2.Obama’s lies about Iran framework agreement by Shoula Romano Horing
Op-ed: After failing desperately for months to convince Iranians to agree to any concessions on an interim nuclear deal, its seems US president and secretary of state decided to create something from nothing and to sell it to all as if Iran agrees to it.
It is a sad moment in American history when the supreme leader of the Islamic dictatorship of Iran is much more believable than US President Barack Obama.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was correct when he said on April 9 that the White House was lying about what the Americans call a framework agreement regarding the Iranian nuclear program.

Obama is untruthful when he repeatedly claims that Iran has agreed to a detailed and comprehensive nuclear framework agreement. Iran has never signed or agreed to the framework agreement. The framework agreement, with its many specific numbers, productions limits and specific deadlines, is an Obama and Kerry wish list of their own best case scenario of a futuristic agreement.

Two documents were produced in Switzerland on April 2. The first document is a detailed US fact sheet titled, “Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program,” which the Americans refer to as “The Framework Agreement,” which Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and the media have repeatedly discussed.

Nuclear talks in Lausanne. The framework agreement, with its many specific numbers, productions limits and specific deadlines, is an Obama and Kerry wish list of their own best case scenario of a futuristic agreement (Photo: AP)

The second document is a thin, page and a half statement read jointly by European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, which lacked any of the details, numbers, and deadlines mentioned in the framework agreement. Those two documents contradict each other on many points and reveal Obama and Kerry’s dangerous lies.

As David Ignatius, a well- known columnist for the Washington Post, wrote: “The late-night sessions and threats to break off the talks weren’t enough to get Iran to commit formally to the terms the United States laid out in a meticulous, four-page list of ‘parameters’ for a binding ‘joint comprehensive plan.’ The Iranians instead postponed that sign-off to another day, after the final, final negotiations.” He concluded that the framework agreement “looks like a pretty good deal. I just wish it were signed.”

It seems that after failing desperately for months to convince the Iranians to agree to any concessions on an interim nuclear deal, Kerry and Obama decided to create something from nothing and to sell it to all as if the Iranians agree to it.

Sadly, the majority of the world, including the US and Israeli media, lacking any journalistic integrity, chose to trust and adopt the Obama and Kerry version and applauded it as a detailed, comprehensive and “better than expected deal,” while ignoring the Iranian version.

On April 2, an hour or so after Obama began distributing the framework agreement, calling it “an historic understanding with Iran,” Zarif, the main Iranian negotiator, contradicted the Americans in several posts on Twitter.

“There is no need to spin using ‘fact sheets’ so early on,” he wrote in one. In another tweet, he suggested that sanctions would have to be lifted far earlier than one might think listening to Kerry, saying that ,in essence, all the economic sanctions would be lifted once a final agreement was signed. At another point, Zarif cautioned that no one had signed anything in Lausanne, Switzerland and “nobody has obligations now” and that would come after a final agreement.

Even the New York Times, two days after applauding Obama’s efforts, had to acknowledge that “one problem is that there are two versions. …which have raised the question of whether the two sides are entirely on the same page, especially on the question of how quickly sanctions are to be removed.”

The New York Times reported that “Obama administration officials insist that there is no dispute on what was agreed behind closed doors. But to avoid time-consuming deliberations on what would be said publicly, the two sides decided during Wednesday’s all-night discussions that each would issue its own statement,” and that “American officials acknowledge that they did not inform the Iranians in advance of all the ‘parameters’ the United States would make public in an effort to lock in progress made so far, as well as to strengthen the White House’s case against any move by members of Congress to impose more sanctions against Iran.”

Ironically, even setting the Iranian version aside, the Obama’s version is a very bad and weak deal. The framework will leave in place the Iranian nuclear program including all their nuclear facilities and the underground facilities they build illicitly as well as thousands of spinning centrifuges which are enriching uranium. But comparing it to the Iranian version is much more telling about the likely final deal.

The framework discuses in 17 sentences the different plans and procedures of inspections and transparency of all of Iran’s nuclear facilities and all elements of its nuclear chain for 25 years and different bans on Iranian reprocessing of uranium, plutonium and building reactors. But the Iranian version only states in one general sentence that “the International Atomic Energy Agency will be permitted the use of modern technologies and will have announced access through agreed procedures including to clarify past and present issues.”

The framework discusses the suspension of US and EU sanctions and the convoluted “snap back” provision that would allow sanctions to be re imposed if Iran were found to be cheating. But the Iranian version talks in great detail only about the “termination” of all nuclear related sanctions by both the EU and the US simultaneously once the initial compliance of future agreed terms is verified by IAEA and the “snap back” is not mentioned.

In reality, the Iranians could start cheating the moment the sanctions are lifted and will be able to begin building a bomb immediately. Contrary to Obama’s spin, both documents do not even mention a gradual lifting of sanctions.

It is quite pathetic that the president, for the sake of achieving any foreign policy success, has been willing to blatantly lie about such a dangerous issue and it is worrisome as to what will he be willing to do and say when he needs to finalize the deal by June 30.

Consequently, the American Congress and public should not trust such an untrustworthy and desperate for a deal president. The Democrats and Republicans in the Congress must insist on reviewing and verifying any future final deal to guarantee its authenticity, validity and enforceability.

Moreover, if the Iranians had a problem agreeing to an interim agreement, it is doubtful that they will agree to any final deal unless it includes all their demands. Those Democrats and American Jews who encourage the president to use the months ahead to forge a much tougher and more effective final agreement are delusional.

The framework is the best and toughest deal the US will ever get. The final agreement will be much weaker. Diplomatic negotiations in the Middle East are not much different than bargaining in a Middle East bazaar. You always restart from the most recent diplomatic concessions of your enemy in the previous negotiation. Many eager Israeli governments on the left experienced such endless and fruitless negotiations with the Palestinians.

Obama, by lying so effortlessly, showcased his desperation, untrustworthiness, and weakness. Now the Iranians will exploit it even more to get further concessions or continue endless negotiations while finishing building the bomb. Shoula Romano Horing is an attorney. Her blog can be found here: www.shoularomanohoring.com .

 
Israel and Middle East news, analysis, and commentary.Top of Form

3.A Matter of Priority-The Jonathan Pollard Case [Hamodia] [ Pub: April 22, 2015

Jonathan Pollard –
10,745 days in prison!

Summary … US Jewish leaders blew it recently when what was a rare opportunity to ask the US president face-to-face to release Jonathan Pollard, they didn’t even consider the matter as being a priority.

