Europe Turns Away From the US — and Bites the Hand That Feeds: Benny Avni, New York Post, June 5, 2018
Iran’s Response: The ‘Strategy Of Tension’: Jonathan Spyer, Jerusalem Post, June 1, 2018
Protests in Jordan: Revisiting the Arab Spring: Dr. James M. Dorsey, BESA, June 6, 2018
Trudeau Rushed to Judgment on Gaza. And Canada’s Friends in Israel Noticed: Vivian Bercovici, National Post, June 1, 2018
WEEKLY QUOTES
“I am now leaving on an important visit to Europe. I will meet with three leaders and I will raise two issues there: Iran and Iran…First of all, there is the need to continue the pressure on Iran against its nuclear program. I believe that this pressure should be increased. It could be that there is not full agreement on this at the moment, but in my opinion, such an understanding will take shape. The second issue is blocking Iran’s aggression in the region, especially its attempts to establish a military presence against us in Syria and attack us from there. On this issue I hope to form an agreed-upon policy. These are meetings with three very important leaders in Europe. I think that it is a good thing that I have a very personal, close and very good connection with them. This is important for the State of Israel.” — Prime Minister Netanyahu. (Jewish Press, June 4, 2018)
“The words uttered by some European states indicate that they expect the Iranian nation to both agree to comply with the nuclear deal undertakings and live under sanction. I tell the European states that have undigested thoughts in their minds that this dream of yours will not come true…The Iranian nation will not tolerate being under both sanctions and nuclear restrictions. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is duty-bound to prepare the ground for achieving 190 thousand of SWUs (Separate Working Units of uranium enrichment), but within the framework of the JCPOA for the time being.” — Supreme Leader of Iran Khamenei. Khamenei threatened: “We have the foremost missile defense power in the region, and that missile program guarantees our security! The enemy must know, if they strike us just once, we will strike back ten times fold!” (Jewish Press, June 5, 2018)
“The United States will unquestionably veto Kuwait’s draft resolution…It is a grossly one-sided approach that is morally bankrupt and would only serve to undermine ongoing efforts toward peace between the Israelis and Palestinians…There is not one single mention of Hamas in the resolution, when Hamas is chiefly responsible for the recent violence in Gaza…The text criticizes “excessive” and “indiscriminate” use of force by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, when in fact, it is Hamas that fired [over] 70 rockets indiscriminately into Israeli towns this week…The resolution calls on Israel to immediately cease its actions in self-defense, but makes no mention of Hamas’ aggressive actions against Israeli security forces and civilians.” — US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley. The US pledged to veto a UN Security Council resolution that calls for an international protection force for the Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Kuwaiti draft was initially written in response to the IDF shooting of Palestinians during violet riots on Israel’s border with Gaza, during an eight week event dubbed the Great March of Return. (Jerusalem Post, June 1, 2018)
“Iran is fully financing and pushing the Hamas demonstrations…The PA has no choice but to support the demonstrations because so may of the participants are demonstrating against the economic situation.” —Salman al-Harfi, the Palestinian ambassador to France. The PA informed the French government last month that Iran was financing and encouraging the weeks of violent protests along the Gaza border. While the Ramallah-based PA does not support the Hamas-led protests, the Palestinian ambassador said it “does condemn Israel’s response, because most of the protesters are non-violent.” Despite reportedly being informed that Iran was funding the demonstrations, France was one of ten countries backing an Arab-backed UN Security Council draft resolution calling for protective measures for the Palestinians, which was vetoed by the United States. (Times of Israel, June 5, 2018)
