Dear Family & Friends,

Just a very full quickie before Shabbat! Have a sweet Shabbos, night & day.

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

1.Leaning Tower of the Jewish Quarter

2. 190 Military Officers Come Out Strongly Against Nuclear Iran Deal

4.Obama and Biden Running after the Jews to Back ‘ObamaDeal’

Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser

6.Iran Denies Secret Deals with IAEA

7.Surreal: Israeli Police Raids Conference Against Anti-Democratic Administrative Detention

8.Jews Return to City of David Complex after 77 Years

9.Arlene Kushner “More Light, in the Midst of Darkness” 8/26/15

10.Arlene Kushner “Seeking Rays of Light” August 25, 2015

1.Leaning Tower of the Jewish Quarter It’s just a trick of the wide-angle lens, but the minaret attached to the rebuilt Hurva synagogue, in the Old City of Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter, looks like an Israeli version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It’s actually straight in real life. How it got there is a long and unpleasant story.

[Gail Sez: Another story about the Hurva from Gail: When the re-built Hurva Synagogue was completed & opened to the public, the Arabs rioted in protest. Why? They claimed the Hurva was ‘undermining’ Al Aksa Mosque up on the Temple Mount. How is that even possible? They are quite far from each other in geographic space. However, while taking a family tiyul (trip) around the Old City walls (up high on the inside of the Walls), I noticed & it was very obvious, that the Hurva was actually quite a bit taller than Al Aksa. So, according to the 7^th Century rules of Islam, Jew are not allowed to build their synagogues taller than Muslim mosques. Therefore, IF the Hurva is observably taller than Al Aksa, no wonder they were frightened. I wrote about it but, strangely, the MSM (MainStreamMedia) didn’t pick up the patent anti-Semitism embedded in the Muslim code pushing Judaism, Jews & Israel down into an inferior position.]

2. 190 Military Officers Come Out Strongly Against Nuclear Iran Deal

190 military officers signed a letter to the Congressional leadership, warning against the Nuclear Iran Deal.

By: Lori Lowenthal Marcus JewishPress.com Published: August 27th, 2015

The Pentagon, in Washington, D.C. Photo Credit: David B. Gleason

President Obama and fellow supporters of the Nuclear Iran Deal boasted that it must be the right deal because they were able to gather 36 military officers to endorse it.

Well, a group of five volunteers in less than a week were able to gather more than 190 retired officers to sign on to a letter in opposition to the deal.

Those officers include 22 Admirals and 4 star generals, 46 vice admirals and lieutenant generals, 96 Rear admirals and Major Generals and 24 brigadier generals.

The letter they signed unequivocally states that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by the United States and its partners in the P5+1, rather than “‘cut[ting] off every pathway’ for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons,” instead actually “provides Iran with a legitimate path to doing that simply by abiding by the deal.”

The letter, the full text of which appears below, was delivered on Wednesday, Aug. 26, to the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, the House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.

The volunteers who gathered the signatures were led by Marsha Halteman, who has been involved working with the military services for many years. In 2014, Halteman was awarded the US Special Operation Command Outstanding Civilian Service Medal.

The letter to the members of Congress, as delivered, reads as follows:

Dear Representatives Boehner and Pelosi and Senators McConnell and Reid:

As you know, on July 14, 2015, the United States and five other nations announced that a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has been reached with Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

In our judgment as former senior military officers, the agreement will not have that effect. Removing sanctions on Iran and releasing billions of dollars to its regime over the next ten years is inimical to the security of Israel and the Middle East.

There is no credibility within JCPOA’s inspection process or the ability to snap back sanctions once lifted, should Iran violate the agreement. In this and other respects, the JCPOA would threaten the national security and vital interests of the United States and, therefore, should be disapproved by the Congress.

