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Evidence points to Iranian work on long-range missiles at secret base — report

May 23, 2018

Source: Evidence points to Iranian work on long-range missiles at secret base — report | The Times of Israel

NY Times says researchers pieced together clues from satellite images that appear to show activity and powerful rocket engine tests at facility near Shahrud

By STUART WINER Today, 6:58 pm

Iran showed footage on Saturday, September 23, 2017, of a missile test (Screenshot/PressTV)

Iran showed footage on Saturday, September 23, 2017, of a missile test (Screenshot/PressTV)

Weapons researchers have identified activity at a remote secret facility in the Iranian desert that points to the covert development of long-range missiles that could potentially be used to attack the United States, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Satellite images appear to show, among other things, activity around a tunnel leading underground and evidence of powerful rocket engine tests that scorched telltale marks in the desert sand near the city of Shahrud, the report said.

Although there are no restrictions in place on the range of Iranian missiles, US President Donald Trump had insisted that limitations be placed on Tehran’s missile program as a prerequisite for Washington remaining in the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. He ultimately pulled out of it on May 12.

According to the report, researchers from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey watched a recent Iranian documentary about rocket scientist Gen. Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, a leading figure in the country’s missile development program, who was killed in a devastating 2011 explosion at Iran’s main research facility near the town of Bidganeh. Based on details in the film, the researchers came to the conclusion that before his death Moghaddam had helped set up another facility, which is still operational.

Screen capture from video of Gen. Hasan Tehrani Moghaddam, a ballistic missile engineer for Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, who was killed in an explosion in 2011. (YouTube)

Another key clue came when one researcher, reviewing material from an Iranian journalist association, saw an undated photo of Moghaddam, who was a commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that included in the background a box marked “Shahrud.”

The Shahrud site, located about 350 kilometers (220 miles) east of Tehran, was used for a missile test firing in 2013 and was thought to have remained largely unused since. However, satellite images of the site showed a steady increase in the number of buildings there over the past few years, the report said. Curiously, the buildings were painted an aquamarine color, the same shade that Moghaddam had ordered be used at the destroyed Bidganeh site, researchers noticed.

Large marks on the desert floor appeared to be the result of rocket engine test-firings, and the marks had appeared in 2016 and 2017, the report said. Rocket engines can leave a big scorching shaped like a candle flame on the ground.

Analysis of the concrete stands that would have held the engines during the firings suggested the motors had somewhere between 62 and 93 tons of thrust — consistent with the kind of power needed for a long-range missile. Other test structures, apparently also used for engine tests, were reportedly even larger.

Additional imaging from sophisticated sensors also showed traffic at the opening of an underground tunnel, indicating a large structure buried in the sand, the report said.

Researchers came to the conclusion that the site was working on advanced rocket motors and rocket fuel.

US President Donald Trump signs a document reinstating sanctions against Iran after announcing the US withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear deal, in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2018. (AFP/Saul Loeb)

The report said that five experts who reviewed the research material agreed it strongly indicated work on long-range missiles. However, the report also noted that “it is possible that the facility is developing only medium-range missiles, which Iran already possesses, or perhaps an unusually sophisticated space program.”

The US and its allies have been demanding that Iran curb its production of ballistic missiles, which can reach parts of Europe and could soon reach the US as well. Western officials have maintained that the only reason Tehran could have for manufacturing such missiles would be to fit them with non-conventional, including atomic, warheads.

Tehran insists that it sees the missile program as crucial to its defensive posture, and says its existence is non-negotiable.

Iranian leaders have also said they are not working on missiles with a range beyond the Middle East. It has so far produced a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), putting all of Israel in range as well as much of Eastern Europe.