“The strategic importance of the area is clear to anyone who has stood in the Galilee and looked up at the Golan Heights. We will not allow it to become another place from which Israel is under constant threat. Not now and not after Assad… I turn to President Trump and say: After your brave step in recognizing Jerusalem and moving the embassy, recognize our sovereignty over the Golan Heights. And I turn to the Members of Congress from both parties, Republicans and Democrats: put Israel above partisan politics once more and recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. And I also turn to the leaders of Europe: For years you turned a blind eye to the massacres in Syria. This time, do the right thing. Recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Israel will not leave the Golan Heights and no one who cares about our security should ever expect us to. The world needs to recognize that reality. I call upon all of Israel’s friends to join us in this campaign and ensure that the world does what Israel did long ago; secure the future of the Golan Heights.” — Member of Knesset Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid). (Times of Israel, June 6, 2018)
“It’s a shame that Argentina’s footballing nobility did not withstand the pressure from Israel-hating inciters…We shall not surrender to a group of anti-Semites who support terror.” — Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman. Liberman slammed Argentina’s national soccer team over the cancellation of a planned friendly against Israel in Jerusalem. The Israeli embassy in Argentina earlier announced the “suspension” of Saturday’s sold-out game because of what it called “threats and provocations” against Argentinian soccer superstar Lionel Messi. The Jerusalem match, which would have been Argentina’s final warm-up game before next week’s World Cup in Russia, was highly anticipated in Israel with tickets selling out in 20 minutes. The game, scheduled to be held at Teddy Stadium, located in the western part of the city, drew furious reactions from the Palestinians. (Times of Israel, June 6, 2018)
“The…article “A modest opening for new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem” described what the Palestinians call the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” as the anniversary of the date on which Palestinians “lost their land when the Israeli state was created in 1948.” That is partially true: In the 1948 Israeli War of Independence, the Palestinians did in fact lose what was offered to them with the loss of the West Bank; the Palestinians did in fact lose what was offered to them with the loss of Gaza. But the dark little secret that the manipulative sentence left out was that the Palestinians lost the West Bank not to Israel but to their land-grabbing brethren Jordan. And they lost Gaza not to Israel but to their land-grabbing brethren Egypt. This set of facts is critical to assess what happened to the Palestinians and who is culpable…The (Washington) Post routinely omits that the war was started by the local Arabs and neighboring Arab countries. If the Palestinians had accepted the two-state solution of 1947, there would be no conflict today, and the two-state solution would be going on its 71st year. The problem stems from the seminal point that the Palestinians have time and again refused the two-state solution and have continued this refusal to this day. Hopes and wishes by the media will not change this fact. The empty words of peace by Palestinian leaders are in no way consistent with their actions…The truth may not bring peace, but culpability will shape world opinion and perhaps push the Palestinians to realize that their 70-year attempt to defeat Israel is over. — Mark Regev, Israeli Ambassador to the UK. (Washington Post, May 25, 2018)
“Fifty-one years ago this week, the Six Day War broke out. While some wars fade into obscurity, this one remains as relevant today as in 1967. Many of its core issues remain unresolved… after winning the war of self-defense, Israel hoped that its newly-acquired territories, seized from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, would be the basis for a land-for-peace accord. Feelers were sent out. The formal response came on September 1, 1967, when the Arab Summit Conference famously declared in Khartoum: “No peace, no recognition, no negotiations” with Israel… Can history move forward? Absolutely. Israel’s peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994 powerfully prove the point. At the same time, though, the lessons of the Six-Day War illustrate just how tough and tortuous the path can be — and are sobering reminders that, yes, history does matter.” — David Harris (Times of Israel, Jun 1, 2018)
SHORT TAKES
