WarSclerotic

Destruction Of Syria Chemical Weapons Complete
12:49am UK, Tuesday 19 August 2014 Via Sky News

(We report, you decide….frankly I’m a bit doubtful about anyone finishing the job.-LS)

The US President hails an “important acheivement” after the Assad regime’s stockpile is neutralised at sea.

The US President welcomed the development, but said Washington would seek to ensure Damascus fulfils all its commitments.

“Today we mark an important achievement in our ongoing effort to counter the spread of weapons of mass destruction by eliminating Syria’s declared chemical weapons stockpile,” he said.

He added that the destruction, carried out aboard a US Navy ship on the Mediterranean Sea, sent “a clear message that the use of these abhorrent weapons has consequences and will not be tolerated by the international community”.

President Bashar al Assad’s regime agreed to an international plan to destroy its stockpile, after a global outcry over deadly chemical attacks in a Damascus suburb last year that may have killed as many as 1,400 people.

“Going forward, we will watch closely to see that Syria fulfills its commitment to destroy its remaining declared chemical weapons production facilities,” Mr Obama said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry insisted “much more work must be done” but described it as “a milestone in our unrelenting work to ensure the end of the Assad regime’s deadly chemical arsenal”.

“The United States will continue to provide political, financial and other support to the moderate opposition because we are committed to help those who seek the right of all Syrians to choose a future of peace and oppose the violent extremists who exploit the chaos and ruin that Assad has brought to Syria,” he said in a statement.

With no country willing to accept shipments of Syria’s most deadly chemical agents, the United States opted to destroy the substances at sea using two “portable” hydrolysis units.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel called the captain of the MV Cape Ray earlier in the day to congratulate the crew on “their unprecedented work of neutralising, at sea, the most dangerous chemicals in Syria’s declared stockpile”.

The process involved mixing the chemicals in sealed containers with thousands of gallons of hot water and sodium hydroxide or other “reagents” that help break down their toxicity.

Officials say none of the chemicals or waste will be dumped at sea.

More than 170,000 people are estimated to have died in Syria’s civil war, which began in March 2011.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/18/despite-less-sanctions-iran-backs-hamas/
By Guy Taylor and Maggie Ybarra – The Washington Times – Updated: 7:04 a.m. on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 via The Washington Times

(Why am I not surprised?-LS)

When President Obama announced last year the easing of U.S. sanctions on Iran in return for concessions on its nuclear program, he cautiously hailed the deal as a “real opportunity to achieve a comprehensive, peaceful settlement” with Tehran. But while both countries work overtime on thorny nuclear issues, fresh evidence suggests Iran continues to support the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, which went to war anew this summer with Israel.

U.S. and Israeli officials offer varying assessments on the depth of the current level of material support being provided to Hamas by Tehran, although sources in both Washington and Jerusalem say longtime Iranian assistance is what ultimately helped the Palestinian group build the thousands of rockets it fired at Israeli targets from Gaza starting in July.

And at least one influential Iranian official has appeared eager to stick a thumb in America’s eye in recent weeks, claiming Hamas was able to fire missiles into Israel specifically because of technology provided by Iran, and that Tehran should get serious about continuing to provide new assistance.

“Palestinian resistance missiles are the blessings of Iran’s transfer of technology,” the secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, Mohsen Rezaei, told Al-Alam, the Arabic channel of Iran’s state TV, on Aug. 4. “We need to transfer defensive and military technology to Palestinians so that they can build weapons under the blockade and defend themselves.”

According to a report on his comments by The Associated Press, Mr. Rezaei publicly called on Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to provide air defense systems to Hamas to protect against airstrikes on Gaza from Israeli forces.

What remains unclear, according to U.S. officials who spoke with The Washington Times, is the extent to which Mr. Rouhani, who has played an essential role in pursuing a warming of relations with Washington during recent months, heeded Mr. Rezaei’s recommendation.

