[Has it really been a year? Or did I count wrong. We don’t seem to be through with though. Just ask the UN. Yuck.]

Dear Family & Friends,

Today is an Emet (2-Truth) & Arlene (4-Kushner) presentation, plus one Citizen Warrior. I have another blockbuster but, we must keep up with the news so the biggie will wait until next week.

Today is the Eve of Shabbat & of the Fourth of July (America’s Big Birthday) tomorrow. The Fourth was celebrated early in Israel this week because it arrives on Shabbat & people who want to celebrate the Fourth needed their wheels to get there. So, we had July 2^nd & 3^rd for fun.

The weather is cool & lovely. Come on over & enjoy.

Have a wonderful Shabbat Eve & Day. Hopefully see you Moetzi Shabbat (Saturday Night).

All the very best, Gail/Geula/Savta/Savta Raba x 2/Mom

1.U.S. Position on Jerusalem More Hardline than PLO by Avi Bell

2.Hamas Is Responsible for the Deaths in the 2014 Gaza War by Steve Huntley

3.Arlene Kushner “Never Easy” June 23, 2015

4.Arlene Kushner “Beyond” June 24, 2015

5.Arlene Kushner “The Horrors and the Hope” June 29, 2015

6.Arlene Kushner “Facing Down Violence” July 2, 2015

truthful analysis and commentary in the Israeli news

1. U.S. Position on Jerusalem More Hardline than PLO by Avi Bell posted: July 01, 2015

Ma’ariv‘s headline blared, “Final Judgment: U.S. Citizens May Not Register ‘Jerusalem’ as Place of Birth.” The news portal Walla! headlined its story, “Supreme Court in U.S. Ruled: Someone Born in Jerusalem Cannot Be Registered as Israeli.”

These Israeli headlines successfully captured the mood of an Israeli public bewildered by U.S. hostility to Israeli rights in Jerusalem but unable to understand the complexity of the latest developments in the story.

Contrary to the impression conveyed by the Israeli media, the U.S. Supreme Court did NOT issue any ruling about the status of Jerusalem.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Zivotofsky v. Kerry was the final judgment in a 13-year court battle by the Zivotofsky family to have their son Menachem Binyamin Zivotofsky’s birthplace recorded as “Jerusalem, Israel” as was their choice, according to the 2002 Foreign Relations Authorization Act.

In 2002, then-President Bush argued that the law was unconstitutional [Actually, Bush signed a State Department spending bill, to which the ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ provision was attached, but claimed his administration was not legally bound to follow that provision, ignoring it instead.

Chief Justice John Roberts, in a dissent joined by Justice Samuel Alito, said “Today’s decision is a first: Never before has this Court accepted a President’s direct defiance of an Act of Congress in the field of foreign affairs.”—ed]. The Zivotofskys sued, launching a multi-year litigation saga. The first round ended in favor of the Zivotofskys in 2012, when the Supreme Court ruled that the case did not present a “political question,” paving the way to a substantive ruling. [In this most recent case, Roberts added “the statue at issue does not implicate recognition” but “simply gives an American citizen born in Jerusalem the option to designate his place of birth as Israel for the purposes of passports and other documents.”—ed]

But the second round ended days ago in the Supreme Court, this time against the Zivotofskys. A majority of the court’s judges agreed that the law relied upon by the Zivotofskys unconstitutionally infringed upon the President’s exclusive power to recognize foreign states.

West Jerusalem [Wiki Commons]

The court’s understanding of the constitutional separation of powers was dubious and will no doubt be debated for years to come. But the truly interesting issue raised by the case was never discussed by the courts: what explains Washington’s 67-year battle to deny Israeli sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem?

Throughout the Zivotofsky saga, the State Department, backed by both Republican and Democrat-controlled White Houses, has insisted that no part of Jerusalem be recognized in any way as part of Israel. Not the part of Jerusalem that Jordan occupied illegally from 1948-1967 (generally called “East Jerusalem” by the media). And not the part of Jerusalem that has been part of Israel since its independence in 1948 (“West Jerusalem”). None of it.

The Obama administration has explained that refusing to recognize Israeli sovereignty in any part of Jerusalem is necessary to avoid interference with the “peace process.” Jerusalem, says the White House, must be dealt with solely in negotiations between the parties.

But this justification falls apart upon the slightest examination.

The current PLO territorial demands, repeated often and in every forum imaginable, are for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank [sic] and “East Jerusalem.” No senior PLO figure has demanded in recent years that Israel also withdraw from “West Jerusalem.” In demanding that Israel acquire PLO approval for its sovereignty over “West Jerusalem,” the White House is taking a more hardline anti-Israel position than even the PLO.

The U.S. position on Jerusalem also contradicts the Obama White House’s own controversial stance on the peace process. The White House has endorsed a Palestinian [sic] demand that the 1948-1967 cease-fire line that separated sovereign Israeli territory from the Jordanian-occupied West Bank and “East Jerusalem” should serve as the presumptive border of a new Palestinian state in all negotiations, with Palestine acquiring sovereignty over all the territory illegally occupied by Jordan, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties.

But when it comes to Israel and Jerusalem, says the White House, the cease-fire line should be forgotten and presumptive Israeli sovereignty should be erased.

Historically, the anti-Israel position of the U.S. on Jerusalem developed without any connection to the Israel-PLO peace negotiations that began in 1993. The U.S. never recognized Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, even in 1948, when Israel’s War of Independence left parts of Jerusalem in Israeli hands. When Israel declared Jerusalem (“West Jerusalem”) its capital in 1949, the U.S. refused to recognize it, even though international law makes states the sole determinants of their own capital. Indeed, for decades the U.S. lobbied foreign countries to move their embassies out of Jerusalem. To this day, the U.S. embassy in Israel is in Tel Aviv, notwithstanding a law mandating the embassy’s move to Jerusalem.

