Tit for tat: Iran accuses Abu Bluff of collaborating with the CIA, 'Palestinians' accuse Iran of 'serving the Zionist project'
Pass the popcorn!
The 'Palestinians' and Iran are nearly in open war.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Maryam
Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
(NCRI), an Iranian diaspora opposition group, met in Paris on Saturday,
renewing tensions between the Palestinian leadership and Iran.
Abbas
hosted Rajavi at his hotel in Paris and updated her on the latest
developments in the Palestinian territories and the Middle East,
according to Wafa, the official Palestinian Authority news site.
The following day, Tehran learned of the meeting and
accused President Abbas of working as a secret agent on behalf of the
United States government.
A top advisor to the Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Shiekh
al-Islam said, “That man [Abbas] is known to us and documents from the
US Embassy in Tehran revealed that he has been a collaborator with the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for a long time and his actions in
the past decades have proved that.”
Later in the evening, Wafa
published a press release from the Fatah Media and Culture
Commissariat, saying Iran, without mentioning its name, is carrying out
a campaign to undermine President Abbas and the Palestinian cause. “A
careful reading of advisor to the Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein
Sheikh al-Islam’s statements…have made clear to us of the horror that
many people are carrying out to serve the Zionist project through
organized campaigns against the president of the Palestinian people and
the Palestinian issue.”
The statement stated further that Iran
hopes to entrench division between Palestinians. “They have vied and
are still vying to destroy and ruin the Palestinian people, entrench
the division, and encourage internal conflict to gain political points,
nothing else. Their goals have nothing to do with Jerusalem or
justice,” it said.
The 'Palestinians' are trying to show they stand with the 'moderate' Sunni countries (Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan). Coincidentally, those are the same countries who have been ramping up ties with Israel. Hmmm.
Four Saudi security officers killed by suicide bomber in Medina
Four Saudi security officers were killed by a suicide bomber who said he wanted to eat iftar (the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast) with them.
Four Saudi security force members were killed on Monday after a
suicide bombing took place in Madinah near the prophet’s mosque, the
Al-Haram Al-Nabawi, regarded as one of Islam's holiest sites.
Al
Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent said the suicide bombing took
place in a parking lot between the city court and the mosque, visited by
millions every year. The channel showed images of fire raging in a
parking lot with at least one body seen nearby. The suicide bomber also
died in the attack.
The attack near the
prophet's mosque took place during Maghreb prayers, the time when
Muslims break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
Al
Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent said the suicide bomber targeted
seven security officers when he pretended that he wanted to break his
fast with them.
Security forces have cordoned off the area.
Two
million visitors have so far arrived at Al-Haram Al-Nabawi during
Ramadan to finish recitation of the Quran. The correspondent said the
visitors were undeterred and were heading to perform the Isha prayers,
which take place soon after the inital fast-breaking prayer.
There were two other suicide bombings in Qaif today and a foiled attack in Jeddah. Sounds like the Saudis need a little help coping with all the terrorists they've supported over the years.... Oh wait.... These are probably Shia terrorists backed by Iran.... Hmmm....
The attack near Al-Haram Al-Nabawi took place
during Maghreb prayers, the time when observing Muslims break their fast
during the holy month of Ramadan.
'Palestinians' whine to pollsters over Sunni Arabs preferring their own interests
There's a very detailed poll of 'Palestinian' public opinion out ('Palestinian' public opinion tends to be more measurable than in other places in the Arab Islamic world - they learned from Israel). While I may come back to this poll eventually, I'd like to focus on this part for a minute. Keep in mind that this is 'Palestinian' public opinion and not Sunni Arab or other Arabs or Muslims.
(7) The Arab World, war in Syria, ISIS, and US elections:
78% say the Arab World is too preoccupied with its own concerns, internal
conflicts, and the conflict with Iran and that Palestine is no longer the
Arab’s principal or primary issue or cause. Only 20% think Palestine remains
the Arab’s principle cause.
They finally are starting to understand that the Arab world is tired of them. It's the anti-Semitic Europeans who have been carrying the ball for the 'Palestinians' for many years now. While the Arab world has not made peace with us, there is a de facto detente, and this a result of shared interests and not love. But the bottom line is that the Arab world has abandoned the 'Palestinians' even more so than it did previously.
59% believe that there is an Arab Sunni alliance with Israel against Iran
despite the continued Israeli occupation of Arab land while 30% believe that
the Arabs would not ally themselves with Israel until it ends its occupation
and allows the creation of a Palestinian state.
I'm with the majority. Just from what we know, there is an alliance, and I'd estimate that it's even stronger behind the scenes. The 30% who think that the Arabs wouldn't ally themselves with Israel to save their own necks is simply unrealistic.
