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Tuesday, November 23, 2021

11/23 Links Pt1: UN anti-Jewish bias blocks the road to peace; Eli Kay was a role model for olim to Israel; After Jerusalem killing and 50 terror arrests, Lapid urges Turkey to shut down Hamas

From Ian:

David Singer: UN anti-Jewish bias blocks the road to peace
The United Nations (UN) needs to end its ongoing deceptive misrepresentation of the Arab-Jewish conflict in former Palestine - as it once again prepares to celebrate its self-proclaimed International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People – but not the Jewish People - on 29 November.

The UN trumpets this date in the following terms:
"Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 32/40 B of 2 December 1977, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed annually on or around 29 November, solemnly commemorating the adoption by the Assembly, on 29 November 1947, of resolution 181 (II), which provided for the partition of Palestine into two States."

This statement fails to mention that the Jews accepted Resolution 181(II) - whilst the Arabs rejected it and went to war to try and wipe out the nascent Jewish State of Israel that was subsequently declared on 14 May 1948.

1. Arab acceptance of Resolution 181 (II) would have ended the Arab-Jewish conflict.
2. This statement is also false and misleading: Resolution 181(II) only dealt with the partition of 22% of the territory of Palestine located west of the Jordan River.
3.The remaining 78% of the territory of Palestine located east of the Jordan River (today called Jordan) had already caused it to become a sovereign Palestinian Arab State 18 months earlier - on 25 May 1946 - with not one Jew living there.

The continuing flagrant violation of Article 80 of the UN’s own 1945 Charter by its member States highlights the rapidly-increasing anti-Jewish bias that is infecting the UN and its agencies.

This Jew-free area in the major part of Palestine had been achieved because article 25 of the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine provided that the Jewish National Home could not be extended east of the Jordan River.

Maintaining its International Day of Solidarity in 2021 without acknowledging that the Arabs-only State of Jordan has existed in 78% of former Palestine for more than 75 years continues to destroy the UN’s neutrality and credibility to broker an end to the Arab-Jewish conflict.


26 Democrats Urge Biden Administration to Prevent Israeli Housing in E-1 Region
A group of 26 Democrats is calling on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to act to prevent the advancement of plans for Israeli construction in the E-1 corridor between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim.

The letter, led by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), who recently visited Israel on a J Street-sponsored trip, expressed “immense concern” over Israeli plans to approve 3,400 housing units in the E-1 region.

“The recent efforts by the Israeli government to advance the approval to build 3,400 housing units in the highly sensitive area known as E-1 pose an irreconcilable challenge to a lasting peace solution between Israel and the Palestinians,” said the letter.

“To ensure the prospects of peace, we urge the State Department to exert diplomatic pressure to prevent settlement construction in E-1,” it added.

The E-1 region has long been considered for construction, especially as the population of Jerusalem continues to grow, and housing becomes increasingly scarce and expensive in the city. However, construction in the area has been controversial with critics saying the plan to create a physical link between Ma’ale Adumim and Jerusalem would bisect the West Bank and jeopardize a future Palestinian state.
JPost Editorial: Eli Kay was a role model for olim to Israel
Eliyahu David Kay, 26, the South African immigrant who was fatally shot in a terrorist attack while walking to the Western Wall on Sunday morning and laid to rest in Jerusalem the next day, was a real hero.

As South African Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein wrote in his statement of condolences to the Kay family, “Eli, their son, was a hero of the Jewish people who made aliyah and served in the IDF – like their other sons – and made us all so proud.”

Noting that “the Kay family have for generations been pillars of the South African Jewish community – exemplars of kindness, contribution and faith,” Goldstein wrote: “They are a family renowned and beloved for making this world a better place through their good deeds, and Eli lived with the same spirit and values.”

Kay – the grandson of Rabbi Shlomo Levin, the rabbi of South Hampstead United Synagogue in London, and son of Avi and Devorah Kay – moved to Israel from Johannesburg on his own in 2016 to study at the Chabad yeshiva in Kiryat Gat. A year later he volunteered to serve in the IDF Paratroopers Brigade in the framework of Machal. Despite being injured a few times in the IDF, he marched on with courage and determination, completing his military service in August 2019.

After deciding to officially make aliyah, he volunteered on Kibbutz Nirim on the Gaza border for a year and most recently worked as a guide for the Western Wall Heritage Foundation in Jerusalem.

“He raised the spirits of everyone,” the Western Wall Heritage Foundation said. “He did his holy work with dedication and loyalty.”