When President Obama held back-to-back meetings with leaders of major Jewish organizations and Jewish supporters — including major political contributors — it would have been the perfect opportunity for them to plead with the president about something that ought to have been at the very top of the list of priorities.

Tragically, it wasn’t.

After the meetings, it became apparent that not a single one of the more than 30 Jewish individuals present at the meetings rose to the occasion. The president had invited them to the White House in order to try to alleviate the deeply rooted concerns within the Jewish community about the deal with Iran, and to convince them that he values his relationship with American Jewry and shares their concerns about the safety of Israel and the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

We can only imagine what would have occurred had these organizational leaders and advocates decided to use the rare opportunity of a face-to-face meeting with the president to actually do something important and meaningful.

We can only imagine the enormous unity that would have occurred had they responded by saying: “Mr. President, since you are seeking to assure us all that you are sensitive to our concerns and truly dedicated to having a strong and productive relationship with both American Jewry and the people of Israel, we ask you to make a concrete gesture to this effect.

“Mr. President, the best assurance that Israel and the American Jewish community are indeed protected and favorably considered by your administration is the dispensation of equal justice. Don’t just tell us you care. Please, show us. End the travesty of justice perpetrated on an Israeli agent who has been sitting in an American prison for a grossly disproportionate 30 years, with no respite. Release Jonathan Pollard and send him home to Israel. That will reassure us more than all the fine words and expressions of solidarity that we are hearing now. Thank you, Mr. President.”

We will never know what the president’s response would have been, since, sadly, that request wasn’t made.

What we do know is that a perfect opportunity for a significant act of hishtadlus for pidyon shevuyim was missed.

Jonathan Pollard

For the past few years, the Bureau of Prisons had indicated a “30-year mandatory release date” of November 2015 for Pollard. However, in a recent written communication, the Parole Commission blatantly indicated to Jonathan that this date isn’t automatic, and there is every likelihood that they will insist he serve 45 years to natural life, Rachmana litzlan.

In the coming months, the U.S. government will lay down its final position on whether it will finally relent and grant him parole. Therefore, the next weeks and months are vital in the effort to obtain his release.

As readers of Hamodia are well aware, it is now clear to every intelligent observer that the reason Jonathan is still in prison isn’t because of what he did three decades ago. No one else who did what he did has served anything near the term that Jonathan already has.

[Klaus Fuchs, who sold valuable, important atomic bomb secrets to the Russians, — allowing them to finally create their own bombs — was only given a 14 year sentence, which was later reduced to nine years. He is considered by many to be one of the most dangerous spies in world history—ed]

He [Jonathan] is still in jail because of who he is and whom he tried to help.

In every generation, it was our willingness to be moser nefesh on behalf of our brethren that earned us the respect of governments the world over. It seems almost inconceivable that a people — which on numerous occasions, through the strength of unity and determination rescued Jews from the claws of vicious dictatorships — should lose its courage and remain silent when it comes to ending a travesty being perpetrated by a malchus shel chessed.

We are privileged to live in a democracy, where we are expected to speak up against acts of injustice, especially one of such magnitude. Those who prefer to sweep the tragic saga of Jonathan Pollard under the political rug are essentially making a mockery of the Jewish people in the eyes of the nations.

With the exception of the handful of individuals who have worked tirelessly on Jonathan’s behalf for many years, all of us are at fault for what happened last week in the White House. For far too long, we as a community have largely remained silent while this sacred mitzvah of pidyon shevuyim has been relegated to the back burner for the sake of political correctness.

The day will come that each and every one of us will be asked: A Jew named Yehonoson ben Malka sat in an American prison because he was a Jew. What did you do to help him see the light of freedom?

At that moment of truth, no excuses will be accepted.

As Jews, we are cognizant of the fact that ultimately we will be judged not by our successes but by how hard we tried. It is imperative that all of us do our part to end this terrible injustice and obtain freedom for one of our own.

We must not only extensively lobby every elected official who can possibly sway the president, but must also place pressure on the leadership of Jewish organizations and make it clear that the sacred obligation of pidyon shevuyim for Jonathan Pollard must be at the very top of their priority list.

[Emphasis and image added] [You can write to Jonathan Pollard at: Jonathan Pollard, #09185-016, c/o FCI Butner, P.O. Box 1000, Butner, NC 27509-1000; You can also visit the website set-up for him, which includes the facts of the case and other important materials.—ed]

4.Who Can Count the Dust of Jacob by Daniel Greenfield

Posted: 21 Apr 2015 08:20 PM PDT

“Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the seed of Israel.” Numbers 23:10
The sun sets above the hills. The siren cries out and on the busy highways that wend among the hills, the traffic stops, the people stop, and a moment of silence comes to a noisy country.
Flags fly at half mast, the torch of remembrance is lit, memorial candles are held in shaking hands and the country’s own version of the Flanders Field poppy, the Red Everlasting daisy, dubbed Blood of the Maccabees, adorns lapels. And so begins the Yom HaZikaron, Heroes Remembrance Day, the day of remembrance for fallen soldiers and victims of terror– Israel’s Memorial Day.