As time has passed, U.S. hostility on Jerusalem has remained constant, while the excuses for the hostility have changed.

Defenders of the U.S. policy on Jerusalem like the fact that it gives the PLO a veto on Israeli rights pending a peace deal. But a more honest appraisal shows that the policy allows bureaucratic opponents of the Jewish state to harm U.S. credibility and foreign policy interests.

[Emphasis added]

truthful analysis and commentary in the Israeli news

2.Hamas Is Responsible for the Deaths in the 2014 Gaza War by Steve Huntley posted: June 26, 2015

Another day, another UN Human Rights Council report condemning Israel. This document, produced for an organization notorious for aiming half of its nation-based resolutions at the Jewish state [actually its more than half —ed], accused Israel of violating international law during the 2014 war in the Gaza Strip.

It is notable that the Obama administration, which has a frosty relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, couldn’t gloss over this latest bit of Israel-phobia from a United Nations agency infamous for jihad against the Jewish state. A spokesman for the State Department cited “bias against Israel” as the reason that the United States wouldn’t support any further action on the report.

The UN document stopped just short of charging Israel with war crimes and did offer criticism of Hamas for firing rockets into Israel in what the New York Times described as the UN Commission of Inquiry “taking pains to be evenhanded.”

What nonsense — trying to be even-handed in assigning blame for deaths in a war that killed more than 2,200 Palestinians [sic] and more than 70 Israelis.

Member of the Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza conflict Doudou Diene next to Chairperson of the Commission Mary McGowan Davis during a press conference to present their report. AFP

This war was started by Hamas, and that bloody terrorist organization bears full and sole responsibility for the innocent deaths that did occur during the conflict. Hamas and the other depraved terrorists operating in the Gaza Strip caused the conflict by escalating their rocket launches against Israel.

David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, perceptively spotted the initial flaw in the UN investigation that revealed it to be tainted from the get go. The probe’s start was dated June 13, the day after three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped in the West Bank [sic] and subsequently murdered by terrorists. As Israel sought and arrested suspects in this atrocity, Hamas unleashed its rocket attacks and Israel had no choice but to respond with the Operation Protective Edge military incursion into Gaza.

Israel exercised great effort to avoid civilian deaths and injuries, which sadly are inevitable in a war fought in an urban environment. Again, no deaths or injuries would have occurred had Hamas not chosen war.

An analysis done by a panel of nearly a dozen military authorities , including generals, former chiefs of staff and the chairman of the NATO Military Committee, as well as a fact-finding mission by the Pentagon found that, as Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, put it , “Israel went to extraordinary lengths to limit collateral damage and civilian casualties.”

As proof that no good deed goes unpunished, the UN report managed to find reason to criticize Israel for the measures it took to warn Palestinian civilians of impending attacks. The various efforts Israel employed to minimize civilian casualties, including dropping warning leaflets, making warning cellphone calls and preceding bombing attacks with small “roof-knock” missiles alerting that an attack would follow, were deemed inadequate and/or confusing.

What warnings do the Russian soldiers, er “separatists,” issue before their attacks in Ukraine? Do warning leaflets fall on towns in Yemen where Saudi Arabia is conducting air strikes against Iranian-linked rebels?

Hillel Neuer , executive director of the Geneva-based monitoring agency UN Watch, has pointed out some of the absurdities of the Human Rights Council. Saudi Arabia has a horrendous human-rights record — recently a blogger was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for “insulting Islam” — but not only is Riyadh not criticized, it’s given a seat on the [UNHRC] council. Neuer noted in April that in June 2014 the council refused to support an effort to condemn the kidnapping by Boko Haram of 200 school girls.

On Monday, the council will take up the Gaza war report. Little doubt exists that another anti-Israel resolution will follow.

3.Arlene Kushner “Never Easy” June 23, 2015

But we might wish it were not quite so difficult.

We begin with the report on the Gaza war of 2014 prepared by the UN Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry (COI), which was headed by Mary McGowan Davis. It was released yesterday, and while not as flagrantly outrageous as the Goldstone report had been, it is very bad in several respects.

What is outrageously off the mark is its reach for even-handed moral equivalency:

“The commission was able to gather substantial information pointing to serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law by Israel and Palestinian armed groups. In some cases, these violations may amount to war crimes.” (emphasis added)

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=26397

And please consider this, which is jaw-dropping (emphasis added):

“The United Nations Human Rights Council report on the 50-day Gaza conflict said there was no indication Hamas’s cross-border tunnels were constructed to attack Israeli civilians, since the terror group exclusively targeted ‘legitimate’ Israel Defense Forces positions during the summer war.

“The commission, headed by American jurist Mary McGowan Davis, said that the network of tunnels reaching into Israel did not conclusively prove a threat to Gaza border communities and were used legitimately.

“’The commission cannot conclusively determine the intent of Palestinian armed groups with regard to the construction and use of these tunnels,’ the report said. ‘However, the commission observes that during the period under examination, the tunnels were only used to conduct attacks directed at IDF positions in Israel in the vicinity of the Green Line, which are legitimate military targets.’

As I recall, a tunnel was found dug adjacent to a kindergarten in a community in the south – which made the blood of many of us run cold. And the commission cannot determine the intent of Hamas???

“In October 2014, the IDF confirmed a report in Vanity Fair that Hamas had planned to carry out a massive assault by penetrating Israeli communities via tunnels under the border from the Gaza Strip, and then killing or kidnapping as many civilians as possible.

“IDF Spokesperson Peter Lerner said the terror group planned to use the tunnels to attack civilian areas in Israel and ‘inflict mass casualties.