IRANIAN GENERAL DENIES REPORTS OF WITHDRAWAL FROM SYRIA (Tehran) — An Iranian military official says Iran has no plan to pull out of southern Syria, dismissing reports from last week which suggested otherwise. “Iran and Syria enjoy deep relations that won’t be affected by anybody’s propaganda,” Brig. Gen. Massoud Jazayeri said. The US and Israel, he added, “need to know that this situation (Iran’s presence in Syria) isn’t going to change.” Jazayeri called on US forces to leave Syria and stressed that Iranian “advisors” are present in Syria “by request of the regime and the Syrian people.” Last week, a Syrian human rights organization said forces of Iran and Hezbollah were preparing to pull out of Daraa and Quneitra, which are adjacent to the border with Israel. (Jerusalem Online, June 3, 2018)
IRAN TELLS UN IT WILL HIKE URANIUM ENRICHMENT CAPACITY (Tehran) — Iran has notified the International Atomic Energy Agency that it has launched a plan to increase its uranium enrichment capacity, nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said. He specified that it was just the start of the production process and “does not mean that we will start assembling the centrifuges.” Under the 2015 agreement, Iran can build parts for the centrifuges as long as it does not put them into operation within the first decade. Salehi also emphasized that the moves “do not mean the negotiations (with Europe) have failed.” European governments have been trying to salvage the agreement ever since the United States announced its withdrawal last month. (Times of Israel, June 5, 2018)
UK LEARNS IRAN PLANNED TO ENRICH URANIUM FOR MILITARY USE (London) — Britain is sweating over information transferred to the UK that was stolen from the Iranian nuclear archive by the Mossad earlier this year, the Times reported. One of the documents is a memorandum that hands responsibility for the production of weapons-grade enriched uranium to the Iranian defense ministry. The memorandum dated to 2001 and authorized the military to take over the task of enriching uranium hexafluoride (UF6) by centrifuges, from 3 percent to more than 90 percent. (Jewish Press, June 4, 2018)
OBAMA ADMIN SECRETLY HELPED IRAN SKIRT SANCTIONS (Washington) — The Obama administration helped Iran utilize sanctioned oil revenue stranded in a foreign bank account in 2016 while actively misleading Congress about the cooperation, according to the results of a Republican led Senate investigation. After signing the 2015 nuclear deal, the Obama administration publicly maintained that all non-nuclear sanctions barring Iran from operating within the U.S. financial system would remain in place. Despite this pledge, in February 2016 the administration assisted Tehran in recovering $5.7 billion held in the Bank Muscat in the Persian Gulf state of Oman, according to the report, compiled by the Senate’s permanent subcommittee on investigations. (National Review, June 6, 2018)
JORDAN PM RESIGNS AMID GROWING PROTESTS OVER TAX HIKE (Amman) — Jordan’s King Abdullah has asked Omar al-Razzaz to form a government after Hani Mulki resigned as prime minister following the country’s biggest protests in years. The move appeared aimed at defusing anger over planned tax hikes that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in Amman and other parts of Jordan since last week. Jordan, a staunch US ally that has a peace treaty with Israel, has remained stable through years of regional turmoil. Security forces had detained 60 people during the protests and 42 security force members had been injured, but protests remained under control. (Telegraph, June 4, 2018)
US VETOES UN RESOLUTION ON ‘PROTECTION’ FOR PALESTINIANS (Geneva) — The U.S. vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that sought to explore ways to ensure “international protection” for Palestinians, while the council voted down a competing US proposal to condemn Hamas over the escalation of violence in Gaza. The votes came after weeks of urgent discussions that had highlighted deep divisions in the UN’s most powerful body about how to respond to the bloodshed. (Ynet, June 1, 2018)
ISRAEL TO BUILD NEW GAZA BELT TOWN AFTER HAMAS AGGRESSION (Jerusalem) — Amid the fighting between Israel and Hamas, Housing Minister Yoav Gallant said that he plans to propose a plan to build a new Jewish community adjacent to the Gaza border in response to the recent escalation in violence. The community, whose proposed name is “Hanun,” will be located about 4 miles from the border. The town is meant to house 500 families. The proposal will require collaboration between the Housing, Interior, Agriculture, and Negev and Galilee Development ministries, along with the Israel Land Authority and other authorities. (Jewish Press, May 31, 2018)
