China's New Way of War - Judith Bergman

 

​ by Judith Bergman

The idea is to use AI to directly control the will of the highest decision-makers, including the president, members of Congress, and combatant commanders, as well as citizens." — Colonel Koichiro Takagi.

• "Chinese thinkers have clearly stated that the core operational concept of intelligentized warfare is to directly control the enemy's will. The idea is to use AI to directly control the will of the highest decision-makers, including the president, members of Congress, and combatant commanders, as well as citizens." — Colonel Koichiro Takagi, senior fellow of Training Evaluation Research and Development Command, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, War on the Rocks, April 13, 2022.

• "War has started to shift from the pursuit of destroying bodies to paralyzing and controlling the opponent. The focus is to attack the enemy's will to resist, not physical destruction" and to cause "the brain to become the main target of offense and defense of new concept weapons... To win without fighting is no longer far-fetched." — Bill Gertz, describing a report written in 2019 by China's People's Liberation Army, in the Washington Times, December 29, 2021.

• "The PLA plans to employ all available tools to the overarching objective of reducing an enemy's will to resist." — Ben Noon, research assistant at the American Enterprise Institute and Dr. Chris Bassler, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, Defense One, September 17, 2021.

• "Influencing human cognition requires a large amount of detailed personal information to identify influential individuals or to conduct influential operations according to the characteristics of subgroups of people. China has already collected a massive amount of personal information on government officials and ordinary U.S. citizens.... China has even succeeded in identifying CIA agents operating in foreign countries using such data. These activities are particularly aggressive and coercive in Taiwan and Hong Kong, which the Chinese government considers its territory. Attempts to use digital means to influence elections have also been seen in Taiwan's recent presidential election." — Colonel Koichiro Takagi, War on the Rocks, April 13, 2022.

• While cognitive warfare may sound like science fiction to most people, experts have cautioned that the US needs to take the threat seriously.

• "They should also designate the cognitive arena as a new operational arena, along with land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace, to raise awareness and invest resources. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider how to win the 'battle of narratives' to counter the manipulation of public opinion in wartime." — Colonel Koichiro Takagi, War on the Rocks, April 13, 2022.

Since 2019, China has been pursuing a new concept of war, known as "intelligentized warfare." The idea is to operationalize artificial intelligence and the use of unmanned platforms in a way that subdues the enemy, ultimately without having to resort to conventional "hot" warfare. (Image source: iStock)

Since 2019, China has been pursuing a new concept of war, known as "intelligentized warfare." The idea is to operationalize artificial intelligence (AI) and the use of unmanned platforms (such as drones) in a way that subdues the enemy, ultimately without having to resort to conventional "hot" warfare. According to the 2019 Annual Report to Congress, "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China," written by the Office of the Secretary of Defense:

"The PLA is ... exploring next-generation operational concepts for intelligentized warfare, such as attrition warfare by intelligent swarms[1], cross-domain mobile warfare[2], AI-based space confrontation[3] and cognitive control operations[4]. The PLA considers unmanned systems to be critical intelligentized technologies, and is pursuing greater autonomy for unmanned aerial, surface, and underwater vehicles to enable manned and unmanned hybrid formations[5], swarm attacks[6], optimized logistic support[7] and disaggregated ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance] among other capabilities." [Emphasis added.]

What sets China apart in its pursuit of "intelligentized warfare" is not its focus on AI and drone swarming – the US Army, Air Force, and the Navy are all pursuing drone swarm projects and the U.S. Marine Corps is working on so-called kamikaze drone swarms - but the cognitive aspects of intelligentized warfare. According to Colonel Koichiro Takagi is a senior fellow of Training Evaluation Research and Development Command, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force:

Chinese thinkers have clearly stated that the core operational concept of intelligentized warfare is to directly control the enemy's will. The idea is to use AI to directly control the will of the highest decision-makers, including the president, members of Congress, and combatant commanders, as well as citizens. 'Intelligence dominance' or 'control of the brain' will become new areas of the struggle for control in intelligentized warfare, putting AI to a very different use than most American and allied discussions have envisioned.

According to Takagi, Chinese military theorists believe that war as we know it is about to change.

"Chinese theorists, however, are looking further ahead. They believe that the development of information technology has reached its limits, and that future wars will occur in the cognitive domain. The Ardennes Forest of future wars that the Chinese People's Liberation Army intends to exploit is a pathway of direct attack against human cognition, using AI and unmanned weapons. The French builders of the Maginot Line could not imagine the assault of German armored forces from the Ardennes Forest. Likewise, to those of us who have been accustomed to almost three decades of information-age warfare since the Gulf War, intelligentized or cognitive warfare seems a strange and unrealistic way of thinking."

Ben Noon, a research assistant at the American Enterprise Institute, and Dr. Chris Bassler, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, wrote in September 2021:

"PLA theorists argue that intelligentization will center upon a 'cognitive space' that privileges complex thinking and effective decision-making. On battlefields where advanced AI technology enables better decisions, they write, the side that can better integrate human creativity and robotic calculating capacity will hold the crucial edge...

"Above all, intelligentization will aim to achieve advantages in psychological warfare. Theorists describe a 'cognitive confrontation,' in which PLA leaders will psychologically dominate opposing commanders through better and faster decisions. The PLA plans to employ all available tools to the overarching objective of reducing an enemy's will to resist."

In December 2021, the US Commerce Department imposed sanctions on 12 Chinese research institutes and 22 Chinese technology firms, chief among them China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences and its 11 research institutes. The reason for this was that they "use biotechnology processes to support Chinese military end uses and end users, to include purported brain-control weaponry," the Commerce Department said.

According to three reports written in 2019 by the People's Liberation Army and obtained by the Washington Times, China has been doing brain-control or brain warfare research for several years as part of its work on developing intelligentized warfare.

"War has started to shift from the pursuit of destroying bodies to paralyzing and controlling the opponent", one of the Chinese reports, which was published in the official military newspaper PLA Daily said, according to the Washington Times.

"The focus is to attack the enemy's will to resist, not physical destruction" and to cause "the brain to become the main target of offense and defense of new concept weapons... To win without fighting is no longer far-fetched."

The PLA reports revealed that China is also working on integrating humans and machines to create enhanced human physiological and cognitive capacities.

"Future human-machine merging will revolve around the contest for the brain," one of the PLA reports said.

