WarSclerotic

Three U.S. officials undermine Israel’s security, safety & tell all | Israel and Stuff.

Three unnamed U.S. officials told CNN reporters that it was Israel that struck the Russian-made missiles in Latakia, Syria last Friday.

 A series of explosions last week at a critical Syrian port was the result of airstrikes by Israeli warplanes, multiple U.S. officials told CNN on Friday.

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Regional media widely reported the predawn explosions at Latakia on July 5, but no one had oficially claimed responsibility.

Three U.S. officials told CNN the target of the airstrikes were Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship missiles that Israel believes posed a threat to its naval forces.

The officials declined to be named because of the sensitive nature of the information.

So far, the Israeli government has also declined to comment to CNN.

The Syrian rebels said on Tuesday that “foreign forces” had destroyed advanced Russian anti-ship missiles in Latakia, hinting that Israel may have been behind the attack.

Qassem Saadeddine, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army’s Supreme Military Council, saod that the rebels’ intelligence network had identified newly supplied Russian Yakhont missiles being stored in the depots that were hit.

“It was not the FSA that targeted this,” Saadeddine said. “It is not an attack that was carried out by rebels.

“This attack was either by air raid or long-range missiles fired from boats in the Mediterranean,” he added.

Rebels described hearing and seeing huge blasts, the ferocity of which, they said, was beyond the firepower available to them but consistent with that of a modern military like Israel’s.

Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Tuesday that Israel does not interfere in the affairs of neighboring countries, but it does act when its red lines are crossed. Some interpreted these remarks as a hint that Israel may have been involved in a strike in Syria.

“We’ve established red lines regarding our interests and we maintain them. Whenever there is an explosion or attack over there, the Middle East blames us anyway,” Yaalon said vaguely.

In May, Yaalon said that Israel “will know what to do” if Russia delivers highly advanced anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.

These remarks were also viewed by some media outlets as “an apparent allusion to another air strike” on Syria.

In May, Syria claimed that the Israel Air Force (IAF) struck several critical military facilities in Syria, killing dozens of elite troops stationed near the presidential palace.

Israel refused to confirm it was behind the attack. The strikes are widely seen as attempts to prevent the Syrian government from transferring weapons to Hizbullah in neighboring Lebanon.

View original Arutz Sheva publication at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169879#.UeCLjG2rEYA

PM to push US for ‘more credible military option’ on Iran | The Times of Israel.

( By the winter?   This smells of disinfo to me. – JW )

If new ‘public diplomacy’ effort fails, Netanyahu will have to decide whether to attack Iran by winter at latest, TV report claims

By Times of Israel staff July 13, 2013, 4:05 pm

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama end their press conference in Jerusalem on March 20, 2013. (Photo credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly to launch a new, last-ditch effort in the next few days to persuade the United States to credibly revive the military option against Iran.

If this proves unsuccessful, Channel 2 reported, Netanyahu will have to decide whether to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities by this winter at latest, because after that, the report indicated, the assessment is that Israel’s window for military intervention will close.

Israel desperately wants to see the Obama Administration harden its position on Iran immediately — to convey to Iran that if it does not halt its nuclear program, its regime will not survive. Instead, however, Jerusalem sees what it considers an overly tolerant and patient attitude by Washington DC to Tehran, the Channel 2 report said.

Next week, the P5+1 powers — the five UN Security Council members, plus Germany — are set to meet to coordinate positions ahead of possible talks with incoming Iranian President Hasan Rouhani’s leadership. The fear in Jerusalem, the TV report said, is that Iran will prove capable of buying more time in such talks, while its centrifuges spin, its other nuclear facilities move forward, and it becomes too late for effective military intervention.

Netanyahu is about to begin a new effort at “public diplomacy,” aimed at securing “increased pressure on Iran,” led by the US, notably including the revival of “a real military threat” if the Iranians don’t halt their nuclear drive, the TV report said.

If the prime minister’s effort fails, “Netanyahu will have to make a decision in the next few months” over “whether to attack Iran by the winter.” The report stressed considerable support for a resort to military force within the cabinet, and concluded: “This could happen.”

Some scenarios relating to a possible Israeli attack, the report said, include a possible response led by Hezbollah, firing missiles into Israel, which would require the use of Israeli ground forces in Lebanon, possibly “including the invasion of Lebanon by the IDF.” Other, milder assessments suggest an Israeli strike and Iranian response might not lead to regional war, the report said.