“’Hamas had a plan,’ Lerner added. ‘A simultaneous, coordinated, surprise attack within Israel.’” http://www.timesofisrael.com/un-report-tunnels-into-israel-legitimately-targeted-idf/

The response by the Israeli Foreign Ministry:

“It is regrettable that the report fails to recognize the profound difference between Israel’s moral behavior during Operation Protective Edge and the terror organizations it confronted. This report was commissioned by a notoriously biased institution, given an obviously biased mandate.” (Emphasis added)

Our prime minister noted that (emphasis added):

“Israel does not commit war crimes. Israel is defending itself from a murderous terrorist organization that calls for its destruction and which has perpetrated many war crimes. Any country that wants to live would have acted this way… We will continue to take strong and determined action against all those who try to attack us and our citizens, and we will do so in accordance with international law.”

The UN Human Rights Council, charged Netanyahu, has a “singular obsession with Israel.

“It has passed more resolutions against Israel than…against all the countries of the world combined. So Israel treats this report as flawed and biased and urges all fair-minded observers to do the same.”

NGO-Monitor has released a preliminary response to the report (emphasis added):

“[The Report] quotes extensively from biased and unreliable political advocacy non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Although these groups lack credibility and do not employ professional fact-finding standards, the COI repeated the NGOs’ unverifiable factual claims and allegations of Israeli ‘war crimes.’

“European government funding enables these NGOs, as does funding from private foundations such as the New Israel Fund (NIF). Without the financial support and public backing from their donors, these fringe advocacy organizations would not have a platform to disseminate their propaganda.

“An initial review of [the report] shows that the unverified claims of NGOs were referenced, cited, and quoted at a high volume, in contrast to accepted international fact-finding standards…” http: /ngo-monitor.org/article/par_for_the_course_eu_nif_funded_ngos_central_to_unhrc_lawfare_attack

We will, undoubtedly, be returning to this subject. Especially as the next stop may be the international courts.

Then we have the situation with the Druze, which has now become even more complex and problematic than it had been.

Last night, an IDF ambulance in the Golan transporting two wounded Syrian soldiers to a medical facility in the north for treatment was stormed by some 150 Druze, who pelted the ambulance and managed to get inside. One of the injured Syrians was left in critical condition and required surgery. The other died on the way to the hospital. Two IDF soldiers were lightly injured as well.

Prime Minister Netanyahu was very clear on this: “We will not let [residents] interfere with IDF soldiers’ duty to carry out their missions.”

While IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot declared, “It’s inconceivable that IDF soldiers and [Syrian] wounded are attacked by Israeli citizens.”

Inconceivable, but it happened. General Eisenkot has called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/several-injured-as-druze-attack-idf-ambulance-carrying-syrians/

Sheikh Moafaq Tarif, religious leader of the Druze community in Israel, lamented that, “This is not our way, and we are hurting over the criminal act done by lawbreakers, and call on authorities to act.” He will be calling a meeting of Druze leadership to discuss the matter.

This attack was actually the second of its kind in 24 hours, although the earlier attack had less serious consequences. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4671371,00.html

The charge by the Druze is that Israel is treating and sheltering jihadis from the Nusra Front who threaten their fellow Druze inside of Syria.

IDF spokesman Motti Almoz said Israel “has not provided aid to the Nusra Front over the past four years, since the civil war in Syria began…

“We help wounded Syrians who arrive at our border and give them medical treatment.” http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-denies-treating-syrian-jihadis-after-druze-attack-ambulance/

A bit of background on the Druze situation: Druze policy (or ideology, perhaps) requires them to be loyal to the authority of the area in which they live. Most of the Druze inside of Israel are loyal Israelis and deeply Zionistic; many serve in the IDF. There is, for example, Col. Rasan Alian (below), first Druze commander of the Golani Brigades. After being seriously wounded last year, he could not wait to get back to his men.

Yossi Zeliger/Flash 90

And MK (Likud) Ayoub Kara, who boasts that he is more Zionist than the Jews.

Some in the Golan, however, express ambivalence. Before Israel took the Golan in 1967, they were loyal to Assad, and those still in Syria have remained so. Some on the border, on the Israeli side, are fearful that Israel might yet relinquish the Golan, and so have been uneasy about assuming Israeli citizenship; they are tacitly loyal to Assad.

Yesterday I spoke with one of my key analysts – an Arab speaking Israeli journalist with significant knowledge of what is going on in the Arab world. It is his opinion that Israel absolutely should not get involved inside of Syria in order to protect the Druze. What Israel should do, he says, is provide them with the weaponry that will allow them to defend themselves.

If Assad goes, they will find it near impossible to shift loyalty to jihadis, even if they should wish to do so, he tells me. For these extremists would demand they follow their Islamic line. (The Druze religion is syncretic and not shared readily with outsiders.) By default, Druze loyalties would become pro-Israel, he predicts.

As to Israel providing a safe zone in Syria, at the Golan border, he points out with some logic that a good part of Syria would run to be in that safe zone, not just Druze, and Israel would be left with an untenable situation. Israel should thus not rush to institute such a zone now, he believes, but rather consider doing it slowly and judiciously, and with Jordanian cooperation.

Speaking of loyalty: how about on the part of all those in the Knesset?

Israel is facing the possibility of another flotilla incident. Like we need this now. In May, a trawler, the Marianne of Gothenburg, carrying a small crew, left from Sweden – the first in what is said to be a flotilla in formation. It has been stopping at a number of ports before heading for Gaza, and at some point is supposed to be joined by three or four other ships.

Credit: demotix

Overtly declaring intention of trying to break Israel’s sea blockade of Gaza (a fully legal blockade); the organizers of the flotilla are seeking as much international press attention as they can garner. They may be carrying some minimal supplies (ostensibly solar panels and medical supplies), but I think they have more or less abandoned the charade that their action is about bringing “humanitarian assistance” to the people of Gaza. (Note: large quantities of humanitarian aid and other supplies enter Gaza from Israel routinely via land crossing points.)