In light of the escalating conflict in Syria and the emergence of three main
parties to the conflict, we asked the public for its view on the party it
views as the more preferable or the one it views as the least harmful. The
largest percentage (40%) chose the Free Syrian army, 18% chose Bashar Asad
and his army, and 5% chose the extreme religious opposition, such as ISIS.
23% said they do not like any of the three parties.
The Syrian Free Army will go down in history as one of the biggest (of many) foreign policy mistakes by the Obama administration. The FSA could have become a 'moderate' (in relative terms) group had Obama and Clinton chosen to aid it in 2011-12. They did not. Now, it's nearly as Islamist as ISIS. Why Trump isn't pounding Clinton on this....
An overwhelming majority of 88% believes that ISIS is a radical group that
does not represent true Islam and 8% believe it does represent true Islam.
4% are not sure or do not know. In the Gaza Strip, 16% (compared to 3% in
the West Bank) say ISIS represents true Islam.
79% support and 18% oppose the war waged by Arab and Western countries
against ISIS.
This is actually a pleasant surprise.
We asked the public about the US elections and which presidential candidate,
Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump, it viewed best for the Palestinians. A large
majority (70%) said there is no difference between the two candidates, while
12% said Clinton is better and 7% said Trump is better.
I'd love to see a survey of what US citizens in Israel think of the US elections.... I don't like either of them, and am tempted to 'stay home.'
Well, now he's become an international player, with the Washington Post reporting that he claims that President Hussein Obama is a Shiite Muslim and that Israel (Israel!?!) was behind Obama's election.
أوباما الذي يعود لأصول شيعية انتخب لتقريب وجهات النظر بين إيران وأمريكا لإيقاف برنامج إيران النووي العسكري.نجحت الخطة .
This week, as the Obama administration announced that it was lifting
sanctions on Iran as a result of a U.S.-led nuclear deal with Tehran
reached in July, Dhahi Khalfan
Tamim, the head of general security for the emirate of Dubai, suggested
that Obama's "Shiite roots" had helped him get elected in a bid to bring
the United States and Iran closer.
"Mission accomplished," he added.
In follow-up tweets, Tamim suggested that Israel was actually behind
the election of Obama and that the U.S. president would probably visit a
number of Shiite religious sites in Iran soon.
It's worth noting
that Tamim isn't an obscure figure. He is a former police chief of
Dubai. His Twitter account has more than 1.2 million followers, and his
tweets about Obama were retweeted hundreds of times. And neither is
this the first time that this rumor has found voice.
No, I don't believe Obama is a Muslim. But I do believe that he's an Islamophile with a disproportionate love for and trust of Islam. And yes, I believe he's an anti-semite.
Does Iran pose an existential threat to its neighbors in the Gulf and to regional security?
Without a doubt. And the Gulf Cooperation Council members that do not
say so publicly will certainly say so privately—even Qatar.
The Iranian ruling elite look down on the Gulf States, many of which
they see as nouveau riche artificial Arab states carved out of the
former Persian Empire and propped up by Western powers.
At the root of Arab-Iranian tensions in the Gulf is Tehran’s
ideological drive to export its Islamist revolution and overthrow the
traditional rulers of the Arab monarchs.
This ideological clash has further amplified the longstanding
sectarian struggle between Shia and Sunni Islam and is exacerbated by
several longstanding Iranian territorial claims in the Gulf.
This will only be made worse as a result of the Iran deal.
The Qatari foreign minister can say what he likes about the deal, but
the only voice that matters in the Gulf Cooperation Council is the
voice of Saudi Arabia’s King Salam.
As the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and as the ruler of the
largest and most important Gulf Cooperation Council member, it is his
voice that counts the most on the Arab street.
Until King Salam speaks publicly in support of the deal, you can bet
there are serious concerns privately among the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Stories like the one that follows are not going to make the Gulf countries any more comfortable with a nuclear Iran.
An Iranian website that specializes in electronic games has released a game named “Beat Up and Insult the Arab” and made the game available for free download.
The site that released the game is allegedly registered at the
country's center for regulating Iranian websites, which is linked to the
Ministry of Culture and Guidance. It introduces itself as an
entertainment site that operates based on the rules of the Islamic
Republic. On the site, it states that it will remove any content that
violates Islamic laws.
The game consists of two parts; the first is called “feed the Arab,” and
the second is called “beat up the Arab,” and includes references to
Gulf Arabs.
Many Ahwazi Arabs, whom the Islamic Republic
legally considers Iranian citizens, commented on the game on social
media, labelling it as racist regardless of which exact Arabs the game
intends to poke fun at.
