Underdog Israel beats Cuba in baseball, is one win from semi-finals
If you've been in a cave for the past week, you probably don't know that Israel's baseball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic, defeating 3rd ranked South Korea, 4th ranked Taiwan and 9th ranked Netherlands to get there. Israel's team was ranked 41st going into the tournament, despite having ten major leaguers on its roster.
On Sunday in Tokyo, the Israeli team
beat 5th ranked Cuba 4-1, and now needs just one win against top-ranked Japan or 9th ranked Netherlands (which they have already beaten) to advance to the semifinals at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. (If you're wondering, the US is ranked second).
Israel’s batters overcame an early 1-0
deficit, and the team’s pitchers kept the heavily favored Cuban team to
just five hits, continuing the squad’s unlikely Cinderella run.
Cuba inched ahead in the second inning with a
home run from Alfredo Despaigne, the player who singlehandedly sent his
country into the second round when he scored all of Cuba’s runs against
Australia on Thursday.
But after that, it was entirely Israel’s game.
Team Israel took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when
Zach Borenstein singled to right scoring Ty Kelly from second base.
Blake Gailen made it 3-1 with a two-out double to right that scored Nate
Freiman.
Israel tacked on another run in the eighth on a sacrifice bunt by Gailen that scored Borenstein from third.
Josh Zeid pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth when he got Willian Saavedra to ground out to third with two out.
The Israeli team has become the tournament’s unlikely darlings on its way to a 4-0 start in the international tournament.
Now we all know that there may not be 10 Israelis who aren't American born who know how to play baseball. So how does Israel have 10 major leaguers on its squad? It's a rule quirk.
Nearly all the members on Team Israel are American Jews. By WBC rules, a
player may compete for a country if he is eligible for citizenship
under its laws. Israel extends the right of automatic citizenship to
Jews, their non-Jewish children, grandchildren and the non-Jewish
spouses of their children and grandchildren.
Uh huh.
But they should have taken me along to read the Megillah for them (I've read it from a scroll more than 70 times to as many as 800 people). Let's go to the videotape.
Israel will face the Netherlands at Noon on Monday Israel time.
Haaretz
adds:
The win over Cuba gives Israel a strong mental boost ahead of games against the Netherlands and host Japan to advance in the quarterfinal round, which is played as a round robin. One win in those two games could be enough to bring Israel to Dodger Stadium for the semifinals.
...
[Manager Jerry] Weinstein rebuffed critics who have called Team Israel really a second Team USA. "The attitude in our clubhouse is we are representing Israel. We are not the Junior Varsity team for Team USA. We are Team Israel, and make no mistake about that."
After Sunday's win, starter [Jason] Marquis noted "We have quality baseball players on this team; guys who have big league experience, a lot of young prospects who have bright futures, and a good mix of veterans who can help these guys through these tournament games."
Marquis did revel a little in becoming a role model in the United States. "It's a great story for people back home who follow the game and who are in our shoes - have Jewish heritage - to look up to players like us who may not have otherwise had that opportunity."
I don't know about that. For most American Jews your Bar Mitzva is that time when you realize that you are far more likely to own a team than to play for one.
Labels: Baseball, Cuba, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan, United States, World Baseball Classic
What 'Olympic spirit'?
In 1936, the Olympics were held in Nazi Germany, to Hitler's delight, until Jesse Owens, a black man, walked away with
four gold medals.
In 1972, when 'Palestinian' terrorists
murdered 11 Israeli athletes in Munich, while the hostage drama was being played out and thereafter, IOC Chairman Avery Brundage famously insisted that 'the games must go on.' It took 40 years afterward for the 11 murdered Israelis to even be memorialized at the Games, and even that was in a
side ceremony and
not at the main stadium. For more than 40 years, the IOC has
gone out of its way to cover up what actually happened on September 6, 1972. On Wednesday, there was finally a
proper memorial ceremony for the Munich 11 - 44 years later - albeit not at the opening ceremony where it would have been watched by a huge worldwide audience.
What happened on Friday pales by comparison, but nevertheless shows that the 'Olympic spirit' is as big a fraud as ever. The Lebanese Olympic team prevented members of the Israeli Olympic team from boarding a bus at the Olympic village, because...
well they're Israelis. And it goes without saying that there were no consequences to the Lebanese team.
“I kept on insisting that we board the bus and
said that if the Lebanese did not want to board as well they are
welcome to leave,” Udi Gal, the Israeli sailing team trainer, wrote in a
Facebook post Friday.
“The bus driver opened the door, but this time
the head of the Lebanese delegation blocked the aisle and entrance. The
organizers wanted to avoid an international and physical incident and
sent us away to a different bus.”
So far, no official response on behalf of the
delegations was given regarding the incident. The Olympic organizing
committee has not yet offered any statement about the incident either.
Back home, the head of the Lebanese delegation is being
hailed as a hero.
Saleem a-Haj Nacoula told Lebanese media that
the Israelis were “looking for trouble” as they insisted on boarding the
same bus when they had their own assigned transportation.
“There were more than 250 buses assigned to
transport delegations from the Olympics village to the ceremony. After
we boarded bus number 22, for the Lebanese delegation, I was surprised
to see the Israeli delegation approaching and trying to get on,” Nacoula
said.
