The Squalid "Squad" Is Trying to Destroy Bipartisan Support for Israel - Alan M. Dershowitz

 

​ by Alan M. Dershowitz

The fact that the Squad would try to deny Israel the right to defend its civilians speaks volumes about the lack of morality and decency among Squad members and their allies.

• The fact that the Squad picked on the Iron Dome to make its stand against Israel is significant. The Iron Dome is a system developed jointly by the United States and Israel that is purely defensive. It does not kill, injure, or threaten anyone. It only protects civilians against war crimes committed by terrorist groups that direct lethal rockets against innocent civilians.

• The fact that the Squad would try to deny Israel the right to defend its civilians speaks volumes about the lack of morality and decency among Squad members and their allies.

• It follows from this effort that the Squad will oppose any and all aid to Israel, including protecting its innocent civilians against Iran's nuclear threat. The obvious goal of Squad members is to deny Israel the right to defend itself against aggression. At least one of its members has denied that Israel has the right to exist.

• These bigoted actions directly violate the platform of the Democratic Party (as well as that of the Republican Party). The Democratic Party must decide whether it will become captive to its most extreme wing or whether it will marginalize these radicals who are not only anti-Israel but, in many ways, anti-American. They are intolerant of dissent and due process for those who disagree with them. They are anti-police, anti-military, and anti-free market economy.

• The time has come, indeed it is long past, for the Democratic leadership to stand strong against the anti-American, anti-Israel and anti-decency squalid Squad. The leadership can no longer stand idly by the bigotry of their members. If they persist in tolerating the intolerable, they will lose the support of the all-important mainstream voters.

The "Squad" is a small group of radical members of the U.S. House of Representatives who run for Congress under the banner of the Democratic Party but do not reflect its mainstream policies. The fact that the Squad would try to deny Israel the right to defend its civilians speaks volumes about the lack of morality and decency among Squad members and their allies. Pictured: Four members of the Squad, from left to right, Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) at the U.S. Capitol on July 15, 2019. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

The "Squad" is a small group of radical members of the U.S. House of Representatives who run for Congress under the banner of the Democratic Party but do not reflect its mainstream policies. They represent niche districts that are not typical of the Democratic base. They could not be elected in any statewide race, because they lack widespread support. They were nominated because of low turnout in primaries and were elected because their districts are overwhelmingly Democrat. They are fringe Democrats who should not have influence beyond their districts. But the House leadership of the Democratic Party has exaggerated their significance and given them more power than they deserve.

One important issue that distinguishes them from mainstream Democrats is their knee-jerk hatred of Israel and their willingness to deny America's most important Middle East ally the means to defend its civilians against rocket attacks from terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as from Iran's nuclear program. At least one member of the Squad is an overt anti-Semite who has repeatedly made bigoted statements against American Jews. Instead of being marginalized for these outrageous canards, she was rewarded by the Democratic leadership by being given a plum assignment as a member the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Now the Squad has managed to extort the leadership into removing a billion-dollar commitment to replenish Israel's Iron Dome defense system that protects civilians from rocket attacks. The Squad, and its Democrat allies in the House, threatened to vote against an appropriation bill unless the Iron Dome allocation was removed. And they won — at least for now. The allocation was removed over the objection of mainstream Democrats and Republicans, and the Squad claimed victory.

Although the victory was largely pyrrhic — the Iron Dome funding is likely to be restored in subsequent legislation — the success of the Squad's sordid maneuver may be a sign of their growing influence in the Democratic Party.

The fact that the Squad picked on the Iron Dome to make its stand against Israel is significant. The Iron Dome is a system developed jointly by the United States and Israel that is purely defensive. It does not kill, injure, or threaten anyone. It only protects civilians against war crimes committed by terrorist groups that direct lethal rockets against innocent civilians. The fact that the Squad would try to deny Israel the right to defend its civilians speaks volumes about the lack of morality and decency among Squad members and their allies. It follows from this effort that the Squad will oppose any and all aid to Israel, including protecting its innocent civilians against Iran's nuclear threat. The obvious goal of Squad members is to deny Israel the right to defend itself against aggression. At least one of its members has denied that Israel has the right to exist.

These bigoted actions directly violate the platform of the Democratic Party (as well as that of the Republican Party). The Democratic Party must decide whether it will become captive to its most extreme wing or whether it will marginalize these radicals who are not only anti-Israel but, in many ways, anti-American. They are intolerant of dissent and due process for those who disagree with them. They are anti-police, anti-military, and anti-free market economy. Their vision of America and the world is out of sync with most Democrats and independents. Up until recently, they could be largely ignored by voters as a loud but ineffective distraction. But now that they have managed to influence legislation in so negative a manner, they must be taken seriously by voters and rejected.

Quite understandably, Republican leaders are trying to capitalize on the Democrats' capitulation to these extremists. They are claiming that they represent the future of the Democratic Party. If that were true, it would mark the demise of the two-party system, since mainstream American voters — who generally determine the outcome of contested general elections, as distinguished from primaries — do not support radical extremism. The Democratic leadership must make it clear that they reject the policies, attitudes and statements of the squad. They cannot get in bed with them. The time has come, indeed it is long past, for the Democratic leadership to stand strong against the anti-American, anti-Israel and anti-decency squalid Squad. The leadership can no longer stand idly by the bigotry of their members. If they persist in tolerating the intolerable, they will lose the support of the all-important mainstream voters. I know because I am one of them.

• Follow Alan M. Dershowitz on Twitter and Facebook

 

Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus at Harvard Law School and served on the legal team representing President Donald Trump for the first Senate impeachment trial. He is the author of numerous books, including "Guilt by Accusation: The Challenge of Proving Innocence in the Age of #MeToo" and "The Case Against the New Censorship: Protecting Free Speech from Big Tech, Progressives and Universities." His podcast, "The Dershow," is available on Spotify and YouTube. He is the Jack Roth Charitable Foundation Fellow at Gatestone Institute.  

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17783/squad-israel-bipartisan-support

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Congress to vote on $1B Iron Dome funding as standalone bill - Neta Bar and News Agencies

 

​ by Neta Bar and News Agencies

Jewish groups slam Progressives' attempts to scuttle funding for the crucial air defense system after funding was removed from a larger spending bill. House Appropriations Committee chief vows US commitment to Israel's security is "ironclad."

The Iron Dome air defense system fires interceptors as rockets are launched at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip | File photo: Reuters/Amir Cohen

The US Congress is slated to vote on $1 billion in funding for Israel's Iron Dome air defense system on Thursday, a day after Progressives tried to scuttle a larger budget bill the allocation of funds to Israel.

Republican leaders lambasted the Democrats as anti-Israel over the move while more moderate Democrats reaffirm their opposition to any delay in the replenishment of Iron Dome interceptors.