The 2015 nuclear deal saw heavy sanctions lifted on Iran in return for Tehran freezing much of its nuclear program. Having pulled out of the deal in May, the US has vowed to apply the “strongest sanctions in history” on Iran.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, which affirmed the Iran nuclear deal, called on Iran to refrain from developing missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Iran has maintained that it never intended to develop nuclear weapons and therefore its missile development doesn’t violate the agreement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a speech on files obtained by Israel he says proves Iran lied about its nuclear program, at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, on April 30, 2018. (AFP Photo/Jack Guez)

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month presented a vast archive of Iranian documents, obtained by the Mossad spy agency, which he said detailed Iranian efforts and research programs specifically aimed at producing an atomic weapon.

Netanyahu said at the time the evidence proved Iran had “lied” about its nuclear ambitions. In announcing his withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, Trump cited the Israeli intelligence haul as among the reasons for his decision.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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Iran’s top general: Iran doesn’t need permission to develop defense capabilities

May 23, 2018

Source: Iran’s top general: Iran doesn’t need permission to develop defense capabilities – Israel Hayom

U.S. leaders on “Zionist regime’s payroll,” says Iranian chief of staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri after U.S. threatens Iran with “strongest sanctions in history” • Iranian foreign minister calls U.S. remarks on Iran “untrue” and based on “old illusions.”

Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff

Iran’s highest-ranking military leader blasted the U.S. leadership on Wednesday, saying Washington lacks the courage for a military confrontation with Iran.

Speaking to the Iranian parliament, or Majlis, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the commander of Iran’s combined armed forces, said U.S. leaders are “disloyal, cruel, criminal, isolated, angry, corrupt, and on the Zionist regime’s payroll,” state news agency IRNA reported.

“Iranian armed forces are now, thanks to God, more prepared than ever and will not wait for the permission or approval of any power to develop defense capabilities,” Bagheri was quoted as saying.

Iran will not bow to Washington’s pressure to limit its military activities, he said.

Bagheri’s remarks come two days after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would impose “the strongest sanctions in history” if Iran did not curb its regional influence and limit its military programs.

Pompeo said Iran’s “malign activities” extend beyond its nuclear plan and include its involvement in supporting terrorist groups in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Afghanistan.

He also listed 12 U.S. demands for Iran, including halting uranium enrichment, never pursuing plutonium reprocessing and closing a heavy-water reactor.

Two weeks earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran that had lifted sanctions on the Islamic republic in exchange for curbs to its nuclear program.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday called Pompeo’s comments about Iran “untrue” and based on “old illusions,”  and said Washington had become a hostage to pressure groups.

Zarif said Pompeo had repeated old allegations against Iran “only with a stronger and more indecent tone.”

“Pompeo and other U.S. officials are trapped in old illusions. … They are taken hostage by corrupt pressure groups,” Zarif said in a live interview on state television.

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Does Iran want war? 

May 23, 2018

Source: Does Iran want war? – Israel Hayom

Dr. Ephraim Kam

The most recent clash between Iran and Israel, on May 10, ended badly for Iran: All of the missiles it fired at Israeli military positions were intercepted or landed outside of Israeli territory. In response, Israel struck some 50 Iranians targets in Syria.

The results should come as no surprise because Israel is considerably stronger than Iran in the Syrian arena and Tehran’s use of its own forces and Shiite militias is predicated on a mistaken conception.

Originally, these forces were sent to Syria to help save the Assad regime and topple Islamic State, and they were aided by Russian air support. Iran, however, had other ideas: to build a long-term presence in Syria that would pose a significant threat to Israel. The Russian warplanes, though, were deployed to help Assad and to safeguard Russian interests in Syria. Thus far, Russia has not helped Iran in its fight against Israel, and it appears it has no intention of doing so. The Iranian and Shiite forces, therefore, were left without adequate air defenses, while the Iranian air force cannot contend with its Israeli counterpart. The Israeli airstrikes, which destroyed Syrian and Iranian air-defense systems, rendered the Iranian and Shiite fighters exposed. This situation isn’t likely to change in any substantial manner in the future. After their resounding failure in early May, the Iranians must know they cannot continue on the same path as before, and that Israel has forced it to plot a new course.

