Israel's Channel 1 (government-owned television) disclosed on Wednesday night that 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen is a longtime KGB spy. He was recruited while doing a PhD in Holocaust Denial in Moscow in the early 1980's.
Here are some of the details that make this story so compelling: The
Channel 1 report is based on a new study by two research fellows at
Hebrew University’s Truman Institute, Isabela Ginor and Gideon Remez.
(Ginor, a Russian native, and Remez, a veteran Israeli journalist, are
married.)
They obtained documents from a collection kept by former KGB chief
archivist Vasili Mitrokhin, who defected to the West in 1992 and lived
in London. Mitrokhin kept mementos from his spook days, and part of his
collection was recently opened up, allowing researchers to study it.
That’s where the Israeli couple found files that mentioned Abbas, code-name “Krotov” (“mole”).
“They could have called him ‘friend,’ or ‘our man,’ or whatever, but
in the documents he’s referred to as an agent,” Remez says.
Specifically, Abbas was described in a 1983 document as a KGB agent in
Damascus. (It isn’t clear if the spy agency used Abbas’ services after
that date.)
Moscow is where Abbas wrote his infamous Ph.D. thesis that included
some choice Holocaust denial. But the researchers say these new
revelations don’t change the facts on the ground. Abbas can’t be ignored
just because we now know his anti-Western bona fides were more robust
than previously thought.
But Remez conditions that with a warning.
“Look, Abbas now heads the Palestinian Authority, and as such he’s
the man to talk to,” Remez told me. Yet, he added, “the Americans should
know that the Kremlin may well still have stuff on him, and Washington
must take that into account.”
Especially now, as President Vladimir Putin is trying to arrange an
Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in Moscow, perhaps in the next few
weeks.
If successful, even as a photo-op, such a powwow could help Putin add
yet another Mideast corner to his collection of spots once dominated —
or at least mostly influenced — by America.
But Israel cannot be complacent either.
Remez told me he doesn’t know whether Putin, the ex-KGB man, knew of
the recruitment of the future Palestinian leader in the early 1980s. But
Abbas’ direct KGB handler at the time was Nikolai Bogdanov, and that’s
just as crucial.
After all, Bogdanov, a top Mideast hand at the Kremlin, is now one of
Putin’s closest aides, serving as special envoy to the
Israeli-Palestinian dispute. He is the main player in orchestrating the
Moscow peace parlay. “As we speak, Bogdanov is working with the Israelis
and Palestinians,” trying to coax them to come to Moscow, Remez says.
So Abbas is an old, ahem, acquaintance. But Israelis should also
worry about how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu increasingly
consults with Putin, Remez says: “It’s a mistake to see the Russians as
our allies.”
But let’s remember: The main reason Putin’s influence is growing is
that for nearly a decade America has decided to watch from the sidelines
one of the most transformative periods in the modern history of the
Mideast. The vacuum America has left has driven some of our closest
allies and friends to the arms of the former spymaster.
And now, in addition to that loss of influence, we’re placing a
diplomatic bet on a leader who has been exposed as a former Kremlin
agent.
There are no friends in international relations. Only interests.
Using language rarely heard from an Israeli Minister about a 'Palestinian leader' since the death of Yasser Arafat, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has bluntly said that 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazenmust go.
The defense minister views Abbas as a bitter enemy of Israel and says that Abbas’s policies have eliminated any possibility of advancing the peace process.
In the past two weeks, Lieberman has said several times that defense officials meet frequently with West Bank Palestinians, without the involvement or approval of Abbas and his people.
“We’ve met dozens of economists and businessmen from the Palestinian Authority, and when you ask what’s most important for the Palestinian economy, they all reply that the most important thing is to get rid of Abu Mazen,” he said on one such occasion, referring to Abbas by his nickname. “He has imposed a reign of corruption that encompasses everything. He has people in every economic sector — in real estate, the fuel market, the communications market. Abbas’ people take a tithe from every deal, and aside from the people in the inner circle, the PA leadership doesn’t allow anyone there to develop economically.
