Danon to UNSC: Abbas ‘Brainwashing Children with Hatred’
The PA’s foreign ministry gave the example of a Palestinian terrorist shot after stabbing an Israeli as one of the ‘summary executions.’
The Palestinian Authority on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Israel, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of authorizing “summary executions” of Palestinian “civilians.”
Meanwhile, PA officials said no date has been set for a meeting between PA President Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of State John Kerry.
The PA Foreign Ministry said that the “summary executions” were a sign of “growing terrorism, racism and extremism” among IDF soldiers and settlers.
The ministry said that the Palestinians have begun documenting Israeli “summary executions” and “incitement” in order to file a complaint against Israel with the International Criminal Court.
It repeated the call for an international commission of inquiry into Israeli “crimes” against Palestinians.
The ministry claimed that 18-year-old Fadel Qawassmeh, who was killed in Hebron on Saturday after he tried to stab a settler, was an innocent man who had been “executed in cold blood.” It accused IDF soldiers of placing a knife near the body of Qawassmeh after he was shot to make it look as if this “crime” was an “act of self-defense.”
PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah urged the Quartet members – US, Russia, EU and UN – to intervene to “stop all Israeli crimes and assaults” against Palestinians. He also called for the resumption of the peace process in order to “end occupation and create a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Hamdallah too accused Israel of killing “innocent Palestinians, especially women and children.” He also denounced Israel for “inciting” against the Palestinians.
Abbas condemns ‘irresponsible’ torching of Joseph’s Tomb PA president calls to set up committee to probe arson attack by Palestinian rioters at shrine believed to contain remains of biblical patriarch
By Times of Israel staff October 16, 2015, 12:55 pm
Mahmoud Abbas speaks with journalists at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah on October 6, 2015. (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned on Friday the torching of the compound housing Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus overnight Thursday-Friday by Palestinian rioters throwing Molotov cocktails.
In a statement published on the Wafa news agency, Abbas called the act “irresponsible”and said a committee was being formed to investigate.
The PA president “decided to immediately form an investigative commission to probe this irresponsible act committed this morning, and [to] repair the damage to the site caused by these deplorable actions,” according to AFP.
The site sustained some damage early Friday morning, after some 100 Palestinians attacked the shrine.
Palestinian Authority security forces dispersed the crowd and managed to douse the fire at the tomb, believed to contain the remains of the biblical patriarch Joseph. Israel Defense Forces troops arrived at the scene once the confrontation was over and the fire was out, Channel 2 reported.
There were no reports of injuries in the incident.
According to Channel 10, Palestinian officials reportedly told their Israeli counterparts — in a phone conversation this morning — that the Palestinians will repair the damage caused to the shrine.
The Israel Defense Forces has also announced that it will make the necessary repairs in order to allow worshipers to continue visiting the holy site.
Israel on Friday morning slammed the attack, with Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold charging that the incident showed that only Israeli could protect religious sites.
“Only Israel can protect the holy places of all religions in Jerusalem,” Gold said in a statement, adding that “the Palestinian attack on Joseph’s Tomb recalls the actions of extremist Muslim groups from Afghanistan to Libya.
“Israel condemns in no uncertain terms the harm to Joseph’s Tomb committed for the sole reason that it is a place where Jews pray. The torching of Joseph’s Tomb clearly demonstrates what would happen to the holy places in Jerusalem if they were placed in the hands of the Palestinian leadership,” he said.
The incident came after several weeks of deadly unrest including a wave of near-daily terror attacks that have claimed the lives of eight Israelis since the beginning of this month. In addition, several dozen Israelis have been wounded in the attacks.
Not exactly known for his accurate military predictions, US Senator John McCain was once firmly convinced that Russia would never act in Syria. Oops.
Back in 2013, Russia, China, and Iran all warned the United States of the devastating consequences that would occur if it began airstrikes in Syria. Destabilizing the legitimate government of President Bashar al-Assad would lead to the inevitable rise of terrorist groups like the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
Arizona Senator John McCain, however, could not foresee this. And he was dead wrong about the future in other ways, as well.
It doesn’t concern me in the slightest,” McCain said in 2013, when asked if he was worried about a Russian and Chinese intervention in Syria. “Because they will not act.”
“The United States is the most powerful nation in the world, and we’re not going to be intimidated by Russia and China,” he added. “We are not, so I guarantee you that they will not act.”
Flash forward two years and the United States is, indeed, being intimidated. Beijing’s construction of artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago is forcing Washington to scramble together alliances in the Pacific.
