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Why the US government is on track to ‘normalizing’ ISIS

August 25, 2015

Why the US government is on track to ‘normalizing’ ISIS, NY Post, Alex VanNess, August 23, 2015

(That “normalizing” the Islamic State would be lunacy is itself a good argument that Obama will do it. — DM)

Photo: AP

How long will it take the United States to recognize the Islamic State as a legitimate actor?

That may sound ridiculous. After all, ISIS is a barbaric and sociopathic band of terrorists who proudly highlight their brutality over the Internet. Unfortunately, recent history suggests this doesn’t disqualify them, as horrific as it sounds, from eventual recognition.

Since before 9/11, the Taliban laid claim to numerous terror attacks on civilian populations throughout Afghanistan. They harbored Osama bin Laden, and since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, they’ve been directly responsible for the deaths of more than 2,000 American troops.

Yet in January, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest cryptically explained that the Taliban was not a terrorist group but instead falls under a “different classification.”

Earnest’s verbal gymnastics were deployed in the service of explaining away the president’s decision to trade five members of the Taliban for the release of American soldier-captive Bowe Bergdahl.

Hamas is an openly anti-Semitic terrorist organization that has claimed responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians, including several Americans. Since its creation, the Gaza-based Hamas has been dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews. Hamas is brutally repressive toward women and gays; they have a tendency to savagely drag dead bodies through the streets.

Last year, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in a new unity government that incorporated Hamas-appointed ministers. Instead of cutting off financial support to the new government, as required by US law, the Obama administration jumped through hoops to legitimize the new government. Officials said they would continue supporting the Palestinian government because the new ministers were “technocrats” that “don’t represent . . . hard-core Hamas leadership.”

The legitimacy granted to Hamas by this administration is a reflection of the trend held by many pro-Palestinian protestors who now brazenly chant, “we are Hamas!” through the streets of US cities such as Miami.

Cuba has a long history of human-rights abuse. The Cuban government regularly harasses and imprisons dissidents and has been a state sponsor of terrorism for decades. Cuba continues to serve as a safe haven for terrorists and maintains close ties to both North Korea and Iran.

In 2013, Cuba was caught sending weapons to North Korea. It aids terrorist groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Iranian proxy Hezbollah and the Basque Fatherland of Liberty (ETA).

Despite this behavior, the administration still decided to take Cuba off the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism and has begun the process of normalizing the relationship between the United States and Cuba.

The State Department justified this removal by stating that “Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism during the previous six-months” and citing vague promises that they “will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.”

So to recap, within this past year we have stopped referring to the Taliban as terrorists, provided de facto recognition and funding to Hamas and have opened up to the repressive terror-sponsoring Cuban government.

Why should we assume that ISIS will be treated any differently than these groups?

As each day passes, ISIS solidifies its presence in the region. Sure, ISIS commits terrible atrocities. The group regularly — and indiscriminately — beheads innocent people; rapes women and sells them as sex slaves and employs children as executioners.

But its leaders have undeniably been working to establish the Islamic State as, well, as a functioning state. They issue identification cards, pave roads, pick up trash, operate power stations and offer social-welfare programs.

ISIS has carved out its territory by filling the Middle East’s power vacuums, and are thus, in some places, the only game in town. How long before the international community recognizes the ISIS government?

The past precedent of legitimizing various terrorist groups and repressive dictatorships make this all too real of an issue. It’s imperative that the United States stops this trajectory of providing legitimacy to these regimes and turns back the ISIS tide, or we may one day soon be debating the opening of an embassy to the Islamic State in what used to be Iraq.

Alex VanNess is the manager of public information for the Center for Security Policy.

Categories: Cuba, Foreign policy, Hamas, Iran scam, Iranian nukes, Islamic State, Obama, Obama's America, Obama's legacy, P5+1, Terrorism
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Unveiling new missile, Rouhani says Iran will obtain ‘any weapons we need’

August 22, 2015

Unveiling new missile, Rouhani says Iran will obtain ‘any weapons we need’

‘We can negotiate with other countries only when we are powerful,’ says president at ceremony displaying precision solid-fuel rocket

By Times of Israel staff August 22, 2015, 12:00 pm

via Unveiling new missile, Rouhani says Iran will obtain ‘any weapons we need’ | The Times of Israel.

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, left, briefs the media as Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan listens after unveiling the surface-to-surface Fateh-313, or Conqueror, missile in a ceremony marking Defense Industry Day, Iran. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, left, briefs the media as Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan listens after unveiling the surface-to-surface Fateh-313, or Conqueror, missile in a ceremony marking Defense Industry Day, Iran. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

Iran on Saturday unveiled a new surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a 500-kilometer (310 miles) range, saying military might was a precondition for peace and effective diplomacy.