“That’s why it’s so important for him to go,” Lieberman continued. “As long as Abbas is there, nothing will happen.”
Lieberman said he didn’t think Israel should actively work to end Abbas’ rule, but at the same time, he said, it shouldn’t blame itself for the situation in the West Bank.
“Not everything depends on us,” he said. “As long as the PA’s corrupt and ineffective management continues, the economic situation there won’t improve.”
The defense minister also charged that Abbas rarely visits Nablus and Jenin, the major cities of the northern West Bank, as he prefers to take diplomatic trips abroad. “He doesn’t want to deal with problems of economics and employment,” Lieberman said. “The entire system of management there has failed.”
All of which probably makes 'Abbas' no more corrupt than any other Arab leader. But then other Arab leaders don't lead a 'people' that have a real democracy in their midst as a standard of comparison.
By the way, yes, this could well be the end of the 'peace process.'
Last week, Arab media outlets reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin was trying to arrange a diplomatic summit between Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this year. Netanyahu doesn’t use Lieberman’s blunt language, but he apparently shares the defense minister’s skepticism about the prospects for real diplomatic progress as long as Abbas remains in power. And, like Lieberman, he blames the impasse entirely on the Palestinians.
Russia supports the Palestinian-Israeli settlement process, but there
are no specific agreements on holding a meeting of the sides’ leaders
in Moscow, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on
Monday.
"There are no specifics on this matter yet," he said, commenting on related reports issued by the Israeli media.
"Moscow maintains rather trust-based and active relations with both
the Israelis and Palestinians, but there are no specifics yet," he
added.
Report: Assad tried to cut a deal with Netanyahu, used Putin as emissary
A Lebanese and a Kuwaiti report indicate that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad asked Russian President Putin to deliver a message to Prime Minister Netanyahu when Assad and Netanyahu visited Moscow a few days apart last month.
Putin and Assad reportedly discussed the crisis in Syria as well as
the possibility of a comprehensive peace agreement with Israel,
including the Golan Heights, Al-Joumhouria reported, however the Kremlin denied the report.
According to Johnny Munir, Al-Joumhouria newspaper reporter , the Assad Putin meeting focused on the US Russia plan which will be revealed in early August. In
addition they reportedly discussed the Bill Clinton Israeli Syrian
peace plan which will reportedly form the basis of the future Israeli
Syrian comprehensive peace plan.
Meanwhile Kuwait Newspaper “Al Jareeda ” reported that Assad sent a
letter to Netanyahu ahead of his meeting with Putin in which he vowed to
keep the Golan heights free of any arms and to continue to honor the
ceasefire between the 2 countries ”
“Help me to succeed in controlling my areas and I will guarantee
security and peace for Israel in Golan on condition you don’t side with
any party that wants to topple my regime ” , the daily quoted Assad as
saying.
I'm sure the Kremlin denied it because Netanyahu told Putin that this just isn't happening. You might recall that the Bill Clinton plan for an Israeli - Syrian peace agreement called for Israel to come down from the Golan Heights to within a few feet of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). That wasn't good enough for Assad who wanted to be on the eastern shores of the Kinneret.
Today, no one in Israel regrets that deal did not happen.
Assad's assurances are worthless, both because he cannot be trusted and because his government is and will remain forever unstable.
Assad offered nothing new. There will be no deal in any of our lifetimes.
By the way, note who is missing from this story: The Americans.
Emergency Committee for Israel: 'Why is Donald Trump always kissing up to dictators?'
The Emergency Committee for Israel has released its first online advertisement in a while. It's directed at Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Here's the press release:
Today the Emergency Committee for Israel released "Trump Loves
Dictators," a 30-second ad highlighting Donald Trump's disturbing
affection for anti-American dictators. The ad will appear online and on
television in primary states this week.