But, more importantly, Russia’s anti-terror campaign in Syria has forced the United States to completely rethink its regional strategy. Airstrikes have devastated IS militants, and since the bombing began on September 30, Russian support is already helping to stabilize a nation thoroughly wrecked by the United States and its allies.
On Thursday, reports surfaced that a Russian airstrike killed Abu Bakr al-Shishani, a prominent leader of the Ahrar ash-Sham terrorist group.
“A group of militants, including the leader of Jaish al-Sham terrorist group, Chechen native Abu Bakr al-Shishani, was eliminated on October 14 as a result of a Russian airstrike in the Homs province,” a Syrian military source told Sputnik.
McCain, at least, is not in denial. Recognizing Russia’s success, the senator wrote an op-ed for CNN on Wednesday.
“Vladimir Putin must be stopped,” he wrote.
At least he didn’t risk his reputation by writing “Putin will be stopped,” because that would be…another false prediction.
Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu has discredited any argument suggesting war-torn Syria could regain stability under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying anyone defending such an argument was “in a dream,” while also asserting that Russia has made “a big mistake” in regards to its Syria policy.
“If there are those who believe that Bashar al-Assad could again rule over Syria, that he could rebuild his authority and that this way, Syria could regain stability again, then they are in a dream,” Sinirlioğlu said on Oct. 15, at a joint press conference with his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Adel al-Jubeir, following their meeting.
“We are of the opinion that the only way to do this [provide stability] in Syria can be carried out through a transition period which would provide a political transformation,” Sinirlioğlu said, citing the principles of the Geneva I agreement signed at a peace conference in 2012, laying the groundwork for a transitional government, as an appropriate framework.
The ongoing “chaos” in both Iraq and Syria was not in favor of Turkey, which has the ultimate goal of rebuilding a lasting stability between these two countries, particularly Syria, Sinirlioğlu added.
Listing the fatal consequences of “the war declared by al-Assad against his own people in the last four years,” the career diplomat reiterated: “Assuming that such a person, who is currently able to control only 14 percent of the country, can exist in Syria’s future is nothing but a dream.”
He noted Turkey has been openly telling these views to all countries which have “intervened in the situation in Syria.”
Sinirlioğlu’s comments on the role that Turkey’s Black Sea neighbor Russia has been playing in Syria were clear-cut.
“Russia has made a big mistake. What it has been doing will not bring any good other than delaying Syria’s transition period and its possibility of getting out of this turmoil. We will continue our warnings on this issue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) announced on the very same day that a delegation from the Russian air force informed the Turkish military about air space violations that took place on Oct. 3 and 4 at a meeting in Ankara on Oct. 15.
The delegation, chaired by Russian Air Force Major General Sergey Dronov, also informed the Turkish army about measures taken to prevent a repetition of such violations, the statement said. In Moscow, earlier on Oct. 15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was ready for close cooperation with Turkey on fighting terrorism, in comments after a deadly blast that killed at least 99 people in Ankara last weekend.
“We are ready for very close cooperation and very close engagement with the Turkish authorities in the fight against the terrorist threat,” Lavrov said at a Russian-Turkish partnership conference in Moscow.
Elsewhere, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted as saying by RIA news agency that Russia was expecting consultations to take place in the next few days with Turkish officials over Syria.
Bogdanov said he hoped Turkey would support Russia’s efforts in Syria, the agency reported.
Speaking to Radio Sputnik on Thursday, Israeli political analyst Avigdor Eskin attempted to explain Israel’s motivations in the war against ISIL.
Commenting on Hamas’s role in the war, Eskin recalled that Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, adding that “the Muslim Brotherhood is, in a sense, partially ISIS,” with some of their members “turning to ISIS: It happened in Iraq, it happened in Syria, when certain significant numbers of their people decided to become more radical.”
In the case of Hamas, as you know, this organization was aided largely by Syria and Iran up until a couple of years ago, and their military headquarters were sustained in Damascus…And what they did when the civil war started was to turn their weapons against the government of Syria. Therefore the government of Syria –Assad and Iran today are very unhappy with Hamas –they fight Hamas. And Hamas people in Syria joined ISIS. Therefore, today we cannot separate Hamas from ISIS.”
As far as Israel’s position toward ISIL is concerned, Eskin noted that “Israel is definitely threatened by ISIS, and has helped Yazidis and the Kurds in Iraq since the beginning of the fighting there. Israel was the first to assist them in their fight against ISIS. Thus, Israel has been fighting ISIS in indirect ways since shortly after ISIS came into existence.”
