Wednesday, February 15, 2023

02/15 Links Pt1: PA seeking UNSC resolution condemning Israel’s assertion of rights in Judea and Samaria; After Biden sent $1 billion to the PLO, Israeli deaths rose 900%; France looking for successor Abbas

From Ian:

Yishai Fleisher: Three Muslims and a settler
The third Muslim I met on my trip was working at the airport in Houston. I flew in for a tight 15 hours to attend a commemorative hilula gathering in honor of the saintly “Baba Sali”—Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira. Upon landing, I hit a snag: My bag was not coming out of the chute and I really, really did not have time for that. So, I went over to the baggage claim counter and approached a representative named Huma. I asked her about my bag, produced a tag and she started clicking on her keyboard. She announced that it was coming out soon. In the meantime, we got to talking.

A middle-aged woman, Huma’s accent and look gave away her origins in the Indian subcontinent. I asked her if she was Hindu or Muslim, to which she replied that she was a Muslim from Pakistan. She asked me where I was coming from. I wear a kippa and have a beard and my luggage tags show I fly internationally, so she was not surprised that I was from Israel. But what she said was surprising to me: “I love Israel—I have visited twice!” Warmth entered her eyes as she described the amazing congeniality of the people, how safe she felt and how clean it was.

Sadly, Huma told me about her son’s Jewish business partner, who before her first trip urged her not to visit Israel. He bizarrely warned her that she would be kicked and spat at in the Jewish state. Both she and I were dismayed at his warped sense of reality. Thankfully, she went to Israel anyway and had a great time.

I asked her what places she had visited. She mentioned Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and that she had seen Al-Aqsa and the Tomb of Abraham. “You went to Hebron?” I asked. She said, “Yes, absolutely!” I produced my business card with a picture of the Tomb of the Ancestors and gave it to her. A visible shudder went through her. Her eyes widened: “Do you pray at the Tomb of Abraham every day?” Yes, I said, most days. “Would you pray for my sons to get married?” she asked earnestly, clutching my card. I answered, “Yes, I will” and asked for their names. She thanked me profusely.

At no point did she seem to mind that I was a Jew, an Israeli and a “settler” who works in Hebron. All that mattered was that I was connected to Abraham and that Israel was a welcoming place. Here again, there was no mention of Palestine. As a woman who had left Pakistan for Texas, she had chosen liberty over a restrictive form of Islam. To her, Israel is a place where you can connect with religion and identity, and do so in freedom. In fact, she specifically mentioned her amazement and pleasure at being able to walk freely in Jerusalem at night. Although she did not say it, I guessed that Palestine is more like the oppressive Pakistan of her past.

I often meet people during my travels who have respect and love for the Jewish state. Israel’s authentic culture, military strength and economic growth are respected in the region and many see Israel as an example of liberalism and humanity—a leader in the battle against tyranny and jihad. Millions see Jerusalem as a spiritual capital they aspire to visit.

Palestine, on the other hand, is not attractive to many Muslims. They know all too well that the P.A., PLO and Hamas are the same corrupt jihadists who have destroyed so many Arab and Muslim states. These Muslims see the Abraham Accords and Israel’s normalization in the region as a source of hope and they are watching and praying for the success of the Jewish state—inshallah!
Daniel Greenfield: After Biden sent $1 billion to the PLO, Israeli deaths rose 900%
When U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas last month, he boasted of the over one billion dollars in aid that the Biden administration had programmed for the terrorist territories.

That aid has come with a very heavy price.

In Feb. 2019, President Trump’s total cutoff of aid to the Palestinians became official. That year, 10 Israelis or people in Israeli controlled areas were killed in stabbings, shootings, rocket and other attacks, down from 12 the previous year, 15 in 2017 and 16 in 2016.

In 2020, however, only three Israelis were killed.

These numbers reflected the diminished capacity of the Islamic terrorists. The reduction in numbers was not due to the pandemic. The year still saw attacks, including firebombings, rocket launches and stabbings, but the success and lethality rates for these attacks were lower.

The numbers turned around dramatically once again in 2021.

In April 2021, the Biden administration restored aid to the PLO. Terror incidents, reflecting attack attempts, shot up sharply, from 91 in February and 89 in March to 130 in April.

By May, major fighting had resumed, with 13 Israelis, including two children, killed.

By the time the year was over, 17 people in Israeli areas had been killed. The over 400% increase in deaths was only the beginning. In 2022, 31 Israelis or people in Israeli areas were killed, up from only three in 2020, for a massive 900% increase in casualties since the restoration of foreign aid to the terrorists. This was the worst death toll since 2015 under Obama.