Iran now has two main courses of action to choose from – both problematic. The first option is using its most effective card for deterring Israel from further airstrikes: triggering Hezbollah’s massive rocket and missile arsenal; and, less likely, helping it by firing missiles at Israel from Iran. If Iran decides to utilize this capability on a significant scale, it’s reasonable to assume Hezbollah will follow orders.

This option, however, comes with two severe risks. First, Israel has repeatedly clarified that missile barrages from Hezbollah will lead to a particularly harsh Israeli response – not just against Hezbollah but all of Lebanon. The second risk is even more profound: Even if Hezbollah fires missiles, Israel will still hold Iran responsible. Israel can retaliate with a concentrated campaign to dislodge the Iranian foothold in Syria and Lebanon, which if successful would ultimately remove Iran from those countries. Even if the Iranians restrict their barrage to military targets, the most recent clash should inform them that even limited rocket fire can provoke a massive Israeli response, and moreover – that activating Hezbollah’s missile arsenal on any significant scale means war with Israel. Iran has no interest in getting dragged into a wide-scale conflict because its involvement in Syria places it at a disadvantage. A war with Israel would hamper Iran’s attempts to solidify its influence in Syria as well as Iraq and Lebanon. Above all, Israel could see an Iranian provocation as justification for an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Iran’s other option is to switch into a lower gear when it comes to Israel. Iran won’t forgo its intent to raise a flag in Syria, which is its top strategic priority. But in light of the threat that the Iranian foothold in Syria presents to Israel, even though Iran does not have the capability of going to war with Israel on that particular state, Iran might prefer not to make the situation worse. What’s more, the Trump administration now comprises an unprecedented threat to Iran, under which Iran can use other methods to bolster its status in Syria, such as economic investment, tighter political ties, and helping build up the Shiite militias in Syria. This does not mean that Iran will give up on military action, just that it will leave out the elements that will pose a challenge to Israel before it has a proper response.

It’s hard to know which route Iran will opt for. There could be a debate between the radical arm of the regime and the moderates, which is reflected in President Hassan Rouhani’s remarks that Iran does not want more tension and in the calls by the protesters who flooded the streets at the end of 2017 for Iran to stop its costly intervention in Syria.

Dr. Ephraim Kam is a senior research fellow with the Institute for National Security Studies.

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Likud MK urges U.S. to recognize Israeli Golan Heights

May 23, 2018

The 1981 Golan Heights Law, passed when Menachem Begin was prime minister, states that “the law, jurisdiction and administration of the State [of Israel] will take effect in the Golan Heights.”

By Lahav Harkov
May 23, 2018 17:52
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Likud-MK-to-US-Recognize-Israeli-Golan-Heights-558177
An old military vehicle can be seen positioned on the Israeli side of the border with Syria, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. (photo credit: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)

The United States should recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Likud MK Yoav Kisch wrote to US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman in a letter obtained by The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

“In 1981, Israel declared sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” Kisch wrote last week. “The Golan Heights has since developed and became an inseparable part of Israel. Today, facing a reality in which the borders of Syria are redefined, a US declaration supporting the Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights is imperative.

“We believe that [US] President Donald J. Trump is aware of the difficulties and challenges in the region,” the Likud MK said.
Kisch cited recent US policy toward Israel, including its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The MK added: “We believe that an official American recognition of the Golan Heights as a sovereign Israeli territory would be a natural continuation of the current US policy in our region.”

The Golan Heights Law passed in 1981, when Menachem Begin was prime minister, states, “The law, jurisdiction and administration of the State [of Israel] will take effect in the Golan Heights.” It holds the record for the fastest-passed law in the Knesset’s history, having been legislated in one day. The Reagan administration criticized the move, and the UN declared the Golan Heights Law “null and void and without international legal effect.”

In recent years, several ministers and MKs have said the time has come for international recognition of Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights. In February, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the Golan “will remain in the hands of Israel forever.”