The TV report noted that the departing Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Oren, in an interview Thursday with Haaretz, compared Netanyahu to prime minister Levi Eshkol, who preempted a concerted Arab attack on Israel by launching the 1967 war, and said the invoking of Eshkol was not coincidental.

On Iran today, said Oren, the question Netanyahu faces “is similar to the question that faced [first prime minister David] Ben-Gurion in May 1948 and the question that Levi Eshkol faced in May 1967… As prime minister of a sovereign state, Netanyahu has the responsibility to defend the country. When the country is a Jewish state with a painful and tragic history – the responsibility is even greater and heavier… Defending Israel is not an option – it’s a duty.”

Was Netanyahu emotionally capable of going to war? “I think so,” said Oren. “He doesn’t sleep at night. He bears a tremendous responsibility on his shoulders. And he has restraint; he isn’t dragged into unnecessary wars. But this restraint is actually a sign of strength – as it was with Eshkol.”

Egypt: Army preparing major operation to ‘purify’ Sinai of terrorists – Israel News, Ynetnews.

Egyptian security forces arrest number of suspected Palestinian terrorists while preparing to embark on major operation intended to rid Sinai of jihadists; operation to include F-16s, helicopters, elite forces. Meanwhile, Abbas speaks with Mansour, Islamists call for protests

Roi Kais

Arab media outlets have reported that Egyptian security forces arrested three Palestinians who attempted to attack sensitive facilities in the Sinai Peninsula. They also arrested a Palestinian youth who was involved in the attack on the Jordan bound pipeline last week.

The arrests are part of a large operation in the peninsula intended to fight terrorist currently active in Sinai, specifically focusing jihadist strongholds. Sky news has reported F-16s and helicopters are involved in the operation.

In addition to the Palestinians arrested, Egyptian security forces are currently attempting to apprehend an additional group of Palestinians suspected of terror activities.

Army braces for Sinai ‘purification operation’ (Photo: AFP)

The state-controlled Al Gomhuria newspaper ran a front page headline: “Sinai’s Purification Operation within Days”, referring to expectations the army would launch an offensive against militants in the region.

There have been almost daily attacks and skirmishes between radical Islamists and police and soldiers in Sinai since Morsi’s ouster, some of them deadly.

Overnight on Friday, gunmen fired on a security checkpoint near the Suez Canal, but security personnel repelled the attack.

A number of days ago Ynet learned that dozens of members of terrorist groups affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood have left the Gaza Strip headed to the Sinai Peninsula to fight the Egyptian army.

Egyptian army in Sinai (Photo: AFP)

Meanwhile Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke with Egypt’s interim President Adly Mansour to wish him a happy Ramadan.

Abbas also said that the Palestinian leadership will continue to respect the will of the Egyptian people and will work to prevent external involvement in Egypt internal affairs.

Mansour, for his part, reiterated what he called the historic connection between the Egyptian and Palestinian people, the Maan news agency reported.

Brotherhood: ‘Bigger crowds’

In the meantime, a senior leader of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi’s party called for mass rallies across Egypt on Monday, hours after tens of thousands of Morsi’s supporters demanded his return in a peaceful protest in Cairo.

Interim Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi is expected to swear in a new cabinet next week to enforce an army-backed “road map” to restore civilian rule, while Morsi’s party has continually rejected all political process.

“Next Monday a bigger crowd, God willing, in all the squares of Egypt – against the military coup,” Essam El-Erian, Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, said on his Facebook page on Saturday.

“Egypt decides through the ballot box, through protests, and mass rallies and peaceful sit-ins. No one person, one elite group and military organization will impose its decision on the people,” he said.

His post came hours after tens of thousands of Egyptians marched on Cairo’s streets in the early hours of Saturday to demand ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi be reinstated, but there were none of the deadly clashes that swept Egypt a week ago.

The Muslim Brotherhood called on Friday for “a day of marching on”, and 10 days after the military overthrew Egypt’s first freely elected president, large crowds descended on the capital waving flags and chanting slogans.

A week earlier similar scenes of protest turned violent when pro- and anti-Mursi demonstrators clashed in cities and towns across the country, killing 35 people and widening the rift between Egyptians on different sides of the political divide.

Sinai Militants Grow Bolder As Egypt’s Political Crisis Continues.

