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Thursday, September 22, 2022

09/22 Links Pt1: The slaughter of Shulamit Ovadia and the myth of ‘lone wolf’ terrorism; Lapid tells UN Palestinian state right for Israel but can't be terror base

From Ian:

Ruthie Blum: The slaughter of Shulamit Ovadia and the myth of ‘lone wolf’ terrorism
Why was the Holon terrorist not on Israel's security radar?
THE SECOND reason given for Sarsour’s not having been on the security radar is his lack of a record for past terrorist activity. This raises a serious question about those terrorists allowed to roam freely among the Israelis in their proverbial and literal crosshairs.

Speaking of which, Sarsour was picked up and questioned by police twice in the past few weeks, clearly as a result of his looking or behaving in a suspicious manner. But he was released both times after authorities saw that his permit to seek work in Israel – was valid.

Were his interrogators unable to discern that he was mentally unstable? Or did they not consider this to be relevant, despite the fact that such a guy would likely wind up with a construction job requiring sharp tools that could be used as weapons?

A third justification presented for Sarsour’s having slipped through the proverbial cracks is that he was not known to belong to any particular terrorist group. In other words, he was a “lone wolf” who acted on his own at the spur of the moment and without prior warning.

This, too, makes one wonder. Why aren’t all terrorists who exhibit their admiration for or affiliation with Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad or ISIS behind bars from the first minute that they’re detected?

A crucial source, aside from informants working for or with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Service), is social media.

After all, it’s not only the official Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other pages of the above organizations that are filled with incitement to terrorism and praise for those who succeed in killing Jews. Many individuals, as well, proudly announce their intention to become “martyrs” for Allah by murdering Israeli soldiers and civilians. Some even craft final wills and testaments before setting out, with guns or butcher knives in hand, to engage in the slaughter of passersby.


Lapid tells UN Palestinian state right for Israel but can't be terror base
The future Palestinian state that will exist next to Israel must be peaceful and not terror-based, Prime Minister Yair Lapid told the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday afternoon, just before returning to Israel.

"If that condition is met then the best path forward is "an agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples," Lapid said.

This "is the right thing for Israel's security, for Israel's economy and for the future of our children."

His statement about a future Palestinian state and his affirmation of a two-state resolution to the conflict, markers the strongest language that an Israeli premier has used with regard to Palestinian sovereignty since the days of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. It is the first since 2016 that an Israeli leader has spoken of the two-state solution when addressing the UNGA.

"Despite all the obstacles, still today a large majority of Israelis support the vision of this two-state solution. I am one of them," Lapid said.

"We have only one condition: That a future Palestinian state will be a peaceful one.

That it will not become another terror base from which to threaten the well-being, and the very existence of Israel," Lapid said.

"Peace is not a compromise. It is the most courageous decision we can make.
Full text of Lapid’s 2022 speech to the UN General Assembly
Israel’s economic and military strength allows us to protect ourselves but it also allows us something else: To strive for peace with the entire Arab world. And with our closest neighbors – the Palestinians.

An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy and for the future of our children.

Peace is not a compromise.
It is the most courageous decision we can make.
Peace is not weakness.
It embodies within it the entire might of human spirit.
War is surrender to all that is bad within us.
Peace is the victory of all that is good.

Despite all the obstacles, still today a large majority of Israelis support the vision of this two state solution. I am one of them.

We have only one condition: That a future Palestinian state will be a peaceful one.
That it will not become another terror base from which to threaten the well-being, and the very existence of Israel.
That we will have the ability to protect the security of all the citizens of Israel, at all times.

If someone believes that demand is too much, then look at the neighborhood in which we live:
Look at Lebanon, a collapsing state controlled by Hezbollah.
At Syria, where a murderous regime massacred half a million of its own people.
Look at Afghanistan.
At Libya.
At Iran.