Last week, US Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) proposed a resolution to have the US recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

“It is the sense of the Congress that the Golan Heights represent an integral part of the State of Israel and are crucial to the ability of Israel to safeguard its borders and maintain its existence,” the measure reads, according to The Washington Free Beacon. “Given the civil war in Syria and the expansion of Iranian influence in Syria, the United States should recognize Israel sovereignty over the Golan Heights.”

DeSantis’s resolution does not have any cosponsors, and is seen as a long shot on Capitol Hill.

 

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US sanctions seek regime change 

May 23, 2018

Source: US sanctions seek regime change – Israel Hayom

Dr. Raz Zimmt

There is only one way to understand the list of conditions U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave to the Iranians: America means to push for a regime change in Iran.

Maybe the American administration did not admit this but we can assume that Washington knows full well that no Iranian regime – certainly not the current one – would agree to the 12 demands. In the same vein, Pompeo might as well have demanded Iran holds free and democratic elections or stops enforcing Islamic dress code in public spaces.

The Iranian regime cannot agree to these demands. First of all, this is because some of them, such as shifting its approach to Israel and ceasing its support of terrorist organizations, are completely contrary to the regime’s DNA, requiring a perversion of Islamic Revolution values unacceptable to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Second, the Iranian leadership sees Pompeo’s presentation of demands as additional proof of Iran’s standpoint that the sole goal of the U.S. is to replace the Islamic regime. Third, the fulfillment of some of these demands requires Iran to dismantle assets that, in the regime’s eyes, are a security guarantee of their continued survival, such as long-range missiles and the option to use nuclear technology for military purposes. Iranian willingness to give up these capabilities, particularly at a time when it has conditions placed on it in the context of an escalating U.S. threat, is unreasonable even under heightened economic pressure.

The American administration currently striving for regime change comes as no surprise. National Security Adviser John Bolton, known as a staunch supporter of regime change in Iran, even maintains open ties with the Iranian resistance abroad. But a regime change requires recruiting the Iranian public to take down its leaders, unless the American administration intends to drag the country into another Middle Eastern war and force a regime change on Iran through military means, including a land invasion. The process of change in Iranian society depends on its potential for political change. Increasing the economic pressure through more crippling sanctions will likely strengthen popular protest.

Washington possibly hopes the faltering Iranian economy and protracted public protest will create an opportunity for the regime to fall. All that is needed is to increase the pressure on Iran. Although the Americans’ hope may be realized, those who base strategy on hopes risk discovering their hopes to be false.

Dr. Raz Zimmt is a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University.

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A message to the radical axis 

May 23, 2018

Source: A message to the radical axis – Israel Hayom

Yoav Limor

We can assume that Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin’s speech left his audience of fellow air force chiefs green with envy on Tuesday. There isn’t an air force in the world that wouldn’t want the most advanced fighter jet on the planet in its arsenal.

Beyond having it, they would love even more to be able to use it for operational purposes. Norkin told his counterparts he has checked both those boxes – after revealing that Israel is the first country in the world to use the F-35 in combat.

Cynics will certainly wonder how much money the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, paid for Norkin to say what he said in front of such an audience. The F-35 is the most ambitious weapons project in history, but after all the well-documented malfunctions and delays Lockheed needs success stories like it needs oxygen – and there’s nothing quite like Israeli airstrikes, with the bonus of photographic evidence of an F-35 flying invisible to radar over Beirut, to bolster its image and consumer confidence.

Even greater cynics would say this was a clever ploy by the defense establishment to justify its request for a budget bonus of NIS 1 billion. The air force is openly seeking additional F-35 squadrons and wants to expand its existing arsenal from 50 stealth planes to 75 – and although the planes are funded by American aid dollars, a budgetary bonus would give the establishment more flexibility regarding other procurements.