By AYA BATRAWY 07/13/13 08:08 AM ET EDT

CAIRO — Military attack helicopters rattle over the impoverished desert towns of northern Sinai and the sound of gunfire erupts nightly, raising fears among residents of a looming confrontation between Egypt’s military and Islamic militants who have intensified attacks since the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi.

Militant groups have grown bolder, striking security forces almost daily and also turning on local Christians. Some are now openly vowing to drive the military out of the peninsula on the borders with Israel and Gaza and establish an “Islamic emirate.” Further fueling the turmoil is the longtime resentment among many in the Bedouin population over decades of neglect and harsh security crackdowns by the state.

The military and security forces have widened their presence, and military intelligence officials told The Associated Press an offensive is being planned, but no further details were given.

In a rare move, the Egyptian military sent a helicopter across the border to fly over the southern end of the Gaza Strip early Friday. Egyptian security officials said it was intended as a warning to its Hamas rulers amid concerns that Gaza militants are trying to cross to back those in the Sinai. The security and intelligence officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.

Israeli security officials say their military has not taken any special precautions, but it is watching the situation carefully. They say they remain in close contact with their Egyptian counterparts, and that Egypt has coordinated its security moves in Sinai with Israel, as required by their 1979 peace treaty.

“The situation is not secure. It is better to be home than to go out into the street,” said Moussa el-Manaee, a resident in the northern Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweyid, which has a heavy presence of jihadi groups. “I am afraid to ride my car and catch a stray bullet.”

Sinai has been the most lawless corner of Egypt since the ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in early 2011, with increased violence. Police stations were torched and security forces kicked out of tribal areas where they were notorious for abuses. Shootings took place regularly on police and military outposts.

But after the military deposed the Islamist president on July 3, militant groups have lashed out.

In the past 10 days, at least eight security officers have been killed, the most recent on Friday. Two Christians have also died, one a priest. A gas pipeline to Jordan was bombed, ending a lull in such strikes.

Gunmen carried out a bold attack on the military section of an airport in the northern Sinai capital of el-Arish. They also opened fire on the convoy of the commander of the 2nd Field Army, who escaped, but a 5-year-old girl was killed in the subsequent gunbattle.

Morsi supporters around the country are protesting to demand his reinstatement, saying the army’s ouster of the country’s first freely elected leader has wrecked democracy. His removal came after millions around the country joined anti-Morsi protests.

For militants in Sinai, however, restoring Morsi is not the priority – they have said their goal is to drive out the military and the authority of the central government. His removal, however, took away a leader seen as reining in security crackdowns.

“Morsi had given them cover to a certain extent,” said Ahmed Salama, who works for a leading civil society group in northern Sinai. Now extremists fear “the army can go after them,” and at the same time “they see this as an opportunity to kick the army out of Sinai.”

Shortly after Morsi’s was removed from office, thousands held a rally in northern Sinai proclaiming over loudspeakers the formation of a so-called “war council.” They proclaimed that “the era of peace is over” and vowed security forces would be expelled.

“Ansar al-Shariah wants to create an Islamic Emirate,” said al-Manaee, a businessman with tribal links to extremists, referring to one of the militant groups operating in the area.

Extremist groups in Sinai had a complicated relationship with Morsi. The groups reject as too moderate the ideologies of his Muslim Brotherhood and even of the ultraconservative Salafis, viewing their participation in elections as heresy. Instead, they demand imposing a strict implementation of Shariah.

Salafis often mediated with militants and urged them to give the president a chance. The Salafis have wide influence in Sinai, and many of them sympathize with the extremists’ goals, if not their violent methods.

At the same time, Morsi warned against heavy security crackdowns that fueled local outrage in the past, preferring negotiations and promises of development. Critics accused him of being reluctant to go after militants for fear of alienating ultraconservative allies, while locals say his government failed to improve the quality of life in Sinai.

The approach emerged in two major attacks the past year. Last Ramadan – in August – just weeks after Morsi took office, gunmen killed 16 Egyptian soldiers, stole armored vehicles and drove into Israel to attempt an attack there. The military responded with a major security operation in Sinai.

Soon after, Morsi said security forces had a chance to strike at suspects but did not in order to avoid killing civilians. The suspects have not been named and remain at large.