TERRORIST PLAN TARGETED NETANYAHU AND US EMBASSY BUILDING (Jerusalem) —An eastern Jerusalem man was arrested for planning attacks on targets that include Prime Minister Netanyahu and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, as well as the U.S. Embassy, on behalf of a terrorist cell directed from Syria. Muhammad Jamal Rashdeh, 30, was arrested in April and indicted last week. Two other unnamed members of the terror cell were later arrested. In addition to targeting high-ranking Israeli officials, Rashdeh also planned to attack buildings that belong to the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, which is now the embassy, and a senior Canadian delegation that was visiting Jerusalem. (JTA, June 5, 2018)
AL-SADR: JEWS CAN RETURN TO IRAQ — IF THEY SHOW LOYALTY (Baghdad) — Shi’a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said that Jews could return to Iraq if they “demonstrated loyalty,” Hebrew media reported. Sadr heads the Saairun coalition, which won the most seats in the Iraqi election last month. His comment on Jews came in response to a question asked by a supporter. Around 150,000 Jews lived in Iraq in 1947. Persecution by the Iraqi government prompted many Jews to flee the country between 1948 and 1951, mostly by airlift to Israel. There was a further wave of emigration following the 1967 Six-Day War, and the Jewish population of Iraq is now estimated to total less than ten people. (Algemeiner, June 3, 2018)
SUICIDE BOMBER STRIKES MEETING OF AFGHAN CLERICS (Kabul) — A suicide bomber killed 14 people outside a large gathering in Kabul during Ramadan where top religious figures had just condemned suicide attacks as violations of Islam. I.S. claimed responsibility for the attack on a website linked to the group, denouncing the meeting of “tyrant clerics” and their condemnation of suicide attacks. The attack occurred near the main entrance to a large tented compound in the Afghan capital, where about 2,000 Muslim clerics had assembled to deliberate on the war and attacks by the Taliban and I.S., which are battling the Afghan government as well as U.S. and allied troops. (Washington Post, June 5, 2018)
SAUDI WOMEN RECEIVE DRIVER’S LICENCES (Riyadh) — Saudi Arabia issued its first driver’s licences to 10 women as the kingdom prepared to lift the world’s only ban on women driving, but some women who campaigned for the right to drive remain under arrest. A government statement said the 10 women who were issued licences already held driving licences from other countries, including the U.S., U.K., Lebanon and Canada. Other women have been preparing for the right to drive on June 24. The surprise move to issue some women licences early came as activists who had campaigned for the right to drive remain under arrest, facing possible trial. Saudi Arabia said that 17 people had been detained in recent weeks on suspicion of trying to undermine security and stability. (CBC, June 4, 2018)
JUSTICES SIDE WITH COLORADO BAKER ON SAME-SEX WEDDING CAKE (Denver) — The Supreme Court ruled for a baker who wouldn’t make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The justices’ decision turned on what the court described as anti-religious bias on the Colorado Civil Rights Commission when it ruled against baker Jack Phillips. The justices voted 7-2 that the commission violated Phillips’ rights under the First Amendment. The same-sex couple at the heart of the case complained to the Colorado commission in 2012 after they visited Phillips’ Masterpiece Cakeshop in Denver and the baker quickly told them he would not create a cake for their wedding celebration. (CTV, June 4, 2018)
ISRAEL SENDS AID TO GUATEMALA (Guatemala City) — Israel is sending aid to Guatemala after a fiery volcanic eruption in the country sent lava flowing into rural communities, killing at least 25. The $10,000 worth of aid includes food, medication and blankets. At least 20 people were injured in the eruption, and authorities said they feared the death toll could rise. The Volcan de Fuego, or “Volcano of Fire,” exploded in a hail of ash and molten rock shortly before noon on Sunday, blanketing nearby villages in heavy ash. Israel and Guatemala have recently experienced a significant warming of relations after the Central American country moved its embassy to Jerusalem last month. (United With Israel, June 4, 2018)