What is a memorial day in a country that has always known war and where remembrance means adding the toll of one year’s dead and wounded to the scales of history. A country where war never ends, where the sirens may pause but never stop, where each generation grows up knowing that they will have to fight or flee. To stand watch or run away. It is not so much the past that is remembered on this day, but the present and the future. The stillness, a breath in the warm air, before setting out to climb the slopes of tomorrow.
Who can count the dust of Jacob. And yet each memorial day we count the dust. The dust that is a fraction of those who have fallen defending the land for thousands of years. Flesh wears out, blood falls to the earth where the red daisies grow, and bone turns to dust. The dust blows across the graves of soldiers and prophets, the tombs of priests hidden behind brush, the caverns where forefathers rest in sacred silence, laid to rest by their sons, who were laid to rest by their own sons, generations burying the past, standing guard over it, being driven away and returning each time.
On Memorial Day, the hands of memory are dipped in the dust raising it to the blue sky. A prayer, a whisper, a dream of peace. And the wind blows the candles out. War follows. And once again blood flows into the dust. A young lieutenant shading his eyes against the sun. An old man resting with his family on the beach. Children climbing into bed in a village on a hilltop. And more bodies are laid to rest in the dust. Until dust they become.
In this land, the Maker of Stars and Dust vowed to Abraham that his children would be as many as the dust of the earth and the stars of heaven. In their darkest days, they would be as the dust. But there is mercy in the numberless count of the dust. Mercy in not being able to make a full count of the fallen and remaining ignorant of that full measure of woe. Modern technologies permit us terrible estimates. Databanks store the names of millions; digital cemeteries of ghosts. But there is no counting the dust. And when we walk the length and breadth of the land, as the Maker told Abraham to do, it the dust that supports our feet, we walk in the dust of our ancestors.
Some new countries are built to escape from the past, but there is no escaping it in these ancient hills. IDF soldiers patrol over ground once contested by empires, tread over spearheads and the wheels of chariots buried deep in the earth. The Assyrians and the Babylonians came through here in all their glory. Greek and Roman soldiers and mercenaries pitted themselves against the handful of Judeans who came out of the Babylonian exile. The Ottoman and the Arab raged here, and Crusader battering rams and British Enfield rifles still echo in the quiet hills.
Here in the silence of remembrance the present is always the past and the sky hangs like a thin veil fluttering against the future. The believers cast their prayers out of their mouths against the veil. The soldiers cast their lives and their hearts. And still the future flutters above, like the sky near enough to touch, but out of reach. Beneath it, the sky-blue flag, the stripe of the believer’s shawls adorned with the interlocked star of the House of David.
Can these bones live, the Lord asks Ezekiel. And generations, after each slaughter, they come again, the descendants of the dead to reclaim the hills of their ancestors. Rising like the red flowers out of the soil. Like the bones out of the earth. They come up as slaves out of Egypt and out of the captivity of empires, their tongues as numberless as the earth. Here they come again to set up kingdoms and nations. And there in shadows on the dust, a handful of men fight off a legion; swords, spears and rifles in hand they face down impossible odds. They fight and die, but they go on.
The calendar itself is a memorial. Israel’s Memorial Day, Independence Day and Lag BaOmer; the commemoration of the original Yom Yerushalayim, the brief liberation of Jerusalem from the Romans, still covertly remembered in bonfires and bows shot into the air, all in a season that begins with Passover, the exodus that set over a million people off on a forty-year journey to return to the homeland of their forefathers.

The battles today are new, but they are also very old. The weapons are new, but the struggle is the same. Who will remain and who will be swept away. Some 3,000 years ago, Judge Jephthah and the King of Ammon were exchanging messages not too different from those being passed around as diplomatic communiques today. The King of Ammon demanding land for peace and the Judge laying out the Israeli case for the land in a message that the enemy would hardly trouble to read before going to war.
Take a stray path in these hills and you may find a grinning terrorist with a knife, or the young David pitting his slingshot against a lion or bear. This way the Maccabees rush ahead against the armies of a slave empire and this way a helicopter passes low overhead on the way to Gaza. Time is a fluid thing here. And what you remember; you shall find.
The soldier is not so sacred as he once was. The journalist and the judge have taken his place. The actors sneer from their theaters. The politicians gobble their free food and babble of peace. Musicians sing shrilly of flowers in gun barrels and doves everywhere. But the soldier still stands where he must.

The borders have shrunk. The old victories have been exchanged for diplomatic defeats. From the old strongholds come missiles and rockets. And children hide in bomb shelters waiting for the worst to pass. This is the doing of the journalist and the judge, the politician and the actor, the lions of literature who send autographed copies of their books to imprisoned terrorists and the grandchildren of great men who hire themselves on in service to the enemy.
The man who serves is still sacred, but the temple of duty is desecrated more and more each year. Leftist academics dismiss the heroes of the past as myths or murderers. Their wives dress in black and harass soldiers at checkpoints, their children wrap their faces in Keffiyas and throw stones at them. Draft dodging, once a black mark of shame, has become a mark of pride among the left. Some boast about how easy it is, others enlist only to then refuse to serve. They call themselves Refusniks , accepting the Soviet view of Israel as an illegitimate warmongering state, but laying claim to the name of the Zionists who fought to escape the Soviet Union.
Some are only afraid, but some are filled with hate. They have looked into a twisted mirror and drunk of the poisoned wine. They have found their Inner Cain and go now to slay their brothers with words.
How shall I curse whom G-d has not cursed, asks Balaam. But the King of Moab is determined to have his curses anyway. And today it is to the UN that they come to for curses. The Arab lands boil with blood, but resolution after resolution follows damning Israel. China squats on the mountains of Tibet, Russian government thugs throw dissidents out of windows and Saudi firefighters push girls back into a burning building. And still the resolutions against Israel come like curses.
In a land built on memory, it is possible not to remember, but it is impossible to entirely forget. A war of memories comes. A war for the dust. Is this a day of remembrance or a day of shame? Were those men who fought and died for Judea and Samaria, for the Golan and Jerusalem, for every square inch of land when the armies of Arab dictators came to push them into the sea, heroes or villains? Were Nasser, Hussein, Saddam, Arafat, Gaddafi, Assad and the House of Saud the real heroes all along? The tiny minority of 360 million pitted against the overwhelming majority of 6 million.

Yet though men may forget, the dust remembers. And the men return to it. For some four thousand years they have done it. And they shall do it again. For He who has made men of the dust and made worlds of the dust of stars does not forget. As the stars turn in whirling galaxies and the dust flies across the land, so the people return to the land. And though they forget, they remember again. For the dust is the memory of ages and the children shall always return to the dust of their ancestors.
In the cities, towns and villages– the dead are remembered. Those who died with weapons in their hands and those who just died. Men, women and children. Drops of blood cast to the dust, reborn as flowers on lapels. Reborn as memory.
All go to one place, said King Solomon, all that lives is of the dust, and all returns to the dust. There is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his works. And so memorial day precedes the day of independence. That we rejoice in that which those who sleep in the dust have died to protect. The skyscrapers and the orchards, the sheep ranches and the highways, the schools and the synagogues.

For they who drained the swamps and built the roads, who held guard over the air and built the cities, may not have lived to see their works. But we rejoice in their works for them. And a new generation rises to watch over their dust and tend the works that they have built. Until the day when He that counts the dust of Jacob shall count them all, and the land shall stir, and in the words of Daniel, they that sleep in dust shall arise, and then rejoice with us.

Daniel Greenfield is a New York City based writer and blogger and a Shillman Journalism Fellow of the David Horowitz Freedom Center.

[From Gail: This is graphic ‘prose’. Read with caution & perhaps a stiff drink by your side – if only natural fruit juice!]

5.Inside the Mind of a Jihadist by Soeren Kern http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/5587/jihadist-mind April 22, 2015 at 5:00 am

“There is global unanimity that jihad is an obligation.” — Mohamed Hamdouch.

“My convictions emanate from what Allah said: You must kill the non-believers, regardless of whether they are Muslims or atheists.“ — Mohamed Hamdouch.