Then in May, militants kidnapped six policemen and a border guard. Morsi vowed to track them down but also warned against a heavy hand that could hurt the captives or the captors. After a week, the seven were freed, apparently after Salafi mediation. The kidnappers were never caught.

Brotherhood officials say any Sinai anger over Morsi’s removal is because of public support for his policies. His government repeatedly announced increased development funds to the peninsula.

Brotherhood spokesman Gehad el-Haddad said Morsi worked to reverse decades of state neglect.

Sinai residents “felt as if they were Egyptian citizens and that there was a functioning state delivering services to them,” he said, adding that the army broke the people’s trust when they “wiped out” the democratic process.

At a pro-Morsi rally in Cairo, prominent Brotherhood figure Mohammed el-Beltagy told the crowd that “what is happening in Sinai as a result of the military coup will stop the second that (army chief) Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi announces a reversal of the coup, fixes the situation and the president is reinstated.”

That is echoed by Asad el-Beyk, a Morsi supporter in Sinai who calls for peaceful protests. He runs a privately-owned Shariah Court in el-Arish that rules on disputes for those who want decisions based on Islamic law rather than civil courts.

“The entire situation in the country will not stabilize until Morsi is reinstated,” he said.

However, al-Manaee, from Sheikh Zuweyid, said the ousted government’s policies brought little improvement for residents.

“I respect Morsi, but in Sinai he didn’t do anything,” al-Manaee said.

The towns dotting the arid, mountainous Sinai have long been neglected, with investments directed to tourist cities along its southern Red Sea coast. The northern stretch along the Mediterranean relies heavily on smuggling, including trafficking of migrants and drugs, and trade through underground tunnels to Gaza.

Egypt had closed its border crossing with Gaza for 10 days after Morsi’s ouster and clamped down on tunnels. It re-opened the border for limited hours earlier this week.

Egyptian military intelligence officials said they are keeping a close watch on extremist brigades in Gaza close to Hamas. They said Israel has been providing intelligence on the groups’ movements. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to release the information.

Hamas official Salah Bardawil denied the group is interfering.

“We are concerned about Egypt’s security and a stable and strong Egypt means stability for us,” he said.

But the military faces the same dilemma as in the past: a heavy crackdown risks further alienating Sinai’s population.

“We are likely to see just security measures being taken,” said Brookings Institute analyst Khaled Elgindy. “The problems in Sinai are much deeper; they relate to governance, economics, development.”

New reports on Latakia attack make turning a blind eye difficult for Assad – Diplomacy & Defense – Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper.

It remains to be seen if Assad will chose to ignore this latest attack, believing that slight humiliation in the media is still preferable to a direct confrontation with Israel.

President Bashar Assad speaking during an interview on Syrian state television in May. Photo by AP

The American cable news network CNN reported Friday that it was Israel that was behind the series of explosions in the Syrian port of Latakia on the night of July 5. According to the report, which corroborates an earlier report from an Arabic news website, the attack was aimed at destroying Russian Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles. Israel has yet to respond to the report.

The Arabic and international press reported on a series of explosions early on July 6th in the port located on the shores of the Mediterranean in northern Syria, but made no mention of who might be responsible for the blasts. The press coverage of this incident was rather minor, mostly because of the drama that was taking place at the time in Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood was confronting the Egyptian military that had forcibly ejected Mohammed Morsi’s government from power. Two days later the Syrian website Al-Hakika, associated with the Syrian opposition, reported that the attack was orchestrated by Israel in order to destroy warehouses in which Yakhont missiles were held.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon evaded the subject when asked about it last Tuesday while visiting Tze’elim, an Israeli Defense Forces’ base in southern Israel. “We have set red lines in regards to our own interests, and we keep them. There is an attack here, an explosion there, various versions – in any event, in the Middle East it is usually we who are blamed for most.”

In its report, CNN quoted numerous American government officials, but did not reveal their names. Those officials say that the explosions in question were the result of an Israeli airstrike, and this is currently the consensus regarding the circumstances surrounding the blasts. Last May, it was also Pentagon officials that indicated that Israel was responsible for an airstrike, the second of four strikes in Syrian territory that have been associated with Israel this year.

