jewworldorder--2020-12-17--Iran’s Global Terror Network Lurks Behind its Threats of Vengeance for Nuke Scientist’s Assassinatio

Iran’s Global Terror Network Lurks Behind its Threats of Vengeance for Nuke Scientist’s Assassination

Iran ’ s repeated threats to avenge the reported assassination of its chief nuclear scientist , Mohsen Fakhrizadeh , who was shot dead outside of Tehran last month , have raised the likelihood of Iranian armed action against Israeli targets .
The threats also serve as a reminder that Iran has a long history of both sponsoring terrorism and actively engaging in it with its own personnel , and that it has spent decades building a global , highly active Shiite terror network .
Fakhrizadeh , who attended North Korea ’ s 2013 underground atomic bomb test , was responsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nuclear program , previously known as Amad .
While the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is in charge of stockpiling uranium , Fakhrizadeh and his team were earmarked by the Iranian regime to take over when the decision would be made to breakout to nuclear weapons .
Now , as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( IRGC ) examine retaliation options and possible timing , presumably weighing opportunities to launch painful attacks while attempting to avoid an all-out regional war , it is worth recalling how Iran reacted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assassinated on Iranian soil between 2010 and 2012 .
In the space of two days , in February 2012 , Iranian bombers attempted to murder Israeli diplomats in Georgia , India , and Thailand .
Israel named Iran ’ s elite Quds Force , which is responsible for subversion campaigns beyond Iran ’ s borders , as well as arming and activating international terror networks , as being responsible for implementing those attacks .
In New Delhi , an Israeli diplomat ’ s wife and three other people were injured when an attacker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on her vehicle .
In Bangkok , two Iranian men were arrested and later jailed after an enormous explosion ripped through a home they were staying at .
In the ensuing police pursuit , one of the suspects lost his legs in a blast after he attempted to hurl an explosive at Thai police .
Thai police said the two were part of a hit team sent to kill Israeli diplomats in Bangkok .
A third Iranian was arrested in Malaysia after fleeing Thailand , and was later extradited and jailed .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as part of a prisoner exchange deal to secure the release of Australian-British scholar Kylie Moore-Gilbert , who had been languishing in an Iranian prison for two years on espionage charges , and held as a bargaining chip by Tehran .
Israel ’ s former ambassador to Thailand , Itzhak Shoham , reacted furiously to the release , saying , “ It saddens me to see the pictures as [ the Iranians ] celebrate instead of rotting in prison.
” During the 2012 attack wave , a driver for the Israeli embassy in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explosive device planted under his vehicle , alerting authorities and preventing a terror attack .
Iran ’ s modus operandi is clear enough : It targets Israeli diplomatic assets overseas on a regular basis .
But Iran has also worked closely with Hezbollah on carrying out international terror attacks , and when diplomatic targets proved trickier than planned , the Shiite axis has gone after the soft target of Israeli tourists .
The division of labor between Iran and Hezbollah has emerged in a fairly clear manner over the past decade : Iranian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while Hezbollah has targeted Israeli civilian targets overseas .
In September , a Bulgarian court convicted two suspected Hezbollah operatives in absentia for a 2012 bus bombing in the resort city of Burgos , which killed five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian driver .
This pattern is nothing new .
In 1992 , a month after Israel assassinated Hezbollah chief Abbas Musawi in Lebanon in an Apache helicopter strike , bombers struck the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires , Argentina .
Twenty-nine people were murdered and 250 were injured in that mass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the heinous attack ; Iran conceived and planned the attack and carried it out through its proxy — Hezbollah , ” the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated .
Two years later , in 1994 , a suicide truck bomber attacked the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires , killing 85 and injuring hundreds .
Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman and fellow prosecutor Marcelo Martínez Burgos formally accused senior Iranian regime officials of involvement in the attack , and Hezbollah of carrying it out .
In January 2015 , Nisman was found dead in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was scheduled to testify before an Argentine congressional panel regarding his charge against former Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner , whom Nisman accused of covering up Iran ’ s role in the AMIA bombing .
The Iranian-Shiite terror network showed no sign of slowing down in recent years , although it did run into successful interceptions of its plots .
Throughout 2013 and 2014 , the Iranian Quds Force supplied Hezbollah cells worldwide with hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate explosive materials for the purpose of preparing future attacks .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four properties in London and uncovered three metric tons of ammonium nitrate , stored in thousands of ice packs .
That same explosive chemical was found in a Thai property by police during a 2012 arrest of a Hezbollah agent , and the investigation later suggested that the property was being used to prepare shipments of the explosive to Hezbollah cells in other countries .
Cypriot police found 8.2 tons of ammonium nitrate in ice packs in 2015 , and arrested a suspected Hezbollah agent for plotting attacks on Israeli targets on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the explosive stockpile had been hidden in place since 2011 , and could have been used as a “ point of export ” to other destinations around the world .
Meanwhile , an increasing number of countries worldwide , and specifically in the European Union , are finally designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in recognition of its central role in a global terror network .
Slovenia and Latvia have recently banned the organization , as did the Czech Republic .
Iran ’ s activation of terrorism is so second nature to its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its own diplomats on bombing runs on European soil .
At the end of November , a trial in Belgium began against an Iranian diplomat charged with plotting to bomb an Iranian opposition rally outside Paris .
In 2018 , Belgian authorities arrested a Belgian-Iranian couple in a vehicle containing 500 grams ( 1.1 pounds ) of TATP explosives and a detonator .
The investigation concluded that the Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi , who was serving as the third counselor at Iran ’ s embassy in Vienna , organized the plot with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple , Assadi , and an additional co-conspirator are all currently on trial .
“ The attack plan was conceived in the name of Iran and under its leadership .
It was not a personal initiative by Assadi , ” Jaak Raes , head of the Belgium ’ s state security service ( VSSE ) , told prosecutors in February .
Previous operations targeting Iranian opposition activists have been organized by Iran ’ s Intelligence Ministry , which is tasked with killing and kidnapping missions .
A month ago , an opposition Iranian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ southwest Iran ) figure living in Sweden was lured by Iranian intelligence agents to Turkey , where he was kidnapped and transported back to Iran .
The above illustrates that Iran has multiple avenues it can consider as it threatens retaliation for the killing of its chief nuclear scientist .
Its options include activating terror squads stationed in southern Syria on Israel ’ s border , although Iran ’ s activities in Syria are highly exposed to Israeli military action .
Iran could even try to activate a terror cell inside Israel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However Iran may attempt to respond , it will continue to try to build a global Shiite jihadist terrorism network , overseen by the Quds Force and which includes Hezbollah operatives .
The network ’ s goal will be to build up attack capabilities against Israeli and Jewish targets overseas .
As an Israeli security source has noted , the network functions as a fully coordinated axis , in the murderous pursuit of international terrorism , and it does not distinguish between diplomats or tourists .
Yaakov Lappin is a military and strategic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and analysis for defense think tanks , and is the military correspondent for JNS .
His book The Virtual Caliphate explores the online jihadist presence .
This article was originally published by The Investigative Project on Terrorism .

Iran’s repeated threats to avenge the reported assassination of its chief nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was shot dead outside of Tehran last month, have raised the likelihood of Iranian armed action against Israeli targets.
The threats also serve as a reminder that Iran has a long history of both sponsoring terrorism and actively engaging in it with its own personnel, and that it has spent decades building a global, highly active Shiite terror network.
Fakhrizadeh, who attended North Korea’s 2013 underground atomic bomb test, was responsible for the weaponization phase of the Iranian nuclear program, previously known as Amad. While the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is in charge of stockpiling uranium, Fakhrizadeh and his team were earmarked by the Iranian regime to take over when the decision would be made to breakout to nuclear weapons.
Now, as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) examine retaliation options and possible timing, presumably weighing opportunities to launch painful attacks while attempting to avoid an all-out regional war, it is worth recalling how Iran reacted when four of its nuclear scientists were assassinated on Iranian soil between 2010 and 2012.
Related coverage December 17, 2020 7:53 am Lebanon’s Economic Quicksand JNS.org – “Lebanon is the Titanic without the orchestra,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stated on December 13, 2020….
In the space of two days, in February 2012, Iranian bombers attempted to murder Israeli diplomats in Georgia, India, and Thailand. Israel named Iran’s elite Quds Force, which is responsible for subversion campaigns beyond Iran’s borders, as well as arming and activating international terror networks, as being responsible for implementing those attacks.
In New Delhi, an Israeli diplomat’s wife and three other people were injured when an attacker on a motorcycle stuck a magnet bomb on her vehicle. In Bangkok, two Iranian men were arrested and later jailed after an enormous explosion ripped through a home they were staying at. In the ensuing police pursuit, one of the suspects lost his legs in a blast after he attempted to hurl an explosive at Thai police.
Thai police said the two were part of a hit team sent to kill Israeli diplomats in Bangkok. A third Iranian was arrested in Malaysia after fleeing Thailand, and was later extradited and jailed.
Last month, Thailand freed the three men as part of a prisoner exchange deal to secure the release of Australian-British scholar Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who had been languishing in an Iranian prison for two years on espionage charges, and held as a bargaining chip by Tehran.
Israel’s former ambassador to Thailand, Itzhak Shoham, reacted furiously to the release, saying, “It saddens me to see the pictures as [the Iranians] celebrate instead of rotting in prison.”
During the 2012 attack wave, a driver for the Israeli embassy in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi noticed an explosive device planted under his vehicle, alerting authorities and preventing a terror attack.
Iran’s modus operandi is clear enough: It targets Israeli diplomatic assets overseas on a regular basis. But Iran has also worked closely with Hezbollah on carrying out international terror attacks, and when diplomatic targets proved trickier than planned, the Shiite axis has gone after the soft target of Israeli tourists.
The division of labor between Iran and Hezbollah has emerged in a fairly clear manner over the past decade: Iranian agents have targeted Israeli embassies and diplomats, while Hezbollah has targeted Israeli civilian targets overseas.
In September, a Bulgarian court convicted two suspected Hezbollah operatives in absentia for a 2012 bus bombing in the resort city of Burgos, which killed five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian driver.
This pattern is nothing new. In 1992, a month after Israel assassinated Hezbollah chief Abbas Musawi in Lebanon in an Apache helicopter strike, bombers struck the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Twenty-nine people were murdered and 250 were injured in that mass casualty attack. “Iran stands behind the heinous attack; Iran conceived and planned the attack and carried it out through its proxy — Hezbollah,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated.
Two years later, in 1994, a suicide truck bomber attacked the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, killing 85 and injuring hundreds. Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman and fellow prosecutor Marcelo Martínez Burgos formally accused senior Iranian regime officials of involvement in the attack, and Hezbollah of carrying it out. In January 2015, Nisman was found dead in his Buenos Aires home just a day before he was scheduled to testify before an Argentine congressional panel regarding his charge against former Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, whom Nisman accused of covering up Iran’s role in the AMIA bombing.
The Iranian-Shiite terror network showed no sign of slowing down in recent years, although it did run into successful interceptions of its plots. Throughout 2013 and 2014, the Iranian Quds Force supplied Hezbollah cells worldwide with hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate explosive materials for the purpose of preparing future attacks.
In September 2015, British counter-terrorism police raided four properties in London and uncovered three metric tons of ammonium nitrate, stored in thousands of ice packs.
That same explosive chemical was found in a Thai property by police during a 2012 arrest of a Hezbollah agent, and the investigation later suggested that the property was being used to prepare shipments of the explosive to Hezbollah cells in other countries.
Cypriot police found 8.2 tons of ammonium nitrate in ice packs in 2015, and arrested a suspected Hezbollah agent for plotting attacks on Israeli targets on the Mediterranean island. Its investigation revealed that the explosive stockpile had been hidden in place since 2011, and could have been used as a “point of export” to other destinations around the world.
Meanwhile, an increasing number of countries worldwide, and specifically in the European Union, are finally designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in recognition of its central role in a global terror network. Slovenia and Latvia have recently banned the organization, as did the Czech Republic.
Iran’s activation of terrorism is so second nature to its regime that it has even brazenly sent its own diplomats on bombing runs on European soil. At the end of November, a trial in Belgium began against an Iranian diplomat charged with plotting to bomb an Iranian opposition rally outside Paris.
In 2018, Belgian authorities arrested a Belgian-Iranian couple in a vehicle containing 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of TATP explosives and a detonator.
The investigation concluded that the Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who was serving as the third counselor at Iran’s embassy in Vienna, organized the plot with the backing of the Iranian regime. The couple, Assadi, and an additional co-conspirator are all currently on trial.
“The attack plan was conceived in the name of Iran and under its leadership. It was not a personal initiative by Assadi,” Jaak Raes, head of the Belgium’s state security service (VSSE), told prosecutors in February.
Previous operations targeting Iranian opposition activists have been organized by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, which is tasked with killing and kidnapping missions. A month ago, an opposition Iranian Ahwahzi (an Arab community residing in southwest Iran) figure living in Sweden was lured by Iranian intelligence agents to Turkey, where he was kidnapped and transported back to Iran.
The above illustrates that Iran has multiple avenues it can consider as it threatens retaliation for the killing of its chief nuclear scientist. Its options include activating terror squads stationed in southern Syria on Israel’s border, although Iran’s activities in Syria are highly exposed to Israeli military action. Iran could even try to activate a terror cell inside Israel, as Israeli scientists reportedly were warned.
However Iran may attempt to respond, it will continue to try to build a global Shiite jihadist terrorism network, overseen by the Quds Force and which includes Hezbollah operatives. The network’s goal will be to build up attack capabilities against Israeli and Jewish targets overseas. As an Israeli security source has noted, the network functions as a fully coordinated axis, in the murderous pursuit of international terrorism, and it does not distinguish between diplomats or tourists.
Yaakov Lappin is a military and strategic affairs correspondent. He also conducts research and analysis for defense think tanks, and is the military correspondent for JNS. His book The Virtual Caliphate explores the online jihadist presence.
This article was originally published by The Investigative Project on Terrorism.
Source


jewworldorder--2020-12-17--Despite Internal Israeli Disputes, Still No Support for Two States

JNS.org – Perhaps Gideon Sa ’ ar is the man who will finally put an end to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’ s record run as Israel ’ s leader .
The former cabinet minister , who has broken away from Netanyahu ’ s Likud and started his own party in preparation for what appears to be a fourth Israeli election within two years that will probably be held in March , seems to be off to a decent start in his longshot insurgent campaign .
Yet even if Sa ’ ar somehow overcomes some tremendous obstacles and manages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a coalition whose main purpose would be to provide the Jewish state with a prime minister not named Netanyahu , foreign observers need to keep one fact about Israel ’ s turbulent political scene in mind .
The next Israeli government — no matter who leads it — will be adamantly opposed to efforts to force it to withdraw from the West Bank in order to create a new Palestinian state ( as opposed to the one that already exists in all but name in Gaza ) .
That ’ s something that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those happily anticipating the arrival of a new administration in Washington in January .
President-elect Joe Biden ’ s foreign-policy team is an Obama-era reunion party with a cast of characters who served along with him when he was vice president .
Though some , like Anthony Blinken , his pick for secretary of state , have gone out of their way to avoid picking fights with Netanyahu prior to taking office , the new administration is clearly prepared to revive the same policies that they pursued the last time they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from President Donald Trump ’ s decision to stop focusing American Middle East policy on pressuring Israel while appeasing the Palestinians and Iran .
Trump ’ s team paid lip service to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and even provided a path to one in their “ Peace to Prosperity ” Mideast plan unveiled earlier this year .
But they understood , as President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State John Kerry did not , that the Palestinians wouldn ’ t negotiate seriously and , in fact , had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Instead , Trump concentrated on assisting Israel in forging alliances with Arab states that saw the Jewish state as a partner in their efforts to oppose Iran .
That led to unprecedented successes in the form of normalization agreements between Israel and four Muslim countries with the possibility of even more to come if the United States is willing to keep pushing for such agreements .
However , the Biden team , like the foreign-policy establishment it largely represents , is still stuck in a mindset that accepts the discredited notion that without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region is impossible .
The new administration will be largely composed of people who thought Trump ’ s Abraham Accords were flawed because it gave the Palestinians nothing .
While signaling that they won ’ t return the US embassy from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv ( which would violate US law ) , they still intend to reverse some of Trump ’ s policies , such as finding a way to restore US aid to the Palestinian Authority ( PA ) , refunding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency ( UNRWA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Washington , as well as a consulate in Jerusalem to serve the Palestinians .
All of those moves would merely undermine Trump ’ s efforts to hold the PA accountable for its support for terrorism and rejectionism .
They also reflect the establishment ’ s belief that two states are still a magic formula that solves all problems in the long run .
So even if Biden and Blinken keep their word about avoiding the sort of public spats with Israel that Obama continually ginned up in order to achieve his goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two countries , this is good news for Israeli left-wingers and their American supporters who belong to groups like the left-wing J Street lobby .
Those groups cheered every attempt by Obama to pressure Netanyahu ’ s government into adopting policies Israel ’ s voters had rejected .
What those who want a return to a pressure policy don ’ t seem to care about is that most Israelis disagree .
And the reshuffling of the political deck by Sa ’ ar ’ s defection from the Likud doesn ’ t change that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ follow Israeli politics closely , the idea of a challenge to Netanyahu , who is still consistently portrayed in the Western press as an extremist , means a challenge to his policies on the conflict with the Palestinians .
But nothing could be further from the truth .
Sa ’ ar is no left-winger .
Over the course of his political career , he has , if anything , been further to the right when it comes to the issues of territory , and war and peace , than Netanyahu .
And the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his new faction are also hardliners on these issues .
The same is true of the other potent threat to Netanyahu : Yamina Party leader Naftali Bennett , whose faction strongly supports the settlement movement .
Bennett profited from his decision to stay out of the unity government forged by the prime minister with his principal political rival in the past three elections : Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz .
Now that Sa ’ ar is also competing for the right-wing vote , Bennett ’ s poll numbers are down , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his brief but successful term as Defense Minister last year and his criticisms of Netanyahu ’ s pandemic policies will catapult him into the country ’ s leadership .
The latest poll puts Sa ’ ar ’ s party in second place with Likud still in the lead , though it raises the possibility that a combination of right-wing and centrist parties could form a government without Likud .
While they failed to achieve that end last year , the coronavirus pandemic and another year of Netanyahu fatigue make it possible that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s rivals will finally achieve their goal of toppling him .
Sa ’ ar suffered a humiliating shellacking just last December when he attempted to dethrone Netanyahu in a Likud primary .
Bennett also has been bested by Netanyahu at every turn in the past .
The same is true of Gantz , who ran to the right of Netanyahu in three straight elections yet failed to oust him .
No one should underestimate the prime minister ’ s skill at political survival .
But while he may be the country ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diplomacy , and the economy , after 12 years in power , even the greatest of leaders are past their expiration dates .
The Israeli public may be more ready than ever to retire the prime minister and let him face his fate in his corruption trial as an ex-leader rather than an incumbent .
The main takeaway here is that if and when Israel holds its next election , the issue dividing the voters will be whether Netanyahu will remain in office , not whether the country ’ s policies should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next election will produce a large majority for saying “ no ” to the kind of territorial withdrawals and a two-state solution for the foreseeable future .
That ’ s something Biden , Blinken , and those — both in Israel and America — who will be cheering for them to revive Obama ’ s failed policies shouldn ’ t forget .
Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS-Jewish News Syndicate .
Follow him on Twitter @ jonathans_tobin .

JNS.org – Perhaps Gideon Sa’ar is the man who will finally put an end to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s record run as Israel’s leader. The former cabinet minister, who has broken away from Netanyahu’s Likud and started his own party in preparation for what appears to be a fourth Israeli election within two years that will probably be held in March, seems to be off to a decent start in his longshot insurgent campaign.
Yet even if Sa’ar somehow overcomes some tremendous obstacles and manages to combine with other parties to produce a coalition whose main purpose would be to provide the Jewish state with a prime minister not named Netanyahu, foreign observers need to keep one fact about Israel’s turbulent political scene in mind. The next Israeli government — no matter who leads it — will be adamantly opposed to efforts to force it to withdraw from the West Bank in order to create a new Palestinian state (as opposed to the one that already exists in all but name in Gaza).
That’s something that seems to be off the radar screens of those happily anticipating the arrival of a new administration in Washington in January. President-elect Joe Biden’s foreign-policy team is an Obama-era reunion party with a cast of characters who served along with him when he was vice president. Though some, like Anthony Blinken, his pick for secretary of state, have gone out of their way to avoid picking fights with Netanyahu prior to taking office, the new administration is clearly prepared to revive the same policies that they pursued the last time they were in power. That means a shift away from President Donald Trump’s decision to stop focusing American Middle East policy on pressuring Israel while appeasing the Palestinians and Iran.
Trump’s team paid lip service to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and even provided a path to one in their “Peace to Prosperity” Mideast plan unveiled earlier this year. But they understood, as President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State John Kerry did not, that the Palestinians wouldn’t negotiate seriously and, in fact, had no real interest in achieving statehood. Instead, Trump concentrated on assisting Israel in forging alliances with Arab states that saw the Jewish state as a partner in their efforts to oppose Iran. That led to unprecedented successes in the form of normalization agreements between Israel and four Muslim countries with the possibility of even more to come if the United States is willing to keep pushing for such agreements.
Related coverage December 17, 2020 7:53 am Lebanon’s Economic Quicksand JNS.org – “Lebanon is the Titanic without the orchestra,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stated on December 13, 2020….
However, the Biden team, like the foreign-policy establishment it largely represents, is still stuck in a mindset that accepts the discredited notion that without creating a Palestinian state, peace in the region is impossible. The new administration will be largely composed of people who thought Trump’s Abraham Accords were flawed because it gave the Palestinians nothing. While signaling that they won’t return the US embassy from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv (which would violate US law), they still intend to reverse some of Trump’s policies, such as finding a way to restore US aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA), refunding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and reopening the Palestinian mission in Washington, as well as a consulate in Jerusalem to serve the Palestinians. All of those moves would merely undermine Trump’s efforts to hold the PA accountable for its support for terrorism and rejectionism. They also reflect the establishment’s belief that two states are still a magic formula that solves all problems in the long run.
So even if Biden and Blinken keep their word about avoiding the sort of public spats with Israel that Obama continually ginned up in order to achieve his goal of more “daylight” between the two countries, this is good news for Israeli left-wingers and their American supporters who belong to groups like the left-wing J Street lobby. Those groups cheered every attempt by Obama to pressure Netanyahu’s government into adopting policies Israel’s voters had rejected.
What those who want a return to a pressure policy don’t seem to care about is that most Israelis disagree. And the reshuffling of the political deck by Sa’ar’s defection from the Likud doesn’t change that.
To those who don’t follow Israeli politics closely, the idea of a challenge to Netanyahu, who is still consistently portrayed in the Western press as an extremist, means a challenge to his policies on the conflict with the Palestinians. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Sa’ar is no left-winger. Over the course of his political career, he has, if anything, been further to the right when it comes to the issues of territory, and war and peace, than Netanyahu. And the members of the Knesset who have joined his new faction are also hardliners on these issues.
The same is true of the other potent threat to Netanyahu: Yamina Party leader Naftali Bennett, whose faction strongly supports the settlement movement. Bennett profited from his decision to stay out of the unity government forged by the prime minister with his principal political rival in the past three elections: Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz. Now that Sa’ar is also competing for the right-wing vote, Bennett’s poll numbers are down, but he still holds onto hope that his brief but successful term as Defense Minister last year and his criticisms of Netanyahu’s pandemic policies will catapult him into the country’s leadership.
The latest poll puts Sa’ar’s party in second place with Likud still in the lead, though it raises the possibility that a combination of right-wing and centrist parties could form a government without Likud. While they failed to achieve that end last year, the coronavirus pandemic and another year of Netanyahu fatigue make it possible that, given another chance, the prime minister’s rivals will finally achieve their goal of toppling him.
Sa’ar suffered a humiliating shellacking just last December when he attempted to dethrone Netanyahu in a Likud primary. Bennett also has been bested by Netanyahu at every turn in the past. The same is true of Gantz, who ran to the right of Netanyahu in three straight elections yet failed to oust him. No one should underestimate the prime minister’s skill at political survival. But while he may be the country’s ablest statesman on national defense, diplomacy, and the economy, after 12 years in power, even the greatest of leaders are past their expiration dates. The Israeli public may be more ready than ever to retire the prime minister and let him face his fate in his corruption trial as an ex-leader rather than an incumbent.
The main takeaway here is that if and when Israel holds its next election, the issue dividing the voters will be whether Netanyahu will remain in office, not whether the country’s policies should be changed. All the possible outcomes of the next election will produce a large majority for saying “no” to the kind of territorial withdrawals and a two-state solution for the foreseeable future.
That’s something Biden, Blinken, and those — both in Israel and America — who will be cheering for them to revive Obama’s failed policies shouldn’t forget.
Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS-Jewish News Syndicate. Follow him on Twitter @jonathans_tobin.
Source


jewworldorder--2020-12-17--Examining the Palestinian Track Record of Rejection and Violence

The Palestinian conflict did not erupt in 1967 , nor in 1948 .
In November 1917 , the Balfour Declaration called for the establishment of “ a national home for the Jewish People ” in Palestine , which was the accepted international name of the Land of Israel since the 5th century BCE .
The declaration , issued by the British Foreign Minister , stated that “ nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities [ Arabs ] in Palestine.
” The declaration acknowledged the ancient national Jewish roots in the Land @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indigenous there , returning to — not colonizing — their homeland .
In April 1920 , the post-World War I San Remo Conference reaffirmed the Balfour Declaration and laid the legal foundation for the creation of 22 Arab states and one Jewish state .
It was signed by all 51 members of the League of Nations in the August 1920 Treaty of Sevres between the Allied Powers and the Ottoman Empire .
Arab terrorism erupted in Jerusalem , Jaffa , and the Galilee in response to the emerging reestablishment of Jewish sovereignty in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Muslims as the abode of Islam .
In July 1922 , the League of Nations entrusted Britain with the Mandate for Palestine .
The Mandate highlighted “ the historical connection of the Jewish people to Palestine , and the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country.
” The sole purpose of the Mandate was to establish a Jewish national home in “ Palestine , ” referring to the Land of Israel .
The Mandate for Palestine has been included , since 1945 , in Article 80 of the UN Charter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights in the Land of Israel .
In September 1922 , the League of Nations and the UK transferred three-quarters of Palestine to the Hashemite Emirate of Transjordan , which gained independence in 1946 .
In July 1937 , intimidated by an unprecedented wave of intra-Arab and anti-Jewish Arab terrorism , Britain ’ s Peel Commission recommended the partition of Palestine .
The Commission proposed to reduce the area of the Jewish state to 18 % of Palestine , west of the Jordan River ( parts of the coastal plane , the Galilee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ an Valley ) , while establishing an Arab state over 75 % of the area , in addition to an international zone between Jerusalem and Jaffa .
The plan was vehemently rejected by the Arabs and Arab states , who intensified anti-Jewish terrorism .
In November 1947 , the UN Special Committee on Palestine recommended the establishment of Jewish and Arab states , joined by economic union , with the Jerusalem-Bethlehem region as an international enclave .
Once again , the Jewish side accepted the UN plan , but the Arabs rejected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Jewish state , led by the military forces of five Arab countries ( Egypt , Syria , Jordan , Iraq , and Lebanon ) .
The Palestinian leadership — which had collaborated with Nazi Germany — threatened to transform Palestine into a land soaked in blood and scorched by fire .
In 2020 , the Western foreign policy establishment tends to accord much weight to peaceful Palestinian diplomatic talk , overlooking the centrality of the Palestinian walk .
In 2020 , Western political correctness sees the Palestinian issue through an oversimplified prism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the well-documented Palestinian vision , as highlighted by the ( pre-1967 ! )
1959 and 1964 Fatah and PLO annihilationist charters , Palestinian hate education , and the well-documented Palestinian track record of intra-Arab and anti-Jewish terrorism — as well as their methodical rejection of all peace initiatives since the first part of the 20th century .
Will the Western foreign policy establishment overcome the temptation to persist in sacrificing the complex , unpredictable , intolerant , and frustrating Middle East reality on the altar of a make-believe Middle East coupled with well-intentioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a convenient manner ?
Yoram Ettinger is a former Israeli ambassador and commentator .

The Palestinian conflict did not erupt in 1967, nor in 1948.
In November 1917, the Balfour Declaration called for the establishment of “a national home for the Jewish People” in Palestine, which was the accepted international name of the Land of Israel since the 5th century BCE.
The declaration, issued by the British Foreign Minister, stated that “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities [Arabs] in Palestine.” The declaration acknowledged the ancient national Jewish roots in the Land of Israel, and that Jews were indigenous there, returning to — not colonizing — their homeland.
In April 1920, the post-World War I San Remo Conference reaffirmed the Balfour Declaration and laid the legal foundation for the creation of 22 Arab states and one Jewish state. It was signed by all 51 members of the League of Nations in the August 1920 Treaty of Sevres between the Allied Powers and the Ottoman Empire.
Related coverage December 17, 2020 7:53 am Lebanon’s Economic Quicksand JNS.org – “Lebanon is the Titanic without the orchestra,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stated on December 13, 2020….
Arab terrorism erupted in Jerusalem, Jaffa, and the Galilee in response to the emerging reestablishment of Jewish sovereignty in the Middle East, which is considered by Muslims as the abode of Islam.
In July 1922, the League of Nations entrusted Britain with the Mandate for Palestine. The Mandate highlighted “the historical connection of the Jewish people to Palestine, and the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country.” The sole purpose of the Mandate was to establish a Jewish national home in “Palestine,” referring to the Land of Israel. The Mandate for Palestine has been included, since 1945, in Article 80 of the UN Charter, which preserves the inherent Jewish national rights in the Land of Israel.
In September 1922, the League of Nations and the UK transferred three-quarters of Palestine to the Hashemite Emirate of Transjordan, which gained independence in 1946.
In July 1937, intimidated by an unprecedented wave of intra-Arab and anti-Jewish Arab terrorism, Britain’s Peel Commission recommended the partition of Palestine. The Commission proposed to reduce the area of the Jewish state to 18% of Palestine, west of the Jordan River (parts of the coastal plane, the Galilee, Jezreel Valley, and Beit She’an Valley), while establishing an Arab state over 75% of the area, in addition to an international zone between Jerusalem and Jaffa.
The plan was vehemently rejected by the Arabs and Arab states, who intensified anti-Jewish terrorism.
In November 1947, the UN Special Committee on Palestine recommended the establishment of Jewish and Arab states, joined by economic union, with the Jerusalem-Bethlehem region as an international enclave.
Once again, the Jewish side accepted the UN plan, but the Arabs rejected it and launched a campaign to destroy the Jewish state, led by the military forces of five Arab countries (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon). The Palestinian leadership — which had collaborated with Nazi Germany — threatened to transform Palestine into a land soaked in blood and scorched by fire.
In 2020, the Western foreign policy establishment tends to accord much weight to peaceful Palestinian diplomatic talk, overlooking the centrality of the Palestinian walk.
In 2020, Western political correctness sees the Palestinian issue through an oversimplified prism of human rights, ignoring history and the well-documented Palestinian vision, as highlighted by the (pre-1967!) 1959 and 1964 Fatah and PLO annihilationist charters, Palestinian hate education, and the well-documented Palestinian track record of intra-Arab and anti-Jewish terrorism — as well as their methodical rejection of all peace initiatives since the first part of the 20th century.
Will the Western foreign policy establishment overcome the temptation to persist in sacrificing the complex, unpredictable, intolerant, and frustrating Middle East reality on the altar of a make-believe Middle East coupled with well-intentioned eagerness to achieve peace now and in a convenient manner?
Yoram Ettinger is a former Israeli ambassador and commentator.
Source


jewworldorder--2020-12-17--Reuters Blames Israel for Plight of Gaza Christians, Ignores Hamas Persecution

A December 10 Reuters piece written by Nidal al-Mughrabi rightly draws attention to the plight of Christians in the Gaza Strip .
Yet the writer comes down with a case of selective amnesia , neglecting to note the history of persecution of this tiny minority by Gaza ’ s rulers .
In the article , Israel ’ s blockade of the Strip — imposed to repel incessant attempts by the Hamas terrorist group to attack the Jewish state — is assigned a disproportionate amount of the blame for the precarious state of the Palestinian enclave ’ s Christians .
Specifically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ key reason for the Christian flight from Gaza : The mass exodus is indeed the result of people wanting to get out of harm ’ s way .
However , Reuters omits the primary cause of their misfortune : It is Hamas violence against the Christian residents of Gaza , not Israel ’ s ongoing battle against the terrorist organization .
The piece , “ Gaza jeweler struggles to sell Christmas gold , ” notes that Christian Palestinians : What goes unmentioned is the systematic persecution by Hamas .
There were approximately 5,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2005 , the year that Israel unilaterally dismantled 21 Israeli settlements , evacuated some 9,000 Jewish residents , and pulled its army out of the enclave .
In 2007 , Hamas violently took over the Gaza Strip , which it has ruled as the de facto Islamist authority ever since .
For Hamas , Islam is not only a religion that guides its organizational aims , but also a source of law ( sharia ) to be imposed on all Gazans .
Long before COVID-19 and the blockades , Hamas-affiliated groups like Swords @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were targeting Gazan Christians with forced conversions , discrimination in schools , attacks on businesses , and martyrdom .
Today , there are reportedly only 1,000 Christians in Gaza .
Another strong indication that the blockade is a red herring is the situation of Christians in the city of Bethlehem , which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority ( PA ) .
The media is whitewashing the true nature of Christian life under PA rule in the very place where one of the three great monotheistic religions began .
Christians in Bethlehem began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once the PA took control of the city in 1995 .
Life in Bethlehem has been increasingly marked by land theft with little to no legal recourse ; harassment of Christian women ; Christian businesses being forced to pay protection money ; discrimination against Christians with regards to job opportunities ; and churches being looted and vandalized .
The result , similar to Gaza , was emigration en masse .
In 1947 , Christians comprised about 85 % of the city ’ s population , and that figure has plunged to approximately 16 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global persecution of Christians ranked the “ Palestinian Territories ” 49th out of 50 .
According to the report , “ Islamic oppression ” is fueling this tyranny against a religious minority .
In addition , the study reveals that “ Islamic extremist militants are also present in the West Bank , causing Christians to fear being attacked , ” and that the persecution is particularly brutal for converts to Christianity .
The Reuters article opted not to add a couple of lines of relevant context about the alarming situation of Gaza ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With the holiday season upon us , it is worthwhile to remember the persecution of Palestinian Christians by Islamists , something that has little to do with Israel , the blockade , or COVID-19 .
Gidon Ben-Zvi is an Israeli-based writer .
A version of this article was originally published by HonestReporting .

A December 10 Reuters piece written by Nidal al-Mughrabi rightly draws attention to the plight of Christians in the Gaza Strip. Yet the writer comes down with a case of selective amnesia, neglecting to note the history of persecution of this tiny minority by Gaza’s rulers.
In the article, Israel’s blockade of the Strip — imposed to repel incessant attempts by the Hamas terrorist group to attack the Jewish state — is assigned a disproportionate amount of the blame for the precarious state of the Palestinian enclave’s Christians.
Specifically, Israel is singled out as a key reason for the Christian flight from Gaza:
Its Christian population has declined by two-thirds over the past 15 years, a wave of emigration fueled by economic struggles and a desire to escape fighting between militant groups and Israel.
The mass exodus is indeed the result of people wanting to get out of harm’s way.
However, Reuters omits the primary cause of their misfortune: It is Hamas violence against the Christian residents of Gaza, not Israel’s ongoing battle against the terrorist organization.
The piece, “Gaza jeweler struggles to sell Christmas gold,” notes that Christian Palestinians:
…are feeling the economic sting of the health crisis and lockdowns. The pandemic has deepened economic hardship in Gaza, which is run by Islamist group Hamas and is under blockade by Israel. Egypt also imposes border restrictions, citing, as does Israel, security concerns.
What goes unmentioned is the systematic persecution by Hamas.
There were approximately 5,000 Christians living in the Gaza Strip in 2005, the year that Israel unilaterally dismantled 21 Israeli settlements, evacuated some 9,000 Jewish residents, and pulled its army out of the enclave.
In 2007, Hamas violently took over the Gaza Strip, which it has ruled as the de facto Islamist authority ever since. For Hamas, Islam is not only a religion that guides its organizational aims, but also a source of law (sharia) to be imposed on all Gazans.
Long before COVID-19 and the blockades, Hamas-affiliated groups like Swords of Righteousness and the Army of Islam were targeting Gazan Christians with forced conversions, discrimination in schools, attacks on businesses, and martyrdom.
Today, there are reportedly only 1,000 Christians in Gaza.
Another strong indication that the blockade is a red herring is the situation of Christians in the city of Bethlehem, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA). The media is whitewashing the true nature of Christian life under PA rule in the very place where one of the three great monotheistic religions began.
Christians in Bethlehem began to suffer greatly for their religious beliefs once the PA took control of the city in 1995. Life in Bethlehem has been increasingly marked by land theft with little to no legal recourse; harassment of Christian women; Christian businesses being forced to pay protection money; discrimination against Christians with regards to job opportunities; and churches being looted and vandalized.
The result, similar to Gaza, was emigration en masse. In 1947, Christians comprised about 85% of the city’s population, and that figure has plunged to approximately 16%.
One recent study on the global persecution of Christians ranked the “Palestinian Territories” 49th out of 50. According to the report, “Islamic oppression” is fueling this tyranny against a religious minority. In addition, the study reveals that “Islamic extremist militants are also present in the West Bank, causing Christians to fear being attacked,” and that the persecution is particularly brutal for converts to Christianity.
The Reuters article opted not to add a couple of lines of relevant context about the alarming situation of Gaza’s tiny, vulnerable Christian population.
With the holiday season upon us, it is worthwhile to remember the persecution of Palestinian Christians by Islamists, something that has little to do with Israel, the blockade, or COVID-19.
Gidon Ben-Zvi is an Israeli-based writer. A version of this article was originally published by HonestReporting.
Source