Said Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon, “if the so-called helpful Gaza flotillas were really interested in the welfare of the population in Gaza, they would send their aid via Israel. The fact that they insist on a flotilla demonstrates this is an unnecessary provocation.”

Israel has already declared unequivocally that the boats of this flotilla will not be permitted to enter the territorial waters outside of Gaza: “The navy intends to treat the ships [of this flotilla] just as it would any vessel that tries to enter Israel’s territorial waters without authorization.”

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Arab-MK-to-join-third-Gaza-bound-flotilla-warns-Israel-not-to-intercept-it-406687

While understanding that other methods may be necessary, Israel is attempting to use diplomatic channels to stop the flotilla.

And the Israeli NGO Shurat Hadin -The Israel Law Center is approaching the issue in its own fashion. On Sunday Shurat Hadin’s president, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, sent a warning letter demanding that the Swedish bank Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (SEB) “cease providing financial services” to the groups Free Gaza and Ships to Gaza, which are “helping to arrange a flotilla to breach Israel’s lawful naval blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.” The letter noted that “SEB holds a maritime lien on the Marianne av Göteborg, the lead ship in the planned Gaza flotilla.”
That flotilla ship, continued the letter, “might be destroyed or confiscated” by the IDF and warned that the Stockholm-based bank “is at serious risk of losing its collateral: The boat.”

Such tactics have worked in the past.

What has caused a furor here in Israel is the announced intention of Arab MK (Balad) Basel Ghattas to join the flotilla. I believe the vessel is now docked in Palermo and will be moving on to Athens, and then heading towards the Gaza coast in just days.

Ghattas declared that those on board, including several others who are going to join him, will not be carrying weapons. But, “If the IDF wants to kill, then shoot.” As if the IDF routinely shoots unarmed persons. False bravado – words he wouldn’t dare utter to an authority that does shoot.

Any action to take over the vessel, warned Ghattas, would “complicate Israel with another international crisis.”

There are furious charges from members of the Knesset that Ghattas is a traitor and provocateur, along with demands that his Knesset immunity be lifted and that he be otherwise investigated.

What is happening here with Ghattas is a problem we have faced on several occasions, regarding Arab MKs who are not loyal to Israel and eager to utilize Israeli democracy to weaken our state.

And good news, which is so badly needed:

“Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute reported the results of their Personalized Nutrition Project. They discovered that bacteria in the stomach of different people reacts differently to the same food. Some even lost weight from ice cream and buttered bread.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/computer-algorithm-may-help-with-weight-loss/

“There is no sign of the Palestinian Authority’s BDS policy in Bethlehem. During Kay Wilson’s visit, she saw plenty of Israeli products in the supermarkets. She saw some Arabs driving cars that the rest of us could only dream of. Kay’s Facebook post went viral.”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/196806#.VYmOdZsVjIV

Seems Abbas is eager to promote BDS in order to weaken Israel, but not so eager so that he deprives Palestinian Arabs of Israeli products they seek.

“An Israeli-developed smart flight helmet will detect emergency situations in which pilots are about to lose consciousness, and take control of the plane in order to prevent disasters. Tel Aviv’s Lifebeam developed the Cannary system with sensors measuring the pilot’s vital signs.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/high-tech-israeli-helmet-will-prevent-flight-crashes/

© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner, functioning as an independent journalist. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution. If it is reproduced and emphasis is added, the fact that it has been added must be noted. See my website at www.arlenefromisrael.info Contact Arlene at akushner18@gmail.com

4.Arlene Kushner “Beyond” June 24, 2015

Beyond all comprehension.

Beyond what is remotely tolerable.

Integrity? This, of course, we cannot not speak of at all.

In the end, we can only speak of avarice and self-serving short-sightedness and just plain old fashioned evil.

I hadn’t planned to post today, as Legal Grounds work is calling to me. But I saw that I had no choice.

It is likely that most, if not all, of my readers, get the big picture, regarding the P5+1 negotiations with Iran: It is clear that Obama has caved again and again in his eagerness to strike a deal – thereby edging towards a dangerous situation for Israel, the US, and the world..

To fully comprehend the horror of what will be coming down the road if Obama has his way, we need to examine some of the details of the negotiations. They may seem complex –for there are many interlocking factors. But of course the details make all of the difference.

Please, my friends, walk through this with me.

End-time negotiations between P5+1 and Iran resumed in Vienna early in June. The deadline is supposed to be June 30, and the US said it will go only a few days beyond this.

Yesterday, Bloomberg View broke with a story by Josh Rogin and Eli Lake that revealed that “Iranian forces and US share a base in Iraq” (emphasis added):

“The U.S. military and Iranian-backed Shiite militias are getting closer and closer in Iraq, even sharing a base, while Iran uses those militias to expand its influence in Iraq and fight alongside the Bashar al-Assad regime in neighboring Syria.

“Two senior administration officials confirmed to us that U.S. soldiers and Shiite militia groups are both using the Taqqadum military base in Anbar, the same Iraqi base where President Obama is sending an additional 450 U.S. military personnel to help train the local forces fighting against the Islamic State. Some of the Iran-backed Shiite militias at the base have killed American soldiers in the past…

“Some inside the Obama administration fear that sharing the base puts U.S. soldiers at risk. The U.S. intelligence community has reported back to Washington that representatives of some of the more extreme militias have been spying on U.S. operations at Taqqadum, one senior administration official told us. That could be calamitous if the fragile relationship between the U.S. military and the Shiite militias comes apart and Iran-backed forces decide to again target U.S. troops…

“The U.S. gives weapons directly only to the Iraqi government and the Iraqi Security Forces, but the lines between them and the militias are blurry. U.S. weapons often fall into the hands of militias like Iraqi Hezbollah. Sometimes the military cooperation is even more explicit. Commanders of some of the hard-line militias sit in on U.S. military briefings on operations that were meant for the government-controlled Iraqi Security Forces, a senior administration official said.