“I told the bus driver to close the door but a
trainer who was with the Israelis prevented him from doing so. I had to
physically stand at the door and block him and the rest of the
delegation from boarding, knowing that some were trying to force their
way through and were looking for trouble,” he went on.
Nacoula alleged that the Israeli had their own
bus to take them. “Why did they want to board a bus with the Lebanese
delegation?”
“I stood at the door and told those responsible that we would not let them on the bus with us,” he said.
Members of the Israeli delegation were taken to the opening ceremony on other buses arranged through Olympics organizers.
Back home, Nacoula was praised in the press and on social media as a hero.
Maybe the reason the Israelis were looking to board the bus was that there were too many of them to fit on one bus.
For the 2016 Olympic Games, which officially opened on Friday, Israel
proudly showed off its largest delegation ever, with 47 athletes
competing in 17 categories. Israel’s delegation also includes 34 coaches
and about 25 support staff.
The Lebanese delegation consists of 9 athletes, and probably far fewer coaches and support staff than the Israelis have. The Lebanese did not need their own bus. This was nothing but pettiness (and worse). But it will go unpunished. Because the 'Olympic spirit' is a fraud.
Labels: International Olympic Committee, Israel, Lebanon, Munich Olympic massacre, Olympic spirit, Rio Olympics, Summer Olympics
Don't try to wish Israel a happy birthday on Michigan Public Radio
Michigan Public Radio has refused a four-word advertisement wishing Israel a happy birthday, calling it 'radioactive.' This came via Honest Reporting.
For sponsoring a day’s broadcast of Michigan Public Radio, Lisa Lis
was told she was entitled to have a message broadcast on the air. She
chose a four-word sentence, “Happy 68th birthday, Israel.” The station
rejected that line as too radioactive, saying, “this message would compromise the station’s commitment to impartiality and that it crosses over into advocacy, or could imply advocacy,” reports Deadline Detroit.
Rabbi Jason Miller weighed in at the Huffington Post, asking, When did wishing Israel a happy birthday become so controversial?
My hope for Israel as it celebrates 68 years of statehood
is that the public will cease to treat any mention of Israel as a
controversial topic. A non-political offering of congratulations to Israel on its anniversary of independence should be taken at face value and not made into a controversy.
If you think Michigan Public Radio was 'winging it' in order to find an excuse for not carrying the message... you're right. Here's more from that Deadline Detroit link.
Lis, a self-proclaimed progressive and strong supporter of
Israel, whose husband is Israeli and whose son is in the Israeli Defense
Forces, wanted her message to celebrate Israel. Eventually she settled
on "Happy 68th Birthday Israel." Israel celebrates Independence Day this
year on May 12.
Initially, "blessing" was in her message, but the station said that
implied something religious, so she dropped that word. Then the station
said it couldn't accommodate the wish because it needed two months'
notice.
Then the station rejected the message outright. Alison Warren, associate director of development, wrote in an April 26 email:
Dear Lisa,
We will not be able to air your day sponsorship message as written.
We have determined that this message would compromise the station's
commitment to impartiality and that it crosses over into advocacy, or
could imply advocacy.
If there is another message, perhaps celebrating a birthday or
anniversary of an individual, please let me know and I'd be happy to
assist you.
"I'm very upset," said Lis, a daughter of Florine Marks of Weight
Watchers' fame. "It’s sad. There's plenty anti-Israel messages out
there, and they won't allow something for Israel." Lis said she and her
husband, Hannan Lis, donate $40 per month.
...
Last Friday, Lis took it to the next level, writing about the conflict in a weekly newsletter emailed to about 1,000 people.
I am in a battle with Michigan Radio to use my Day Sponsorship to wish
Israel Happy 68th birthday. They denied my request because they said it
would "compromise the station's commitment to impartiality and that it
crosses over into advocacy".
Why would Public Radio need to be impartial about a legally
recognized country other than the fact, many want her wiped from the
face of the earth. Would it be a problem if it were the birthday of
England, Norway or South Sudan?
Israel is a hot button country that the world has accepted as
questionable and debatable and the major infraction Israel has committed
is purely her existence. By the way, I truly look forward to expressing
my same salutation when Palestine can celebrate her birthday.
Deadline Detroit emailed executives at the station Sunday and left phone messages Monday.
Steve Schram, executive director and general manager, responded Monday:
The current request was denied because it doesn’t meet our day
sponsorship policies, which state “typical messages honor an
individual’s birthday, anniversary, retirement, graduation, or other
personal event.”
In accordance with our rules governing donor acknowledgments,
announcements containing political or religious messages are not
acceptable This was shared with the donor.
This policy is not unique to this station and is similar to other public radio stations across the country.
Michigan Radio describes itself as "the state’s most listened-to public radio service, . . .with a broadcast signal that reaches 80% of Michigan’s population." Its three stations -- WUOM in Ann Arbor, WFUM in Flint and WVGR in Grand Rapids.-- "serve approximately 500,000 listeners each week across the southern half of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula."
...
Interestingly, during the volley of emails, Larry Jonas, director of
development at Michigan Radio, responded about whether it would allow
"Happy Birthday Norway."
Jonas wrote to Hannan Lis:
The answer to your question about whether or not we would allow a
"Happy Birthday Norway" is no. . . . We would not air such a message.