THOUSANDS IN NEW YORK CHEER ISRAEL’S ANNIVERSARY (New York) — Signs were in full display on June 3 at “Celebrate Israel” parade, many of them paying homage to this year’s theme of “70 and Sababa!” Others held by the tens of thousands of people from the New York and elsewhere focused on Israel’s unity, strength and freedom. The five-hour procession, which went up Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, included a number of special guests including Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon. Additional celebrations were held in Central Park, with festivities continuing in Times Square with music by Israeli singer Shiri Maimon and DJ Omri Anghel. There was also a display of Israeli innovation and a recap of the country’s first 70 years across the screens of Times Square. (JNS, June 4, 2018)
74 YEARS SINCE D-DAY LANDINGS (Colleville-Sur-Mer) — Families of fallen soldiers and veterans of the D-Day invasion gathered on the Normandy shore to mark 74 years since the massive military operation that helped change the course of World War II. Thousands of U.S., British, Canadian and French troops launched a combined naval, air and land assault as dawn was breaking on June 6, 1944. The invasion weakened the Nazis’ hold on Western Europe after they suffered a punishing defeat in Stalingrad in the east. Bigger events are planned for the 75th anniversary next year. (National Post, June 6, 2018)
SHAARE ZION CONGREATION TO HONOUR RABBI LIONEL E. MOSES (Montreal) — Shaare Zion Congreation of Montreal will honour Rabbi Lionel E. Moses on his retirement. Please join us Shabbat, June 16, for a memorable service honouring Rabbi Moses. RSVP is required, call 514-481-7727 x223 or send a message to Rosanne.puritz@shaarezion.org. (Shaare Zion, June 4, 2018)
IRAN-BACKED ‘QUDS DAY’ (Gaza) — Iran is pushing this year’s Quds Day as a solidarity event with Palestinians as Hamas toned down protests Tuesday in line with Tehran’s agenda. Now Palestinian organizers are claiming that “Quds Day” on Friday will see a million people turn out to protest Israel, including in the Gaza Strip. The Islamic Republic of Iran created Quds Day in 1979 to coincide with the last Friday of Ramadan as part of its anti-Israel policies. This year, annual events are planned in London and Toronto as well as in 800 cities worldwide, according to organizers. Call or write your local media to let them know the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group is planning to renew its massive, violent protests on Friday to coincide with “Quds Day.” Hamas could end the violence on the Gaza border at any time. But they only do so when their own leadership is threatened. (Jerusalem Post, June 5, 2018)
Europe Turns Away From the US — and Bites the Hand That Feeds: Benny Avni, New York Post, June 5, 2018—President Trump’s tariff war with Europe is wrongheaded, but hardly the only issue separating “our closest allies” from America, the country too many on the continent love to hate.
Iran’s Response: The ‘Strategy Of Tension’: Jonathan Spyer, Jerusalem Post, June 1, 2018—The United States and its allies are currently in the opening stages of the pursuit of a strategy to contain and roll back the Islamic Republic of Iran from a number of points in the Middle East. This strategy is set to include an economic element (renewed sanctions), a military aspect (involving Israeli action against Iran in Syria, and the Saudi/UAE campaign against the Houthis in Yemen), and a primarily political effort (in Iraq and to a lesser extent in Lebanon).
Protests in Jordan: Revisiting the Arab Spring: Dr. James M. Dorsey, BESA, June 6, 2018—Large numbers of middle-class Jordanian demonstrators who saw their livelihoods threatened by price and tax hikes recently took to the streets. The ensuing replacement of Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki by his education minister, Omar al-Razzaz, a reformer and former World Banker, did little to quell the unrest.
Trudeau Rushed to Judgment on Gaza. And Canada’s Friends in Israel Noticed: Vivian Bercovici, National Post, June 1, 2018—On Monday May 14, Dr. Tarek Loubani, a Canadian-Palestinian physician, was at the Gaza-Israel border. Dressed in green hospital scrubs, he reports that he was standing in a cluster of medics wearing orange vests. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF), according to Dr. Loubani, understood that the group were all medical first responders.