In recent months, Trump has praised or apologized for Saddam Hussein,
Bashar Assad, Vladimir Putin, and Benito Mussolini, and previously he
praised the Chinese government for carrying out the Tiananmen Square
massacre.
William Kristol, Chairman of the Emergency Committee for Israel, said:
"If you're pro-Israel, you shouldn't be pro-Trump. Apologists for
dictators aren't reliable friends of the Jewish state."
Let's go to the videotape.
Hmmm.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know already that I'm not very keen on Donald Trump....
Hmmm: Russian special envoy on Syria secretly visited Israel last week
Russia’s special envoy on Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, secretly visited Israel last week to discuss UN-backed negotiations to reach a diplomatic solution in Syria.
The Russian visit with members of the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office was shrouded in great secrecy in Israel. The Foreign Ministry declined to respond to questions from Haaretz about the meeting, and Netanyahu’s bureau declined to say whether the premier was going to meet Lavrentiev.
Lavrentiev was personally appointed by Putin and only took office a few weeks ago. He arrived in Israel in a special Russian Air Force aircraft at the head of a large delegation, which included Sergey Vershinin, the head of the Middle East desk in the Russian Foreign Ministry, and representatives of Russian intelligence.
The delegation was hosted by National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen, who is set to take up the post of Mossad chief in a few weeks.
A senior Israeli official said Cohen and the other Israeli officials presented Israel’s interests to the Russians. Their key points included maintaining the freedom to thwart terror attacks from over the border in Syria, and preventing advanced weaponry from moving from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Israelis made clear that in any future diplomatic agreement formulated by the world powers involving Syria, the latter would have to stop using its territory for direct or indirect attacks on Israel.
And let's just hope that the Golan was not part of the conversation because it's not even on the table.
Russia sanctions Turkey over downed jet, will buy from Israel instead
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced sanctions against Turkey over the Russian jet that was downed by Turkish forces this past week.
The decree published
on the Kremlin's website Saturday came hours after Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan had voiced regret over the incident, saying his
country was "truly saddened" by the event and wished it hadn't occurred.
It
includes a ban on some goods and forbids extensions of labor contracts
for Turks working in Russia as of Jan. 1. It doesn't specify what goods
are to be banned or give other details, but it also calls for ending
chartered flights from Russia to Turkey and for Russian tourism
companies to stop selling vacation packages that would include a stay in
Turkey.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev earlier in the week had ordered his cabinet to develop a list of goods to be sanctioned.
Putin's
decree also calls for ending visa-free travel between Russia and Turkey
and orders the tightening of control over Turkish air carriers in
Russia "for security reasons." The decree was issued "to protect Russian
citizens from crimes," a Kremlin statement said.
In terms of filling the void, Israeli tourism providers have already
begun selling the Jewish state as an alternative attraction for Russians
seeking a break in the sun, and say deals are in the works.
Israel's tourism ministry has stepped up its game as well, investing $2.6 million in efforts to woo the Russian market.
As for food imports, Russia's Minister of Agriculture Alexander
Tkachev said his country would be replacing Turkish produce with goods
from Iran, Israel and Morocco.
The minister officially sites healthy and safety concerns, but the
timing of the announcement indicates it is politically-motivated.
...
Over the past 10 months Turkey imported agricultural produce and food
worth just over $1 billion (one billion euros) to Russia, down 21.2
percent compared to the same period last year.
"Turkish vegetables account for 20 percent of the total Russian
imports of vegetables. Import of vegetables, tomatoes in the first
place, will be substituted with those from Iran, Morocco, Israel,
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan," he told Russian media.
Turkey also accounts for a quarter of Russian citrus fruit imports,
he said, adding that the country would similarly be switching to
alternative providers.
"Turkey imports about 250,000 tons of citrus fruits, a quarter of the
total citrus imported into Russia. We can replace citrus imports by
supplies from South Africa, Morocco, China, Argentina, Israel, Abkhazia,
Georgia," Tkachev stated.