"The two combatant sides will use various kinds of brain control technologies and effective designs to focus on taking over the enemy's way of thinking and his awareness, and even directly intervene in the thinking of the enemy leaders and staff, and with that produce war to control awareness and thinking."

According to the Washington Times:

"Among its various research focuses are 'brain control technologies, such as measuring neuronal activity in the brain and translating neuro-signals into computer signals, establishing uni-directional or bi-directional signal transmission between the brain and external equipment' and 'neuro-defense technology such as 'leveraging electromagnetic, biophysical, and material technologies to enhance human brain's defense towards brain-control attacks'".

Takagi has pointed out that cognitive warfare requires vast amounts of information, but that China already has access to such amounts.

"Influencing human cognition requires a large amount of detailed personal information to identify influential individuals or to conduct influential operations according to the characteristics of subgroups of people. China has already collected a massive amount of personal information on government officials and ordinary U.S. citizens, ensuring a foundation for influencing people's cognition. This includes the confidential data of 21.5 million people from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the personal information of 383 million people from a major hotel, and sensitive data on more than 100,000 U.S. Navy personnel. The Chinese government has then allowed Chinese IT giants to process this large amount of data, making it useful for intelligence activities. In this way, China has accumulated an enormous amount of data over the years, which could be weaponized in the future. China has even succeeded in identifying CIA agents operating in foreign countries using such data. These activities are particularly aggressive and coercive in Taiwan and Hong Kong, which the Chinese government considers its territory. Attempts to use digital means to influence elections have also been seen in Taiwan's recent presidential election."

While cognitive warfare may sound like science fiction to most people, experts have cautioned that the US needs to take the threat seriously.

"The United States and its allies should analyze intelligentized warfare more to avoid surprise attacks in future wars," Takagi warned.

"They should also designate the cognitive arena as a new operational arena, along with land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace, to raise awareness and invest resources. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider how to win the 'battle of narratives' to counter the manipulation of public opinion in wartime."

Takagi is not the only one to take China's research in cognitive warfare seriously. According to Noon and Bassler:

"The United States military should work to better understand Chinese conceptions of intelligentization and the PLA's efforts to integrate it into its model of future warfare. Taking advantage of some of the possible weaknesses of the PLA's approach should be a top priority and would also help the United States military to shore up some of the weaknesses in its own vision and efforts."

Among other things, Bassler and Noon suggest that the US military should not repeat past mistakes, when the US sat on its hands while China accumulated threatening capabilities, often by stealing massive amounts of whatever it could, for instance here, here , here, here and here.

"The United States military should be more public in its discussions about the PLA's intelligentization efforts," Bassler and Noon wrote.

"With other notable PLA efforts, the United States military has been content with sitting on classified awareness while losing valuable time for mobilizing a response. Several years were lost during the South China Sea island building campaign. Most recently, U.S. Strategic Command's vague and scant public details about the rapid growth of the Chinese nuclear program did little, only for open-source investigators to finally sufficiently expose the efforts several years later. In the case of intelligentization, the U.S. military should not repeat this mistake yet again. Instead, it should more clearly highlight the nature of the PLA's efforts as they continue to develop."

Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.

---

[1] Such as "collective behaviors that result from the local interactions of the individuals with each other and with their environment. Examples of systems studied by swarm intelligence are colonies of ants and termites, schools of fish, flocks of birds, herds..."

[2] Such as "the ability of electronic warfare (EW) devices and systems to contribute to, enhance, and work seamlessly across all six domains in which military organizations operate – air, land, space, sea (maritime), human (cyber), and the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS)".

[3] Such as target selection, satellite communication, collision avoidance.

[4] Such as "neurons [nerve cells] communicat[ing] with your brain by altering... the connections that lead from your body to your brain."]

[5] Combining AI capabilities with human ones, such as inserting a chip to learn a language.

[6] Such as using swarms of drones to overwhelm security systems.

[7] Such as planning and developing the best support for the system throughout its life-cycle.

• Follow Judith Bergman on Twitter

 

Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18612/china-new-way-of-war

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Iran's Nuclear Program: Where Is the Biden Administration's Plan B? - Majid Rafizadeh

 

​ by Majid Rafizadeh

If the Biden administration allows Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, President Joe Biden and his associates, like Neville Chamberlain's illusory "Peace for our time," will have as their legacy that it was their acts alone that destabilized global security and set the world at risk.

• There also exists the dangerous likelihood, if and when Iran's regime has nuclear weapons, that they will fall into the hands of Iran's proxies and militia groups, or that the regime will share its nuclear technology with its proxies and allies, including the Syrian regime and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

• Iran's regime has already been setting up weapons factories abroad, and manufacturing advanced ballistic missiles and weapons in foreign countries, such as in Syria. These weapons include precision-guided missiles with advanced technology to strike specific targets.

• "The mission of the constitution," the preamble [of Iran's constitution] stipulates, "is to create conditions conducive to the development of man in accordance with the noble and universal values of [Shiite] Islam." The constitution goes on to say that it "provides the necessary basis for ensuring the continuation of the revolution at home and abroad."

• Eliminating Israel was not only one of the main religious prophecies of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, it is also a leading policy of his successor, the current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that Israel will be erased from the face of the earth.

• If the Biden administration allows Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, President Joe Biden and his associates, like Neville Chamberlain's illusory "Peace for our time," will have as their legacy that it was their acts alone that destabilized global security and set the world at risk.

• It is therefore imperative that the Biden administration let the ruling mullahs know -- credibly -- that Iran's regime must eliminate the possibility of its having nuclear arms, period. No nuclear deal, no sunset clauses. Sunset clauses merely pave the way for Iran to resume enriching uranium at any level it chooses. The regime's ballistic missile program, which is linked to its nuclear program, must also be eliminated.

• It must be made unmistakably clear to the Iranian regime that the United States and its allies will not allow the current regime, a state sponsor of terrorism, to arm itself with nuclear weapons and emerge as yet another global nuclear threat.

There exists the dangerous likelihood, if and when Iran's regime has nuclear weapons, that they will fall into the hands of Iran's proxies and militia groups, or that the regime will share its nuclear technology with its proxies and allies, including the Syrian regime and the Taliban in Afghanistan. (Image source: iStock)

The Biden administration's nuclear negotiations to revive the nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) with Iran's ruling mullahs are going nowhere, all while the administration does not seem to have a Plan B.

The ruling mullahs of Iran defiantly continue to advance their nuclear program. They recently switched off two surveillance cameras that were installed by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and will reportedly remove at least another 25.