MEMRI: On His Facebook Page, Hamas Member Who Perpetrated Deadly Shooting In Jerusalem Glorified Bin Laden's Mentor 'Abdullah 'Azzam
Sheikh Fadi Abu Shkhaydam, the terrorist who shot one Israeli dead and wounded four others in a November 21, 2021 terrorist attack near the Western Wall in Jerusalem, was a member of Hamas. Immediately after the attack, Hamas claimed responsibility for it, issuing a number of statements in which it acknowledged that Abu Shkhaydam was a senior movement member and announced that it was "ushering the martyred hero [Abu Shkhaydam] to his wedding," an allusion to the Islamic tradition that a martyr weds 72 virgins in Paradise. The statements said further that the Palestinian people would continue the jihad and the armed resistance. Saleh Al-'Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, said that the movement was proud of Shkhaydam's action and that sacrifices must be made for Al-Aqsa.

It should be noted that Abu Shkhaydam, a preacher and schoolteacher, was active on social media and posted his sermons on his various accounts. An examination of his Facebook account reveals that he admired 'Abdallah 'Azzam, a Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood member who is known as the spiritual father of the global jihad movement and of Osama Bin Laden.

This report reviews Hamas' responses to the attack perpetrated by Abu Shkhaydam, and some of his activity on social media.

Hamas: We Are Ushering The Martyr To His Wedding; The Palestinian People Continues Its Jihad

As stated, immediately after the attack Hamas posted a statement on its official website announcing that the attacker was a senior member of the movement. The statement said: "The Hamas movement is ushering its heroic martyred son, Sheikh Fadi Abu Shkhaydam, the [Hamas] leader in the Shu'afat refugee camp, to his wedding [in Paradise, after] he carried out the operation at the Chain Gate in occupied Jerusalem today [November 21, 2021]. Our martyr spent his life in Jerusalem, engaging in da'wa and jihad, as [anyone] in the city and at the Al-Aqsa compound will attest. Today he ascends [to the level of martyr] after a heroic battle in which he toppled the forces of the occupation, inflicting deaths and injuries upon them. This heroic action conveys a warning to the criminal enemies and their government, that they must stop the aggression against our land and our holy sites, and that they will pay for their acts of usurpation and unrestrained brutality in the Al-Aqsa mosque and in Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah [neighborhoods in Jerusalem]. We stress that the option of all-out resistance – by every means, primarily by the force of arms – is the way to restrain the enemy and end the enemy's aggression. The Palestinian people continues its jihad.[1]

The movement also issued an obituary for the attacker, which said: "And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision" [Quran 3:169]. The Hamas movement is ushering its heroic martyred son, the jihad-fighting sheikh Dr. Fadi Abu Shkhaydam, to his wedding [in Paradise]. He ascended [to the level of martyr] on Sunday morning after carrying out a high-quality shooting operation in the Old City in occupied Jerusalem, causing the death of an occupation soldier and injuring others. This is jihad: [either] victory or martyrdom."[2]


BBC reporting on Jerusalem terror attack promotes Hamas narrative
The BBC News website’s coverage of the terror attack in Jerusalem on the morning of November 21st came in the form of a report with a headline that avoids informing readers that the “gunman” was a Palestinian and his victims were Israeli: “Jerusalem shooting: Gunman kills one and wounds three in Old City”.

The headline is also inaccurate with regard to the number of people wounded: two civilians and two members of the security forces were injured.

Despite the story being about the deliberate targeting of civilians in an act of terror, the BBC uses its standard euphemism “militant” to describe the group to which the attacker belonged.

“The gunman, who officials identified as a member of the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, was shot dead by Israeli security forces.”

The report again promotes the myth of separate ‘wings’ to Hamas.

“A spokesman for Hamas confirmed the man – named in Palestinian and Israeli media as Fadi Abu Shkhaydam – was a member of the group’s political wing.”

The BBC does not name the person murdered by the Hamas terrorist in its report – Eli Kay – even though that information had been available for over two hours by the time the amended version that is currently available online was published.

Neither has the report been updated to inform BBC audiences of the displays of support for the terrorist seen in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Shuafat.


CBC Radio Report Ignores Israeli Casualties of Hamas Terror Attack
On November 21, CBC Radio aired several reports throughout the day that briefly covered the Hamas terror attack in Jerusalem where an Israeli was killed and four other Israelis were injured in the shooting attack.

