WEDNESDAY WEEKLY QUOTES
Jared Kushner Interview Transcript: ‘We’ve been working hard on the peace initiative for two years now’ – The National, Feb. 26, 2019
Outlaw Hezbollah: What Took so Long?: Jerusalem Post editorial, Feb. 27, 2019
Jordan Expands Managing Body of Temple Mount to Stop #Israel from Changing Status Quo: Lenny Ben David, Threadreader, Feb. 19, 2019
Labor Supports Bennett’s Accusation: Lapid, Gantz, Only Seeking Likud Jobs: David Israel, Jewish Press, Feb. 25, 2019
WEEKLY QUOTES
“Iran has clearly and blatantly ignored the call by the international community to cease this type of activity [Iran’s failed attempt in the beginning of Feb. to launch a satellite into space carried by a rocket that is capable of carrying a nuclear head] that is capable of that violates Security Council Resolution 2231, which accompanies the nuclear agreement with the superpowers. The international community should view this as another provocative act that is part of Iran’s hostile ballistic missile program, Iran’s efforts to promote this plan not only threatens its neighbors and the entire Middle East, but also a large portion of European countries….Iran has become the main supplier of ballistic missile technologies to Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq, while providing these capabilities to non-state actors and terrorist operatives … [the Security Council should] join countries that have already taken measures to curb the threat posed by Iranian missiles.” (New York) — Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon sent a letter to the members of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, calling on them to act against Iran’s nuclear threat. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 21, 2019)
“My concern is not that Iran violates the [nuclear] deal. My concern is that Iran keeps the deal. I think it’s a horrible deal, because I think it paves the way to the nuclear arsenal…. Iran got billions and billions of dollars for (accepting the deal). Where did the money go?… It went into the Houthis, it went into Hizbullah. It went into Iraq, it went into Syria for these Shiite militias. It didn’t go to the people of Iran… Iran has been systematically liquidating – that means murdering – Iranian citizens, dissidents who have a different view…. We’ve prevented quite a few of these murders of Iranians from taking place in European capitals. So, I’ve asked the European leaders, on the week that we have exposed these plots to murder people on your own soil, you’re meeting with representatives of the Iranian regime to help them circumvent the American action?” — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Voice of America Persian during the Warsaw Summit. (VOA, Feb. 16, 2019)
“We won’t form a government with the Arab parties, we will contact Likud — the post-Netanyahu Likud, that is — to form a national unity government at this time of division and rifts … Netanyahu won’t stay if he loses… It will be a very broad government that will be capable of accomplishing many goals. Of course, Likud will be … if not the first phone call to form a government. Likud is, after all, an important Zionist party, it has good people and its slate for the next Knesset is not bad. We would definitely be happy to contact them.” — Yair Lapid, the co-leader of the newly formed Blue and White party. (Times of Israel, Feb. 25, 2019)
“By speaking up against antisemitism you are a target. I don’t take it lightly. The more I speak, the more abuse I get, and the more abuse I get the more I speak. It’s got to the point where I can’t look at my Twitter feed any more. It’s just a constant stream.” — Rachel Riley, host of the UK television show “Countdown.” She and actress Tracy Ann Oberman are preparing to take legal action against those who have targeted them on Twitter with abusive remarks over their efforts to call out antisemitism in the Labour party. Mark Lewis, the pair’s lawyer, said he was contacting “between 60 and 70 people” who are “almost exclusively Labour supporters” for alleged libel or harassment of his two Jewish clients, according to the Daily Mail. (Algemeiner, Feb. 22, 2019)
“The views of Otzma Yehudit [long-time followers of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane] are reprehensible. They do not reflect the core values that are the very foundation of the State of Israel. The party might conceivably gain enough votes to enter the next Knesset, and potentially even become part of the governing coalition.” – American Jewish Committee (AJC) on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to partner with Otzma Yehudit in the April 9th election. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) tweeted, “We agree with AJC. AIPAC has a longstanding policy not to meet with members of this racist and reprehensible party.” (Algemeiner, Feb. 22, 2019)
“My office was created by law and designed to protect the Jewish people throughout the world. Think about that. The world’s greatest power is focused, by law and design, on protecting the Jews. It’s something not to be taken for granted… [the president] could not be more passionate about the issue” of fighting antisemitism and had spent considerable time speaking about antisemitism in his State of the Union address.” — Elan Carr, State Department’s new envoy on antisemitism addressing American Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. The envoy was hosted by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. (JTA, Feb. 21, 2019)