According to a report by Iranian state television, the Iranian government deactivated "beyond-safeguards cameras of the measuring Online Enrichment Monitor ... and flowmeter." By turning off the surveillance cameras, the regime is effectively preventing the IAEA from monitoring Iran's nuclear activities, including its centrifuges and uranium enrichment.

Iran's ruling clerics continue to claim that their nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes, not for manufacturing nuclear weapons. If this is so, and if Iran's regime does not have anything to conceal when it comes to its nuclear activities, why is it switching off the IAEA surveillance cameras?

While the Biden administration continues to rely on "negotiations", which they are not even themselves negotiating, Iran has enriched a substantial amount of uranium -- up to 60% purity, a short technical step away from the 90% purity level required to build a nuclear weapon. Even France, Germany and the United Kingdom recently warned that the Iranian government's latest action is "further reducing the time Iran would take to break out towards a first nuclear weapon and it is fueling distrust as to Iran's intentions."

In addition, the Biden administration recently acknowledged that Iran is only weeks away from obtaining nuclear breakout capability. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued the warning last month during a hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The Biden administration must know that Russia and China are not going to pressure Iran's ruling mullahs to cooperate with the IAEA or halt their nuclear activities. In addition, Iran's leaders have shown during the last few years, and during previous rounds of negotiations, that they have absolutely no desire to scale back their nuclear advancements.

If the Biden administration allows Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, President Joe Biden and his associates, like Neville Chamberlain's illusory "Peace for our time," will have as their legacy that it was their acts alone that destabilized global security and set the world at risk.

Iran's ruling clerics, among other unacceptable offenses, have frequently threatened to wipe a whole country, Israel, off the map. One of the core pillars of the Islamic Republic of Iran since the regime took power in 1979 has been the destruction of the Jewish state. Eliminating Israel was not only one of the main religious prophecies of the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, it is also a leading policy of his successor, the current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that Israel will be erased from the face of the earth.

There also exists the dangerous likelihood, if and when Iran's regime has nuclear weapons, that they will fall into the hands of Iran's proxies and militia groups, or that the regime will share its nuclear technology with its proxies and allies, including the Syrian regime and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Iran's regime has already been setting up weapons factories abroad, and manufacturing advanced ballistic missiles and weapons in foreign countries, such as in Syria. These weapons include precision-guided missiles with advanced technology to strike specific targets.

It is also important to remember that the Iranian regime's core pillar is anchored in prioritizing the pursuit of its revolutionary ideals: exporting its Islamist system of governance to other countries worldwide, a critical mission the mullahs incorporated into their constitution. "The mission of the constitution," the preamble stipulates, "is to create conditions conducive to the development of man in accordance with the noble and universal values of [Shiite] Islam." Iran's constitution goes on to say that it "provides the necessary basis for ensuring the continuation of the revolution at home and abroad."

It is therefore imperative that the Biden administration let the ruling mullahs know -- credibly -- that Iran's regime must eliminate the possibility of its having nuclear arms, period. No nuclear deal, no sunset clauses. Sunset clauses merely pave the way for Iran to resume enriching uranium at any level it chooses. The regime's ballistic missile program, which is linked to its nuclear program, must also be eliminated.

The Biden administration needs immediately to carry out its Plan B. It has to be made clear to the Iranian regime that, as part of Plan B, military options against the Iran's nuclear sites are on the table. It must be made unmistakably clear to the Iranian regime that the United States and its allies will not allow the current regime, a state sponsor of terrorism, to arm itself with nuclear weapons and emerge as yet another global nuclear threat.

• Follow Majid Rafizadeh on Twitter

 

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18619/iran-nuclear-program-plan-b

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

When Globalism Falls, American Liberty Will Rise - J. B. Shurk

 

​ by J. B. Shurk

Who has been more accurate the last few years: the government-controlled news cabal or your local conspiracy theorist expressing doubts?

Dynamic change is unsettling.  We humans grasp at the status quo and squeeze.  Alas, the globalist cartel wants to "fundamentally transform" the world, and whether we like it or not, we are along for the ride.  Many Westerners are only now waking up to the reality that a ridiculously small group of influential "elites" have been pushing us down this path for quite some time.  Future history books will highlight (when factual history returns to education) how WWII served as the inflection point for unleashing a torrent of international institutions and norms (disguised as mechanisms for "maintaining the peace") that have succeeded in concentrating wealth and power in a small number of people intent on ruling over everyone else.

Their centralized control over monetary currencies has made them fabulously rich and left everyone else in debt.  Property, income, purchases, inheritances — everything you "own" through the fruits of your labor is taxed and laundered by corrupt legislatures back into the pockets of the same currency-manipulators who print money and buy off politicians for a living.  You are taxed for simply holding a dollar in your hand because every day, that dollar loses value through intentionally constructed inflation used to prop up stock market "growth" while destroying middle-class savings.  The World Economic Forum wants Westerners to "own nothing," and by golly, through taxation and inflation alone, it's halfway there.  

The globalist cartel lies about everything.  The same players who bemoan "income inequality" have used the post-WWII order to steal at least half the value of every person's lifetime of labor.  (American colonists rebelled over a tax rate of 1%!)  The same "woke" corporations that rail against the "structural racism" of Western "colonialism" have been conquering the world, exploiting poor nations for cheap manufacturing, and sucking up the savings of wealthier nations through the new-age religion of rampant consumerism.  Globalism is colonialism, but public relations firms have spent decades hiding that obvious truth.

The globalist cartel does not care about "trans rights" or "fighting hate" or "climate change."  It cares about keeping society distracted with silly mass movements, idol-worship, and unscientific doomsday fantasies while it pursues its own interests and hidden agendas.  New World Order "elites" couldn't be happier that they have whipped up so many mindless "serfs" into such a frenzy that the peasants senselessly demand that their own speech be regulated, religion outlawed, and energy use rationed.  When the squabbling members of society fight among themselves, government power grows to control the chaos.  When only the globalist cartel is allowed free speech, and only the rich and powerful can afford fuel, then only the globalist religion can be heard and spread.  

Chasing that elusive one-world-government perpetual motion machine, "elites" always delude themselves into believing they are destined to "rule."  They fail to imagine that there are smarter people who have never sought great wealth or power.  So committed to their Darwinian belief that "natural selection" proves their own superiority, they have become certain that a future technocratic totalitarian state (with them at the top) is inevitable.  And just as with every attempt to rule the world before it, pride comes before the fall.

