News Digest — 4/13/23
Palestinian Islamic Jihad Delegation Visits Baghdad Ahead Of Quds Day
A delegation of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist movement visited Baghdad on Wednesday (12th) at the invitation of Iraqi officials.
The delegation was led by the movement’s secretary-general, Ziyad al-Makhala, and was set to meet with Iraqi officials and others, including Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid. The delegation additionally met with the Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Mohammad Kazem Al Sadeq.
According to a statement by the movement “the delegation will hold discussions on the latest Palestinian and Arab developments and ways to support the resistance in ‘Palestine,’ especially in Jerusalem, in the face of the Zionist attacks and the storming of al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Nakala is set to deliver a speech at the Quds Day rallies in Baghdad on Friday (14th), according to Iranian reports.
The visit comes as an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq called Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba published a video threatening to launch drones at targets in Israel. The video featured Hebrew subtitles and footage from the clashes at al-Aqsa Mosque last week.
Netanyahu At Mimouna Event: I Believe In Israel’s Future
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participated Wednesday evening (12th) in Mimouna celebrations in Hadera.
“This is a wonderful holiday in the tradition of Israel and of faith in Israel’s future. I have enormous faith in our people’s strength, in each and every one of them, and we bring it to the forefront in the face of those who, in every generation, arise to attempt to destroy us. The Holy One, Blessed Be He, saves us from them with a little help from us, and when we are united, there is no force in this world that can defeat us,” Netanyahu said.
He added: “We are fighting them even during these difficult days and we are fighting back against the Iranians, against Syria, against Lebanon, against Gaza. I have a deep faith in the enormous powers that lie in the people of Israel and I know that we will overcome all the differences between us because I know what price we have paid throughout history when we were divided.”
“I have complete faith in the future of Israel. I believe in the unity of Israel, in the future of Israel – in the future of Israel and in the eternity of Israel,” concluded the Prime Minister.
Hadera Chief Rabbi Yisrael Biton called on Netanyahu not to give in to the pressure on him. He turned to the Prime Minister and told him that even if sometimes at night “a thought flickers in your heart, ‘Maybe it’s time for me to go home and retire, maybe it’s time for me to get out of the blood field.’ I came here to voice the answer to your thoughts.”
According to him, this answer will serve as “a trumpet voice for hundreds of thousands across the country. I have come to convey to you the encouragement of millions of people of Israel. You don’t need to be prime minister, but we need your wonderful leadership, your abilities, your skills, your connections.”
The rabbi declared that “There has never arisen for the people of Israel such an exemplary, faithful and loyal leader as you. You carry a great mission for the people of Israel and we want you to continue with more strength and courage.”
(isnn.com)
Report: Iran Exploits Earthquake In Turkey To Fly Weapons To Syria
According to an exclusive report by Reuters, Iran has used earthquake relief flights to bring weapons and military equipment to Syria.
Reuters noted that they spoke with nine Syrian, Iranian, Israeli and Western sources on the issue.
The report noted that following the earthquake in northern Syria and Turkey, hundreds of flights from Iran began to land in the Syrian airports – Aleppo, Damascus and Latakia.
The sources noted that the supplies were transferred to Syria during seven weeks and they included advanced communications equipment, radar batteries, and supplies for upgrading an air defense system.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York replied to the question asking if Iran had used humanitarian relief planes after the earthquake to move military equipment to Syria, by stating: “That’s not true.”
According to the sources who spoke with Reuters, Israel was aware quickly of the transfer of weapons, and began a bid and aggressive campaign to counter it.
UN Called On To Fire Envoy For Questioning Israel’s Right To Defense
An open letter calling for the dismissal of Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for Palestinian territories, was sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Tuerk on Tuesday (11th).
The reason for the demand was recent comments made by Albanese on Twitter, in which she stated that Israel can’t claim its right to defend itself against “the people it oppresses/whose land it colonizes.”
The authors of the letter expressed “utter dismay and outrage at the abhorrent statements” made by Albanese, adding that it is unfathomable that such a statement would ever be made by a UN representative.