You can ask us to live according to the values in the UN Charter, but you cannot ask us to die for them.
Lapid faces backlash for reported plan to back two-state solution in UN address
Lawmakers harshly criticized Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday after it was revealed that he would call for the two-state solution in his upcoming address at the United Nations General Assembly.

One of the most prominent voices opposing the plan was that of Prime Minister-designate Naftali Bennett, Lapid's closest ally and partner in the interim government.

"The path I led as prime minister was not to quarrel with the whole world unnecessarily, but also not to fold unnecessarily. There is no place or logic to bringing back the idea of a Palestinian state.

"By the way, who are we talking about when we talk about Palestinians? About the Hamas terror organization, which is supported by the majority of Palestinians? About the Islamic Jihad? Or about [PA leader Mahmoud] Abbas who in his free time denies the Holocaust and pays murderers? They themselves are deeply conflicted and light years away from being able to govern.

"The year is 2022, not 1993. Even the true friends of the State of Israel do not expect us to compromise on our security and our future," he wrote on Twitter ... Therefore, empty slogans like 'two states' should remain in the 90s, along with many other fads that have faded away."

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked also expressed criticism, saying that as interim Prime Minister, Lapid had "no public legitimacy to entangle Israel with statements that will harm the country."

The Likud party blasted the prime minister as well: "After Lapid established the first Israeli-Palestinian government, now he wants to establish a Palestinian state … and hand over territories from our homeland to our enemies. For years, [Benjamin] Netanyahu managed to remove the Palestinian issue from the world agenda, and Lapid brought Abbas back to the forefront in less than a year."

Calling the two-state solution "a deviant idea," head of the far-right Religious Zionist Party Bezalel Smotrich accused Lapid of "inviting international pressure on Israel to promote a step that is nothing less than suicide for the state" and Defense Minister Benny Gantz of bringing "Abbas back to the center of the political stage."

Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who is a member of Gantz's State Party, also expressed opposition, saying, "Establishing a terror state in Judea and Samaria will endanger Israel's national security. Most of the people in Israel and their representatives will not allow this to happen."
Lapid expected to call for two-state solution during UN address



UK weighing relocating embassy to Jerusalem, Truss tells Lapid
The United Kingdom is considering relocating its embassy to Jerusalem, British Prime Minister Liz Truss told her Israeli counterpart when the two leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

Truss informed Lapid “about her review of the current location of the British Embassy in Israel,” her office at Downing Street said after the meeting.

Lapid responded in a tweet, “I want [to] thank my good friend, British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who announced that she is positively considering moving the British Embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.”

Truss, who became prime minister this month, told the Conservative Friends of Israel in August that she would consider such a move if she entered Downing Street.

What would moving the embassy entail?
The embassy relocation would mark a sea change in British foreign policy with regard to Jerusalem. The international community has been loath to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital until such time as there is a two-state resolution to the conflict. Most foreign embassies in Israel are located in Tel Aviv.

Former US president Donald Trump moved to strengthen Israel’s connection to its capital city when he relocated the US Embassy to Jerusalem. Only Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo have followed suit.

The British relocation of its embassy would be particularly significant because Great Britain is considered a world power and is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Caroline Glick: Arab Israelis are building an army under Israel’s nose | Mideast News Hour
In May 2021, Arab Israelis fully participated in Hamas’ war against Israel.

This week, former housing minister and Brig. Gen. (retired) Effi Eitam joins Caroline Glick on “Mideast News Hour” to explain what is happening with the Arab Israeli community.

The two discuss how Arab Israelis are organizing militarily and socially to advance the cause of Israel’s destruction.


Abbas once again set to push Palestinian propaganda at UN
The 77th session of the UN General Assembly opens this week. It is expected that the Palestinian Authority's President Mahmoud Abbas will once again force the Palestinian question to the forefront of the international agenda.

There has been a decline in interest in the Palestinian issue in recent years, perhaps due to the success of the Abraham Accords. The accords changed the decades-old paradigm where it was considered impossible for Israel to make peace with any additional Arab countries before the Palestinian issue was resolved. Instead, the Abraham Accords showed that notwithstanding the ongoing conflict, a strong and welcome peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors is possible.

