Hamas policeman in Gaza City on Tuesday, Palestinian sources told i24NEWS Arabic.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, declared a state of emergency and mobilized forces in a massive manhunt to apprehend suspects behind the midnight attack at two separate police checkpoints inside the coastal enclave.

Hamas security forces in Gaza reportedly believe that two suicide bombers linked to groups affiliated with or "sympathetic" to the Islamic State group were responsible for the deadly attack.

Sources in Gaza said that one of the culprits – a suicide bomber identified as "AGH" – was the son of a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad member.

The assailant was said to be active in the ranks of the terrorist group, but it is not clear if he also had links with extreme Salafi groups or ISIS.


MEMRI: Head Of Egyptian National Press Authority Condemns Al-Azhar For Ongoing Refusal To Proclaim ISIS Heretical
In the recent years, Al-Azhar has consistently refrained from proclaiming the members of terror organizations, chief of them ISIS, to be infidels. Al-Azhar's position is that, despite the criminal nature of the terrorists' actions, a Muslim who has not renounced the shahada (the declaration of faith proclaiming that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger) cannot be accused of heresy; furthermore, the decision to proclaim someone an infidel can only be taken by a sharia judge. Another argument presented is that, if it accused ISIS and its ilk of heresy, Al-Azhar itself would be no different from the terrorists, who readily direct such accusations at their fellow Muslims.

Al-Azhar's position has evoked much criticism in the Egyptian press. This is in addition to the criticism voiced by Egyptian President 'Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi against the institute for failing to sufficiently mobilize to renew the religious discourse in Egypt in order to fight extremism.[1]

The criticism against Al-Azhar resurfaced recently following the attack carried out by ISIS in Sinai against Egyptian forces on the morning of Eid Al-Fitr (June 5, 2019), in which an Egyptian officer and seven other servicemen were killed.[2] Karam Gabr, head of Egypt's National Press Authority, wrote in the government daily Al-Akhbar that Al-Azhar's justifications of its refusal to proclaim ISIS infidel were no longer convincing or acceptable. He called on the Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayeb, to reconsider the institute's position and amend it, because "faith does not entitle a terrorist to slaughter our children."
JPost Editorial: Trumping Iran
As Israeli-Iranian tension escalate, US President Donald Trump indicated at the Group of Seven Summit in Biarritz, France, this week that he is ready to meet with Iran’s leadership.

“If the circumstances were correct or right, I would certainly agree to that. But in the meantime, they have to be good players,” Trump said on Monday at a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, who initiated the idea of a US-Iran summit.

The American president warned, however, that if the Iranians don’t give up their weapons program, “they’re going to be met with really very violent force.”

Despite his decision last year to withdraw from the 2015 Iran deal and renew tough sanctions against Tehran, Trump said Washington isn’t pursuing a regime change in Iran but instead is seeking to achieve “no nuclear weapons, no ballistic missiles.”

“They’re really hurting badly. Their inflation is through the roof. The sanctions are absolutely hurting them horribly. I don’t want to see that. They’re great people. I think there’s a really good chance we will meet,” the president said.
Iranian Women Fight for Freedom
"The Islamic Republic authorities say 'compulsory hijab' is the law and must be obeyed. However, bad laws must be challenged and changed." — Masih Alinejad, Iranian-American journalist and award-winning activist.

"The basis of this tyranny is the religious law that the government has been enforcing since the 1979 revolution. Women are second-class citizens, and essentially slaves in Iran. The international community needs to have the courage to delegitimize religious law and call it out for its tyrannical nature. Just as the free world delegitimized communism during the Cold War, it should do the same to religious law." — Nasrin Mohammadi, author of Ideas and Lashes: The Prison Diary of Akbar Mohammadi, about the torture and death in prison of her late brother; to Gatestone Institute.

"The international community should also focus on Iran, struggle to end that regime and other similar governments across the world. With Iran, it should also point out the corruption, where religion is used as an excuse to steal money and power from the people." — Nasrin Mohammadi.

