WarSclerotic

Iran’s New Strategy Of Diversion: Persuading The Sunni Camp To Fight Israel, Not Iran – Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), A. Savyon and Y. Carmon, August 1, 2014

(Our nuclear “peace partners” in the Iran Scam are persistent and have long term objectives. P5 including the US? Not so much. — DM)

Introduction

Recently, the Iranian regime has launched a campaign for arming the Palestinians in West Bank and Israel’s Arab citizens; the campaign is being led by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

On July 23, 2014, on the eve of Iran’s Qods (Jerusalem) Day, Khamenei said that “the only solution [for Israel] is its annihilation and liquidation. Of course, until that time [when this happens], the determined and armed Palestinian resistance, and its spread to the West Bank, are the only way to deal with that bestial regime… Therefore, it is my belief that the West Bank should be armed just like Gaza. Anyone who cares about the fate of Palestine, and who is capable of doing something, should act in this matter in order to reduce the suffering and torment of the Palestinian people by means of their strong hand…”[1]

This campaign played a role in Iran’s strategy, in two vital areas that are completely unconnected to the war in Gaza or to the Palestinian cause: a) It serves the Iranian regime in its struggle against the Sunni world, which has ratcheted up its pressure on Iran, and b) it serves the Iranian regime in its struggle against the opposition, i.e. the pragmatic camp, at home, that has recently escalated its attacks on the ideological camp (see MEMRI series on The Struggle Between Khamenei And Rafsanjani Over The Iranian Leadership).

While the policy of annihilating Israel is one thing that the ideological and the pragmatic camps in Iran have in common, as it is a founding tenet of the regime, the move to arm the West Bank Palestinians and Israel’s Arab citizens is a new element that the regime is stressing in recent days, and by all possible means. In every major speech and announcement, regime spokesmen emphasize the need for the Sunni world to stop fighting Shi’ites and join Iran in its fight against Israel.[2] The regime also is highlighting the need for unity at home, which is actually a demand that the pragmatic camp accept the authority of the ideological camp.

It should be noted that on the internal level, this tactic has been successful, as expected; the pragmatic camp has hastened to stand with the regime on this matter.[3]

July 23, 2014 Facebook announcement by Khamenei’s office (Source: Facebook.com/www.Khamenei.ir)

However, the effort to divert the Sunni camp from its struggle with Iran and the Shi’ites has as of yet yielded no results. Apparently, the Sunni world understands Iran’s gambit and is not going along with it; it is also stepping up its pressure on the Shi’ites in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.[4]

It should be clarified that this strategy of diversion is not just talk – the Iranian regime is working to implement it in coordination with the leaders of Hizbullah and of the Palestinian factions. But the main importance of this effort for Iran is that it serves both Iran’s existential interest against the external Sunni threat and also the interest of the Iranian regime at home against the opposition.

This paper will review statements by senior members of the Iranian leadership calling on the Sunni world to forget about its fight against the Shi’ites and about the Sunni-Shi’ite schism and to instead unite with the Shi’ites against Israel.

Khamenei: “The Islamic World Should Set Aside All Differences… Let Us Unite And Carry Out Our Religious And Human Duty In Order To Help The People In Gaza”

In a July 29, 2014 speech to Muslim countries’ ambassadors in Iran, Khamenei stressed the need for the Islamic world – that is, both Sunnis and Shi’ites – to unite and act together against Israel: “The Islamic world should set aside all differences, and use all its capabilities to meet the needs of the people in Gaza while fighting against the shameful crimes of the Zionists, and while despising and renouncing their supporters, particularly America and Britain.