The letter was sent on behalf of the International Legal Forum, a global network of lawyers and activists, aiming to combat antisemitism, advance human rights and promote peace in the Middle East, and the Solomon-Observatory on Discrimination, an Italian-based NGO combating anti-Semitism.
Albanese’s statements were made following terror attacks in which sisters Rina and Maia and their mother Lucy Dee, as well as an Italian citizen were murdered.
The letter goes on to stress that Albanese’s recent comments are only the latest examples of biased statements by the UN envoy.
“Ms. Albanese has a long history of anti-Semitism and virulent bias, both before and during her term as Special Rapporteur, using age-old anti-Semitic tropes such as accusing “the Jewish lobby” of controlling the United States, repeatedly dismissing Israeli security concerns, such as following this most recent wave of terror, as well as comparing Israelis to Nazis, expressing support for the BDS Movement and charging the Jewish state with the heinousness of apartheid, genocide and war crimes,” the letter further states.
Therefore, the International Legal Forum ended by calling on the UN to “ensure that the UN lives up to its own rules and standards… by dismissing Ms. Albanese and abolishing her position entirely. The UN would be far better served by replacing Ms. Albanese’s mandate with a Special Rapporteur for Combating anti-Semitism.”
Albanese has repeatedly come under fire from Israeli officials and organizations combating antisemitism for her comments in the past.
Albanese’s initial appointment in April 2022 was denounced by Israel after then-ambassador to the UN Meirav Eilon Shahar claimed she “compared the Holocaust to the Nakba and advocated for the de-facto destruction of the nation-state of the Jewish people.”
In December 2022, outrage over Albanese’s comments came to a head when she spoke via Zoom to a Hamas-organized conference in Gaza, during which she stated, “you have a right to resist this occupation.” Also in December, Israel’s mission to the UN in Geneva spoke out after Israeli media reported that Albanese had used the phrase “Jewish Lobby.”
The Simon Wiesenthal Center then sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, writing that it “is an outrage to allow a proven anti-Zionist and anti-Semite to head the UN Human Rights Council’s already biased investigation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Israeli Basketball Fans Attacked In Athens Game
Chaos erupted at a basketball game between the Hapoel Jerusalem team and A.A.K. Athens on Wednesday (12th), when Greek fans burned an Israeli flag and threw firecrackers at fans of the Israeli team.
Several Palestinian Authority flags were seen during the violent incident as well.
The game had to be suspended due to the violence, and resumed after security forces intervened.
The Israeli team said in a statement following the incident: “Hapoel sees the difficult events in Athens as nothing less than a terrorist attack on Israeli fans, who came en masse to support their team, as they have been doing for years.”
“In view of the events, at the half of the game we checked all the methods of operation. Taking out the Hapoel fans was an option that was rejected outright due to the fact that Greek fans surrounded the hall, and there was a real danger of a serious attack outside the hall. Stopping the game was also a possibility that was seriously considered by the team’s management, but the security personnel and the police warned that this decision could lead to complete chaos and a violent pogrom that would endanger human life. Therefore it was decided, in order to maintain the safety of all Hapoel fans, to continue the game, along with a warning from the police that ‘if there is another violent incident, it will lead to the removal of all fans, on both sides, from the hall.’”
Hapoel Jerusalem said that the team would file a complaint over the incident.
(isnn.com)
Rain And Thunderstorms Set To Rage On Across Israel Until Weekend
The rainstorms that hit Israel during the last day of Passover are expected to stay in the country a little longer, and on Thursday (13th) rain is still expected to fall in the north of the country and in the center, with isolated thunderstorms.
It will be colder than usual for the season and there is a chance of floods in the northern Judean desert and the Dead Sea area. In the afternoon the rains will weaken and gradually stop.
On Friday (14th) the temperatures will still be lower than normal but will gradually rise. Saturday (15th) will see a rise in temperatures to normal for the season. On Sunday (16th), with a change in the temperatures, it will be warmer than usual for the season, with strong easterly winds in the mountains.
Earlier in the week floods from the Passover storm raged in southern Israel with Eilat being isolated – roads in and out of the city were covered by water. Many people were rescued by helicopter and various life-saving services. At least two people, a brother and a sister lost their lives.