Citing the recent arrests of ISIL-affiliated would-be terrorists in Moscow, Eskin emphasized that today, “everybody is threatened by ISIS. As far as Israel is concerned, the one thing I can say is that the country is trying not to interfere in Syrian affairs, since there are still anti-Israeli sentiments in the Arab world…the involvement of Israel could undermine Russian efforts, so Israel just needs to keep quiet about the situation in Syria. Let Russia and President Assad do the job. But on the other hand, Israel is assisting indirectly by helping the Yazidis and the Kurds to destroy ISIS in Iraq.”
The analyst noted that “one thing is clear: terrorism is terrorism. And it’s important that the West will help Russia, President Assad and Israel instead of criticizing, instead of undermining their efforts and spreading information which is not correct.”
Commenting on the assessment that Israel may actually benefit from the existence of ISIL, Eskin suggested that this was a “disturbed way of thinking,” adding that “ISIS is a group which wants to destroy Israel, and acts against Israel, and from the very beginning supports the idea that Israel should not exist in the Middle East, so how can anyone be benefiting?”
In strongly-worded remarks, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu has recommended Syria’s Democratic Union Party (PYD) watch their step, making clear that any move aimed at Turkey would not remain unreciprocated.
“I call on [PYD leader] Salih Muslim to [use] good sense and to pull himself together. It would not be good for him if he doubts Turkey’s will and determination. Turkey has been fighting against terror and nobody should attempt to test its determination in this fight against terror,” Sinirlioğlu said on Oct. 15 in response to reported remarks by Muslim.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu lashed out at both the United States and Russia for supplying weapons and support to the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of PYD, in its bid to fight extremist jihadists, raising concerns that the arms could be used against Turkey by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an affiliate of the PYD.
“At the moment, nobody can assure us that these weapons delivered to the PYD will not go to the PKK. If we find out that these weapons are taken into northern Iraq and used there, we will destroy them wherever they are,” Davutoğlu said on Oct. 12.
In remarks reported by Arbil-based BasNews agency on Oct. 14, Muslim said that Syrian Kurds won’t attack Turkey but they will strongly meet any Turkish assaults.
“The message that we have given to the PYD is clear. If they resort to any move directed at Turkey, the required penalty will be given without hesitation,” Sinirlioğlu said a joint press conference with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Jubeir following their meeting.
In Washington, following Davutoğlu’s warning, U.S. State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said the United States will continue its support for groups that are “proving effective against ISIL [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] in Syria.” His remarks on Oct. 14 were delivered in response to a question regarding U.S. aid to the PYD, which underlined a contradiction between statements by State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner and Muslim on recipients of U.S. ammunition airdrops.
While Toner argued that the ammunition was provided to Syrian Arabs, Muslim told the Turkish press that the PYD and its allies have been receiving U.S. airdrops.
Sinirlioğlu, meanwhile, didn’t touch upon any statements from Washington.
US defense chief: we will deter Russia’s ‘malign and destabilizing influence’ Ash Carter says US will not cooperate as long as Russia pursues a ‘misguided strategy’ in Syria but Moscow says it has been rebuffed in calls for consultation
Carter said the US ‘will take all necessary steps’ to counter Russian ‘influence, coercion and aggression’. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters
The US defense chief has vowed to take “all necessary steps” against a resurgent Russia which is challenging a frustrated Washington in eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Ash Carter, the US defense secretary, said the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, had wrapped his country in a “shroud of isolation” which only a drastic change in policy could reverse.
“We will take all necessary steps to deter Russia’s malign and destabilising influence, coercion and aggression,” Carter said, attacking Russian military intervention in Ukraine and Syria.
The speech at a US army convention on Wednesday included some of the strongest language yet by the Obama administration, which came into office determined to “reset” relations with Russia and move them in a more cooperative direction.
Carter said that as long as Russia pursued a “misguided strategy” in Syria to bolster its client Bashar al-Assad, “we have not, and will not, agree to cooperate with Russia”.
Meanwhile, Russia claimed that the United States snubbed its overtures for high-level consultations on Syria, refusing to send a delegation to Moscow or receive a high-ranking Russian delegation.
On Tuesday, Putin said he wanted to send a delegation led by the Russian prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, to the US. Moscow said the suggestion was first raised during a meeting between Putin and Barack Obama on the sidelines of the UN general assembly last month.
“Literally today, we got an official reply,” the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Wednesday. “We have been told that they can’t send a delegation to Moscow and they can’t host a delegation in Washington either.”
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on Wednesday evening: “Given the current situation in Syria, refusing dialogue does not help to save the country and region from the Islamic State.”