The Fateh 313 missile was unveiled during a ceremony marking the anniversary of Iran’s military industry, attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

The military industry called the solid-fuel missile one of the most exact ever manufactured, boasting that it has successfully hit multiple targets with great precision, Israel’s Walla website reported.

“We will buy, sell and develop any weapons we need and we will not ask for permission or abide by any resolution for that,” Rouhani said in a speech at the ceremony, which was broadcast live on state television, according to Reuters.

“We can negotiate with other countries only when we are powerful. If a country does not have power and independence, it cannot seek real peace,” the president said.

A senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Friday that the country is planning massive “ballistic missiles war games,” adding that the announcement comes after Tehran said it plans to begin phasing in a new generation of missiles.

“The IRGC Aerospace Force will hold a large-scale ballistic missiles war-games soon,” Brigadier Gen. Amirali Hajizadeh said, according to the state-run Fars news agency.

Tehran said last month that its ballistic missile program was not connected to the UN Security Council resolution endorsing the July 14 accord with world powers that limits its nuclear program.

Under the terms of the agreement, Iran is barred from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Iran says it has ballistic missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), which are capable of striking both Israel and Saudi Arabia. But the Foreign Ministry said that the UN’s resolution endorsing the deal did not have jurisdiction over its missile development.

“Iran’s military capacities, especially ballistic missiles, are strictly defensive and, as they have not been conceived to carry nuclear weapons, they are outside the scope and competence of the Security Council resolution,” the ministry wrote in a statement.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to implementing its commitments… so long as world powers keep their side of the agreement to lift sanctions in exchange for guarantees that Tehran will not develop a nuclear program,” the statement said.

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Jihad, Iranian-style

August 21, 2015

Jihad, Iranian-style, Israel Hayom, Ruthie Blum, August 21, 2015

The new twist in the controversy surrounding the nuclear agreement is an argument over the veracity of a report on a side deal giving Iran the right to inspect its own nuclear facilities for potential violations. The idea is so preposterous that it must be true, judging by the rest of the top-secret document on which the U.S. Congress is going to vote in September.

But as the debate heats up over whether the deal furthers or hinders Iran’s nuclear weapon capabilities, an equally serious issue keeps being marginalized. This is the more immediate and tangible danger posed by Iran’s terrorist proxies, and the sudden financial and ideological boost the deal is providing them.

The reason it is crucial to keep an eye on their activities is that they constitute Iran’s global army — the boots on the ground, so to speak — who perform the legwork necessary for the ultimate aim of regional and global jihadist hegemony. Their role is to set the stage for that time in the not-so-distant future when Iran’s power and reach are so extensive that its leaders won’t need to waste their nuclear warheads by firing them.

This is where Israel comes in. As the only democracy in the Middle East, an ally of the West and a Jewish state, it has key strategic value. It is like the central card in a house of cards, whose removal topples the whole structure.

It is also tiny and surrounded by rogue states with an endless supply of Muslim would-be “martyrs” willing to die in the “holy” endeavor to take it down.

On Thursday, Israel received its latest message to this effect, when four rockets, launched from Syria, landed in the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights. The Iran-backed Islamic Jihad terrorist organization was behind the attack, which spurred Israel to retaliate.

Also on Thursday, Israel deployed anti-missile Iron Dome batteries in the south of the country, in the areas between Ashkelon and Ashdod, as well as in Beersheba. This was in response to threats of rocket fire by Iran-baked terrorists in Gaza — whose excuse was the worsening condition of hunger-striking Palestinian terror suspect Mohammed Allan.

A review of recent Iranian rhetoric and activity, released by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, puts all of the above in context.<

Last month, the General Assembly of Islamic Resistance Ulema (scholars) held a weekend conference titled “Unity for Palestine.”

At the gathering, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said, “We believe with certainty that Israel, this cancerous tumor, is headed for extinction, and that Palestine and Jerusalem will be returned to their people. It is only a matter of time and is linked to the will, action, jihad, and sacrifices of the Ummah [Islamic nation], according to the principle: If you achieve victory for Allah, Allah will lead you to achieve victory.”

From Iran, Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, secretary general of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, agreed.

“Annihilation of the Zionist regime is a sure thing and Quranic pledge,” he said, adding that it is important to unify “Muslims in countering the regime of Zionism and the arrogant world.”

Muhammad Hasan Zamani, a former Iranian cultural attache in Egypt who heads the Department of International Islamic Madrasas (educational institutions) for the General Assembly of Islamic Resistance Ulema, reiterated this position.

“Israel must be erased from the map of the world,” he said. “These are the golden words Imam Khomeini, may God have mercy on him, uttered.”