But in January and the first half of February, 10 Israelis have already been killed, including a 6-year-old boy and his 8-year-old brother.
Mahmoud Abbas Rejects Efforts of Biden Administration to Secure Quiet
Abbas’ Reading of President Biden
Abbas’ working assumption is that the Biden administration is preoccupied with its confrontation with Russia over the war in Ukraine and the economic conflict with China. Biden, according to this assumption, does not want a U.S. confrontation with the PA. Therefore, Abbas allowed himself to ignore Biden’s request. After all, Biden has not invited him to the White House for a visit, and from the PA perspective the White House is not ready to get its hands dirty and offer the Palestinians a political horizon.

In conversations with his associates, Abbas says that the American administration cannot be trusted because it is biased in Israel’s favor.

The refusal of the PA chairman is a blow to the Biden administration. Terrorist activity is expected to increase toward the month of Ramadan (March 22 – April 20, 2023) and force Israel to defend itself through intensive military activity, which could result in Palestinian casualties and regional instability.

President Biden is wrong in refusing to apply levers of pressure on Abbas, as President George Bush did at the time on Yasser Arafat to fight terrorism. Abbas did not hesitate even for a moment to thwart the American security plan, knowing that the continuation of the existing situation may encourage terrorism and cause more victims on both sides.

Abbas’ reluctance to have the PA fight terrorism emphasizes the fact that he has finished his role as a possible partner for negotiations with Israel. He has only one thing that interests him: to survive in his position of power.


The United Nations is not antisemitic, its point man on antisemitism says
During an event marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the United Nations headquarters last month, Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan ripped the global body for failing to tackle antisemitism.

“The U.N. was founded upon the ashes of the Holocaust. It was established to ensure such darkness would never be felt by humanity again,” the ambassador said, with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres present. “Yet, when it comes to fighting antisemitism, sadly, the U.N. ignores its purpose.

“When it comes to anything related to Israel, this organization is very quick to respond and condemn. When it comes to Jew-hatred, the silence is deafening,” Erdan added. “The double standard is disgraceful.”

Leaders of an overwhelming number of Jewish global organizations, as well as former and current Israeli officials, take it for granted that the U.N. suffers from an antisemitic rot. It has declined to adopt any definition of antisemitism—let alone the widely accepted one—it remains hyperfocused on resolutions and statements that criticize Israel and its employees glorify Nazis and call for Jewish deaths.

Last Thursday, Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee and a former member of Congress, said at the U.N. that leaders of the body must break “through indifference among some diplomats and some U.N. personnel to what happens here sometimes in these halls.”

The soul of the U.N.
So what does the man whom the United Nations assigned to tackle the problem think about it? For starters, he told JNS that he doesn’t believe that the U.N. is antisemitic.

“The Israeli government has played an important role in international relations and has been recognized by the U.N.,” Miguel Moratinos, U.N. focal point on monitoring antisemitism and enhancing a system-wide response, told JNS.

“Israel and the Jewish people are integrated in the essence, in the soul of the U.N. So, how is the U.N. going to be antisemitic?” asked Moratinos. “I have to tell you, the U.N. is not antisemitic.”
UN's Miguel Moratinos claims 'UN is not antisemitic'
High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Moratinos discusses antisemitism within the ranks of the international body.


PA seeking UNSC resolution condemning Israel’s assertion of rights in Judea and Samaria
The Palestinian Authority is seeking a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israel’s decision this week to authorize nine outposts in Judea and Samaria in response to a deadly terrorist attack in Jerusalem, Axios reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, Palestinian envoy to the U.N. Riyad Mansour sent a letter on Monday to the members of the Council calling on them to immediately send a clear message to Israel against asserting its rights in Judea and Samaria.

In response, the Biden administration is reportedly trying to convince the P.A. to forgo a vote on a formal resolution, instead proposing the release of a non-binding statement that Washington would support. In this way, the United States would not have to weigh using its veto in the forum.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan and other officials are in talks with American counterparts to make sure the U.S. would indeed veto any potential resolution, said the report.

In a joint announcement Tuesday, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Italy, the British foreign secretary and the U.S. secretary of state stated that they were “deeply troubled” by Israel’s decision to advance “nearly 10,000 settlement units” and its intention “to begin a process to normalize nine outposts that were previously deemed illegal under Israeli law.”


France looking for successor to PA head Mahmoud Abbas - report
Paris is gathering names to consider the succession of the head of the Palestinian Authority, who will turn 88 next month

Concerned by the current impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly would like to start looking for a successor for the Palestinian Authority's (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, who will turn 88 in March.