There was no immediate response to the claim from US officials, though the accusation stands in contrast to two weeks of unresolved requests from the Pentagon to the Russian defence ministry for a clear procedure to avoid midair conflict.
While the US Defense Department last week held out hope for “deconfliction”, three rounds of talks have yet to result in clear rules for US and Russian pilots and their commanders, despite a series of undisclosed proposals and counterproposals. A third video conference made “progress” on Wednesday, and was described as “focused narrowly on the implementation of specific safety procedures” by a Pentagon spokesman, Captain Jeff Davis.
Lavrov said on Wednesday that agreement was close and procedures “should become operational any day now”.
The diplomatic disagreement over the international community’s response to the Syrian war reflects the positions of two distinct coalitions with divergent goals. Russia, Iran and the Syrian regime of the dictator Assad have accelerated a military offensive against Assad’s Syrian enemies.
The pro-Assad coalition is reportedly aiming to retake Aleppo in the coming days, with Russian warplanes supporting Iranian ground forces.
The US and much of the west are focused instead on a relatively slower campaign against the Islamic State, which formally opposes Assad but has turned its attention to consolidating its hold on eastern Syria and north-western Iraq.
On the other hand, when the strategy has failed, Putin has not shied from going it alone, launching the air campaign in Syria just two days after his speech at the UN calling for a coalition, and giving the US just an hour’s notice, via diplomats in Baghdad.
“I believe some of our partners simply have mush for brains,” Putin said, complaining that the US did not appear to have a firm set of goals in Syria.
In the balance for the US is the Iraqi government, which pivots between US and Iranian sponsorship. The Iraqi government of Haider Abadi, installed with the aid of the US last year, has begun flirting with the Russian-Iranian-Assad coalition in frustration with what it considers insufficient US support against Isis.
Iraq now hosts an intelligence fusion centre with Russian, Syrian and Iranian liaisons and reportedly has begun using situational awareness generated from the centre to bomb Isis positions.
Russia has said it would be willing to consider expanding its airstrikes to Iraq but only if it was asked to do so by Iraqi authorities.
The US has made clear it will not participate in the intelligence centre, out of concern that its Russian and Iranian adversaries would gain access to US information; the US maintains its own independent intelligence cell with the Iraqis. The Iraqi defence ministry has provided “assurances that our information will be appropriately protected”, Warren said on 1 October.
Meanwhile Carter said that he did not know if Putin would take “the opportunity to change course”.
“From the Kamchatka peninsula through south Asia, into the Caucasus and around to the Baltics, Russia has continued to wrap itself in a shroud of isolation. And only the Kremlin can decide to change that.”
Al- Fateh Army announces the start of “the battle of liberating Hama” after 2 days of announcing “the clarion call” launched by the head of “Do’at al- Jihad Center” Abdullah al- Muhaysini
SOHR received a copy of a statement issued by al- Fateh Army factions about the beginning of what they name it “the battle of liberating Hama.” The statement declared, “Under the guile led by the axis of evil Russia, backed by Syrian and Iranian militias, al- Fateh Army bring the good news for the people of al-Sham that is the beginning of the second phase of liberating Bilad al- Sham (Syria) by announcing the start of the battle of liberating Hama the dignity and the heroism, we say to our people in al- Sham they seek to frighten you with those besides Allah, but remember “ is not Allah sufficient for his servant, and that the power is wholly Allah’s.”
The statement added, “your brothers the mujahedeen are your shields and fortress, so they are no going to reach you, your life and the life of your brothers are the same.”
Al- Fateh Army said, “we call all the mujahedeen in Hama to inflame the fronts within their areas in order to make the Muslims legions meet in Hama liberating it InshaAllah, and that al- Fateh Army declares the charter of this blessed battle as follows:
“Any fighting group, whether it is of Nusayri (Alawites) or Rafedah (Shiites) or Daesh (Islamic State) encounters al- Fateh Army is going to be fought until we liberate the whole land of al- Sham God willing, we ask out Ummah to help us by your faithful prayers that Allay grants us a clear victory and that Allah assists us with his own soldiers.”