The officials said there is substantial evidence Iran has provided weapons and missile-building know-how and technology to Hamas over the past decade, even as the extremist group was building on its own the vast majority of rockets that it fired into Israel over the past two months.

“Hamas has been working on rocket technology for over a decade, and most of the rockets used in the recent wave of attacks against Israel appear to be homemade,” said one U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity with The Times due to the sensitive nature of information relating to Hamas‘ inner workings.

The comments come against the backdrop of cooled relations between Iran and Hamas over the past two years, following the latter’s decision in 2012 to oppose Syrian President Bashar Assad, a close Iranian ally.

While Israeli sources who spoke with The Times agreed the majority of the rockets fired from Gaza during the latest round of violence were actually homemade by Hamas, they say at least a small number were actually long-range M302 rockets believed to have been made in Syria but provided to the Palestinians by Iran.

“Based on findings from the points of impact, the long-range rockets that were being used were M302s,” said Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, the top spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces.

More than 60 Israelis and 1,800 Palestinians have died in this summer’s clashes.

Lt. Col. Lerner said in a telephone interview Monday that it was not clear exactly how many M302s were fired, nor was there certainty over exactly how long the rockets have been in Hamas‘ possession in Gaza but that “the sense is that they got there from the Iranians.”

The M302s have a range about 10 times longer than what existed in Hamas‘ prior arsenal, making such rocket attacks more threatening to Israel’s civilian population.

Israeli officials have asserted that Iran has attempted to ship long-range M302 rockets to Hamas over the past two years — despite the perceived cooling of relations between Tehran and Gaza and the geopolitical risks associated with such activities in the shadow of high-stakes nuclear talks with the United States and other international powers.

Seized shipment

Most notably, Israel intercepted a clandestine naval shipment of M302 rockets that Lt. Col. Lerner and others have argued was en route to the Gaza Strip courtesy of Iran. The shipment was revealed in March — a full four months after the November 2013 warming of relations between Tehran and Washington had ushered in a supposed era of better relations.

Israeli navy commandos seized the rockets as they were traveling via a Panamanian-flagged ship across the Red Sea. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time that the rockets, concealed in 20 containers on the ship, were proof that Iran had “not abandoned its deep involvement in terrorism or systematic efforts to undermine peace and security.”

In June, an investigation into the incident by a U.N. panel of experts concluded that the weapons shipment represented a violation of an existing U.N. arms embargo on Tehran.

Reuters, which first reported on the U.N. finding, noted that it had arrived just days ahead of a meeting in Vienna between Iran and six world powers aimed at securing a deal that would gradually lift international sanctions on Tehran — including the arms embargo — in exchange for curbs on the controversial Iranian nuclear program.

Despite Israel’s public statements that the seized arms were destined for Gaza — which Hamas has angrily denied — the U.N. panel compiled a 14-page report determining that the rockets were actually headed to Sudan.

The extent to which the panel’s findings affected the nuclear talks remains a subject of debate. While the arms embargo remains in place, the talks are ongoing and were extended past an initial deadline in July with Iran and the United States agreeing to continue working toward a peaceful agreement.

The suspicion that Tehran may have violated the embargo has left some lawmakers in Congress questioning the concessions that the Obama administration has been willing to make in easing sanctions against Iran over the past nine months.

Some U.S. lawmakers briefed on intelligence relating to Iran’s conduct strongly question Tehran’s commitment to peaceful resolution with the West.

“The failure of the government in Iran to adjust its behavior gives us pause on how much seriousness they’re putting into these negotiations,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Edward R. Royce told reporters in late July just before Congress left town for its recess.

“It’s a reminder that whatever negotiations we have ongoing with Iran, there is this history of deception, which was shared with us by the international agencies which conduct oversight with respect to the attempts to get Iran to comply with the U.N. Security Council resolutions and with international norms and behavior,” Mr. Royce said.