The agreement as constructed does not “cut off every pathway” for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. To the contrary, it actually provides Iran with a legitimate path to doing that simply by abiding by the deal. JCPOA allows all the infrastructure the Iranians need for a nuclear bomb to be preserved and enhanced. Notably, Iran is allowed to: continue to enrich uranium; develop and test advanced centrifuges; and continue work on its Arak heavy-water plutonium reactor. Collectively, these concessions afford the Iranians, at worst, a ready breakout option and, at best, an incipient nuclear weapons capability a decade from now.

The agreement is unverifiable. Under the terms of the JCPOA and a secret side deal (to which the United States is not privy), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be responsible for inspections under such severe limitations as to prevent them from reliably detecting Iranian cheating. For example, if Iran and the inspectors are unable to reach an accommodation with respect to a given site, the result could be at least a 24-day delay in IAEA access. The agreement also requires inspectors to inform Iran in writing as to the basis for its concerns about an undeclared site, thus further delaying access. Most importantly, these inspections do not allow access to Iranian military facilities, the most likely location of their nuclear weapons development efforts. In the JCPOA process, there is substantial risk of U.S. intelligence being compromised, since the IAEA often relies on our sensitive data with respect to suspicious and/or prohibited activity.

While failing to assure prevention of Iran’s nuclear weapons development capabilities, the agreement provides by some estimates $150 billion dollars or more to Iran in the form of sanctions relief.

As military officers, we find it unconscionable that such a windfall could be given to a regime that even the Obama administration has acknowledged will use a portion of such funds to continue to support terrorism in Israel, throughout the Middle East and globally, whether directly or through proxies. These actions will be made all the more deadly since the JCPOA will lift international embargoes on Iran’s access to advanced conventional weapons and ballistic missile technology.

In summary, this agreement will enable Iran to become far more dangerous, render the Mideast still more unstable and introduce new threats to American interests as well as our allies. In our professional opinion, far from being an alternative to war, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action makes it likely that the war the Iranian regime has waged against us since 1979 will continue, with far higher risks to our national security interests. Accordingly, we urge the Congress to reject this defective accord. (emphasis added.)