Russia also said it could redirect its Turkish exports including wheat and oil to countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Over the past 10 months, Russian exports to Turkey amounted to $1.3 billion.
As long as that doesn't mean a price rise in Israel, that's fine with me, except that there are Jewish law issues with exporting the citrus crop this winter because it is considered produce of the Shmittah (Sabbatical) year.
In the meantime, the 'Palestinians' can cry me a river!
It's come to this: Russia sets up hotline with Israel over Syrian operations
Russian President Vladimir Putin seems more concerned with clashes with Israel over operations in Syria than with clashes with the 98-pound weakling in Washington. Putin has set up a hotline to coordinate with Israel over Syria.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that its forces in Syria had
set up a “hotline” with the Israeli military to avoid clashes in the sky
over the war-torn country.
“Mutual information-sharing on the actions of
aircraft has been established through a hotline between the Russian
aviation command center at the Hmeimim air base and a command post of
the Israeli Air Force,” ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov was quoted
as saying by Interfax news agency, adding that the two sides were
undergoing training on how to cooperate.
After Russian President Vladimir Putin
announced his army was going to increase its activity in the Syrian
theater, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Moscow to meet with
him. During the September 21 meeting, Netanyahu and Putin focused on
coordinating Israeli and Russian operations in Syria’s airspace.
“It could come down to Israel and Russia
agreeing to limit themselves to defined areas of operation in Syria, or
even that they fly at daytime and we fly at night,” a former adviser to
Netanyahu told Reuters at the time.
“What’s important is Putin’s commitment not to
get mixed up in arming Hezbollah, which should help Israel, if it goes
in there, to keep a safe distance from the Russians. It is pretty clear
that Putin is not looking for a fight with Israel,” the former adviser
was quoted as saying.
Several days after that meeting, Defense
Minister Moshe Ya’alon referred to understandings reached in the meeting
between Netanyahu and Putin, saying he did not expect the Russian
campaign in Syria to interfere with Israel’s “freedom to act” in Syrian
airspace.
Pretty amazing that the announcement came from the Russians, who apparently felt the need to let everyone know that they won't stand in Israel's way. I guess Putin realizes that Netanyahu still has some red paint.
During a luncheon at the ongoing 70th session of the United Nations
General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, U.S. on Monday
September 28, 2015, Zuma carried on with his phone call as Obama
stretched his arm to greet the SA president.
Obama joked about the situation, doing a hand sign to show that Zuma was still on the phone as he tried to catch his attention.
It would be interesting to know who it is, who kept Zuma on phone that he couldn’t stop to greet the powerful president… Lol!
'Coordination'? Russia threatens to shoot down IAF jets targeting Hezbullah convoys
'Coordinating' with the Russians over Syria doesn't seem to be so much fun after all. According to this story (translated from an Arabic original here), the Russians have, in essence, threatened to shoot down any IAF jets targeting weapons convoys moving from Assad forces in Syria to Hezbullah in Lebanon.
“Moscow imposed on Tel Aviv a military coordination in advance for any
military operation carried against Syrian military targets or against
Hezbollah in Syria, to prevent any fatal accident. Senior military
officers on both sides will maintain regular meetings and contacts to
allow a smooth Russian military presence in Syria. Above all, Russia
would like to avoid shooting down an Israeli jet in case one of its
officers is hit by mistake while present in a convoy or in special
mission. Israel and Russia will also coordinate naval operations off the
coast of Syria, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, where there is a
large Russian naval base”, said a decision-maker source in Damascus.
You can bet that every weapons convoy to Hezbullah will now include a Russian officer.