“There are many, many Palestinians that would like to be freed up to engage in business ventures with Israelis, and they’re entitled to that opportunity,” U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman told a forum to encourage such business links. Thousands of Palestinians work in Israeli communities and industrial parks in the West Bank, often in manufacturing or construction jobs which offer higher wages than similar jobs in Palestinian cities. Haldun al-Husseini, a Palestinian garment manufacturer from Jerusalem, says business with Israelis is key to improving the Palestinian economy. “Most of my business comes from Israelis. If we don’t work together, we will not improve Palestinian lives.” (Reuters, Feb. 21, 2019)
“We are a small, but huge, country – huge in initiatives, huge in its ability to do things, huge in achievements. There are four countries that have launched spacecraft to the moon. One is 800 times larger than us, one is 500 times larger than us and one is a little less… This only shows who our people are … with very deep roots in our heritage, with aspirations to reach higher and higher.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking on the launching of Israel’s first lunar spacecraft. (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Feb. 22, 2019
“As a member, Denmark will work for a council that treats all states in an equal and fair manner. It undermines the credibility of this council and its members when it insists on singling out one country, Israel, a democracy, under its own agenda item … All countries should be treated on an equal footing. Therefore, we will not speak under Item 7, but address the situation in Israel/Palestine under other country-specific items [Agenda Item 4] where it belongs. We encourage others to do the same.” — Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen calls out UNHRC on its insistence that alleged Israeli human rights abuses must be debated at each session under Agenda Item 7. Only Israel is singled out with its own separate listing on the agenda. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne added: “It is our firm view that a separate agenda item focusing on a single country situation – in this case Israel – is inappropriate. It does not occur in any other context for any other country.” (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 26, 2019)
SHORT TAKES
POLL: BLUE AND WHITE PARTY LEADS OVER LIKUD (Jerusalem) — According to the poll, if elections were held today, Blue White would win 35 seats. The Likud wins 29 seats, Labor for 9 seats, United Torah Judaism 7 seats, Hadash-Ta’al – 7, the New Right – 6 seats, Shas 5 seats, the Jewish Home-National Union-Otzma alliance 5 seats, Ram-Balad 5, Kulanu 4, Yisrael Beyteinu 4 seats and Meretz 4 seats. Zehut and Gesher do not pass the electoral threshold. The poll also found that the balance between the blocs remains unchanged: The right-wing bloc has 48 seats and the center-left bloc 48 seats, the Haredim 12 seats and the Arabs 12 seats. (Israel National News, Feb. 24, 2019)
TRUMP SELECTS NEW US AMBASSADOR TO THE UN (Washington) – President Trump selects Ambassador Kelly Craft, the US Ambassador to Canada to replace Nikki Haley. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had backed Craft for the post, and she also has the support of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton. Craft, a Kentucky native, was a member of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. General Assembly under President George W. Bush’s administration. (WIN, Feb. 24, 2019)
US WILL KEEP 400 TROOPS IN SYRIA (Washington) — The Trump administration, which abruptly announced in December that it was pulling out of Syria, has now agreed to leave 400 troops in Syria – 200 in a multinational force in the northeastern part of the country and another 200 at the outpost in al-Tanf in the southeast, where they will seek to counter Iran’s influence. A senior administration official said that Trump recognizes there are still supporters of the Islamic State in northeastern Syria and is willing to maintain a combat-ready American ground force there to prevent the extremist fighters from regrouping. The U.S. will also continue to provide air support to strike Islamic State targets. (NYT, Feb. 22, 2019)
IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF RESIGNS: NETANYAHU TWEETS ‘GOOD RIDDANCE’ (Tehran) –A day after Mohammad Javad Zarif announced his resignation on Instagram, the foreign minister of Iran is receiving support from members of parliament in Tehran amid calls for the president not to accept his decision. President Hassan Rouhani’s chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi even initially denied that the resignation had taken place. It is also reported that the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamanei, had a say in Zarif retaining his post. Meanwhile, up to 150 members of parliament have reportedly signed a letter urging Rouhani to reject the resignation. There are 290 seats in parliament. Prime Minister Netanyahu responded to the announcement by tweeting: “Zarif has gone. Good riddance.” President Rouhani did not accept Zarif’s resignation. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 26, 2019)