Israel has ‘reality changing’ weapons

The answer, it appears, is far less conspiratorial. The purpose of Norkin’s comments was twofold. First, he wanted to share the air force’s accomplishments with his colleagues. After delivering a strategic briefing he went on to discuss the air force’s evolution from 1948 to today, expanding on the use of its most sophisticated weapon. It was a professional overview for an audience of professionals, and even if there was an element of “braggadocio,” this isn’t unreasonable within such an exclusive circle. To be sure, in attendance were air force chiefs from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, India and Brazil – among whom the IAF stands as an equal, at the very least.

Norkin’s second and essentially primary objective was to send a message to the radical Tehran-Damascus-Beirut axis. Beyond showcasing an Israeli weapon none of its enemies can contend with, because they can’t see it, Israel has “reality changing” tools to effectively counter any aggression.

Israel’s qualitative military advantage, which isn’t particularly new, has always afforded it maximum maneuverability. The anomalous downing of an Israeli F-16 in February stemmed from a technical malfunction; it certainly doesn’t indicate an erosion of Israel’s absolute aerial dominance in the region, amply exhibited by the hundreds of airstrikes it has carried out in recent years. But now, with the F-35 in its arsenal, the air force has a different dimension at its disposal whose impact is sure to reverberate throughout the region (and beyond, to Moscow for example, which is likely examining how its own defenses can contend with this new player in the arena).

On a side note, it’s impossible to ignore the disconcerting gap between the air force and land army. The army presented by Norkin on Tuesday is cutting-edge, sophisticated and a global trailblazer, which along with quality intelligence gathering capabilities positions Israel light years ahead of its enemies. In the next war, however, on every front, the land army will also be thrust into action, and there, unfortunately, Israel’s advantage is significantly smaller.

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Iran’s Secret ICBM Program Expose by California Researchers

May 23, 2018
By David Israel

Iran’s Secret ICBM Program Exposed by California Researchers

The funeral rites of Gen. Hassan Moghaddam and his entire team of rocket scientistsPhoto Credit: Courtesy of Ali Khamenei’s website

A team of California-based weapons researchers stumbled on a series of clues that led them to conclude that Gen. Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, an Iranian scientist who had been killed in a 2011 explosion that destroyed Iran’s Bid Kaneh long-range missile research facility, was also running another secret facility in the remote Iranian desert which they believe continues to operate to this day, the NY Times reported Wednesday.

The researchers examined satellite photos of the facility, concluding that the work there is being conducted mostly at night, and appears to focus on advanced rocket engines and rocket fuel.

An analysis of the grounds and structures of the remote facility “strongly suggests” it is developing technology for long-range missiles, according to the report. When completed, Iran could threaten Europe and even the United States with its ICBM war heads.

The Times consulted five outside experts who reviewed the findings independently and agreed there’s compelling evidence that Iran is developing long-range missile technology.

IRGC Major General Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam was a ballistic missile aerospace Engineer, the founder and main architect and designer of the Iranian ballistic missile project. He sought the expertise and blueprint designs from North Korea in order to help develop Iran’s missile technology, and designed the Shahab, Ghadr and Sejjil missiles with an operational range of more than 1,250 miles, specifically to use against Israel.

The researchers, based at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Calif., discovered the Iranian facility after Fabian Hinz, a young research fellow, proposed studying recent Iranian state media material on the late General Moghaddam, to see if it contained clues about Iran’s missile program. Judging by offhand remarks from the late General’s colleagues and relatives cited by Iranian media, it appeared that his work had quietly continued, the NY Time reported.

Hinz also found a 2017 post by an Iranian journalists association, with photo of General Moghaddam alongside a top lieutenant and a box marked “Shahrud.” Shahrud is the name of a town 25 miles from the site of a single missile test-launch that took place in 2013, and which had been considered dormant. But a timeline examination of satellite images of the site showed a steady growth in the number of buildings at the facility, and they were painted “a striking aquamarine.” Aquamarine happened to be General Moghaddam’s favorite color, who used it to paint all the structures under his command.

The researchers found in satellite images of a crater in the area around Shahrud, what they described as two “telltale ground scars,” both recent: one from 2016, the other June 2017. The researchers believe these are concrete stands that supported the tested engines. They say the 2017 test used a 370 ton stand, suggesting the engine powered up to 90 tons of thrust — enough for an intercontinental ballistic missile.