According to the source, quoting a Russian envoy that referred
details of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “the promenade era of Israel
over the sky of Syria is ending. Israel agreed to stop hitting any
military target or convoy on Syrian land under any excuses or without
prior coordination with the liaison officers that will be established
starting form next October. President Putin opposed the U.S President
Barack Obama when he decided to hit President al-Assad. Therefore,
Netanyahu’s national security concern would be Russia’s priority. None
the less, Putin confirmed that Israel has the right to hit any military
convoy leaving Syria and entering the Lebanese soil if suspected of
carrying weapons to Hezbollah ».
“Russia is becoming the guarantor and the coordinator of rival
parties and countries, like Hezbollah, Syria and Israel as well as the
striking force against extremist groups the Levant, like Jabhat al-Nusra
(al-Qaeda in Sham) and the group called “Islanic State” (IS). Hezbollah
agreed to limit all military activities in Syria without hitting Israel
as long as the Russian forces are present on the ground and Israel
won’t hit Hezbollah in Syria” confirmed the source.
One has to wonder whether hitting such weapons convoys once they are in Lebanon is too late. That has been the presumed value all along of hitting them while they are still in Syria.
But the Russian intervention imposed a forced rhythm on the United
States and Europe to change the rules of the game. The international
focus needs to be orientated toward the fight against terrorism and not
to change Assad. With or without the Syrian President, ISIS and al-Qaeda
have no intention to leave the country. Therefore, the U.S current
method used to contain extremists by adopting a soft approach is not
successful. Russia believes a more rough methods are required and is
preparing to carry more raids in one single month, equivalent to nearly a
year of airstrikes carried by the coalition against terrorists”, said
the source.
In other words, because Obama never had a real policy, Russia will now 'have' to impose one. #ThanksObama.
Russian state-run arms trader Rosoboronexport and the Russian
Helicopters holding are engaged in consultations with their Egyptian
partners concerning a possible acquisition of Kamov Ka-52 'Katran'
ship-based helicopters for the two Mistral-class helicopter carriers,
originally built for Russia, that Egypt has agreed to buy from France, a
source in an organization linked with arms exports told Interfax-AVN.
"Indeed, such consultations are in progress. They deal with a
possible acquisition by Cairo of some 30 Ka-52K 'Katran' ship-based
helicopters that were initially supposed to be placed on board the
French helicopter carriers and are 100 percent adapted for these ships,"
the source said.
"The price of the contract will stand at over $1 billion," he added.
"Moscow will not impede this deal [the provision of the Mistral-class
helicopter carriers to Egypt] and is ready to offer Egypt the shipborne
helicopters developed specially for these vessels," the source told
Interfax.
He added that a flexible payment system is possible here, including the provision of a loan to buy the helicopters.
The Ka-52K is a shipborne helicopter based on the all-weather Ka-52
combat helicopter Alligator. It has two modernized VK-2500 engines (each
has a capacity of 2,400 hp). The forebody contains a two-seat cockpit
containing new generation equipment. The pilots' seats are equipped with
ejection mechanisms. The shipborne helicopter has folding blades.
On August 5, the presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Francois
Hollande of France made a final decision on the future of the two
helicopter carriers that the sides had tried to make for almost a year.
On that day over €1 billion in compensation was transferred to a
settlement account in one of the banks and then to the Russian Federal
Treasury (€950 million for the refusal to supply the vessels and €67.5
million for the garboards).
On September 23, the French paper La Tribune reported,
citing its sources, that an Egyptian delegation was having negotiations
on the purchase of the Mistral-class helicopter carriers and Gowind
corvettes. The Elysee Palace later confirmed it.
I guess the Russians need the money. After all, they didn't just get $100 billion in sanctions relief.
Maybe Obama ought to pay off the Russians? It's faster than growing....
Oren's book, "Ally," discloses for the first time that in late August
and early September 2013, Israel's then-intelligence minister, Yuval
Steinitz, floated a plan for Syria to relinquish its chemical weapons to
the Russian government and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
received Obama's blessing to move forward with the proposal.