“Beheading is permitted in Islam. I recommend you read the Suras [chapters] of Al-Anfal (8), At-Tawbah (9) and Mohammed (47).” — Mohamed Hamdouch.

“I swear by the name of Allah, this is not violence. We are defending our religion.” — Mohamed Hamdouch.

A Spanish woman married to a Moroccan jihadist has given birth to the first Spanish citizen born in the Islamic State.

The child’s father, 28-year-old Mohamed Hamdouch, is notorious for his exceptional brutality and cruelty both on and off the battlefield. He is known in Spain as the “Beheader of Castillejas,” in recognition of his penchant for posting photographs of himself smiling while holding the decapitated heads of Syrian soldiers.

The child’s mother is Asia Ahmed Mohamed, a native of the North African Spanish exclave of Ceuta. She married Hamdouch after he gave her a suicide vest as a dowry.

Spanish nationality law stipulates that individuals born of a Spanish parent are Spaniards by birth, including those born in the Islamic State. At last count, more than 100 Spanish citizens have joined the Islamic State, including at least three women, which suggests that more Spanish “jihadi babies” may be on the way.

A new report by Spanish investigative journalist José María Gil Garre, who conducted a series of exclusive interviews with Hamdouch over the past year, offers a disturbing glimpse into the religious and ideological mindset of Hamdouch and his wife, whose commitment to jihad appear to be complete and total.

The report conveys a sense of the challenge ahead for Spain and other Western countries when faced with a generation of Western passport-holding jihadi parents who are — presumably — inculcating their “Western” children with fundamentally anti-Western values.

The report also shows how Western jihadists are justifying their brutality based on clear instructions found in the Koran and other Islamic writings. As such, the report effectively demolishes claims by U.S. President Barack Obama and other Western leaders that the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam.

Garre describes Hamdouch as one of the “most dark and contemptible” jihadists alive today who “consistently posts photographs of himself waving decapitated heads, crucifying men and later decapitating them, and videos showing tortures and murders of the utmost cruelty.”

Hamdouch — whose aliases are Abu Tasnim Al Magribi, Kokito Castillejas and Kokito Yu — hails from a poverty-stricken town in northern Morocco called Fnideq (Castillejas in Spanish) that is situated just two kilometers from Ceuta (which is Spanish territory).

Hamdouch is believed to have been recruited by Mustafá Maya Amaya, a Spanish convert to Islam who was born in Belgium but eventually settled in Melilla, another Spanish exclave in North Africa. Amaya was arrested in March 2014.

According to his parents, Hamdouch, who arrived in Syria in 2013, was radicalized through the Internet, where he discovered Takfirism, an offshoot of Salafism which is committed to an unwaveringly literal interpretation of the Koran and which condones acts of extreme violence to re-create the Islamic Caliphate.

In his report, Garre records the contents an interview in which he asked Hamdouch about the decapitations. Hamdouch replied:

“We have not come to kill civilians or Muslims. On the contrary, we have come to help Syrian Muslims and to ensure that our religion and our brothers triumph. We have come to implement Sharia law — it is our constitution — adopting a model of the Caliphate as according to the Prophet Mohammed. These decapitated heads belong to traitors and agents of the United States and Al Salul [a derogatory term for Saudi royalists], who receive help from the United States and countries in Europe and the Persian Gulf to ensure that the Islamic State does not extend in Iraq, Sham [greater Syria] and soon in Rome. We are fighting in Syria, but our eyes are fixed on Palestine.“

In another interview, Hamdouch elaborated:

“I am a Muslim. The first thing you need to do is learn. Islam is the best of all religions. Beheading is permitted in Islam. I recommend you read the Suras [chapters] of Al-Anfal (8), At-Tawbah (9) and Mohammed (47). If you read these Suras, you will see that Allah has authorized us to behead a certain category of individuals such as apostates and traitors, such as the ones we have executed.”

Hamdouch added:

“My convictions emanate from what Allah said: You must kill the non-believers, regardless of whether they are Muslims or atheists. We fight against all unbelievers, except for those who revert to Islam. These we will pardon because Allah is forgiving and merciful. Nevertheless, we will fight against anyone who opposes us, we will not pardon them. We will kill them immediately.”

Garre asked Hamdouch to comment on the notion that Islam does not condone the violence being perpetrated in Syria. Hamdouch replied:

“I swear by the name of Allah, this is not violence. We are defending our religion. The news media is against us. I swear by Allah, we are the most gentle and forgiving. We decided to fight so that there would be no more injustice. I am not sure if you know this, but the Islamic State has liberated thousands of prisoners, among them women, children and the elderly. Moreover, many women were raped in the prisons by Shiites and as a result they gave birth in the prisons.”

In another interview, Hamdouch cited Sura 9:24 of the Koran, which calls on all Muslims, men and women, to join the jihad. He said:

“There is global unanimity that jihad is an obligation, there is no need to obtain permission from parents. Wives are also obligated to offer themselves for jihad, without authorization from her spouse.”

When Garre asked Hamdouch about the Islamic State’s future goals, Hamdouch again stressed the primacy of “liberating” Palestine. “We are now focused on Palestine, later Europe and then the whole world, if Allah wills it.”

When asked if he planned to return to Morocco, Hamdouch said:

“Yes! I want to return. Not to live there, but to conquer. And not just Morocco, but the entire world. These are not my words, but the words of the prophet. Listen! This is my religion and I am very conscious of it. This is our Koran, which we consider to be our constitution. The fourth verse of the Sura of Mohammed states: ‘So when you meet those who disbelieve, strike their necks until you have subdued them. Therefore, slay them with all your strength.'”

After photographs emerged of Hamdouch waving the decapitated heads of five Syrian soldiers, Garre emailed Hamdouch.

Garre: “Kokito, don’t you want to talk to me? I’ve seen a photo of you with the decapitated heads of several men. You are a criminal. Your destiny will be in hell. Are you afraid to talk, or what?

Hamdouch: “I fear no one except for Allah! By means of terrorism we are going to reach you in Spain. We will also reach the United States.”

Hamdouch: “You have two options. Convert to Islam, and in this case you will be honored, or pay the tax of the humiliated [jizya]. If you refuse to accept one of these two options, our future relations will be bloody. It will be a relation that ends in your beheading.”

Garre: “You are a terrorist. You are a criminal. You are an apostate.”

Hamdouch: “And Israel is not terrorist? You will see that in the future Israel will be erased from the map of the world! First we will destroy all of those who protect Israel, such as Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. These countries are protecting Israel. They are Israeli dogs and have sold out Palestine.”