The same technologies used to control us today will liberate us tomorrow.  Whereas centralized digital currencies seek to steal our labor and trap our wealth, decentralized currencies beyond the reach of central bank manipulation will open markets to real free trade.  Whereas the national security surveillance state monitors our communications, decentralized protocols will again secure our privacy.  Whereas Big Tech and Big Media have maliciously partnered with Big Government to control the dissemination of information and news, the same workarounds above will eventually break corporate control for good.  Necessity is still the mother of all invention, and when people smarter than the global cartel decide that fighting back is necessary, globalists' monopoly on control will fade.

At the end of the day, it comes down to trust.  Nobody is buying what the globalist cartel is selling.  Their lies and manipulations have become too obvious for too many.  People now realize that truth lies only outside the system.  

Ask yourself, who has been more accurate about the major news stories of the last few years — the government-controlled news cabal pushing the "narrative" or your local conspiracy theorist expressing doubts?  Did Obama's FBI not spy on Donald Trump's campaign?  Did Hillary not invent the Russia collusion hoax?  Did mandatory lockdowns for the Chinese Flu not crater the economy, bankrupt businesses, and cause excess deaths?  Did closing tens of thousands of schools not harm children?  Did using people as guinea pigs to test experimental "vaccines" not result in unnecessary medical injuries?  Did recklessly printing money not lead to predictable inflation?  Did the globalist cartel's push for Green New Deal controls over every individual's consumption of energy not jack up fuel costs and the price of food?  Did U.S. politicians not use a "health crisis" to foist uncontrolled and unsecured mail-in ballots on the 2020 election?  Was that election not fraught with predictable fraud?  Has fighting Russia in Ukraine not weakened America's national security by destabilizing global food and fuel production?  Has that conflict not strengthened Russia and China at America's and Europe's expense?  Are we not closer today than before the "rules-based international order" imposed unilateral sanctions on Russia to losing the benefits of the world's use of the dollar as its reserve currency?

According to my math, local conspiracy theorists have been correct every single time.  The global cartel's news propagandists, on the other hand, have not told the truth once.  When institutional legitimacy comes crashing down, dreams of one-world government come crashing down, too.

Government's Illusion of Choice

I believe in the benefits of creative destruction.  I believe, as Thomas Jefferson once observed, "that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical."  I believe that Westerners are waking up to the reality that the game has been rigged against them for quite some time and that among the many things stolen from them has been their liberty.

Is it not strange that in America, neither of the two major political parties can be described as standing for the type of liberty from tyranny for which Jefferson and his compatriots fought?  Whatever Establishment Democrats and Republicans believe, it is not a healthy appreciation for the Bill of Rights, expansive individual freedom, or limited government.  It is as if Americans have been forced to choose between two parties, neither of which aptly represents their principles or priorities, is it not?

To me, conservatism makes sense only when it is a means to the end of protecting human liberty.  Otherwise, it can do just as much bad as good.  To conserve for the sake of conserving without worrying about what we're conserving is like operating on a patient without worrying about whether you're performing the correct surgery on the correct patient for the correct ailment.  It is the life of liberty that matters; the operating room, the prestige of the doctor's education, and the esteemed traditions of the hospital matter not a lick if liberty dies on the table.  

Conservatism is most effective when it is thought of as a procedure, not a philosophy.  Chesterton's fence is an excellent rule of thumb by which to live, but it shouldn't so overwhelm one's worldview that a person becomes incapable of bulldozing down an occasional fence.  Human liberty is what we seek to conserve, not the act of conservation in and of itself. 

Or rather: It is better not to "conserve" globalism's monstrosities and better still to rebuild courageously a free America ourselves.

Image via Max Pixel.

 

J. B. Shurk

Source: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2022/06/when_globalism_falls_american_liberty_will_rise.html

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Gas and the Israel-Lebanon maritime border dispute - Lahav Harkov

 

​ by Lahav Harkov

Lebanon's new border demands now including the northern end of the Karish natural gas field caused the US-mediated negotiations to break down.

 

MANY STAFFERS are Americans who fly back home for a month before returning for another month’s duty.

(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Israel and Lebanon have a long-standing dispute that includes disagreements on the demarcation of land and sea borders.

In October 2020, the US brought Lebanese and Israeli officials to Nakoura, a city in southern Lebanon near Rosh Hanikra, where headquarters for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon are located, for indirect negotiations over the maritime border.

After the massive explosion in Beirut Port in August 2020 and growing public criticism of Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon, the country showed greater readiness to hold talks with Israel – though its negotiators would not sit in the same room as Israelis.

The dispute between Lebanon and Israel, which began over a decade ago, involves an 860-sq.km. triangle in the Mediterranean Sea, which would be about 2% of Israel’s economic waters. Israel entered the talks agreeing to split the area 58:42 in favor of Lebanon, which would like to start drilling for gas as soon as possible to help dig itself out of its ongoing economic crisis.

London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish natural gas field offshore Israel in the east Mediterranean (credit: REUTERS/Ari Rabinovitch)

Karish

The talks broke down when Lebanon sharply increased its demands after four rounds of US-mediated talks, almost tripling the disputed area to 2,300 sq.km. to include the northern end of the Karish natural gas field. In response, Israel prepared its own new map, doubling its demands.

However, unlike the original lines making up the 860-sq.km. triangle, neither side submitted its new proposal to the UN, making Lebanon’s demand unofficial in Israel’s view.

Although, within days of the government’s formation last year, Energy Minister Karin Elharrar expressed willingness to “consider creative solutions to bring the matter to a close,” and Lebanon said it was ready for further talks, negotiations did not resume.

Earlier this month, Energean hooked up a production ship to the Karish gas field in Israeli waters about 80 km. west of Haifa, and planned to start delivering gas from the reservoir later this year.

Energean said on Monday that it plans to “immediately commence hook-up and commissioning operations” at Karish, and start to deliver gas from the reservoir in the third quarter of this year.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun claimed that the vessel entered “the disputed maritime area with Israel,” and threatened that, in Beirut’s view, “any action or activity in the disputed area represents a provocation and an aggressive action.”

In response, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Elharrar warned that Israel is prepared to defend Karish, which it called a strategic asset. They said the rig is located several kilometers south of the zone in dispute and will not pump gas from that area.

The progress on Karish comes as Israel has been negotiating with the European Union to export gas to Europe via Egypt, following sanctions on Russia over its war against Ukraine. Israel has been preparing to double its export capacity in the coming years.  