CBC had broadcast reports by freelancer Irris Makler about the U.K.’s decision to ban Hamas in its entirety as a terror group at 7:08 and 9:06am and also at 11:35am and 1:05pm which concluded with a reference to the terror attack.

All reports mentioned that there was a shooting attack in Jerusalem, but none of the reports mentioned that an Israeli civilian was murdered and that 4 other Israelis were injured by the Hamas terrorist. Eli Kay (pictured below) was a 26-year-old Western Wall tour guide and a former lone soldier. The four injured Israelis included two border police officers who have been released from hospital.

The two early morning reports were more lengthy than the two latter reports which were abridged. The two mid-day reports only noted that “There was a shooting attack in the old city. Hamas has claimed responsibility,” whereas the earlier reports covered the identity of the attacker. Again, none of the reports covered the Israelis casualties of the attack.

One of Makler’s reports said the following of the attacker: “It was carried out by Fadi Abu Shkhaydam, a teacher of Islamic Studies at a Jerusalem municipal high school, he was not known to be a militant.” Meanwhile, it’s been reported that Abu Shkhaydam dressed like an orthodox Jewish man to hide his identity and to conceal his weapon.
After Jerusalem killing and 50 terror arrests, Lapid urges Turkey to shut down Hamas
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Monday demanded Turkey shut down the offices of the Hamas terror group operating in the country after Israel announced the arrests of a sophisticated 50-member West Bank Hamas cell being directed from Istanbul.

“Hamas’ offices in Istanbul will be shut down. We must prevent these heinous acts of terrorism against Israeli citizens everywhere and under any conditions,” Lapid said, a day after another Hamas terrorist carried out a deadly terror shooting in Jerusalem.

Lapid urged other nations to follow the example of the United Kingdom, which announced last week that it intended to ban Hamas in its entirety and stop differentiating between its political and military wings.

“The countries of the world must act like Britain and outlaw Hamas,” he said.

Lapid spoke out soon after Israel’s Shin Bet security agency revealed that it busted a major Hamas cell, arresting 50 of its operatives.

According to the Shin Bet, the Hamas cell was led from Turkey by Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of the terror group’s politburo, and Zacharia Najib, a member of the organization who was released from Israeli prison in the 2011 Gilad Shalit exchange, where they allegedly continue to operate on behalf of Hamas.

Both al-Arouri and Najib live in Turkey, which has long had a close relationship with Hamas, which is politically linked to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Israel's FM Lapid: Hamas offices in Istambul must be shutdown



Liverpool Bomber Used a Fake Jordanian Passport to Enter Britain: Report
Liverpool bomber Emad Al Swealmeen reportedly entered the UK with a forged passport from Jordan resulting in his asylum claim being denied. Despite this, he was left free in the country to carry out the attack on Remembrance Sunday.

Leaked documents from Emad Al Swealmeen’s 2014 forensic asylum interview have revealed that the would-be terrorist had a history of lying in order to increase his chances to gain asylum in Britain.

A 35-page dossier leaked to the Sun on Sunday showed that Al Swealmeen apparently lied to immigration officials about coming from war-ravaged Syria, claiming that he would face death if he returned there. The Liverpool attacker had actually travelled from the United Arab Emirates, where he enjoyed a stable life with his family.

The leaked report also revealed that he was challenged by an immigration officer over the validity of the passport he used to enter the UK.

When asked if he had Jordanian nationality, Al Swealmeen replied simply: “No”.

“So therefore you must have known the Jordanian passport was illegal?” the immigration officer questioned, to which the future terrorist replied that he had “no other option”.

“So you admit to knowingly using deception to obtain a visa to enter the UK?” the officer asked, with Al Swealmeen answering: “No, I didn’t have any knowledge.”
How Israel built the world's most accurate military machine
The tunnels were dug by hand and jackhammers, as heavy machinery was out of the question – it would have attracted too much attention from the drones constantly hovering in the skies above.

Every battalion had its assignment and was responsible for the burrowing in its area of operations. Budgets were allocated according to a detailed plan, and deadlines were set for each stage of the project.

Supervising it all was Mohammed Deif, the elusive Hamas commander who became legendary for surviving numerous Israeli assassination attempts spanning more than two decades. According to some estimates, the entire project cost over NIS 1 billion.

It all started seven years ago, as part of the lessons Hamas learned from the Gaza war of the summer of 2014, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge. Hamas was effectively using some of its underground tunnels to sneak across the border and kill soldiers, but for the most part the underground passageways were uncovered and destroyed. Hamas needed a new capability that could alter the balance of power with Israel. Deif’s tunnels were supposed to do the job.

