Daily Briefing: WEDNESDAY’S “NEWS OF THE WEEK IN REVIEW” (October 20, 2021)

The Fall Of Joe Biden Has Been Much Exaggerated:  Lawrence Martin, The Globe and Mail, Oct. 14, 2021“It’s true that Mr.Biden, who has plummeted about 10 percent in the polls [Ed.: currently, over 20 percent] occasionally looks a bit dazed, his folksiness giving way to stumblebummery…But that the mood of the country has turned sour is hardly his fault. Postinauguration, the epidemic was supposed to fade, engendering brighter times. It returned in force…in good part because of vaccine-refusers on the Republican right. [And] all the Biden badmouthing overlooks the key consideration that his opposition is a Donald Trump-dominated Republican Party…weaker now…as more revelations roll in about the Jan. 6 ransacking of the Capitol…

“Our vision is that entire theaters will fight autonomously, without a single human being directly involved in the fighting.” — engineers from Elbit’s C4I division (Computers, Communications, Command and Control, and Intelligence). Israel’s Elbit Systems is where much of the most classified Israeli military technologies are being developed. “We have already started constructing a combat training facility at the Nahal Brigade training base [in the Negev] that will be entirely based on the use of the simulator.  It’s a revolution. We will save 100 percent on ammunition; we’ll shorten training time, and we’ll improve the professional level of the soldiers.” – Arik Avivi, the outgoing head of the weapons department at the IDF Ground Forces Command. (JNS, Oct. 12, 2021)
 
“Hezbollah is using all its tools to control the state [and] to break and subjugate” the judiciary. “Everything that has been happening for weeks and months is … to escape from the truth and from giving the victims their rights” –Samy Gemayel, president of the Christian Kataeb Party.  He responds to Hezbollah’s charges that Christian factions had sparked the recent factional fighting in Beirut that led to several deaths. (Gemayel claims the fighting issued from Hezbollah demonstrations calling for the judge’s resignation. The judge had led an inquiry into last year’s massive and fatal Beirut port explosion.) – Asmaa al-Omar and Vivian Yee.  (NYTimes, Oct. 15, 2021)
 
“ … there is no other people which is obsessively demonized and delegitimized by double standards, systematic falsehoods, and being airbrushed out of its own history. No other people has been subjected to the repeated aim of eradicating it from the face of the earth, to the general indifference of everyone else. No other group has been the victim of a mindset that ascribes to people who form some 0.2 percent of the global population the malign power of a conspiracy to manipulate the world. And it’s this uniquely deranged, paranoid, and incomprehensible mindset that’s been given rocket fuel by the Palestinian Arab narrative. For people don’t care about the Palestinians. What does animate a terrifying number of their supporters is a deep desire for the Jews to vanish from their world. Palestinianism is not just about the eradication of Israel. It has weaponized Israel against the Jewish people.” – British columnist Melanie Phillips.  (Arutz Sheva, Oct. 15, 2021)
 
“Oh, Allah give us the necks of the Jews […] of those evildoers!” – A speaker at a rally held in Sydney, Australia, in support of Palestinians during the May 2021 Hamas-Israeli conflict in Gaza and Jerusalem.  Hizb ut-Tahrir, the group that organized the rally, is an international pan-Islamist and fundamentalist political organization whose stated aim is the re-establishment of the Islamic caliphate to unite the Muslim community and implement sharia globally. The MC of the event chanted: “We will liberate Palestine!” “Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews! The army of Muhammad will return!” and “Destroy the Jews!.”  (United With Israel, Oct. 18, 2021)
 
“…continued emphasis on race is taking us towards chaos… America is thirsty to reward grace and virtue. I believe that there’s going to be a revival coming soon, and that revival is going to come from low- income black neighborhoods, because those neighborhoods are untouched by wokeness… The emphasis on race now is acting as a primary barrier for us to address the deeper malaise facing this country”. –Robert L. Woodson, Sr., President of the Woodson Center (WSJ, Oct. 15, 2021)
 