 

Lahav Harkov

Source: https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/energy-and-infrastructure/article-709617

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Mahmoud Abbas Hosts American Delegation In Ramallah - Hugh Fitzgerald

​ by Hugh Fitzgerald

Appeasing Iran and other terrorists.

 

Joe Biden will be visiting the Middle East this July, but what he hopes this will accomplish — other than allowing him to be seen to be doing something about the Middle East other than appeasing Iran in Vienna – is unclear. He will no doubt be repeating the Bidenites’ new mantra, that both Israelis and Palestinians “deserve equal measures of freedom, security & prosperity.” By way of preparing the ground for Biden’s visit, an American delegation met with Mahmoud Abbas on June 11. A report on the meeting is here: “Palestinian Authority President Hosts US Delegation in Ramallah,” Algemeiner, June 12, 2022:

Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas hosted Saturday a US delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, ahead of an expected visit of US President Joe Biden.

Abbas reiterated his requests to remove the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from the US list of terrorist entities during the meeting, his office said.

The PLO is not only a terrorist entity, but the earliest of Palestinian terror groups, spreading murder and mayhem ever since its founding in 1964, years before the PFLP (1967), Hamas (1987), and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (1987) existed. The fact that the PLO has in recent decades been overshadowed by other terror groups, especially Hamas, does not mean that it has forsworn terrorism as a tactic, but only that it has been less active than other groups. It was morally intolerable that the PLO was ever allowed to open a Washington office, in the naïve aftermath of the Oslo Accords, when Washington was prepared to believe the assurances of the PLO’s leader, Yasir Arafat, that the organization now abjured terrorism. It was, like every other statement by Arafat, a lie. The PLO continued to praise and promote terrorist attacks; right up to the present, it has never denounced any of them. Yet in his insensate desire to appease the Palestinians, Joe Biden promised, as a presidential candidate, to reopen the PLO office in Washington that Trump had closed in 2017.

He has yet to act on that promise; perhaps in the end some glimmer of moral sense will prevent him from such folly. He might at least demand the obvious quid pro quo from the PA, which is Abbas’ ending his own support for terrorism, by shutting down his Pay-For-Slay program, that provides generous lifetime stipends to imprisoned terrorists, and to the families of terrorists killed while committing terrorist acts. This program rewards past, and incentivizes future, acts of terrorism. The Taylor Force Act, passed by Congress in 2018, was intended to withhold American aid to the PA as long as “Pay-For-Slay” was in force. It has been ignored by the Biden Administration, which claims that the aid it gives to the PA is “humanitarian” in nature and therefore not covered by Taylor Force; this is flatly untrue. Any American money given to the PA, even if labelled as “humanitarian” aid, simply frees up other money that the PA then uses for its “Pay-For-Slay” program; money is fungible, and morality is not the Bidenites’ strong suit.

The Palestinian president also requested that the PLO’s office in Washington and the American consulate for east Jerusalem be reopened after both were closed under the Trump administration, the PA presidency said in a statement.

Mahmoud Abbas keeps asking that the “consulate to the Palestinians” in Jerusalem, that was closed in 2018, be reopened. Instead of humoring him, the Bidenites ought to make clear that his request cannot be granted. The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963) makes clear that a consulate can be opened in a “receiving state” only with the consent of that state. Prime Minister Bennett and Foreign Minister Lapid have both made clear that they have no intention of allowing such a consulate to be reopened in Jerusalem, which would only strengthen the PA’s claim on having its future capital in the city.

Leaf, who began a three-day trip to the Palestinian territories and Israel on Saturday, met Abbas “to discuss the US-Palestinian relationship, US assistance to Palestinians, deepening ties and how Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve equal measures of freedom, security & prosperity,” the State Department said.

This mantra – “Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve equal measures of freedom, security & prosperity” – is absurd. How can the Palestinians, who have never known anything but despotism from Hamas in Gaza and from the PA in the West Bank, who have been ruled only by the massively corrupt and the incompetent, ever be expected to have an “equal measure of freedom, security, and prosperity” as Israelis enjoy in one of the most advanced democratic states in the Western world? How exactly will that “equal measure of freedom” be possible, when not a single one of the 22 Arab states – monarchies and despotisms and a handful of pseudo-democracies – offers such freedom as Israelis possess? How can the Palestinians enjoy the “equal prosperity” that the well-educated and endlessly innovative Israelis have managed to create for themselves? This State Department wish is akin to insisting that people in the Democratic Republic of Congo deserve “equal measures of freedom, security, and prosperity” as those in France or Great Britain.

Biden has pledged to reopen the consulate, closed under Donald Trump, whose administration recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, infuriating the Palestinians who see its eastern sector as their future capital.

Israel opposes the Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem, saying the US should open this diplomatic mission in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, the US has in recent days changed the title of its Palestinian Affairs Unit to Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA), without defining it as a consulate.

This sleight-of-word is meant to make acceptable the reopening of what will be in fact a “consulate to the Palestinians,” while avoiding labelling it as such, in the hope that this will not, therefore, need the approval of the Israeli government. The Israelis could object to this unseemly legerdemain, but more likely, they will let it go, preferring to expend their political capital in Washington on stopping Iran’s nuclear program.

The unit [Office of Palestinian Affairs] “operates under the auspices of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, and reports on substantive matters directly to the State Department, an OPA spokesperson said, noting the new structuring was “to strengthen our diplomatic reporting and public diplomacy engagement.”

The move comes ahead of a possible visit by Biden to the region, as the US president said he was considering a trip to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian territories in July.

Did no one in the American delegation think it possible to raise with Mahmoud Abbas the issue of the PA’s insistence on keeping its “Pay-For-Slay” program? Couldn’t he have been warned that Congress has become increasingly disturbed with his unyielding support for the program, and that he may find the American aid he counts on will be slashed if his support continues? Couldn’t he have been read the riot act, instead of being appeased, and been reminded that there are many in Congress who believe the Bidenites are violating the Taylor Force Act in spirit and in letter?

Similarly, couldn’t Abbas have been told that he has to stop its practice of naming streets, plazas, parks, and sports competitions after terrorists ? For this, too, like “Pay-For-Slay,” encourages young Palestinians to go and do likewise, a way to attain “honor” in Palestinian society?