The short-to-mid-range air defense system is a crucial component in Israel's ability to defend itself from rocket and short-range missile attacks by terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip. Since its deployment in 2011, Iron Dome has been credited with saving countless Israeli lives and lauded for being a game-changer in home front defense.

The United States has already provided more than $1.6 billion for Israel to develop and build the Iron Dome system, according to a Congressional Research Service report last year.

The Iron Dome Aerial Defense System has one purpose—to intercept rockets mid-air before they can kill Israeli civilians.

We will not apologize for saving lives. pic.twitter.com/J0U8ct9bCt

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 18, 2021

 

In a countermove to Progressive, US Democrats introduced standalone legislation late Wednesday to provide Israel with the necessary funding.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)  DeLauro introduced the bill, saying, "The United States' commitment to the security of our friend and ally Israel is ironclad. Replenishing interceptors used to protect Israel from attacks is our legal and moral responsibility.

"While this funding would ordinarily be included in a year-end spending package, we are advancing this legislation now to demonstrate Congress' bipartisan commitment to Israel's security as part of a Middle East with lasting peace," she said.

"This afternoon, House Democrats introduced H.R. 5323, legislation to fully fund Israel's Iron Dome. I will bring this urgently needed measure to the House Floor tomorrow for a vote to ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself," Majority Leader Steny Hoyer tweeted.

Hoyer also spoke on the matter with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and assured him the issue was a mere "technical delay" related to discussions over the US debt ceiling, and not a reflection of US policy toward the Jewish state.

Hoyer reportedly stressed his commitment to Israel's security, emphasizing that it was a view shared by the White House and Democrat House and Senate leaders while pledging that the Iron Dome funding would soon be allocated, the Foreign Ministry said.

The bill is now likely to be included in the US 2022 defense appropriations bill.

 

The move to pull funding for a matter crucial to Israel's security drew harsh criticism from some US Jewish groups.

"Extremists in Congress are playing politics with Israeli and Palestinian lives," The American Israel Public Affairs Committee said in a statement on Twitter. "Calling to remove funding for a lifesaving defensive system is an affront to our values, risks further conflict, and is counter to the commitment made by Biden and supported by Congressional leadership.

"It's simple: Iron Dome saves lives. Blocking funding for Iron Dome helps terrorists kill civilians," it added.

The Republican Jewish Coalition also condemned the move.

RJC National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman called the ploy "disgraceful," adding, "House Democrats should be ashamed of themselves. By cowardly caving to the Israel-hating wing of their party and blocking vital assistance to support our ally Israel, House Democrats have emboldened the likes of Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to continue dragging their party even further to the radical Left."

Extremists in Congress are playing politics with Israeli & Palestinian lives.

Calling to remove funding for a lifesaving defensive system is an affront to our values, risks further conflict, and is counter to the commitment made by Biden & supported by Congressional leadership.

— AIPAC - Text IRON DOME to 73075 (@AIPAC) September 21, 2021

 

Neta Bar and News Agencies 

Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/09/23/congress-to-vote-on-1b-iron-dome-funding-as-standalone-bill/

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Is Germany really an obvious ally? - Eldad Beck

 

​ by Eldad Beck

For years, Israel neglected its ties with the German public due to this lazy assumption. Meanwhile, the country has become the hub of Europe's anti-Israel activity.

Germany used to be the European Union's anchor of stability but is now sinking in political chaos. Similarly to many other Western countries, including Israel, neither the Right nor the Left can garner enough votes to receive a definite majority at the elections.

A right-wing majority is impossible as long as at least one in 10 Germans gives his vote to the populist right-wing Alternative for Germany, which is boycotted by other rightist parties due to extremist views. A solid left-wing majority is not guaranteed either, in part due to disagreements between members of the camp on crucial national matters.

The absence of any such majority necessitates the creation of a coalition based on a compromise that would be too busy managing the national crisis instead of outlining a policy that would help Germany move forward.

On the one hand, the weakness of Germany, and the entire European Union for that matter, might bode well for Israel: instead of constantly getting involved with Israel's internal affairs and trying to bring about dangerous political arrangements, like the two-state solution, Germans and Europeans will continue to be preoccupied with their own problems.

On the other hand, Israel's waning ties with Germany are a cause for concern. The three future chancellor candidates – conservative Armin Laschet, Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, and "the green" Annalena Baerbock – can certainly be considered friends of Israel, which is not the case with most of their respective party members.
And certainly not with most of the German public.

For years, Israel has neglected its relations with the Germans, due to the lazy assumption that Germany was an obvious ally, due to historical reasons. Moreover, throughout the years, Jerusalem has entrusted its relations with Berlin to left-wing elements, some of whom hold anti-Zionistic views.

If the upcoming elections do yield a left-wing majority government in Germany, then the country's anti-Israel activity will receive a significant boost, even if the government will be preoccupied with the national crisis.

The Social Democratic Party of Germany, which attracts Muslim and Arab votes, promotes "Palestinian Germans" to senor positions and its members have a history of freezing arms deals between Berlin and Jerusalem. The Left democratic socialist party is involved in efforts to promote the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement. And even among "The Greens" some were disgruntled at the Bundestag's decision to define the BDS movement as antisemitic.

Although the Merkel administration has promoted several initiatives to foster ties with Israel, it has not acted with enough determination to prevent the country from becoming one of the hubs of anti-Israel activity in Europe.

Nothing reflects this more than German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's visit to Israel in June, with a member of his delegation – Omri Boehm – a known Israel critic and supporter of BDS.

 

Eldad Beck

Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/is-germany-really-an-obvious-ally/

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World powers 'cannot chase Iran forever,' ex-NSC head says - Ariel Kahana

 

​ by Ariel Kahana

Former National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat says the open-ended deadline afforded to the nuclear negotiations with Iran is a mistake. Israel's first preference should be working with the international community to undermine the threat posed by Tehran, he says.

Meir Ben-Shabbat, until recently head of the National Security Council, urged the Biden administration to set a final and binding timetable for the nuclear talks with Iran, after which the United States will take action to halt Tehran's nuclear program.

The 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and the Islamic republic, formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was problematic to begin with and in 2018, then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from it and imposed crippling sanctions on Iran.

The move left the shaky deal virtually hollow, and while Tehran professed it remained committed to the outline, it breached it repeatedly, sparking the West's concern. Upon taking office in January, US President Joe Biden committed to reaching a new deal with Iran, but the indirect negotiations, held in Vienna, were halted following the Aug. 5 election of Ebrahim Raisi, as Iran's president.

Former National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat (Oren Ben Hakoon)

Raisi, an ultraconservative cleric and former judiciary chief, is known for his disdain of the United States and has stated he would not shy away from a confrontation with the West.