Questions, meanwhile, have swirled recently among U.S. national security and foreign policy analysts over the extent to which Hamas‘ willingness to take on Israel so directly this summer may be affecting Iran’s calculus toward the Palestinian group.

The U.S. State Department has listed Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization since 1997, and some suggest that weapons delivery patterns from Iran to Gaza show a cyclical relationship between the group and Tehran.

“You get a sense that we’re on a two-year cycle right now, where Iran helps build up the military capabilities of Hamas by smuggling, and the Israelis catch wind of it, and they [then] seek out and destroy these capabilities,” said Jonathan Schanzer, who focuses on the Middle East as vice president of research for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Others are more circumspect and say there is little actual evidence of a connection between Iran and Hamas.

Despite Mr. Rezaei’s comments, some argue that neither Israel nor the United States has the evidence to prove that Iran’s claims are true.

Reza Marashi, the head researcher for the National Iranian American Council, a Washington, D.C.-based group that describes itself as dedicated to advancing the interests of the Iranian-American community, said that if Iran is actually supporting Hamas, his group would seek to draw attention to it.

“It’s in our interest to call them out very publicly if they are doing it,” said Mr. Marashi, who added that he believes Israel’s “vested interest” is to make sure they are winning the public relations war, not just the actual war.

Israel coordinated with US on gradual end of Gaza blockade
Attila Somfalvi Published: 08.19.14, 00:44 / Israel News

Govt. sources claim that John Kerry helped reach a series of agreements with Benjamin Netanyahu to slowly lift the Gaza blockade. (Photo: Motti Milrod)

(Someone’s been pulling strings.-LS)

Sources in Jerusalem claim Israel, America secretly agreed on steps to ease humanitarian hardship in Gaza by opening crossings.

Sources in Jerusalem said late Monday night that Israel had coordinated with the US to define the details of a future permanent accord with Hamas.

The sources claimed that US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to arrive in Israel next week in a show of support for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and in order to demonstrate that the two allies’ relationship is not in crisis.

The same sources added that Israel and the US secretly decided that Israel will agree to a gradual lifting of the blockade on Gaza Strip, starting with the land crossings and eventually opening up sea traffic.

Under the agreement, Israeli will not oppose the transfer of salaries to Hamas civil workers in Gaza and will allow for the rehabilitation of the Strip with the use of international assistance.

The issue of the Strip’s demilitarization, which Israel demanded during Operation Protective Edge, will most likely not be included in the accord developing in Cairo, though the US will support the Israeli demand for the prevention of Hamas and other terror organization’s efforts to rearm. Israel said it would actively work to promote the issue on the international arena.

(So much for disarming Hamas.-LS)

Though there has been no official American confirmation of the agreement, according to Israeli officials Kerry and Netanyahu will announce in a joint statement that the ties between the two countries are strong, and that the disagreements between them are only on certain points.

(In other words, military aid for Israel is up and running again.-LS)

The statement would reiterate America’s commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself and to prevent rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel.

(As long as no civilians get hurt.-LS)

Meanwhile, a senior political source told Ynet on Monday night that the US has agreed to take part in an international donor conference on the rehabilitation of Gaza.

(Of course, more aid to Hamas!-LS)

Senior Israeli sources have already been working with the Americans on the issue; in the coming days intensive diplomatic efforts are expected to occur in Israel and in Europe to assure the conference takes place.

Meanwhile, Israel announced late Monday night that it had agreed to extend a temporary truce in Gaza for 24 hours while – at Egypt’s request – it continued to negotiate a permanent agreement with the Palestinian delegation in Cairo.

In a statement, Egypt confirmed a deal had not been reached but that talks on a long-term arrangement in Gaza Strip would continue.

“Palestinians and Israelis agreed on extending ceasefire to 24 hours to continue current negotiations,” Egypt’s official news agency said, quoting an official statement.

“The delegation in Cairo represents all of us. We will not renew fire given the announcement of a 24-hour ceasefire extension,” said a spokesman for the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees – which had earlier declared it would resume rocket fire if an official agreement was not announced.