Harmless as it may seem, it forces us to make the choice between which
countries or political bodies are worthy of on-air recognition and which
are not.
Mind you, in the initial response, the station said wishing happy
birthday to Israel "would compromise the station's commitment to
impartiality and that it crosses over into advocacy, or could imply
advocacy."
Jonas would be hard-pressed to find many groups protesting U.S. policy in Norway.
Maybe it's time for the Lis's to find a new charity to which to donate that $40 per month. Since their son serves in the IDF, how about American Friends of the IDF?
Just sayin'....
Labels: anti-Semitism, double standards, IDF, Israel, Norway, Yom HaAtzmaut
Report: As Obama administration knowingly armed Islamic State in Syria, Joint Chiefs passed US intel to Assad
It's come to this: The Obama administration - and in particular the CIA -
knowingly armed Islamic State terrorists in Syria. Okay, take it with a grain of salt. It came from Seymour Hersh.
Barack Obama’s
repeated insistence that Bashar al-Assad must leave office – and that
there are ‘moderate’ rebel groups in Syria capable of defeating him –
has in recent years provoked quiet dissent, and even overt opposition,
among some of the most senior officers on the Pentagon’s Joint Staff.
Their criticism has focused on what they see as the administration’s
fixation on Assad’s primary ally, Vladimir Putin. In their view, Obama
is captive to Cold War thinking about Russia and China, and hasn’t
adjusted his stance on Syria to the fact both countries share
Washington’s anxiety about the spread of terrorism in and beyond Syria;
like Washington, they believe that Islamic State must be stopped.
The military’s resistance dates back to the summer of 2013, when a
highly classified assessment, put together by the Defense Intelligence
Agency (DIA) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, then led by General Martin
Dempsey, forecast that the fall of the Assad regime would lead to chaos
and, potentially, to Syria’s takeover by jihadi extremists, much as was
then happening in Libya. A former senior adviser to the Joint Chiefs
told me that the document was an ‘all-source’ appraisal, drawing on
information from signals, satellite and human intelligence, and took a
dim view of the Obama administration’s insistence on continuing to
finance and arm the so-called moderate rebel groups. By then, the CIA
had been conspiring for more than a year with allies in the UK, Saudi
Arabia and Qatar to ship guns and goods – to be used for the overthrow
of Assad – from Libya, via Turkey, into Syria. The new intelligence
estimate singled out Turkey as a major impediment to Obama’s Syria
policy. The document showed, the adviser said, ‘that what was started as
a covert US programme to arm and support the moderate rebels fighting
Assad had been co-opted by Turkey, and had morphed into an
across-the-board technical, arms and logistical programme for all of the
opposition, including Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic State. The so-called
moderates had evaporated and the Free Syrian Army was a rump group
stationed at an airbase in Turkey.’ The assessment was bleak: there was
no viable ‘moderate’ opposition to Assad, and the US was arming
extremists.
Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, director of the DIA
between 2012 and 2014, confirmed that his agency had sent a constant
stream of classified warnings to the civilian leadership about the dire
consequences of toppling Assad. The jihadists, he said, were in control
of the opposition. Turkey wasn’t doing enough to stop the smuggling of
foreign fighters and weapons across the border. ‘If the American public
saw the intelligence we were producing daily, at the most sensitive
level, they would go ballistic,’ Flynn told me. ‘We understood Isis’s
long-term strategy and its campaign plans, and we also discussed the
fact that Turkey was looking the other way when it came to the growth of
the Islamic State inside Syria.’ The DIA’s reporting, he said, ‘got
enormous pushback’ from the Obama administration. ‘I felt that they did
not want to hear the truth.’
‘Our policy of arming the opposition
to Assad was unsuccessful and actually having a negative impact,’ the
former JCS adviser said. ‘The Joint Chiefs believed that Assad should
not be replaced by fundamentalists. The administration’s policy was
contradictory. They wanted Assad to go but the opposition was dominated
by extremists. So who was going to replace him? To say Assad’s got to go
is fine, but if you follow that through – therefore anyone is better.
It’s the “anybody else is better” issue that the JCS had with Obama’s
policy.’
But what's more shocking is what the Joint Chiefs decided to do about it.
The Joint Chiefs felt that a direct challenge to Obama’s policy would
have ‘had a zero chance of success’. So in the autumn of 2013 they
decided to take steps against the extremists without going through
political channels, by providing US intelligence to the militaries of
other nations, on the understanding that it would be passed on to the
Syrian army and used against the common enemy, Jabhat al-Nusra and
Islamic State.
Germany, Israel and Russia were in contact with the
Syrian army, and able to exercise some influence over Assad’s decisions
– it was through them that US intelligence would be shared. Each had
its reasons for co-operating with Assad: Germany feared what might
happen among its own population of six million Muslims if Islamic State
expanded; Israel was concerned with border security; Russia had an
alliance of very long standing with Syria, and was worried by the threat
to its only naval base on the Mediterranean, at Tartus. ‘We weren’t
intent on deviating from Obama’s stated policies,’ the adviser said.
‘But sharing our assessments via the military-to-military relationships
with other countries could prove productive. It was clear that Assad
needed better tactical intelligence and operational advice. The JCS
concluded that if those needs were met, the overall fight against
Islamist terrorism would be enhanced. Obama didn’t know, but Obama
doesn’t know what the JCS does in every circumstance and that’s true of
all presidents.’