The idea was grandiose but also simple. Spanning around 100 km. beneath almost the entire Gaza Strip, the tunnel network consisted of three different kinds of spaces: passageways to get from one point to the other; places to sleep, eat and even shower; and spaces for launching rockets. The entire network was designed to quickly and covertly move gunmen so they could surprise and attack invading Israeli infantry troops and armored forces.

The network was a far cry from the old makeshift tunnels Palestinians once used to smuggle weapons and contraband under the border with Egypt. “It was an underground city,” explained one senior IDF officer. “It was supposed to be their most protected weapon.” BUT 2014 was also a turning point for the IDF in its battle against these underground systems. After Hamas fighters successfully infiltrated Israel, the military understood that it was far behind in the capabilities it needed. It immediately launched three simultaneous efforts.
Gantz heads to Rabat to formalize defense ties with Morocco
Amid burgeoning relations between Israel and Morocco following a normalization agreement last year, Defense Minister Benny Gantz will travel to Rabat on Tuesday evening for two-day trip that will “formalize” cooperation between the two countries, officials said.

Gantz was expected to meet with his counterpart, Abdellatif Loudiyi, and with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

It will be the first time that an Israeli defense minister makes an official visit to the North African kingdom and the second state visit by an Israeli elected official since the two countries normalized ties last year in a deal brokered by former US president Donald Trump’s administration. As part of the agreement, Washington recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

Gantz was scheduled to take off from Israel at 7 p.m., landing in Rabat late Tuesday night. He will hold a series of meetings with Moroccan officials, take part in a number of ceremonies around the Moroccan capital and visit a local Jewish community before returning to Israel on Thursday night.

While there, Gantz will sign “a memorandum of understanding that will outline defense cooperation between the two countries,” his office said.

The trip aims to “set the foundation for all future security cooperation between Israel and Morocco,” a source familiar with the visit told AFP.

“Until now there has been some level of cooperation. This truly formalizes it,” the source said.
Leftist activist calls for civilian guards to protect Palestinians
Left-wing activist Haim Shadmi called for allowing an Israeli civilian guard to bear arms to protect the Palestinians, during a Knesset conference on settler violence held on Sunday.

“Give us the authority to bear arms,” said Shadmi, and allow an Israeli civilian guard to protect the Palestinians.

“We will do the work for the Palestinians, we will not harm anyone,” he said. “If you are not capable of doing the work, we will protect human life because you do not know how to do it.”

Shadmi also spoke of his frustration with the debate itself.

“I don’t know what is happening here,” said Shadmi. “There is a debate as if the ‘occupation’ and ‘settler violence’ just started in the last few years. I hear one MK after the other... What is this? a conference that is all talk? Where are the solutions?”

Organizers of the conference distanced themselves from his statement.

“The remarks made at the end of the conference by Haim Shadmi do not represent our position in support of a non-violent struggle to end the occupation through peaceful means,” the conference organizers stated.

They added that they wished that those who were outraged at Shadmi’s words would also speak up against “the severe violence that settlers have used against Palestinians and Israelis in recent weeks.”
Hezbollah smuggling weapons to Arab Israelis to sow civil strife – police
The Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group is trying to smuggle weapons into Israel for use by the Arab Israeli community in future clashes, a police official has said.

The Israel Police have noticed a significant increase in efforts to smuggle weapons into the country via the Lebanese and Jordanian borders in the months since a May conflict with the Gaza Strip that was accompanied by some of the most severe rioting in decades between the Jewish and Arab communities in Israel, Channel 12 reported Monday.

There has been a several-fold jump in smuggling and a marked improvement in the quality of the weapons being sent, in what police described as a “strategic threat” to the country, according to the report.

Police say the weapons’ intended destination is crime organizations in the Arab community, where they would also be available for terror attacks in the event of another surge in violence between Jews and Arabs.

The head of the northern district police intelligence department, Chief Superintendent Yaron Ben-Yishi, told the network that 95 percent of the smuggling from Lebanon is directed by the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Ben-Yishi said that whereas in the past Hezbollah tried to push drugs into Israel to “poison our young people,” the terror group has now switched tactics to focus on weapons smuggling instead in preparation for an expected “doomsday.”
Gantz exposes Iran drone bases, says Tehran tried to fly TNT into West Bank via UAV
Defense Minister Benny Gantz revealed the locations of two Iranian drone bases that he said were used to conduct attacks against targets at sea in recent months.