The report came shortly after Macron received Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris amid a new outbreak of deadly violence in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. According to the French daily Le Figaro, the "President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, 87, clings to his power, postponing any new legislative elections for fear that his party will lose them."

A source close to Macron said that the president tasked "five former and current consul generals of France in Jerusalem, five former and current French ambassador to Tel Aviv, and five former and current bosses of the DGSE (external intelligence services) to establish, each on their side, a list of two names of Palestinians” who could succeed Abbas.
MEMRI: Palestinian Failure To Vote For Saudi Bid To Host 2027 AFC Cup Sparks Angry Reactions From Saudis
During the 33rd Congress of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), held in Bahrain on February 1, 2023, Saudi Arabia was elected to host the AFC Cup in 2027. The Saudi kingdom received the votes of 43 out of 45 football federations that belong to the AFC. The only two federations that did not vote for it were those of Palestine and Turkmenistan, whose representatives failed to participate in the vote, apparently due to a technical error. [1]

Susan Al-Shalabi, the vice president of the Palestinian Football Federation and a member of the AFC Executive Committee, who attended the congress, clarified that the Palestinians' failure to vote for Saudi Arabia was an accident. The Palestinian representative, she explained, happened to be outside the hall when the vote stated. By the time he realized his mistake the voting apparatus was off and did not register his vote. Al-Shalabi added that after the incident she had immediately approached the President of the Saudi Football Association, Yasser Al-Mashal, and explained the situation; moreover, the president of the Palestinian Football Federation, Jibril Rajoub, met with Al-Mashal and explained the incident as well. [2] The Saudi sports magazine Al-Riyadiah tweeted a video of the meeting between Rajoub and Mashal, during which the former congratulated the Saudi people, and the Saudi king and crown prince, on the selection of the kingdom to host the games and said: "Our representative obviously made a technical mistake during the vote." Al-Mashal agreed that there had been "a very simple error," and added that Turkmenistan had given a similar explanation for its failure to vote.[3]

Although the Palestinians' failure to vote for Saudi Arabia was apparently the result of an error, the reports about it sparked angry reactions from Saudis on social media, including from Saudi journalists and intellectuals, who slammed the Palestinians, some of them posting under the hashtag "Palestine is not my cause."[4] The posts accused the Palestinians of being hostile and ungrateful towards Saudi Arabia, and some of the writers stated that Palestine does not interest them. Similar sentiments were expressed in articles published in the Saudi press.
Benjamin Netanyahu Has a Moderating Influence on His Coalition Partners—Not Vice-Versa
Last week, Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he was tabling legislation proposed by the Sephardi and ?aredi Shas party to criminalize mixed-sex worship at the Western Wall. Shortly thereafter, Shas leaders announced that they had no intention of pursuing the issue further. The episode, Jonathan Tobin writes, exemplifies the gap between the platforms of the more radical members of the current governing coalition and political realities:

The secular majority in Israel may rarely visit the Wall and don’t care much about the principle of religious pluralism, as opposed to the widely shared aversion to the way the official rabbinate controls life-cycle events like marriage. It also generally regards Orthodoxy as normative and non-Orthodox Judaism as a superfluous creation of the Diaspora.

Yet the heavy-handed effort of Shas . . . to impose the will of the religious community on society went over like a lead balloon. Netanyahu was speaking for the Likud party as well as the opinions of most Israelis when he made it clear that he was not going to let the proposal take the first step towards being enacted. That he did so in spite of the fact that the idea was part of the coalition agreement he signed with his allies after they won a clear majority in the November 1 election was telling.

Netanyahu’s easy success in reining in his allies also gives the lie to the notion that he is their hostage and must do as they bid him. To the contrary, it is they who are dependent upon him and the Likud for preserving their influence. . . . So rather than expose the extremism of the Netanyahu government and prove that it really is a threat to democracy and human rights, this foolish episode demonstrates the opposite.
Israeli Government Postpones Vote on Key Planks of Judicial Overhaul
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog held a series of meetings Tuesday night at his residence with opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz as well as the head of the Israeli parliament’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Simcha Rothman.

The goal of the meetings was to increase the pressure on the parties to push them to reach a compromise on the proposed judicial reform that sparked mass protests across Israel. As legislation moves through the Knesset and party leaders struggle to agree on where and when to hold the talks, Herzog reiterated his call for as broad agreements as possible to be reached for the benefit of the state of Israel and its citizens.