TO TARGET ISRAEL, IRAN’S ‘SUITCASE’ GPS KITS TURN HEZBOLLAH ROCKETS INTO GUIDED MISSILES (Syria) — Senior Israeli military officers outlined new details about Iran’s plans to turn a vast arsenal of relatively dumb rockets in Syria and Lebanon into a deadly array of precision-guided missiles. The key, according to Israel, is a Global Positioning System (GPS) “kit” the size of small roll-aboard luggage. (The Daily Beast, Feb. 21, 2019)
AL-QUDS BRIGADES ANNOUNCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ACCURATE MISSILE CAPABLE OF REACHING TEL AVIV AND NETANYA (Tehran) – In a documentary broadcast on Iranian television, the Brigades’ military spokesman announced the development of this sophisticated new missile capable of turning Israeli cities into “hell” in any future confrontation, adding that the first missile to be launched by the movement towards Tel Aviv “will be Iranian-made.” (Asharq Al -Awsat, Feb. 26, 2019)
BRITISH SPY CHIEF MADE SECRET VISIT TO ISRAEL AMID IRAN NUCLEAR ACTIVITY (Jerusalem) — Israel’s Channel 13 News reported that Great Britain’s MI6 intelligence chief Alex Younger met with Mossad head Yossi Cohen and other Israeli security leaders. Israel’s evaluation is that Tehran is “making preparations” within the specifications of the 2015 deal, and is “getting ready,” but has yet to display weapons. The report said that Iran recently renewed its production of centrifuges “and is gearing up for the renewal of uranium enrichment,” in accordance with the nuclear agreement that the United Kingdom supports. (WIN, February 23, 2019)
ISRAEL BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF SMART FENCE ALONG GAZA BORDER (JERUSALEM) – Israel began working on the final component of the barrier project along the Gaza border. The new barrier will be 65 kilometers long, stretching along the route of the border from the new sea barrier near Zikim beach in the north to Kerem Shalom crossing in the south. Made from galvanized steel, it will weigh about 20,000 tons and will reach a height of about six meters. The smart-fence is the above-ground part of Israel’s underground barrier, which has a system of advanced sensor and monitoring devices to detect tunnels. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 3, 2019)
NEWLY APPOINTED CHIEF OF STAFF ORDERS MAJOR SURPRISE TRAINING EXERCISE FOR ISRAELI MILITARY (Israel) – A month after Gen. Aviv Kochavi was sworn in as the new IDF chief of staff, the IDF began a surprise training exercise on Sunday across Israel that involved several branches of the military, with infantry, armor, artillery, and air force units all participating. The exercise will reportedly emphasize a possible conflict with Hamas in Gaza. (Jewish Press, Feb. 24, 2019)
UK BANNING HEZBOLLAH TERROR GROUP (UK) — A draft order, laid in the UK Parliament, declares Hezbollah in its entirety—political and military arms, as well as two other Islamist terror groups: Ansaroul Islam, and Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, terror organizations. Starting this Friday, subject to Parliament’s approval, being a member, or inviting support for Hezbollah or either of the other two groups will be a criminal offense in the UK, subject to a prison sentence of up to 10 years. (Jewish Press, Feb. 25, 2019)
NINTH UK LABOUR MP QUITS PARTY OVER ANTISEMITISM (London) — Ian Austin, the ninth lawmaker to quit the Labour Party this week, attributed his resignation to the party’s failure to root out antisemitism within its ranks. On Thursday, David Hirsh, a senior lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London, and author of the 2017 book “Contemporary Left Antisemitism,” announced that he was leaving Labour, ending a decades-long membership since he was 18. (Haaretz, Feb. 24, 2019)
NAFTALI BENNETT SEES TRUMP PLAN AS ‘CLEAR AND IMMEDIATE DANGER’(Jerusalem) – Responding to statements made by Jared Kushner regarding President’s Trump upcoming peace deal, Education Minister and Chairman of the “New Right” Party, Naftali Bennett told Sky News Arabic that Israel is facing a “clear and immediate danger right before our eyes, and that is the establishment of a Palestinian State.” (Jewish Press, Feb. 25, 2019)
PALESTINIANS ARRESTED IN FRESH TEMPLE MOUNT CLASHES (Jerusalem) — Palestinian worshipers clashed with Israeli police on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount trying to force their way into an area of the flash-point holy compound that has been closed for years. Police said 19 Palestinians were arrested. The incident follows a similar confrontation on Monday in which Palestinians tried to break the gate that Israel placed on the closed area last week after the Muslim Waqf religious council broke into the area and held prayers there. (Times of Israel, Feb. 20, 2019)