According to Gantz, one of the sites is located in the area of Chabahar and the other is situated on Qeshm Island, just off the coast of the Iranian mainland.

“I want to stress to you that unmanned aerial vehicles are a precision weapon, which can reach strategic targets throughout the world. Most of the drone attacks that we’ve seen so far have been from southern and southeastern Iran against targets at sea,” Gantz said.

Over the past year, Israel and Iran have been engaged in something of a shadow war at sea, with Tehran allegedly conducting a number of attacks on Israeli-owned or Israeli-linked vessels sailing through the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, including one such strike in July on the Mercer Street, an oil tanker that was owned by an Israeli businessman, in which a British and a Romanian crew member were killed.

Gantz warned that Iran’s drone program was a threat not only to Israel, but to the entire region.

“We have seen the attack on Aramco, the launching of drones from Syria, the attempts by Iran to build capabilities for Hezbollah to precisely launch explosive drones at Israel,” he said, referring to a massive attack on the Saudi petroleum company Aramco in 2019 with drones and cruise missiles.
Israel's DM Gantz says Iran used a drone to send explosives to West Bank

PMW: Father of dead boy: “I’m so happy my son died as a Martyr and I’m leading him today as a groom”
The PA encourages Palestinian youth to participate in violent confrontations with Israeli forces and risk their lives “for Palestine,” in order to become Martyrs – i.e., die for Allah. The PA also urges parents to rejoice when their kids are killed in such confrontations. The following is an example of the PA’s glorification of the death of a child and the child’s father’s “correct” reaction according to PA standards. He embraces the death of his 13-year-old son, states that he is happy and proud, viewing his son’s funeral as his wedding procession as a “groom.” A Martyr's funeral is considered his wedding to the 72 Virgins in Paradise in Islam:
Official PA TV newsreader: “Our people in Nablus accompanied to burial Martyr child Muhammad Da’das, who ascended to Heaven [killed] by the occupation bullets yesterday during confrontations…”

Father of Muhammad Da’das: “In the name of Merciful Allah, this is a source of pride for us. This raised our heads. A source of pride for us, for Palestine, and for the sake of supporting the prisoners… I’m very grateful. I’m so amazed and happy that my son died as a Martyr and that I’m leading him today as a groom. He is going to meet the prophets, the Martyrs, and the righteous. The angels will carry him and say: “We brought you a Martyr today.” It’s incredible how good the feeling and joy of the prophets and Martyrs is.”

[Official PA TV News, Nov. 6, 2021]

Palestinian Media Watch has exposed numerous statements by PA officials and parents that glorify Martyrdom for kids, as well as statements by would-be terrorists or suicide terrorists who envisioned themselves at wedding ceremonies in Paradise.




Time is running out to stop Iran, Israel's point is clear - Johnson to Herzog
President Isaac Herzog called on the UK to be tough in the upcoming nuclear negotiations with Iran, in his meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street on Tuesday.

Johnson said that Israel’s point was “well-made, and we see a situation in which the world doesn’t have much time.”

Herzog said that Israel expects it allies to be tough with Iran since it does not believe that Iran can be trusted, and is using the talks to continue its pursuit of an illicit nuclear capability. The way to do that, he said, was to make sure that all options are on the table, implying a military option.

“As you enter your negotiations with the P5+1 on the Iranian nuclear situation, we are looking forward for our allies in the P5+1 to be as tough as possible, because we do not believe that they are operating in a bona fide manner, and only if all options are on the table may things move in the right direction,” Herzog said.

The president also thanked Johnson for the UK’s recent decision to label all of Hamas as a terrorist organization.

“This is a very important message to terror organizations and global radicals trying to undermine the situation in the Middle East,” said Herzog.
Naftali Bennett: 'We will never allow Iran to become a nuclear superpower'

Jonathan Tobin: Biden's message is music to Iran's ears
While Iran is too big and its nuclear program too spread out in several highly defensible locations to easily destroy it, what the Israelis have done is make it plain that no one person or facility in that country is safe from the long reach of Israeli intelligence operatives.

At one point, Israeli and American intelligence agencies were working in tandem against Iran but the message we're getting now is that Biden wants Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to declare a ceasefire. That's the complete opposite of the message Israel's military and intelligence establishment have been telling the world. An example was the IDF's very public talk of 2022 being the year that the Israeli Air Force is making dealing with Iran its top priority.