Sheikh Abdel Halim Qadhi, a professor at Zahedan University in Iran, said, “The holy Quran makes it known that Jews are the enemies of Islam and the Muslims and their holy places and rites. … Jihad is the most powerful and only way to liberate Palestine and defend Jerusalem. … God loves those who fight in his way.”

Earlier this month, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei published “Palestine,” a 416-page tome devoted to the issue of Israel’s inevitable demise, with a blurb on its back cover calling the author the “flagbearer of jihad to liberate Jerusalem.”

This week, Khamenei gave an abbreviated version of this on Twitter: “We spare no opportunity to support anyone #FightingTheZionists,” he wrote.

At the same time, a clip produced by the Islamic Revolution Design House, a media outlet associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, began to circulate on YouTube. The minute-and-a-half animated video depicts an Islamist invasion of Jerusalem.

The brief silent film shows soldiers from the Revolutionary Guards, Shia Badr, Hezbollah, Hamas and Qassam Brigades, clad in military gear and keffiyehs, marching to and standing on a hill overlooking the Temple Mount, as thousands upon thousands of additional terrorists amass.

An inscription in Farsi on a black screen at the end says: “Israel must be erased from the annals of history, and the youth will definitely see that day when it comes.”

Lest anyone imagine the mullahs pulling the strings in Iran don’t mean business, all one has to do is observe how they are executing their grand plan, part of which is the nuclear deal with the “Great Satan” and the other P5+1 countries. Among these is Russia, which confirmed on Wednesday that it will supply Iran with four upgraded batteries of S-300 surface-to-air missiles as soon as the deal is finalized.

Such missiles give Iran the extra benefit of being able to stave off attack. At that point, will it really matter if Iran is in charge of its own inspections?

Categories: Antisemitism, Death to Israel, Defense of Israel, Diplomacy, Dishonor, Foreign policy, IAEA, IDF, Iran / Israel War, Iran military, Iran nuke inspections, Iran scam, Iranian proxies, Israel, Middle East, Netanyahu, Obama, Obama's affinity for Iran, Obama's America, Obama's legacy, P5+1, Rocket attack, Supreme Leader, Terrorism
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Israel defense chiefs see war with Hezbollah as matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’

August 20, 2015

Israel defense chiefs see war with Hezbollah as matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’

via Israel defense chiefs see war with Hezbollah as matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’ – Arab-Israeli Conflict – Jerusalem Post.

 

Army planners understand that the next military action in the North will be the most difficult we will ever know.

he State of Israel has already seen quite a number of wars on each of its fronts, yet after years in which its wars were against states across defined frontiers, today it is dealing with circumstances that are as complex as they have ever been.

Defense officials understand that the next military action in the North will be the most difficult we will ever know, and that the effort will be aimed at organizations that have no scruples and know no bounds.

If the next conflagration will erupt against Hezbollah in Lebanon, there is no doubt that the Shi’ite group, which already controls a number of strategically important points in Syria, will open fire across the frontier on the Golan Heights.

If Israel is attacked by global jihadist groups on the Golan Heights, there will also be a similar attack coming from Lebanon, where Islamist organizations are gaining greater traction.

Everyone knows how the scenario plays out. The home front in both the North and the South will be attacked – and with significant force. Military correspondents who cover the army say that they never recall a time during which the IDF high command has emphasized the need for defense as much as they have in recent months.

The situation in the North will be so severe that the army’s situational assessments first and foremost stress the need for defense before offense. Senior defense officials also know full well that the best way to win the next war in the North is to undertake a series of defensive measures while at the same time dealing the enemy a blow from which it will be unable to recover.

One of the reasons for this is that Israeli intelligence has long concluded its fact-finding efforts aimed at gauging the quantities of firepower possessed by Hezbollah.

Spies have since been hard at work in analyzing the types of weaponry. The conclusion they have reached is that these arms are not only lethal, but precise. Some of these weapons were developed and manufactured by Hezbollah itself, while a significant portion of the arms were provided by Iran. There was a time when Hezbollah was considered a small-time terrorist nuisance. Today, it is a consensus view that Israel is dealing with a full-fledged military organization. In recent  weeks, analysts have noticed a historic alignment that has taken hold between Hezbollah and the Lebanese military.

If Hezbollah was indifferent to the damage that was being wrought on Lebanon during the Second Lebanon War, the union being forged with the Lebanese military has become a deterrent.

For the first time ever, IDF Northern Command soldiers manning lookout posts have noticed that Hezbollah and Lebanese troops have been conducting joint patrols. Now Israeli military officials are wondering just how deep the cooperation between the two organizations extends.

Israel is disturbed by these developments, and it has communicated its concerns to world powers. In some cases, Israeli officials have made clear their red lines regarding the nature and quality of weaponry it will permit the Lebanese forces to possess.