US ARMY COL. RABBI JACOB GOLDSTEIN’S GRANDSON RECEIVES RED BERET (Jerusalem) — Joe Brickman, a native of Crown Heights in Brooklyn, NY was one of 35 soldiers from the haredi Hetz paratrooper company to receive their red berets. His grandfather, Col Rabbi Jacob Goldstein, was the former chaplain of the NY Army National Guard. Hetz is the Hebrew acronym for “Haredi Tzanhanim” – Haredi Paratroopers. The unit was founded at the start of 2017 following the success of the haredi Netzach Yehuda (Nahal Haredi) Brigade. (Jewish Press, Feb. 23, 2019)
SISI: IF JEWS RETURN TO EGYPT, WE’LL BUILD SYNAGOGUES (Cairo) — If Jews are interested in establishing a Jewish community in Egypt, the government will build synagogues and other communal institutions, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told a US delegation during a two-hour meeting last week. The delegation was made up of the Anwar Sadat Congressional Gold Medal Commission that advocated the granting of the US Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to the slain Egyptian president who made peace with Israel. Its members traveled to Egypt to invite Sisi to the ceremony in the fall, when the medal will be given to Sadat’s wife, Jehan. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 25, 2019)
ISRAEL TO CONQUER QUARTER OF US MARKET WITH GENERIC EPIPEN (Jerusalem) — Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has projected that its generic version of the Mylan EpiPen will capture about one-quarter of the U.S. market by the end of 2019, announced CEO Kare Schultz. The EpiPen, short for epinephrine auto-injector, is a medical device that injects doses of adrenaline for those who have severe allergies. The U.S. EpiPen market is valued at around $750 million annually. (WIN, Feb. 24, 2019)
UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH SOCIETY (Essex) — Although it was previously voted against by about 200 students, leaders from the university’s Students’ Union ratified the society following a discussion with the Trustee Board and a public outcry over the initial poll. The English school also launched a probe into antisemitism and suspended a lecturer accused of sharing hostile posts on the Holocaust, Jews, and Israel. In an email sent earlier on Friday to all students and staff, Vice Chancellor Anthony Forster denounced antisemitism and said the week’s events “raised important questions for us.” (Algemeiner, Feb. 22, 2019)
NYU TO HOST LINDA SARSOUR DESPITE HER ANTISEMITISM CONTROVERSIES (New York) — Linda Sarsour, who has been dogged by accusations of antisemitism, will speak next month at a New York University program on immigration. The March 25th event, sponsored by NYU’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute, makes no reference to Sarsour’s divisive views. Instead, an NYU statement describes her as a “racial justice and civil rights activist” who is “[b]est known for her intersectional coalition work and efforts to build bridges across racial, ethnic, and faith communities.” (Algemeiner, Feb. 22, 2019)
RESIDENTS OF CANADIAN TOWN SHOCKED BY APPEARANCE OF SWASTIKA FLAG (Prince Edward Island) — Residents of Charlottetown were stunned last week when a swastika flag was sighted prominently flying in a resident’s backyard. In response to the outcry, the local police force spoke with the owner of the property to persuade him to lower the offensive flag. The flag was removed and replaced with the flag of Prince Edward Island. (Algemeiner, Feb. 24, 2019)
CHIEF RABBI OF ARGENTINA VIOLENTLY BEATEN IN HIS HOME (Buenos Aires) – Rabbi Gabriel Davidovich, was severely beaten at his home in the early hours of Monday morning, and has been hospitalized with “serious injuries” according to the capital’s Jewish Community Center (AMIA). Davidovich’s wife was tied up during the break-in and the assailants stole money and other possessions from the home, while telling him: “We know that you are the AMIA Rabbi,” according to AMIA’s statement. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 26, 2019)
On Topic Links
Jared Kushner Interview Transcript: ‘We’ve been working hard on the peace initiative for two years now’ – The National, Feb. 26, 2019 — Jared Kushner, the White House senior adviser, spoke about America’s Middle East peace plan and his tour of the region in an interview with Sky News Arabia while visiting Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Outlaw Hezbollah: What Took So Long?: Jerusalem Post editorial, Feb. 27, 2019 — Good news out of England – Parliament is expected to approve a motion to ban Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
Jordan Expands Managing Body of Temple Mount to Stop #Israel from Changing Status Quo: Lenny Ben David, Threadreader, Feb. 19, 2019 — What’s “Bab al-Rahma?”
Labor Supports Bennett’s Accusation: Lapid, Gantz, Only Seeking Likud Jobs: David Israel, Jewish Press, Feb. 25, 2019 — Labor MK and opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich on Monday morning tweeted: “The positions of Blue and White have been revealed. Even before the end of the writing of their joint platform, Yair Lapid makes clear in the recordings that we brought to Kan News – the new list will not create a blocking alliance with the Arab parties and will turn to the Likud to form a national unity government.”