Once the flow of US intelligence began, Germany,
Israel and Russia started passing on information about the whereabouts
and intent of radical jihadist groups to the Syrian army; in return,
Syria provided information about its own capabilities and intentions.
There was no direct contact between the US and the Syrian military;
instead, the adviser said, ‘we provided the information – including
long-range analyses on Syria’s future put together by contractors or one
of our war colleges – and these countries could do with it what they
chose, including sharing it with Assad. We were saying to the Germans
and the others: “Here’s some information that’s pretty interesting and
our interest is mutual.” End of conversation. The JCS could conclude
that something beneficial would arise from it – but it was a military to
military thing, and not some sort of a sinister Joint Chiefs’ plot to
go around Obama and support Assad. It was a lot cleverer than that. If
Assad remains in power, it will not be because we did it. It’s because
he was smart enough to use the intelligence and sound tactical advice we
provided to others.’
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Bashar al-Assad, CIA, Germany, ISIS, Islamic State, Israel, Russia, Syria, Syrian uprising, Turkey, United States
Israel honors non-Jewish American soldier who told German commandant 'We are all Jews'
How one man saved the lives of 200 Jewish American POW's.
Maybe we Israelis should follow up by labeling all our products as originating in Judea and Samaria.
Labels: anti-Semitism, Israel, Nazis, US Army, World War II
Iberia denies pilot said 'welcome to Palestine'
Passengers on an Iberia flight from Madrid to Tel Aviv on Wednesday reported that the pilot welcomed them to '
Palestine' on landing.
During the flight from Madrid by Spain’s
national carrier, the pilot announced in Spanish that he was preparing
to land “in Tel Aviv, in Palestine.” In English, he subsequently said he
was preparing to land “in Tel Aviv,” and did not repeat the “Palestine”
comment; neither did he say “Israel.”
Lior, a passenger on the flight, told Channel 2 news that he was “a little bit shocked.”
“I don’t understand why he said this,” said
Lior. “We live in the State of Israel and he should have said ‘Israel.’
There was a reason he didn’t say it in English. It was deliberate.”
Another passenger said “everyone noticed” that the pilot didn’t mention Israel by name.
One of the passengers sent a letter to the
company complaining about the pilot’s conduct, saying he and his family
“were very offended,” and adding, “It is inappropriate and does serve
your company well,” Channel 2 reported.
The Spanish news website 20 Minutos reported
on Thursday morning that the Israeli ambassador in Madrid penned a
“tough letter” to the president of Iberia in which he asked him to take
disciplinary measures against the pilot.
Yedioth Ahronoth reported that an Iberia
spokeswoman in Israel apologized on behalf of the airline and said the
pilot who made the announcement would not be flying the route to Israel
until the matter was fully investigated by the airline.
Iberia is now
denying that the pilot said 'Palestine.'
After speaking with “members of both cockpit and cabin crews and with
other passengers on board” to clarify the situation, Iberia has
determined “the word ‘Palestine’ was not used in the announcement,”
according to a statement posted on the airline’s website.
“The captain adhered to the standard format, in which only the
airports of origin and destination are named, and not countries,
regions, or territories,” Iberia said.
The announcement was first made in Spanish and then in English. The
airline claims the captain said, “Dear passengers, we’re now descending
to land at our destination, Tel Aviv.”
However, passengers may have been confused, according to Iberia.
“Both the airline and the crew regret the misunderstanding, which
could have been caused by the similar sound of the Spanish word
‘destino,’ meaning ‘destination’, with ‘Palestina.’ No such confusion
was caused by the message in English, passengers said.”
If he had said 'Israel' or 'Palestine,' it would have been a breach of protocol. I fly a lot, and I don't recall ever hearing an airline pilot announce the name of the country in whose airport we were landing.
Labels: Ben Gurion Airport, Israel, Palestine, Spain, Tel Aviv
Change: Israel gives helicopters to Jordan
With US approval, Israel has given a squadron of approximately
16 Cobra helicopters to Jordan for use on border patrol.
Israel has given retired U.S.-supplied
Cobra combat helicopters to Jordan to help the Hashemite kingdom
fend off insurgent threats on the Syrian and Iraqi borders, a
U.S. official with knowledge of the deal said.
The handover, initiated last year, was approved by
Washington, which provided mechanical overhauls for
the aircraft before they were incorporated free of charge in
Jordan's existing Cobra fleet, the official said.
"These choppers are for border security," the official, who
requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, told
Reuters.
Asked how many Cobras were transferred, the official said:
"Around 16, though some may have been used by the Jordanians for
spare parts" rather than kept intact.
Jordanian and Israeli officials declined comment, as did the
Pentagon.
Countries don't have friends - they have interests. It is clear why in the Middle East in 2015, it might be in Israel's interest to give helicopters to Jordan.
In case you're worried about what Israel will use, the IDF prefers Apaches.
Labels: Israel, Jordan, SuperCobra helicopters
Planning for a post-Obama world
A fascinating piece in the American Thinker this morning about how to
clean up the Middle East post-Obama. A couple of highlights.