“Unfortunately, and contrary to the instructions of Islam, the Islamic ummah is today in a schism, because of politics and power-seeking. The leaders of the Islamic countries must set aside such  motives and establish a united, strong, and mighty nation. If power-seeking, dependence [on the West], and corruption cannot divide the Islamic world, no arrogant power [i.e. the U.S. and the West] will dare attack the Islamic states, to extort their governments…

“In order to realize this goal, all the Islamic governments must abandon the political and non-political disputes among themselves, and everyone together must hasten to the aid of the oppressed who are palpitating in the claws of the bloodletting Zionist wolf… Let us unite and carry out our religious and human duty in order to help the people in Gaza overcome the obstacles that the Zionists are setting [before them]. Fighting the perpetrators of the historic oppression in Gaza is the second duty of the Islamic world…”[5]

President Rohani: “In Order To Solve These Difficult Problems” Of “The Suppurating Tumor[s]” Of IS And The Zionist Regime, “We Have No Option Except To Unify The Islamic World”

At the same July 29 meeting with the ambassadors of Muslim countries, Iranian President Hassan Rohani compared the “suppurating tumor” of the Islamic State (IS, formerly the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS) – that is, the murder of Shi’ites by Sunnis in Iraq – to the “Zionist suppurating tumor.” He stated that they have shared roots, and stressed that the only thing that could solve this problem was Sunni-Shi’ite unity:

“In order to solve these difficult problems, we have no option except to unify the Islamic world, explain the merciful [kind of] Islam, and distance ourselves from stagnation and fixation [in the Shi’ite-Sunni dispute]. The global strategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is peace and justice, and in the Islamic world [the Iranian strategy is] brotherhood and unity, and the establishment of a single Islamic ummah.

“Those who dream of weakening Islam and the Muslims will take that aspiration to their grave. The Islamic Republic of Iran is mobilizing all its strength and all its means, for establishing stability and security, and for preventing massacres and bloodshed and creating peace and justice in the region. The Islamic world will triumph by virtue of the [Islamic] awakening, vigilance, and unity, with God’s help.”[6]

Also on July 29, at a government meeting for ‘Eid Al-Fitr, Rohani said: “The leaders of the regime have gone into action with all their might on the issue of Palestine and Gaza; we see this as part of our religious and human duty… I hope that all the Muslims in the world will fulfill their human and Islamic duty, in light of the savage attacks of the Zionist regime.”[7]

Other Regime Spokesmen Call For Arming The West Bank And Israel’s Arab Citizens

On July 26, Ahmad Vahidi, former defense minister under president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former commander of the Qods Force in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said: “Arming the West Bank is the strategic policy of the Leader [Khamenei], and its implementation will change the arena of the developments in Palestine. The arming of the West Bank will be a golden card in the hands of the resistance of the Palestinian people. The Islamic governments and the supporters of the Palestinian people must use all their efforts for the sake of arming the West Bank, and even the region occupied in 1948. As the Leader [Khamenei] said, Iran supports Palestine with all its might and in all dimensions; it is expected that the required effort will be carried out in order to implement [Khamenei’s] policy on the arming of the West Bank.”[8]

On July 28, a number of officials made similar statements in interviews with the Fars news agency, among them Hossein Sheikh Al-Islam, head of the Committee for the Support of the Palestinian and advisor to Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani; Hossein Kna’ani-Moqadam, former top IRGC official; and Fathollah Hosseini, Majlis National Security Committee member.[9]Also, the July 25 editorial of the daily Kayhan, which is affiliated with Khamenei, was titled “Resistance In Gaza, Intifada In The West Bank.”

Amir Mousavi, former advisor to the Iranian defense minister, said in a July 25 interview with Al-Mayadeen TV that Iran had discovered more efficient routes for transferring weapons to the Palestinians, including via Jordan and the Golan Heights, as a result of the Shi’ites’ fight against the takfiri organizations. He added that because of the West Bank’s proximity to Tel Aviv and Haifa, short-range missiles would be sufficient (see MEMRI TV Clip. No. 4377).

On July 24, Majlis National Security Committee member Ismail Kowsari made similar statements to Fars in an interview, and on the same day the Basij released a communique calling on the government to urgently submit a bill to the Majlis on arming the Palestinians in the West Bank in accordance with Khamenei’s statements.[10]

**********

[1] Khamenei.ir, July 23, 2014.