In a sign of possible breakthrough, the coalition subsequently pushed back to an unknown later date planned plenum votes on certain key planks of the judicial overhaul. Those include the so-called “Deri Law,” whose purpose is to allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reinstate the controversial Shas member as government minister; the High Court ruled last month that such appointment was defined by “extreme unreasonableness,” in view of Aryeh Deri’s previous conviction for tax evasion, even if there was no law that directly barred him from serving. Netanyahu was forced to fire Deri, but criticized judges for overruling the will of voters.
Knesset passes law stripping citizenship of terrorists paid by PA
The Knesset passed legislation on Wednesday stripping the citizenship of terrorists who receive stipends from the Palestinian Authority as part of Ramallah’s “pay for slay” policy.

The new law, which drew support from opposition MKs, applies to Israeli citizens and permanent residents convicted of terrorism, aiding terrorism, inciting war or aiding an enemy. It gives the interior minister authority to revoke citizenship and resident status after a mandatory hearing and, if citizenship is revoked, deny entry of those expelled into Israel.

The law passed in a 94-10 vote on its third and final reading, garnering rare cross-Knesset support.

The development comes after a string of deadly terrorist attacks in recent days carried out by Arab Israelis.

“Our answer to terrorism is to strike back hard,” tweeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the vote.


US Withdraws Nomination of Activist Who Accused Politician of Being ‘Purchased’ by Pro-Israel Groups
The United States has withdrawn its support for a human rights activist who accused US House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) of being “Bought. Purchased. Controlled” by pro-Israel groups, State Department Spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday afternoon.

The announcement comes a day after an exclusive Algemeiner investigation revealed that Prof. James Cavallaro had a multi-year history of incendiary posts critical of US foreign policy, Israel, and pro-Israel elected officials.

Speaking at a State Department press briefing Tuesday afternoon, Price told The Algemeiner that Cavallaro’s statements “clearly do not reflect US policy.”

“They are not a reflection of what we believe, and they are inappropriate to say the least,” Price added. “We have decided to withdraw our nomination of this individual.”

Price said that the administration was not previously aware of Cavallaro’s comments and that they had informed him that his nomination was being withdrawn on Tuesday morning.


After terror attacks, all Jerusalem bus stops to be fortified, Border Police boosted
The government on Tuesday announced a plan to “boost personal security” in Jerusalem, following a spate of deadly Palestinian attacks in the capital and under pressure from its far-right base to take immediate anti-terror steps. But National Security Ministry Itamar Ben Gvir was reportedly complaining it didn’t go far enough.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the Jerusalem Municipality said the plan consisted of deploying more security and police forces, focusing intelligence and operative efforts, and improving “civilian reinforcements.”

That latter part includes adding fortifications to all bus stops in Jerusalem to protect from ramming attacks, such as the one on Friday that killed three people, including two young children.

The statement said the reinforcement efforts would begin immediately with 300 bus stops defined as top priority. Later on, the municipality will fortify 700 additional stops, in areas where the need is deemed less urgent. The Prime Minister’s Office will allocate a budget for the fortification efforts, the statement said.

The government “is working night and day to restore the sense of security to the citizens of Israel,” said Netanyahu in the statement. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion was quoted thanking Netanyahu and his office for the swift action.

Later in the day, Hebrew media reported that two or three reserve Border Police companies — approximately 150-200 troops — would be recruited soon to assist in Jerusalem and possibly also near the Gaza Strip.


The Israel Guys: The Biden Administration is Violating The Taylor Force Act | US Law
When an Arab murders a Jew in the land of Israel he will immediately begin receiving a salary from the Palestinian Authority. The more Jews he murders, the more money he and his family will receive. In fact, there are more than 30,000 Palestinians receiving blood money from their government to the tune of 1.5 billion dollars. Where does that money come from, you ask? Welcome to seeing our American tax dollars at work.




Over 1,000 trees uprooted near Shilo in 3rd recent West Bank evacuation
Ben Eliyahu's son additionally criticized the politicians who are members of the government, telling the Post that his mother called Religious Zionist MK Orit Struck and Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, but "they, of course, did not come."

"It is a shame for the State of Israel, for those who voted for them, because they need to be, in the end of the day, with the people."

The case concerning the grove began in 2007, when Ben Eliyahu and the Eretz Zeit Shemen Muvchar company began working on three plots in the area. About a year later, Palestinians who own land in the area claimed that Ben Eliyahu and the company were infringing on their property.

The Civil Administration requested that Ben Eliyahu and the company provide documents proving they had the rights to the property they were using.

Ben Eliyahu and the Eretz Zeit Shemen Muvchar company both argued that they had bought the land from a farmer named Boaz Malat who had worked the land in question for over ten years, meaning that he had acquired the rights to the land in accordance with Section 78 of the Ottoman Land Law.