1.Admiral David Architzel, US Navy, Retired

2.Admiral Stanley R. Arthur, US Navy, Retired

3.General William Begert, US Air Force,Retired

4.GeneralJ.B. Davis, US Air Force, Retired

5.AdmiralWilliam A. Doughert, US Navy, Retired

6.Admiral Leon A. “Bud” Edney, US Navy, Retired

7.General Alfred G. Hansen US Air Force, Retired

8.Admiral Thomas Hayward, US Navy, Retired

9.Admiral James Hogg, US Navy, Retired

10.Admiral Jerome Johnson, US Navy, Retired

11.Admiral Timothy J. Keating, US Navy, Retired

12.Admiral Robert J. Kelly, US Navy, Retired

13.Admiral Thomas Joseph Lopez, US Navy, Retired

14.Admiral James A. “Ace” Lyons, US Navy, Retired

15.Admiral Richard Macke, US Navy, Retired

16.Admiral Henry Mauz, US Navy, Retired

17.General Lance Smith, US Air Force, Retired

18.Admiral Leighton Smith, US Navy, Retired

19.Admiral William D. Smith, US Navy, Retired

20.General Louis C. Wagner, Jr., US Army, Retired

21.Admiral Steve White, US Navy, Retired

22.General Ronald W. Yates, US Air Force, Retired

23.Lieutenant General Teddy G. Allen, US Army, Retired

24.Lieutenant General Edward G. Anderson, III, USArmy, Retired

25.Lieutenant General Marcus A. Anderson, US Air Force, Retired

26.Lieutenant General Spence M. Armstrong, US Air Force, Retired

27.Lieutenant General Harold W. Blot, US Marine Corps, Retired

28.Vice Admiral Michael Bowman, US Navy, Retired

29.Lieutenant General William G. “Jerry” Boykin, US Army, Retired

30.Vice Admiral Edward S. Briggs, US Navy, Retired

31.Lieutenant General Richard E. “Tex” Brown III, US Air Force, Retired

32.Lieutenant General William J. Campbell, US Air Force, Retired

33.Vice Admiral Edward Clexton, US Navy, Retired

34.Vice Admiral Daniel L. Cooper, US Navy, Retired

35.Vice Admiral William A. Dougherty, US Navy, Retired

36.Lieutenant General Brett Dula, US Air Force, Retired

37.Lieutenant General Gordon E. Fornell, US Air Force, Retired

38.Lieutenant General Thomas B. Goslin, US Air Force, Retired

39.LieutenantGeneral Earl Hailston, US Marine Corps, Retired

40.Vice Admiral Bernard M. Kauderer, US Navy, Retired

41.Lieutenant General Timothy A. Kinnan, US Air Force, Retired

42.Vice Admiral J. B . LaPlante, US Navy, Retired

43.Vice Admiral Tony Less, US Navy, Retired

44.Lieutenant General Bennett L. Lewis, US Army, Retired

45.Vice Admiral Michael Malone, US Navy, Retired

46.Vice Admiral John Mazach, US Navy, Retired

47.Lieutenant GeneralThomas McInerney, US Air Force, Retired

48.Lieutenant General Fred McCorkle, US Marine Corps, Retired

49.Vice Admiral Robert Monroe, US Navy, Retired

50.Vice Admiral Jimmy Pappas, US Navy, Retired

51.Vice Admiral J. Theodore Parker, US Navy, Retired

52.Lieutenant General Garry L. Parks, US Marine Corps, Retired

53.Lieutenant General Everett Pratt, US Air Force, Retired

54.Vice Admiral John Poindexter, US Navy, Retired

55.Lieutenant General Clifford “Ted” Rees, Jr., US Air Force, Retired

56.Vice Admiral William Rowden, US Navy, Retired

57.Vice Admiral Robert F. Schoultz, US Navy, Retired

58.Lieutenant General E.G. “Buck” Shuler, Jr., US Air Force, Retired

59.Lieutenant General Hubert ‘Hugh” G. Smith, US Army, Retired

60.Vice Admiral Edward M. Straw, US Navy, Retired

61.Lieutenant General David J. Teal, US Air Force, Retired

62.Vice Admiral D.C. “Deese” Thompson, US Coast Guard, Retired

63.Lieutenant General William E. Thurman, US Air Force, Retired

64.Lieutenant General Billy Tomas, US Army, Retired

65.Vice AdmiralJohn Totushek, US Navy, Retired

66.Vice Admiral Jerry Tuttle, US Navy, Retired

67.Vice Admiral Jerry Unruh, US Navy, Retired

68.Vice Admiral Timothy W. Wright, US Navy, Retired

69.Rear Admiral William V. Alford, Jr., US Navy, Retired

70.Major General Thurman E. Anderson, US Army, Retired

71.Major General Joseph T. Anderson, US Marine Corps, Retired

72.Rear Admiral Philip Anselmo, US Navy, Retired

73.Major General Joe Arbuckle, US Army, Retired

74.Rear Admiral James W. Austin, USNavy, Retired

75.Rear Admiral John R. Batzler, US Navy, Retired

76.Rear Admiral John Bayless, US Navy, Retired