[2] See, for example, statements by a Hamas member to the Lebanese daily Al-Safir aimed at motivating Hizbullah to join the struggle against Israel; he said that now there is an opportunity for the resistance axis to triumph against the attempts to create sectarian fitna and to stop the marginal wars and begin to act to rebuild the axis. Al-Safir, Lebanon, July 31, 2014.

[3] In effect, the leaders of the pragmatic camp rushed to express extreme anti-Israel sentiment to prove their loyalty to the goals of Iran’s Islamic Revolution – even before the ideological camp demanded such statements from them. See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No.1107, Qods Day In Iran: Tehran Calls For Annihilation Of Israel And For Arming The West Bank, July 25, 2014.

[4] See Daoud Al-Basri’s article on Elaph.com, July 26, 2014.

[5] Leader.ir, July 29, 2014.

[6] Leader.ir, July 29, 2014.

[7] President.ir, July 29, 2014.

[8] Tasnimnews.com, July 26, 2014.

[9] Fars, July 28, 2014.

[10] YJC.ir, July 24, 2014.

Destroy HAMAS! – From Bar-Ilan to Boston, You Tube, August 1, 2014

Hat tip to The Counter Jihad Report for the video.

Israel will not attend Gaza truce talks in Cairo, official says, Jerusalem Post, August 2, 2014

“Hamas is not interested in an accommodation,” official says on condition of anonymity; Fatah delegation set to fly to Cairo for talks; following breakdown of Friday truce, Hamas officials from Gaza will not attend.

Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi looks on as he delivers a speech in Cairo. Photo: REUTERS

Israel will not send envoys to Gaza truce negotiations in Egypt on Saturday as planned, an Israeli official said, accusing Hamas of misleading international mediators.

“Hamas is not interested in an accommodation,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

An Egyptian-brokered ceasefire on Friday broke down within hours on Friday.

Hamas is responsible for the bloody, swift end to a humanitarian cease-fire with Israel, US President Barack Obama said from the White House on Friday, once again vowing to pursue a temporary truce along the border of Gaza that will end the killing.

“We have unequivocally condemned Hamas and the Palestinian factions that were responsible for killing two soldiers, and capturing a third, almost minutes after a ceasefire was announced,” Obama said. “That soldier needs to be unconditionally released, as soon as possible.”

Gazan militants emerged on Friday morning from a tunnel into Israeli territory, under deconstruction by the IDF, less than ninety minutes deep into a planned 72-hour cease-fire. One terrorist detonated a suicide vest, killing two Israeli soldiers; another abducted a third Israeli soldier, Hadar Goldin, back through the tunnel into Gaza.

Egypt’s President Sisi says delays complicate Gaza cease-fire efforts

Egypt’s President said on Saturday the ceasefire plan proposed by his country offered the chance to end the Gaza conflict, but warned that lost time further complicated matters.

“The Egyptian initiative is a real chance to find a real solution to the crisis taking place in the Gaza Strip,” Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told a joint press conference in Cairo with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

“Lost time …complicates the situation more and more.”

A Fatah delegation led by senior official Azzam Al-Ahmed will fly into Cairo from Jordan for talks, a Palestinian official in Ramallah said. Exiled officials from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group will also join the negotiations.

But following a breakdown of the Friday truce, Hamas officials in Gaza will not attend.

Gaza officials say at least 1,654 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the Israeli offensive started on July 8. Sixty-three Israeli soldiers have died, and three civilians have been killed by Palestinian rockets in Israel.

Hamas leaders have said any Egypt-brokered deal must include an end to Israel’s blockade of Gaza and called for Cairo to ease curbs at its Rafah crossing with Gaza imposed after the military ousted President Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist, a year ago.

Deep in the ground: Combat engineering is fighting the tunnels

IDF combat engineering is in charge of an important duty and massive responsibility in the current operation – destroying Hamas tunnels infrastructure.

The massive D9 vehicles are uncovering the ground layer and the unit’s soldiers are going on special missions inside the tunnels where the Hamas terrorists hide

Aug 02, 2014, 12:59PM | Rio Avitayler

via Israel News – Deep in the ground: Combat engineering is fighting the tunnels – JerusalemOnline.