“This collaboration with terrorist groups that have killed Americans was seen as unavoidable as the U.S. marshaled Iraqis against the Islamic State, but could prove counterproductive to U.S. interests in the long term, this official said.

“The U.S. government has sought and received formal assurances from the government of Iraq that the Shiite militias on the base would not interfere with American military personnel. But there’s widespread skepticism that the politicians in Baghdad exert any real control over the hard-line militias…

“’There’s no real command and control from the central government,’ one senior administration official said. ‘Even if these guys don’t attack us … Iran is ushering in a new Hezbollah era in Iraq, and we will have aided and abetted it’…

“With the deadline approaching for a nuclear deal that would place up to $150 billion in the hands of Iran, the U.S. is now openly acknowledging in its annual report on international terrorism that Iran is supporting a foreign legion, comprising Afghans, Iraqis and Lebanese fighters, to defend Iranian interests throughout the Middle East.

“But the U.S. response to this is inconsistent. In Iraq, America is fighting alongside Iranian-backed militias. In Syria, U.S.-supported forces are fighting against these same militias. The tragedy of this policy is that the Islamic State has been able to hold and expand its territory in Iraq and Syria, while Iran has been able to tighten its grip on Baghdad.” http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-06-22/iran-s-forces-and-u-s-share-base-in-iraq

OK, so we see from the article above how short-sighted, perverse, and – for lack of a better term – just plain stupid Obama’s plan to take on ISIS is. But we also begin to see how this ties into the negotiations. Actually, there are several factors.

“Iran is supporting a foreign legion, comprising Afghans, Iraqis and Lebanese fighters, to defend Iranian interests throughout the Middle East.”

What we are talking about here, folks, is Iranian hegemony in the Middle East. Iran has persistently refused to tie restrictions on that hegemony to the nuclear negotiations, and the US has bowed on this. There have been warnings about this again, and again, by many political analysts, but most persistently by Israel’s prime minister. But rest assured, Arab Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia are equally concerned about this.

Obama’s plans are fostering Iranian control over portions of the Middle East. In particular is this so with regard to US readiness to lift sanctions immediately after an agreement is signed. This will provide Iran with considerably more largesse with which to support its hegemony.

I circle back here for a moment to my mention of Saudi Arabia. Yesterday, Omni Ceren of The Israel Project wrote about Saudi concerns as they relate to Iranian hegemony:

“Everything – everything – relies on Saudi Arabia not nuclearizing in the aftermath of an agreement later this month. If the Saudis take a pass, then maybe a deal can hold for a time. If they purchase a weapon from Pakistan or build a bomb over the medium term, then no force in the world short of a military campaign could prevent the IRGC [Revolutionary Guard] from matching their capabilities. No one pretends that the Iranians will sit on the sidelines while the Saudis go nuclear. That scenario then becomes the worst of all worlds: the administration will have seeded a polynuclear Middle East, detonated Washington’s alliances with its traditional allies, and shredded the sanctions regime – and it won’t even have a denuclearized Iran to show for it.

“The Saudis have been very clear about their decision calculus: they’ll go nuclear not when Iran goes nuclear, but when Riyadh concludes that it’s inevitable that the Iranians will go nuclear. They’re not going to wait.”

And do not imagine for a second that fear of Iranian hegemony would be discounted by the Saudis as they calculate the necessity of going nuclear

All of this is sufficiently alarming in its own right. But here we have the kicker.

It seems there are a series of “secret annexes” that are being negotiated with Iran. This was first discussed at least two months ago:

“Negotiators working on a nuclear accord with Iran are discussing a secret annex that would contain detailed commitments by both sides, according to diplomats from three countries involved.” http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376-NM5XXH6VDKHS01-3R56CHB5PL4G02FMKHLSKDHEDU

Knowledgeable sources have suggested that the Iranians were demanding that an annex be negotiated that secured commitments from P5+1 that they would not work to take down the Iranian regime. And, as part of this demand, it has been suggested that this commitment would be interpreted broadly, so that P5+1 would be expected to refrain from interfering with Iranian hegemony as well.

It is regrettable in the extreme that the stuffed shirts sitting in Washington either do not comprehend or, more likely, just do not care what is going on here with regard to the breadth of Iranian intentions.

Now we have a breaking story by AP on the matter of annexes. This is how Omni Ceren describes it:

“The Associated Press got ahold of one of the five secret annexes being worked on ahead of a final deal between the P5+1 global powers and Iran. This one – titled ‘Civil Nuclear Cooperation’ – details a range of nuclear technology that various members of the P5+1 will be obligated to provide Iran, including ‘high-tech reactors and other state-of-the-art equipment.’ The draft that the AP saw wasn’t finalized, and so some of the concessions are subject to change.

“As the annex is written now, however, this is no longer a deal to stop the Iranian nuclear program. It’s a deal to let the Iranians perfect their nuclear program with international assistance and under international protection.”

Jennifer Rubin, writing in the Washington Post on this subject today, says: “A source at a pro-Israel group tells me, ‘This revelation is just more evidence that the emerging deal will not prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon but rather will facilitate it. Iran will gain a bonanza as it will receive billions in sanctions relief to fill its terrorist coffers while gaining expertise in perfecting its centrifuges in reactors to reduce break out time.’”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2015/06/24/two-more-iran-alarm-bells/

Are you sick to your stomach yet? Is steam coming out of your ears?

This is simply not a situation that can be permitted to persist. It falls to every right-thinking individual to stand up and be counted here. The need to stop this deal is of overwhelming importance.

It is possible that at the last moment the deal will be blocked by Britain and France, which, according to Agence France Presse yesterday, are saying that a final deal must include “a comprehensive verification scheme.”