"But we need support of the international community to raise this issue with Iranian authorities and take action." — Masih Alinejad.
MEMRI: Al-Jazeera Host Faisal Al-Qassem In Qatari Dailies: U.S. Policy Serves Iranian Interests At Expense Of Region's Countries
In two articles he published recently in Qatari dailies, Faisal Al-Qassem, a host on the Qatari Al-Jazeera network, harshly attacked the U.S. policy on Iran, which he said serves Iranian interests at the expense of the Gulf countries and Turkey. In the first article, published in the Al-Sharq and Al-Quds Al-Arabi dailies, he wrote that U.S. President Donald Trump's passivity in the face of Iran's recent aggression – i.e., the attacks on oil tankers and downing of a U.S. drone – is part of an American-Iranian game aimed at blackmailing the Gulf countries into paying America for securing the oil shipping lanes. He even hinted that the U.S. itself may be behind some of the attacks on vessels in the Gulf, with the aim of blackmailing not only the Gulf countries but the entire world. In the second article, published in the same papers one week later, Al-Qassem, who is of Syrian origin and opposes Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, accused the West, and especially the U.S., of encouraging the expansion of Shi'ite Iran in the region and particularly in Syria, in order to create a new Middle East in which Iran is the leading player.

The following are excerpts from the two articles:
Trump Refrained From Responding To The Iranian Attacks Because He Wants Countries To Pay For U.S. Protection

In the first article Al-Qassem wrote: "What's happening in the Gulf? The U.S. suddenly appears – or more accurately pretends – to be incapable of protecting the oil shipping lanes and to lack the power or ability to confront Iran's threats. After UAE tankers were attacked off the Al-Fujairah [coast], people expected the U.S. to adopt an iron-fist policy vis-à-vis Iran. But instead of acting against Iran, which [even] hinted that it was behind the attacks, the U.S. remained silent and sufficed with investigating the incident. Since when does the American cowboy remain silent in the face of threats to the life-blood of the global and American economy, namely oil?...

"Several days later, two Japanese oil tankers were directly attacked in the Gulf of Oman, and the U.S. confirmed that its satellites and navy... had documented Iranian boats attacking both vessels. Some people then thought... that this time the U.S. would teach Iran a lesson. But the U.S. again made do with [voicing] vague threats against Iran, while doing nothing. The most absurd thing is that Iran... took a further step this time and downed state-of-the art American drones [sic., refers to the June 20 downing of a U.S. drone], whose value is estimated at $200 million. What did the U.S. do? Its president [Donald Trump] tried to downplay the incident by suggesting that [Iran] may have downed the aircraft by mistake. But Iran embarrassed Trump by proudly declaring that it had done so deliberately...
G7 Likely Hasn't Brought Iran Any Closer to the Negotiating Table
As Iran’s Rouhani continues to insist that the US lift sanctions before engaging in talks, experts have come to the conclusion that the efforts undertaken by G7 diplomacy may just be wishful thinking, says senior diplomatic correspondent Christian Malard.


Report: US cyberattack hurt Iranian capability to target oil tankers in Persian Gulf
A cyberattack by the United States against Iranian computer systems on June 20 “wiped out a critical database used by Iran’s paramilitary arm to plot attacks against oil tankers and degraded Tehran’s ability to covertly target shipping traffic in the Persian Gulf, at least temporarily,” reported The New York Times on Wednesday, citing senior US officials.

The regime has been recovering data wiped out in the attack and attempting to “restart some of the computer systems – including military communications networks – [that were] taken offline,” the officials told the outlet.

The US Cyber Command launched the attack against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in an operation planned weeks in advance, two sources told The Washington Post in June. The attack was coordinated with the US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East.

It was the first attack by the Cyber Command since it was raised to full combatant command in May, according to the report.

Did the US Cyber-Attack Iran to Stop Oil Tanker Hijackings?
After some tensions with oil tankers arose in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. allegedly struck Iran with cyber attacks to prevent further incidents from occurring. Our Owen Alterman analyzes.




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