After a failed attempt 11 years ago, it seems that Abbas feels the time is ripe to revive the bid to become a full member state of the UN.

On such occasions, Abbas's track record of support for terror is either ignored or forgotten. The man who is due to speak at the United Nations in front of the world has supported terror attacks on innocent Israeli civilians.

Even more abhorrent is that at a press conference in Germany last month, Abbas refused to denounce the 1972 Munich massacre where 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were murdered. Disgracefully, he accepted no responsibility for the attack and instead diverted the discourse to the "50 holocausts" that Israel is supposed to have committed – a false, slanderous and disgraceful assertion. The German chancellor condemned Abbas's comments unequivocally and said he was "disgusted by the outrageous remarks."

This is the man with whom we are dealing. Abbas continues to be welcomed into the world's capital cities while simultaneously leading a body that pays the salaries of convicted murderers who carry out terror attacks on innocent Israeli civilians. This pay-to-slay policy promotes and rewards violence; a murderer is paid around five times more than the average salary, and the more Jews murdered the greater the remuneration.


Seth Frantzman: Turkey’s shift from hating Israel to mending relations
In 2018 Turkey’s authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan compared Israel to Nazi Germany. In 2019 Turkey’s leader bashed Israel in his speech to the United Nations.

This week the same Turkish leader met with Israel’s Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, the countries have restored relations and Ankara is meeting with Jewish organizations, putting on a kind of charm offensive.

How can a country’s leadership shift from describing Israel as similar to the Nazis, slandering the memory of the Holocaust, and then suddenly getting along with the same country? Ankara has hosted Hamas terrorists for years, given a red carpet to Hamas leaders as recently as 2020, and yet today it wants ties with Jerusalem.

It's worth reviewing a bit of the background to examine how Turkey-Israel relations have come to this point. Is this a genuinely new era, or will Ankara quickly reverse course again? Let’s look at some of the history.

Erdogan's history of accusations against Israel
In 2018 Erdogan said “today, the Palestinians are subjected to pressures, violence and intimidation policies no less grave than the oppression done to the Jews during WWII,” according to reports.

According to the BBC, he said that recent laws in Israel "has shown without leaving the slightest room for doubt that Israel is the world's most Zionist, fascist, racist state…There is no difference between Hitler's obsession with the Aryan race and Israel's understanding that these ancient lands are meant only for Jews…The spirit of Hitler, which led the world to a great catastrophe, has found its resurgence among some of Israel's leaders.”

Ankara has never apologized for those comments are walked them back. In New York, however, the Turkish leader met with Prime Minister Lapid. Ankara’s authoritarian leader also held a meeting with representatives of 32 Jewish organizations, according to an article in the JTA. According to the report, Erdogan was not asked about his previous antisemitic comment and comparing Israel to the Nazis.
Report: Israel To Sell Air Defense System to United Arab Emirates
Israel has agreed to sell an advanced air defence system to the United Arab Emirates, two sources familiar with the matter said, in the first such known deal between them since they forged ties in 2020.

The deal reinforces how, for some Arab states, resolving the decades-long Israel-Palestinian conflict has now been overshadowed by national priorities, such as security and the economy.

Israel and the U.S.-allied UAE share an ultimate fear, that Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran denies.

Israel approved a UAE request in the middle of the summer and would supply the Gulf state with Rafael-made SPYDER mobile interceptors, two sources said, declining to provide further details due to the sensitive nature of the deal.

A third source said the UAE had acquired Israeli technology capable of combating drone attacks like those that struck Abu Dhabi earlier this year.

Israel's defence ministry and SPYDER manufacturer Rafael declined to comment. The UAE's foreign ministry did not comment.

It was not immediately clear how many interceptors, which are fitted to vehicles and can defend against short to long-range threats, would be supplied, or if any had so far been shipped.