But this cannot be relied upon.

A rally calling for Iran to be prevented from getting nuclear weapons will be held in Denver next Sunday at 2 p.m. on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol.

This is marvelous, but hardly enough. There must be a thousand such rallies held immediately. People need to raise their voices loudly enough so that they cannot be ignored.

Starting this very moment there must be messages sent out and letters to the editor written, as well as talkbacks on the Internet. Messages should go on websites and Facebook pages.

In all cases, the messages should speak of the incredible dangers inherent in the negotiations with Iran as they are evolving, and the need for everyone to speak up against them.

Please! contact your Senators and Congresspersons, for this is the key.

For your Congresspersons: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

For your Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Let them know that you are horrified by what is currently transpiring in the negotiations. Let them understand what their constituencies demand. Not only must the agreement be voted down – when Obama vetoes that vote, there must be sufficient votes to override the veto.

(If you have elected representatives who are already solidly on board for blocking the deal, praise them and ask them to stand strong.)

In all the messages you send out, on websites and all the rest, implore them to: Contact Congress without delay.

Please, share this as broadly as you can.

© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner, functioning as an independent journalist. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution. If it is reproduced and emphasis is added, the fact that it has been added must be noted. See my website at www.arlenefromisrael.info Contact Arlene at akushner18@gmail.com

5.Arlene Kushner “The Horrors and the Hope” June 29, 2015

Never do I relinquish hope, my friends. Not even in the midst of growing horrors. And so I begin here with something we did right: the way we handled the “threat” of the “Freedom Flotilla.”

The flotilla, carrying a total of 47 passengers, was comprised of four boats, lead by the largest – the Swedish-registered “Marianne of Gothenburg,” with some 20 passengers aboard. When all diplomatic efforts to re-route the flotilla failed, a political decision was made to stop it at sea. During the night last night, three Israeli navy boats approached the “Marianne” in international waters – some 100 nautical miles from shore – and in accordance with international law, repeatedly advised the lead boat to change course. When there was no compliance, the “Marianne” was surrounded; Navy commandos from Shayetet 13, the special forces unit of the Israeli Navy, boarded, seizing control of the boat without violence or incident.

The other three boats in the flotilla turned back. The “Marianne” will be brought to the port in Ashdod. After its crew and passengers are questioned, they will likely be deported via Ben Gurion Airport.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-navy-boards-ship-headed-for-gaza-no-injuries-reported/

Credit: YouTube Screenshot

The PR emanating from the pro-Palestinian Arab passengers and news sources sympathetic to them strikes me as parody. One passenger referred to the Israeli navy as “pirates.” and one news source explained that the “Marianne” was on a humanitarian voyage – carrying solar panels because “there is no electricity in the Gaza Strip.” Indeed there is electricity: and Israel supplies 70% of it! The pity is that there are some who believe this garbage.

Last night, a letter to the passengers of the “Marianne” from Prime Minister Netanyahu was released (emphasis added):

“Welcome to Israel.

“You seem to have gotten lost. Perhaps you meant to sail to a place not far from here – Syria where Assad’s army is slaughtering its people every day, and is supported by the murderous Iranian regime.

“Here in Israel we face a reality in which terrorist organizations like Hamas try to kill innocent civilians. We defend our citizens against these attempts in accordance with international law.

“Despite this, Israel transports goods and humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip – up to 800 trucks a day. In the past year we enabled the entry of over 1.6 million tons of products, an average of one ton per person in the Gaza Strip. By the way, these supplies are equivalent to 500,000 boats like the one you came in on today…

“However, we will not allow the terrorist organizations to transfer weapons into the Gaza Strip by sea. Only one year ago, we thwarted an attempt to smuggle hundreds of weapons into the Gaza Strip by ship. These weapons were meant to target innocent Israeli civilians.

“There is no siege on the Gaza Strip, and you are welcome to transfer any humanitarian supplies for the Gaza Strip through Israel.

“Barring the entrance of boats and ships into the Gaza Strip is in accordance with international law, and was even backed by a committee commissioned by the United Nations Secretary General.

“If you were truly concerned about human rights, you would not be sailing in support of a terrorist regime which summarily executes citizens in the Gaza Strip, and uses children as human shields.”

http://www.pmo.gov.il/English/MediaCenter/Spokesman/Pages/spokeYam290615.aspx

I thought this would be a good place to share the following fascinating piece of information, as well (emphasis added):

“Shop owners in the West Bank lament that it is impossible to boycott Israel, Jordan-based Albawaba news reported on Thursday.

“According to the report, Palestinian political party Al-Mubadra Al-Watniya, or the Palestinian National Initiative, has launched a campaign throughout Ramallah urging consumers to boycott Israeli products, as part of the larger international boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. Signs throughout Ramallah call on Palestinians to ‘boycott Israeli goods’ and to refuse to ‘pay for the bullets that kill our children.’

ADVERTISIN”

“But it appears locals are having difficulty accomplishing just that because of certain specialty goods that come from Israel. ‘Our gluten-free bread and lactose-free milk come from Israel,’ one Palestinian businessman said, according to the report.

“According to the report, most small grocers in Ramallah continue to sell Israeli goods, despite the active boycott movement.

“Pharmacist Samer Toubassi told Albawaba, ‘We’re with the boycott, but for many products we have no alternatives,’ adding that 40 to 50 percent of his medications come from Israel…

“’Palestinians do not have the technology to produce medicine that is used to treat cancer, problems with the immune system, or diabetes, for instance,’ said Toubassi.

“One Palestinian told the Jordanian paper that he would not boycott ‘the settlements’ — Jewish communities built on lands conquered by Israel in the defensive 1967 Six-Day War — because the settlements provide many Palestinians with work.