Biden, for his part, has stated he plans to "exhaust all diplomatic avenues" vis-à-vis Iran, but stressed that the US has "other options" at its disposal as well.

In a special interview with Israel Hayom, Ben-Shabbat, who until last month was among the individuals shaping  Israel's foreign and security policy, says that Israel must make it clear to the United States that "if they want to reach a solution through diplomacy – fine, set a deadline and decide what happens next, in case diplomatic efforts fail. You want a stronger agreement with better longevity? Decide what you do about Iran if it continues to tread water."

The former National Security Council chief stressed that "you can't chase them [Iran] forever. You need to set a timetable. This can't be left in the form of general statements. We need to define stages and schedules and come up with a plan for every scenario.

Ben-Shabbat, who spoke to Israel Hayom prior to Raisi and Biden's respective addresses before the UN General Assembly this week, stressed that Israel's first preference when it comes to dealing with Iran should be working together with the international community to undermine the threat posed by Tehran.

"Disconnecting ourselves from the world on this issue is not the way to go. Israel should try and harness the international community, especially the United States. You can't take action without trying to harness joint action.

"For us, the [Iranian] threat is existential, but the challenge is not just Israel's – the Americans know that for Iran, we are 'little Satan' and America is the 'Great Satan' so they, too, should also have an interest in taking action."

Still, he warned that Israel cannot become dependent on the US on the matter.

"The State of Israel and the Jewish people cannot tolerate an existential threat, nor will they accept an Iranian military nuclear program. As for what we are doing about it – some things are better left behind closed doors. All I can say is that when the political echelon states that 'we will not allow it,' the military and intelligence chiefs understand what that means."

Ben-Shabbat further rejected criticism saying that under his leadership the NSC became overly involved in foreign and security policy and says that he never discussed the possibility of heading the Israel Security Agency with then-PM Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that he marked very significant achievements during his term as the national security adviser.

"There is no question that it is a prominent position," he said about being the director of the Shin Bet security service, "but in my time at the Security Council, I saw things that were equally as exciting and important.

"I saw things I didn't know and didn't understand before about Israel's position in the world. I was moved by the expressions of appreciation and admiration for the State of Israel, which I heard every day from heads of state, presidents, kings, and ministers.

"In some cases – and I'm not exaggerating – they would get misty-eyed. As a citizen of the country, as a patriot and as a public service official, I was amazed at the intensities of these things," he continued. "For me, these were four very intense years, more than any of my positions in the Shin Bet.

"As my predecessor in the position, Jacob Nagel, once said – 'Every year at the helm of the National Security Council is equivalent to four years of life.' In other words, I feel as if 16 years have passed."

 

Ariel Kahana

Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/09/23/world-powers-cannot-chase-iran-forever-ex-nsc-head-says/

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Biden: ‘A two-state solution is the best way to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish democratic state’ - Robert Spencer

 

​ by Robert Spencer

 More evidence of Joe Biden's poor judgment in foreign affairs, and especially indicative of his ignorance of reality in the Middle East

Although nearly everyone favors it, the “two-state solution” is not actually a solution at all. It would only embolden “Palestinian” jihadis to press on in their campaign to destroy Israel utterly. Find out why in The Palestinian Delusion: The Catastrophic History of the Middle East Peace Process, which you can order here.

“Biden: Two-state solution ensures Israel’s Jewish identity,” Middle East Monitor, September 22, 2021 (thanks to Henry):

US President Joe Biden said yesterday that he backs the two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stating this is the “best way” to ensure the future of Israel as a Jewish state, news agencies reported.

“I continue to believe that a two-state solution is the best way to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish democratic state, living in peace alongside a viable, sovereign and democratic Palestinian state,” Biden said in a speech at the 76th General Assembly of the United Nations.

“We’re a long way from that goal at this moment but we should never allow ourselves to give up on the possibility of progress,” he added.

He also said: “We must seek a future of greater peace and security for all people of the Middle East,” stressing that “the commitment of the United States to Israel’s security is without question and our support for an independent Jewish state is unequivocal.”

Addressing world leaders, he added: “We cannot afford to waste any more time.”

 

Robert Spencer

Source: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2021/09/biden-a-two-state-solution-is-the-best-way-to-ensure-israels-future-as-a-jewish-democratic-state

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Muslims will “purify” the Temple Mount - Nan Jacques Zilberdik

 

​ by Nan Jacques Zilberdik/PMW

Muslims will “purify” the Temple Mount and “liberate the land and the people ‎from the defilement of the criminal infidels” says PA preacher

• Abbas: Israel is “unleashing the settler herds and their terror groups so that they will sow ruin and destruction and desecrate the holy sites”

• PA: Jews “defile” and “desecrate” the Al-Aqsa Mosque by visiting the Temple Mount

• Official PA daily demonizes visits by Jews to the Temple Mount as “plots that are being woven by the settler associations to desecrate the mosque”

• PA TV: “The defiling of the places of worship by the occupation and its settlers… is being carried out”

• PA TV: Arab rioters prevent Jews from “desecrating” Jerusalem

When a PA-appointed Shari’ah judge in his sermon recently called to “liberate the land and the people from the defilement of the criminal infidels” – i.e., Israelis/Jews – and prophesied that soon “the nation of Islam will be crowned with the purification of the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” it was not an isolated or unusual antisemitic statement. On the contrary, the PA, its officials, and its media regularly state that “Palestine,” “Jerusalem,” and “the Muslim (and Christian) holy sites” must be “cleansed,” “purified,” and “liberated” from the “defilement” and “desecration” of Jews.

Shari’ah Judge Hatem Al-Bakri: “Mere days stand between us and a new year… in which it is hoped that the nation of truth and justice, the nation of Islam, will have a decisive victory, and that the nation of Islam will be crowned with the purification of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the liberation of the land of [Prophet Muhammad’s] Night Journey… Allah… prepare a man for us who will follow the path of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, who will liberate the land and the people from the defilement of the criminal infidels.”

[Official PA TV, Aug. 6, 2021]

The same message has been voiced by other preachers and PA-nominated Shari’ah judges in sermons during the year, like PA Chairman Abbas’ personal advisor Al-Habbash:

“Supreme Shari’ah Judge of Palestine and [PA] President [Abbas’] Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Dr. Mahmoud Al-Habbash… emphasized… the series of daily crimes that the occupation state is committing against the Jerusalem Noble Sanctuary (i.e., the Temple Mount), … the escalation in the pace of the settlers’ daily invasions [of the mosque], and the desecration of it on baseless pretexts of ‘Jewish religious holidays and festivals.’”

[Donia Al-Watan, independent Palestinian news agency, April 14, 2021]

PA Shari’ah Judge Abdallah Harb in sermon: “The occupation is still making all efforts day and night to Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in order to defile the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It has harmed the structures, harmed the people, and spread drugs and other things.”