What a nice country. Let's let them have nuclear weapons.... They wouldn't hurt anyone..... Would they?
The Sunni states in the Persian Gulf are extremely critical of the Iran nuclear sellout. But less because of the nuclear issue than because of the release of sanctions and the lack of restrictions on Iran's terror support. You know, the things Obama-Kerry decided were 'less important.' This is from the first link and it's from Jonathan Spyer.
“Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states can only welcome the nuclear deal,
which in itself is supposed to close the gates of evil that Iran had
opened in the region. However, the real concern is that the deal will
open other gates of evil, gates which Iran mastered knocking at for
years even while Western sanctions were still in place.”
From this perspective a particularly notable and dismaying aspect of
the deal is its removal of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and
its Quds Force commander, Maj.-Gen. Qasem Soleimani, from the list of
those subject to sanctions by the West.
The ending of sanctions on the IRGC, and more broadly the likely
imminent freeing of up to $150 billion in frozen revenue, will enable
Iran to massively increase its aid to its long list of regional clients
and proxies. Iran today is heavily engaged in at least five conflict
arenas in the region.
...
In Syria, beleaguered dictator and Iranian client Assad remains in
control in the west and south largely because of Iranian support and
assistance – up to $1b. per month, according to some estimates. For as
long as Assad remains, the war remains, allowing such monstrous entities
as Islamic State and al-Qaida to flourish.
...
In Iraq, the Iranian-supported Shi’ite militias of the Hashd
al-Shaabi are playing the key role in defending Baghdad from the advance
of Islamic State. These militias are trained and financed by the
Revolutionary Guards and organized by Soleimani and his Iraqi right-hand
man, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, also thought to be an IRGC member.
In Yemen, the Iranians are offering arms and support to the Ansar
Allah, or Houthi rebels, who are engaged in a bloody insurgency against
the government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
Among the Palestinians, Tehran operates Palestinian Islamic Jihad as a
client/proxy organization, and is in the process of rebuilding
relations with the Izzadin Kassam, the powerful military wing of Hamas.
All this costs money. In a pattern familiar to the experience of
totalitarian regimes under sanctions in the past, Iran has preferred to
safeguard monies for use in service of its regional ambitions, while
allowing its population – other than those connected to the regime – to
suffer the consequent shortages.
Still, in recent months, things weren’t going so well. Assad has been
losing ground to the Sunni rebels. Hezbollah has been hemorrhaging men
in Syria. The Shi’ite militias were holding Islamic State in Iraq but
not advancing. Saudi intervention was holding back further advances by
the Houthis in Yemen. Hamas was looking poverty-stricken and beleaguered
in its Gaza redoubt.
The sanctions, plus these many commitments, were bringing the Iranian
regime close to an economic crisis that would have confronted the
regime with the hard choice of lessening its regional interference or
facing the consequences.
No longer. The deal over the nuclear program is set to enable Tehran
to shore up its investments, providing more money and guns to all its
friends across the Middle East, who will as a result grow stronger,
bolder and more ambitious. This, from the point of view of the main
powers in the Sunni Arab world, is the key fallout (so to speak) from
the deal concluded in Vienna. IRGC “outreach” to Shi’ite minorities in
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and to the Shi’ite majority in Bahrain, is also
likely to increase as a result of the windfall.
...
Similarly, in Lebanon the West is supporting and equipping the Lebanese
Armed Forces, without understanding that the Lebanese state is largely a
shell, within which Hezbollah is the living and directing force. In
Syria, the US is pursuing a half-hearted campaign against Islamic State,
while leaving the rest of the country to its internal dynamics.
Arab commentators: 'Obama supports Iran because his father was a Shiite'
Here are a couple of clips from Arab television in which a Syrian and a Saudi commentator argue that President Hussein Obama supports Iran because his father was a Shiite Muslim (the brand of Islam practiced in Iran).
The Israeli prime minister’s public confrontation with President
Barack Obama
over the U.S. administration’s pursuit of a nuclear bargain with Iran may
have drawn all the spotlight this week. But America’s other key allies
across the Middle East—such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab
Emirates—are just as distraught, even if they lack the kind of lobbying platform that
Benjamin Netanyahu
was offered in Congress.
...
“A lot of the Gulf countries feel they are being thrown under the
bus,” said Mishaal al-Gergawi, managing director of the Delma Institute
in Abu Dhabi and a prominent Emirati political commentator. “The Gulf
thought it was in a monogamous relationship with the West, and now it
realizes it’s being cheated on because the U.S. was in an open
relationship with it.”