An interesting dynamic has taken shape between Hezbollah and the Lebanese government, and Israel is not taking it lightly. Hezbollah today has members of parliament and enough government ministers that can tilt major decisions in its direction. Will the Lebanese military fight alongside Hezbollah in the next war? Israel does not rule this out, and as such is preparing for the eventuality.

Defense officials acknowledge that at the moment nobody on either side is interested in war. The chances of hostilities breaking out in the near future are low. At the same time, however, it is clear to all that the smallest incident could lead to a response that snowballs into the Third Lebanon War.

In January, Hezbollah killed two IDF soldiers in the Givati infantry brigades, firing Kornet anti-tank missiles at their patrol along the border. Immediately after the incident, the IDF went on high alert. At the time, however, there was a restraining element.

At the last minute, somebody pressed the “abort” button and stopped the next war from unfolding. One thing is certainly clear – if Hezbollah had exacted a higher price and the attack was even more successful, resulting in the deaths of more than two soldiers and perhaps a captive Israeli, today we’d be dealing with the formation of a commission of inquiry into the Third Lebanon War.

Both the defense establishment and Hezbollah are ready for such a conflict. The army has already concluded the construction of numerous roadblocks and obstacles near Shlomi, not far from the northern border, which are aimed at preventing terrorists from crossing the frontier and taking control of roadways, outposts, even townships. Preparatory work has long been concluded in towns and communities adjacent to the border.

In some areas, the army has built artificial trenches and put up walls. IDF officers acknowledge that not all preparations have been completed and not all emergency procedures have been put in place, but this is expected to be finished soon.

On the day that hostilities erupt, the northern communities will be evacuated. In their place will come battalions of combat troops. The evacuation plans have already been prepared, as have the plans for an attack on the other side of the border. Israel will unleash the full extent of its might and do all in its power in order to finish the next round within days.

The new strategic plan unveiled by the chief of staff leaves no room for excuses. When the IDF embarks on the next war, it will stop only after it completes its mission. That means it will cease its fire after the enemy raises the white flag of surrender – or after the world stops the army from battering Hezbollah and bombarding Lebanese territory.

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Cartoon of the Day

August 20, 2015

H/t Jewish Press

Balanced-Reporting

Categories: Humor, Israel, Palestinians, Terrorism
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Captured Hamas Operative Details Group’s Terrorist Plans

August 11, 2015

Captured Hamas Operative Details Group’s Terrorist Plans, Investigative Project on Terrorism, August 11, 2015

A Hamas operative provided a treasure trove of intelligence during Israeli interrogation concerning the terrorist group’s rebuilding efforts and future terrorist plans, Israel’s intelligence agency Shin Bet disclosed on Tuesday.

The terrorist, Ibrahim Adal Shahada Sha’ar, 21, described about Hamas’ tunnel reconstruction efforts, planned terrorist attacks against Israel, military strategy, and coordination with Iran, the Jerusalem Post reported.

He admitted working on rebuilding underground tunnels and described how some would be used in future attacks against Israel. Sha’ar disclosed the location of digging sites, tunnel entrances and underground routes, and reportedly said that a road built along the border with Israel is intended partly for terrorist attacks involving vehicles charging into Israeli territory.

He admitted that he stored several 50 kg explosive charges in his home and said that fighters kept explosives and other material in their own homes since Hamas commanders worried that the organization’s weapons depots would be targeted by Israel.

Israeli authorities arrested Sha’ar last month at the Erez Crossing after he attempted to enter Israel for “personal or humanitarian reasons.” Officers were aware of Sha’ar’s terrorist background and immediately detained him.

During last summer’s war between Israel and Hamas, Sha’ar participated in specific battlefield operations, including field logistics, transferring terrorists and weapons, and even admitted to setting up an anti-tank improvised explosion device (IED).

Sha’ar provided details of Iranian-Hamas military cooperation, including how Iran transfers funds and supplies weapons and electronics to the terrorist group. Those supplies include devices intended to jam radio frequencies to bring down Israeli drones deployed over Gaza. Furthermore, Sha’ar described how Iran trained Hamas terrorists to use hang gliders for attacks against Israel – a tactic revealed by previous Israeli interrogations of captured terrorists.

Critics of the recent Iran nuclear agreement argue that newly released funds to the Islamic Republic will bolster their regional hegemonic ambitions and global terrorist activities, including transferring more money and weaponry to its terrorist proxies.

According to Israeli intelligence, the Sha’ar detailed plans using tunnels to conduct cross-border attacks against Israeli targets, akin to Hamas’ attempts during last summer’s war. The Hamas operative confirmed that the terrorist group is diverting civilian reconstruction material for the purposes of rebuilding its terrorist infrastructure and underground tunnel network.