It is noted that SOHR received an audio record 2 days ago for the head of “Do’at al- Jihad Center” and the leading figure in Jabhat al- Nusra Front (al- Qaeda in Levant) The doctor Abdullah al- Muhaysini, where he call the fighters of rebel and Islamist factions for the clarion call, and that no one stays in his positions unless he was preparing for a significant actions, where they have to overturn the equation and keep the initiative that the “Kuffar (the unbelievers)” have tried to kidnap it from the rebels. Al- Muhaysini said that if the initiative kidnapped the battle is going to turn into consecutive collapses, so the mujahedeen must move towards Atshan, the coastal areas and Sahl al- Ghab, and that al- Fateh Army and the other factions in the north, al- Ghouta and Daraa have to carry out a counter account against the regime forces in order to penetrate the first defense lines of the regime because if that is not done then, the future is going to be horrible. The vigor and morale of fighters are very high and they are waiting for the commanders’ orders. We will see when the Russians and Muslims confront how the epic is going to be. He also call the leaders of factions to hit the regime forces from the heart, cut off their supply lines and cut Khanser roads by launching an attack on several areas, and that the factions must mobilize their military capabilities , where the Kuffar are not going to reach but on the bodies of rebels. Al- Muhaysini assures the leaders that the counter attack must start as soon as possible and that the rebels have to prepare for violent clashes with the regime and Russian forces.
The new English version quotes Abbas as talking about the “shooting of our children in cold blood as they did with the child Ahmed Manasrah and other children from Jerusalem.”
The modified English version was released by the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Department, which said this was a “full translation” of Abbas’s speech.
However, the Arabic version of Abbas’s speech does not talk about “shooting.” Instead, Abbas is quoted as talking about the “execution of our children in cold blood, as they did with the boy Ahmed Manasrah and other children in Jerusalem and other places.”
PLO officials did not offer any explanation as to why they chose to change Abbas’s statement about Manasrah.
The English “translation” was published in response to accusations made by Israel against Abbas following his speech.
Israel accused Abbas of lying and incitement, especially with regards to his claim that Manasra, who took part in the stabbing attack at Pisgat Ze’ev in Jerusalem last Monday, had been “executed.”
A senior PA official in Ramallah accused the Israeli government of incitement against Abbas.
A statement released by Abbas’s office did not refer to the case of Manasrah. However, the statement called for an “end to Israeli incitement” – a reference to Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked’s call for closing Palestine TV.
“We call on the Israeli government to work towards ending all what aggravates violence and incitement,” the statement said.
Mahmoud Khalifa, PA Deputy Minister of Information, accused the Israeli media of serving as a mouthpiece for the Israeli government’s propaganda machine. He claimed that Israeli journalists were “reserve soldiers” in the IDF who were promoting their government’s version regarding “field executions” of Palestinians.
In front of the United Nations General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not only stare for forty seconds into the eyes of the world’s representatives, charging them of having kept silent in the face of Iran’s promise to destroy Israel. Netanyahu also pulled out a book in Farsi. The author is the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and he writes that “within 25 years there will be no more Israel”.
There is a date recurring obsessively in the proclamations of the leaders of the Arab-Islamic world: 2022. It is the year that they have reserved for the end of Israel. “By 2022, possibly earlier, Israel will be destroyed” has just said Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi of Iran’s Supreme Council for the Revolution, the right arm of Khamenei.
A year ago, Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hamad said that the Palestinian Arabs will liberate all of Palestine “within eight years”. So – in 2022. Last May, in an interview on Lebanese channel Nbn TV, the imam of the mosque of Al Quds in Sidon, Maher Hamoud, said that “according to calculations based on the Koran the end of Israel will be in 2022”. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, shared the same vision.
Another Iranian book, published earlier this year and based on the occult sciences, interpretation of the Koran and mathematical calculations, says Israel will be destroyed in 2022.
Recently, the Islamic State published a book stating that “the beginning of the end of Israel will be in 2022”, two years after the fall of Rome, the symbol of Christianity. “In 2022 the fourty years of peace and security of Israel will be over”. The key text of this Islamic hallucination is entitled “The collapse of the Israeli empire in 2022” and is written by a Palestinian Arab scholar, Bassam Nihad Jarrar. The book, published in Arabic in 1990, was translated into English and widely distributed in Malaysia. Since then, it is a bestseller in the Arab-Islamic world.
A date, that of 2022, which has almost become a legend. A Syrian journalist interviewed by the television of the Palestinian Authority said he was aware of a report that the CIA had informed then US president Bill Clinton that Israel would not exist after 2022.
The problem is that the Arab-Islamic world, from the Iranian nuclear weapons threat to the Palestinian Arabs’ stabbings and stonings, is working hard to make these fantasies true.
If you approach Israel as a sea shell, you hear the sound of loneliness. The Jewish State’s survival Seems precarious. But everything points to the contrary. Israel’s population today is nine times higher than that of 1948, the year of the creation of the state and the war for independence. Israeli Jews love life and hate death more than any other population in the world.
For 2022, the Islamic world is plotting to turn Israel into a nation of empty houses. But, for now, the houses of Israel are full of joy and children. As they should be.
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