For all of Biden administration officials' talk of Iran being able to "build back better," Tehran knows not to underestimate Israel's ability to strike them at will in unconventional ways. Yet, as I've previously noted, Iran is quite confident that the administration is completely disinterested in seeking a "Plan B" to stop its nuclear quest if diplomacy fails. And with the Biden team's latest article planted in the Times indicating that the president's national security team has lost hope of persuading the Iranians to re-enter a nuclear deal that would have given them a legal path to a bomb inside of eight years, Tehran knows it holds all the cards in the upcoming talks with the West in Vienna.

But despite Washington's efforts to tame both the Israelis and their new Arab allies, Biden shouldn't think that even an Israeli government that would love to stay on good terms with him like the one led by Bennett is so weak that it would acquiesce to an existential threat like that of a nuclear Iran.

So we are left with a contradiction between America's pre-emptive surrender to Iran and its inability to stop Israel from defending itself despite the very real challenges involved in any undertaking on the part of the Jewish state to take out Tehran's nuclear program. The ayatollahs should take great comfort in the articles churned out by the Times assuring them that Biden doesn't mean business when it comes to stopping their nuclear ambition. They also need to pay extremely close attention to what the Israelis are saying and must understand that the chances that the Jewish state can be prevented from defending itself by American pressure are not greater than zero.
Iran nuclear talks are restarting, but they’re pointless: Biden needs a bipartisan strategy
The IAEA board of governors meeting this week is an important opportunity. The Biden administration should pursue Tehran’s censure for covering up clandestine nuclear work throughout the deal’s existence. It’s resisted in the past, worried that Iran would become less cooperative at the negotiating table, but the talks are moribund, so it’s time Biden signaled that Washington is done waiting. When the board passed a June 2020 censure resolution, Iran (briefly) complied with the IAEA’s requests for information and access.

More important, the president should use the delay Tehran’s stonewalling has created to order a policy review co-led by a Democrat not in his administration and a Republican who wasn’t in the Trump administration. Several candidates come to mind: Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, former defense secretaries, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former CIA Director David Petraeus and former Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.).

The policy review should be quick, ideally 30 to 60 days, and start with a review of the Islamic Republic’s motivations. Is Tehran increasing its nuclear activities as leverage for sanctions removal and a return to the 2015 nuclear deal? Or does Iran look at North Korea, which tested its first nuclear weapon more than 15 years ago, as an example to follow?

The answers to those questions will determine whether a return to the 2015 nuclear deal or any agreement that provides Tehran much-needed sanctions relief is advisable. If Tehran is only interested in pursuing a financial lifeline for limited nuclear concessions, then the “longer and stronger” deal that Biden initially advocated is not possible. Removing all leverage for an expiring deal — or one that’s even worse — is not in America’s interests.

Some experts will say there’s no time for such a review. But Biden has already spent nine months waiting for Iran to become a cooperative negotiating partner — he can spare 30 to 60 days to get his approach right. If he doesn’t, Tehran will follow Pyongyang’s path to a nuclear weapon.
GOP Demands Biden Admin Commit to Sanctions on Iranian Human Rights Abuses
Republican foreign policy leaders in Congress are asking the Biden administration to turn over information about any steps it has taken to hold the Iranian regime accountable for human rights abuses, according to a letter sent late last week to the White House.

Rep. Bryan Steil (R., Wis.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and a coalition of his GOP colleagues want the Biden administration to provide direct assurances to Congress that it will not unwind human rights sanctions on Iran as part of any nuclear deal. While the administration has promised to unwind sanctions applied by the Trump administration, the lawmakers want to ensure that measures targeting the Iranian regime's sponsorship of terrorism and crimes against its people remain in place.

The lawmakers also want to know what the Biden administration has done to ensure that Iran's government is held accountable for its ongoing crackdown on civil rights, which includes the killing, torture, and detention of anti-regime protesters who in recent months have taken to the streets.

The letter comes less than a week after the two-year anniversary of Iran's brutal 2019 crackdown on protesters, which left 1,500 dead. A GOP-led House resolution filed last week sought to formally memorialize the incident, the Washington Free Beacon first reported. Republicans view the Biden administration as downplaying the Iranian government's human rights abuses to avoid offending Tehran as the president seeks a revamped version of the 2015 nuclear accord.

"Your administration has claimed that its foreign policy would be based on human rights and democracy. The people of Iran, who continue to contest the regime at every available opportunity, are similarly seeking human rights, democracy, and a government that represents their values and interests," the lawmakers write. "Given the gap between the people and the regime in Iran, we see standing with and supporting the Iranian people as not only a strategic imperative but also a moral one."