The first Israeli airstrike took place in late January, and it targeted a Syrian Army industrial facility located between Damascus and the Lebanese border. A convoy carrying SI-17 advanced anti-aircraft missiles was destroyed. In early May, two other airstrikes took place, two days apart, both targeting shipments of Fatah-110 midrange cruise missiles coming into Syria from Iran. According to some reports, those missiles were equipped with advanced satellite navigation systems, which drastically increased their accuracy. Israel has not claimed responsibility for any of those strikes, Ya’alon, and his predecessor, former Defense Minister Ehud Barak, hinted at Israel’s role in the strikes on numerous occasions. It seems that the strikes were meant to prevent those weapons from reaching Hezbollah.

As Ya’alon stated earlier this week, Israel has publicly declared red lines regarding Syria. The lines set by Ya’alon, Barak before him, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, include allowing Assad’s chemical weapons fall into “irresponsible hands,” transfer of advanced weapon systems to Hezbollah (a list which has thus far included SI-17 and SI-22 anti-aircraft missiles, as well as the Yakhont), and the formation of a “terror front” on the Syrian side of the Israeli border in the Golan Heights. Israel has also expressed great concern over the idea Russia will complete its arms deal with Syria, and supply Assad’s army with the new S-300 air defense system.

Lately, in light of the Assad’s close cooperation with Iran and Hezbollah, and the support they have shown the Syrian president, concerns have increased among western governments that Assad will reward his friends with advanced Russian weapons. Israel has said that this would be a “game changer” on the Lebanese front. The Yakhont missile especially troubles Israel, as a launch from Lebanon or Syria could accurately hit Israeli infrastructure in the Mediterranean Sea, or on the coast itself. Yakhont missiles in the wrong hands would endanger the power plane in Hadera, natural gas infrastructure in the Mediterranean, or activity at Israel’s ports in Haifa or Ashdod.

If indeed it was Israel that attacked last week, the attack has largely flown under the radar, at least until the CNN report. After the two suspected Israeli attacks in May, Assad clearly stated that he would not ignore another Israeli infraction, and Israel would pay a heavy price for any attack. Assad hinted then that he was considering opening a terror front in the Golan Heights. The fact remains that if CNN is correct regarding the identity of last week’s attacker, Assad must know it as well, and if he chooses to ignore this attack as well, we can learn that he still has no intention of directly confronting Israel, despite his aggressive declarations. Assad’s silence relies upon his ability to comprehensively deny the attack, much like in the past, and totally ignore the violation of Syrian sovereignty.

The CNN report makes comprehensive denial rather difficult – but it comes rather late, more than a week after the incident took place. During the coming days, it remains to be seen if Assad, who is concentrating all his efforts at putting down the fierce rebellion within Syria, will chose to ignore this latest attack, believing that slight humiliation in the media is still preferable to a direct confrontation with Israel.

US to media: Israel struck Latakia arsenal last week. Will Putin and Assad make good on threats of reprisal?.

Russian SS-N-26 Yakhont anti-ship missile

US officials early Saturday, July 13 named Israel as responsible for the July 5 air strikes against the big arms depot at a Syrian naval base in the Alawite port city of Latakia. Dispelling conflicting reports, three US officials asserted that Israel had conducted the air strikes for demolishing the advanced Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship missiles stored there.
debkafile’s military sources report that three strategic arsenals were targeted: One consisted of weapons mostly delivered by Russian air freights in the last two months for the Syrian-Hizballah offensive to recapture Aleppo. A second contained the supersonic Yakhont anti-ship missiles (NATO codenamed SS-N-26) plus their radar systems; and the third, the Syrian army’s strategic reserve of missiles and ammunition, stored there for an emergency, such a possible forced Syrian army retreat to the Alawite region – or even Lebanon.

It is important to note that, although Moscow was perfectly aware that the advanced Russian weapons supplied to Syria were put in the hands of the Lebanese Hizballah, the consignments were not only not suspended but expanded. Moscow is therefore directly arming HIzballah with advanced weapons.
During the attack, neither Syrian radar nor that of the Russian warships cruising off the Syria coast registered any aircraft or missiles heading for the Latakia depot.

They were therefore unable to positively identify the source of the explosions.

Israel and the IDF held their silence – hoping that matters would stay that way, unlike their air strike of May 5 which destroyed Iranian arms shipments for Hizballah stored in the Damascus area, when American sources made haste to finger Israel. This time, too, after a few days’ pause, Washington again broke the story.
This step coincided with US President Barack Obama’s early Saturday phone call to Saudi King Abdullah to discuss the Syrian crisis. They may have discussed a potential Russian or Syrian reprisal for the Israeli air strike.