The chief new reality is the de facto coalition among Israel, Egypt, and the Sunni Gulf states. This comprises a potential new source of stability in the region, a stability that has been lacking since the collapse of the Ottoman imperium. The dream of an Arab equivalent of Europe -- a region of independent nation-states united through ethnicity and religion -- lies in ruins. The possibility that it can revived are minimal. Libya, Syria, and Yemen are all failed states and, left to themselves, the UN, or Europe, will remain that way. The fantasy of nation building was punctured by Iraq and Afghanistan. These people are not only incapable of governing themselves, they are incapable of maintaining a viable social system. This role must be filled by an overarching power, as it was by the Ottomans and the European imperialists.
It must be done because we require order. This is not the 19th century. The Jihadis have clearly demonstrated a global reach. They can get at any target anywhere simply by parasitizing well-established Western communications and transportation systems. The sole way to deny them this capability is through control of the failed states that act as incubators for their mujahedin.
...
The two major goals in the Mideast are the defeat of the Jihadis and the denial of Iranian hegemony. The coalition can encompass both, with support from interested Western powers. Despite all the appeasement rhetoric, the Iranian nuclear threat can be shut down in short order. No one has considered the possibility that Israel might utilize tactical nukes fitted to bunker-buster warheads. These would “drill” deeply into the overhanging mountains before detonating, rendering the Iranian nuclear program unsalvageable with little in the way of fallout or residual radiation. This would a bold step on the part of Israel, but existential challenges encourage that kind of thing. Sanction from the Gulf States is likely to be easily obtained.
Iran would attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, but in the age of fracking, this is nowhere near the threat it once was. Fracking could take up a large part of the oil shortfall within months. There would be a serious economic earthquake, but the West has it coming.
Turning to the Jihadis, the long war, which the U.S. and Europe have proven incapable of maintaining, would probably be best fought by nations in the area. Saudi Arabia has valuable knowledge about these people. Israel has one of the most effective intelligence agencies in the world. Pooling their efforts should bring results that would difficult for outside actors to match. The current collaboration between the Israelis and the Egyptians could act as a model here.
Failed states such as Syria and Yemen are likely to remain non-nations on the Somalia model. As such, they will have to be controlled. Civilized forces will need to enter these degraded pea-patches on an irregular basis on punitive missions, much the same as the British mounted expeditions into Afghanistan and Somalia during the imperial period. (Libya is different, virtually bordering on the West as it does -- it must be brought under control, the sooner the better.)
This is effectively a form of neocolonialism, one that should be carried out by locals with a deep understanding of the stakes. It could of course, be “better,” in the abstract, if Somalis and Syrians could govern themselves, but they can’t, and that’s the end of it. They are a problem, and a new Mideast coalition offers a solution. Such a coalition will share goals with the West: elimination of the Iranian threat, destruction of ISIS and similar Jihadi gangs, and beyond that, a new status quo. While such a solution is far from perfect, it is the best that can be expected from a horrendous situation.
What would the U.S. role be? Basically, everybody’s benign uncle. To act as an honest broker, mentor, and guide for both sides, to ease the natural conflicts between Jewish and Arab interests, to work out strategies and policies, and nudge either side in the right direction.
Even this is asking too much at this point. Obama has, of course, downgraded the U.S. relationship with Israel even as the new modus vivendi has been working itself out -- a remarkable development that he has ignored. There’s nothing that reveals Obama’s utter fatuity more than this.
Of course, if Hillary Clinton becomes President, things might not be any better. What could go wrong?
Read the whole thing.
Labels: al-Qaeda, Barack Hussein Obama, Egypt, Gulf states, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Iranian nuclear threat, Iraq, ISIS, Islamic State, Israel, jihad, Libya, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen
CNN: Israel treating mostly 'anti-Assad' forces in its hospitals
Here's a report from CNN on Israeli hospitals treating Syrian fighters 'including militants.' The so-called protectors of 'human rights' could learn a lot from this video about who does and does not stand for human rights.
Let's go to the videotape.
Labels: human rights, Israel, Nusra Front, Syrian uprising
Putin warns Israel against selling weapons to Ukraine
Earlier this week, I reported that there is talk of
Israel selling advanced weapons systems to Ukraine and Georgia in response to Russia selling the S-300 missile defense system to Iran. Vladimir Putin has taken notice, and the leader of the world's only superpower is
warning Israel against making such weapons sales.
Speaking to official state media in Russia, Putin said that any such
deals between Israel and Ukraine would be “counterproductive” and would
“only cause a new round of hostility.”
“The death toll would
rise, but the result would not change,” Putin was quoted as telling
Rossiya, the official state-run television channel.
...
“It’s a choice for the Israeli leadership to make, they can do what they see necessary,” Putin said.
Something tells me that Putin doesn't really want a direct confrontation with Israel. He just wants money from Iran. Perhaps we should offer to buy the S-300 instead?
Labels: arms sales, Georgia, Iran, Iranian nuclear threat, Israel, Russia, S-300 missile defense system, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin
Israel to Russia: You may yet regret giving Iran those S-300's
Iran's FarsNews is reporting that the Mullahcracy will take delivery of
five Russian S-300 anti-missile systems in the 'first phase' of their agreement.
On Monday, Russia's Presidential Spokesman Dmitry
Peskov said that supplies of the Russian S-300 air defense missile
systems to Iran may begin any moment in line with the relevant decree
signed by the Russian president,
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree
on Monday to lift the ban on the delivery of S-300 air defense missile
systems to Iran.