According to Garre, Hamdouch met his wife Asia through social media while she was trying to obtain information about her 19-year-old brother, Younes Ahmed Mohamed, who was killed on the battlefield, apparently sometime in early 2014. Hamdouch told her that her brother had died as a suicide bomber.

Asia and Hamdouch eventually were married by means of a religious ceremony in which she was physically present in Ceuta and he was in Syria. The marriage was apparently validated in Spain by means of a power of attorney. According to Garre, Asia arrived in Syria in June 2014 and the two settled down in al-Atareb, a strategic town in northern Syria. She gave birth to a son on March 15, 2015. He is the first Spanish citizen born in the Islamic State.

Garre asked Hamdouch if it is true that he gave his wife a suicide vest. Hamdouch replied: “Yes, it is true. The dowry was a suicide vest. It is what my wife requested.”

When asked if his wife was prepared to use the vest, Hamdouch said: “I hope that Allah helps her. In any event, we are prepared for an operation because we find ourselves in a land of war and treason. I hope Allah helps us to keep our footsteps firm.”

Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group.

When, exactly, does it matter? Who decides? Apparently not Israel.

Ambassador Samantha Power’s testimony may have completed the transition of the United States from Israel’s ally… to an arbiter between Israel and those who seek to erase it.

The “peace process,” first codified in the Oslo accords, commits Israel and the Palestinians to resolve differences bilaterally, not through the dictates of a third party or organization.

Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, says the U.S. will no longer automatically exercise its veto in the UN Security Council to protect Israel.

In testimony before the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, Power specifically declined to rule out support for resolutions on Palestinian statehood or the “peace process.” “We will look to see what will advance Israel’s security and what will advance peace in the region… Our objective as an administration is what can we do to defuse tensions, what will it take to get those negotiations back on track.”

When Committee members expressed skepticism, she replied, “We will continue to work extremely closely with Israel in New York. As you know well we have a record of standing when it matters with Israel.”

When, exactly, does it matter? Who decides? Apparently not Israel.

Amb. Power’s testimony may have completed the transition of the U.S. from Israel’s ally in its quest for legitimacy and security in the historic homeland of the Jewish people, to an arbiter between Israel and those who seek to erase it. Amb. Power appears also to have completed the transition of Israel — in the eyes of the U.S. government — from the party whose legitimacy and permanence in the Middle East remains challenged by all but Egypt and Jordan, to the country that bears an obligation to “fix” the problems that animate its enemies.

The “peace process,” first codified in the Oslo Accords, commits Israel and the Palestinians to resolve differences bilaterally, not through the dictates of a third party or organization. No one thought it would be easy, but successive U.S. administrations ensured that the UN — which Israel finds hopelessly biased against its interests — would not have veto power or enforcement power. Now it may. Power and the U.S. have thrown in the towel on an issue that “matters” to Israel.

In 2014, the Palestinians stepped out of Oslo and joined a number of UN bodies and commissions, including several for which the PA would immediately be deemed ineligible if the UN were a serious institution — particularly as the Palestinian Authority (PA) is in, at least on paper, a “unity government” with Hamas.

Conventions “on the involvement of children in armed conflict,” “against torture,” “on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women,” “against corruption,” and “on the international covenant on civil and political rights” have been signed by representatives of a corrupt, dictatorial regime that violates all of them.

In a more consequential move, at the end of 2014, the Palestinians filed to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), and are set to become a member this month. The Obama Administration opposed both sets of actions and a large bipartisan majority of the Senate supports a cutoff of U.S. funding to the PA if it supports an ICC war crimes investigation of Israel. But assured of overwhelming votes in the General Assembly, and fairly certain of Security Council support if the U.S. does not exercise its veto, PA officials claim the Palestinians have a right to international representation regardless of U.S. disapproval or the language of Oslo.

Amb. Power, now, appears to agree. But Israel can no longer be assured that the U.S. will support either a key provision of Oslo, or its own position: that internationalization of the conflict by the Palestinians is a mistake, and an affront to American diplomacy. She is, in this, a faithful representative of the current administration.

The President has expressed his belief that Israel is a secure party to whom, perhaps, this should not matter. While Hamas was firing rockets into civilian communities across the Jewish State last summer, the President said:

“I don’t worry about Israel’s survival. … I think the question really is how does Israel survive? And how can you create a State of Israel that maintains its democratic and civic traditions? How can you preserve a Jewish state that is also reflective of the best values of those who founded Israel? And, in order to do that, it has consistently been my belief that you have to find a way to live side by side in peace with Palestinians… You [Israel] have to recognize that they have legitimate claims, and this is their land and neighborhood as well.”

And this, in turn, reflects Secretary of State Kerry’s apparent belief that Israel’s prosperity is an impediment to “peace.” On a visit to Israel in May 2013, he said, “I think there is an opportunity [for peace], but for many reasons it’s not on the tips of everyone’s tongue. People in Israel aren’t waking up every day and wondering if tomorrow if there will be peace because there is a sense of security and a sense of accomplishment and of prosperity.”

Kerry appears not to think peace “mattered” to Israel.

A year ago, Secretary Kerry told an audience at the White House, “One of the lynchpins of the peace process is the separation of Israel’s security assurances from the general negotiations.” Security for Israel would be guaranteed in a “separate agreement” with the U.S., he said. This, of course, would spell the end of the promise to Israel of UN Resolution 242, in which the Arab states were handed the obligation to provide Israel with “secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force,” and “termination of all claims or states of belligerency.”

UN Resolution 242, apparently, is another one of those things that doesn’t “matter.”

Amb. Power’s comments appear to be a full and faithful rendering of the policies of her boss at the State Department and his boss in the White House: when they find something that “matters” to them, they will do what they think is appropriate. What matters to Israel, however, seems to be a different issue altogether.

7.Arlene Kushner “Yom HaZikaron” April 21, 2015

Tonight begins Yom HaZikaron – Memorial Day, in remembrance of those who have fallen for the State in battle, and those who have been victims of terror.

This is a day of mourning that encompasses all of the nation. There is no way to understand Israel without understanding this. We here in Israel have our differences, big time. But when it comes to this, we are a family.

It starts with a siren at 8 PM that calls everyone to stand in silence out of respect for the memory of those who have fallen; there will be another at 11 AM tomorrow.

Credit: Haaretz

The day is taken so seriously that all places of recreation – theaters, restaurants, etc. – are closed. TV and radio shows focus on stories of the bravery of the fallen; names of those lost are read.