In their rough, acerbic encounter at the Black Sea resort of Sochi on May 14, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned President Vladimir Putin that if Russia sends advanced weaponry to Syria, such as S-300 anti-aircraft missiles or sophisticated radar for upgrading the Yakhont missiles, Israel would destroy them. Putin retorted that if Israel did this, Moscow would hit back.

After Israel’s air strikes over Damascus of May 5, Syrian President Bashar Assad said repeatedly, as did Hizballah and Iranian officials, that another Israeli attack on Syria would elicit an immediate Syrian reprisal.

The theme running through the Syrian and Hizballah warnings was a threat to open a new warfront against Israel from the Golan.

And so, two days after the IDF detected Hizballah movements on the Golan opposite the Israeli border,  the army spokesman Monday, July 8, announced the deployment of extra Israeli forces in the divided enclave.
Tuesday, July 9, a car bomb blew up at Hizballah’s office building in the Bir al-Abd quarter of South Beirut. A next-door Shiite mosque and a technical school were also hit. At least 53 people were injured.

Hizballah did not admit that the targeted office building housed the intelligence and communications centers for its combat operations in Syria. When no organization took responsibility for the attack, Beirut and Tehran pointed the finger at Israeli intelligence as the culprit.

Ongoing Fighting in Sinai: Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Iran Wrongfully Blamed | Global Research.

Headlines focus on Egypt. Sinai gets little attention. What’s ongoing bears close watching.

On July 7, Maan News headlined “Egypt army ‘preparing for Sinai operation,’ ” saying:

A “large-scale military operation” is planned. “Egyptian forces sealed more tunnels along Gaza’s border.”

“An Egyptian military official told Ma’an the army was preparing for a major operation in Sinai ‘to clean it up from terrorist and criminal cells.’ ”

“The army official said ‘coordination is ongoing between the Egyptians and the Israelis to bring military vehicles, troops and jets into Sinai to fight terror.’ ”

In late June, Egyptian forces “deployed heavily” along Gaza’s border.

“Islamist militants” threatened reprisal for Morsi’s ouster. On July 7, a Sinai pipeline south of el-Arish supplying Israel with gas was blown up.

Previous attacks occurred earlier. This was the first one in over a year. It followed days earlier clashes between unidenfied militants and Egyptian forces. Hamas was wrongfully blamed.

According to an IDF statement:

“The Egyptian military activity in the Sinai is coordinated with Israeli security elements and authorized at the most senior levels in Israel, in order to contend with security threats in the Sinai that pose a threat to both Israel and Egypt.”

At issue is inflicting more punishment on besieged Gazans. Rafah crossing is closed. Palestinians needing urgent medical care unavailable in Gaza can’t get it.

Hundreds stranded in Cairo’s International Airport and elsewhere outside Gaza can’t return home.

According to Max Blumenthal:

“Incitement against Palestinians peaked after the election of the Freedom and Justice Party’s Mohamed Morsi as President.”

Opposition politicians and supportive media figures “exploit(ed Morsi’s) perceived alliance with Hamas to hold him responsible for acts of terror committed in the Sinai Peninsula.”

Anti-Morsi elements wrongfully blame Palestinians. They call them Muslim Brotherhood militants.

Israeli media and Palestinian Authority officials hype the big lie. They do it for self-serving reasons.

Blumenthal quoted retired Egyptian general Sameh Seif Elyazal saying:

“Egyptian law will punish with sentences that could reach 25 years in jail the Palestinians and Syrians and Iraqis who have made calls for incitement to violence at the demonstrations at Rabaa Al-Adawiya in return for money.”

Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) massacred over 50 nonviolent protesters. They did so days earlier in Rabaa Al-Adawiya.

They wrongfully called them terrorists. They were praying peacefully outside Republican Guard headquarters.

SCAF officials circulated false stories. They claimed Hamas deployed scores of fighters in Sinai. They lied saying they want revenge for Morsi’s ouster.

Al Hayat is a London-based pro-Saudi broadsheet. It quoted an unnamed “senior Egyptian military official.” He lied about 150 Izz al-Din al-Qassam fighters allegedly entering Sinai through Gaza’s tunnels.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad were wrongfully blamed. Abbas advisor Yasser Abd Rabbo took full advantage. He accused Hamas of “helping terrorists and jihadist gangs in Sinai against the Egyptian army.”