"The decree stipulates… no delays," Peskov told
journalists adding that the second provision of the decree states that
"it comes into force on the day it was signed."
...
In January, Tehran and Moscow signed an agreement
to broaden their defensive cooperation and also resolve the problem with
the delivery of Russia's S300 missile defense systems to Iran.
The agreement was signed by General Dehqan and his
visiting Russian counterpart General Sergei Shoigu in a meeting in
Tehran in January.
The Iranian and Russian defense ministers agreed
to resolve the existing problems which have prevented the delivery of
Russia's advanced air defense systems to Iran in recent years.
The two sides also agreed to broaden their defense cooperation and joint campaign against terrorism and extremism.
In 2007, Iran signed a contract worth $800mln to buy five Russian S300 missile defense systems.
But the deal was scrapped in 2010 by the
then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who was unilaterally expanding
on sanctions against Iran imposed by the UN Security Council.
Iran filed a $4bln lawsuit against Russia in the international arbitration court in Geneva, which is currently pending review.
But Amir Rappaport reports that Israel is not taking this lying down. Israeli defense officials have told him that Israel may sell
advanced weapons systems to Georgia and Ukraine in response to the Russian move.
To understand the relationship between the transactions between Israel,
Ukraine and Georgia and the recent Russian move, we should go back to
the background of things: Russia was planning to sell Iran the advanced
S300 missiles defense system at the end of the last decade.
The weapon system is considered to have strategic
capabilities. Although the Russians have not offered the Iranians the
most advanced version of the system they possess, it is still an
anti-aircraft system that can hit aircraft even at ranges of 150 km – a
huge challenge for every Air Force, including the Israeli Air Force.
The deal between Russia and Iran was canceled in 2010,
under the pressure of Israel and against the background of global
sanctions imposed on the Iranian regime. In a silent understanding,
Israel has refrained from selling advanced weapons systems to Ukraine
and Georgia, that are both considered enemies of Russia. Regarding
Georgia, the supply of Israeli arms was completely stopped after their
war with the Russians at the end of the last decade (and after Israeli
weapons brought down several Russian helicopters). Regarding Ukraine,
several transactions were on the agenda recently, including the sale of
advanced unmanned aircraft amounting tens of thousands of dollars. These
transactions were frozen based on a demand of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, in view of the "delicate" relationship between Israel and
Russia. Now, it is quite possible that the approval for exporting Israel
arms to Ukraine will be granted.
Rappaport also reports that the S-300 systems being sold to Iran are not the most advanced of such systems (but would still complicate an Israeli attack against Iran's nuclear facilities), and that
contrary to other reports, delivery will take at least three years.
Still, I would view any prospect of delivery of the S-300 to Iran as reason for the advancement of an Israeli attack against Iran's nuclear facilities.
What could go wrong?
Labels: arms sales, Georgia, Iran, Iranian nuclear threat, Israel, Russia, S-300 missile defense system, Ukraine
Oh my... Two Iranians on Germanwings 9525
Russia Today has published a list of the nationalities of the passengers and crew of Germanwings 9525, which crashed on Wednesday in the French Alps. The list is not just Spaniards and Germans. It includes
two Iranians, two Venezuelans, an Israeli and two Americans.
12:47 GMT:
AFP reports that these are the
nationalities of the A320 victims, which have been confirmed by either
Germanwings or the country’s governments:
72 Germans
35 Spaniards; Spain says there may be up to 39
3 British, confirmed by the government, which says there may be more.
3 Kazakhs
2 Americans
2 Argentines
2 Australians
2 Colombians
2 Iranians
2 Japanese
2 Venezuelans
1 Belgian
1 Dane
1 Dutch
1 Israeli
1 Mexican
1 Moroccan
1 Turk
Obviously, the nationalities could be totally innocent and I would not suspect that, for example, the Israeli and the Americans were involved in any foul play. Or the nationalities could be less than innocent.
Labels: airport security, Egypt, France, Germanwings 9525 crash, Germany, Iran, Israel, Malaysia, Spain, suicide bombers, United States, Venezuela
No, the US was not supposed to participate in the 'human rights council' hearing
In an earlier post, I quoted a Reuters report that claimed that the United States had abandoned Israel to the tender loving care of the United Nations '
human rights council.'
As you can see from the statement above, that report was not quite correct. The US, as a matter of principle, boycotts Item 7 on every 'human rights council' meeting agenda, because that is the permanent items for excoriating Israel. If you can't read the image above, you can find the statement
here.
The Europeans, on the other hand, according to my sources, violated an agreement with Israel by commenting on Item 7. The Europeans have a deal with Israel that if Israel submits to the Universal Periodic Review, the Europeans will
boycott Item 7.
Of course, a much more principled stance for both the US and Europe would be to leave the 'human rights council' altogether. But that will have to await new elections in the US.
Hmmm.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, European Union, human rights, Israel, Obama's arrogance, United Nations Human Rights Council, United States, universal periodic review
Israel makes a statement
Any further comments needed?
Labels: France, Islamic terrorism, Israel, Jews
Saudi writer: Israel's not a threat but Iran is
Saudi writer Abdullah Hamidaddin tells Saudi television that Israel does not pose a threat to the Kingdom, but Iran does.