“’I don’t believe in boycotting. If we boycott settlement products, what about the Palestinians who work in the settlements?’ said Ramallah resident Mahmoud Jbbarin.

http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/06/26/palestinians-in-west-bank-its-impossible-to-boycott-israel/# How about that?

Then I want to return to the issue of the Druze in Syria, who were said to be threatened by Islamist rebels fighting Assad. Recently Israeli Druze demonstrated in large numbers, and appealed to the Israeli government to act to save their cousins across the border, who presumably were facing potential genocide because of their support for Assad.

Credit: AP/Ariel Schalit

Many here, sensitive to the issues of genocide, declared in support of acting to helping the Syrian Druze. There was discussion of the establishment of a “safe zone” on the Syrian side of the Golan, for example.

But the story has grown ever more complex since then, taking on different shadings every day or two.

As my readers may remember, Druze in the Israeli Golan attacked an IDF ambulance that was bringing two Syrians to a hospital for care – one Syrian died and the other was left in critical condition. This was a situation that was by all measures unacceptable and had the effect of shifting attitudes here in Israel. Civilians in Israel (many but not all Israeli citizens) cannot attack an IDF ambulance under any circumstances, or otherwise interfere with an IDF mission.

The Druze in the Golan were charging that the Syrians who were attacked were rebels belonging to groups that threatened the Syrian Druze. Israeli officials said that we help Syrian individuals – presumably civilians, who have been injured in cross-fighting – and that Israel does not directly support the Nusra Front. How it is determined who is a civilian was not made clear.

All this by way of background. Five days ago, Brig- Gen. (res.) Imad Fares, a Druze IDF officer who served in high positions, went public with a statement, saying that the Israeli defense establishment cannot and should not intervene in Syria (emphasis added):

“If we can be mature and accept this point, it will be easier for us to understand the complicated nature of the situation.
“It is not a correct or realistic request, and I think that intervention must be coordinated with the side receiving the support, and therefore intervention with an Israeli stamp of approval is unacceptable, will not happen, and there is no mutual interest, making it useless to think about.

“…the Druse in Syria also won’t want Israel to intervene on their behalf. The Syrian Druse, let’s be honest, identify with the Assad regime. Their continued survival is also dependent on other alliances which won’t necessarily be helped by joining with Israel.”

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Former-Senior-army-official-The-IDF-cannot-intervene-in-Syrias-war-406914

Quite a departure from the original statements we were hearing, and makes a great deal of sense.

I had reported on the analysis of one of my contacts, who had said that all Israel might do is send weapons to the Syrian Druze so that they can better defend themselves. The weapons should go through Jordan, he told me: This would be so that they were not readily identified as having come from Israel. And this dovetails with what Fares said.

Now there is yet another take on the situation, which is what prompted me to revisit it (emphasis added):

“Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Monday that Israel has been providing aid to Syrian rebels, thus keeping the Druze in Syria out of immediate danger. Israeli officials have previously balked at confirming on the record that the country has been helping forces that are fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“During a briefing with Israel’s diplomatic correspondents at the IDF’s headquarters in Tel Aviv, Ya’alon said that Israel’s ongoing humanitarian assistance to Syrian rebel fighters, a source of growing conflict between Israel and its own Druze population, safeguards the minority population in Syria.

“’We’ve assisted them under two conditions,’ Ya’alon said of the Israeli medical aid to the Syrian rebels, some of whom are presumably fighting with al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad. ‘That they don’t get too close to the border, and that they don’t touch the Druze.’”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/yaalon-syrian-rebels-keeping-druze-safe-in-exchange-for-israeli-aid/ Not the same story we started with..

It is no secret that the Israeli government tends to see the radicals such as Nusra Front as the lesser of the evils in Syria (a lesser evil, not as dangerous, but this does not mean an ally), with the first goal being to see Assad – the puppet of Iran – taken down.

The horrors I refer to in my subject line? Very real and growing daily.

There has been a series of terrorist killings in a host of different venues over the last few days that boggle the mind with their horror and inhumanity. Perhaps I will return to deal with them in greater detail. Perhaps not. The beheading, the drownings, all the rest. Not sure if it serves purpose to dwell on the details (although threats to France must be mentioned).

What strikes me, again and again, is a perversity so great that it makes it difficult to take a breath: Israel has been charged by the UN with possible war crimes for defending herself in Gaza. Israeli leaders in turn may be charged with war crimes by the ICC (if Abbas has his way – and this I must return to). Israel! When we are surrounded by beheadings, and rapes of six year olds, and all the rest.

There is incredible unrest and insecurity in the EU, starting with Greece, but not ending there. Along with fiscal instability, there are problems of large numbers of Muslim refugees flooding into Europe. This must be watched carefully.

And, of course, what I must return to in detail is the perennial subject of the negotiations with Iran. As matters stand now, the deadline – that’s tomorrow! – will not be met. Netanyahu declares himself pleased that no deal is likely to be signed, because he knows it would be an awful deal. It can still be improved, he cautions. But this is a pipe dream, not reality. Each day, as I see it, the situation is worse, not better. The negotiators of P5+1 are not going to suddenly discover they have backbones.

The best case scenario that I can envision (I guess also a pipe dream) is that P5+1 tells Iran, we have given you more than enough time and you have not cooperated in good faith. Negotiations are now declared failed. This would mean, this should mean, the imposition of the stiffest of sanctions, to bring Iran to its knees, backed by a credible military threat if Iran pursues further military nuclear development.

I have just read that Dennis Ross, formerly an advisor to Obama on Iran, says it would be reasonable to negotiate for another three to six months. This is daft. Obama cannot bear to say the negotiations failed, so concedes more and more to keep them going. (Boy, do the Iranians have his number!) In 6 months, he’d probably be sending hi-tech advisors into Iran to help them.

© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner, functioning as an independent journalist. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution. If it is reproduced and emphasis is added, the fact that it has been added must be noted. See my website at www.arlenefromisrael.info Contact Arlene at akushner18@gmail.com

6.Arlene Kushner “Facing Down Violence” July 2, 2015

As has become my practice of late, I’m going to start with a good news item, saving the somber stuff for later. Here we have a brief video that should put a smile on your face and a touch of hope in your heart:

https://www.facebook.com/mirilavi/videos/10154126499312715/

We had better hold fast to that hope, because there’s a whole lot that is very ugly facing us at the same time. In recent weeks, we have seen an increase in the number of attacks in Judea and Samaria, and Jerusalem:

[] Early last week, outside the Damascus Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem, a terrorist critically stabbed a border police officer in the neck and chest. The officer, in spite of his wounds, managed to shoot the terrorist before collapsing.

Credit: flikr

[] Last Saturday night, terrorists shot at a civilian ambulance traveling on a road adjacent to Beit El, in Samaria. Bullets hit the vehicle, but thank Heaven no one was injured.

[] Then Monday, a woman soldier at a checkpoint outside of Rachel’s Tomb, which is near Bethlehem in Judea, was stabbed in the neck several times by a knife-wielding female terrorist. The soldier (shown below with the prime minister and minister of defense) was seriously wounded but has stabilized.

Credit: GPO

The terrorist was found to be carrying two knives in addition to the one she used. She told the Shin Bet that she had come to that checkpoint to kill a soldier.

[] This was followed by another incident Monday night, when terrorists fired upon a car near Shvut Rachel, in the Binyamin area of Samaria. Four people were wounded, one critically. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/197464#.VZU005sVjIV

The young man who was critically injured in the Shvut Rachel attack, Malachi Rosenfeld, 26, of Kochav Hashachar, succumbed to his wounds the following day. At his funeral, yesterday, his father sang a heart-rending song of faith:

“Even in the most concealed?? of concealed?? moments, certainly? G-d, blessed be He`1, is also found there.

“Even behind the most difficult things that happen to you, He (still) stands, He stands – and we will stand, we will stand with G-d.”

Once again, I am awed by the strength of a grieving parent.

The video: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/197557#.VZVv_JsVjIV

And what is thought to be the reason for this increase in violence?

Ramadan.

That is, the Islamic holy month that we are in the midst of right now. Fasting is required from sunup to sundown. This is supposed to be a time for spirituality and introspection, traditionally marking the receiving of the Koran by Muhammad.

However, Ramadan is typically accompanied by increased violence (called Ramadan rage), including Muslim on Muslim violence and a spike in crimes. There are different explanations I’ve encountered, but the most frequent one is that the day-time fasting repeated day after day takes a toll on the body and makes people respond more irritably.

My thought: there is irritable and then there is violent. Physical stress leads to violence in this context, it seems to me, because we are talking about an essentially violent culture.

And what does Israel institute before the beginning of Ramadan? “Good will gestures,” such as removing checkpoints to make it easier for people to get the Temple Mount for prayers. There was even a decision to allow buses from Ramallah and Bethlehem to take people straight to the Old City.

Isn’t that nice of us?

Are we crazy?

Because of rockets launched from Gaza recently, a decision to allow 500 Arabs from Gaza to travel to the Temple Mount over Ramadan was revoked.

Now Minister Naftali Bennett is calling on Netanyahu to “cancel the exemptions granted to the Palestinians for Ramadan as they have become life threatening…Bayit Yehudi will not ignore the murder of Jews.”

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4675282,00.html

I totally concur with him here. And so do a majority of Israelis, according to a recent poll: 51% want to remove leniencies for Palestinian Arabs with regard to their freedom of movement.

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Poll-Majority-wants-to-remove-leniencies-on-Palestinians-407870

I find that members of Habayit Hayehudi – Bennett and others – most frequently advance positions that project clarity regarding our need to protect ourselves.

Minister Uri Ariel called on the prime minister to take more stringent action in the face of terror: “The terrorist organizations must receive the message that the blood of Israeli citizens, especially residents of Judea and Samaria, cannot be shed with impunity.”

And MK Bezalel Smotrich declared, “Too many steps have been taken to improve the lives of the Palestinian population at the expense of Israeli citizens.”

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Bayit-Yehudi-threatens-coalition-crisis-over-terror-attack-407719

And yet there is something else Bennett said that troubles me:

He called for government approval “for construction in Judea and Samaria and strengthening of the settlements.”

Clearly, I am not opposed to construction in Judea and Samaria. But this should be advanced as a matter of right, and not presented after terror attacks as a sort of retribution. Building as a punishment for terror gives the wrong message.

Egypt yesterday endured an enormous blow when an affiliate of ISIS, located in the northern Sinai, attacked in at least 15 different locations simultaneously, killing some 100 people, including 50 security personnel.

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Egyptian-security-sources-At-least-30-killed-in-Sinai-terror-attacks-407664

Egypt’s battle is hardly over yet, and what goes on in the Sinai impinges directly on Israel: ISIS is at our door. We are solidly with Egypt in this fight, and have given permission for Egyptian forces in excess of what is permitted by treaty to enter the Sinai.

There are indications that radical forces in Gaza are cooperating with ISIS, and there are weighty ramifications in this regard as well.

The Israeli borders with the Sinai and Gaza have been closed.

Hamas is known to be attempting to rebuild its strength in Judea and Samaria, after it was severely weakened by the IDF last summer. In recent comments, Defense Minister Ya’alon confirmed this fact, saying that Hamas had outside support, including from Iran:

“There’s Iranian funding. [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei has declared that terrorists in Judea and Samaria must be funded and armed.”

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=26605

© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner, functioning as an independent journalist. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution. If it is reproduced and emphasis is added, the fact that it has been added must be noted.See my website at www.arlenefromisrael.info Contact Arlene at akushner18@gmail.com