Finally, Abbas should have been told that it is time for him to stop arresting or even murdering his critics, such as Nizar Banat. Banat was active on social media, complaining of Abbas’ massive corruption and his refusal to hold elections even after seventeen years in office. For his criticism, Nizar Banat was beaten to death by Mahmoud Abbas’ goons. Should the Americans really be treating him as a worthy interlocutor, whom the Bidenites are going out of their way to please, or shouldn’t they, rather, be shunning this corrupt despot who arrests and even murders his critics, until he can be replaced – he is 87 years old and it won’t be long now – by someone more acceptable? Even to visit Abbas in Ramallah is to give him attention he does not deserve. Here’s an idea: in his visit to Israel, Biden should skip the visit to Ramallah altogether, letting it be known that until Nizar Banat’s killers are brought to trial, and until the Pay-For-Slay program ends, and terrorists are no longer honored by having streets and plazas named after them, there is no point in Biden visiting the PA. That should rattle the rais in Ramallah.  to Ramallah altogether, letting it be known that until Nizar Banat’s killers are brought to trial, and until the Pay-For-Slay program ends, and terrorists are no longer honored by having streets and plazas named after them, there is no point in Biden visiting the PA. That should rattle the rais in Ramallah.

 

Hugh Fitzgerald

Source: https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2022/06/mahmoud-abbas-hosts-american-delegation-ramallah-hugh-fitzgerald/

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Julian Assange extradition to US approved by British government - Brie Stimson

 

​ by Brie Stimson

The WikiLeaks co-founder faces espionage charges in the U.S.

 

Julian Assange's extradition to the United States on spying charges was approved Friday by British Home Secretary Priti Patel.

The WikiLeaks co-founder's legal team is expected to file an appeal within the required 14 days. The development follows a British court ruling in April that Assange could be sent to the U.S.

FILE - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pauses as he makes a statement to media gathered outside the High Court in London, on Monday, Dec. 5, 2011.  (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

The Home Office said in a statement that "the U.K courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr. Assange."

EXTRADITION OF WIKILEAKS FOUNDER JULIAN ASSANGE APPROVED BY UK JUDGE

FILE - Julian Assange greets supporters outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, May 19, 2017.  (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

The decision is a big moment in Assange’s years-long battle to avoid being sent to the U.S.

JULIAN ASSANGE SUFFERED STROKE DURING OCTOBER APPEAL HEARING, FIANCEE CLAIMS

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 11:  Supporters gather outside as the High Court hears a US appeal in the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, at Royal Courts of Justice, Chancery Lane on August 11, 2021 in London, England. (Ming Yeung/Getty Images)

The U.S. requested the extradition so Assange could stand trial on 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of a huge trove of classified documents years ago.

American prosecutors allege Assange helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

Brie Stimson

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/julian-assange-extradition-approved-british-government

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Candace Video: The Real Hero of 'What Is a Woman?' - Frontpagemag.com

 

​ by Frontpagemag.com

Candace Owens and Matt Walsh revisit some of the hardest interviews from his new documentary.

 

Candace Owens and Matt Walsh revisit some of the hardest interviews from his new documentary, What is a Woman?

Don't miss it!

 

 

Frontpagemag.com

Source: https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2022/06/real-hero-what-woman-frontpage-magazine/

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

DM Gantz: Israel ready to respond if Iran attack Israelis in Turkey - Anna Ahronheim, Tal Spengin

​ by Anna Ahronheim, Tal Spengin

Israeli security officials are concerned that Iranian cells with local Turkish operatives would carry out an immediate attack.

 

A member of Turkish Police Special Forces stands guard at the entrance of a street leading the Neve Shalom Synagogue

(photo credit: REUTERS/DILARA SENKAYA)

Israel will respond to any Iranian attacks against its citizens with force, at anywhere, Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned amid warnings that Iran terror cells are seeking to carry out an imminent attack to kill or kidnap Israelis visiting Turkey.

"I call on all Israelis in Turkey to obey the instructions of security forces,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Saturday night. "Israel is working to thwart Iranian attempts to carry out an attack, and is preparing to respond forcefully to any attack on Israeli citizens - anywhere."

אני קורא לכלל הישראלים הנמצאים בטורקיה להישמע להנחיות גורמי הביטחון. ישראל פועלת לסיכול הניסיונות האיראנים לבצע פיגוע, ונערכת להגיב בעוצמה מול כל פגיעה באזרחי ישראל - בכל מקום.

— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) June 18, 2022

The warning came as defense officials warned of concrete threats against Israelis in the Turkish city. An estimated 2,000 Israelis are believed to be visiting, down from 5,000 earlier in the week.

A senior security source told The Jerusalem Post that “the event is really not behind us. A great deal of caution must still be exercised.”

“The event is really not behind us. A great deal of caution must still be exercised.”

Senior security source

According to the source, while there is a “significant emphasis” on Istanbul, Israelis should “avoid reaching Turkey completely.”

Members of special IRGC forces attend a rally marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Tehran, Iran April 29, 2022. (credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)

On Friday afternoon, senior defense officials including Mossad chief David Barnea and the head of the National Security Council (NSC) Eyal Haluta met for a situational assessment. The NSC later issued rare and specific warnings for Israelis in the country, telling them to lock their hotel room doors and not to open them for even housekeeping. 

They also warned travelers not to post on social media or go to tourist locations usually popular with Israelis and to refrain from entering cabs soliciting their business.

According to Haaretz, one of the scenarios Israel is concerned about is an Iranian cell infiltrating into a hotel in order to kidnap or kill Israeli guests while another scenario was local Turkish cell members posing as tour guides to approach Israelis in order to kidnap them.

Other possible scenarios include bombings.

One security source told Channel 13 on Saturday that “there are Israelis who were minutes from death and do not know it.” 

Another source told Channel 12 that “being in Istanbul right now [for an Israeli] is akin to playing Russian roulette, tempting fate. If we could publicize the full operational picture, [Israelis] would be fleeing as they would a fire.”

The official said that the green light had been given to the cells and that there is a “manhunt right now in the streets of Istanbul to stop an incident that has already gotten underway.”

Israeli and Turkish security forces have been working intensively together to foil terror attacks, but Israel is concerned that with the number of targets continuing to diminish, the several cells that are working to carry out attacks would go to great lengths to find potential victims.

Lapid's warning, Iran's revenge

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called on Israelis to avoid Istanbul earlier in the week as the National Security Council raised the threat level for Turkey and Istanbul to the highest level following the publication of reports that Israel and Turkey thwarted an Iranian terrorist attack in the city last month.