Let's go to the videotape.
Hmmm.
Labels: Iran, Iranian nuclear threat, Israel, Saudi Arabia
Israel, Egypt and Abu Mazen have Hamas cornered with Russian help?
I don't like to sole-source DEBKA reports. But for reasons that I will explain below, I believe that there may be some element of truth to this one, which claims that Israel, Egypt and the 'Palestinian Authority' have managed to
corner Hamas with Russian help (Hat Tip:
Udi S).
Debkafile’s
intelligence sources report exclusively that Egyptian President Abdel
Fatteh El-Sisi, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas have lined up in a solid
phalanx against the Islamist Hamas-Islamic Jihad alliance.
Their lineup, backed from the wings by Saudi King Abdullah and Russian President Vladimir Putin, set itself five objectives:
1. To confront Hamas with a solid political-security front which is beyond its power to break.
2. To corner Hamas into accepting the Egyptian ceasefire proposion unchanged and unconditionally.
3. To compel Hamas to disarm, i.e. dismantle its rockets and
tunnels, so pulling the teeth of its military wing, Ezz e-Din al-Qassam.
4. To distance the Obama administration from the triple bloc’s dealings with the Palestinian Islamist factions.
5. To keep the Europeans from interfering in those dealings.
The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and Italy meeting
in Brussels offered Friday to take charge of Gaza’s border crossings and
work to prevent illegal arms flows.
Saturday, Cairo, Jerusalem and Ramallah politely informed Brussels
that they preferred to handle this situation on their own and no
European diplomatic or security assistance was needed.
The quiet shaping of this three-way alliance for resolving the Gaza
conflict, by means of a sustainable cessation of hostilities, kept most
of Israel’s and world media guessing, says debkafile.
In the interests of tight secrecy, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe
Ya’alon chose to keep the rest of the cabinet in the dark as well,
incurring loud complaints from ministers.
The proposition the three partners have formulated puts Hamas and
Jihad on the spot. The Arab world has abandoned them and their only
source of funding is Tehran. So their choices are grim: Face an
escalated war that Israel will fight until the bitter end, or swallow
hard and accept the only proposition on the table which is tantamount to
disarmament and capitulation.
Their isolation is complete. The Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinian
leaders have managed to cut Hamas away from any backing in Washington,
Qatar and Turkey as well as blocking its path to Moscow.
To encourage Hamas to choose the right path, the Israel Air Force is
cruising around-the-clock over Hamas bases and command centers in the
Gaza Strip, ready at a signal to switch to the offensive if the
Palestinian fundamentalists make the wrong choice in Cairo.
Mahmoud Abbas, who appeared to be sitting on the sidelines of the Gaza
conflict during Israel’s month-long military operation, finally threw in
his lot with Sisi and Netanyahu when it came to the crunch.
Why do I believe that this story might be true.
First, we already have seen
Russian cooperation with Israel that effectively counteracts European attempts to punish the Jewish state.
Second, because we know that President Hussein Obama and Secretary of State John FN Kerry favor Hamas, and that Vladimir Putin is an expert at making them look like fools running around in circles.
Third, there's this piece by Amos Harel in Haaretz explaining why the Egyptian cease fire plan is
a disaster for Hamas.
In effect, according to one columnist from the Palestinian
Authority-affiliated Al-Ayyam newspaper, the proposal offers the same
understanding reached after Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, with
only cosmetic changes. All of the gestures made by Egypt toward the
Palestinians, like easing restrictions at border crossings and the
gradual elimination of the Israeli buffer zone within the Gaza Strip
come with a very heavy price, as far as Hamas is concerned: Renewed,
reinforced presence of Palestinian Authority forces in Gaza.
This
is a tough pill to swallow for Hamas, as are Egypt’s efforts to bring
the Oslo agreements back to the surface through the back door; Hamas
reviles Oslo even more than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that official Hamas spokespeople
criticized the Egyptian proposal on Saturday. What is surprising is the
rather moderate reaction by the Islamic Jihad, always considered more
extreme than Hamas. It seems that the Islamic Jihad has recently been
warming up to Cairo, and perhaps is less committed to the comprehensive
demands that Hamas had set when the sequence of humanitarian cease-fires
began. Israel, at this point, has yet to issue an official response to
the Egyptian proposal, as it was leaked to the Arab media.
...
The quandary that Hamas faces is clear: without an achievement to tout,
the incredible sacrifice of Gaza’s population – roughly 2,000 dead,
hundreds of thousands of refugees, thousands of homes as well as
infrastructure destroyed – will seem for naught. On the other hand, the
long series of cease-fires might make it hard for the organization to
keep fighting. The humanitarian disaster in Gaza, along with electricity
and potable water shortages, has forced Gaza residents to focus on
rebuilding. The more hawkish approach, favored by Khaled Mehsal in
Qatar, would mean renewed suffering for the Gazan population.
Fourth, the members of Israel's security cabinet have in fact
complained that Netanyahu left them in the dark as reported by DEBKA.
And most importantly, there's
this.
Tzipi Livni may no longer be Israel’s foreign minister but she still has
a capacity to cause diplomatic tremors. Last weekend she did just this
by declaring that there was an agreement between Israel and Egypt to
strangle Hamas. Since there was no official affirmation or denial from
Cairo, despite calls from Hamas to do so, Livni’s remarks evoked a flood
of commentary. Few doubted that there is indeed an Israeli-Arab axis,
spearheaded by Egypt, whose immediate aim is to dismantle Hamas’ control
over the Gaza Strip. Ultimately, it also seeks to eradicate from the
region all structures of what they call political Islam.