“We couldn’t stop selling in the U.S,” he said, with a disdainful shrug. I think it’s fine to be involved in a country, and be a citizen of the country, and to protest some of the country’s actions. And that’s essentially what we’re doing in terms of Israel. We hugely support Israel’s right to exist, but we are against a particular policy.” — Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, which recently boycotted Israel and supports the BDS movement. That led to the question that stumped Cohen. “You guys are big proponents of voting rights. Why do you still sell ice cream in Georgia? Texas — abortion bans. Why are you still selling there,” reporter Alexi McCammond asked. Cohen sat there quietly, awkwardly shrugged his shoulder before finally admitting, “I don’t know.” After a nervous laugh, he said, “It’s an interesting question. I don’t know what that would accomplish. We’re working on those issues, of voting rights and,” and then his voice trailed off.” — Pesach Benson  (United With Israel, Oct. 11, 2021)
 

 KNESSET HOLDS CONTENTIOUS MEMORIAL SESSION ON ANNIVERSARY OF RABIN ASSASSINATION (Jerusalem) — The Knesset held a special session in memory of the late Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin, on the 26th anniversary of his assassination. Rabin’s assassination occurred on November 5, 1995, but today was its anniversary on the Hebrew calendar. The speeches given by the Knesset leadership, however, were characterized by political attacks as much as they were dedicated to statesmanship and honoring the memory of the late prime minister. One notable absentee at the Mount Herzl cemetery, however, was the leader of Israel’s opposition Binyamin Netanyahu.  He did not explain his absence.  (Jewish Press, Oct. 18, 2021)

 PERSONAL LETTERS BY RABBI KNOWN AS ‘HAZON ISH’ COME TO NATIONAL LIBRARY OF ISRAEL (Jerusalem) — Fourteen letters penned in the 1940s by the legendary rabbi known as the “Hazon Ish” were donated to the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem by Rabbi Zvi Yehuda on behalf of his family.  Rabbi Yehuda was one of the rabbi’s students. The “Hazon Ish” (Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, 1878-1953) is considered one of the most influential rabbis of the 20th century. The letters reveal a very personal side to the revered spiritual leader. (JNS, Oct. 14, 2021)

NOVEL AY4.2 COVID DELTA VARIANT IDENTIFIED IN 11-YEAR-OLD ISRAELI (Jerusalem) — An 11-year-old Israeli boy returning from Moldova to Israel has been identified as COVID positive, carrying the novel Delta variant AY4.2, the only recorded case in Israel of the new strand of the coronavirus. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 19, 2021)

GOOGLE, AMAZON WORKERS CALL TO CANCEL BILLION-DOLLAR ISRAEL CONTRACT (California) — Hundreds of Google and Amazon employees have signed a public letter demanding that the tech giants cancel Project Nimbus, a billion-dollar contract to provide public cloud computing services to Israel. In the letter, the authors also call on Amazon and Google to sever all ties with the Israeli military. (JNS, Oct. 13, 2021)

ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES PUTS LATEST UNMANNED BATTLE VEHICLE ON DISPLAY IN WASHINGTON (Washington). — In the coming days, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will display a new autonomous combat vehicle at a landmark American defense exhibition. The Rex MK II, IAI’s latest unmanned land platform, is designed to keep troops out of harm’s ways in challenging combat conditions. The platform can carry 1.3 tons and serve forces by gathering intelligence, carrying heavy logistical loads, and conducting remote gun attacks on enemy targets already sold to customers worldwide. (JNS, Oct. 11, 2021)

CYBER ATTACKS ON ISRAELI HOSPITALS INCREASED OVER WEEKEND (Jerusalem) — Attempts increased at cyber-attacks against several hospitals and medical organizations in Israel. Fortunately, a quick response halted the attempts before the vital systems were damaged. The Wednesday before, the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center’s computer system crashed after experiencing a ransom cyberattack. (WIN, Oct. 17, 2021)

 WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY UNVEILS NEW SYSTEM FOR FIRST RESPONDERS (Jerusalem) — Commtact, an Israeli provider of advanced wireless communications systems, unveiled a real-time communications network for first responders.  Called CommNet, they designed the new system for large events and command-and-control center teams. (JNS, Oct. 12, 2021)