[Official PA TV, April 9, 2021]

The PA Ministry of Religious Affairs and the official PA daily also regularly reinforces the demonization, here both in headline and following text about Jews visiting the Temple Mount:

“In a monthly report the [PA] Ministry of Religious Affairs documented more than 20 invasions of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque [plaza]… It added: ‘The Al-Aqsa Mosque [plaza] was defiled more than 20 times. Invading settlers openly cried and prayed inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque [plaza] because the Temple has not yet been built. In the Old City [of Jerusalem] a number of marches of settlers took place, and the “Temple Organizations” carried a model of the alleged Temple.’”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 5, 2021]

Headline: “Last month the Al-Aqsa Mosque was defiled 20 times…”

“The [PA] Ministry of Religious Affairs said that the occupation and the settlers defiled the Al-Aqsa Mosque more than 20 times during April [2021].”

[Official PA TV Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 4, 2021]

One of the methods the PA uses to keep violence and terror on the back burner in Palestinian society is hate speech like the above statements. By spreading libels and demonize Israelis and Jews, PA leaders make sure Palestinians are ready to “fight” them. One libel Palestinian Media Watch has proven is effective in making Palestinians use violence is that Israel is said to plan to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to build “the alleged Temple.” That Jews “defile” and “desecrate” Jerusalem, its holy sites, and in particular the Al-Aqsa Mosque is demonization at the highest level, and PA Antisemitism par excellence.

The PA and its leaders misrepresent all of the Temple Mount as an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Therefore, they vilify any presence of Jews on the mount – Judaism’s holiest site – as an "invasion," “break-in,” or “incursion.” It should be noted that Jews who visit the Temple Mount only enter some sections of the open areas, and do not enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock. Israeli police ban Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount because of threats of violence by Palestinians. Regardless, the PA as a rule describes these visits by Jews as a “desecration” or “defilement,” and Jews - “settlers” in PA terminology - are accused of “plotting” against the mosque:

“Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Sheikh Muhammad Salim… commented in his sermon on the accelerating violations in Jerusalem and the ongoing desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and he emphasized that the mosque belongs only to the Muslims.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Aug. 14, 2021]

“The Jerusalem families are continuing for the third Friday [in a row] to come to the Al-Aqsa Mosque to hold the dawn prayers in order to emphasize the sanctity and Islamicness of the site against all the plots that are being woven by the settler associations to desecrate the mosque.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 4, 2021]

PMW has exposed similar statements against Jews’ presence in Jerusalem. For example, rain in Jerusalem has been said to cleanse it of Jews' impurity so Muslims can pray. Likewise, snow has been said “to clean” away the “filth” in Jerusalem, while Abbas called for violence to prevent the “filthy feet” of Jews to “defile” Jerusalem.

Referring to Jews who visited the Temple Mount on Tisha B’Av, the official PA daily called it “defilement” in its main headline:

Headline: “The occupation and its settlers defile the Al-Aqsa Mosque and attack worshippers”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 19, 2021]

While the official PA news agency Wafa referred to “the incursion by Israeli occupation forces and settler fanatics into the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound” on Tisha B’Av, PA Prime Minister Shtayyeh “considered the incursions carried out by hundreds of settlers into the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque today, as a serious violation.” [WAFA, official PA news agency, English edition, July 18, 2021]

During the violent Arab riots in Jerusalem and other mixed Jewish-Arab cities in Israel, and while Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israeli population centers during the war in May 2021, PA Chairman Abbas himself stated that Israel was “unleashing the settler herds and their terror groups so that they will sow ruin and destruction and desecrate the holy sites.” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 13, 2021]

A Fatah official echoed this, claiming Jews were “defiling the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque”:

Fatah Jenin Branch Secretary Ata Abu Rmeileh: “The crimes are continuing from the start of the attempt by the occupation and the settler herds to defile the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque… As a Palestinian people all the possibilities are open before us – a comprehensive confrontation with this occupation.”

[Official PA TV, Palestine This Morning, May 15, 2021]

Right at the outset of the war, a PA TV reporter praised Arab rioters for “preventing” Jews from “desecrating” Jerusalem:

Official PA TV reporter: “What we are actually seeing here in the Damascus Gate area is a firm Jerusalem stand – perseverance in defending this Palestinian city and defending its holy sites against the desecration of the settlers’ feet…

Arab protester: “Of course we are going to stop and push back every settler and every fascist who enters our holy sites and defiles them.”

[Official PA TV, May 10, 2021]

When Israel celebrated Jerusalem Day during the Ramadan, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization and member of PLO “called on the masses of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem to come out with full force against the settler herds’ plots to invade and desecrate the Al-Aqsa Mosque plazas on the 28th day of Ramadan.” [Ma’an, independent Palestinian news agency, May 6, 2021]

The same kind of PA hate speech that Jews “defiled” Muslim places of worship was heard on the Israeli Independence Day celebrations:

Official PA TV reporter: “The defiling of the places of worship by the occupation and its settlers, in all forms of provocation, is being carried out while ignoring any of the international agreements that determine that the holy sites and places of worship must be protected.”

[Official PA TV News, April 16, 2021]

A few days earlier, the PA’s Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Dr. Laila Ghannam wished for Jerusalem to be “liberated from the occupation’s defilement”:

Posted text: “[Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor] Dr. [Laila] Ghannam sent her blessings to our heroic prisoners and said that our people is following the path of the Martyrs and prisoners until our independent state whose capital is Jerusalem will be established… [Ghannam also wished] that we will celebrate the lighting of the Ramadan torch and the holiday of Easter in Jerusalem when it is liberated from the occupation’s defilement.”

[Facebook page of Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam, April 12, 2021]

The following are longer excerpts of the statements cited above together with additional statements:

The Rightly Guided Caliphs – “the Rashidun” - are in Sunni Islam the first four caliphs who followed after the death of Prophet Muhammad. The Rashidun Caliphate spread Islam beyond Arabia, and captured Persia, Syria, Armenia, Egypt, and Cyprus.

“Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, said today that the Israeli government is tampering with the security and stability of the region, and is dragging the region into a religious war that will burn the entire region.

Abu Rudeineh’s comments came in response to the incursion by Israeli occupation forces and settler fanatics into the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound early today morning, which saw police officers attacking worshipers at the holy site and detaining many of them.

“By continuing its policy of incursions into religious places, as is happening today in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israel is defying the Palestinian people and disregarding international positions, especially the American position which demanded [Israel] to adhere to the status quo in Jerusalem.”

He said that the attacks on Jerusalem come in the context of the ongoing suspicious attack on the Palestinian national project. “But the national project will not be defeated, and Jerusalem, the independent national decision and the steadfastness of the Palestinian people will preserve the [Palestinian] identity and protect the holy sites.”