Elior Levy and Roi Kais contributed to this report.

Kurds Sending All-Female Units To Battle ISIS
Via Wall Street Journal

(This will make you smile.-LS)

Battle-hardened after two years fighting Islamic State and other Islamist rebel groups in the multi-sided Syrian civil war, Kurdish guerrillas linked to the PKK have in recent weeks made a series of military gains that have spotlighted their growing sway.

The Kurdish region of Syria was largely left to its own devices by the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, drawing accusations the PKK’s Syrian branch was in league with Damascus. PKK officials in Syria have denied those accusations.

Last week, the PKK’s Syrian-based units advanced into Iraq and punctured Islamic State lines to help tens of thousands of Yazidis escape an encircled Mount Sinjar. […]

Syrian commanders say the security and quality of life is improving as their guerrilla forces expand rapidly, propelled by thousands of young volunteers. Recruitment is boosted by the deployment of women soldiers on the front line, often in all-female units.

“The jihadists don’t like fighting women, because if they’re killed by a female, they think they won’t go to heaven,” said one female fighter.

Aldar Khalil, a top PKK official in Syria, said the guerrillas don’t have vast stocks of heavy weapons but can easily buy lighter arms—mostly guns, ammunition and rocket propelled grenades—on the black market from well-established smuggling networks, using contributions from citizens and donations from Europe.

US scores military victory over Islamic State at Mosul Dam
By MICHAEL WILNER 08/17/2014 21:56 via Jerusalem Post

(OOORAH!!.-LS)

Key facility retaken by Kurdish forces after major campaign of American airstrikes.

WASHINGTON — The United States conducted a major air assault against the Islamic State at Mosul Dam over the weekend, striking two dozen targets over twenty-four hours with fighter jets, bombers, attack planes and drones.

The attack reportedly succeeded in forcing a retreat by the Islamist forces, which have swept throughout cities and key infrastructure sites in recent weeks.

The US strikes were coordinated with an advance by Kurdish peshmerga forces, which encircled Islamic State fighters at the strategically vital energy facility. The Islamic State retreated on Sunday morning from the dam and it is now under the control of the Kurds.

The fundamentalist Sunni army originally conquered the dam — which provides water and electricity to many cities in northern Iraq, including Mosul, the country’s second largest population center — on August 7. US military officials warned throughout the Iraq War that the dam’s infrastructure is in a troubling state of disrepair, and Washington feared this month that the Islamic State would not be able to operate the dam properly.

Failure to keep the dam operational risked a catastrophic water leak, risking the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis down river.

The Islamic State retreat marks the second American success this week, after the US military successfully broke a siege the group was conducting against Yazidi religious minorities on Mount Sinjar.

The US conducted seven airstrikes against targets at the base of the mountain, creating corridors for escape, officials describe.

But in a demonstration of their persistence, the Islamist group killed at least 80 Yazidi men and enslaved “hundreds” of women in a small, nearby Yazidi town, according to local officials.

The Islamic State seeks to establish a fundamentalist Sunni “caliphate,” in observance with strict Sharia law, from Tel Aviv to Baghdad. The group has successfully taken control of territories throughout eastern Syria and northern Iraq, including Mosul, and Raqqa in Syria, the group’s self-described “capital” city.

The Kurds, who live in a semi-autonomous region in the north of Iraq and have proven loyal, moderate allies of Washington, have long dreamed of independence from central governments in Baghdad which oppressed the non-Arab ethnic group for decades under former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Tensions were also high under outgoing Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who clashed with them over budgets and oil.

The Kurds since June have capitalized on the chaos in northern Iraq, taking over oilfields in the disputed city of Kirkuk.

But a routing by the Islamic State, which seized heavy weapons from thousands of Iraqi soldiers who fled its onslaught, shattered the myth that the Kurds were highly effective and fearless fighters. Most of them fled.