Asked if Israel was providing the UAE with air defence systems, parliament Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee Chairman Ram Ben-Barak told Israeli radio on Sept. 20 there was broad cooperation with the UAE, but declined further comment.
‘Death to Israel’ daubed on Mexico City embassy during protest; Israel summons envoy
Israel’s embassy in Mexico City was vandalized on Thursday by demonstrators calling on Jerusalem to extradite a former senior official wanted in connection with the disappearance of 43 students in 2014.

The demonstrators defaced the embassy with slogans including “Death to Israel,” “Free Palestine” and “Long live Palestine.”

As a result of the incident, Israel summoned Mexico’s ambassador in Tel Aviv for a clarification.

“We view this issue very gravely. We expect that Mexico will fulfill its international obligations,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon.

Dozens of relatives and supporters of the 43 students participated in the protest demanding the extradition of Mexico’s former Criminal Investigation Agency chief Tomas Zeron.

Zuron, who is in Israel and seeking asylum, is facing allegations of serious irregularities surrounding a probe into one of the country’s worst human rights tragedies, as well as accusations of torture and embezzlement.


Seth Frantzman: Paving the way to blame Israel for new conflict in West Bank?
Violence has been increasing in the West Bank this year. This has included numerous incidents in which Palestinians have clashed with Israeli security forces or where individuals have tried to commit terror attacks. There is also another increasing phenomenon of clashes between Palestinians in Nablus. In the recent ones, which occurred after the Palestinian Authority arrested two Hamas members, one person was killed and another 55 were injured.

The clashes appear to be a challenge to the control and power of the PA. There have always been some areas of the West Bank that are out of the full control of the authority, or where armed men frequently parade and don’t seem to be under the control of either Israel or the PA. In addition, there have been similar clashes in Jenin over the years, as well as frequent raids by the Israel Defense Forces. There have also been feuds that broke out into larger battles between Palestinians in Hebron and other places.

The consensus appears to be growing that the violence will spill over. “West Bank violence is a prelude to an uprising against PA,” said a headline at Ynet this week. Haaretz says that “with an uprising in Nablus, the Palestinian Authority’s fall becomes a palpable threat.” Everyone seems to be watching the unfolding events closely, from writers at Middle East Eye to the Electronic Intifada website.

As commentators and writers, as well as those interviewed by them, watch the unfolding events, a sort of group think or meta-narrative is forming: The violence has the makings of an uprising against the Palestinian Authority, and Israel is to blame.

The Guardian wrote this week that “this Israeli strategy of attrition known as ‘mowing the grass’ has two goals: diminishing the enemy’s ability to attack, and temporary deterrence. But rather than quashing Palestinian armed resistance, Operation Breakwater appears to be fueling more violence in the West Bank – and galvanizing a new generation of fighters.”

This article has the usual talking points. The youthful men who were interviewed – and they seem to have only talked to young Palestinian men, not any young Palestinian women – say they have easy access to firearms and that they don’t believe in peace. They are contrasted with their parents, who lived through the First and Second intifadas, and do believe in peace. It’s not clear if anyone investigated how easy it is to actually get firearms in the West Bank; the men may not have the kind of access they brag about.
Israel braces for aliyah wave from Russia following mobilization
Israel has begun preparations ahead of a possible increase in the number of immigrants from Russia following President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a partial military mobilization.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke with El Al official Shlomi Am Shalom shortly before taking off for New York on Wednesday to ensure that direct flights from Russia to Moscow not only do not decrease but perhaps even increase.

According to officials, the total number of reservists drafted in the partial mobilization is 300,000. Contrary to some countries, in Russia any healthy person over the age of 27, even those who did not serve in the military, could be mobilized. The war in Ukraine is reaching nearly seven months and the Russian military is said to be losing ground on the battlefield.