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Palestinians: Americans Now Legitimate Targets

May 23, 2018


Pictured: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.(Photo by Kevin Hagen/Getty Images)

Now it is official: Palestinians view the US as an enemy. Anti-US rhetoric comes from Palestinians representing all walks of life — from President Mahmoud Abbas to ordinary citizens in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Some Palestinians even see US citizens and officials as “legitimate targets” for violent assaults.

by Bassam Tawil May 23, 2018 Gatestone Institute

Source Link: Palestinians: Americans Now Legitimate Targets

{I have to ask….just how much will it cost for you to like us again? – LS}

Ultimately, it is all about money. The Palestinian Authority is desperate for US financial aid; without it the Palestinian leadership would not be able to survive. So the Palestinians are hoping to extort protection money from the Americans. It is like saying, “You see what will happen to you if you stop funding me? It could always get worse for you. I suggest that you restore my accountability-free funding, and perhaps I will see to it that you do not get hurt.”

The Americans should call the Palestinian bluff and send a warning to the Palestinian leadership that there will be consequences for their rhetoric and actions if they do not cease the incitement and brainwashing. The US should use the money as leverage to demand this from the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority needs your money and you have the right to demand something good in return for it. There is no reason why any American should be funding the same Palestinian propaganda machine that is inciting not only against Israel, but also against the US and its citizens.

There is a new development in Palestinian hatred of the Trump administration: the Palestinian leaders’ verbal attacks on the US are now being translated into acts of violence against US delegations visiting Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

The Palestinian campaign against the US began in December 2017, when President Donald Trump made his announcement recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and escalated after he announced that the US embassy in Tel Aviv would be moved to Jerusalem.

The anti-US rhetoric has come from Palestinians representing all walks of life — from the most senior, including President Mahmoud Abbas, to ordinary citizens in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and from secular groups such as the ruling Fatah faction to extremist Islamist organizations such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

If there is anything that unites the vast majority of Palestinians, it is their hatred of the Trump administration’s representatives and policies.

It is hard to find even one Palestinian who is prepared to say a good word about the US administration or its policies, especially with respect to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Now, however, it is official: Palestinians view the US as an enemy. Even more worrying, some Palestinians even see US citizens and officials as “legitimate targets” for violent assaults. It does not seem to matter to these Palestinians whether the Americans they are targeting have come to help them or express sympathy with their cause.

Attacks on Americans visiting Palestinian cities in the West Bank are no longer uncommon. It is only by luck that no US citizen has thus far been hurt as a result of these assaults, which are being carried out by Palestinian activists who have been told by their leaders that the US is an enemy of the Palestinians.

The latest incident took place on May 21 in the town of Bet Jala, near Bethlehem. Activists belonging to the Palestinian Popular Resistance group attacked a US consular vehicle with eggs and shoes, forcing it to flee the town. The protesters chanted slogans denouncing the US as the “head of the snake” and carried banners which said, “US Government, You Are Not Welcome in Palestine” and “America is a State of Terror.”

A video posted on social media showed the protesters surrounding and kicking the US vehicle as it sped away. This was a rather humiliating scene for the Americans who came to Bet Jala to attend a graduation ceremony for Palestinian students who participated in a US-sponsored educational program.

“Our message to the Americans today is that there is no room for the US Government in Palestine because this Government is in collusion with Israel,” explained Mazen Al-Ezah, one of the leaders of the anti-US protest. “We love the American people, but their Government is part of the Israeli occupation of our land and people.”

Another protester, Mahmoud Brejiyeh, said that the goal of the protest was to convey to the Americans that they are “not welcome in Palestine. We are here to tell the Americans that the Palestinians no longer trust them and they can no longer play any role in the peace process [with Israel].”