77.Major General John Bianchi, US Army, Retired

78.Rear Admiral Donald Vaux Boecker, US Navy, Retired

79.Rear Admiral Jerry C. Breast, US Navy, Retired

80.Rear Admiral Bruce B. Bremner, US Navy, Retired

81.Major General Edward M. Browne, US Army, Retired

82.Rear Admiral Thomas F. Brown III, US Navy, Retired

83.Rear Admiral Lyle Bull, US Navy, Retired

84.Major General Bobby G. Butcher, US Marine Corps, Retired

85.Rear Admiral Jay A. Campbell, US Navy, Retired

86.Major General Henry D. Canterbury, US Air Force, Retired

87.Major General Carroll D. Childers, US Army, Retired

88.Rear Admiral Ronald L. Christenson, US Navy, Retired

89.Major General John R.D. Cleland, US Army, Retired

90.Major General Richard L. Comer, US Air Force, Retired

91.Rear Admiral Jack Dantone, US Navy, Retired

92.Major General William B. Davitte, US Air Force, Retired

93.Major General James D. Delk, US Army, Retired

94.Major General Felix Dupre, US Air Force, Retired

95.Rear Admiral Philip A. Dur, US Navy, Retired

96.Major General Neil L. Eddins, US Air Force, Retired

97.Rear Admiral Paul Engel, US Navy, Retired

98.Major General Vince Falter, US Army, Retired

99.Rear Admiral James H. Flatley, US Navy, Retired

100.Major General Bobby O. Floyd, US Air Force, Retired

101.Major General Paul Fratarangelo, US Marine Corps, Retired

102.Rear Admiral Veronica “Ronne” Froman, US Navy, Retired

103.Rear Admiral R. Byron Fuller, US Navy, Retired

104.Rear Admiral Frank Gallo, US Navy, Retired

105.Rear Admiral Albert A. Gallotta, Jr., US Navy,Retired

106.Rear Admiral James Mac Gleim, US Navy, Retired

107.Rear Admiral Robert H. Gormley, US Navy, Retired

108.Rear Admiral William Gureck, US Navy, Retired

109.Major General Gary L. Harrell, US Army, Retired

110.Rear Admiral Donald Hickman, US Navy, Retired

111.Major General Geoffrey Higginbotham, US Marine Corps, Retired

112.Major General Kent H. Hillhouse, USArmy, Retired

113.Rear Admiral Tim Hinkle, US Navy, Retired

114.Major General Victor Joseph Hugo, US Army, Retired

115.Major General James P. Hunt, US Air Force, Retired

116.Rear Admiral Grady L. Jackson, US Navy, Retired

117.Major General William K. James, US Air Force, Retired

118.Rear Admiral John M. “Carlos” Johnson, US Navy, Retired

119.Rear Admiral Pierce J. Johnson, US Navy, Retired

120.Rear Admiral Steven B. Kantrowitz, US Navy, Retired

121.Major General Maurice W. Kendall, US Army, Retired

122.Rear Admiral Charles R. Kubic, US Navy, Retired

123.Rear Admiral Frederick L. Lewis, US Navy, Retired

124.Major General John D. Logeman, Jr., US Air Force, Retired

125.Major General Homer S. Long, Jr., US Army, Retired

126.Major General Robert M. Marquette, US Air Force, Retired

127.Rear Admiral Robert B. McClinton, US Navy, Retired

128.Rear Admiral W. J. McDaniel, MD, US Navy, Retired

129.Major General Keith W. Meurlin, US Air Force, Retired

130.Rear Admiral Terrence McKnight, US Navy, Retired

131.Major General John F. Miller, Jr., US Air Force, Retired

132.Major General Burton R. Moore, US Air Force, Retired

133.Rear Admiral David R. Morris, US Navy, Retired

134.Rear Admiral Ed Nelson, Jr., US Coast Guard, Retired

135.Major General George W. “Nordie” Norwood, US Air Force, Retired

136.Major General Everett G. Odgers, US Air Force, Retired

137.Rear Admiral Phillip R. Olson, US Navy, Retired

138.Rear Admiral Robert S. Owens, US Navy, Retired

139.Rear Admiral Robert O. Passmore, US Navy, Retired

140.Major General Richard E. Perraut, Jr., US Air Force, Retired

141.Rear Admiral W.W. Pickavance, Jr., US Navy, Retired

142.Rear Admiral L.F. Picotte, US Navy, Retired

143.Rear Admiral Thomas J. Porter, US Navy, Retired

144.Major General H. Douglas Robertson, US Army, Retired

145.Rear Admiral W.J. Ryan, US Navy, Retired

146.Rear Admiral Norman Saunders, US Coast Guard, Retired

147.Major General John P. Schoeppner, Jr., US Air Force, Retired

148.Major General Edison E. Scholes, US Army, Retired

149.Rear Admiral Hugh P. Scott, US Navy, Retired