[WAFA, official PA news agency, English edition, July 18, 2021]

“Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh considered the incursions carried out by hundreds of settlers into the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque today, as a serious violation that aims to impose the temporal and spatial division of the mosque.

He called on the international community to urgently intervene to stop these violations given the threat they pose in provoking Muslims feelings, in threatening security, peace, and stability in the region, and in violating established protocols in force at the mosque since the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel in 1967.

Shtayyeh warned of the dangerous repercussions of the recurrence of such incursions, at a time when Israel continues its policy of persecution, racism, and ethnic cleansing against the original inhabitants of the occupied city, in favor of replacing them with settlers.”

[WAFA, official PA news agency, English edition, July 18, 2021]

Fatah Jenin Branch Secretary Ata Abu Rmeileh: “Of course this is an occupation. The crimes are continuing from the start of the attempt by the occupation and the settler herds to defile the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque… As a Palestinian people all the possibilities are open before us – a comprehensive confrontation with this occupation. The events will not stop, they will not stop. There is an organizational decision that was issued by the Fatah Movement in all the areas and regions, in Jenin, in the entire West Bank, in the Gaza Strip, in Jerusalem, and in the 1948 [lands] (i.e., Israel) – all of Palestine today, Palestine is united from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River. The Palestinian people is rising up.

[Official PA TV, Palestine This Morning, May 15, 2021]

 This statement was made during ongoing violent Arab riots in Jerusalem and other mixed Jewish-Arab cities in Israel, and while Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israeli population centers.

Fatah/Hamas Riot and Rocket War 2021 – On April 30, 2021, facing certain electoral defeat, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas cancelled the first PA elections scheduled in 15 years. Hamas, which expected to win the elections, denounced it as a “coup.” In need of a conflict to divert public discontent, Abbas artificially generated a crisis over Jerusalem. His Fatah party called for "raising the level of confrontation,” and Abbas' spokesman told Palestinians "the battle of all battles is here.” Jerusalem Arabs responded by attacking Jews with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Hamas, Abbas' political rival, could not allow Abbas to lead the battle, so on May 10, 2021, Hamas launched rocket barrages targeting Israeli population centers including Jerusalem. Over the next 11 days, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired over 4,300 rockets into southern and central Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing 9 Israelis and 3 foreign nationals, and wounding hundreds. In response, Israel launched Operation Guardian of the Walls to target Hamas terror leaders and terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Already in mid-April, a planned eviction of some Palestinian families illegally living in Jewish-owned buildings in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem had led to clashes between Palestinian residents and Israeli police. This dispute provided Palestinians with a pretext for violent rioting. Adding to the crisis, Israeli Arabs started rioting throughout Israel, especially in cities with a mixed Jewish and Arab population. Two Jews were murdered and many were wounded. According to Walla, an independent Israeli news site, 10 synagogues were wholly or partly burned down; fires were set in 112 Jewish homes and 1 Arab home mistaken for a Jewish home; 386 Jewish homes were plundered and 673 were damaged; 849 cars were set ablaze; and there were 5,018 rock-throwing attacks. In response, Jews started attacking Arabs and their properties as well, but on a much smaller scale. No mosques were burned; 13 Arab homes were damaged; 13 Arab-owned cars were burned; and there were 41 rock-throwing attacks by Jews. [Walla, May 16, 2021] The fighting between Israel and Hamas ended with a ceasefire on May 21, 2021.

Headline: “The [PA] president: We’ll act at all levels out of commitment to our national responsibility and we will continue to do what can be done to defend our people”

“[PA] President Mahmoud Abbas… said in his speech during the leadership meeting that was held at the [PA] presidential headquarters in Ramallah yesterday evening [May 12, 2021]: ‘Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the State of Palestine and it has no replacement. We salute its residents who are carrying out Ribat (i.e., religious conflict over land claimed to be Islamic) there. We salute the heroic young people of Palestine who are the pride of the homeland and the people.

These are the ones of whom we are proud and we stand as a sign of honor for their struggle, while they are defending Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, all of Palestine, and particularly the Gaza Strip as well with their bare chests and their hearts that are beating with love for Jerusalem, Palestine, and the sincere affiliation with them…

The occupation state wants to impose colonialist facts on the ground in Jerusalem and in all the land of our homeland, and for this purpose it is carrying out a crazy war, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian presence and the Arab and Islamic identity of our capital Jerusalem by stealing homes and real estate and unleashing the settler herds and their terror groups so that they will sow ruin and destruction and desecrate the holy sites.

But our proud heroic people and our young people who are carrying out Ribat in Jerusalem and its surroundings and everywhere there is an Arab, Muslim, or free person, has come out against this with its full heroism through its brave popular resistance (i.e., term used by Palestinians, which also refers to the use of violence and terror) to the occupation’s aggression against the Damascus Gate [of Jerusalem’s Old City], the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre…

In conclusion, I direct my words particularly to the US and Israel: We have had enough! Leave us alone! Get off our chests, get off our chests! We’ll continue to be a thorn in your sides and we won’t leave our homeland, we won’t leave our land. End the occupation of our land today. Today and not tomorrow…

If you want peace, if you want security, if you want calm, it will not come by force of weapons or oppression; it will not come in these ways. Let us reach a compromise. We will not suffer what we have been suffering any longer, and we will not be more tolerant than we have been, rather we will stand firmer and firmer and firmer than how we have stood, until we reach victory and liberation, and until we end the occupation of all our occupied land, and foremost among it Jerusalem.’”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 13, 2021]

The terms "peaceful uprising/resistance,” and “popular uprising/resistance" are used by PA leaders at times to refer to peaceful protest and at times to refer to deadly terror attacks and terror waves. For example, ‎Mahmoud Abbas defined as “peaceful popular” the murderous terror during the 2015-2016 ‎terror wave (“The Knife Intifada”), in which 40 people were killed (36 Israelis, 1 Palestinian, 2 Americans and 1 Eritrean) and hundreds wounded in stabbings, shootings, and car ramming attacks. Abbas said: "We want peaceful popular uprising, and that’s what this is." https://palwatch.org/page/9276

Official PA TV reporter: “What we are actually seeing here in the Damascus Gate area is a firm Jerusalem stand – perseverance in defending this Palestinian city and defending its holy sites against the desecration of the settlers’ feet”…

Arab protester: “Of course we are going to stop and push back every settler and every fascist who enters our holy sites and defiles them.”

[Official PA TV, May 10, 2021]

Official PA TV broadcast this during ongoing violent Arab riots in Jerusalem and other mixed Jewish-Arab cities in Israel, and while Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israeli population centers. 