That section of the law states that "Everyone who has possessed and cultivated State... land for ten years without dispute acquires a right by prescription and whether he has a valid title-deed or not the land cannot be regarded as vacant, and he shall be given a new title-deed gratuitously."

The head of the Civil Administration rejected the claim, stating that the company had failed to demonstrate with documentation that Malat had actually worked the land for the stated period or that Malat was tied to the company or Ben Eliyahu in a way that would justify combining the time the land was worked by all three of them. The administration added that aerial photos of the land showed "unequivocally" that it was only cultivated in 2007.

After studying the claims of both sides, the administration issued evacuation orders for the three plots of land in question.


Former grand mufti of Jerusalem to be investigated for incitement to terror
Former grand mufti of Jerusalem Sheikh Ekrima Sabri is to be investigated for incitement to terror, which he allegedly did during a visit to the home of a Palestinian gunman who killed an Israeli soldier last year, the Attorney General’s Office announced Tuesday.

A representative from the Attorney General’s Office informed the Knesset Internal Affairs and Environmental Committee that approval had been given for a criminal investigation of Sabri, the Knesset spokesperson said in a statement.

The announcement came during a discussion on incitement to terrorism in local authorities in response to a statement from the father of an IDF soldier killed in a 2017 car-ramming in Jerusalem, who asked why the controversial cleric was not being investigated.

Herzl Hajaj, the father of Cadet Shir Hajaj who was killed in the 2017 attack along with three other soldiers — Lieutenant Yael Yekutiel, Cadet Shira Tzur and Cadet Erez Orbach — called Sabri “the greatest instigator in Israel.”

The attorney general’s representative explained to lawmakers that under anti-terrorism laws, an investigation required a real possibility that publishing words of praise, support, or sympathy would result in the commission of an act of terrorism.

The representative said that Sabri was under criminal investigation.
MEMRI: West Bank Kindergarten Posts TikTok Videos show Children Simulating Clashes with Israeli Military
Al-Tofula Kindergarten in Beit Awwa in the West Bank posted several videos to its TIkTok account on February 14, 2023 showcasing the students simulating clashes with the Israel military forces and mimicking Palestinian militants. In one video, kindergarten students act out a scene in which Israeli soldiers attempt to arrest Palestinian militants in their home, however, their attempts are foiled, and two soldiers are killed, one of the Palestinian militants is shot dead in the clashes. The students then perform a funeral procession for the child simulating the “martyr.” In another video, students, with their faces covered in kufiyas, are seen simulating military training with toy guns and marching with guns in the air. According to the inscription on one of the videos, TikTok has removed the videos several times.




PMW: “The pride and crown of Fatah” is Marwan Barghouti who orchestrated attacks in which 5 were murdered
The video shows terrorist prisoner Marwan Barghouti, who orchestrated three attacks in which 5 were murdered. In the upper right corner is the logo of Fatah-funded Awdah TV. In the upper left corner is the Fatah logo that includes a grenade, crossed rifles, and the PA map of “Palestine” that presents all of Israel together with the PA areas as “Palestine.”

Narrator: “The pride of Fatah, the crown of Fatah. The name is Marwan Barghouti ‘Abu Al-Qassam’. Our unity ties us together. O you enemy [Israel], there is no reconciliation between us. Your eyes will never close [in rest]. Despite the captivity, dawn is coming. We will destroy the prison and the tents. The fruit of anger will blaze.
[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, Feb. 4, 2023]

Marwan Barghouti – Palestinian terrorist and member of the PA parliament who orchestrated three shooting attacks in which 5 people were murdered: one attack on the Jerusalem-Maale Adumim road (June 12, 2001) in which Greek Orthodox monk Tsibouktsakis Germanus was murdered by terrorists Ismail Radaida and Yasser Ah'Rabai, another attack at a gas station in Givat Zeev near Jerusalem (Jan. 15, 2002) in which Yoela Hen was murdered by terrorists led by Mohammed Matla, and one shooting and stabbing attack at the Seafood Market restaurant in Tel Aviv (March 5, 2002) in which Eli Dahan, Yosef Habi, and Police Officer Sergeant-Major Salim Barakat, were murdered by terrorist Ibrahim Hasouna. When arrested by Israel in 2002, Barghouti headed the Tanzim (Fatah terror faction). After he was convicted and imprisoned, he was re-elected as a member of the Palestinian Authority parliament. On Dec. 4, 2016, he was elected to Fatah's Central Committee. Barghouti is serving 5 life sentences.


‘PIJ is firing rockets at Israel with Hamas’s approval’
Israel’s deterrence is eroding, and Hamas is allowing Palestinian Islamic Jihad to fire rockets from Gaza as part of a “controlled escalation,” a former Israeli defense official has warned. In the past three weeks, Gazan terrorists fired 27 projectiles at Israel, while in Jerusalem, 11 Israelis were murdered in terror attacks.

“Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip are signaling an end to the general calm that prevailed through the latter half of last year,” said Joe Truzman, Research Analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s Long War Journal.

“Gaza-based terrorist groups sense instability in Israel, largely due to the ongoing violence in the West Bank and political strife that has spurred massive protests in many Israeli cities. By gradually destabilizing the Gaza front, Hamas and other terror organizations can mount more pressure on an Israeli government in the throes of a significant period of terrorism and political uncertainty,” he added.


In Gaza Military Exercise, Al-Mujahideen Brigades Militants Simulate Assaulting Military Outposts
On February 10, 2023, Al-Mayadeen TV (Lebanon) aired a report about a two-day military exercise held by the Al-Mujahideen Brigades in the Gaza Strip in honor of the 23rd anniversary of the group’s establishment. In the exercise, which involved mock-up targets, the fighters simulated assaulting Israeli military outposts in Israeli territory, kidnapping and killing Israeli soldiers, and seizing and destroying military vehicles. The exercise also involved firing rockets. An Al-Mujahideen Brigades field commander referred to as “Abu Hamza” warned Israel that the group’s forces are “ready and capable” and are “lying in wait” to defeat Israel.


Mandatory studies in Houthi Yemen universities teach Israel Is the enemy
As the devastating, yearslong civil war in Yemen rages on, university students in Houthi-held areas (known as the de facto authority or DFA) are being forcibly indoctrinated with anti-Israel propaganda and then sent to fight these “enemies” and their allies on the front lines.

The country’s civil war began in 2014 when the Iranian-backed Houthi insurgent group seized control of the country’s capital Sana’a, and in January 2015, forced President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to resign. The following month, Hadi rescinded his resignation from his bolthole in Aden, and in March of that year, a Saudi-led coalition intervened against the Houthis on behalf of his United Nations-backed government.

The unity government that was subsequently created swiftly collapsed, leaving both sides – the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG) and the Houthi insurgents – in open hostility and each controlling swathes of the country. The civil war has created one of the worst humanitarian crises of the modern era, with tens of thousands dying and most of the population suffering from famine.

Now, new compulsory university courses see the DFA bringing the curriculum in areas it controls in line with its ideology.

"The Conflict with the Israeli Enemy": A mandatory class at Houthi-run universities
The course, called “The Conflict with the Israeli Enemy,” is mandatory for all students working towards a bachelor’s degree in public and private universities under the control of the DFA in northern Yemen. This course is taught by DFA-appointed instructors in the first semester of the first year of studies.

The 80-page, seven-unit textbook that accompanies the course uses select verses from the Quran that mention Jews and Christians and interprets them in a way that is aimed at vilifying both religions and mobilizing Muslims against their followers.
UN reports veteran al Qaeda leader likely back in action in Afghanistan
A new report from the United Nations’ Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team asserts that Abu Ikhlas al-Masri, a veteran al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan, is likely active again in the country’s east. Masri was arrested over a decade ago and only freed following the Taliban’s takeover.

Based on the reporting from one member state, the UN’s team notes that “al Qaeda-linked Katiba Umer Farooq (Red Unit) was possibly being reactivated in Kunar and Nuristan Provinces following the return of Abu Ikhlas al-Masri.” The UN does not provide any further information on Masri’s reported reactivation or Al Qaeda’s Red Unit.

Though the UN’s report notes this information came from only one member state, FDD’s Long War Journal assesses the potentiality of Masri’s return as likely given his long history in the jihad.

Before his arrest over a decade ago, Masri led al Qaeda’s men in Kunar. In this role, he maintained an extensive network in Kunar due to his close links with the local tribes. Abu Ikhlas was also named al Qaeda’s operations chief for Kunar province in the early to mid-2000s.


America’s military exercise with Israel betrays its true plans
What are we to make of Juniper Oak, the latest and largest-ever joint military exercise held by the US and Israeli militaries in late January, as part of the longstanding Juniper series? Based on the headlines, the point of the exercise is self-evident. “US, Israel Send Message to Iran With Biggest-Ever Military Exercises,” a typical headline read. While the slick videos from the exercises are certainly impressive, the consensus view missed the mark, both on the US intention and on Israel’s calculation.

For one, US officials dismissed the idea that Iran was the target of Juniper Oak from the get go, even as its surrogates were selling the proposition that the Biden administration was seriously considering a military alternative against the Islamic Republic. In other words, the administration was pursuing its usual policy, while its outside flacks and PR people were spinning yarn. While saying one thing and doing another is hardly a strategy invented by Obama-Biden staffers, it is hard to recall another US administration for which misdirection was such a constant instrument of policy.