150.Major General Richard Secord, US Air Force, Retired

151.Rear Admiral James M. Seely, US Navy, Retired

152.Major General Sidney Shachnow, US Army, Retired

153.Rear Admiral William H. Shawcross, US Navy, Retired

154.Rear Admiral Bob Shumaker, US Navy, Retired

155.Major General Willie Studer, US Air Force, Retired

156.Major General Larry Taylor, US Marine Corps, Retired

157.Rear Admiral Jeremy Taylor, US Navy, Retired

158.Major General Richard L. Testa, US Air Force, Retired

159.Rear Admiral Robert P. Tiernan, US Navy, Retired

160.Major General Paul E. Vallely, US Army, Retired

161.Major General Kenneth W. Weir, US Marine Corps, Retired

162.Major General John Welde, US Air Force, Retired

163.Rear Admiral James B. Whittaker, US Navy, Retired

164.Major General Geoffrey P. Wiedeman, Jr., MD, US Air Force, Retired

165.Rear Admiral H. Denny Wisely, US Navy, Retired

166.Brigadier General John R. Allen, Jr., US Air Force, Retired

167.Brigadier General John C. Arick, US Marine Corps, Retired

168.Brigadier General Loring R. Astorino, US Air Force, Retired

169.Rear Admiral Robert E. Besal, US Navy, Retired

170.Brigadier General William Bloomer, US Marine Corps, Retired

171.Brigadier General George P. Cole, Jr., US Air Force, Retired

172.Brigadier General Richard A. Coleman, US Air Force, Retired

173.Brigadier General James L. Crouch, US Air Force, Retired

174.Rear Admiral Marianne B. Drew, US Navy, Retired

175.Brigadier General Philip M. Drew, US Air Force, Retired

176.Brigadier General Larry K. Grundhauser, US Air Force, Retired

177.Brigadier General Thomas W. Honeywill, US Air Force, Retired

178.Brigadier General Gary M. Jones, US Army, Retired

179.Brigadier General Stephen Lanning, US Air Force, Retired

180.Brigadier General Thomas J. Lennon, US Air Force, Retired

181.Rear Admiral Bobby C. Lee, US Navy, Retired

182.Brigadier General Robert F. Peksens, US Air Force, Retired

183.Brigadier General Joe Shaefer, US Air Force, Retired

184.Brigadier General Graham E. Shirley, US Air Force, Retired

185.Brigadier General Stanley O. Smith, US Air Force, Retired

186.Brigadier General Hugh B. Tant III, US Army, Retired

187.Brigadier General Michael Joseph Tashjian, US Air Force, Retired

188.Brigadier General William Tiernan, US Marine Corps, Retired

189.Brigadier General Roger W. Scearce, US Army, Retired

190.Brigadier General Robert V. Woods, US Air Force, Retired

About the Author: Lori Lowenthal Marcus is the US correspondent for The Jewish Press. She is a recovered lawyer who previously practiced First Amendment law and taught in Philadelphia-area graduate and law schools. You can reach her by email: Lori@JewishPressOnline.com

4.Obama and Biden Running after the Jews to Back ‘ObamaDeal’ Politicians always remember you when they need you, and no one remembers better than President Barack Obama. By: Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu JewishPress.com Published: August 27th, 2015

US Vice President Joseph Biden and President Barack Obama. Photo Credit: Screenshot

President Barack Obama is beginning to sweat over diminishing Jewish support for the deal with Iran, especially among Congressmen.

He and Vice-president Joe Biden are shifting into high gear to convince Jews to persuade their Representatives and Senators to vote for “ObamaDeal.”

Several Jewish senators already are in the “no” camp and key Jewish Sen. Ben Cardin on the fence, and a continuing drop of support for the deal in the polls is turning the Jews into the best friends Obama ever had.

Biden is scheduled to meet with American Jewish leaders in Florida next week in an event whose organizers include Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who heads the Democratic National Committee. She has not yet announced whether she will vote for or against the deal.

President Obama is scheduled to connect with Jews with a webcast Friday. Although it is long-shot that the Senate or the House of Representatives can come up with a veto-proof majority against the deal, the president is not taking any chances.