Trying to assuage such concerns, Secretary of State
John Kerry
flew Wednesday to Saudi Arabia. There, he is slated to discuss
with King Salman and foreign ministers of other Gulf nations their
worries that the nuclear deal may enable Iran to dominate the region.
...
Even before the revolution, Iran tried to dominate the Gulf, laying
claim to Shiite-majority Bahrain and seizing disputed islands claimed by
the U.A.E.
Taking advantage of the Obama administration’s
attempt to pivot away from the region, Tehran in recent years asserted
its influence in Baghdad and solidified its control in Damascus and
Beirut. Last month, pro-Iranian Houthi Shiite militias seized power in
Yemen’s capital San’a and ousted that country’s U.S.-backed president.
The
Sunni Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia that are engaged in proxy
conflicts with Tehran in Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and Lebanon view this
confrontation as an existential zero-sum game—and interpret any American
opening to Iran, and any relaxation of the economic sanctions that have
hobbled Iran’s ability to project power, as succor to the enemy.
“Some
of these countries are more worried about the consequences of the deal,
about how it will change the balance of power in the region, rather
than the actual contents of the deal,” explained
Ali Vaez,
Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank. These
fears are overblown, he said: “The reality is that the U.S. may have a
tactical overlap in its interests in the region with Iran, but
strategically it sees the region in a very different way.”
That
may be true, but this tactical overlap has already created strategic
consequences in the crucial battlefields of Syria and Iraq, cementing
Iran’s sway in both nations.
Read the whole thing. Will the Gulf States decide that 'my enemy's enemy is my friend'?
Having driven forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad out of the Golan Heights, the ISIS Islamist terrorists have set their sights on Lebanon.
Rebel forces on Monday expanded their control even further, as
forces of the Lebanese-based terror group Hezbollah reportedly clashed
with Syrian rebels in the Qalmoun mountain region, near the
Syrian-Lebanese border in the south of Lebanon.
Security sources told the Lebanese Al Mustaqbal paper about
the clashes, noting "Hezbollah soldiers were forced to retreat from the
area amid night strikes by Assad warplanes in the area."
Hezbollah has sent soldiers in the past to aid Assad in Syria, where a
Shi'ite axis has been formed between the Iran-proxy terror group,
Assad, and Iran. Rebel forces have been encroaching into Lebanese
territory as that policy has come home to roost, with the brutal Islamic
State (IS, formerly ISIS) recently conquering parts of Lebanon.
Lebanese MP Mohammad Raad, who head's the Hezbollah bloc in Lebanon's parliament, stressed that the country's army and his Shi'ite Islamist group were capable of defeating Islamic State's Sunni extremists.
Raad condemned Islamic State, accusing the Sunni terror group of seeking to ignite sectarian strife in Lebanon with the capture, along with Syrian Islamists, in August of a group of Lebanese soldiers.
“There is no need for fear at all. The Lebanese Army and the Resistance are very well capable of using the appropriate antidote with the monsters,” the Daily Star quoted Raad as saying.
"If ISIS is conspiring to sow strife and chaos between the components of the country, we should prevent it from achieving its goals by rejecting sedition," he added.
Islamic State militants have beheaded two captive Lebanese soldiers among a group of 19 soldiers since militants, including fighters affiliated with Islamic State, raided the Lebanese border town of Arsal in August.
It sure doesn't sound like Hezbullah is capable of handling this. As long as they stay away from Israel... faster, faster....
Was it only 10 months ago that President
Obama
capitulated on Syria? And eight months ago that we learned he had no idea the U.S. eavesdropped on
Angela Merkel
? And seven months ago that his administration struck its
disastrous interim nuclear deal with Tehran? And four months ago that
Chuck Hagel
announced that the United States Army would be cut to numbers not
seen since the 1930s? And three months ago that Russia seized Crimea?
And two months ago that
John Kerry's
Israeli-Palestinian peace effort sputtered into the void? And
last month that Mr. Obama announced a timetable for total withdrawal
from Afghanistan—a strategy whose predictable effects can now be seen in
Iraq?
Even the Bergdahl deal of
yesterweek is starting to feel like ancient history. Like geese,
Americans are being forced to swallow foreign-policy fiascoes at a rate
faster than we can possibly chew, much less digest.
Consider the liver.
On Thursday, Russian tanks rolled across the
border into eastern Ukraine. On Saturday, Russian separatists downed a
Ukrainian transport jet, murdering 49 people. On Monday, Moscow stopped
delivering gas to Kiev. All this is part of the Kremlin's ongoing
stealth invasion and subjugation of its neighbor. And all of this barely
made the news. John Kerry phoned Moscow to express his "strong
concern." Concern, mind you, not condemnation.