It’s not difficult to see why misdirection is needed, given the administration’s absolute and unbreakable commitment to reviving the Iran deal. The administration’s point man, Robert Malley, is said to be meeting and exchanging messages still with the Iranians, even as their government has repeatedly jilted the Americans and struggles with the challenges of daily street demonstrations at home. Malley is further rumored to have pressed the Europeans not to designate the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group.

The problem with the framing of the Juniper Oak exercise, then, should be obvious. How is the “message” supposed to work if nobody believes it—not the Americans, not the Israelis, not the Iranians, and not the ostensible secondary audience in the Gulf?

The question encapsulates Israel’s dilemma. On the one hand, it behooves the Israelis to showcase airtight closeness with the Americans and to foster the perception that they are working day and night to jointly develop military options with Pentagon war-planners. On the other hand, if nobody believes that the US is in fact onboard, the display would paradoxically underscore not only the idea that Israel’s faith in its American big brother is misplaced, but perhaps also that Israel may not have the ability to act independently.
Arsenal: Assessing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program
Executive Summary
Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal is growing in size and quality. It is a threat to U.S. interests and the security of America’s allies in the greater Middle East. Improvements in ballistic missile precision, range, mobility, warhead design, and survivability (including the creation of underground missile depots) imply an increasingly lethal long-range strike capability in the hands of the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism.

Iran’s diverse ballistic missile program is an outgrowth of Tehran’s experiences during the Iran-Iraq War, which taught the nascent revolutionary regime the imperatives of deterrence and self-reliance. Status and security considerations also spur Iran’s ballistic missile drive, as they do its nuclear program.

Iran’s ballistic missile program benefits from sustained elite backing. The program was established by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological military that exists alongside Iran’s conventional forces. The missile program is now underwritten by a broad swath of government-connected defense contractors, enabling the procurement, production, and proliferation of missile systems and associated technologies or materials.

Ballistic missiles offer Tehran the means to deter, punish, and coerce adversaries. They compensate for Iran’s conventional warfighting deficiencies and keep the door open for nuclear weapons. According to the 2019 U.S. Missile Defense Review, missiles constitute “one of Tehran’s primary tools of coercion and force projection.”1

Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal also provides Tehran with the confidence and security to pursue its revisionist foreign policy with less fear of military reprisal. This may lead to increased risk-taking, including battlefield use of its arsenal. This was apparent in over half a dozen ballistic missile operations launched from Iranian territory between 2017 and 2022, one of which, in 2020, included strikes on bases in Iraq housing American soldiers. Failure to deter Iran will likely guarantee more missile use. In 2022, for example, Iran launched almost three times as many ballistic missiles as it did in 2021. A missile’s ability to reach its target in minutes amplifies existing challenges in an already troubled region.
Iran's supreme leader sent $4b. to son's account in Venezuela - report
The founder of the Ahvazi Liberal Party – an organization opposed to the Islamic Republic of Iran – claims to have secured a document in which the supreme leader of Iran transferred $4 billion to his son's personal Venezuelan account.

According to a translation of the document by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the transfer request was sent by Mohammadi Golpayegani, Chief of Staff of Khamenei's office, to Dr. Ali Saleh-Abadi, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran. Ali Khamenei is the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The letter read: "In light of the current crisis in the country and the extensive wave of rioting by antirevolutionary elements and rioters across the country, and the security institutions' declaration of a Level Orange alert, your honor is requested to transfer the sum of $4 billion (US) [sic] from the state treasury to the personal account of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei at the Central Bank of Venezuela, in Venezuela."

On February 12, Hamid Mutashar, founder of the Ahvazi Liberal Party tweeted the letter. The timing of the letter took place as Iran's regime is gripped by anti-regime protests in response to the theocracy's alleged murder of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September because she failed to entirely cover her hair with a hijab.

Karman Malekpour, an Iranian-Canadian journalist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, told The Jerusalem Post he believes the letter is a fake document.

He said "The basics are missed in the letter," including the transfer information for the "specific bank, account number, SWIFT, and branch."
The EU plans to target Iran's Revolutionary Guards in new raft of sanctions against Russia
The 10th package of European Union sanctions against Russia will ban exports of critical industrial goods worth €11 billion, blacklist propagandists and, for the first time ever, target entities linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps for aiding the Kremlin to wage war on Ukraine.

"Putin is not only waging a brutal war on the battlefield but he is also viciously targeting civilians," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said while announcing the proposal on Wednesday morning.