5 meters deep underground in Gaza, there is a horrid silence. While battle rages over the ground level, underground is utter silence. For most of us, the Hamas terror tunnels are a new threat, unknown and dangerous. But for the Yahalom elite combat engineering unit, it is exactly what they prepared for. They are working with the heavy engineering machinery unit to uncover those tunnels. In the last weeks they have been destroying tunnel after tunnel, and destroy the tunnels before they will be able to use them to enter Israel.

“When you visually see the tunnels you understand the amount of effort that has been put into them, there were bunkers, storage rooms of ammunition, and breathing systems to support long time underground. You see that someone professional made this”. Said Major Noam, one of the commanders in Yahalom.

The giant machine that IDF soldiers want in the front

On the way to the border with Gaza, next to Kibutz Be’eri, in the forward preparation ground we meet Rotem Levi, a heavy engineering machinery company commander. The work of uncovering the tunnels begins with his unit using the D9 caterpillar tractor. “It is a massive 40 ton vehicle that can easily take down any structure of any height, any force that wants to go in to Gaza, wants this vehicle on the front”, says Captain Levi.

From the D9 driver seat you can appreciate the vehicles capabilities and the protection it provides to its operator – fortified windows with old bullet holes, the space itself is quite small, no more than 2 square meters. Inside is a commander and a driver that sometime have to spend a whole day seeing the world through a dense protective net. That net is nicknamed “fifty-fifty”, either it stops the anti-tank missile, or it doesn’t.

After the D9 finishes clearing the area, engineering ground forces arrive at the scene and begin treating the tunnels up close. Sometimes the tunnel or the shaft are booby-trapped so they work slowly while uncovering the tunnels. Once understanding the scale of the tunnel, the process of destroying them starts.

You can only guess where the tunnel ends

One of the tunnels was discovered 3 months ago, before the current operation. It stretches 2.5 kilometers, out of which 1.2 kilometers are inside Israeli territory. The problem that they run into even today, is that they know where the tunnel starts, but they never know where it ends, sometimes the last part it being dug right before the exit.

During the operation, 5 D9 operators were killed while uncovering tunnels. Yahalom lost one soldier and many were wounded. “Hamas blew up a tunnel while our forces were in there”, said Lt. Aharon, a team commander in Yahalom and adds, “it’s part of the job”.

In this operation, IDF uncovered 11 tunnels that go into Israel, and 20 more for other purposes. According to estimations, IDF destroyed 4 years’ worth of tunnel building.

Hamas denies knowing captive officer’s whereabouts, says he may have died. IDF continues to blast Rafah.

Debka

Hamas’ military wing issued a statement early Saturday, Aug. 2, claiming: “We have lost contact with the group of fighters that took part in the ambush [in which 2 soldiers were killed and 2nd Lt. Hadar Goldin, 23, went missing in Rafah Friday] and we believe that they were all killed in the [Israeli] bombardment. Assuming that they managed to seize the soldier during combat, we assess that he was also killed in the incident,” the Hamas statement said, clearly trying to get off the hook of international condemnation and Israeli punishment.

All Friday night until early Saturday, Israeli jets, tanks and heavy artillery continued to pound parts of Rafah. The Palestinians say they have lost 150 dead, of whom 70 were killed in Rafah since Friday morning, when their “ambush,” was mounted 90 minutes after an international ceasefire went into effect.

debkafile’s military sources report on the findings of an inquiry into the Rafah attack, in which two Givati Brigade officers,  Major Benaya Sarel, 26, from Kiryat Arba and St.-Sgt. Liel Gidoni, 20, from Jerusalem,              lost their lives. It turns out that the plan for the attack was devised in detail by Hamas and most likely Islamic Jihad for the abduction of an Israeli soldier.
An ambush squad of 10-15 commandos, some wearing large explosive vests, stole into the Seri district of Rafah early Friday, covered by a group of local civilians who, upon hearing that a ceasefire had gone into effect at 8 a.m. that morning, scattered to their homes.
The attackers then crept up to the building where the Givati troops were busy dealing with a tunnel.
At 9:30, two suicide bombers moved in on the Israeli team and blew themselves up.

