WarSclerotic

Iran poured scorn on threatened U.S. sanctions on Tuesday and told European powers to step up and salvage the 2015 international nuclear deal, although Germany signaled there is only so much it can do to fend off the U.S.’s economic clout.

Senior Iranian military and political figures queued up to issue defiant statements, a day after Washington threatened “the strongest sanctions in history” if Iran fails to make a series of sweeping changes.

On Monday, two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the nuclear pact, his administration told Iran to drop its nuclear program and pull out of the Syrian civil war, among other demands, setting Washington and Tehran further on a course of confrontation.

“The people of Iran should stand united in the face of this and they will deliver a strong punch to the mouth of the American secretary of state and anyone who backs them,” Gen. Ismail Kowsari, a senior commander with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, was quoted as saying by the Iranian Labour News Agency.

The 2015 nuclear agreement, worked out between Iran and the United States, France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China, lifted sanctions in exchange for Iran limiting its atomic program.

Trump called it the worst deal ever negotiated, but European powers see it as the best chance to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb.

After Trump pulled out, the other signatories said they would try to salvage the deal and keep Iran’s oil trade and investment flowing. But European companies say they are worried about getting caught up in the new sanctions, given the U.S.’s global reach, and some have already started pulling out.

The head of Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy parliamentary committee said the only way to salvage the nuclear deal would be for the European signatories to stand up to the United States.

“Today they must show their strength in the face of American pressure,” Alaeddin Borujerdi said, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday told reporters in Argentina he would travel from there to Washington to discuss the nuclear deal with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He gave no date for his meeting.

German Economic Affairs Minister Peter Altmaier earlier told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper that the government would help German firms with business in Iran where it could, but it could not entirely shield them from the U.S. decision to quit the Iran nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions.

Asked how the German government can assist German firms, he said it would help them assess the situation and developments while also urging the U.S. to grant exemptions and extend deadlines.

“We will help where we can, but there is no way of completely averting the consequences of this unilateral withdrawal,” he said.

His statement was echoed by Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, who said there are limits to the European Union’s powers to persuade larger firms to stay in Iran in the face of threatened U.S. sanctions.

“We know there are hardly any larger companies in Europe that do not also trade with the United States. The pressure on European companies from the U.S. is quite large,” Asselborn told reporters in Brussels.

“We are in the situation that we’re in. I believe we should not give up, we should try until the end, to show, with our heads held high, that we are right and Mr. Trump is wrong.”

French President Emmanuel Macron last week acknowledged the dilemma faced by firms choosing between trading with the biggest economy in the world, the United States, and risking sanctions and massive fines by trading with Iran.

Residents of Israeli communities in the areas surrounding the Gaza Strip told Israel Hayom on Sunday of the terrible difficulties posed by Gaza’s incendiary kite terrorism, which has so far destroyed thousands of acres of farmland and nature reserves.

The kites have burned almost 1,000 acres of farmland near Kibbutz Or Haner on Sunday, inflicting heavy damage. Some 40 fires have started by means of kites since Friday. One kite, fitted with an explosive device, was intercepted and defused.

“We stopped counting, we just go from one fire to the next. Every minute a new fire starts,” said Yaakov Gabbay, a senior official at the Israel Fire and Rescue Service.

“It doesn’t end, they simply decided that they’re going until the end,” said Danny Rahamim, from Kibbutz Nahal Oz. “The last time we were at the water reservoir was last week and since then we haven’t been able to get there because the army won’t let us. For farmers close to the fence, this is simply a nightmare. It’s dealing with things that people simply don’t understand. All we want to do is grow our crops, but we’re too busy with fires and being stopped by the army from doing all sorts of farming tasks. I’m not blaming the army, of course, because that’s its job, but it’s frustrating.

“At the end of the day, what are we asking? To work in our fields in peace. Over the past month and a half it has become absolutely unbearable. We thought this would end. It’s a massive heartbreak and indescribable, throwing months of labor down the drain. We have been working so hard to irrigate and fertilize but in the end it all burns,” he continued. “It’s not only the fields – it’s also in the forests, in the nature reserves and in nearby towns.

“We farmers will continue working our land, this is our home,” Rahamim said. “The issue is that we feel as if we are air and that the establishment doesn’t care. A little while ago, a government official said that ‘the problem isn’t Gaza, the problem is Iran,’ and such statements offend us. This round of violence brings only more violence, a sort of never-ending loop: They shoot, we respond and then they shoot back. We must find a solution, as at the end of the day it doesn’t matter who started it.

“I think that the government must take the initiative, as there is no military solution. We need to make things easier on them. Clearly Hamas is a terrorist organization whose goal is to destroy the State of Israel, but the question is what we do about it. We need to see how we can ease the humanitarian situation in Gaza. It obviously needs to be a carrot and a stick scenario. I want to know that the government is doing everything it can for the matter to be resolved nonviolently.

“I want to know that it really did everything,” he repeated. “How much longer can we hold on? What are we here for? Children and people suffer here from post-trauma. We are strong but not immune, so it is important to see that something different is done on the matter, that there is hope.”

Ofer Lieberman from Kibbutz Nir Am said that “incident simply follows incident. We are trying to work as usual. It starts in the afternoon and then the mess begins. That’s how it is every day. It is an idiotic routine.”

“Besides,” he continued, “one of the things that saddens me is that the State of Israel has yet to officially characterize the kites and balloons launched from Gaza as terrorism. The government must send a clear message that during the cease-fire, the incendiary kites and balloons must stop. I feel that they view the kites as less serious. The solutions devised to combat the kites have not been effective. Reality has demonstrated that it doesn’t work, the amount of fires in the area surrounding Gaza clearly demonstrates this.

“Then, on top of the fires, there’s the rocket fire. Every hour, or hour and a half, we have to run to the shelters. Then, in the morning, we wake up to burned fields,” he lamented.

Meanwhile Monday, Israeli security forces were bracing for potential clashes on what the Palestinians call Naksa Day, to be marked Tuesday, which commemorates the Arab defeat in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Forces along the border with the Gaza Strip have stepped up their alert level, and additional troops have been deployed to the area, which include snipers, armored vehicles and infantry, as well as special forces. Israel’s Iron Dome defense batteries were also equipped with a new batch of interceptor missiles to prepare for another barrage of rockets and mortar shells on communities situated near the Gaza strip.

Israel struck a de facto cease-fire agreement with Palestinian armed groups in Gaza last week after the most intense flare-up of hostilities since a 2014 war, both sides signaling they did not want a wider escalation.

Militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired dozens of rockets and mortar bombs at southern Israel last week, to which Israel responded with tank fire and airstrikes on more than 50 targets in Gaza. Over the weekend, Palestinians fired rockets again, leading to Israeli airstrikes in retaliation overnight Saturday. On Sunday, although things were once again relatively calm, Palestinians crossed the Gaza fence and set ablaze several shipping containers. They ran back to the Gaza Strip before the IDF could engage them.

Thousands of revelers flooded New York City’s Times Square on Sunday to celebrate Israel’s 70th anniversary in a festive event organized by the Consulate General of Israel in New York and Israel’s Culture and Sport Ministry.

The event, a massive street party, was led by a lineup of top Israeli performers and prominent politicians from both countries. The area, in the heart of New York City, was cordoned off for several hours.

The highlight of the event was when the square’s famous giant screens began displaying clips about Israel. One of the clips, which was broadcast on a loop, focused on various Israeli sites, the Jewish state’s achievements and the special bond between Israel and the United States.

Video: @ido8all

The screens also displayed video messages from several prominent American politicians and Hollywood stars, including Mayim Bialik, Liev Schreiber and Michael Douglas. Israeli singer Shiri Maimon, who was recently cast as the star of the Broadway musical Chicago, was one of the Israeli performers at the event.

The special celebration required a massive security undertaking on the part of the New York Police Department. Some 1,000 officers were tasked with keeping the area free from threats. To prevent ramming attacks, garbage trucks filled with sand were placed on the streets leading up to the square.

Despite concerns of potential clashes with pro-Palestinian groups, only a handful of protesters, belonging to the anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox group Neturei Karta, showed up.

Israeli Consul General Dani Dayan told Israel Hayom that the event marked a high point in his years of service as Israel’s envoy. “We are in New York, the world’s capital after Jerusalem, and the largest Jewish city outside Israel,” Dayan said. “We are celebrating the miracle called the State of Israel with U.S. Jews. This is a dream come true.”

Dayan said that when he first heard the plan to “take over” Times Square for a celebration of Israel, he was incredulous. “But then we joined forces with the Culture and Sport Ministry and with Minister Miri Regev – we achieved the unthinkable. Miri is just unstoppable; no one can stand in her way,” he said.

Dayan added that the sensitive nature of the event presented a significant security challenge. “We were at times concerned that it would be called off; I was worried that security officials would force us to cancel the entire thing,” he said.

Dayan said that at one point he was told that the Israeli authorities had ordered high-ranking Israeli officials to avoid taking part in the event. Dayan’s security detail immediately put forth a set of new demands to make sure security would meet the various concerns. To their surprise, the NYPD agreed to accommodate the Israeli requests and finally a green light was given to hold the mega event.

“We have been fostering good ties with the authorities and the police department for years,” Dayan said. “No other Israeli consulate has such good ties with the local police, and it shows,” he said.

He noted that Israelis should celebrate even more intensely to demonstrate that they are not deterred by Gaza fence provocations in recent weeks. “We must celebrate precisely because we are going through a hard time,” Dayan said.

Regev, who was the Israeli government’s main representative at the event,  told Israel Hayom that “this event has great meaning, not just for me but also for the State of Israel.” She said, “Times Square is never cordoned off, only once a year on New Year’s Eve. This is the first time in history that such an event has the square sealed – and for whom? For the State of Israel, to salute the State of Israel. The place is a bustling economic and cultural nerve center;  having the accomplishments of this tiny country displayed on its massive screens is uplifting and makes me proud and happy for having had the opportunity to lead this effort.” She praised the NYPD for making “tremendous efforts” to ensure the event was carried out smoothly.

The event was attended by members of Congress, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and other officials. “The authorities were taken aback by our request, they asked, ‘Why hold this here?’ But we insisted because this place is part of the message we want to convey,” she said.

Apart from Regev and Dayan, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon was also present, as were Aliyah and Integration Minister Sofa Landver, Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis, MK Yoel Hasson (Zionist Union) and MK Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid), MK Shuli Mualem-Rafaeli (Habayit Hayehudi) and MK Nurit Koren (Likud).

Danon said it was a good way to end a dramatic week in which Israel was once again attacked at the U.N. “We had a very intense week. On Friday we were at the U.N. Security Council until 6 p.m; U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley and I defended Israel – and now two days later we see the love and support for Israel,” he said. He said that beyond his personal feelings, the celebrations were “an important message to the people of Israel. We always talk about how many enemies Israel has, and the efforts to boycott it, and how everyone is against us – but we have very good friends, we must not be intimidated, and we must believe in our friends and go with our truth.”

Danon said that the U.S.-Israel stance at the U.N. shows that Israel’s standing is getting better. “We are changing the rules of the game,” Danon said. “First, there was the delegation of 40 ambassadors that arrived in Israel with me on Independence Day, and then there is Haley’s stance at the U.N. All this shows that we are not only on the defense but also taking a proactive posture, and this is all the more apparent today on the streets, with dozens of ambassadors from around the world marching down Fifth Avenue and arriving at Times Square.”

The Times Square event was preceded by the annual Celebrate Israel Parade, with tens of thousands marching down Fifth Avenue, including New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio. Danon, who marched with a group of dozens of ambassadors said he was “pleased to launch a new tradition of having a large number of ambassadors march with us in the biggest pro-Israel demonstration in the world.” He said that it was “heartwarming to see so much support overseas among Israel’s friends overseas in these difficult times.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to travel to Europe this week in a bid to rally support from key allies for amending the international nuclear deal with Iran and for pushing Iranian forces out of Syria.

Netanyahu is set to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, followed by meeting with the leaders of France and the U.K.

According to British daily The Times, ahead of his visit to Berlin, Paris ‎and London, Netanyahu shared with Israel’s allies some of the top-‎secret files obtained by the Mossad Israel’s intelligence agency, ‎proving the military nature of Iran’s nuclear program.‎

According to the report, among the trove of files making up the ‎Iranian nuclear archive was a memorandum, dated to 2001, in ‎which the Iranian Defense Ministry authorized the country’s ‎military to enrich uranium from 3% to over 90% – military-grade ‎levels that suggest Iran had every intention of building a nuclear ‎weapon.‎

The memorandum was signed by Amir Daryaban Ali Shamkhami, ‎who now serves as secretary of Iran’s National Security Council ‎and is a top military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali ‎Khamenei.‎

What Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency about its ‎capacities was almost comical compared to what we have here,” a ‎senior Israeli intelligence officer told The Times.‎

‎”Iran said there had only been feasibility and scientific studies but ‎what we see is that Iran ran a full-fledged nuclear weapons ‎program and that it followed directions from the political levels.”‎

Addressing his cabinet Sunday, Netanyahu said archenemy Iran would top his agenda and expressed optimism for a successful visit.

Israel has been a leading critic of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, and more recently has said it will not allow Iran to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.

“For years we stood alone against these twin threats and I think that the situation has changed for the better,” Netanyahu said.

“I will reiterate an unchanging truth: Israel will not allow Iran to achieve nuclear weapons.

“I will also insist on a basic principle: Israel retains, and will continue to retain, freedom of action against the establishment of an Iranian military presence anywhere in Syria.”

Netanyahu unsuccessfully tried to block the landmark nuclear deal, which gave Iran relief from crippling sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, when it was being negotiated in 2015 under the leadership of U.S. President Barack Obama. He has found a welcome ally in President Donald Trump, who last month announced the U.S.’s withdrawal from the deal.

Reuters

Both the U.S. and Israel hope Trump’s withdrawal can lead all sides into addressing what they say are the deal’s shortcomings, including “sunset” provisions that end restrictions on Iranian nuclear activities and permitting Iran to continue to develop long-range missiles.

Netanyahu says that when the deal expires over the next decade, Iran will emerge with the ability to produce a nuclear bomb in a very short time.

The remaining signatories to the nuclear deal have said they are still committed to it, especially since Iran is – at least for now – abiding by its provisions, though some top officials have suggested it has resumed its enrichment activities.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said France insists on holding a dialogue with Iran.

An official in Macron’s office said France, Germany and the U.K. have all been “clear” that they will work with the existing deal, viewing it as the best way to control Iran’s nuclear activity.

Oded Eran, a former Israeli ambassador to the European Union who is now a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said Netanyahu is unlikely to change the minds of the European leaders on the necessity for the current agreement.

But he said Netanyahu may sway them on certain details not included in the deal, such as Iran’s missile development and the expiration of restrictions on nuclear activity.

“It is no secret that the prime minister wants to completely change the agreement and replace it with an agreement that covers the issues that are missing,” Eran said. “I don’t think that he will change the policy, but he may get a commitment to work on the missing points.”

Eran said Netanyahu may make more progress on his other demand, expelling Iranian forces from Syria. Eran said he believes the European leaders are receptive to Israeli concerns.

“I think he will reach an understanding on the question of Iran’s deployment in Syria and other activities of Iran in the region,” he said.

In addition to discussing the Iranian deal, Netanyahu is likely to hear about European concerns about Israel’s use of live fire in the mass Palestinian riots along the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel.

Some 120 Palestinians have been killed since the Hamas-orchestrated protests began on March 30. The EU has accused Israel of using excessive force, and rights groups have accused Israel of acting illegally by using deadly force against “unarmed” protesters.