If
the president of the United States had any thoughts on the subject, he
kept them to himself. His weekly radio address was devoted to wishing
America's dads a happy Father's Day.
Also
last week, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria seized Mosul. Then ISIS
took Tikrit. Then it was Tal Afar. Mass executions of Shiites in each
place. The administration is taking its time deciding what, if any, aid
it will provide the government in Baghdad. But it is exploring the
possibility of using Iraq's distress as an opportunity to open avenues
of cooperation with Tehran.
So because
the administration has a theological objection to using military force
in Iraq to prevent it from being overrun by al Qaeda or dissolving into
potentially genocidal civil war, it will now work with Tehran, a
designated state sponsor of terrorism for 30 years and a regime that
continues to arm Hezbollah in Lebanon, Islamic Jihad in Gaza and
Bashar Assad
in Syria, to help "stabilize" Iraq. At least the White House has
ruled out military cooperation with Iran. But give it time.
Anyone want to predict the next disaster? Here's a hint: Last night, the White House announced that Obama has ruled out airstrikes in Iraq - at least for now.
United against Israel: Fatah, Hamas, Hezbullah... Kerry
With the Hamas-Fatah unity government scheduled to take effect on Monday morning, Prime Minister Netanyahu called the cabinet into emergency session on Sunday night to take measures that frankly are insufficient.
During the cabinet meeting, the ministers agreed to completely halt
negotiations with the Palestinian Authority as long as it remains united
with terror organization Hamas and to lower the amount of money
transferred to the PA.
Why 'lower'? Why not stop altogether?
The Israeli ministers also reconfirmed the decision to deny entry for three Palestinian ministers from Gaza into Ramallah.
An exercise in futility. So long as they remain free, they can meet on Skype or a video conference or however else they want.
An Israeli official warned that the moment the Palestinian Authority
brings Hamas into its government, it will be hard pressed to maintain
its relationship with other countries.
“Hamas is a officially
designated a terrorist organization across the planet,” the Israeli
official said. The official added that the European Union, Great
Britain, and Japan have all declared that Hamas is a terrorist
organization.
Don't bet on it. The 'Palestinians' have different rules than anyone else. Unity with Fatah will be a mikve (ritual bath) for Hamas.
If you need proof of that last statement, consider the reaction of US Secretary of State John FN Kerryin a phone call to Abu Bluff on Sunday.
The US has not publicly stated its position on the reunification of the
Palestinian groups, which have been bitter enemies since Hamas ousted
Fatah from Gaza in a bloody coup in 2007.
Kerry and Abbas discussed the unity government and the peace process, according to the Palestinian president’s office.
Officials there did not divulge Kerry’s remarks.
...
Abbas promised Kerry that the unity government would recognize Israel and renounce violence.
There's no sign that Kerry even tried to talk him out of it. Not that it matters - Fatah is and always was as much of a terror organization as Hamas.
But at least the Arab Muslim world has found the usual thing to agree on: Kill the Jews. Even Hezbullah's Hassan Nasrallah (who is Shiite) met with representatives of Sunni Hamas last week according to a report on Saturday in Beirut's al-Akhbar newspaper.
Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah held several lengthy meetings with
prominent Hamas officials last week, a Lebanese newspaper close to the
organization reported on Saturday.
The meetings were meant to
bring about a rapprochement between Shi’ite Hezbollah and its mother
movement in Iran, on one hand, and Sunni Hamas on the other, Al-Akhbar
reported. Several meetings have taken place.
A car bomb went off at rush hour on Thursday afternoon in Hezbullah's southern Beirut stronghold. Five people have been killed, at least 20 injured.
Television footage showed the twisted and blackened remains of
several cars being doused with hoses by emergency services. The blast
also tore off the facades of several nearby buildings.
About 20 people were wounded, the witness said.
The Lebanese capital has been hit by a series of bombs in recent months,
including one last week which killed a former minister and political
adversary of Hezbollah.
The BBC says the bomb is not one of the biggest of the
recent incidents, but its impact was considerable because it was
detonated during rush-hour.
Hezbollah's al-Manar TV station said the blast destroyed part of a facade of a building in a densely populated area of Haret Hreik district.
The attack is the latest in a string of bombings in southern Beirut
that reflect Shiite-Sunni hatred exacerbated by the Syrian civil war, in
which Hezbollah has taken an active part beside Bashar Assad's
government forces.
It sounds like we're going back to the days of the Lebanese civil war.