Tonight there was an official ceremony at the Kotel.

Without a superb fighting force, without the soldiers of Tzahal there would be no State of Israel. It is that stark, and that simple. And so we lose some number of that fighting force – often the very best – in one war or military operation after another. Their lives are cut short at the tender age of 19 or 21 or, if they are in the reserves, perhaps at 35.

They leave behind bereaved parents, spouses, and young children.

Credit: Reuters/Nir Elias

Credit: JewishExponent

They also leave behind their comrades-in-arms, who do not forget. I’ve heard some amazing stories about those comrades, who remain forever devoted to the families of those fellow soldiers whom they have lost.

The military cemetery at Har Herzl was prepared on Sunday, with a flag placed on each military grave. Said IDF Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, during the special ceremony:

“We come here today, as we do every year, to lay the Israeli flag on the graves of the fallen. This is our way to express our longing and appreciation for these soldiers, who paid with their lives for the defense of the country they loved…

“Dear families, one cannot fully understand the pain you feel, the pain that does not wane with the passage of time. So all we can offer is our support.

“…we will accompany you, and share with you the longing for boys and girls who never came home.

“…Remember their love and devotion to the state, their determination to protect Israeli citizens and residents. The heroism [with] which they acted to ensure victory.”

Tomorrow, 1.5 million bereaved will visit over 50 military cemeteries nationwide.

Credit: DaledAmos

For the families, there is the pain of loss, which never goes away. But there is also great pride. Hear the astounding testimony of one mother, Miriam Peretz, who lost two sons in different wars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WWdqhg_t_I

And please see this very beautiful short video, as well:

http://thankisraelisoldiers.org/?CategoryID=191&ArticleID=276

The prayer for the IDF, sung by the IDF’s chief cantor, Lt. Col. Shai Abramson (scroll down):

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/183615#.VTbCmpuJjIU

This day also marks those who have fallen at the hands of terrorists. Terrorism is another painful face of Israel’s wars.

The most recent victim of terrorism – Shalom Sherki – fell exactly a week ago. I know of at least one yeshiva high school – where Shalom had worked, and was deeply loved – that tonight brought its students to the bus stop where he was killed, to honor his memory with songs and ceremony.

Since Israel’s founding, 23,320 soldiers and victims of terror have lost their lives.

In Israel there are 9,753 grieving parents, 4,958 widows, and 2,098 orphans.