In 2021, over 23,000 immigrants arrived in Israel from Russia, about 47% of all new olim, a significant increase from the year before. This year, the war in Ukraine as well as the dispute over the activities of the Jewish Agency, which promotes aliyah to Israel, might also contribute to considerations.

Israel is one of the only countries that continues to operate direct flights to and from sanctioned Russia, and as such, has already increased the number of flights to the country. Often, travelers use Israel as a layover to get from Russia to other countries. Nevertheless, even with the increase, tickets are not always easy to come by.

Director-General of the Foreign Ministry Alon Ushpiz said authorities have already begun preparations.

"Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has instructed us to accept new immigrants from Russia. This requires assessments on many levels, from flights to entry visas and reception in the country. We work in full cooperation with the government ministries, our people at the Russian embassy, and of course the El Al company that flies to Russia," he said.


Shireen Abu Akleh's family submits complaint against Israel to ICC
The family of slain journalist Shireen Abu Akleh submitted a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court asking the international community to investigate the journalist's death, they announced in a statement on Tuesday.

The Abu Akleh family accussed Israeli soldiers of deliberately targeting Shireen and another Al Jazeera journalist, citing new footage released that day by the Palestinian NGO Al Haq and Forensic Architecture. What do we know about Shireen Abu Akleh's death so far?

The investigation claimed to have created a visual approximation of what an Israeli marksman that may have shot Abu Akleh would have seen from a suspected firing position. The recreation shows a blue vested individual with the barely legible text "press" on the plate carrier. The investigators alleged that this proved that the soldier knowingly shot at a civilian to kill.

"The evidence is overwhelming. It's been over four months since Shireen was killed," the family said in a statement. "Our family shouldn't have to wait another day for justice."

The request for an ICC investigation comes in tandem with a call for an independent American investigation, which the family said it would continue to demand.

"The US still has an obligation to investigate and take meaningful action for one of their own citizens. But when an individual state fails to protect its own citizens, it's the responsibility of the international community to protect them instead.
The Israel Guys: US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib Says She DOES NOT SUPPORT A TWO-STATE SOLUTION
Defense Minister Benny Gantz recently signed an order to begin seizing 10 million shekels that were being transferred by the Palestinian Authority to the private bank accounts of terrorists who were involved in severe terror attacks.

In a recent interview with Al-Jazeera, representative Rashida Tlaib said that she does not support a two-state solution.

Booking.com is planning to Add a 'Safety and Human Rights Warning' to listings located in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Arab Member of Knesset, Ofer Cassif, is once again showing his utter hatred for Israel.


Palestinian car thief rams into a Ben-Gurion Airport barricade
A Palestinian from Ramallah stole a vehicle in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, and subsequently rammed a barricade at Ben-Gurion Airport early Thursday in his attempt to escape pursuit, the Israel Police said. He then fled on foot.

Following a search and the setting up of roadblocks, the suspect was arrested. Police said he endangered the safety of police and airport security staff.

The incident began around 1:15 a.m. when a vehicle driving in a suspicious manner at one of the airport’s entrance gates bypassed other cars at high speed and rammed the barricade. Security staff fired at the vehicle and deployed obstacles, and were able to force the driver to stop. He fled the vehicle on foot and hid in bushes, where he was caught and arrested.

“This is another severe example of an attempt to harm and endanger security forces by a resident of Judea and Samaria, who illegally entered Israel through a gap in the [security] fence to harm property of state residents while tangibly endangering public safety in his efforts to escape the law,” said police.

On June 11, an Israel Police volunteer officer, Amichai Carmely, was killed in Rishon Lezion when a car ran him down at a checkpoint designed to test drivers for drunk driving. Four residents of the Bedouin city of Rahat were later arrested in connection with the incident.
Israel okays 1,500 more entry permits for Gaza workers, bringing total to 17,000
Israel will raise the quota of work permits for Gazan Palestinians to 17,000 next week, expanding a policy that defense officials view as a means of maintaining quiet on the country’s southern front.

An additional 1,500 permits are to be added, Israel’s military liaison office to the Palestinians, widely known by its acronym COGAT, said Thursday. The move came following an assessment by Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

The move is set to begin next week, after Rosh Hashanah, COGAT said in a statement.

The Defense Ministry has signed off on a tentative plan to raise the number of Gaza permits to 20,000, an unprecedented increase. In mid-2021, just 7,000 Gaza Palestinians had permits to work or trade in Israel.

Defense officials say allowing more Gazans to work in Israel will pump much-needed income into the impoverished coastal enclave while encouraging stability.

“All the civilian steps toward Gaza are dependent on continued security stability,” COGAT said.
PMW: International Olympic Committee must cancel funding of anti-Semitic Palestinian Olympic Committee
Dear Mr. Bach,

Re: IOC support for the Palestine Olympic Committee

We the undersigned were shocked and disappointed to read that you have met with the chairman of the Palestinian Olympic Committee Jibril Rajoub and offered to increase financial support to the Palestinian Olympic Committee. In normal circumstances, we would, of course, have no reservation about the desire to promote Palestinian sports as a means to further and realize the noble Olympic goals and values. However, these are not normal circumstances. At the head of the Palestine Olympic Committee stands Jibril Rajoub. If you would know who Jibril Rajoub is, and the values that he represents, we are confident you would not have made this error in judgment and not have agreed that the IOC participate and fund outright racism that undermines and rejects the most basic of Olympic values.

Jibril Rajoub is an anti-semite who violates the most important humanistic values, including values that are particularly important for you as a German, in addition to violating the principles of the International Olympic Committee.

Comparing Israeli behavior to Nazism is one of the examples in the IHRA definition of “Antisemitism” which has been adopted by countries across Europe including Germany. German Chancellor Scholz recently said he was “disgusted” by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ libel that Israel committed “50 holocausts” which he called “outrageous… intolerable and unacceptable.”

Similar to Abbas, Jibril Rajoub constantly compares Israel and its actions to the Nazis and their actions. Inter alia, Rajoub has said in his various public speeches that Israel's “prisons are an identical copy of Auschwitz and the death camps”; "Auschwitz is here in every city in Palestine”; Israelis are “the ugly face of Nazism, which is this Zionism”; “new Nazis”; “model of the fascist and Nazi thinking”; “Nazi state terror”; "What is happening in Palestine is a second Holocaust”.

Regarding Israeli leaders Rajoub continues: “Netanyahu, the ugly face of Mussolini and Hitler” “Mussolini was a kindergarten compared to Netanyahu,” and even libeled our organization: “Palestinian Media Watch, whose director is Goebbels.” (All full quotes follow below.)

In addition, as a fundamental policy, the Palestine Olympic Committee under Rajoub, rejects the Olympic Committee Charter and Code of Ethics by both prohibiting Palestinians from participating in sports with Israelis and condemning Arab states that do participate in sports with Israel.

In furtherance of this policy, Rajoub even praised Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine for withdrawing from the Olympic competition in 2021 rather than face an Israeli: “There is no place for meeting with anyone who is connected to this official terror (i.e., Israel), not in sports and not outside of sports. I hope that this will be a message to all the Arabs who are normalizing and those who are rushing [towards normalizing sports with Israel].”
The Race between Palestinian Rocket Capabilities and Israel's Defensive Capabilities
During the fighting on August 5-7, 2022, between Israel and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, most of the rockets fired at Israel that were headed towards Israeli population centers were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.

Israel suffered no fatalities and only 3 lightly wounded persons (two IDF troops hit by a mortar bomb and a Palestinian worker in an industrial plant hit by a rocket). 28 other Israelis were hurt while rushing to take shelter. Only four houses were directly hit by rockets (with no casualties among their residents).

Nevertheless, in a short time, Islamic Jihad managed to launch 1,175 rockets and mortar bombs against Israeli targets. During a two-day round of fighting in 2019 between Israel and Islamic Jihad, IJ managed to fire only 450 rockets and mortar bombs, which illustrates a major enhancement in its capabilities.