Hassan al-Mouri, the 40-year old commander of a Sunni, pro-Hezbullah militia was assassinated in Tripoli, Lebanon on Thursday.
Al-Mouri was gunned down by "masked men on motorbikes," along with a
security official and a bystander, according to a security source quoted
by the Lebanese Naharnet website.
The 40 year-old leader of a pro-Hezbollah Sunni militia was standing
at the entrance to his home along with the two other men when the gunmen
drove up and shot them.
Hassan al-Mouri was a controversial figure. Unlike most Sunnis in
Tripoli, the al-Mouri family support the Iranian-backed Shia
organization and its Syrian and Iranian patrons, as opposed to the Sunni
rebels in Syria.
He had previously been the target of a failed assassination attempt
in a city which is split between the largely Alawite supporters of the
Syrian regime of Bashar el-Assad, and their Sunni neighbors, who support
the rebels.
His death will contribute to the increasing political and sectarian
divisions within Lebanon, as the civil war in neighboring Syria
continues to spill over.
If it wasn't this, it would be something else. No, they can't just all get along.
I left the US 22 years ago, and I really no longer watch television at all, so this was enlightening to me. How many of you are familiar with the Costanza doctrine from the popular television hit Seinfeld?
Let's go to the videotape (Hat Tip: Shy Guy).
So what does the Costanza doctrine have to do with Israel and the Middle East? Adam Turner suggests that the Obama administration should adopt the Costanza doctrine as its Middle East policy.
The Middle East is aflame. In Egypt, the undemocratic, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic Muslim Brotherhood regime was ousted, and this has resulted in hundreds of deaths and mobs of Egyptians protesting and rioting in the streets. In Syria, a brutal civil war continues, with Sunni Islamists (including al-Qaeda groups) fighting Shiite Islamists (including terror giant Hezbollah) with over a 100,000 civilian casualties so far, and the documented use of chemical weapons. In Libya, the nation where a U.S. ambassador was killed just one year ago, there has been a wave of slayings of politicians and government officials, and a pro-America regime is barely able to control the country. In Tunisia, non-Islamist secular politicians are being assassinated, while the ruling Ennhada party continues to try to implement its Islamist agenda. In Turkey, protests by non-Islamists are brutally being crushed by the Erdogan's Islamist regime, while members of the Turkish press continue to be imprisoned at record rates for criticizing the government.
Yet, the Obama Administration, led by Secretary of State John Kerry, has decided to focus its attention on the Palestinian Arab -- Israeli "Crisis." The U.S. apparently pressured the Israeli government to release 104 Palestinian terrorists -- some of whom have American blood on their hands -- for the mere privilege of speaking to the Palestinian Authority about a future "peace." This despite the fact that the PA controls only part of "Palestine," has broken its prior agreements time and time again, and has shown no real interest in curbing PA-sponsored incitement against Israel, Jews, Christians, and the West. The administration clearly still believes that the Palestinian Arab-Israeli "Crisis" is at the center of all problems in the Middle East, even though post-"Arab Spring" few other knowledgeable observers subscribe to this largely discredited theory.
Unfortunately, this is nothing new. We have now had five years of an administration whose defective instincts have resulted in consistently flawed U.S. foreign policy behavior.
I do not believe we can afford another three more years of this. President Obama and his team need to develop a new approach for dealing with foreign policy matters.
My humble suggestion is as follows -- it is time for President Obama, and his administration, to adopt the Costanza Doctrine. It comes from the television comedy show Seinfeld. The salient principle of the Costanza Doctrine is the statement -- "(i)f every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right."
BWAHAHAHAHAHA: Sunni group issues warning to 'Pig Nasrallah'
In the aftermath of a huge car bomb in Beirut on Thursday, a Sunni group has claimed responsibility and issued a warning to Hezbullah politburo chief 'Pig Nasrallah.'
Shortly after news of the attack broke, an online video surfaced
showing three masked men, two of them holding rifles, in front of a
white flag inscribed with the Islamic profession of faith, reported AFP.
"You, the pig Hassan Nasrallah, we send you our second powerful
message because you haven't understood yet," said one member of the
group, which called itself the Company of Aisha Umm al-Muminin, the
Prophet Mohammed's favorite wife.
Arab affairs expert Dalit Halevi said that the group also accused the Hezbollah chief of being “an agent of Iran and Israel."
The group members further stated that they will determine the
location and timing of the battle with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and
appealed to the public to stay away from places associated with Iran and
Hezbollah in order to stay safe from future attacks.
Lebanon's political class still fears Hezbullah, so they're doing the safe thing and blaming Israel.