The attempted attack on Israeli tourists was one of several by Iran in recent weeks, Lapid said.

It’s believed that the Iranian behind the attempted attacks in Turkey is the head of the IRGC’s intelligence service, Hossein Taeb, in revenge for the death of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Col. Hassan Sayad Khodayari in Tehran last month.

The Islamic Republic blamed Israel for Khodayari’s death and vowed revenge.

The Quds Force officer is one of several high-ranking IRGC officials killed or kidnapped in recent weeks. At least three Iranians believed to be involved in the regime’s nuclear and missile projects have mysteriously died in the past week.

Two of them, Ali Kamani and Mohammad Abdus, both IRGC aerospace engineers whose deaths were announced on Sunday, were reportedly involved in developing arms for Hezbollah in Lebanon. A third, Vahab Faramarzian also died in mysterious circumstances.

The senior defense source told The Jerusalem Post that there have been reports that there’s been heavy criticism laid against Tayet and that in recent days some in Iran’s security establishment who have called for his removal following a series of failures including the series of operations inside Iran against the scientists and IRGC officers as well as the numerous failures in trying to carry out attacks in Turkey

According to the source, the reports in Iran have described Tayeb acting in recent days “like a wounded animal, who out of deep anxiety for his position and is trying in a deep frenzy to carry out an attack against Israelis in Turkey and other places at all costs.” 

 

Anna Ahronheim, Tal Spengin

Source: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-709733

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Israel strikes Gaza after rocket fire breaks two-month lull - Anna Ahronheim

 

​ by Anna Ahronheim

A military observation balloon fell in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Friday.

 

The increase of Gazan entry permits into Israel has been suspended following the firing of a rocket into Israel, shattering a two-month lull.

The decision by Defense Minister Benny Gantz was made following a security evaluation Saturday evening.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories announced earlier this week that an additional 2,000 entry permits into Israel were going to be granted to Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip for purposes of work and commerce.

“The suspension is in response to the firing of a rocket toward the State of Israel,” COGAT said in a statement, adding that “the Hamas terror organization carries responsibility for all activities directed against Israel in and from the Gaza Strip, and it will bear the consequences.”

Incoming rocket sirens were activated at 3.10 AM in the city of Ashkelon and neighboring communities. The rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system fires to intercept a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, southern Israel May 19, 2021. (credit: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)

The strikes, by aircraft and tanks, took place several hours after the rocket fire during the daylight hours and targeted a weapons manufacturing facility along with three outposts in the Strip, including one that overlooked Kibbutz Netiv Ha’asara on Gaza’s northern border, the military said in a statement.

תיעוד התקיפה של עמדת ארגון הטרור חמאס: pic.twitter.com/kw2VHyy2Vg

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 18, 2022

Machine-gun fire was directed toward the kibbutz from Gaza later on Saturday, with at least one bullet entering a home and causing material damage.

Hamas members then returned to the observation post next to Netiv Ha’asara that had been damaged by the IDF and started to repair it. The strike had damaged the observation cabin but it did not destroy the structure holding it up.

The last time that rockets were fired from the Hamas-ruled enclave was on April 18 when one was fired toward the southern Israeli communities of Kissufim and Ein Hashlosha, which are located just across from the Palestinian city of Khan Yunis. Before that, the last rockets fired was on January 1 when two landed in the sea off the coast of Tel Aviv.

The rocket fire comes as tensions remain high in the West Bank as the IDF continues to crack down on potential terrorists as part of its Operation Break the Wave. It took place after three Palestinians were killed in armed clashes with IDF forces in Jenin early Friday morning, after which the Jenin branch of Palestinian Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigades warned that Israel would "pay a heavy price" for the incident.

Hamas also threatened to retaliate for the deaths, stating on its website that the “cowardly assassinations” will “not go unpunished.”

Violence began earlier on Friday

An Israeli observation balloon fell over Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip on Friday afternoon, under disputed claims. Palestinian reports claimed that the balloon had been shot down by machine-gun fire while the IDF claimed that it had disconnected from its anchor before it fell.

Shortly afterward, Palestinian media reported that at least two missiles were fired by Israel toward a target in an open area near the Erez Crossing in Gaza in an attempt to keep locals from approaching and taking the balloon.

However, Palestinians reported that Hamas was able to seize the balloon, which is equipped with sensors and cameras. The Israeli military said that there was no concern about a significant intelligence leak.

A red alert was activated in an open area near the Erez Crossing due to warning shots fired by the military, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

 

Anna Ahronheim

Source: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-709742

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter

Palestinians: The House Demolitions and Land-Grabs No One Talks About - Khaled Abu Toameh

 

​ by Khaled Abu Toameh

While Hamas has been trying to present itself as the defender of the Bedouin citizens of Israel, it is targeting the Palestinian Bedouin living under its control in the Gaza Strip by demolishing their homes and confiscating their lands, according to Egyptian author Ali Rajab.

• The raid on the village came after the Hamas-controlled Land Authority in the Gaza Strip ruled that the residents must be evacuated because they had built their homes on "state-owned" lands.

• Sources in the Gaza Strip said that there are 28 more villages slated for demolition by Hamas on the pretext that they were illegally built on public lands.

• "The Hamas security forces prevented the ambulances from entering the village.... That's why we had to take the injured to hospital in our cars." — Yahya Abu Thariyeh, a resident of Umm al-Nasr, independentarabia.com, June 11, 2022

• While Hamas has been trying to present itself as the defender of the Bedouin citizens of Israel, it is targeting the Palestinian Bedouin living under its control in the Gaza Strip by demolishing their homes and confiscating their lands, according to Egyptian author Ali Rajab.

• Hamas's ongoing efforts to raze entire villages in the Gaza Strip is seen by many Palestinians as.... part of widespread corruption in Hamas, whose leaders want to seize lands for their personal use.

• By turning a blind eye to the atrocities of Hamas, the journalists and human rights organizations are once again engaging in a dangerous double standard. Their obsession with Israel allows Hamas to persist in committing violent crimes against the Palestinians without receiving negative media coverage -- much less being held accountable for pillaging and devastating Palestinian communities.