To be sure, Oren also writes in his memoir that Israel did not oppose
U.S. airstrikes in late August 2013, saying the Jewish state saw no
downside with Obama enforcing his red line and hopefully deterring
Syria's ally, Iran. But at the same time, he credits Steinitz and
Netanyahu with helping prepare the diplomacy that allowed Obama to climb
down from the air strikes that Oren himself believed at the time were
all but a certainty.
It was in this period that America came closest to directly entering
the Syrian civil war. In August 2013, U.N. inspectors confirmed that
Bashar al-Assad's regime attacked a rebel position in Ghouta outside of
Damascus. Obama reluctantly acknowledged that the Syrian dictator had
crossed the administration's red line and used chemical weapons. But
after Syria and Russia agreed to a plan in which Assad would acknowledge
and dispose of his chemical weapons, the threat of American airstrikes
as punishment for the attack in Ghouta subsided.
At the time, the disarmament plan appeared to come about by accident. On Sept. 9 that year, Secretary of State John Kerry floated the idea
that Assad could avert a U.S. attack on his territory if he gave up his
chemical weapons. State Department officials soon after said the
remarks were more a rhetorical flourish than a sincere proposal. But
Kerry's Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, quickly seized on the
remarks and presented a proposal to Syria's foreign ministry. Within the
space of a news cycle, a U.N. plan was being negotiated and America was
backing away from airstrikes.
It turns out that Netanyahu was helping to bring about the deal
behind the scenes, according to Oren. "In the course of this frenzy,
though, I heard of a proposal to peacefully remove Syria’s chemical
arsenal," Oren writes. "The idea originated with an Israeli minister,
Yuval Steinitz, who first pitched it to the Russians, who were eager to
avoid an American intercession that they could not stop. Netanyahu next
brought it to Obama and received a green light."
And it goes without saying that Arrogant Obama showed no appreciation for Israel's role in saving him from his red line.
Oren also notes that Obama never publicly credited Israel with help on
the plan. "In subsequent interviews, Obama rarely missed the chance to
cite the neutralization of Syria’s chemical capabilities as an historic
diplomatic achievement. Russian president Vladimir Putin also took
credit for the initiative and praised this 'vivid example of how the
international community can solve the most complex disarmament and non-
proliferation task.' Israel’s role remained unmentioned, but its
citizens were relieved not to have to sign up for more gas masks," he
writes.
Given what's happened in Syria since 2013, perhaps we're better off with Obama's lack of gratitude. Read the whole thing.
Good luck with that: Congress calls on Obama to sanction Russia over S-300 sale to Iran
The Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee have written to President Obama urging him to sanction Russia if it goes through with the sale of the S-300 anti-missile defense system to Iran.
Reps. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), committee chairman, and Eliot Engel
(D.N.Y.), the committee’s ranking member, sent a letter to Obama
concerning the proposed delivery of the S-3000 surface to air missile
system to Iran.
“If completed, the transfer of this sophisticated weapons system
would significantly bolster Iran’s military capabilities and introduce
new obstacles to our ability to eliminate the threat of an Iranian
nuclear weapon,” the legislators wrote.
While the United Nations Security Council does not prohibit the
transfer of this weapons system to Iran, the Iran-Iraq Arms
Nonproliferation Act and the Iran Sanctions Act do give Obama authority
to sanction countries deemed to be aiding Iran’s efforts to acquire
weapons, according to the congressmen.
“We are concerned that without such a determination, your recent
comments could be interpreted as the United States acquiescing to this
transfer,” they wrote.
Even if he weren't on Iran's side, Obama would be afraid to do that.
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?
This could yet be President Hussein Obama's second biggest foreign policy 'accomplishment'... after warming US relations with the Communist dictatorship in Cuba.
Several years ago, we heard a lot about the on-again-off-again sale of the S-300 anti-missile system by Russia to Iran. Now, with the 'framework agreement' between the P 5+1 and Iran, Russia has announced that the sale is on again. Russia is removing a ban on the sale that was imposed by Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, because after all, 'everyone knows' that the sanctions against Iran are going to be lifted.