Lebanese president Michel Sleiman was quick to blame Israel for
Thursday’s attack, saying, “This is a criminal act that bears the
fingerprints of terrorism and Israel and is aimed to destabilize Lebanon
and deal a blow to the resilience of the Lebanese.”
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri also blamed Israel and urged
the Lebanese to unite in the face of dangers. “This crime only serves
the Israeli enemy that is working on dealing a blow to the components of
national unity in Lebanon,” Berri said.
'Pig Nasrallah.' Maybe next time they'll get him. Heh.
Huge car bomb in Hezbullah stronghold in South Beirut kills 20, injures 212, Nasrallah blames 'Zionists'
A powerful car bomb has killed 20 people and injured 212 in Hezbullah's South Beirut stronghold on Thursday night. Hezbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah, whose cave is nearby, blamed the 'Zionists.'
Let's go to the videotape.
The Lebanese Armed Forces stated that 60-80kgs. of explosive
materials were used in the blast. A witness said at least five nearby
buildings were damaged and many cars in the area were destroyed. The
blast sent a column of black smoke over the densely populated area in
the south of the Lebanese capital.
Several minutes after
Thursday's blast, live television footage showed fires still burning in
the street where the explosion took place. The facades of neighboring
residential buildings were also badly damaged.
The attack occurred close to the Sayyed al-Shuhadaa (Martyrs) complex,
where Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah often addresses his
followers.
A witness said that "Hezbollah forces hermetically sealed the area, and dozens of ambulances arrived at the scene."
But it apparently wasn't the Zionists. It was the Sunnis.
A Sunni Islamist group calling itself the Brigades of Aisha claimed
responsibility for the explosion, saying it targeted Hezbollah and
promising more attacks.
"This is the second time that we decide
the place of the battle and its timing...And you will see more, God
willing," said a masked man, flanked by two others brandishing rifles,
in a video statement addressed to Nasrallah.
What this means, said Taqi, is that any attempt to broker a
diplomatic solution must begin with a cease-fire, and with combatants
holding different slices of territory. The future Syria that emerges
will have to be a more decentralized state, reflecting the intense
feelings of communal separation and rage that have emerged over the past
two years of war.
This blunt analysis is useful as the United States and Russia explore arrangements for a Geneva peace conference,
perhaps in October, that might bring together the regime and the
opposition for talks. “It may not be possible to reestablish a national
convention based on a central state,” warned Taqi in a recent research
paper. “We need . . . a state where all regions have a high percentage of decentralization.”
Taqi
argued that as the Alawite-led regime and the Sunni opposition hunker
down in the regions they control, they are turning to external powers
for their political and economic lifelines.
The Assad regime depends on its patrons in Iran and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah
militia in neighboring Lebanon. The regime has focused on holding the
strip of territory from Damascus to the Alawite homeland of Latakia
in the northwest, relying on perhaps 100,000 regime troops and Alawite
militiamen, plus Hezbollah fighters. This “Assad-istan” is, practically
speaking, an extension of the Hezbollah-controlled Bekaa Valley.
The Sunni-led opposition is similarly turning to its regional patrons. Taqi noted that Syrian olive-oil producers moved their presses to Turkey. Likewise, the wheat harvest in northern Syria
has gone to Turkey, while petroleum is being shipped to either Turkey
or Iraqi Kurdistan. Economic activity in the liberated Sunni regions of
southern Syria around Daraa is now linked to Jordan. Damascus isn’t the
country’s economic hub any longer.
These regional players, with
their own agendas, will keep pulling Syria apart until a functioning
national government can be reestablished. Taqi’s point is that these
regional players shouldn’t be allowed to make the situation even worse
for their own selfish reasons.
“The country should enter what is
similar to a quarantine until it is cured from the sectarian disease,”
he wrote. “Without doing so, there would be no peace after peace . . . The state would dissolve for good.”
What
are the chances for gradually healing sectarian divisions, in the way
Taqi urged? His approach is similar to what is recommended by Gen. Salim
Idriss, the commander of the moderate wing of the Free Syrian Army. But
it’s in stark contrast to the views of the al-Qaeda-linked extremists
who have control of much of the liberated territory. These extreme
groups speak of a jihadist emirate in their regions of Syria, perhaps
linked with a similar al-Qaeda mini-state in the Sunni regions of
western Iraq. As for the Kurdish opposition, it favors a Kurdish canton
along the lines of Iraqi Kurdistan.
The
regime has seemed equally bent on division. “The manner in which the
regime has responded to its opponents strongly suggests that it
considers the bulk of the Syrian population and territory not even worth
governing,” wrote Frederic Hof,
a leading U.S.-Syria expert, in a paper published last week by the
Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Middle East Center. “Why else would it
subject neighborhoods filled with Syrian citizens to merciless artillery
shelling, aerial bombing, and missile strikes?”