Sha’ar was indicted July 31 in the Beersheba District Court for being a member and engaging in activities with a banned organization, attempted murder, and forbidden military training.

Categories: Defense of Israel, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Terror tunnels, Terrorism, Two state solution
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Ayatollah Calls for Global Expulsion of Jews

August 10, 2015

Ayatollah Calls for Global Expulsion of Jews

ByPamela Geller on August 10, 2015

via Ayatollah Calls for Global Expulsion of Jews | Pamela Geller.

ByPamela Geller on August 10, 2015

Iran’s Friday Prayers Leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, an Islamic cleric whose position grants him enormous influence in Tehran and who is appointed directly by Iran’s Supreme Leader, called on Friday for the Muslim nations of the world to “unite and expel the Zionists from this region.”

And the “first Jewish President” says, “give ’em nukes!”

The Islamic Republic of Iran has been making these bloody calls to annihilation almost daily, ever since the nuclear pact with America has been announced. There is no pretense, no charade. America is under the boot and Iran means to go for the kill. If not now, when? When a Cruz is a President? They wouldn’t dare. The day Reagan took office they released our hostages after 444 days.

Obama is a slob for these savages and they know it.

 

“Iranian Ayatollah Calls for Muslim World to Unite and ‘Expel’ Jews from the Region,” by Jordan Schachtel, Aug 8, 2015:

Ayatollah-Kashani-Atta-Kenare-AFP-Getty-Images-640x480

Iran’s Friday Prayers Leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, a radical Shiite cleric whose position grants him enormous influence in Tehran and who is appointed directly by Iran’s Supreme Leader, called on Friday for the Muslim nations of the world to “unite and expel the Zionists from this region.”

The prayer leader, who often leads chants of ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel,’ took the time to thank Iran’s negotiators for reaching an agreement he believed was favorable to the regime in Tehran, Iran’s state-run IRIB news service reported.

Kashani told worshippers that Israel will only be satisfied with their position in the world “when all nations have perished and they alone remain in this world.” This is why Israel has “no qualms whatsoever about spilling innocent blood,” the Ayatollah said.

“This regime [Israel] is amongst the vilest, inhuman and bloodthirsty regimes in the world, and Muslim nations must unite and expel the Zionists from this region if they want to live in peace and security,” Kashani added.

By calling for the expulsion of “Zionists,” Kashani specifically singles out the Jews of Israel, and not its Arab population.

The cleric told the crowd that the United States–which is “the biggest supporter of terrorism in the world,” according to Kashani–is in cahoots with not only Saudi Arabia and Israel, but also with the Islamic State terror group. The three supposed allies of the U.S. are responsible for the poor conditions of Palestinians, he alleged.

“The U.S. trains and exports terrorists,” he told the Tehran University audience. “Terrorism is a tool in the hands of global powers. They cultivate and nourish terrorism, and they export terrorism,” he said of the U.S. and world powers.

Like most Ayatollahs who serve in leadership positions in Tehran, Kashani has often used vile language to attack the western world. In 2014, he called for the last Shiite messiah to come to earth and “behead Western leaders.” In 2005, he blamed the United States and Israel for the creation of Al Qaeda.

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‘Jewish power’ is an illusion

August 10, 2015

Jewish power’ is an illusion

Op-ed: If opposition to Iran deal continues to grow, it won’t be because of successful campaign launched by Netanyahu or Jewish lobby, but because of Obama’s failed marketing of agreement.

Published: 08.10.15, 18:14

via ‘Jewish power’ is an illusion – Israel Opinion, Ynetnews.

The US Jewry is worried. Someone has crossed the red lines. And no, it’s not Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Who should a Jew support? The agreement’s opponents or its supporters? There are many legitimate reasons for and against. The problem is that when a non-Jew expresses a political opinion, it’s a straightforward opinion. But when a Jew expresses an opinion, he has a problem.

If he supports, he may be seen as abandoning Israel. If he opposes, he will immediately be accused of being loyal to Israel. In English it’s called “Israel-firsters” (a derogatory term for Jews who favor the Israeli interest over the American interest). It’s almost like being accused of betrayal.

 

Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama are fighting over the Jewish public opinion and Jewish leadership. The inevitable result is an emphasis of the “Jewish power.” If there will be a majority against the agreement, and especially if there will be a majority that will overcome a presidential veto, the claims against the Jews will escalate.

These claims have already been voiced in the past and may return in full force: Once again the Jews are dragging the United States into unnecessary conflicts with the Muslim world, once again they are serving the interests of a foreign state, once again their powerful capital is influencing the Senate and Congress members.