As the United States "prepares for indirect diplomacy with the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program and issues such as sanctions relief, nuclear deal re-entry, and others gain prominence, the U.S. cannot afford to let human rights matters be ignored or moved to the back burner," the lawmakers write. "Providing sanctions relief to the world's foremost state-sponsor of terrorism would only mean empowering those who engage in domestic repression and foreign aggression."
IAEA’s Grossi Says in Iran That He Wants to Deepen Cooperation
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday that he wanted to deepen cooperation with Iran in his talks in Tehran, days before resumption of negotiations between the Islamic Republic and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.

“The agency is seeking to continue and deepen the dialogue with the government of Iran … We agreed to continue our joint work on transparency and this will continue,” Grossi, who arrived in Tehran on Monday, told a televised news conference.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last week issued reports detailing its conflicts with Iran, from rough treatment of its inspectors to re-installing cameras it deems “essential” for the revival of Tehran’s nuclear deal.

Tehran and Washington will resume indirect negotiations on Nov. 29 in Vienna, which have been on hold since June, to find ways to reinstate the nuclear deal that former U.S. President Donald Trump exited three years ago and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran.

Tehran responded by breaching key limits on nuclear activity set by the accord, including rebuilding stockpiles of enriched uranium, refining it to higher fissile purity and installing advanced centrifuges to speed up output.

Failure of diplomacy to bring back Tehran and Washington into compliance with the nuclear deal would carry the risk of a fresh regional war.
Malley should go back to the basics
Finally, when Malley said “we are not negotiating anything else other than the nuclear issue in the Vienna Talks, because Iran’s activities in the region are a concern for GCC countries, Israel and others,” he effectively painted a regional picture without America in it. America, however, is not disengaging before handing the Iranian regime enough money to dig in its heels and continue attacking GCC countries and Israel.

Former President Barack Obama designed his Iran policy based on the known “carrots and sticks” diplomacy technique. If Iran stopped its pursuit to acquire nuclear weapons and ended its destabilising behaviour in the region, America and the world would remove sanctions and embrace the regime. Warmer relations build mutual trust with Iran, which would help solve the non-nuclear problems.

It never occurred to Obama, however, that Iran never considered its destabilising behaviour as being problematic, but has always viewed it as its raison d’etre. If anything, it was Iran who hoped that its trouble-making behaviour would be accepted by Obama and Tehran’s new-found global friends as a legitimate expression of national interests.

Malley, who was one of the architects of Obama’s nuclear deal, went several steps further. Those who have read Malley’s literature and that of his like-minded friends know that his top priority is de-colonisation. That is why he always blames others for Iran’s ills, but never blames Tehran itself.

Whatever policy the US special envoy is conducting on Iran does not qualify as diplomacy, but rather as ideology.

Perhaps Malley should go back to the basics, that sometimes power can only be stopped by a bigger power, that reward and punishment is a system that has proven its worth and that changes the calculus of governments, even Messianic and non-realistic regimes like the one in Tehran.
WSJ ($): Secret Chinese Port Project in Persian Gulf Rattles U.S. Relations with UAE
U.S. intelligence agencies learned this spring that China was secretly building what they suspected was a military facility at Khalifa port, 50 miles north of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, one of the U.S.'s closest Mideast allies.

Alarmed, the Biden administration warned the Emirati government that a Chinese military presence in its country could threaten ties between the two nations.

After rounds of meetings and visits by U.S. officials, construction was recently halted.

It appeared the Emirati government was unaware of the military nature of China's activity.

"The UAE has never had an agreement, plan, talks or intention to host a Chinese military base or outpost of any kind," a UAE Embassy spokesman in Washington said.


MEMRI: IRGC Aerospace Force Commander General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh: We Do Not Need To Build Missiles That Can Reach U.S. Soil Because There Are Numerous American Assets In The Region; Today's Iranian Youth Will Live To See The Annihilation Of The Zionist Regime
IRGC Aerospace Force commander General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh met with members of the Student Basij at Sharif University at the IRGC Aerospace Exhibition, and footage of the meeting was aired on Emtedad Online (Iran) on November 15, 2021. General Hajizadeh told the students that Iran does not need to strike targets on American soil, due to the significant U.S. presence in the region surrounding Iran. Claiming that the majority of American forces are present in the Middle East, General Hajizadeh said that Iranian pressure on American forces in the region is in response to the 2020 killing of IRGC Qods Force commander General Qasem Soleimani.