On June 9, hundreds of Hamas security officers raided the village of Umm al-Nasr to destroy several houses, as part of the terror group's attempt to evict the residents from the area. Hamas claims that the village was illegally built on "state-owned" land. The village was established nearly 80 years ago, long before Hamas was founded in 1988. Pictured: Bedouin children in Umm al-Nasr, in the Gaza Strip, on August 25, 2005. (Photo by Awad Awad/AFP via Getty Images)

While the international community and media continue to condemn Israel day in and day out about a host of grievances, including the demolition of houses built without proper permits, no one seems to be interested in the ongoing human rights violations against Palestinians by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

The United Nations and many foreign journalists are so obsessed with Israel that they have paid no attention to the latest crime committed by Hamas against residents of the Bedouin village of Umm al-Nasr in the northern Gaza Strip. The village was established nearly 80 years ago, long before Hamas was founded in 1988.

On June 9, hundreds of Hamas security officers raided the village to destroy several houses, as part of the terror group's attempt to evict the residents from the area. Hamas claims that the village was illegally built on "state-owned" land.

The raid on the village, the first of its kind since Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, triggered clashes between the residents and the officers. The residents threw stones at the officers, who responded by firing live ammunition at the protesters.

At least 25 villagers were injured during the clashes, eight of them from gunfire. Sources in the Gaza Strip said that at least one Hamas officer was injured.

After the violent clashes, Hamas security forces arrested 85 villagers.

The raid on the village came after the Hamas-controlled Land Authority in the Gaza Strip ruled that the residents must be evacuated because they had built their homes on "state-owned" lands. Emad al-Baz, head of the Land Authority, accused the villagers of "transgression" on the disputed land.

Sources in the Gaza Strip said that there are 28 more villages slated for demolition by Hamas on the pretext that they were illegally built on public lands.

Yahya Abu Thariyeh, a resident of Umm al-Nasr, said that dozens of Hamas officers in uniform and civilian clothes who raided the village managed to demolish one house before the violent clashes erupted there. He accused the Hamas officers of using excessive force and raiding several houses without a court order, intimidating the residents, including women and disabled children. "The Hamas security forces prevented the ambulances from entering the village," Abu Thariyeh recounted.

"Although the [Hamas] security forces brought with them an ambulance, its team refused to provide medical treatment to the injured. That's why we had to take the injured to hospital in our cars."

The Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) said that it views with great concern the events that took place in the village of Umm al-Nasr, "which led to the injury of a number of citizens and damage to a number of houses."

The human rights group revealed that members of Hamas's military wing, Ezaddin al-Qassam, took part in the raid on the village. The force also stormed several houses in the village and arrested 40 civilians, according to ICHR.

An investigation conducted by the human rights group concluded that the Hamas security personnel used excessive force during the confrontations with the villagers.

The group stressed that it is not acceptable for Hamas officers in civilian clothes to participate in such raids.

ICHR called for the immediate release of all the detainees and for launching an investigation into the actions of the Hamas security forces. It also called for holding accountable the security personnel who fired shots and gave instructions to deal with the incident in a violent manner.

While the international community remains silent towards this latest assault by Hamas on its own people, many Palestinians have denounced the terror group.

Hussein Hamayel, a senior official with the Palestinian Authority's ruling Fatah faction, condemned the raid on the village as a "crime." He accused Hamas leaders of seeking to lay their hands on lands in the Gaza Strip and divide them among themselves and their loyalists. "Hamas's actions are aggravating the humanitarian and social crises in the Gaza Strip," Hamayel said.

Palestinian journalist Hisham Sakallah pointed out that "the violence and oppression perpetrated against the Bedouin villagers reflect a small part portion of what happened 16 years ago when Hamas carried out a coup against the Palestinian Authority and seized control of the Gaza Strip.

Sakallah was referring to the violent clashes that erupted in the Gaza Strip in 2007, during which Hamas men executed Fatah rivals, blew up homes and dragged the body of a senior Fatah member through the streets. They also threw Fatah gunmen from the roofs of tall buildings.

Sakallah praised social media users for shedding light on the Hamas crimes against the residents of Umm al-Nasr. "What bothered and provoked me the most was that the official spokesmen for Hamas did not issue statements," he remarked.

An unnamed resident of Umm al-Nasr was quoted as saying:

"What happened is a barbaric and brutal Hamas-Iranian attack on the poor people in the Gaza Strip, who have been very patient with the killings, poverty, and hunger resulting from the policies of Hamas. The people of the Gaza Strip have paid with their blood as a result of the policies and practices of Hamas."

Egyptian writer Ali Rajab pointed out the hypocrisy of Hamas in dealing with the Bedouin communities in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Rajab said that while Hamas has been trying to present itself as the defender of the Bedouin citizens of Israel, it is targeting the Bedouin living under its control in the Gaza Strip by demolishing their homes and confiscating their lands.

Hamas's ongoing efforts to raze entire villages in the Gaza Strip is seen by many Palestinians as the terror group tightening its grip on the coastal enclave, home to some two million Palestinians. It is also seen by many Palestinians as part of widespread corruption in Hamas, whose leaders want to seize lands for their personal use.

"Hamas is trying to control all the public lands in the Gaza Strip," said Mahmoud al-Zaq, Secretary-General of the National Work Commission in the Gaza Strip. "Hamas wants the lands in order to carry out its own projects. These lands, however, should be allocated to building hospitals for the Palestinians."

Hamas's practices against the Palestinians do not come as a surprise to many Palestinians, especially those who have been living under its repressive regime in the Gaza Strip since 2007. What does continue to surprise many Palestinians, however, is the ongoing silence of the international community, human rights groups, the United Nations, and many mainstream media organizations towards the Hamas crimes.

Had the raid on the Bedouin village in the Gaza Strip been carried out by Israel, we would have seen scores of foreign journalists and the United Nations rush to the area to report about Israeli "crimes" and "ethnic cleansing."

The residents of the village are unfortunate: they are Palestinians who were attacked by a Palestinian government and Palestinian security forces. The international media, whose representatives often report about the demolition of illegal houses by Israel, are unlikely to report about the plight of the Umm al-Nasr villagers because this is a story lacking an anti-Israel angle -- no Jew was involved in the attack on the village in the Gaza Strip.

The foreign journalists and human rights organizations who continue to ignore such oppressive practices by Hamas are doing a massive injustice to the Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

By turning a blind eye to the atrocities of Hamas, the journalists and human rights organizations are once again engaging in a dangerous double standard. Their obsession with Israel allows Hamas to persist in committing violent crimes against the Palestinians without receiving negative media coverage -- much less being held accountable for pillaging and devastating Palestinian communities.

• Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on Twitter

 

Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18613/palestinians-house-demolitions

Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter