WATCH: Jews Celebrate at Western Wall, Despite Arab Riots and Explosions on Temple Mount: United With Israel, May 10, 2021 — Today, Israelis are celebrating the 54th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish State.
Anatomy of An Intentional Escalation: Israel’s Approaching Hot Summer: David Wurmser, Center for Security Policy, May 10, 2021
“The signs of escalation were building for weeks.”
There seems to be an escalatory effort underway within Israel, in the administered territories in Judea and Samaria, along Israel’s northern and Gaza borders, and even globally, which could lead to great tension, even war, in the coming months. This is not a mutually reinforcing cycle of violence between two sides, but a concerted offensive serving the strategic aims of a number of Israel’s enemies.
(Currently ATT. yahoo.com)
Accessories to Evil: Melanie Phillips, Melanie Phillips, May 9, 2021
“There were reports that, once again, the Al Aqsa mosque on the site was being used to store ammunition to use against Israelis.”
Jerusalem tonight is very tense, with the planned Jewish celebrations of Jerusalem Day on Monday provoking fears of a further escalation of the recent violence that has been erupting in the city and which has rippled into attacks against southern Israel.
The Palestinian Leaders’ Al-Aqsa Hoax Strikes Again: Ruthie Blum, JNS, May 11, 2021
“the real struggle taking place at the moment is between Fatah and Hamas, with Israel caught in the crossfire, yet forced to take police action against rioters in Jerusalem and launch military strikes over Gaza.”
The anti-Israel response to the current Palestinian and eastern Jerusalem Arab violence was to be expected, particularly as it has been on a steady crescendo since the weeks leading up to and during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan. But, contrary to the successful dissemination and perpetuation of propaganda, it has nothing to do with Israeli behavior or its celebration of Jerusalem Day—the anniversary of the unification of the city after the 1967 Six-Day War.
Palestinian Authority leader and his Fatah faction know this full well. Ditto for Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and the other terrorist groups, such as Islamic Jihad, lurking in the enclave beyond Israel’s southern border.
Palestinian government – (Wikipedia)
A Powder Keg, Courtesy of Washington: Caroline B. Glick, Israel Hayom, May 7, 2021
“Just months ago, hope abounded that Saudi Arabia would join the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in the Abraham peace accords with Israel. But the picture is now reversed.”
In Afghanistan and Iraq, violent attacks against US forces are rising steeply. From January through April, attacks on US forces increased 40%. President Joe Biden’s announcement that the US will withdraw its forces from the country by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the jihadist attacks on the US worsened the situation by communicating a message of profound American weakness and defeatism. The Taliban, al-Qaida and Iran clearly believe they are now free to humiliate and bleed the US as they take control of the country.
In Iraq, Iranian-controlled Shiite militias launched three missile strikes against US bases in the past week. Hoping to avoid confrontation with Iran as its emissaries appease it in Vienna, the Biden administration is assiduously avoiding acknowledging that Iran is behind the attacks, and so it guarantees that more attack will soon follow. As in Afghanistan, Iran reads US behavior as an invitation to strike with immunity.
For Further Reference
Understanding the Current Sheikh Jarrah (Jerusalem) Property Dispute: Professor Avi Bell, Kohelet, May 9, 2021 — The current dispute in Sheikh Jarrah involves several properties with tenants whose leases have expired, and in a few cases squatters with no tenancy rights at all, against owner-landlords who have successfully won court orders evicting the squatters and overstaying tenants.
Biden Administration Sides with Muslim Rioters in Jerusalem: United With Israel, May 10, 2021 — US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke by phone on Sunday evening with his Israeli counterpart Meir Ben-Shabbat to express “serious concerns about the situation in Jerusalem, including violent confrontations” at the Temple Mount during the last days of Ramadan.
Caroline Glick: The US Has Plunged Its Relations With Israel Into Crisis: Caroline B. Glick, WIN, May 10, 2021 — In light of the reactions from Washington to the Hamas- and Fatah-inspired Arab violence in Jerusalem, it is hard to see how Israel will be able to maintain a constructive dialogue about its relations with the Palestinians with the Biden administration, or more broadly, with the Democrat Party.
What You Won’t Read In Western Media About The Jerusalem Riots: Melanie Phillips, May 10, 2021 — As I write here in Jerusalem, sirens have sounded and explosions have been heard. It appears that rockets were fired by Hamas at the city. I am posting this now before finding out what is happening.
Rockets Fired at Jerusalem and Southern Israel, IDF Retaliates: United With Israel, May 10, 2021 — Dozens of rockets were fired at Israel on Monday after days of tension in Jerusalem. At least seven missiles, fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, were launched at Jerusalem, where rocket alert sirens sounded.