In addition, he said that Iranian security forces should have prevented the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and the recent cyberattack on the Natanz nuclear facility, and he blamed this failure in part on former Iranian President Rouhani's "pro-Western" government. General Hajizadeh also said say that strikes against Israeli ships, fires in Israel, and an explosion in an Israeli factory are all part of Iran's retaliation for the killing of Fakhrizadeh. Later in the meeting, General Hajizadeh added that Iranian forces are present "from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea" and are no longer restricted to Iran's borders. Turning to the students, he said that since they are young, they will live see the day when the "Zionist regime" is annihilated.

Iran Should Have Been Building Fighter Planes As Actively As It Was Building Missiles

Student: "It seems that our military doctrine has focused in recent years on defense and deterrence. The practical manifestation of this doctrine in the military field has focused on the missile industry. Why has this doctrine manifested itself in the missile industry, and to what extent could we have developed other industries?"

General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh: "In the entire aerospace complex, our responsibility is like you said: missiles, obviously UAV's, radar systems, air-defense, and all the space projects.

"Building fighter planes is the responsibility of others, and they should provide the answers in this regard. Some things have been done, but in my view, it is not enough. In the area of building fighter planes, we could have been as active as we have been with the missiles. In any case, the people who were responsible should provide the answers. I do agree that we are behind in this field."

Student: "It has not been the responsibility of the IRGC?"

Hajizadeh: "No, no."

"Maintaining Deterrence Is Like Riding A Bicycle... You Have To Keep Pedaling All The Time"

Student: "Does building a missile that can hit Israel – a missile with a 2,500-kilometer range – constitute the pinnacle of deterrence by our defense and missile industries or is there something beyond that?"

Hajizadeh: "Maintaining deterrence is like riding a bicycle. When riding a bicycle, you have to keep pedaling all the time, or else, the bicycle will fall. Therefore, deterrence does not mean that you reach a certain point, and then you frame it, put it in some corner, and say that you have deterrence. No. You have to preserve it.


Seth Frantzman: Iran praises better ties with Azerbaijan, Syria’s role in region
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh has been quoted in Iranian media as saying Iran should begin to “stay on track” for technical cooperation with the IAEA and praised regional successes that Iran believes may transpire as a result. The quotes appeared in Tasnim News report and were based on a weekly press conference.

Iran is putting on a positive face amid the visit of Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who is coming to Iran on Monday. "Tonight, we have Mr. Grossi's visit to Tehran," the spokesperson said.

He also discussed the return of Syria to the Arab League. It is believed that after the UAE sent its foreign Minister to Damascus, Syria may integrate back into the Arab League. "Syria is one of the most important and indelible actors in the Arab world, including in regional organizations and organizations that have been active in the field of Arab countries such as the Arab League,” Iran said. “It is natural that Iran and countries like Russia welcome this and consider it a step in the right direction,” the report said.

Iran is putting on a brave face here because the Arab states would like Syria to pressure Iranian forces to leave.

Meanwhile, Iran is pushing for an end of sanctions amid talks in Vienna. “Our focus is on lifting unilateral extraterritorial and illegal sanctions against Iran,” the Ministry said. "Our position is quite clear," he said, referring to remarks made by the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council that the Vienna talks would not be successful without the presence of the Gulf Arab states.
Seth Frantzman: Iran wants to invest in Kurdish region to counter 'Zionists' - analysis
“Why do the Zionist regime and the Westerners defend the seemingly pro-Kurdish anti-revolutionary groups?” asked Iran’s interior minister during a visit to the Kurdish region of Iran, according to Tasnim News.

Iran’s new Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi is wanted by Interpol for murdering 85 people in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. However, now the minister wants to devote his discussion to the support he will provide the Kurdish region in Iran. He claimed that the Kurdistan region needs prosperity and security and that Kurds had rejected attempts by foreign regimes to undermine Iran’s role in its northwest, where Kurds live.

“He stated that the Kurds, along with the people all over the country, have punched the counter-revolution in the mouth with a strong fist in the face of the conspiracies and extravagances of the enemies,” the report said.

“The minister of interior pointed out: The people of Kurdistan are proud and resilient and it is right to be a model and to learn many lessons from their honor, dignity, resistance and stability,” he said.

“Undoubtedly, Kurdistan and the universities of this province can be an important center for the whole region and the upbringing of Kurds and Kurdish nations abroad, if the doors of our universities are open to them because we have very good relations with the Kurdish nations and the Kurdish region of Iraq.”







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