The rest of the squad grabbed Lt. Goldin.
The attack and abduction were deliberately timed to occur after the 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire announced by the US and UN went into effect.

Friday night, US President Barack Obama said that to sustain the ceasefire, Hamas must unconditionally release the Israeli officer who had been seized in the course of the truce, although he admitted to doubts about the Islamist terrorists “following through” on a ceasefire agreement.

This was a reference to Hamas violations of all five previous truces in the 25-day armed conflict in Gaza.

Israel’s security and policy-making cabinet ended a long meeting starting Friday and ending Saturday morning without releasing a statement. The IDF’s mode of attacks in and around Rafah, a town of some quarter of a million inhabitants, indicated that they are trying to trap Lt. Goldin’s abductors before they fled and went to ground, possibly with their captive.

Hamas and Jihad have tried time and again to kidnap Israeli soldiers. This time they took advantage of the ceasefire to achieve this goal.
The fate of the negotiations, scheduled to be launched between Israeli and Palestinian delegations in Cairo Friday at the same time as the 72-hour ceasefire, is up in the air as far as Israel’s intentions are concerned.

Israel held off sending its delegation to Cairo Friday in outrage over the shock Hamas attack-cum-abduction in Rafah. Whether Netanyahu decides to respond to the US appeal, and send negotiators to Egypt on Sunday, may depend on the way matters evolve in the Gaza Strip Saturday, especially if the missing officer is found.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon have still to reach a decision on whether to order the IDF to expand the harsh punitive operation devastating Rafah since Friday to other parts of the Gaza Strip.

As to the ceasefire, it is abundantly clear, as President too acknowledged Friday, that however any talks through Egyptian intermediaries may turn out, and whatever the parties may sign, Hamas can’t be counted on to follow through.

As the latest ceasefire attempt demonstrated, Islamic terrorists will seize on any cessation in hostilities for surprise attacks on Israeli soldiers and any civilian targets within reach, whether by ambush, rockets, or tunnel terror. So a signed deal if it happens may be a diplomatic breakthrough, but have little relevance on the field of combat in Gaza.

Young Americans risking lives for Israel – YouTube.

What drives so many Americans to join the Israel Defense Forces? 21-year-old Noam Sohn from Westchester, N.Y., explains why he is ready to fight for Israel.

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Our World: Congress, Obama and the way to defeat Hamas | JPost | Israel News.

By CAROLINE B. GLICK

08/01/2014 22:56

It is imperative that Congress begin questioning the nature of the Turkish and Qatari regimes and the legality of US military and other strategic ties with these two state sponsors of Hamas and al-Qaeda.

Women hold Hamas flags as they take part in the funeral of leading Hamas terrorists Imad and Adel Awadallah last month. Photo: REUTERS

Why did Hamas attack the Givati forces, kill two soldiers and capture 2nd. Lt. Hadar Goldin Friday morning in violation of the US-UN brokered 72-hour cease fire? Hamas acted as it did, because it thinks it can get away with it. And Hamas thinks that it can get away with it because Hamas is convinced that it will win this war.

And as long as Hamas is convinced that it will win this war, it will continue to attack, no matter what its situation is on the ground in Gaza. It will continue to attack Israel no matter what Israel does.

As a consequence, there is no way for Israel to disengage. There can never be a ceasefire with Hamas for as long as Hamas is convinced that it will win this war.

To understand why Hamas is convinced that it will win, it is necessary to understand first why Hamas is fighting in the first place.

Hamas went to war with one goal, to reopen Gaza to the world.

Hamas is fighting to open Gaza’s border with Egypt, to end Israel’s maritime blockade of the Gaza coast, and to reinstate its lines of finance.

Today Hamas’s leadership, snug in their multi-million dollar villas in Qatar and well-equipped bunkers under Shifa Hospital in Gaza City are that they will achieve their goal. They will win.

And as a consequence, they will not stop attacking Israel.