jewworldorder--2020-12-17--Ten Years Since the Arab Spring

Ten Years Since the Arab Spring

On December 17 , 2010 , in a small provincial town in Tunisia , a young man named Muhammad Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest against a slap he had received from a policewoman for running an unauthorized vegetable stand in an effort to make a living .
His friends launched demonstrations against the corrupt government of President Zine Abidine Ben Ali , and those protests spread rapidly to Tunis , the capital .
Al Jazeera beamed the demonstrations across the airwaves nonstop , prompting more and more Tunisians to join them in a mounting tide .
After about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president fled with his wife and children to political exile in Saudi Arabia .
Starting in January 2011 , the demonstrations spread to Egypt , Yemen , Libya , Syria , Bahrain , Algeria , Jordan , Morocco , Iraq , Sudan , Kuwait , Lebanon , Mauritania , and even Saudi Arabia and Oman .
In most of these states they subsided , or were suppressed through foreign intervention like that of Saudi Arabia in Bahrain .
In Syria , Libya , and Yemen , however , the bloody domestic strife has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign intervention .
Egypt has undergone major regime changes — including a year of Muslim Brotherhood rule — and these changes further afflicted its already ailing economy .
Tunisia has vacillated between opposing civic forces , from political Islam to liberalism of a European hue .
At the outset , the demonstrators ’ main goal was to do away with the oppression and corruption of the reigning regimes , unemployment , poverty , ignorance , social marginalization , and the general contempt state authorities showed their citizens .
The bitter reality in most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Gulf monarchies , Europe , and America , to which the masses were now exposed thanks to the media , satellite channels , and social media , most of all Facebook .
Al Jazeera , which was launched at the end of 1996 , had become a media jihad outlet representing the Muslim Brotherhood , and it spread the fervor of the demonstrations and the revolt against the authorities from country to country .
The Arab world at the end of 2010 was like a powder keg with Al Jazeera lighting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spark that ignited the masses .
Countries that had been at the forefront of pan-Arabism for many years — Syria , Libya , and Iraq ( where the turmoil began in 2003 ) — descended into civil war , and their heterogeneous populations are still struggling for survival to this day .
The Arab League , the organization that used to represent the “ Arab nation ” to the world while playing a conciliating and mediating role within the Arab domain , has fallen into total paralysis .
When regimes cease to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is able to flee does so as quickly as possible .
Millions of Arabs have emigrated to whatever country in the world will take them in .
College-educated people , academics , engineers , doctors , and those in the liberal professions went abroad to find quiet , safe environments for themselves and their families .
Millions of emigrants went to Turkey , Europe , and many other countries , leaving their native countries without the ability to rebuild themselves .
At the same time , the most dangerous actors , those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunity to rise to the surface , now emerged into full view : namely , the radical Islamic organizations spawned by the Muslim Brotherhood madrassas , particularly al-Qaeda and its offshoots .
They gained legitimacy for themselves by remorselessly battling — that is , waging jihad against — the cruel , corrupt regimes .
In 2014 , they achieved a major goal by setting up the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( ISIS ) .
This state sowed fear all over the world with horrific forms of murder and gave rise to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign intervention , particularly on the part of Russia and the US .
The demolition of ISIS did not , however , eradicate the radical ideology on which it was based ; instead , that ideology simply sought new pastures .
It is now alive and killing in Sinai , Algeria , Africa , Europe , and everywhere the ISIS terrorists fled .
From time to time it mounts terror attacks .
Just recently we saw ISIS knives in action in France .
The big losers of the “ Arab Spring ” are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streets with entirely justified demands but encountered brutal force and the deafening silence of international apathy toward the rampant bloodshed .
The naked hypocrisy of the UN Human Rights Council was exposed when it granted seats to precisely the states accused of massive human rights violations .
The tragedies of the “ Arab Spring ” turned the Palestinian problem into a marginal issue .
Many Arab politicians understand that this problem is not moving toward a solution , mainly because Israel is not submitting to the narrative concocted by the terror groups — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizations to Hamas and Islamic Jihad .
In Saudi Arabia it has even been claimed that the al-Aqsa Mosque mentioned in the Qur ’ an was in the Arabian Peninsula rather than in Jerusalem , thus upending Palestinian religious claims to proprietorship over Islam ’ s third-holiest shrine and , by implication , to Jerusalem and Palestine .
The big winners of the “ Arab Spring ” are the states of the Arabian Peninsula ( apart from Yemen ) that escaped its brunt .
Countries that until a decade ago were on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ removed from the regional and international political spotlight , are now key actors in the international politics of the Middle East .
The Middle Eastern upheavals have enabled non-Arab forces — both peripheral and foreign — to penetrate the region at will .
Russia rescued the Assad regime in Syria in return for taking over the western part of the country and the huge natural gas deposits in the Mediterranean seabed that belong to Syria .
Iran , through its proxies and expeditionary forces , has gained control of Iraq , central and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Gaza .
Erdoğan ’ s Turkey is assuming control of parts of Syria and Libya .
Meanwhile , Israel — which in the past was described as a “ knife in the heart of the Arab nation ” — keeps lengthening the list of Arab states that have accepted its existence , recognized it , and made peace with it .
Ethiopia feels strong enough relative to Egypt that it has built a dam on the Nile that could cause a devastating water shortage for Egypt ’ s 100 million residents .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Sudan and Sudan , and that process could continue beyond Sudan in other Arab states .
The 10 years of the “ Arab Spring ” — the last of which is the year of COVID-19 — have brought many Arab countries to the edge of the abyss .
The food shortage , the unending wars in Libya , Syria , Iraq , and Yemen , the Iranian expansion , and global apathy have worsened the distress of the Middle East .
The worst of all looms in the near future : the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return to the 2015 nuclear deal and lift the sanctions on Iran .
Those steps will enhance Tehran ’ s ability to interfere in Arab countries and sow death and destruction .
One result could well be a further surge of emigration ( or , more accurately , flight ) by millions of Middle Easterners to new countries where they can rebuild lives that were destroyed by the “ Arab Spring.
” In sum , just as great as the hopes that attended the “ Arab Spring ” at its inception is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Lt. Col .
( res . )
Dr. Mordechai Kedar is a senior research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies .
He served for 25 years in IDF military intelligence specializing in Syria , Arab political discourse , Arab mass media , Islamic groups , and Israeli Arabs , and is an expert on the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups .
A version of this article was originally published by Makor Rishon and The BESA Center .

On December 17, 2010, in a small provincial town in Tunisia, a young man named Muhammad Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest against a slap he had received from a policewoman for running an unauthorized vegetable stand in an effort to make a living. His friends launched demonstrations against the corrupt government of President Zine Abidine Ben Ali, and those protests spread rapidly to Tunis, the capital. Al Jazeera beamed the demonstrations across the airwaves nonstop, prompting more and more Tunisians to join them in a mounting tide. After about a month of massive protests, the president fled with his wife and children to political exile in Saudi Arabia.
Starting in January 2011, the demonstrations spread to Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Syria, Bahrain, Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Iraq, Sudan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, and even Saudi Arabia and Oman. In most of these states they subsided, or were suppressed through foreign intervention like that of Saudi Arabia in Bahrain. In Syria, Libya, and Yemen, however, the bloody domestic strife has continued to this day while drawing armed foreign intervention.
Egypt has undergone major regime changes — including a year of Muslim Brotherhood rule — and these changes further afflicted its already ailing economy. Tunisia has vacillated between opposing civic forces, from political Islam to liberalism of a European hue.
At the outset, the demonstrators’ main goal was to do away with the oppression and corruption of the reigning regimes, unemployment, poverty, ignorance, social marginalization, and the general contempt state authorities showed their citizens. The bitter reality in most Arab states contrasted starkly with the situation in the Gulf monarchies, Europe, and America, to which the masses were now exposed thanks to the media, satellite channels, and social media, most of all Facebook.
Related coverage December 17, 2020 7:53 am Lebanon’s Economic Quicksand JNS.org – “Lebanon is the Titanic without the orchestra,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stated on December 13, 2020….
Al Jazeera, which was launched at the end of 1996, had become a media jihad outlet representing the Muslim Brotherhood, and it spread the fervor of the demonstrations and the revolt against the authorities from country to country. The Arab world at the end of 2010 was like a powder keg with Al Jazeera lighting sparks all around it. Bouazizi was the spark that ignited the masses.
Countries that had been at the forefront of pan-Arabism for many years — Syria, Libya, and Iraq (where the turmoil began in 2003) — descended into civil war, and their heterogeneous populations are still struggling for survival to this day. The Arab League, the organization that used to represent the “Arab nation” to the world while playing a conciliating and mediating role within the Arab domain, has fallen into total paralysis.
When regimes cease to be effective and anarchy prevails, whoever is able to flee does so as quickly as possible. Millions of Arabs have emigrated to whatever country in the world will take them in. College-educated people, academics, engineers, doctors, and those in the liberal professions went abroad to find quiet, safe environments for themselves and their families. Millions of emigrants went to Turkey, Europe, and many other countries, leaving their native countries without the ability to rebuild themselves.
At the same time, the most dangerous actors, those who had been subjugated but were awaiting an opportunity to rise to the surface, now emerged into full view: namely, the radical Islamic organizations spawned by the Muslim Brotherhood madrassas, particularly al-Qaeda and its offshoots. They gained legitimacy for themselves by remorselessly battling — that is, waging jihad against — the cruel, corrupt regimes.
In 2014, they achieved a major goal by setting up the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). This state sowed fear all over the world with horrific forms of murder and gave rise to an international consensus on the need for foreign intervention, particularly on the part of Russia and the US. The demolition of ISIS did not, however, eradicate the radical ideology on which it was based; instead, that ideology simply sought new pastures. It is now alive and killing in Sinai, Algeria, Africa, Europe, and everywhere the ISIS terrorists fled. From time to time it mounts terror attacks. Just recently we saw ISIS knives in action in France.
The big losers of the “Arab Spring” are the unfortunate masses who took to the streets with entirely justified demands but encountered brutal force and the deafening silence of international apathy toward the rampant bloodshed. The naked hypocrisy of the UN Human Rights Council was exposed when it granted seats to precisely the states accused of massive human rights violations.
The tragedies of the “Arab Spring” turned the Palestinian problem into a marginal issue. Many Arab politicians understand that this problem is not moving toward a solution, mainly because Israel is not submitting to the narrative concocted by the terror groups — from Fatah and the “Front” organizations to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In Saudi Arabia it has even been claimed that the al-Aqsa Mosque mentioned in the Qur’an was in the Arabian Peninsula rather than in Jerusalem, thus upending Palestinian religious claims to proprietorship over Islam’s third-holiest shrine and, by implication, to Jerusalem and Palestine.
The big winners of the “Arab Spring” are the states of the Arabian Peninsula (apart from Yemen) that escaped its brunt. Countries that until a decade ago were on the margins of the Arab world, far removed from the regional and international political spotlight, are now key actors in the international politics of the Middle East.
The Middle Eastern upheavals have enabled non-Arab forces — both peripheral and foreign — to penetrate the region at will. Russia rescued the Assad regime in Syria in return for taking over the western part of the country and the huge natural gas deposits in the Mediterranean seabed that belong to Syria. Iran, through its proxies and expeditionary forces, has gained control of Iraq, central and eastern Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Gaza. Erdoğan’s Turkey is assuming control of parts of Syria and Libya. Meanwhile, Israel — which in the past was described as a “knife in the heart of the Arab nation” — keeps lengthening the list of Arab states that have accepted its existence, recognized it, and made peace with it.
Ethiopia feels strong enough relative to Egypt that it has built a dam on the Nile that could cause a devastating water shortage for Egypt’s 100 million residents. Sudan has split into two countries, South Sudan and Sudan, and that process could continue beyond Sudan in other Arab states.
The 10 years of the “Arab Spring” — the last of which is the year of COVID-19 — have brought many Arab countries to the edge of the abyss. The food shortage, the unending wars in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, the Iranian expansion, and global apathy have worsened the distress of the Middle East.
The worst of all looms in the near future: the incoming US administration, which aims to return to the 2015 nuclear deal and lift the sanctions on Iran. Those steps will enhance Tehran’s ability to interfere in Arab countries and sow death and destruction. One result could well be a further surge of emigration (or, more accurately, flight) by millions of Middle Easterners to new countries where they can rebuild lives that were destroyed by the “Arab Spring.”
In sum, just as great as the hopes that attended the “Arab Spring” at its inception is the disillusionment it has left in its wake.
Lt. Col. (res.) Dr. Mordechai Kedar is a senior research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. He served for 25 years in IDF military intelligence specializing in Syria, Arab political discourse, Arab mass media, Islamic groups, and Israeli Arabs, and is an expert on the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups.
A version of this article was originally published by Makor Rishon and The BESA Center.
Source


jewworldorder--2020-12-17--Directing Hatred Towards the Right Places

Last week , I attended the White House Hanukkah party , and some people wrote to attack me .
The White House protocols were for everyone to be masked and the event was not at all packed , leaving plenty of room for social distancing .
Yes , people took off masks to take photos when they could employ sufficient distance from other guests .
But masks — whose necessity I of course fully believe in — were the order of the day , with the exception of people eating latkes and other foods .
Yet , the amount of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social media pages was large .
“ You ’ re an enabler .
You enabled Trump ’ s denial of his election loss to Joe Biden.
” “ You allowed Trump to get away with trying to steal the election.
” In my career as a rabbi , I have experienced plenty of controversy and hatred , but I received a lot of it here .
And it ’ s time to respond .
Now that he has exhausted all legal recourse , Trump must concede the election .
And Republicans should embrace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to heal ” approach in trying to unify the country .
But the political left must halt the vitriol they ’ re fostering .
I need not vote for Joe Biden to agree that in a 50-year public career , he has displayed decency and humanity .
And I need not agree with all of Donald Trump ’ s policies to concede that in four years , he has helped to reshape the Middle East and the US-Israel relationship .
Just a day after the event , Trump announced a peace deal between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not forget that former US Secretary of State John Kerry swore that Israel would never have peace with its Arab neighbors or the Gulf States unless they first made peace with the Palestinians .
Kerry could not have been more wrong .
It ’ s a challenging time in America because so many Americans have gone insane with hatred , both on the left and the right .
But the only thing worth hating in life is unalloyed , unconditional evil — mass murderers , genocidaires , and those who destroy human life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mere political opponents is immortal not only because it destroys a nation , but it also allows the true evildoers to go unchecked , as we misdirect our revulsion away from legitimate targets .
Take the United States during World War II ; it was a bystander for more than two years after Hitler ’ s invasion of Poland .
Had Japan not attacked Pearl Harbor , who knows if America would have entered the war .
For some reason , we could not , as a nation , summon sufficient hatred of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they conquered all of Europe and began the annihilation of the Jewish people .
After the Holocaust , Jews and others adopted the slogan “ Never Again , ” and yet the slaughter of innocents has happened again and again in the 70 years that have passed since the liberation of Auschwitz .
The history of the modern world is a history of genocide and the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent men , women , and children .
Historian Paul Johnson estimates that at least 100 million civilians were murdered in the 20th century @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a staggering number .
The world could not summon enough hatred of these individuals or their dastardly deeds to bring them to justice .
Depressingly , the trend has continued into the 21st century .
December 9 , 2004 was the 56th anniversary of the approval of the Genocide Convention by the United Nations General Assembly .
Meanwhile , another genocide was taking place in Sudan .
In the sixth millennium that Judaism counts since creation , evil is still growing with increasing strength , with brutal regimes continuing to control hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world .
Seventy years after Hitler ’ s demise , madmen run nations , gassing their own people , torturing civilians , and filling mass graves with the bodies of innocents , as we are witnessing in Syria .
Amid the world ’ s protests of “ Never Again !
” multiple genocides have occurred since the Holocaust .
Those genocides were in the recent past .
Instead of “ Never Again , ” the reality has been “ Again and Again !
” And one of the principal reasons ?
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the victims of murder , but to hate and resist the murderers themselves .
And when we spend all our time directing our hatred toward fellow Americans over political rifts , we allow those who are truly deserving of our revulsion to be overlooked .
It ’ s time for Americans to stop hating each other and instead work together — amidst legitimate political differences — toward making the world a place that is bereft of injustice and filled with the light of love , peace , and human brotherhood .
Shmuley Boteach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” whom The Washington Post calls “ the most famous Rabbi in America , ” and is the author of the forthcoming Holocaust Holiday : One Family ’ s Descent into Genocide Memory Hell , is the international best-selling author of 33 books .
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @ RabbiShmuley .

Last week, I attended the White House Hanukkah party, and some people wrote to attack me.
The White House protocols were for everyone to be masked and the event was not at all packed, leaving plenty of room for social distancing. Yes, people took off masks to take photos when they could employ sufficient distance from other guests. But masks — whose necessity I of course fully believe in — were the order of the day, with the exception of people eating latkes and other foods.
Yet, the amount of hatred that my attendance unleashed on my social media pages was large. “You’re an enabler. You enabled Trump’s denial of his election loss to Joe Biden.” “You allowed Trump to get away with trying to steal the election.”
In my career as a rabbi, I have experienced plenty of controversy and hatred, but I received a lot of it here. And it’s time to respond.
Related coverage December 17, 2020 7:53 am Lebanon’s Economic Quicksand JNS.org – “Lebanon is the Titanic without the orchestra,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stated on December 13, 2020….
Now that he has exhausted all legal recourse, Trump must concede the election. And Republicans should embrace President-elect Joe Biden’s “time to heal” approach in trying to unify the country.
But the political left must halt the vitriol they’re fostering. I need not vote for Joe Biden to agree that in a 50-year public career, he has displayed decency and humanity. And I need not agree with all of Donald Trump’s policies to concede that in four years, he has helped to reshape the Middle East and the US-Israel relationship.
Just a day after the event, Trump announced a peace deal between Israel and Morocco. Let’s not forget that former US Secretary of State John Kerry swore that Israel would never have peace with its Arab neighbors or the Gulf States unless they first made peace with the Palestinians. Kerry could not have been more wrong.
It’s a challenging time in America because so many Americans have gone insane with hatred, both on the left and the right.
But the only thing worth hating in life is unalloyed, unconditional evil — mass murderers, genocidaires, and those who destroy human life. But not political opponents. Hating mere political opponents is immortal not only because it destroys a nation, but it also allows the true evildoers to go unchecked, as we misdirect our revulsion away from legitimate targets.
Take the United States during World War II; it was a bystander for more than two years after Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Had Japan not attacked Pearl Harbor, who knows if America would have entered the war. For some reason, we could not, as a nation, summon sufficient hatred of the Nazis to fight them even as they conquered all of Europe and began the annihilation of the Jewish people.
After the Holocaust, Jews and others adopted the slogan “Never Again,” and yet the slaughter of innocents has happened again and again in the 70 years that have passed since the liberation of Auschwitz.
The history of the modern world is a history of genocide and the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent men, women, and children. Historian Paul Johnson estimates that at least 100 million civilians were murdered in the 20th century alone by bloodthirsty tyrants. This is a staggering number. The world could not summon enough hatred of these individuals or their dastardly deeds to bring them to justice.
Depressingly, the trend has continued into the 21st century. December 9, 2004 was the 56th anniversary of the approval of the Genocide Convention by the United Nations General Assembly. Meanwhile, another genocide was taking place in Sudan.
In the sixth millennium that Judaism counts since creation, evil is still growing with increasing strength, with brutal regimes continuing to control hundreds of millions of lives and terrorism striking throughout the world. Seventy years after Hitler’s demise, madmen run nations, gassing their own people, torturing civilians, and filling mass graves with the bodies of innocents, as we are witnessing in Syria. Amid the world’s protests of “Never Again!” multiple genocides have occurred since the Holocaust.
Those genocides were in the recent past. Instead of “Never Again,” the reality has been “Again and Again!”
And one of the principal reasons? We have to learn not only to love the victims of murder, but to hate and resist the murderers themselves. And when we spend all our time directing our hatred toward fellow Americans over political rifts, we allow those who are truly deserving of our revulsion to be overlooked.
It’s time for Americans to stop hating each other and instead work together — amidst legitimate political differences — toward making the world a place that is bereft of injustice and filled with the light of love, peace, and human brotherhood.
Shmuley Boteach, “America’s Rabbi,” whom The Washington Post calls “the most famous Rabbi in America,” and is the author of the forthcoming Holocaust Holiday: One Family’s Descent into Genocide Memory Hell, is the international best-selling author of 33 books. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @RabbiShmuley.
Source


jewworldorder--2020-12-17--Macron tests positive for COVID-19, forcing leaders to self isolate

French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for the novel coronavirus , his office announced on Thursday morning .
“ The President of the Republic has been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 today , ” his office said in a statement .
“ This diagnosis was made following a PCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms.
” The 42-year-old took a test after symptoms appeared and will now isolate for seven days , a statement from the Elysée Palace said .
Brigitte Macron , the president ’ s wife , is self-isolating at present although she is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office said on Thursday .
The 42-year-old took a test after symptoms appeared and will now isolate for seven days , a statement from the Elysée Palace said .
Macron ’ s office is currently in the process of identifying those he may have contacted to inform them of the situation .
The Elysée Palace added that they were trying to assess where he could have contracted the virus .
French Prime Minister Jean Castex will also self isolate after coming into contact with Macron over the last few days , although he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Macron and his wife Brigitte also hosted a private dinner with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi , during which he awarded him the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour .
This week Macron had lunch with European Council President Charles Michel as well as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa .
Sanchez ’ s office said he would quarantine until Dec. 24 .
An EU spokesman said Michel , would self-isolate as a precaution .
Macron attended a European summit late last week at which he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discuss the European Union ’ s budget , climate change and Turkey.While the leaders were gathering in the summit room and initially mingling with their face masks on , they take them off once they sit down to talks , although remain quite far apart at their round table .
German Chancellor Angela Merkel tested negative for COVID-19 after last week ’ s EU summit , at which she met French President Emmanuel Macron , the government press office said .
“ The chancellor was tested a few days after the EU summit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokeswoman said , adding that the result of the test was negative .
“ The chancellor sends the French president her best wishes for a speedy recovery , ” she said .
“ ( Michel ) was informed by the French authorities that he is not considered to be a close contact .
He is tested regularly and tested negative on Tuesday .
However as a matter of precaution the president will go into self-isolation , ” said the spokesman .
Video footage of Macron welcoming the Spanish prime minister at the Elysee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not shake hands.Portugal ’ s Prime Minister Antonio Costa has canceled official trips and is in self-isolation , his office said on Thursday , less than 24 hours after he met Macron.It said Costa displayed no symptoms and was awaiting the result of a coronavirus test he got earlier on Thursday , which had already been scheduled before his official trip to Sao Tome and Principe and Guinea Bissau between Dec. 18 and Dec. 20 .
The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said she “ has no plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ French President Emmanuel Macron earlier in the week , a Commission spokesman said on Thursday .
French authorities said the meeting did not constitute a close contact that required self-isolation , the spokesman added .
Macron was also photographed shaking hands with OECD chief Angel Gurria , who is 70 .
Macron ’ s illness comes as negotiations between Britain and the EU over a post-Brexit deal near their crunch point , with France saying it would rather veto a bad deal than sacrifice its fishermen .
World leaders were quick to react @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Benjamin Netanyahu wished Macron a full and fast recovery on Twitter , both in French and in English .
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent his best wishes on Thursday .
“ Sorry to hear my friend @ EmmanuelMacron has tested positive for coronavirus .
We are all wishing you a speedy recovery , ” Johnson said on Twitter .
He also posted the same message in French .

French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, his office announced on Thursday morning.
“The President of the Republic has been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 today,” his office said in a statement. “This diagnosis was made following a PCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms.”
The presidency added in a statement that Macron would self-isolate but would continue to work and carry out duties remotely.
The 42-year-old took a test after symptoms appeared and will now isolate for seven days, a statement from the Elysée Palace said. Brigitte Macron, the president’s wife, is self-isolating at present although she is not showing any symptoms of COVID-19, her office said on Thursday. The 42-year-old took a test after symptoms appeared and will now isolate for seven days, a statement from the Elysée Palace said.
Macron’s office is currently in the process of identifying those he may have contacted to inform them of the situation. The Elysée Palace added that they were trying to assess where he could have contracted the virus.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex will also self isolate after coming into contact with Macron over the last few days, although he has tested negative, his office said.
Macron and his wife Brigitte also hosted a private dinner with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, during which he awarded him the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. This week Macron had lunch with European Council President Charles Michel as well as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa. Sanchez’s office said he would quarantine until Dec. 24. An EU spokesman said Michel, would self-isolate as a precaution. Macron attended a European summit late last week at which he met a host of EU leaders to discuss the European Union’s budget, climate change and Turkey.While the leaders were gathering in the summit room and initially mingling with their face masks on, they take them off once they sit down to talks, although remain quite far apart at their round table.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel tested negative for COVID-19 after last week’s EU summit, at which she met French President Emmanuel Macron, the government press office said. “The chancellor was tested a few days after the EU summit, as is routine,” a spokeswoman said, adding that the result of the test was negative. “The chancellor sends the French president her best wishes for a speedy recovery,” she said. “(Michel) was informed by the French authorities that he is not considered to be a close contact. He is tested regularly and tested negative on Tuesday. However as a matter of precaution the president will go into self-isolation,” said the spokesman. Video footage of Macron welcoming the Spanish prime minister at the Elysee Palace showed that both wore masks and did not shake hands.Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa has canceled official trips and is in self-isolation, his office said on Thursday, less than 24 hours after he met Macron.It said Costa displayed no symptoms and was awaiting the result of a coronavirus test he got earlier on Thursday, which had already been scheduled before his official trip to Sao Tome and Principe and Guinea Bissau between Dec. 18 and Dec. 20. The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said she “has no plan on self-isolating” after she met the French President Emmanuel Macron earlier in the week, a Commission spokesman said on Thursday. French authorities said the meeting did not constitute a close contact that required self-isolation, the spokesman added.
Macron was also photographed shaking hands with OECD chief Angel Gurria, who is 70.
Macron’s illness comes as negotiations between Britain and the EU over a post-Brexit deal near their crunch point, with France saying it would rather veto a bad deal than sacrifice its fishermen.
World leaders were quick to react to the announcement.Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Macron a full and fast recovery on Twitter, both in French and in English.
@Elysee Président Macron, Emmanuel, je vous souhaite un prompt rétablissement.President Macron, Emmanuel, wishing you a speedy and full recovery. @EmmanuelMacron — PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 17, 2020
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent his best wishes on Thursday.
“Sorry to hear my friend @EmmanuelMacron has tested positive for coronavirus. We are all wishing you a speedy recovery,” Johnson said on Twitter. He also posted the same message in French.


jewworldorder--2020-12-17--Pence said planning to visit Israel on international tour starting January 6

US Vice President Mike Pence is expected to take off from the country on January 6 for an international trip that will bring him to Israel , on the same day Congress meets to confirm President-elect Joe Biden ’ s election victory , a new report said Thursday .
Quoting three US officials , Politico reported that Pence is planning to leave Washington that day for a week-long trip , after presiding over the congressional session to affirm Biden ’ s win in the Electoral College .
Traveling abroad then could help Pence dodge the expected fury of US President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have claimed without basis that the election was stolen from him .
Get The Times of Israel ’ s Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up “ I suspect the timing is anything but coincidental , ” a Pence ally told Politico .
The news outlet cited a government document showing Pence was set to visit Bahrain , Israel and Poland , but said planning was tentative and that more destinations could be added .
The order in which Pence will visit the countries was not specified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January for the World Holocaust Forum at Yad Vashem , where visiting dignitaries gathered to remember the Nazi genocide of Jews during World War II and mark 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz .
Army Radio had reported on Pence ’ s visit Sunday , saying it would take place on January 13 .
Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis , a member of Netanyahu ’ s Likud party , confirmed the visit , saying , “ Pence is planning on visiting Israel .
I don ’ t want to commit to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the trip itself there will be a declaration of normalization ” with another Muslim country .
The US Embassy in Jerusalem wouldn ’ t comment on Pence ’ s reported travel plans .
The reports on Pence ’ s trip came after Trump announced last week that Morocco was normalizing ties with Israel , making it the fourth Arab country since August to do so as part of a US-brokered agreement — following the United Arab Emirates , Bahrain and Sudan .
As part of the announcement , Trump announced the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Western Sahara region , a longtime goal of the North African kingdom .

US Vice President Mike Pence is expected to take off from the country on January 6 for an international trip that will bring him to Israel, on the same day Congress meets to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory, a new report said Thursday.
Quoting three US officials, Politico reported that Pence is planning to leave Washington that day for a week-long trip, after presiding over the congressional session to affirm Biden’s win in the Electoral College.
Traveling abroad then could help Pence dodge the expected fury of US President Donald Trump and his supporters, who have claimed without basis that the election was stolen from him.
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“I suspect the timing is anything but coincidental,” a Pence ally told Politico.
The news outlet cited a government document showing Pence was set to visit Bahrain, Israel and Poland, but said planning was tentative and that more destinations could be added. The order in which Pence will visit the countries was not specified.
Pence was last in Israel in January for the World Holocaust Forum at Yad Vashem, where visiting dignitaries gathered to remember the Nazi genocide of Jews during World War II and mark 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz.
US Vice President Mike Pence (C) and his wife Karen Pence (L) view pictures of Jewish Holocaust victims at the Hall of Names during his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem on January 23, 2018. (AFP Photo/Pool/Ronen Zvulun)
Army Radio had reported on Pence’s visit Sunday, saying it would take place on January 13. Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, confirmed the visit, saying, “Pence is planning on visiting Israel. I don’t want to commit to the dates. It’s likely that during the trip itself there will be a declaration of normalization” with another Muslim country.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem wouldn’t comment on Pence’s reported travel plans.
The reports on Pence’s trip came after Trump announced last week that Morocco was normalizing ties with Israel, making it the fourth Arab country since August to do so as part of a US-brokered agreement — following the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.
As part of the announcement, Trump announced the US would recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region, a longtime goal of the North African kingdom.


jewworldorder--2020-12-17--France detains ex-associate of Jeffrey Epstein over sex crime accusations

PARIS — Prominent French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel , a former close associate of disgraced American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein , has been detained in France on accusations of sex crimes , prosecutors said on Thursday .
Brunel was detained on Wednesday on accusations of rape , sexual assault of minors , human trafficking and being part of a criminal conspiracy , Paris prosecutors told AFP .
He was detained at Paris ’ s Charles de Gaulle airport as he was about to take a plane to Senegal , a source close to the case added .
Get The Times of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up Epstein , who was arrested in New York in July on charges of trafficking underage girls for sex , was found hanged in his New York jail cell on August 10 , 2019 , while awaiting trial over abuses involving girls at his Palm Beach home and on his private island in the Caribbean .
His ownership of an apartment in an upmarket Paris district and allegations from women who say they were abused in France prompted French prosecutors to open their own criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by France into Epstein ’ s activities has focused on Brunel , who was accused in American court documents of rape and of procuring young girls for his friend .
“ The victims have long awaited the arrest of Jean-Luc Brunel .
They welcome his detention with relief and with confidence in the legal process , ” said lawyer Anne-Claire Lejeune , who represents several victims .
“ This is huge news .
I am crying with joy , ” said Thysia Huisman , a former Dutch model who says she was “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the age of 18 .
The detention at the airport of Brunel ends over a year of uncertainty and mystery over his whereabouts .
Brunel ’ s lawyer in October 2019 said he vehemently rejected allegations made in the press but denied his client was on the run , insisting he was available for questioning .
French police last year raided the offices of Karin Models , an agency founded by Brunel , and searched Epstein ’ s luxury Paris home not far from the Arc de Triomphe .

PARIS — Prominent French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, a former close associate of disgraced American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, has been detained in France on accusations of sex crimes, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Brunel was detained on Wednesday on accusations of rape, sexual assault of minors, human trafficking and being part of a criminal conspiracy, Paris prosecutors told AFP.
He was detained at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport as he was about to take a plane to Senegal, a source close to the case added.
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Epstein, who was arrested in New York in July on charges of trafficking underage girls for sex, was found hanged in his New York jail cell on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial over abuses involving girls at his Palm Beach home and on his private island in the Caribbean.
Jeffrey Epstein, March 28, 2017. (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File)
His ownership of an apartment in an upmarket Paris district and allegations from women who say they were abused in France prompted French prosecutors to open their own criminal probe in August.
The investigation opened by France into Epstein’s activities has focused on Brunel, who was accused in American court documents of rape and of procuring young girls for his friend.
“The victims have long awaited the arrest of Jean-Luc Brunel. They welcome his detention with relief and with confidence in the legal process,” said lawyer Anne-Claire Lejeune, who represents several victims.
“This is huge news. I am crying with joy,” said Thysia Huisman, a former Dutch model who says she was “drugged and raped” by Brunel at the age of 18.
The detention at the airport of Brunel ends over a year of uncertainty and mystery over his whereabouts.
A man walks his dog next to an apartment building owned by Jeffrey Epstein in the 16th district in Paris, August 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Brunel’s lawyer in October 2019 said he vehemently rejected allegations made in the press but denied his client was on the run, insisting he was available for questioning.
French police last year raided the offices of Karin Models, an agency founded by Brunel, and searched Epstein’s luxury Paris home not far from the Arc de Triomphe.


jewworldorder--2020-12-17--Storm Gail: Two killed in 30- to 60-car pile-up as three feet of snow hit Northeast

Winter Storm Gail has hammered the Northeast with more than 3 feet of snow in certain areas , causing dangerous road conditions that left at least two people dead .
The winter storm caused a 30 to 60-car pile-up in Clinton County , Pennsylvania , on Wednesday evening , the Pennsylvania Department of Transport announced in an alert .
Two people died from the crash and multiple people were injured .
“ Please stay home and do not travel unless it is absolutely necessary , ” state police said in a tweet following the crash .
The crash happened on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for several hours as officials worked to clear the area .
Virginia State Police also reported a 19-year-old man died in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning , one of about 200 accidents the state police responded to throughout the nor ’ easter .
“ Assume that anything that is snowy , slushy , or wet will turn to ice , ” Virginia ’ s Department of Transportation warned its residents in a tweet as officials worked to make road conditions safe .
More than 40 inches of snow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State , with 10 inches reported in New York City ’ s Central Park on Thursday morning .
The heavy snow also impacted the road conditions in NYC , and officials reported a multi-car collision on a bridge connecting Manhattan to the Bronx – causing at least six people to be hospitalised with non-life threatening injuries .
Snow , strong winds , and coastal flooding was reported in parts of the Northeast starting on Wednesday – as the storm stretched from North Carolina all the way up to parts of Maine , according @ @ @ @ @ @

Winter Storm Gail has hammered the Northeast with more than 3 feet of snow in certain areas, causing dangerous road conditions that left at least two people dead.
The winter storm caused a 30 to 60-car pile-up in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday evening, the Pennsylvania Department of Transport announced in an alert. Two people died from the crash and multiple people were injured.
“Please stay home and do not travel unless it is absolutely necessary,” state police said in a tweet following the crash.
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The crash happened on Interstate 80, closing the westbound highway for several hours as officials worked to clear the area.
Virginia State Police also reported a 19-year-old man died in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning, one of about 200 accidents the state police responded to throughout the nor’easter.
“Assume that anything that is snowy, slushy, or wet will turn to ice,” Virginia’s Department of Transportation warned its residents in a tweet as officials worked to make road conditions safe.
More than 40 inches of snow was reported in parts of New York State, with 10 inches reported in New York City’s Central Park on Thursday morning.
The heavy snow also impacted the road conditions in NYC, and officials reported a multi-car collision on a bridge connecting Manhattan to the Bronx – causing at least six people to be hospitalised with non-life threatening injuries.
Snow, strong winds, and coastal flooding was reported in parts of the Northeast starting on Wednesday – as the storm stretched from North Carolina all the way up to parts of Maine, according to the National Weather Service.
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