Senior Fatah official Jamal Nazzal threw more fuel on the fire. He wants Hamas overthrown. He urged Palestinians to do it. So-called Fatah/Hamas reconciliation appears more illusory than real.

Legitimate elections are unlikely. Israel’s dirty hands manipulate events. So do Washington’s. SCAF’s a willing partner. Gaza remains isolated. Palestinian suffering continues.

No evidence whatever connects Hamas or Islamic Jihad to Sinai violence. Egypt’s coup d’etat regime issued a decree. It restricts anyone holding PA or Jordanian passports without a national number from entering Egypt.

Expect stepped up vilification of Hamas. On July 10, Press TV headlined “Gunmen attack military commander in Egypt’s Sinai,” saying:

According to a SCAF spokesman, militants attacked a senior commander and second field army chief. They “came under heavy fire, which led to clashes between security forces and the terrorist elements.”

“This is the latest in a string of attacks in Sinai targeting the army and the police in recent days with the aim of sowing chaos and harming the stability and national security of Egypt.”

The commander survived. Other attacks occurred earlier. Expect more to follow. Expect Hamas to be wrongfully blamed.

On July 11, Haaretz headlined “Egyptian army killed dozens of Hamas fighters in Sinai, report says.”

It’s false. Saudi-controlled Al-Hayat propaganda called unidentified militants Hamas fighters. It said 32 were killed. Others were arrested.

Ismail Haniyeh refuted spurious charges. Hamas doesn’t interfere in internal Egyptian affairs. He said it numerous times before. No evidence suggests otherwise.

Egypt wrongfully accused Iran of “unacceptable interference” in its domestic affairs. On Monday, Tehran called Morsi’s ouster a “cause for concern.” It suggested “foreign hands” responsibility.

Iran knows Washington was very much involved. It’s no secret. Perhaps Israel’s dirty hands partnered in what happened. It has close ties to SCAF. Morsi tried improving ties with Tehran.

In 1979, they cooled after Egypt gave Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi shelter. It did so after his ouster. In February, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Cairo. He was the first Iranian leader to come in decades.

Both countries are sharply divided on Syria. Iran strongly supports Assad. Morsi, SCAF, and new regime leaders back Washington’s war to oust him.

A Final Comment: Meet Ron Dermer

On July 9, Dermer was appointed Israel’s ambassador to Washington. He’ll replace Michael Oren. He’ll step down this fall. Reports suggest it’s not voluntary. He was removed. Dermer wants his job. He played hardball to get it.

He’s American born. He’s a Florida native. He’s returning to his roots. In 1995, he was economics minister at Israel’s Washington embassy. At the time, he gave up his US citizenship.

He’s ideologically over-the-top. He’s hardline. He’s militant. He’s pro-war. He’s bigoted. He’s dangerous. He reflects the worst of Zionist extremism. He defends the notion of making Israeli Arabs pledge allegiance to a “Jewish and democratic state.”

Foreign policy analyst MJ Rosenberg calls him “as crude as (Oren) is smooth.”

He opposes Palestinian self-determination. He supports occupation harshness. He believes “the principle of two states for two people is a childish solution to a complicated problem.”

According to Reuters and other reports, he has right-wing Republican ties. He’s linked to the neocon fringe. He supported Romney’s presidential candidacy.

An unnamed Israeli political analyst said he made sure Netanyahu stayed close to him. If elected, Dermer “would be the one you send right away,” he said.

“He’s got the right demeanor as a Republican. He has neo-conservative credentials. He has the full backing and confidence of the prime minister, which is important. But for Obama, it’s not the right fit. There’s too much baggage.”

He’s a close Netanyahu associate. For four years, he served as senior advisor and speechwriter. He was his key White House liaison.

In March, he stepped down. He had ambassadorial ideas in mind. He needed time to smooth the way. Israel’s Channel 10 said he’s been long groomed for the job.

Tablet magazine calls him “Bibi’s brain.” He’s his “most influential aide.” He’s Netanyahu’s “alter-ego.”

He’s “done more to shape Israel’s relationship with the United States, its Arab neighbors, and the Palestinians over the past few years than any man aside from the prime minister himself.”

He’s a “jack-of-all-trades – strategist, pollster and speechwriter.” He’s “chief proxy in foreign affairs.” He’s a “constant presence in Netanyahu’s meetings in Washington.”