Hamas’s goal of opening Gaza to the world has nothing to do with helping the people of Gaza. Hamas wants open borders so that it can import arms and the means to rebuild its tunnels. It was to open the borders so that it can replenish its coffers.

In other words, Hamas’s purpose in fighting this war is to ensure that Hamas can keep fighting.

From a financial perspective, it isn’t simply that Hamas is expecting to receive cash payments from Qatar, Turkey, Iran and the Palestinian Authority. Hamas runs Gaza. Hamas is the tax authority.

As Dr. Moshe Elad explained to Globes, Hamas siphons money off every dollar in aid transferred to Gaza because it controls all the aid pipelines. Every dollar of international humanitarian aid to UNWRA and every other organization goes through that pipeline and part of the funds are transferred to Hamas.

Hamas taxes all businesses in Gaza. And it taxes all imports. According to Elad, Hamas levied a flat tax of $2000 on every car load of goods smuggled into Gaza from Egypt in addition to 25 percent of the value of every shipment.

As a result, all economic activity in Gaza funds Hamas.

In other words, as long as Hamas rules Gaza, all aid to Gaza is aid to Hamas. All economic activity is hostage to Hamas. All of Gaza is hostage to Hamas.

The reason that Hamas is certain that when the war ends, it will achieve its goal of opening Gaza’s borders is simple. The United States says so.

The official position of the US government is that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will involve opening Hamas’s borders to the world. This position was spelled out by Secretary of State John Kerry in the draft cease fire that he sent to Israel last Friday.

Kerry’s draft said that a permanent cease fire agreement must include, “arrangements to secure the opening of the crossings, allow the entry of goods and people and… transfer funds to Gaza for the payment of salaries for public employees…” This position was reiterated by President Barack Obama in his telephone conversation with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last Sunday. According the White House’s press release of that phone call, “Building on Secretary Kerry’s efforts, the President made clear the strategic imperative of instituting an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire that ends hostilities now and leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities based on the November 2012 ceasefire agreement… The President underscored the enduring importance of… alleviating Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, and enacting a sustainable ceasefire that both allows Palestinians in Gaza to lead normal lives and addresses Gaza’s long-term development and economic needs.”

After 2nd Lt. Hadar Goldin was captured, Secretary of State John Kerry called the Qatari and Turkish foreign ministers to ask them to get Hamas to release him. Kerry’s move demonstrated that the US continues to view Hamas’s chief state sponsors as the most attractive allies in achieving a sustainable ceasefire. As Hamas’s sponsors, Qatar and Turkey insist that Hamas’s demand for open borders be met.

Under these circumstances, Hamas has no reason to stop fighting.

As a result there are only two options, moving forward.

The first option is for Israel to retake control over Gaza. The aim of the operation would be to decimate Hamas physically.

Such an operation will be prolonged. It will result in the deaths of thousands of Gazan civilians, hostages as they are, to Hamas.

It will result as well in massive losses of IDF soldiers.

In short, it will be a very painful, heartbreaking process. But it will make it impossible for Hamas to enjoy open borders and so continue fighting.

The other option is for the US to credibly reverse its position and oppose any opening of Gaza’s borders for as long as Hamas remains in charge. For this to work, it is not sufficient for the Obama administration to retract its current position and publically oppose the opening of Gaza’s borders. Given the administration’s track record, Hamas’s leadership won’t believe that the policy reversal is real.

Strong Congressional action is also required.

The relevant committees in both houses must begin serious examinations of all manner of US funding to the Palestinians and how this money serves Hamas. Such an investigation should focus on UNWRA.

During this war – and in previous Hamas campaigns against Israel – we have seen Hamas use UNWRA schools as missile storage sites and missile launching pads. This week three soldiers were killed trying to seal a tunnel whose entry shaft was located in an UNWRA clinic booby trapped with over a ton of explosives built into one of the walls.

At a minimum, this tells us that UNWRA is subservient to Hamas. All UNWRA installations and personnel are controlled by Hamas. As a result, UNWRA is a subsidiary – willing or unwilling – of Hamas and all funds to UNWRA must be suspended until Hamas is no longer in control of Gaza.