 

AIPAC conference. There is no 'Jewish power' because the Jews don't have a unified stance (Archive photo: AFP)
AIPAC conference. There is no ‘Jewish power’ because the Jews don’t have a unified stance (Archive photo: AFP)

But the debate about the Jewish stance has already been stepped up. It’s no longer just remote websites, talkbacks and social networks. This time, the problem is not the margins. Jewish magazine Tablet, which practices political diversity and has many editors who support the agreement, published an unprecedented scathing editorial, pointing a finger at the White House which, the magazine argues, is spreading the sickening claims about “dual loyalty” and a lobby of “foreign interests.”

“It’s the kind of dark, nasty stuff we might expect to hear at a white power rally, not from the president of the United States – and it’s gotten so blatant that even many of us who are generally sympathetic to the administration, and even this deal, have been shaken by it,” the article stated.

Many Jews, including the Tablet editors, are furious over the leaks about the rhetoric used by Obama in phone conversations aimed at convincing Congress members.

The truth is that the “Jewish power” is mainly an illusion. It’s not that the Jews are idlers. On the contrary, they are thriving. They hold key positions in two of the most important bodies of knowledge – the media and the academia.

But there is no “Jewish power,” because the Jews don’t have a unified stance. The Jewish establishment, which is usually pro-Israel, is faced by the Jews in the press and the academia whose views range from deep hostility towards Israel to clear lack of support for Israel.

In the anti-Semitic rhetoric, the American press in general and the New York Times in particular are noticeable features of the “Jewish power.” There is one thing that can be said for certain about the New York Times: It is not pro-Israel. It is a power center which is equivalent at least to the Conference of Presidents, and probably much more.

And in general, Israel’s strongest critics are Jewish professors and journalists. The Jews are much more represented than their relative proportion in the population in the BDS campaign. So all the talks about “Jewish power” when it comes to automatic support for Israel are nonsense.

The public opinion in the US has indeed changed. Immediately after the agreement with Iran was signed, there was an absolute majority in favor of it – both in the general public and among the Jews. Now most Americans are against the agreement, and it turns out that most Jews are too. It didn’t happen because of the “Jewish power.” It happened because of Secretary of State John Kerry’s embarrassing testimony to the Senate, and because more and more faults were exposed in the agreement.

If this trend continues, it won’t be thanks to the successful campaign launched by Netanyahu or the Jewish lobby, but because of Obama’s failed marketing. He is the one who crossed red lines, and he may pay the price.

 

 

 

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Islamic State building capacity for mass casualty attacks

August 10, 2015

Islamic State building capacity for mass casualty attacks

ByPamela Geller on August 9, 2015

Global jihad 2015

via Islamic State building capacity for mass casualty attacks | Pamela Geller.

Video added by me .

What, Obama worry? The “Junior Varsity” team is not Islamic, says our supreme leader.

The U.S. intelligence community warns that ISIS may be working to build the capability to carry out mass casualty attacks, calling it a “a significant departure from the terror group’s current focus on encouraging lone wolf attacks.” Nonsense. It’s merely in addition to. It’s a jihad, a holy war, on all fronts — individual Muslims, Muslim armies, et al: “kill the unbelievers wherever you find them.”

When are we going to actually deal with the enemy and its ideology?

“ISIS seen building capacity for mass casualty attacks,” By Jim Sciutto, Chief National Security Correspondent, CNN, August 8, 2015

Washington (CNN)Some in the U.S. intelligence community warn that ISIS may be working to build the capability to carry out mass casualty attacks, a significant departure from the terror group’s current focus on encouraging lone wolf attacks, a senior U.S. intelligence official told CNN on Friday.

To date, the intelligence view has been that ISIS is focused on less ambitious attacks, involving one or a small group of attackers armed with simple weapons. In contrast, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has been viewed as both more focused on — and more capable of — mass casualty attacks, such as plots on commercial aviation. Now the intelligence community is divided.

Meanwhile, the U.S. effort to train rebels in Syria to fight ISIS is having trouble.

Having trouble?? The 50 that the US recruited at the mind-blowing cost of 500 million dollars have “disappeared.”

The few rebels that the U.S. has put through training are already in disarray, with defense officials telling CNN that up to half are missing, having deserted soon after training or having been captured after last week’s attack by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front attack on a rebel site.

Al Nusra claims attack on U.S.-trained rebels in Syria

One defense official admitted to CNN that “they are no longer a coherent military unit,” and Pentagon officials acknowledged the approach of how to support the rebels has to change.

The potential change within ISIS itself is driven — in part — by a broadening competition between ISIS and AQAP for attention and recruits.

More nonsense. It’s a power struggle, no doubt, but both groups are the same. They are waging jihad to impose Islam on the world. Their playbook is the Qur’an. Their example is Muhammad.