Headline: “The Popular Front [for the Liberation of Palestine] calls to escalate the resistance”

“The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) called on the masses of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem to come out with full force against the settler herds’ plots to invade and desecrate the Al-Aqsa Mosque plazas on the 28th day of Ramadan (refers to Jerusalem Day celebrations -Ed.)…

The PFLP again emphasized its call that the West Bank must fulfill its role in aiding the current popular uprising in Jerusalem (refers to ongoing violent Arab riots -Ed.) by escalating the situation of resistance and the popular confrontation against the occupation and settlers and must turn the areas of friction into arenas of open confrontation. The PFLP praised the state of popular solidarity in order to defend the resistance fighters who carried out the Tapuach (Zatara) [parentheses in source] checkpoint operation (refers to terror attack, 1 murdered -Ed.) through the heroic resistance against the occupation army’s invasions of the cities and villages, the initiative to aid in hiding the tracks of the resistance fighters, and the burning of the vehicle that may have been used in the operation.”

[Ma’an, independent Palestinian news agency, May 6, 2021]

Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) – A terror organization and member of the PLO. The PLF is headed by Secretary-General Wasel Abu Yusuf who is also a member of the PLO Executive Committee. The PLF has been responsible for numerous terror attacks, including the hijacking of an Italian cruise ship in 1985, in which one Jewish hostage in a wheelchair, Leon Klinghoffer, was shot, and then thrown overboard. The US has listed the PLF as a terror organization.

The PA and its leaders misrepresent all of the Temple Mount as an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Therefore, they vilify any presence of Jews on the mount as an "invasion." It should be noted that Jews who visit the Temple Mount only enter some sections of the open areas, and do not enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock. Israeli police ban Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount because of threats of violence by Palestinians.

Yehuda Gueta, Benaya Peretz, and Amichai Hala - three 19-year-old Israeli students who were wounded by Palestinian terrorist Muntasir Shalabi in a drive-by shooting attack at the Tapuach Junction near Ariel in the northern West Bank on May 2, 2021. Gueta died of his wounds and Peretz was seriously wounded in the attack. Shalabi was arrested on May 5, 2021.

Official PA TV newsreader: “Settlers held noisy music and dance parties around the Ibrahimi Mosque (i.e., Cave of the Patriarchs) and its plazas for so-called [Israeli] Independence Day, and this was in an attempt to provoke the feelings of the [Arab] residents during the distinguished month [of Ramadan]…

Official PA TV reporter: “The defiling of the places of worship by the occupation and its settlers, in all forms of provocation, is being carried out while ignoring any of the international agreements that determine that the holy sites and places of worship must be protected.”

[Official PA TV News, April 16, 2021]

Headline: “Al-Habbash in response to the Israeli attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque: A religious war is coming, no one will be spared by it”

“Supreme Shari’ah Judge of Palestine and [PA] President [Mahmoud Abbas’] Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Dr. Mahmoud Al-Habbash condemned the new crime that the occupation police committed this evening (sic., yesterday) [April 13, 2021], when it invaded the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the evening prayers and the Tarawih (additional nighttime prayers during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan -Ed.) on the first day of the month of Ramadan and cut the electrical cords of the mosque’s minarets. This prevented the sounding of the call to prayer through the loudspeakers (the loudspeakers were apparently cut to avoid disturbances during the official Israeli Memorial Day ceremony held at the Western Wall Plaza below; Muslims responded by rioting and throwing rocks, wounding 6 -Ed.).

The supreme Shari’ah judge emphasized that this crime joins the series of daily crimes that the occupation state is committing against the Jerusalem Noble Sanctuary (i.e., the Temple Mount), … the escalation in the pace of the settlers’ daily invasions [of the mosque], and the desecration of it on baseless pretexts of ‘Jewish religious holidays and festivals.’

Al-Habbash called on the international community and the UN bodies, foremost among them UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), to take steps to defend the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque with all its structures and plazas, and foremost among them the Al-Buraq Wall (i.e., the Western Wall of the Temple Mount), as these international organizations have confirmed in numerous resolutions that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque is a purely Islamic site, and non-Muslims have no right to it. He also warned that the continued embarrassing silence of the international community over the occupation’s crimes in Jerusalem, and especially at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, will lead us all into the furnace of a religious war, which is imminent. He added that no one will be spared from its fire, and that not only the Palestinians will pay its price.”

[Donia Al-Watan, independent Palestinian news agency, April 14, 2021]

Mahmoud Al-Habbash also serves as Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah Justice. In August 2019 PA Chairman Abbas dismissed all his advisors by Presidential decree. It is unclear what their status is today.

The Al-Buraq Wall - Islam's Prophet Muhammad is said to have ridden during his Night Journey from Mecca to "al aqsa mosque", i.e., "the farthest mosque" (Quran, Sura 17), and there tied his miraculous flying steed named Al-Buraq to a "stone" or a "rock." (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Book 47, Hadith 3424). In the 1920's, Arab Mufti Haj Amin Al-Husseini decided to identify the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem as that "rock" or "stone," and since then Muslims refer to the Western Wall as the "Al-Buraq Wall."

Headline: “During March the Al-Aqsa Mosque was defiled more than 20 times…”

“In a monthly report the [PA] Ministry of Religious Affairs documented more than 20 invasions of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque [plaza] and 59 times when the occupation banned sounding the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque (i.e., Cave of the Patriarchs) during the month of March [2021]…

It added: ‘The Al-Aqsa Mosque [plaza] was defiled more than 20 times. Invading settlers openly cried and prayed inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque [plaza] because the Temple has not yet been built. In the Old City [of Jerusalem] a number of marches of settlers took place, and the “Temple Organizations” carried a model of the alleged Temple.’”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 5, 2021]

The images show Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam speaking at an event for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan at “Martyr Yasser Arafat Square” in Ramallah.

Posted text: “[Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor] Dr. [Laila] Ghannam sent her blessings to our heroic prisoners and said that our people is following the path of the Martyrs and prisoners until our independent state whose capital is Jerusalem will be established… [Ghannam also wished] that we will celebrate the lighting of the Ramadan torch and the holiday of Easter in Jerusalem when it is liberated from the occupation’s defilement.”

[Facebook page of Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam, April 12, 2021]

“Fatah Movement Jerusalem Branch Secretary Shadi Mattour emphasized the desire to survive, stand firm, protect the holy sites, and defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the danger of Judaization…

In an interview with Radio Mawtini, Mattour spoke about how he views the Israeli election results. He warned against the rise of the extremist right-wing and against the composition of the government by saying: ‘They will target the Al-Aqsa Mosque and its plazas with greater vigor, and they will act to prevent the [Arab] residents of Jerusalem from participating in the PA Parliament (Legislative Council) elections.’