The Russian foreign ministry says that the sale of the S-300 to Iran doesn't threaten Israel or other regional countries.
No, of course it doesn't. It just makes an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities that much harder to carry out.
Here in Jerusalem, the government is furious, blaming the sale (correctly) on the 'framework agreement.'
Cabinet minister Yuval Steinitz said the framework agreement helped
legitimize Iran and cleared the way for Monday's announcement by Russia.
"This is a direct result of the legitimacy that Iran obtained from
the emerging nuclear deal," he said. Steinitz added that the arms deal
shows that Iran plans to use the relief from economic sanctions to buy
weapons, not improve the living conditions of its people.
Why would anyone have thought otherwise?
In the meantime, US Secretary of State John Kerry is said to be 'raising objections' - but not 'deeply concerned' which is a different level altogether and is largely reserved for Israeli actions - about the deal.
Secretary of State John Kerry is raising objections with Moscow over a plan to sell anti-aircraft missiles to Iran.
The
White House says Kerry made the U.S. opposition clear in a phone call
to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (SEHR'-gay LAHV'-rahf). The
call came as Lavrov argued that a preliminary agreement over Iran's
nuclear program made a 2010 ban on sending missiles to Iran no longer
necessary.
White House press
secretary Josh Earnest indicated the move could endanger plans to
ultimately lift sanctions on Iran as part of a final nuclear deal. He
says unity and coordination with nations like Russia is critical to the
success of the negotiations.
The
agreement is supposed to be finalized by June 30. There is no firm
agreement yet on how or when to lift the international sanctions on
Iran.
But Kerry's chief negotiator and military tactician, the 'brilliant' Wendy Sherman, says that a military strike on Iran wouldn't succeed anyway.
Sherman told the reporters that a military operation against Iran would
not stop its nuclear program. "A military strike by Israel or the U.S.
would only set back the nuclear program by two years," she said. "You
can't bomb their nuclear know-how, and they will rebuild everything. The
alternatives are there but the best option is a diplomatic negotiated
solution."
Well, yeah, you assume that they have the resources with which to rebuild and they are left alone to do so. But why would anyone assume that to be true?
In 1976, after Israel’s daring hostage rescue
operation at Entebbe, Chaim Herzog cracked up the Security Council when
he pointed out the blatant hypocrisy of the Soviet Union accusing Israel
of violating another country’s sovereignty. “On these subjects, I defer
to [them], having regard to the Soviet Union’s very considerable record
in these respects in Hungary, in Czechoslovakia, and in other countries
in Eastern Europe,” he said, eliciting laughter from the assembled
delegates.
For reasons explained here, current Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor may have a similar reaction to Russia's claim to be 'deeply worried' by the alleged Israeli strike on Syrian military facilities.
"Moscow is deeply worried by this dangerous development, the
circumstances of which demand an explanation," Russian foreign ministry
spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.
In a letter to the United
Nations, Russia complained about Israel's "aggressive action" and
demanded that such attacks should not happen again, the spokesman said.
Syria also complained to the UN about the strikes, demanding that the
Security Council "severely condemn the Israeli attack and impose
punitive sanctions on Israel due to its support of Syrian terrorist
organizations."
'Deeply worried'? Well, Cry Me a River, Vlad.
But there's another gem in this Haaretz article: It seems that the airport was not the only target hit last night.
The Lebanese official, who requested anonymity because he was not
authorized to speak to the media, said a Hezbollah convoy heading to
Lebanon had been hit in another set of strikes at Dimas, approximately
half-way between Damascus and the Lebanese border.
The strikes
hit an air base at Dimas where advanced Iranian drones were stationed
along with Syrian troops and Hezbollah forces, the Syrian official said.
There have been several reported observations of Iranian drones during the Syrian conflict.
Yeah, the Russians are 'deeply worried,' alright. Their clients just took one on the chin. Heh.
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