This was the second incident of its kind in the Bethlehem area since the beginning of this year. In January, a group of Palestinian activists expelled an American delegation that was visiting the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce and Industry as part of a cooperative effort between Palestinian businessmen and the US Consulate in Jerusalem.

In February, Palestinian Authority (PA) policemen had to rescue an American delegation that was visiting a research center in Ramallah. The delegation, which included New York legislators and civil society groups, was pelted with eggs as Palestinians chanted, “America is the head of the snake.” Again, no one was hurt.

In addition to the violent attacks directed against Americans in the West Bank, Palestinians have also been burning effigies and photos of Trump, as well as US flags. During one protest in the Al-Aydah refugee camp near Bethlehem, Palestinian protesters staged a mock trial for Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. The verdict: a death sentence. The Palestinians then carried out the “death sentence” by hanging effigies of Trump and Pence in a public square in the camp.

All these anti-US protests have a common feature: the Palestinian activists always coordinated their moves in advance with the local media. Palestinian journalists and photographers were invited to cover the protests to make sure that their message reaches the White House and the rest of the world.

It is also worth noting that the Palestinian Authority security forces, which are partially funded and trained by Americans, did not take pre-emptive measures to stop the anti-US protests. It is hard to imagine that these security forces, which enjoy excellent intelligence information, did not know what several Palestinian journalists and photographers knew in advance about the planned protests. In fact, some Palestinians say that the anti-US protests could not have taken place without the prior approval of the Palestinian security forces.

Why should the Palestinian security forces prevent such protests when President Mahmoud Abbas and many other Palestinian officials are engaged in almost daily rhetorical attacks against the US administration and its representatives? Why should these security forces prevent such protests when the Palestinian Authority itself has been boycotting the US administration and launching scathing attacks on Trump’s “Jewish advisors” — David Friedman, Jason Greenblatt and Jared Kushner?

Hardly a day passes without the Palestinians gushing forth venom concerning the US administration. And as time goes on, the Palestinian tone gets more and more vicious. Trump and his advisors are being denounced as Zionists and settlers and accomplices in Israeli “war crimes.”

In addition, the Palestinians continue to accuse the Trump administration of “conspiring to liquidate the Palestinian cause and national rights” through the yet-to-be-announced US plan for peace in the Middle East. Under the current circumstances, it is hard to see how any representative of the Trump administration would ever be able to set foot in Ramallah or Bethlehem.

The Palestinian Authority has whipped up anti-US sentiments to a point where no American can feel safe visiting any Palestinian city. Not even an American who comes to offer help in the business or educational fields. The Palestinian Authority leadership has made it clear to Palestinians that the Americans are now the enemy, and this puts the lives of US citizens and diplomats at risk. US diplomats and officials who continue to visit Ramallah and Bethlehem with good intentions to help the Palestinians are jeopardizing their lives in order to help those who are spitting into the cup they are drinking from.

It is only a matter of time before one of the attacks on Americans in the West Bank ends in tragedy. Yet the Palestinian leadership is showing no signs of bringing down the volume of its verbal attacks on the US. On the contrary, each day brings more violent rhetoric by Palestinian leaders and spokesmen about the US administration. For some time now, Israeli Jews have been banned from entering Palestinian cities, out of concern for their safety. This ban by the Israeli authorities is not unjustified, as some Israeli Jews have been violently attacked after entering Palestinian cities.

Perhaps soon we will see such signs warning US citizens against entering Palestinian cities, out of concern for their safety. Unless someone calls out the Palestinian leadership for its incitement against the US.

Why are the Palestinians doing this? This is a bullying tactic to scare the US administration into supporting their cause and abandoning its “bias” in favor of Israel. This is a new/old tactic that the Palestinian leadership has long used to extract political support and financial aid from the world. It is like saying: Give me everything I want or I will exact revenge.

The Palestinians consider the present US administration one of the most hostile American governments in history towards the Palestinians. They are hoping that the bullying, threats and violent attacks on US citizens and officials will make the White House backtrack on its support for Israel and start appeasing them.