Again, the central point is that for as long as Hamas exercises control over Gaza, everyone in Gaza and every entity operating in Gaza is controlled by Hamas. All assistance to Gaza assists Hamas and communicates the message that Hamas will win the war.

As a result, the only way for anyone to help the people of Gaza is to free them from Hamas. And the only way to free them from Hamas is to defeat Hamas.

After Hamas took over Gaza in 2007, in keeping with binding UN Security Council resolution 1373 from 2001, Israel imposed a maritime naval blockade of the Gaza coast to prevent material aid to the terrorist organization from getting through.

The blockade is the most passive way possible for Israel to abide by the stipulations of the resolution that prohibits nations from providing assistance to territories controlled by terrorists.

Rather than support Israel’s efforts, the Obama administration has adopted Hamas’s language and refers to the blockade as “a siege,” intimating that there is something illegal about it.

It would be reasonable for the Armed Services Committees of both houses to pass resolutions calling for the US Navy to assist Israel in maintaining the blockade. They can also bring the commanders of the US Navy before them to testify regarding how the US is or can assist Israel in sustaining the blockade.

Such moves would symbolically communicate US commitment to keeping Gaza’s borders sealed. Certainly they would communicate to Turkey that its intention to take action to break Israel’s blockade is strenuously opposed by the US Congress.

And this brings us to another key move that Congress can make. Given the active support Turkey and Qatar are providing to Hamas in its terrorist war against Israel, it is imperative that Congress begin questioning the nature of the Turkish and Qatari regimes and the legality of US military and other strategic ties with these two state sponsors of Hamas and al-Qaeda.

In the case of Qatar, a good place to start is for members of both houses to follow the lead of House Chief Deputy Whip Rep. Peter Roskam who sent a letter to Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew Thursday questioning US diplomatic ties with Qatar in light of its massive financial support for Hamas and its facilitation of the funding of al Qaeda affiliates ISIS and the al Nusra Front.

Members of the Senate Armed Services committee can exercise oversight and state their intention to cancel through legislation the $11 billion dollar arms deal with Qatar that the Pentagon announced last week. In light of what the US now knows about Qatar’s central role as the banker and bankroller of Hamas and other Islamist terror groups, continued military sales to Qatar may well be prohibited under the Arms Export Control Act.

As for Turkey, under the dictatorial regime of Turkey’s Islamist Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, NATO member Turkey has joined Qatar, Iran and Syria as a massive state sponsor of terrorism. It funds and provides other material support for Hamas. It is a major funder of al Nusra and ISIS.

To date, Turkey has largely avoided Congressional scrutiny for its support for terrorism. As a member of NATO its forces continue to train with US forces and Turkey is contracted to receive a hundred F-35 warplanes from the US over the next several years.

With Turkey actively involved in Hamas’s war against Israel, the time has come for Turkey’s support for terrorism to be scrutinized, with an eye towards designating Turkey as a state sponsor of terrorism, or at a minimum, demoting its position in NATO. Relevant committees in both houses of Congress should hold formal hearings about Turkey’s support for terrorism.

Hamas is a genocidal terrorist organization dedicated to the annihilation of the Jewish people and our state as a first step towards Islamic world domination.

It is waging war against Israel because it believes that the US supports its goal of opening Gaza’s borders so that Hamas can continue fighting Israel.

As its bipartisan resolutions expressing support for Israel issued this week made clear yet again, the US Congress shares Israel’s concerns for its security, as well as its concern for the wellbeing of the people of Gaza who are being held hostage by Hamas.

In order to minimize suffering of the people of Israel and Gaza, and to ensure Israel’s national security and US national security interests in the Middle East, the US must join Israel in its goal of defeating Hamas. To that end, both the administration and the Congress must openly and credibly join Israel in rejecting any cease fire arrangement that provides for the opening of Gaza’s physical and financial borders so long as Hamas remains in control of the area.

Caroline B. Glick is the author of The Israeli Solution: A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East.