 ALABAMA CHEROKEE TRIBE ESTABLISHES TIES WITH ISRAEL, RECOGNIZES ‘UNDIVIDED’ JERUSALEM (Alaska) — The Northeast Alabama Cherokee held a ceremony on Sept. 25 in Guntersville, Ala., to establish a relationship with Israel. There, the tribe presented a resolution, unanimously passed by the Tribal Council, recognizing the “sovereign Jewish nation” of Israel, with Jerusalem as its “eternal undivided capital.” The event included expressions of solidarity with the Jewish community and comparisons to the experiences of native tribes in North America. Chief Larry Smith began his remarks by noting that “if there is a people that can understand how the Jews feel, it’s the Cherokee,” which received an “Amen” from the audience. (JNS, Oct. 12, 2021)

 SIR DAVID AMESS: MP MURDER SUSPECT HELD UNDER TERRORISM ACT (London) — Ali Harbi Ali, 25, was arrested following the killing of the M.P. Sir David Amess and is being held under the Terrorism Act. He was a British man of Somali heritage who was referred to the counter-terrorist Prevent scheme some years ago but was never a formal subject of interest to MI5. His father, Harbi Ali Kullane, who was previously an adviser to Somalia’s prime minister, has been visited by police who have taken his phone for analysis. (BBC, Oct.18, 2021)

 HAMAS MEMBER’S SON HELPED WRITE UK LABOUR MOTION AGAINST ISRAEL – REPORT (U.K.) — General secretary of the Arab Labour Group Omar Mofeed — allegedly Hamas official Dr. Mufid Al-Mokhalalati’s son— helped draft the labor conference motion calling for sanctions against Israel.  He drafted it, together with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, a group he directs.  (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 15, 2021)

 US RE-ELECTED TO UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, VOWS TO ‘PUSH BACK’ AGAINST ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS (Geneva) — The U.S. was elected to the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) reversing a move by the Trump administration, which withdrew from the international body in 2018 over its anti-Israel prejudice. The U.S. won a three-year term for one of the council’s 18 open seats, starting in January. (JNS, Oct. 14, 2021)

CHINA DENIES REPORT OF HYPERSONIC MISSILE TEST, SAYS TESTED SPACE VEHICLE (Beijing) — China had tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile that flew through space, circling the globe before cruising down toward its target, which it missed by about two dozen miles. According to the Financial Times, the feat had “caught U.S. intelligence by surprise.”  China ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian denied that it was a missile, but a space vehicle, adding it had been a “routine test” for testing technology to reuse the vehicle. (Yahoo Sports, Oct. 18, 2021)

 APPLE TAKES DOWN QURAN APP IN CHINA (Beijing) — Apple has taken down one of the world’s most popular Quran apps in China, following a request from officials. Quran Majeed is available across the globe on the App Store – and has nearly 150,000 reviews. Millions of Muslims use it. They removed the app because it hosted illegal religious texts. (BBC, Oct. 15, 2021)

 NORWAY BOW-ARROW ATTACK ‘ACT OF TERROR’ (Kongsberg) — A bow and arrow attack in which a Danish convert to Islam, Espen Andersen Braathen, is suspected of killing five people in a Norwegian town appears to have been an “act of terror,” police said. Braathen is a 37-year-old living in the Kongsberg municipality where the attacks occurred. He acknowledged killing the victims. (National Post, Oct. 15, 2021)

 POLICE ARREST THREE SUSPECTED JIHADISTS (Barcelona) — Spanish police arrested three suspected members of a jihadist cell in Barcelona and one in Madrid after one of them tried to buy an assault rifle for a potential attack. A fifth suspected cell member was already in prison serving an unspecified sentence. Officers found three machetes and ammunition in the house of the group’s leader, identified only as “Sheikh,” who was arrested in Turkey in 2016 when trying to enter a conflict zone to join the Islamic State, police said in a statement. (Vancouver Sun, Oct. 14, 2021)