“Bibi doesn’t move an inch without talking to him.” He’s Wharton/Oxford trained. He’s got “Machiavellian political instincts.” He’s “ferociously competitive. He wouldn’t let a three-year old beat him at ping pong.”

Announcing his appointment, Netanyahu said:

He “has all the qualities necessary to successfully fill this important post.”

“I have known him for many years, and I know that Ron will faithfully represent the State of Israel in the capital of our greatest ally – the USA.”

“On behalf of the citizens of Israel, I wish him great success.”

Dermer’s appointment didn’t surprise. In recent weeks, he spent time in Washington. He held numerous meetings. He made the rounds reassuring Obama officials he won’t disappoint.

It remains to be seen. Pro-Israeli Washington Institute for Near East Policy analyst David Makovsky said tension regarding Dermer’s Republican ties peaked last November.

Appointing him then wouldn’t have been possible. Time soothes old wounds. Today’s it’s much easier.

He’s “very influential with the prime minister. So this is also an opportunity under certain conditions.”

He’s Netanyahu’s closest advisor. No one’s closer. He has his complete confidence and trust. He has unfettered access. Host countries prefer these attributes.

Americans will know dealing with Dermer means they’re doing so directly with Netanyahu. He’s closer to him than anyone.

In America, Israel’s lobby has final say. It approves. AIPAC endorsed him, saying:

“Mr. Dermer has a deep understanding of the critical value of the US-Israel relationship and the importance of further strengthening the alliance between these two democratic allies.”

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled “Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.”

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

Israel Hayom | Illusive Middle East agreements — the taqiyya concept.

Yoram Ettinger

Israel Hayom | Israel readies for end of decades-long calm on Golan border.

New front opens in Syria as rebels say al Qaeda attack means war | Reuters.

(Reuters) – The assassination of a top Free Syrian Army commander by militants linked to al Qaeda is tantamount to a declaration of war, FSA rebels on Friday, opening a new front between Western-backed forces and Islamists in Syria’s civil war.

The announcement is the latest sign of disarray in the armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has regained the upper hand more than two years into an insurgency that grew out of Arab Spring-inspired pro-democracy protests.

It follows growing rivalries between the FSA and the Islamists, who have sometimes joined forces on the battlefield, and coincides with attempts by the Western and Arab-backed FSA to allay fears any U.S.-supplied arms might reach al Qaeda.

Members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a hardline Islamist group, killed Kamal Hamami of the FSA Supreme Military Council on Thursday. Also known by his nom de guerre, Abu Bassir al-Ladkani, he is one of its top 30 figures.

Rebel commanders pledged to retaliate.

“We are going to wipe the floor with them. We will not let them get away with it because they want to target us,” a senior rebel commander said on condition of anonymity.

He said the al Qaeda-linked militants had warned FSA rebels that there was “no place” for them where Hamami was killed in Latakia province, a northern rural region of Syria bordering Turkey where Islamist groups are powerful.

Other opposition sources said the killing followed a dispute between Hamami’s forces and the Islamic State over control of a strategic checkpoint in Latakia and would lead to fighting.

The FSA has been trying to build a logistics network and reinforce its presence across Syria as the U.S. administration considers sending weapons to the group after concluding that Assad’s forces had used chemical weapons against rebel fighters.

The anti-Assad Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, said the FSA and the Islamic State have had violent exchanges in several areas of Syria over the past few weeks, showing growing antagonism between Assad’s foes.

“Last Friday, the Islamic State killed an FSA rebel in Idlib province and cut his head off. There have been attacks in many provinces,” the Observatory’s leader Rami Abdelrahman said.

Two of Hamami’s men were wounded in Thursday’s attack, he said by telephone.

Syria’s conflict turned violent in the face of a crackdown on protests. Civil war ensued with disparate rebel groups taking up arms and the Observatory says more than 100,000 people have been killed.

U.S. congressional committees are holding up plans to arm the rebels because of fears that such deliveries will not be decisive and the arms might end up in the hands of Islamist militants.

Syria’s opposition bemoans the delay, and repeated on Thursday assurances that the arms will not go to Islamist militants.

(Reporting by Oliver Holmes and Mariam Karouny in Beirut and Diana Bartz in Washington; editing by Philippa Fletcher)