He added: ‘Here, on every inch of the land of Jerusalem, a battle is taking place between us and the occupation and the racist settlement enterprise, but our willpower is stronger, and we have sworn that we will remain on our land and in our homes, and that we will protect our holy sites. We will defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque against Judaization, and we will prevent the construction of their alleged Temple. Jerusalem will remain Arab with all its holy components, such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.’ …

He warned against the Israeli occupation’s plot to build the Temple at the expense of the Jerusalem Noble Sanctuary (i.e., the Temple Mount), the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and all the neighborhoods that are adjacent to the mosque. He also said: ‘Then the plan to Judaize and erase our identity will be completed, and we will not allow this as long as we are alive.’ Mattour added: ‘We understand that we are in an existential struggle in the holy city [of Jerusalem].’”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 28, 2021]

“In Lebanon, the activities of solidarity with the [Arab] residents of Jerusalem are continuing amid the battle of honor that they are waging with the Israeli occupation forces and the settlement enterprise’s mercenaries, in order to defend their city and their holy sites (refers to Israel removing security barriers from the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City following violent Arab riots -Ed.)…

As part of this, the Palestinian factions organized a rally to celebrate the victory of Jerusalem at the Burj Al-Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon…

Fatah Movement leadership member in Beirut Nasser Al-Assad gave the PLO’s speech. He began it with a few sentimental words about Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Palestine, and the Palestinian willpower that is firm against the occupation…

Al-Assad noted that this enemy only understands the language of confrontation, struggle, and direct fighting through all types of resistance, which requires all of us to unify the ranks…

Islamic Jihad leadership member in Lebanon Mahfouz Munawir gave a speech in which he said that the battle for the Damascus Gate is the battle for Jerusalem and Palestine…

He emphasized that in the battles that our people is waging one after the other it is recording victory after victory, and thus it will reach the certain victory and the expulsion of the occupier from all the Palestinian territories.

Munawir said that when all the energies of the Palestinian people and its factions will unite, victory will be Palestine’s, which has sacrificed that which is most precious to it and the best of its young people to liberate the land from the enemy’s defilement…

Hezbollah’s Director of Palestine Affairs Sheikh Atallah Hamoud saluted the Palestinian fighters who are waging the most impressive battles of heroism against the Zionist enemy. He said that he is proud to stand as a sign of solidarity with the residents of Jerusalem in the struggle that they are waging in the land of Ribat (i.e., religious conflict over land claimed to be Islamic).”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 29, 2021]

Official PA TV host: “Last Saturday [March 27, 2021], the so-called Jewish holiday of Passover began… Throughout the week there were increased break-ins [into the Al-Aqsa Mosque] by the settler gangs under tight protection from the occupation police, which is working to dry up the Islamic presence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in parallel to facilitating for the settlers to do as they see fit at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. What is your response to the attempts to impose facts, and to the blow to the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque?”

Director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Omar Al-Kiswani: “We view this seriously, particularly last week when the Al-Aqsa Mosque was broken into by the extremist associations under the protection of the occupation police… who increased deployment inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque and around the Old City [of Jerusalem], and imposed a siege around the Al-Aqsa Mosque… so that the Al-Aqsa Mosque would be empty of Muslim worshippers during the presence of these people and during their break-in into the Al-Aqsa Mosque plazas. There were large numbers, there were at least 60 extremists in every group; over the course of last week more than 2,380 extremists broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque… Of course, this is open appropriation that was conveyed to the entire world – both with Talmudic (i.e., Jewish) prayers, not honoring the sanctity of the site, and defiling the site – through these provocations and the behavior of these people…

The Islamic Waqf needs Arab and Islamic support to defend the Islamicness and Arabness of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to put an end to these violations that are planned by the occupation government at the highest levels…

The occupation wants to turn this sight into something routine at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, but we say this sight is unusual, the Al-Aqsa Mosque is an exclusive right of the Muslims, and it will not accept division and will not accept partnership. The mosque, with all its 144 dunams (i.e., 144,000 square meters) of territory, belongs to all the Muslims, including that which is underground and aboveground until the highest heavens, and this is according to a divine decree…

[In Sura 17 of the Quran] Allah eternalizes the connection between [the Al-Aqsa Mosque] and the Great Mosque [of Mecca]. And there is no difference between Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in terms of the Muslims. Our connection to it is a religious-faith connection, and these acts are forbidden religiously, not just politically.”

[Official PA TV, Good Morning Jerusalem, April 2, 2021]

 

Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Source: https://palwatch.org/page/29177

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Abraham Accords nations issue first joint statement at UN - Ariel Kahana and Dean Shmuel Elmas

 

​ by Ariel Kahana and Dean Shmuel Elmas

Israel regional partners the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco call on member-states to integrate women in peace processes, stress the value of women's influence on human rights matters. Statement supported by 52 countries, including Turkey.

 

General view of the United Nations Human Rights Council | File photo: AFP/Fabrice Coffrini

For the first time since signing the Abraham Accords, Israel and three of its new regional partners – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco – delivered a joint statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva Wednesday, about women, peace, and diplomacy.

Based on the UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women and security, the statement stressed the value of women's influence on human rights matters, peace, sustainable development, and security, and called on member states to integrate women in peace processes and conflict prevention.

Ambassador of Bahrain to the UN Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri introduced the statement on behalf of the four nations.

"We call upon all member states to strongly commit to ensure that women have a seat at every table, that they are heard and that they can contribute to find solutions and prevent conflict," he said. "Only then, can we have a peaceful and equal society."

The statement had been endorsed by the UN's University for Peace and was supported by 52 member states, including Turkey.

Ankara's support at the UN instituted Turkey's second political "wink" toward Israel this week. On Sunday, the Turkish American National Steering Committee and the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce signed a cooperation agreement "based on shared values and solidarity in diversity."

According to the agreement, the two aim to "cooperate for the common good of Turkish Americans and Jewish Americans, and to support relations between our homeland the United States and our respective motherlands, Turkey and Israel."

 

Ariel Kahana and Dean Shmuel Elmas 

Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/09/23/abraham-accord-nations-issue-first-joint-statement-at-un-promote-women/

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Court orders Hamas to compensate families of 3 murdered teens - Yair Altman

 

​ by Yair Altman

Families of Naftali Frenkel, Gil-ad Shaer, Eyal Yifrach, who were kidnapped, and killed by terrorist group in 2014, to appeal ruling after Hamas ordered to pay fraction of what they had sought in lawsuit.

 

The late Naftali Frenkel, Gil-ad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrach | File photo: Reuters

One year after the bereaved families of Naftali Frenkel, Gil-ad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrach, the three teens kidnapped and murdered by Hamas in 2014, filed an unprecedented lawsuit against the terrorist group, the Jerusalem District Court has issued a ruling on the case.

Jerusalem District Court Judge Ilan Sela ordered the organization to pay just 38 million (around $11.8 million). The families had sought 520 million shekels ($155 million) in compensation in their suit.