Credit: pixshark

© 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

Bulletin April 21, 2015 8.While Israel mourns terror, the PA and Fatah celebrate terror: 14 Palestinian terrorists who murdered over 160 people honored this month http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=14551 by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik While Israel mourns its terror victims and fallen soldiers on Israel’s Memorial Day (Wednesday), the Palestinian Authority and Fatah, both headed by Mahmoud Abbas, continue to celebrate, honor, and present as role models those responsible for terror. 14 terrorists who murdered a total of at least 160 people were honored by the PA this month. Abbas personally honored 4 Palestinian terrorists. He cited “the first Martyr,” “the first [male] prisoner” and “the first female fighter prisoner,” all of whom he awarded with “decorations of military honor, in admiration of their militant pioneering role.” [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 17, 2015] He also honored arch-terrorist Abu Jihad, who the PA credits with orchestrating attacks in which 125 were murdered. Abbas was the patron of a rally held in Abu Jihad’s honor. Abbas “expressed his pride” in Abu Jihad “for his significant national role.” [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 3, 2015] The following are some examples of terrorists honored or presented as role models by the PA or Fatah this month (all sources appear below): Name of terrorist Dalal Mughrabi Crime description Led most lethal terror attack in Israel’s history, known as the Coastal Road massacre, in 1978, when she and other Fatah terrorists hijacked a bus killing 37 civilians, 12 of them children, and wounding over 70. No. killed 37 Means of honor Presented as role model for university students on Fatah’s official Facebook page. Fatah called “to renew the promise and the oath to the Martyr leaders.” Name of terrorist Abu Jihad (Khalil Al-Wazir) Crime description Head of the PLO terror organization’s military wing, planned numerous lethal terror attacks, including the bus hijacking that killed 37. No. killed 125 Means of honor – Two documentaries about him were broadcast on PA TV. – Fatah’s Jerusalem branch held a table tennis tournament named after him. – He was presented as role model for university students on Fatah’s official Facebook page. Fatah called “to renew the promise and the oath to the Martyr leaders.” Name of terrorist Salah Khalaf (Abu Iyad) Crime description One of the founders of Fatah and head of the terror organization Black September. Attacks he planned include the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics (1972) and the murder of two American diplomats in Sudan (1973). No. killed 13 Means of honor Presented as role model for university students on Fatah’s official Facebook page. Fatah called “to renew the promise and the oath to the Martyr leaders.” Name of terrorist Andalib Takatka Crime description Female suicide bomber from Fatah who blew herself up on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem in 2002, killing 6 and wounding more than 80. No. killed 6 Means of honor Presented as role model for university students on Fatah’s official Facebook page. Fatah called “to renew the promise and the oath to the Martyr leaders.” Name of terrorist Wafa Idris Crime description First Palestinian female suicide bomber (2002). As a volunteer for the Palestinian Red Crescent she was able to bypass Israeli security and enter Jerusalem in a Palestinian ambulance. No. killed 1 Means of honor Presented as role model for university students on Fatah’s official Facebook page. Fatah called “to renew the promise and the oath to the Martyr leaders.” Name of terrorist Raed Al-Karmi Crime description A senior Tanzim (Fatah terror faction) operative responsible for the murder of 9 Israelis in several attacks. No. killed 9 Means of honor Presented as role model for university students on Fatah’s official Facebook page. Fatah called “to renew the promise and the oath to the Martyr leaders.” Name of terrorist Marwan Zalum Crime description Commander of the Hebron branch of the Tanzim (Fatah terror faction). Responsible for several terror attacks, including sending the terrorist who shot and murdered infant Shalhevet Pass in her stroller in 2001 and provided bomb used in suicide attack in 2002. No. killed 9 Means of honor Presented as role model for university students on Fatah’s official Facebook page. Fatah called “to renew the promise and the oath to the Martyr leaders.” Name of terrorist Hussein Abayat Crime description Commander of Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in the West Bank. He was involved in shooting attacks. No. killed 1 Means of honor Presented as role model for university students on Fatah’s official Facebook page. Fatah called “to renew the promise and the oath to the Martyr leaders.” Name of terrorist Ramzi Khamis Barrash Crime description Participated in the shooting and murder of an Israeli. No. killed 1 Means of honor Governor of Rammallah Laila Ghannam visited his family. Name of terrorist Muhammad Khamis Barrash Crime description Participated in the shooting and murder of Israelis. No. killed 3 Means of honor Governor of Ram’allah Laila Ghannam visited his family. Name of terrorist Diya Zakariya Shaker Al-Agha “Al-Faluji” Crime description Serving a life sentence for beating Israeli to death with a shovel (1992). No. killed 1 Means of honor – PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs director Issa Karake visited his home. – His mother appeared on PA TV. The host referred to Agha as “a fighter” and called his terror attack “the heroic operation.” Name of terrorist Fatima Barnawi Crime description Placed a bomb in a movie theater in Jerusalem in 1967. No. killed 0 Means of honor Honored by PA Chairman Abbas. Name of terrorist Ahmad Musa Salameh Crime description Participated in first PLO terror attack against Israel in 1965. No. killed 0 Means of honor Honored by PA Chairman Abbas. Name of terrorist Mahmoud Hijazi Crime description Involved in an attempted bombing attack in 1965. No. killed 0 Means of honor Honored by PA Chairman Abbas. The following are excerpts of the items honoring the above terrorists: Headline: “The President [Abbas] on the anniversary of the Martyrdom-death of Abu Jihad: ‘He was a leader and a symbol of the Palestinian struggle'” “President Mahmoud Abbas expressed his pride yesterday [April 16, 2015] in Martyr [‘Abu Jihad’] Khalil Al-Wazir’s significant national role in the outbreak of the Palestinian revolution. In addition, the President praised his remarkable role in writing the modern history of the struggle as well as the efforts he invested, the sacrifices he made and his dedication in service of his people, in order to bring about the [establishment of] a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The President held a phone conversation with Intisar Al-Wazir, Martyr Abu Jihad’s companion [and widow], in honor of the anniversary of his death yesterday and in appreciation of his revolutionary role in the history of our modern revolution.” From WAFA, official PA news agency [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 3, 2015] Headline: “The National Security [Forces] and Fatah marked the anniversary of the Martyrdom-death of Abu Jihad in Jenin”: “The masses of the Jenin district marked the anniversary of the Martyrdom-death of Martyr Khalil Al-Wazir ‘Abu Jihad’ with a mass rally held in the Palestinian National Security Forces’ camp Horsh Al-Saada, under the patronage of his Excellency, President Mahmoud Abbas. Present at the rally were: Jenin District Governor Ibrahim Ramadan, Fatah Central Committee member and Commissioner of Foreign Branches Jamal Muhaisen… commanders and representatives of the Palestinian National Security Forces, members of the Legislative and Revolutionary Councils, members of the [Fatah] movement and several national and public figures. In a speech he gave in the President’s name, Ramadan stressed the importance of achieving national unity, unifying the ranks and joining together around the Palestinian leadership in order to bring about the establishment of our independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. Muhaisen praised the members of the security establishment for sacrificing Martyrs, wounded and prisoners over the years, and brought up memories from the life of Martyr leader Khalil Al-Wazir ‘Abu-Jihad.'” [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 17, 2015] “For Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, the president [Mahmoud Abbas] decided to honor the first prisoner of modern Palestinian revolution Mahmoud Bakr Hijazi, the first female fighter prisoner Fatima Bernau and the first Martyr Ahmed Mousa Salameh. The President gave them the decoration of military honor, in admiration of their militant pioneering role and for their sacrifice for their country and people.” [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 17, 2015 Text and image published on Fatah’s Facebook page, “Fatah – The Main Page”: Posted text: “Mobilize, oh sons of Yasser [Arafat] Mobilize, oh brothers of Abu Jihad, Abu Iyad, the two Kamals (Kamal Adwan and Kamal Nasser), [Hussein] Abayat, [Marwan] Zalum and [Raed] Al-Karmi Mobilize, oh Sisters of Dalal [Mughrabi], Andalib [Takatka] and Wafa [Idris] Mobilize, oh sons of the victorious (i.e., Fatah movement)… We will meet tomorrow, Tuesday [April 21, 2015], in Hebron at the elections for the Polytechnic University student council to renew the promise and the oath to the Martyr leaders.” Text on image: “The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ bloc – the number in the elections [is] -2? [Facebook, “Fatah – The Main Page,” April 20, 2015] Headline: “[Fatah’s] Jerusalem branch organized the sub-branches’ table tennis tournament” “Fatah’s Jerusalem branch held the first tennis table tournament for sub-branches under the name ‘Martyr Abu Jihad Tournament’ in Qalandiya refugee camp, north of Jerusalem. Present at the tournament were the Jerusalem branch members, many of the movement’s members and secretaries of branches, and Fatah’s ‘Shabiba’ [youth] movement. Jerusalem branch member and Commissioner of Mobilization and Organization Abd Abu Sbeih noted that the tournament is for all sub-branches in the Jerusalem district and is intended to strengthen the bond between the movement’s branches, in addition to creating an atmosphere of love and brotherhood among the young people and spreading the spirit of unity among them. He added: ‘The tournament was named after Martyr Abu Jihad because it takes place close to the anniversary of the Martyrdom-death of commander Khalil Al-Wazir.'” [Al-Ayyam, April 13, 2015] “District Governor of Ramallah and El-Bireh Dr. Laila Ghannam… honored the family of prisoner Muhammad Abu Rabia, who was sentenced to 13 life sentences and 50 years, and stressed that our brave male prisoners and glorious female prisoners symbolize the Palestinian honor and resolve. In addition, she stressed that their families are the [top] priority for every Palestinian institution, and expressed her wish that they [the prisoners] would be released and enjoy the freedom amongst their families and loved ones. Ghannam clarified that the doors of the traitors and hangmen’s cells will not be locked forever, that the prisoners’ victory is certain and that they will live to see the light, far from the barbed wires and dark cells. She also conveyed her pride to all our brave male prisoners and glorious female prisoners.” [PANET, Israeli Arab website, April 6, 2015] Official PA TV program The Woman’s Struggle hosted the mother of prisoner Diya Al-Agha: PA TV host: “We would like to focus on prisoner Diya [Al-Agha]. What was the reason for his imprisonment? He has served 23 years in prison. The heroic operation (i.e., terror attack) he carried out was certainly widely known. He is a fighter and a veteran prisoner, but tell us about him [yourself] as well.” [Official PA TV, April 18, 2015] Headline: “Ghannam honored released prisoner Masbah and visited prisoners’ families in Al-Amari” “District Governor of Ramallah and El-Bireh Dr. Laila Ghannam, visited families of prisoners in the Al-Amari refugee camp to check on their situation and to honor them for their and their sons’ resolve facing of the occupation’s arrogance and the suffering of prison. In addition, she said that the prisoners’ resolve is a symbol of honor for every Palestinian and a mark of shame on the forehead of the world purporting to be democratic and to honor human rights… Ghannam said that all of our people is each Palestinian prisoner’s family, and that undoubtedly the will of the nations will defeat the occupation and its tyranny. Likewise, she expressed her wish to visit all the [prisoners’] families after they [the prisoners] will have defeated the prison guards, and can enjoy freedom among their families and loved ones… During her visit to the family of prisoners Muhammad Khamis Barrash, who was sentenced to three life sentences and 30 years, and Ramzi Khamis Barrash, sentenced to one life sentence, the District Governor said that a world that remains silent while a prisoner who lost his hearing and eye-sight and suffered burns to his legs stays in prison, is a world that collaborates with the occupation and its crimes.” [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 3, 2014] Headline: “Karake phoned mothers of prisoners in the Gaza Strip” “A delegation of the Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners’ Affairs in the southern districts (i.e., the Gaza Strip) visited the home of the most veteran of the prisoners in the Gaza Strip, prisoner Diya Zakariya Shaker Al-Agha, held for 23 years in the occupation’s prisons and serving a 99 years sentence… During the meeting, [PLO] Commission of Prisoners and Released Prisoners’ Affairs director and PA Parliament Member Issa Karake phoned mother of prisoners Diya and Muhammad Al-Agha, and heard her speak of the suffering of veteran prisoners’ mothers, and promised her that he would not rest until all the prisoners are released from the prisons. The staff, which included Director of Prisoners’ and Released [Prisoners’] Affairs and head of the Gaza office Administrative council Bassem Al-Majdalawi, Director of Information and Public Relations Atef Mar’i, Director of the Commission’s Statistics Department and Head of the Internal Audit Department Abd Al-Nasser Farwaneh, and Head of the International Law department in the Commission Raafat Hamdouna, awarded the mother of the prisoners the plaque of loyalty.” [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 3, 2015] Here’s the headline that ran in the New York Times on Friday, April 16: However, Khaled Koutineh, a 37 year old Palestinian, is not suspected of targeting an empty, Jerusalem bus stop. He is accused of deliberately driving his car into two people, who happened to be waiting at a bus stop. There have been no accusations that the driver had some sort of vendetta against the bus stop itself. The suspicion is of terrorism, and now that one of the victims has succumbed to his wounds, of murder. He has now admitted that his goal was to kill Israeli Jews. While the article written underneath the bizarre headline makes clear what happened, one has to wonder if whomever wrote the misleading headline even took the time to read the story. Unfortunately, the headline is perhaps the most important part of an article since many news readers simply skim through the paper, whether online or in print. Based on the headline, how could anyone understand that this was an act of terrorism against two innocent people rather than a crash at an inanimate bus stop? This is not the first time that headline writers have gotten it wrong when it comes to acts of terrorism against Israelis. After a similar attack in 2011, we reported on headlines at the BBC, the Associated Press, and Sky News — all of who described the target of an attack as a bus stop, rather than the real people who were victims of the terrorist. Here’s what really happened (from Ynetnews): A Palestinian driver deliberately rammed his car into a Jerusalem bus stop this week and killed an Israeli man in a “horrible attack”, police chief Yohanan Danino said on Saturday. No matter how quickly news breaks, there is no excuse for editors to publish misleading headlines that soften the reality of cold-blooded terrorism. Real People — Not Bus Stops ***