Lee Smith predicted this more than a year ago, and honestly, I'm not sure it's such a bad thing. In fact, it may be the only way that these different ethnic tribes don't slaughter each other. Syria, Jordan and Iraq were all created artificially with borders drawn by Britain and France after World War I. After centuries of war, they're not suddenly going to learn to get along. Separating them - preferably with a strong international peacekeeping force - may be the only way to keep them from slaughtering each other. The problem is that al-Qaeda won't go along.
At the same time, Israel has toned down its objections to
arming the rebels, mainly due to the increased and conspicuous
involvement of Hezbollah and other Shia groups, supported by Iran, in
the Syrian conflict. Hezbollah forces played a key role in capturing the strategic town of Qusair last month, and Hezbollah fighters along with Shia volunteers from Iraq are currently fighting in the battle of Aleppo.
Israeli
officials believe that the Syrian civil war is far from over and that
victory is not assured for either side. There is concern about the
appearance of victory for the pro-Iranian camp and a growing belief that
Assad has decided to throw in his lot with the radical axis.
Assad
who was once seen as a moderating influence, ensuring calm on the
Syria-Lebanon border, now appears to be interested in encouraging terror
attacks on Israel, Israeli officials conclude. For now, though, he is
not expected to allow regular units of the Syrian army to participate in
such attacks. Another major concern is that the continued success of
pro-Iranian forces in Syria without a response from the West will
embolden Iran to forge ahead with its nuclear program despite
international pressure and sanctions.
In
recent meetings between Israeli officials and their Western
counterparts, the Israeli attitude toward the latter supplying the
rebels with arm was more positive. Israel is also more accepting of
continued supplies from Gulf nations that are also concerned about
growing Iranian influence in the region and are eager to support the
Sunni rebels. At the same time, Israelis are still cautioning about
advanced weapons, especially anti-aircraft missiles, reaching jihadist
groups.
The opportunity to make a positive change in Syria was missed when the West failed to back the rebels from the outset, before they were taken over by the radical Sunni groups. Israel's only interest in a Sunni-Shi'a war should be for it to take as long as possible, for the Islamists to kill as many of each other as possible and for them to leave us alone.
Hezbullah is blaming Israel for an explosion that took place in southern Lebanon's Dahiya district on Tuesday morning.
"This is the
work of agents trying to create strife in Lebanon," Hezbollah
parliamentary Deputy Ali Meqdad said while visiting the site of the
explosion.
Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar said, "This malicious
act clearly bears the fingerprint of the Israeli enemy and its tools,"
according to Lebanon's Daily Star. Ammar said that no member of
Hezbollah was hurt in the explosion.
But despite the accusations leveled against
Israel, there were reports of celebratory gunfire in Bab Tabbaneh in
Tripoli, the scene of anti-Shiite and anti-Assad clashes.
Contacted by a Reuters reporter, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said, "I am not familiar with this incident."
"The war in Syria has found its way to Lebanon
long ago because of Hezbollah's involvement in it. You can see it in
Tripoli, Beirut and Sidon and in this morning's car bomb attack,"
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said. "This fight is between the Sunnis
and the Shiites and Israel will not intervene in it," he stressed.
One person was killed and 37 injured in the bombing. Some reports say 53 people were wounded. One person described it as the worst bombing she had seen in Beirut since the 1980's.
Marwan Charbel, the Interior Minister, was attacked by angry civilians when he visited the bomb site and the army had to fire bullets into the air to break up the trouble.
Carole Mansour, who owns a shoe shop near the affected area, told AFP
that everyone panicked and ran in different directions when the
huge explosion occurred.
"The smoke was so high," said Mansour, who added that Hezbollah
members dressed in civilian clothing were quick to deploy around the
bombing site.
"I started following the sounds of the screams of people. My
employees ran to the site to try to see what was happening because they
have relatives there."
Amin said that the blast added to the tight sectarian and political divide in Lebanon over the war in Syria.
“Hezbollah is very clear about fighting by the side of Assad,” our correspondent said.
“Lebanon is vulnerable to what’s happening in Syria because it has so many groups; Sunni, Shias, Druzes and Christians.”
Lebanon is vulnerable to what's happening in Syria because Hezbullah is fighting on Assad's side. If Hezbullah stops fighting for Assad, Lebanon will have nothing to do with what is happening in Syria. Then again, if Hebzullah stopped trying to attack Israel, Lebanon would have a quiet border too, but so far, that has not happened either.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