There were struggles between the SA and SS in Nazi Germany. It hardly stopped the Nazis.

That same competition was evident this week when AQAP bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri made an online appeal to supporters to carry out lone wolf attacks.

“I think they’re taking a lot of the new recruits that don’t have time to train, who have not been brought up in their systems, and they’re using them to create the type of mass casualty which produces the media attention, which is exactly what they want, that shows they’re still powerful,” said CNN Military analysts Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling. Meanwhile, ISIS is continuing to draw large numbers of new foreign recruits. U.S. intelligence assesses that the formidable flow of foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq has not abated.

isis tank

Currently, the total number of ISIS fighters is between 20,000 and 30,000, similar to the levels when the air campaign began, despite thousands of ISIS fighters believed to have been killed in coalition air strikes.

This number is far too low.

Turkey, the prime transit point into Syria, is still struggling to stem the flow. However, the U.S. believes its agreement to allow U.S. air strikes from a Turkish air base and to help establish a safe zone indicate Istanbul is stepping up.

The administration is also claiming gains on the ground.

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Op-Ed: Growing signs Iran deal increases probability of war

August 9, 2015

Op-Ed: Growing signs Iran deal increases probability of war

Several developments that have happened in Iran since the signing of the Vienna Accord should be regarded as warning lights that the rosy scenario Obama is flogging is not the one that is actually going to happen. Even worse, he knows he is selling the American public snake oil in order to hide his real agenda, which is more about Israel than Iran.

Aug 09, 2015, 05:00PM | Yoni Ariel

via Israel News – Op-Ed: Growing signs Iran deal increases probability of war – JerusalemOnline.

Photo Credit: AP

US President Barack Obama justified his Iran policy by saying that he believes that the deal will ultimately strengthen the moderate camp in Iran that genuinely seeks to reintegrate into the international community and invest the county’s resources in development, not eternal religious war.

Unfortunately, several events that have taken place over the past week tend to point in the opposite direction, which is that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is increasingly siding with the hard liners seeking to sideline the moderate forces headed by President Hassan Rouhani and his foreign minister Mohammad Zarif. Contrary to the administration’s expectations, crackdowns and arrests of political activists have increased since the signing of the accord. What makes this latest crackdown particularly significant and worrisome is that some of those who have been detained either have dual citizenship, or have been in exile and returned home, having received assurances they would not be harmed. Most of them are in Teheran’s notorious Evin prison. However, at least one of them is being held at an even worse place, the Kharizak detention center, which is a concentration camp for political prisoners, notorious for torture.

These arrests are a signal that Iran is confident that the West will continue to appease it irrespective of what it does. This does not augur well for the future of the Vienna Accord.

The arrest of Washington Post journalist Jason Razaian (who holds both US and Iranian citizenship) was both a test and a warning sign. Arresting a US citizen who is an accredited journalist for one of the world’s leading newspapers is not something the cautious and canny Iranians would do lightly. It was a test of American resolve, which Obama by not insisting on his immediate and unconditional release as a precondition for continuing negotiations, flunked.

Since there is no reason to assume that the Iranians will suddenly begin respecting Obama’s resolve and backbone, there is every reason to assume they will start cheating as soon as they can. They have an incentive to start cheating as soon as possible, since they can assume that whoever succeeds Obama in the Oval Office, he or she will be less appeasing towards them.

The tailwind the Ayatollahs have gotten ever since the signing of the accord with every country running to Teheran to negotiate lucrative deals and sell it the up to date armaments it lacks has no doubt given Khamenei confidence that Iran can cheat with impunity, at least for the remainder of Obama’s term. Once again, the world has proven Lenin right when he said, “the Western world will fight among themselves who will profit from selling us the rope from which we shall eventually hang them.”

This means we need to understand what Iran’s cheating options are. Earlier this week, Avner Golov, a researcher at the INSS, TAU’s (Tel Aviv University) highly respected Center for Strategic Studies, published a position paper dealing with Iran’s options for continuing its efforts to become a nuclear power and how it is likely to pursue them. He takes it for granted that Iran will cheat or try to since there are no credible deterrents left on the table.

According to Golov, Iran faces a choice between the shortest and fastest route to the bomb or the safest one. He believes that Iran will opt for the latter, what he calls the “creeping or crawling bomb strategy.” Having learned from the experience of countries that tried to take the shortest and fastest route such as Iraq and North Korea that this is a relatively high-risk path, the Iranians will choose a longer more risk averse route. This road is paved with creeping incremental violations of the accord until they reach a point where they can break out in a relatively short timeframe, reducing the amount of time they are at a higher risk of being caught.