In addition, IJ concentrated its fire by launching massive salvoes in brief time periods. This proficiency was seen on the second day of the fighting in 2022, when IJ launched at least five large salvoes against Ashkelon within two and a half hours.

It appears evident that IJ's rocket manufacturing and launching facilities have not been seriously damaged by previous Israeli offensives against them. It also appears that there is no lack of raw materials and components for expanded rocket and rocket launcher production lines. Arguably, what is true for IJ is also true for Hamas. It can therefore be expected that in future escalation rounds in Gaza, the combined rate of rocket fire by the Palestinian armed militias will reach or even exceed 1,000 rockets per day.

At the same time, there has been a degradation in the reliability of the Gaza-produced rockets. While the rate of failed launches during the 2014 operation stood at 7%, the failure rate grew to 23% during the fighting in 2021.
Hamas ‘plotting to repeat Gaza takeover in Judea and Samaria’
According to Col. (res.) Grisha Yakubovich, an expert on Israeli-Palestinian relations and a senior fellow at the MirYam Institute, the mounting Palestinian terrorist attacks are part of a larger trend of the growing dominance of Hamas rhetoric in Judea and Samaria and an ongoing battle for Palestinian hearts and minds based on the message that violence achieves results and that negotiations and diplomacy do not.

"Hamas has been silent recently; we are not hearing them. On the Palestinian street, this silence is being interpreted as preparations by Hamas to attempt a repeat of their 2007 takeover of Gaza - this time in Judea and Samaria," Yakubovich cautioned.


Unpacked: What Is Hezbollah?
When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took control of Iran in the Islamic Revolution of 1979, no one could have predicted that would be a catalyst for the formation of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, or “Party of God.”

Since its inception, Hezbollah has grown from a small militant group in Lebanon to a massively well-funded organization hell-bent on destroying Israel.

Despite retaliation from the Israel Defense Forces, Hezbollah’s power continues to grow and remains a serious threat to Israeli lives; a fact which will remain until true peace is found between Israel and Lebanon.


Who is Iranian President Raisi? A terror master who oversaw mass execution of between 5,000 and 30,000 Iranians
What exactly does U.S. President Joe Biden not understand about Iran’s terrorist leaders?

Why did Biden so strongly support former President Barack Obama giving upwards of $150 billion in sanctions relief to the Iranian regime in 2015 in return for a nuclear deal that did not require Tehran to dismantle must less destroy its illegal nuclear program?

Why did Biden enthusiastically stand by the deal when everyone knew that the Iranian leadership couldn’t be trusted, had a history of cheating on nuclear agreements, were certain to cheat on this new one, and were certain to use that new funding to support anti-American, anti-Israel, and anti-Arab terrorist groups, from Hezbollah to Hamas to the Houthis (which, in fact, is exactly what happened)?

Why hasn’t Biden learned any lessons about Iranian intentions since then – especially when the Mossad stole Iran’s nuclear archives in 2018 and proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that Tehran has been actively developing plans to build nuclear weapons and thus has been lying that nuclear weapons are forbidden by their Supreme Leader? (In fact, earlier this year, an Iranian Grand Ayatollah actually admitted that there is no real fatwa banning the development of nuclear weapons in his country.)

Why has Biden been pushing so hard for a second nuclear deal with Iran, and been so eager to lift economic sanctions on the most dangerous terror regime in the world, when the new deal “would allow Tehran to access up to $275 billion in financial benefits during its first year in effect and $1 trillion by 2030,” according to a sobering analysis by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies?

Does Biden purposefully ignore the intelligence about how dangerous these leaders are, does he not believe the intelligence, or does he simply not care?


Iran Jews warned not to visit synagogues amid likely regime persecution
In an extraordinary security move, the Tehran Jewish community took to its Telegram page to announce that the city’s tiny Jewish community should not visit synagogues because of the protests unfolding against the clerical regime.