...
[A]n item posted by the military spokesman Lt. Col. Muhammad Samir on
his Facebook page the day after Livni made her declaration did highlight
to some measure the current level of collaboration between Egypt and
Israel. He noted that the Egyptian army had destroyed a total of 1,659
tunnels in the border area between Gaza and Egypt; a feat which the
Israelis themselves could not have pulled off from their position on the
northern and eastern borders of Gaza.
What the officer did not concede, however, was that this was largely
due to American assistance. Since 2008 the US had given the Egyptian
army equipment worth $23 million to identify and destroy the tunnels,
which for the past eight years have been the lifeline for Gaza’s
population.
Furthermore, in one year since the overthrow of Egypt’s civilian
President Mohamed Morsi the regime in Cairo have closed the Rafah
crossing for a total of 320 days. The reason, they claim, is to counter
security threats in the Sinai.
Apart from the tunnels and Rafah crossing, the Egyptian authorities
had yet another lethal weapon in its arsenal. That was the state-backed
media, which during the same period revelled in an orgy of anti-Hamas
vitriol that reached its climax with their wholehearted support for the
latest Israeli onslaught on Gaza. In a country where press freedom has
long been dead and buried, such ranting could not take place without
official approval and support.
Hmmm.
In case you're wondering, the Egyptian newspaper al-Shorouk published what it claims is the text of the Egyptian proposal on Friday. You can find an English translation
here.
Labels: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Abu Mazen, Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Egypt, European Union, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, John Kerry, Palestinian Authority, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United States
Foreign Ministry Legal Department: International force in Gaza could be precedent for Judea and Samaria
A paper prepared by Israel's notoriously Leftist foreign ministry says that the presence of an international force to keep the 'peace' in Gaza could act as a
precedent for a similar force in Judea and Samaria.
The seven-page paper, written by the ministry’s legal department, presents alternative models for the establishment of an international presence or mechanism in the Gaza Strip for the “day after” the fighting ends.
The idea of a multinational force in the West Bank has been raised over the years by the Palestinians and others as a possible solution to Israel’s security concerns if it withdraws from the area. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has consistently opposed the proposals.
The ministry drew up the paper following Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman’s call in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday to bring a “UN mandate” to Gaza.
...
One option would be a binding Security Council resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter that would give an international force enforcement authority and the ability to use force beyond just self-defense purposes to carry out its designated mission. In the case of Gaza, this would necessitate the agreement of the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Israel and the tacit approval of Hamas.
...
Another model would be under Chapter VI of the UN Charter, where a force would be established that would not have enforcement authority, and would be primarily concerned with supervisory or reportorial roles.
The duties of this type of force would include reporting on ceasefire violations, efforts at demilitarization, supervising rehabilitation of Gaza, reporting on terrorist activity, overseeing humanitarian assistance and institution building.
There are a number of examples of this type of force in the region, such as UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon; UNDOF, the UN Disengagement Observer Force on the Golan: and UNFICYP, the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.
Another option is creating a framework outside the UN and agreed upon by the parties. The two examples of this type of arrangement are also taken from the region, the Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai established as part of the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace agreement, and TIPH, the Temporary International Presence in Hebron.
Before deciding which model would be preferable, the paper said that in addition to concern about the precedent such a force would set regarding the West Bank, several other factors needed to be considered.
There are many reasons not to agree to this force.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: EUBAM Rafah, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Palestinian Authority, UN peacekeeping forces, UNIFIL, use of force
Only in Israel: IAF pilot sends regards from parents to brother's comrade on IDF secure communication
I am one of the best Jewish Geography players around, and I can see myself doing something like this. But I can't think of any other military where this will happen. Here's an IAF pilot speaking to his brother in a brigade on the ground. He asks for a certain soldier and sends that soldier regards from the soldier's parents.
Let's go to the videotape. It's in Hebrew, but an
English translation follows.
Hebrew Video: Israel Air Force pilot talking to his brother
Here is a rough translation:
Shalom, I was passing in the area
Do you have a company commander called Pasternack in
your battalion?
Positive
What radio frequency is he listening to?
He is listening to this one
Is a soldier named Yugev near you?
Off course he is, take him (talk to him)
Hello
Yugevi how is it going?
What's up?
The parents are worried
They send regards, yesterday they were at the front line and brought food
Besides that is everything ok?
Yes, I got everything. Tell them I also got the note
and it is in my pocket
and send regards
Get going, I will send regards, have a good time (slang)
and we will talk
Get going, bye
bye
Labels: IAF, IDF, Israel
New video: What happened to the United Nations?
United Nations Watch has produced a video that examines how the United Nations has strayed from its original mission.
Let's go to the videotape.
Labels: China, human rights, Iran, Israel, Palestinian state RIGHT NOW syndrome, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations Watch
Israel means 'never again'
Hat Tip:
Leah P via
Sussex Friends of Israel.
I'm going to guess that the picture was taken on Hoshana Rabba morning.
Labels: anti-Semitism, Israel, Kotel plaza