Sela issued the ruling, absent the presence of a Hamas representative, in which he noted the specific compensation Hamas was ordered to pay was based on a previous Supreme Court ruling. According to that ruling, each estate is to be awarded 3 million shekels (around $935,000) in compensation and each claimant 1 million shekels.

The bereaved families plan to appeal the ruling. The Shurat Hadin Israeli Law Center, which represented the families, explained the families had sought to stop the flow of funds, estimated to amount to anywhere from $50-$100 million each month that the Palestinian Authority transfers to Hamas. As these funds are transferred to the various arms of the terrorist organization, including its military wing, they can be seized as part of the court's ruling against Hamas.

Shurat Din further argued the court's ruling disparages the lives of the victims and makes a mockery of the war on terror funding: "No $10 million ruling will deter an organization with a billion-dollar budget. The purpose of the lawsuits is to topple the terrorism, and this cannot be done through amounts that are insignificant to them [the Hamas terrorists]."

Noting US courts have ordered terror victims to be paid hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation, the organization said there was therefore nothing stopping Israeli courts from doing the same.

In a statement, Shurat Hadin founder Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said: "It cannot be that the Israeli court will spare the terrorist organization that funded, planned, and carried out the terrible attack that was etched on the entire nation's heart. The ruling allotting a tenth of the compensation claim will severely damage Israeli deterrence and the means to eradicate terrorism in economic ways. I believe that the ... punitive damages for victims of terrorism should be anchored in law for victims to receive the amount they deserve and thereby force the terrorist organizations to think twice before paying for their actions."

 

Yair Altman

Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/09/15/court-orders-hamas-to-pay-bereaved-families-of-3-teens-damages/

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We May Have Left Afghanistan, Mr. President, But We Are Still at War - Pete Hoekstra

 

​ by Pete Hoekstra

President Biden can say what he wants but that does not mean it is so. The other side has a say in this. And as we saw as we were leaving Kabul, the jihadists spoke clearly, they are still at war with us.

• I never liked that term, "war on terror." Terrorism is a tactic; it is not the enemy we fought every day. The term has done more to confuse us than enlighten us.

• [O]ne can see why the phrase "war on terror" became the widely accepted nomenclature. It was neutral. Gone would be the difficult references connecting the terrorist movement to Islam and Muslims. The need to define good Muslims versus bad/extremist Muslims would be eliminated. We would just paper over the difficult discussions that needed to take place but did not.

• The terrorists, and their Islamist apologists in the West, actually used our response to their benefit. They widely labeled those who tried to connect al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations to Islamic dogma as Islamophobes and anti-Muslim.

• It did not matter that the terrorists invoked Quranic passages as justification, or that groups such as ISIS and others explicitly state that their ultimate objective is a global Muslim state governed by religious law.

• President Biden can say what he wants but that does not mean it is so. The other side has a say in this. And as we saw as we were leaving Kabul, the jihadists spoke clearly, they are still at war with us. If the crack team of foreign advisers that the president is relying on, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, advised him that the United States is no longer at war, the world is in serious trouble.

On Tuesday, Joe Biden presented his first UN General Assembly speech as president, and proclaimed: "I stand here today for the first time in 20 years with the United States not at war." It was an odd boast, considering how the United States left Afghanistan and what it means for the future. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz-Pool/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Joe Biden presented his first United Nations General Assembly speech as president. I labored through almost 32 minutes of the speech when a most profound announcement was proclaimed: "I stand here today for the first time in 20 years with the United States not at war."

It was an odd boast, considering how the United States left Afghanistan and what it means for the future.

Our retreat from the Afghanistan battlefield left behind thousands of friends and allies and billions of dollars' worth of equipment.

We were never at war with Afghanistan. Our enemy was – and continues to be – individuals who take inspiration from a strict interpretation of Islam and employ terrorist tactics to press their cause.

Politically, we left the country as we found it – led by the same Islamist radicals who controlled the country 20 years ago. Despite what the Taliban might say, U.S. intelligence estimates that al-Qaeda could be fully reconstituted in Afghanistan in a year or two.

What happens after that? The president's UN speech did not look forward. If anything, his inaccurate statement that we are no longer at war anywhere in the world indicated his belief that the war on terrorism is over.

I never liked that term, "war on terror." Terrorism is a tactic; it is not the enemy we fought every day. The term has done more to confuse us than enlighten us. Nine days after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush told Congress that those who attacked us were:

• "a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as al-Qaeda." It "is to terror what the Mafia is to crime."
• "terrorists (who) practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism."
• "a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam."
• "traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself."

Bush recognized that he had to put some context with the word terrorist so that the world would better understand the threat we were facing as well as the tactics that they would employ.

"Our war on terror begins with al-Qaeda," he said, "but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated."

We are still a long way from that goal, which means the threat to the homeland endures.

Reflecting on Bush's speech, one can see why the phrase "war on terror" became the widely accepted nomenclature. It was neutral. Gone would be the difficult references connecting the terrorist movement to Islam and Muslims. The need to define good Muslims versus bad/extremist Muslims would be eliminated. We would just paper over the difficult discussions that needed to take place but did not.

The terrorists, and their Islamist apologists in the West, actually used our response to their benefit. They widely labeled those who tried to connect al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations to Islamic dogma as Islamophobes and anti-Muslim.

It did not matter that the terrorists invoked Quranic passages as justification, or that groups such as ISIS and others explicitly state that their ultimate objective is a global Muslim state governed by religious law.

For much of the last 20 years, the lack of clarity as to who the enemy was and why they attacked us has eluded us. It has made it difficult to focus on what needed to be done and what victory might look like.

So barely a month after the U.S.'s disgraceful disengagement in Afghanistan, the president of the United States can declare that we are not at war. Words have meaning. The president cannot just declare that the war on terror is over and walk away. The enemy still exists. Those individuals described by President Bush in 2001 are still out there. Today, they are reinvigorated by their perceived success in Afghanistan. They are better equipped than any terrorist organization in the world because of what was left behind in Afghanistan, and they continue to be inspired by their view of the religion they are attempting to hijack, Islam.

No, President Biden can say what he wants but that does not mean it is so. The other side has a say in this. And as we saw as we were leaving Kabul, the jihadists spoke clearly, they are still at war with us. If the crack team of foreign advisers that the president is relying on, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, advised him that the United States is no longer at war, the world is in serious trouble.

The jihadists have not surrendered; they have not gone away. As a matter of fact, the world is a much more dangerous place than what it was just a few short months ago. The jihadists will be back. When they strike us again, let us hope that our leaders provide the necessary clarity this time around to identify the enemy and defeat them once and for all.

 

Ambassador Pete Hoekstra (retired), served 18 years in Congress and was Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 2004-07. He is a Senior Fellow with the Investigative Project on Terrorism.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17784/left-afghanistan-still-at-war

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