The Iran expert Ben Sabti told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that the Jewish community in Tehran issued an “unusual letter" reading: "Do not visit synagogues in Tehran due to the dangerous situation."

"There was never such a letter from the community, especially not before the Jewish holidays," said Sabti.

There has been widespread social unrest against the Iranian regime across the vast nation since the morality police of the Islamic Republic reportedly killed the 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini for failing to comply with the hijab law.

Sabti, who was born in Tehran and made Aliyah in 1987, is an Iran researcher for The Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS).

Sabti is also one of the founders of the IDF platform in Persian.

Jewish community keeps distance from protests
“Of course, they [the Jewish community] do not mention it, but it is because of the protests. The Jewish community wants to keep Jews away from clashes, “ Sabti said, adding that the regime accuses Jews “of espionage or cooperating with Israel. It is not a good idea for a Jew to walk around a protest.”

The Iranian regime “could make false charges” and say the Jews are Mossad agents and stage a show trial where they are hanged, Sabti said.

He noted that the ban on visiting synagogues due to the protests “Never happened in the [1979] revolution or during Iran-Iraq war[1980-1988].
US General: Biden Sanctions Relief for Iran Will Aid Iranian Assassination Plots
Iran will use cash assets provided by the Biden administration as part of a new nuclear accord to fund regional terror groups and enhance the capabilities of a militant network committed to assassinating U.S. officials, according to written testimony to Congress from a top U.S. military commander exclusively obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

Gen. Stephen Townsend, who led U.S. Africa Command until August of this year, in March warned Congress that Iran is certain to use "at least some of the resources gained from sanctions relief to" increase its illicit shipment of advanced weapons to terror groups operating in Africa and the Near East region, according to written information he provided to Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) after a public hearing before Congress.

In addition to boosting Iran's terror allies like the Houthi rebels in Yemen, sanctions relief will enable Tehran to expand its Iranian Threat Network, a group of terror cells run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps's Quds Force that is focused on assassinating American officials, according to Townsend.

With a new Iran nuclear deal expected to provide Iran with up to a trillion dollars over the lifetime of the deal, a coalition of Republican lawmakers on Wednesday introduced new legislation that would bar the Biden administration from implementing the accord until it can certify to Congress that Iran has not engaged in assassination plots on Americans in five years. The bill, which is sponsored by Ernst and Rep. Michael Waltz (R., Fla.), was sparked by Iran's ongoing efforts to assassinate former U.S. officials like former national security adviser John Bolton and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo.

The disclosures made by Townsend in his communications to Congress are likely to generate further support for the legislation even among Democrats, some of whom recently wrote to President Joe Biden expressing concern about the impending deal.


‘Woman, life, freedom’: At least 16 dead in Iran unrest over morality police
The official death toll from Iran’s wave of popular unrest shot up Thursday to at least 17 as popular anger has flared over the death in custody of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.

However, the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights said at least 31 civilians had been killed in a crackdown by the Iranian security forces in six nights of violence.

Iranians have taken to the streets “to achieve their fundamental rights and human dignity… and the government is responding to their peaceful protest with bullets,” charged its director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.

Amini, 22, died last week after she had been arrested by the Islamic Republic’s feared morality police for allegedly wearing a hijab headscarf in an “improper” way, sparking widespread outrage.

“Death to the dictator” and “Woman, life, freedom,” protesters could be heard shouting in video footage shared online, during the biggest wave of protests to rock the country in almost three years.

Among those killed in clashes have been police and militia officers, state TV reported, while overseas-based human rights groups reported many more deaths, which could not be independently verified.

Security forces have fired at crowds with birdshot and metal pellets, and also deployed tear gas and water cannon, according to Amnesty International and other human rights groups.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called on the country’s judiciary to prosecute “those who spread false news and rumors” Amini’s killing, Reuters reported.




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