Iraq’s new prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, faces the task of easing Sunni-Shi’ite tensions that have revived a sectarian civil war and Kurdish independence ambitions financed by oil exports.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Iran attempted large-scale cyber-attack on Israel, senior security source says
By YAAKOV LAPPIN
LAST UPDATED: 08/17/2014 21:12 via Jerusalem Post

(Meanwhile, back in Tehran…-LS)

“This is not something we have seen before, both in terms of scope and the type of targets,” source says; new, integrated military communications network was used in Gaza during the conflict.

Iran attempted to conduct a large-scale cyber-attack on Israeli civilian communications during the war with Hamas this summer, a senior security source revealed on Sunday.

“This is not something we have seen before, both in terms of scope and the type of targets. They targeted communications infrastructure that belong to the civilian sector in Israel,” the source said. Iranian elements were “definitely” behind the attack, he said, and their aim, which was not achieved, was to cause maximum disruption.

Cyber attackers also targeted IDF websites, but online defenses withstood the assault, the source said.

The source, who is highly familiar with the IDF’s telecommunications capabilities, said a new, integrated military communications network was used in Gaza during the conflict.

The network serves all branches of the armed forces, enabling them to share intelligence. This led to swift sensor-to-shooter cycles, in which targets that were detected in Gaza were rapidly destroyed. In addition to being linked to one another, the ground forces, air force, and navy were also directly linked in to Military Intelligence.

“Our aim is to enable a military force to be far more effective than it was a year ago. We succeeded in seeing that during this operation,” the source stated.

During the conflict, Military Intelligence loaded new targets onto encrypted servers, and relevant IDF units – particularly ground forces – were able to access the intelligence immediately on their command and control system.

Visual intelligence, a critical aspect of modern combat, was available on demand as well, meaning that all ground forces received access to aerial views of combat areas before entering them.

“Seventy five percent of the military’s visual intelligence is on the network,” the source said. “We can see, online, aerial visual intelligence, and what the aircraft is seeing,” he added. The network is highly encrypted, he stressed.

Additionally, the network allowed for “intelligence-based combat” in Gaza the source said, referring to the ability to direct ground forces to targets detected by Military Intelligence.

This included information that was obtained by the questioning of Hamas suspects who were taken into Israeli custody. The information was immediately transmitted to ground forces that operated in relevant areas.

“We reached a situation in which a navy vessel, armed with precision guided ammunition, received targets from the Southern Command’s target center, or from [ground forces] divisions,” the source said.

The Navy fired missiles with electro-optical sensors at targets eight to nine kilometers inside Gaza during the war, after communicating with armored brigades on the ground and receiving target locations from them.

Israel threatens Hamas with massive retaliation as cease-fire enters final day
By HERB KEINON, KHALED ABU TOAMEH via Jerusalem Post
LAST UPDATED: 08/18/2014 00:22

(Israel can never return to the status quo. In my opinion, this whole affair could end quickly with a complete blockade of everything going into and out of Gaza…and I mean everything. Of course, such a move is much too politically incorrect and will never happen.-LS)

Netanyahu told his cabinet ministers that Hamas was mistaken if it thought that it could cover its military defeat over the last month with a diplomatic achievement.
A day before the midnight expiration of a five-day ceasefire, Israel sent out clear messages on Sunday that it will respond massively to any type of fire from Gaza and not tolerate a long-term “war of attrition.”

“It is not clear whether there will be an agreement,” a senior diplomatic official said as the Israeli and Palestinian delegations held indirect talks in Cairo.

If no agreement is agreed upon, the official said, there are two possibilities. The first is that no cease-fire extension or agreement is reached by Monday at midnight, and Hamas renews its firing. “If that happens,” he said, “Israel’s response will be strong.”

He said an example of Israel’s likely reaction was last weekend’s breakdown of the cease-fire, when Hamas fired mortars at Israel and the IAF responded by hitting 170 terrorist targets inside Gaza.

The other possibility is that the cease-fire lapses, but the firing does not resume, in which case efforts would continue to find a longer-term arrangement, the official said.

But Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told his cabinet ministers at the opening of the weekly Sunday cabinet meeting that Hamas is mistaken if it thinks it can cover its military defeat over the last month with a diplomatic achievement.

In an apparent response to Hamas’s threats to engage Israel in a long war of attrition if its demands were not met, Netanyahu said further that “if Hamas thinks that we cannot stand up to it over time, it is mistaken.”

“In the turbulent and unstable Middle East in which we live, it is not enough just to have more strength, you also need determination and patience,” he said. “Hamas knows that we are very strong, but perhaps it thinks we do not have enough determination and patience. And here it is making a big mistake as well.”

Netanyahu said that Israel is a “strong and determined” nation, whose citizens and soldiers showed “amazing resilience and fortitude” during the Gaza operation and which will stand “steadfast and united” until “quiet and security” are returned to the country’s citizens.

Netanyahu said that Hamas suffered a harsh military blow, which included the destruction of the attack-tunnel network it spent years building, the killing of “hundreds of terrorists,” the interception of thousands of rockets, and the prevention of terrorist attacks from the “land, sea, and air.”

“If Hamas thinks that by a continuation of a drizzle of rocket fire we will make concessions, it is mistaken,” Netanyahu said. “As long as quiet is not restored, Hamas will continue to take very hard blows.”

Netanyahu stressed that the Israeli delegation to the indirect talks in Cairo is working under “very clear directives” to insist on Israel’s security demands. “Only if there will be a clear answer to our security needs will we agree to any understandings,” he said.

Diplomatic sources said that one of the key messages Netanyahu conveyed during the cabinet meeting, and which he will repeat in the upcoming days, is the need for patience in the war of nerves Hamas is waging with the Israeli public.

A subtext of this message is that the Gaza operation is not yet completed, that more time is needed, and that the greater the patience and resolve of the country, the greater the chance that Israel will be able to achieve its goal of long-term security for the South.

Netanyahu briefed his ministers on the situation in Gaza, as did Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen.

One of the problems in the negotiations, it has emerged, is that the Palestinian delegation to Cairo – made up of Fatah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad representatives – is not a united group. For instance, while the Palestinian Authority under Fatah accepted the Egyptian proposals weeks ago, this was not binding on Hamas or Islamic Jihad.

And even among Hamas, there are differences of opinion between its leader Khaled Mashaal, who sits in Qatar, and the leadership in Gaza, which is more eager to come to an agreement. According to Israel, meanwhile, Qatar should be viewed as a state sponsor of terrorism, since it is Hamas’s main financial backer.

Before the cabinet meeting, disparities between some of the key ministers became apparent, with Finance Minister Yair Lapid promoting his idea for an international conference, and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett saying that Israel should halt the talks in Cairo.

Lapid, who is to travel to Germany for two days on Wednesday and promote the idea of an international conference as a vehicle for a long-term resolution to the Gaza crisis, said the outline of any agreement needed to be that there would not be a rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip without its disarmament, and there would not be a cease-fire agreement without quiet for the residents of the South.

Bennett called for an immediate end to the indirect negotiations with Hamas, saying that a situation where Israel is “biting its nails waiting for the answer of a murderous terrorist organizations must end.”

He said that Israel should immediately cease the talks, and adopt the following formula: “Yes to humanitarian aid to Gaza, no to terrorism.”

Under this formula, Israel would allow the passage of food and medicine to Gaza’s residents “without limit,” but would act “without limits” as well toward any weapons factory or terrorist tunnels found, or against any Hamas leaders.

Israel must extract a heavy price from Hamas for firing on its citizens, he said, adding that “any other arrangement that will tie our hands will bring the next war closer.”

Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said that the most important element Israel must insist on is the demilitarization of Gaza. He said that Israel must not accede to Hamas’s demands for a seaport or airport, saying that this would be nothing more than “duty free for rockets and missiles. This would mean that if up until now we suffered from Grad and Fajr missiles from Gaza, in the future it would be Scuds.”

One official said that Hamas is pushing for a seaport because this would allow Iranian ships to dock and unload weaponry. Likewise, he said, Iran is very keen on securing access to a Mediterranean port.

In a related development, Israel agreed to lift the fishing ban it clamped on Gaza during the military operation, and will now allow fishing up to three miles from the coast.

Meanwhile, the head of the Palestinian delegation to the cease-fire talks in Cairo expressed hope that an agreement over a permanent truce with Israel would be reached in the coming hours.

Azzam al-Ahmed, a senior Fatah official and head of the delegation, was speaking shortly after holding talks in Cairo with Egyptian intelligence officials and other members of the Palestinian team from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

“We won’t accept any weak agreement,” al-Ahmed said. “Any deal should meet the demands and goals of the Palestinian people, first and foremost halting the aggression, lifting the siege, and launching work to rebuild the Gaza Strip.”

He added that the Palestinian delegation would hold a meeting late Sunday with Egyptian intelligence officials to hear about the Israeli reply to the demands.

Meanwhile, Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials reiterated their refusal to make concessions on their demands.

Izzat al-Risheq, a Hamas member of the delegation, said the Palestinians would not give up the rights of their people “who made sacrifices for the resistance.”

He said that the Palestinian delegation’s goal is to “solidify the victory of the resistance with a political victory at the indirect talks in Cairo.”

Triumphant Return to the Seventh Century

Gaza is still beyond the fence
By Yoav Limor Date August 15, 2014 Via Israel Hayom

Israeli soldiers rest on a Merkava tank while patrolling near the border. Demilitarization of the Gaza Strip will continue to be the focus of the talks, alongside Hamas’ demands for a seaport. | Photo credit: AP

(Meanwhile, back at the ranch.-LS)

Only a handful of people in Israel really know how close the Israel Defense Forces came Tuesday night to staging another ground incursion into the Gaza Strip. The orders were given, the troops were briefed, and everyone was in the right frame of mind, as just hours earlier, the Israeli delegation to Cairo had returned empty handed.

(No surprise there.-LS)

The stalled negotiations spelled only one thing: fighting was about to resume on the ground. It was the main lesson from the prior cease-fire, in which Israel faltered on all fronts. Hamas perceived Israel as wary of fighting, and the residents of the Israeli communities along the Gaza border perceived the government as unable to ensure their security.

The blow dealt to Israel’s deterrence was immense, and it seemed that Hamas, with its 15,000 operatives, had made a mockery of the most powerful military in the Middle East.

It is still unclear what brought the escalation to a halt on Tuesday night. It could have been an Egyptian ultimatum presented to the Palestinian Authority, or maybe it was the Palestinians’ own understanding that Israel could not afford to embark on another round of futile fighting.

(Or maybe it was Hamas getting its ass kicked.-LS)

The fact that the Palestinians ultimately agreed to extend the truce by an additional five days serves as a positive sign, indicating that they seek a lasting cease-fire agreement, rather than another escalation on the ground. Gaza’s rulers understand that Israel is nearing the end of its rope and that next time, IDF tanks will not make their way along the Strip from south to north, but rather cut across from east to west.

(Gee..you think they’re afraid they provoked Israel a bit too much?-LS)

We must, however, remember that Hamas is nobody’s fool, and that its delegates in Cairo are driving a hard bargain. Hamas’ political leader Khaled Mashaal continues his attempts to torpedo the Egyptian-brokered negotiations in favor of seeing Qatar and Turkey serve as mediators.

(Turkey and Qatar, now there’s a real formula for peace.-LS)

Hamas is also driven by strategic distress: It engaged in violence because it was stifled by the Gaza blockade and starved for funds to pay its employees, and now it cannot afford to bring the fighting to its end with nothing to show for the devastation it has brought on Gaza.

