December 19, 2018
Russia Warns Lebanon Against Violations Of Israeli Territory
Russia has demanded that Lebanon take action against the network of Hizbullah terror tunnels revealed by Israel under the two countries’ shared border, the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Monday (17th).
So far, four Hizbullah tunnels snaking under the Israel-Lebanon border have been unearthed by the IDF as part of an extensive operation to neutralize the underground passageways. According to the report, Moscow has made it clear to Beirut that the tunnels violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted to end the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel, and the Kremlin has further demanded that the Lebanese army deal with the tunnels on its property.
Israel’s counter-tunnel operation, launched on Dec. 4, has so far been very careful not to infringe on Lebanese sovereignty while exposing the tunnels.
The reported Russian demand followed a visit to Moscow last week by an Israeli military delegation.
Russian sources told the British publication that the demand was made regardless of Hizbullah’s culpability in digging the underground grid, adding that Russia backs the Israeli operation, known as Operation Northern Shield.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri have both downplayed the chances of the Israeli operation leading to any escalation on the border, saying that as long as Israel does not violate Lebanese sovereignty, there would be no reason for fresh hostilities in the sector.
Meanwhile, The UN Security Council is poised to discuss Hizbullah’s terror tunnels during its next session, set for Wednesday (19th).
(aawsat.com; israelhayom.com)
Netanyahu Says Israeli Agents ‘Periodically Visit’ Iran To Monitor Nuke Program
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a group of diplomats on Sunday (16th) that Israeli agents continue to operate inside Iran as part of Israel’s efforts to thwart the nuclear ambitions of the Islamic Republic.
“We are fighting all over the world in regards to Iran’s nuclear program,” he said at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Jerusalem.
“We also visit there periodically…to catch up.” Netanyahu added without giving specific details.
Netanyahu was a vocal opponent of the US-led nuclear deal between Iran and Western powers in 2015 that lifted painful economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
The Israeli leader has repeatedly argued that the Obama-era deal will not prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, after its restrictions expire in the next decade or so. US President Donald Trump, with whom Netanyahu is closely allied, withdrew from the accord in May and re-imposed sanctions.
Israel has admitted to covert operations inside Iran to thwart its nuclear program and undermine the agreement.
In April, Israel announced it had smuggled out of Iran more than 100,000 documents from a Tehran archive detailing the country’s nuclear program.
Netanyahu said at the time that the cache proved the Iranian leaders covered up their nuclear weapons program before signing the nuclear agreement. Iran has not acknowledged the seizure.
(timesofisrael.com)
TOP U.S. Jewish Group Calls For Global Condemnation Of Palestinian Violence
Last week, three Israelis – including a three-day-old infant – died and more than a dozen were wounded as a result of Palestinian attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Chairman Arthur Stark and Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Malcolm Hoenlein said on Friday (14th), “We await the international community’s forceful condemnation of these terrorist outrages against innocent citizens, but we know from past history that it will be, at best, slow in coming, except from the United States.”
The previous week, “the members of the United Nations were unable to summon the necessary conviction, decency, and moral clarity to condemn Hamas, an organization which has claimed responsibility for a number of these attacks, which has …planned and undertaken thousands of terrorist acts targeting civilians over the last 30 years. We support the Israeli government’s decision to take all necessary and proper steps to safeguard the lives of its citizens and to keep them from harm.”
(algemeiner.com)
Tlaib To Wear ‘Palestinian’ Dress At Congress Swearing-In
U.S. Congresswoman-elect Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich) announced that she will wear a traditional Palestinian gown when sworn into Congress in January.
Tlaib, of Palestinian-Arab origin, showed a photo of the embroidered gown on Instagram with the caption: “Sneak peak: This is what I am wearing when I am sworn into Congress, #ForMyYama (mother in Arabic).”
The dress she displayed is common to the entire Middle East, with nothing specifically “Palestinian” about it.
Among the reactions to her post was the comment: “Obviously she doesn’t wish to be American.” Another said, “Not appropriate, not pro-American.”
Tlaib won a seat in the US House of Representatives in November to become the first Muslim of Palestinian origin in the House.
The daughter of Arabs who left the Samaria region for the United States, Tlaib is a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. She told the UK’s Channel 4 News that she will “absolutely” vote against military aid to Israel.
“My strength comes from being a Palestinian,” she declared after her victory wrapped in a Palestinian flag rather than the Stars and Stripes.
She has stated that she is for a one-state solution – a bi-national state of “Palestine” to replace Israel – to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
A supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, Tlaib is planning to lead a delegation on a visit to Judea and Samaria.
(worldisraelnews.com)
Labour UK Official: Jews Are Responsible For All Wars In The World
A UK Labour Party official has been suspended over anti-Semitic social media comments accusing Jews of orchestrating world conflicts and promoting 9/11 conspiracy theories.
Mohammed Yasin, the regional organizer for Labour in the West Midlands, was suspended by party officials over the weekend after anti-Semitic comments by Yasin on social media were brought to light, the London-based Jewish Chronicle reported on Sunday (16th).
In February 2016, Yasin tweeted that “Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,” accompanied by a picture of two people laughing, with the caption “When someone tells me it’s not the Jews.”
In addition, Yasin has shared a video accusing the Rothschilds of being the world’s “most wicked and wealthiest family,” and a cartoon accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinian Arabs. Yasin also claimed that the 9/11 attacks were a hoax created by Western leaders.
In another post, Yasin wrote “US imperialism needs Israel to keep the masses permanently at war.” According to a report by The Sunday Times, Yasin is the first active staff member in the party to be implicated in an anti-Semitism scandal, though numerous other labour members and officials have been accused in the past.
(israelnn.com; thejc.com)