"The aggressor has to pay."

It comes as NATO warns that a major new Russian offensive is already underway in eastern Ukraine, with the city of Bakhmut enduring relentless artillery fire.

The Commission's proposed exports ban will cover electronics, specialised vehicles, spare parts for trucks and jet engines, as well as construction tools, such as antennas and cranes, that might be redirected to the war, von der Leyen explained.

The bloc believes Russia will not be able to obtain these essential Western-made products from other suppliers like China and the army will eventually suffer from crippling shortages.
Australia foils Iranian surveillance plot against regime critic
'We absolutely will not tolerate, under any circumstances, attempts by foreign regimes to disrupt peaceful protests, encourage violence or suppress views'

Australian security agencies foiled an Iranian surveillance operation targeting an Iranian-Australian critic of the Mullah regime, Canberra said Tuesday.

The plot, conducted on Australian soil, included individuals monitoring the home of a critic of the Iranian regime and extensively researching the person and their family, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said, without specifying whether the suspects were arrested.

“We don’t just need to disrupt these operations, but deter future ones by imposing costs on their sponsor through outing them, where possible,” O’Neil told the Australian National University’s National Security College in a speech. "It is perfectly legal for anyone in Australia to criticize a foreign regime, as tens of thousands of people across the country have been doing in response to events in Iran.”

“What we absolutely will not tolerate, under any circumstances, are attempts by foreign regimes to disrupt peaceful protests, encourage violence or suppress views,” she said, adding that foreign interference was a core threat to democracy in Australia and the country was facing "enormously significant challenges" in that sphere.

“If you engage in activities like this, you will be discovered."

Last week, the German government pointed out an increase in spying by Iranian intelligence agents on exiled Iranians living in Germany since the start of mass protests rocking the Islamic Republic. Nationwide unrest triggered by the death of a young woman detained by Iranian morality police last year led to “increasing indications of possible spying on opposition events and individuals” in Germany, the federal government said.
China Beefs Up Alliance With Iran Amid Spy Concerns
China is strengthening its diplomatic relationship with Iran and plans to integrate the two nations' economies with a 25-year cooperation program.

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi landed in Beijing on Tuesday, marking the first state visit by an Iranian president to China in two decades. Raisi met with Chinese president Xi Jinping, who said during public remarks that the Communist regime "will unswervingly maintain its friendship and cooperation with Iran and advance China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership."

The two rogue nations are poised to finalize a series of bilateral cooperation agreements during Raisi's trip that will see Tehran and Beijing integrate their economies to historic levels.

The meetings come amid efforts by both regimes to offset U.S. influence across the globe and interfere in U.S. national security operations. China's spy apparatus has dominated the headlines after one of its spy balloons traversed the continental United States before being shot down by the Biden administration. Three other unidentified flying objects were shot down across the United States and Canada over the weekend. The closer relationship is raising concerns among experts who say the agreement is bad news for Washington. Iran has an interest in this technology and could press its allies in the Communist regime to help it construct similar types of equipment. The increased economic ties between the countries could also help both regimes skirt U.S. sanctions.


PreOccupiedTerritory: Rights Groups Irritated That Iran Taking Their Focus Off Israel (satire)
NGOs working to highlight abuses and hold repressive regimes to account voiced their frustration today with the government of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose murderous crackdown on months-long protests against mandated head-garb for women, among other severe denials of liberty, has attracted international attention that the organizations much prefer to direct at every move by the world’s only Jewish State, and to call those moves war crimes.

Current and former representatives of Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and several other organizations and individual activists stated today that they find annoying and counterproductive the ongoing unrest in Iran because the need to deflect charges of hypocrisy demands that they address the Tehran regime’s brutality with sufficient rigor and detail, when all they really want to do, their raison d’être, really, is denounce Israel for every conceivable offense, at the slightest pretext.

“At the moment I feel stymied, thwarted,” admitted Sari Bashi, until recently of Human Rights Watch. “You can’t just ignore what’s going on in Iran, just as you can’t just ignore what’s going in in Ukraine – though we’ve tried, believe me. In this industry you know there’s a certain minimum number of lines in a report, or tweets to put out, whatever, to forestall anyone calling you biased or tendentious. Some do anyway, of course, but we try to maintain a certain threshold of plausible deniability. For example, I had one tweet in the last eight years about Israelis being held hostage in Gaza, as opposed to a storm of criticism I leveled at Israel for every imaginable violation, real or imagined. Because that’s where my passion is, and I daresay that’s a major passion of nearly every international rights group: singling out Israel for vitriol at the drop of a hat.”




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