Hamas’ leaders also seem to believe that Israel’s position in the negotiations is pliable, given the disagreements in the cabinet.

The issue of Israel’s demand for the demilitarization of Gaza is one example for that. Israel has stated publicly that it would not settle for anything less than the full demilitarization of the Strip, but behind closed doors in Cairo, the demand was rephrased to mean preventing Hamas’ rearmament efforts, rather than stripping it from all of its military capabilities.

(Makes you wonder what else is going on behind these closed doors.-LS)

However, such a move does not require an extensive cease-fire agreement. Instead, a deal with Egypt to coordinate and collaborate on counter-smuggling efforts, accompanied by clear IDF orders to counter any rearmament or tunnel construction attempt west of the Israel-Gaza Strip border, could suffice.

Demilitarization will continue to be the focus of the talks in the coming days, alongside Hamas’ demands regarding a seaport, the crossings and wages’ funding. The issue of the return of the remains of IDF Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin will also be discussed — perhaps in exchange for terrorists’ remains, as Israel has suggested, or in exchange for terrorists’ remains and several Hamas prisoners, as Hamas demands.

(Prisoner exchange…at what ratio..a 1000 to 1?-LS)

This potentially complex humanitarian issue might see a compromise by which Israel will not release any Hamas operatives, who were arrested during June’s Operation Brother’s Keeper in Judea and Samaria, but will release Hamas operatives arrested during the Gaza campaign.

One way or another there will be a cease-fire agreement, as it serves both parties’ interests. However, the negative and turbulent dynamics of the past few weeks, compounded by the intricate mediation efforts, have fostered doubts that are likely to see the military maintain its presence along the border for the foreseeable future.

Nasrallah: Syria war prepared us for next round with Israel
By Times of Israel staff August 15, 2014, 7:35 pm

‘Achtung Juden !’
photo credit: AP Bilal Hussein

(Sounds like Hezbollah has their hands full.-LS)

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has called the Sunni Islamic State group a “monster” of an organization whose recent growth and expansion is “worrying,” Ynet reports.

(Let me get this straight, he’s worried about ISIS, aka ISIL, aka IS, but not about Israel?-LS)

Nasrallah warned in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar published Friday that the Islamic State — which controls large swathes of territory straddling Syria and Iraq, where it is accused of perpetrating atrocities — presented a danger that “does not differentiate between Shiite, Sunni, Christian, Druze, Yazidi or Arab.”

“The monster is growing all the time.

(He should know.-LS)

The numbers [of fighters] and the abilities at the Islamic State’s disposal are great and mighty. This worries everyone, and everyone should be worried,” he said.

(Now the shoe’s on the other foot.-LS)

Hezbollah, a Shiite organization, has been helping Syria’s President Bashar Assad fight the chaotic mixture of rebel groups which have challenged his rule in recent years. The Islamic State, an offshoot of al-Qaeda which was disowned by its parent terror group for its extreme actions, was one such group. It grew greatly in power through the fighting there, aided by thousands of foreign fighters from the West who flocked to join the jihadist fight against Assad.

Nasrallah warned that the group may next seek to gain ground in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other gulf states.

(But not Israel…right?-LS)

“If there is a nation that thinks it can support this organization and use it for its own means, when its turn comes, the Islamic State will show no mercy,” he said.

Nasrallah said that while the danger was real, it could be overcome and defeated, but this would demand a serious effort by regional powers.

(…not to mention all of the rockets they’re saving for Israel.-LS)

He noted the group’s advance towards Baghdad had been “largely halted.”

Speaking of Israel, the Hezbollah leader said his organization’s experience in Syria helped it in gaining “knowledge and wide possibilities” in offensive as well as defensive tactics, which he said would be used “in any future conflict with Israel.”

(You mean your FINAL conflict with Israel.-LS)