This strategy involves clandestine nuclear activities in parallel with the declared activities, designed to shorten the distance from the nuclear brink. The aim is to covertly line up as many duck as possible without being caught. The moment the decision to shoot is given, everything is ready to go and the final breakout to the bomb will be as short and quick as possible, minimizing the risk of being caught with their hands in the cookie jar before actually having eaten one, which in this case means before they have a bomb with which to threaten Israel, the region and the world.

The holes in the agreement, especially the ones than enable Iran to remove soil from Parchin and other sites before IAEA inspections, make this kind of cheating relatively low risk. Obama in effect has told the kid with a proven propensity for cheating he can take the exam whenever he wants, even if there is no proctor in the room.

The Iranians can also be fairly confident that the sanctions snapback clause will prove to be unenforceable, given the current rush to Teheran to cut deals. They can also be fairly confident that the international community will gradually divert intelligence assets to other areas, especially if and when a new crisis emerges, putting Iran on a back burner.

According to Golov, the bad news doesn’t end here. The agreement loses much of its teeth with age. This opens a third option to Iran. For the first decade, it may decide to play by the rules, and then go for break and take the shortest path to the bomb.

Another major inadequacy of the Vienna Accord is the fact it does not cover the issue of Iran’s ICBM program. This means Iran is free to continue developing its ICBM program. A bomb without the means to deliver it makes a country more of a target than a nuclear power. By being able to openly continue its missile development program, it can have a delivery vehicle ready and waiting for a warhead when the order to assemble it is given.

Israel’s options

Obama accused Israel of being the only country against the agreement. He conveniently neglected to mention that Israel is the only country the Iranian regime repeatedly threatens to wipe off the map.

This agreement is as much about Israel as it is about Iran. Obama crossed the red line dividing legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies from anti-Semitic incitement when he said that only Israel opposed the accord and that if it ended up being torpedoed in the Senate, war would follow.

The subtext of what he said is very clear. When he says only Israel wants to sabotage the accord and that the only alternative to the accord is war, he is really questioning American Jews’ loyalty to the US, implying that they put Israel’s interests first and want to drag America into an Israeli war.

Hitler crudely fanned anti-Semitism by openly accused the Jews of instigating war. Obama, a far more intelligent and sophisticated character is slyly insinuating it, hoping the mere threat of a potential anti-Semitic backlash will frighten enough of the Jewish community into not throwing its weight behind efforts to block the accord.

Even if this tactic does not cause an increase in anti-Semitism in the US, it will facilitate the transforming of Israel from a bi-partisan issue into merely another controversial political issue, with Republicans on one side, Democrats on the other. Whatever the outcome, Israel and American Jewry will find themselves in a lose-lose situation.

The most important thing is what Obama neglected to say, namely that Israel is not only the only country to oppose the agreement; it the only country which has repeatedly been threatened by Iran with destruction. This being the case, Israel should despite the risks involved continue its efforts to derail the agreement in the Senate. It has a reasonable chance of mustering the 60 votes needed to override a filibuster and have the Senate reject the agreement. The chances of getting enough Democrats to cross the floor and override a presidential veto are slim. However, such a situation would give the next president the moral authority required for taking the highly unusual step of openly repudiating an agreement signed by his or her predecessor.

Full disclosure

I feel in light of what I’ve written and the harsh things I’ve said about President Obama that my audience deserves full disclosure of my overall political opinions, as I believe they are germane in determining what conclusions the readers will reach regarding this article.

I am on record as being totally opposed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on almost every issue. I have never voted for the man and never intend to. I believe his hard line pro-annexationist policies are a disaster for Israel. I think he was reckless and irresponsible when he decided to unprecedentedly interfere in US politics during the 2012 elections and again when he addressed the Congress during the recent Israeli election campaign. His actions have materially helped Obama erode Israel’s standing as a bi-partisan issue above politics. Even worse, he backed the wrong horse, even though it did not take a genius to figure out long before November 2012 that Romney was an unelectable candidate.

Nevertheless, I believe he is right regarding Iran. It is probably the only issue he is right on. I do not agree with how he has handled the situation and the tactics he resorted to, which backfired and ended up making a bad situation even worse as far as Israel is concerned. I do agree with him that Iran poses an existential threat to Israel.
This is the reason I believe Obama is wrong. It is precisely because Iran poses such a threat to Israel that this agreement all but guarantees Israel will be left with no choice but to launch a preemptive strike against Iran before it can exploit its many holes and inadequacies to become a nuclear power.

Until now, I’ve tended to give President Obama the benefit of the doubt and have regarded his many mistakes as the results of a lack of knowledge and understanding of the region and not of a personal animus he has with Israel, its leader or Jews. His recent statement has changed that. The subtext of what he said leaves no room for doubt.

 

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