Ultimately, it is all about money. The Palestinian Authority is desperate for US financial aid; without it, the Palestinian leadership would not be able to survive. So the Palestinians are hoping to extort protection money from the Americans. It is like saying, “You see what will happen to you if you stop funding me? It could always get worse for you. I suggest that you restore my accountability-free funding, and perhaps I will see to it that you do not get hurt.”

The Americans should call the Palestinian bluff and send a warning to the Palestinian leadership that there will be consequences for their rhetoric and actions if they do not cease the incitement and brainwashing. The US should use the money as leverage to demand this from the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority needs your money and you have the right to demand something good in return for it. There is no reason why any American should be funding the same Palestinian propaganda machine that is inciting not only against Israel, but also against the US and its citizens.

Bassam Tawil is an Arab Muslim based in the Middle East.

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Israeli fighter jets target Hamas terror tunnel, naval sites

May 23, 2018

The strike was part of Israel’s response to an arson attack carried out by Gazan terrorists yesterday.

Raz-Haviv Dahan

http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/politics-and-military/military/idf-attacks-hamas-terror-tunnel-naval-targets-35895

Israeli airstrike in Gaza Photo Credit: Nati Shohat/Flash90

The IDF attacked a terror tunnel and two naval sites of Hamas during the night in response to yesterday’s infiltration during which an empty IDF position was set on fire, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

“The Hamas terror organization is accountable for all threats originating from the Gaza Strip, above and below ground, and will bear the consequences for its actions against Israeli civilians and Israeli sovereignty,” the IDF spokesperson tweeted. “The IDF views these continued attempts with great severity, specifically Hamas’ daily attempts to damage Israeli security infrastructure & threats to the safety of Israeli civilians. The IDF is determined to fulfill its mission to protect Israeli civilians.”

The infiltration was recorded and published by Al-Jazeera. In the video, the terrorists are seen cutting the border fence and crossing into Israel before setting fire to the empty IDF sniper’s position.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, in response to the IDF attack, tweeted, “Tonight, the IDF destroyed another tunnel that belongs to the Hamas terror organization. The attempts to attack Israel from the air, at the fence and underground will be blocked with an iron wall and the IDF’s might. The heads of Hamas should realize that their military project is a failure and invest in improving the lives of the Gaza residents.”

 

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Syria says Iranian withdrawal not up for discussion

May 23, 2018

Source: Syria says Iranian withdrawal not up for discussion – Middle East – Jerusalem Post

US Secretary of State Pompeo said Iran must withdraw all forces under its command in Syria.

BY REUTERS
 MAY 23, 2018 12:49
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad gestures during a news conference in Damascus, Syria

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad gestures during a news conference in Damascus, Syria. (photo credit: OMAR SANADIKI/REUTERS)

BEIRUT – The withdrawal of Iranian forces is not up for discussion, the Syrian deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday, after Washington demanded they pull out of Syria’s conflict.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has demanded Iran make sweeping changes — from dropping its nuclear program to leaving the Syrian war — or face severe economic sanctions.

“Whether Iranian forces or Hezbollah withdraw or stay in Syria is not up for discussion because it’s the (business) of the Syrian government,” Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen TV cited Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad as saying.

In Syria’s seven-year conflict, Iran has provided vital support to President Bashar Assad’s military. Its forces and the militias it backs from the region, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, helped Damascus claw back control of major cities from militants and rebels.

Russia has also deployed forces to help the Syrian state.

Pompeo said Iran must withdraw all forces under its command in Syria. Tehran dismissed the US ultimatum and one senior official said it showed the United States seeks “regime change” in Iran.

Mekdad added that Damascus plans to take back every inch of the country, and the next target could be north or south after crushing insurgents in a string of enclaves around the capital.

“This is our decision and the decision of our friends,” the pro-Syrian government channel cited him as saying in an interview with Russian state news agency Sputnik.

“After ending the direct terrorist danger to Damascus, the door is open to heading north or south.”

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