10.US warship heads to Yemeni waters to help block Iran weapons

USS Theodore Roosevelt joins other American ships in the region ready to intercept any Iranian vessels carrying weapons to the Houthi rebels • Development comes after U.N. Security Council imposes arms embargo on Houthi leaders. The Associated Press and Israel Hayom staff

The USS Theodore Roosevelt Photo credit: AP

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is steaming toward the waters off of Yemen to beef up security and join other American ships that are prepared to intercept any Iranian vessels carrying weapons to the Houthi rebels.

The deployment comes after a U.N. Security Council resolution approved last week imposed an arms embargo on the leaders of the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels. The resolution passed in a 14-0 vote, with Russia abstaining.

Navy officials said Monday that the Roosevelt was moving through the Arabian Sea. A massive ship that carries F/A-18 fighter jets, the Roosevelt is seen more of a deterrent and show of force in the region.

The Navy has been beefing up its presence in the Gulf of Aden and the southern Arabian Sea in response to reports that a convoy of about eight Iranian ships is heading toward Yemen and possibly carrying arms for the Houthis. Navy officials said there are about nine U.S. warships in the region, including cruisers and destroyers carrying teams that can board and search other vessels.

Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, has been pushed to the brink of collapse by ground fighting and the Saudi-led airstrikes in support of current President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia. Observers say the fighting in the strategic Middle East nation is taking on the appearance of a proxy war between Iran, the Shiite powerhouse backing the Houthis, and Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ship’s movements on the record.

Saudi Arabia and several of its allies, mainly Gulf Arab countries, have been trying to drive back the rebels, who seized the capital of Sanaa in September and have overrun many other northern provinces with the help of security forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The U.S. supports the Saudi campaign.

Western governments and Sunni Arab countries say the Houthis get their arms from Iran. Tehran and the rebels deny that, although the Islamic republic has provided political and humanitarian support to the Shiite group.

The U.S. has been providing logistical and intelligence support to the Saudi coalition launching airstrikes against the Houthis. That air campaign is now in its fourth week, and the U.S. has also begun refueling coalition aircraft involved in the conflict.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest would not comment specifically on any Navy movements in Yemeni waters, but said the U.S. has concerns about Iran’s “continued support for the Houthis.”

“We have seen evidence that the Iranians are supplying weapons and other armed support to the Houthis in Yemen,” he said. “That support will only contribute to greater violence in that country. These are exactly the kind of destabilizing activities that we have in mind when we raise concerns about Iran’s destabilizing activities in the Middle East.”

He said “the Iranians are acutely aware of our concerns for their continued support of the Houthis by sending them large shipments of weapons.”

The expanded U.S. Navy activity in the region comes at a sensitive time, as the U.S. and six world powers have reached a framework deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program. Since the framework deal with reached on April 2, Iran and the U.S. have been disputing its details.

And on Monday, a lawyer for Tehran-based Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian said Iran had charged Rezaian with espionage and three other crimes. The Obama administration dismisses the charges as “absurd.”