The webcast will be viewed through the site of the Jewish Federations of North America..More than a dozen local Federations have come out against the agreement with Iran, and approximately 100 or more have been non-committal.

The webcast is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. tomorrow, and pre-registration is available here.

The organization, in a carefully worded and neutral statement, wrote on its website:

We are hopeful that diplomatic efforts will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and we appreciate the hard work President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and Under Secretary of State Sherman have put into crafting this agreement.

At the same time, we are concerned. Iran’s support for Hezbollah and Hamas, its human rights violations and its aggressive threats toward neighboring countries—including Israel—make the specter of a nuclear-armed Iran untenable.

President Barack Obama and his administration have repeatedly said that any deal with Iran must shut down Iran’s uranium enrichment pathway to a weapon, cut off all four of Iran’s potential pathways to a bomb, and track Iran’s nuclear activities with unprecedented transparency and robust inspections throughout its nuclear supply chain. We agree.

We urge Congress to give this accord its utmost scrutiny.

The Federations earlier this month provided Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with a platform to speak out against the deal.

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which is a co-sponsor of Friday’s webcast, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) have announced their opposition to ObamaDeal.

J Street supports it.

About the Author: Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu is a graduate in journalism and economics from The George Washington University. He has worked as a cub reporter in rural Virginia and as senior copy editor for major Canadian metropolitan dailies. Tzvi wrote for Arutz Sheva for several years before joining the Jewish Press.

Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, August 26, 2015 Vol. 15, No. 26

Is it a good deal?

Even by the criteria that the Americans declared at the start of the talks and during them, it is a bad deal. The question, however, is tautological since, for the U.S. Administration any deal it accepts is a good deal by definition, since otherwise it would not have signed on it.

It is a bad deal because it will enable Iran to overcome the main obstacle on its way to possessing an arsenal of nuclear weapons. In 10-15 years, the deal would put Iran so close to securing an arsenal that it will become impossible to deny it from Iran. The deal leaves open to Iran having enough fissile material to “break out” to a bomb within six months, and not within one year as the Administration claims (because the excess centrifuges and infrastructure are not destroyed). It also does not efficiently prevent a “sneak out” to a bomb because of the difficulty to inspect undeclared sites, and it lacks any conditionality regarding the activation of the sunset clause on the agreement.

Was a better deal possible? Is it still possible to achieve a better deal?

Here the answer is subjective. One thing, however, is clear: the United States conducted the talks as if a deal had to be reached no matter what. It never challenged or threatened to upset the applecart, and an Iranian defector who took part in the talks said the U.S. team’s main concern was to enable the Iranian team to flaunt the deal as an achievement.

Such an approach to the talks accompanied the Administration’s aspirations to prove that all disputes can be settled by dialogue and negotiations, and to further its goal of strengthening the realistic radical elements among the Middle East’s radical camp, namely, those who believe radical Islam needs more time to change the world order.

Actually, in the run-up to the talks, the realist radical personalities among the Iranian leadership, particularly Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, thought that in light of the sanctions’ heavy pressures, more substantial concessions were in order. In opposition, the Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei thought the Americans could be bent to Iran’s will. The United States ignored the realists’ position and regarded Khamenei’s as the decisive one. In my view, a much better deal could have been attained by conducting the talks appropriately. It still can be attained by rejecting the current one and ratcheting up the U.S. sanctions.

Would a military operation have achieved a delay more significant than the delay that the agreement provides?

The logic behind the deal is a logic of containment. According to this logic, it is impossible to prevent Iran’s nuclearization and hence the question is how to delay it as much as possible. Is this view justified?

A successful military operation, that we all regard as a last option, would probably delay Iran’s nuclearization for a much longer time, and maybe thwart it altogether. The threat of a credible military option is what has deterred Iran from racing to the bomb so far. Under the present conditions, a credible threat of a military option will continue to prevent Iran from attempting a breakout. But if Iran does attempt to break out and military force is used effectively, then from Iran’s standpoint there would be no point in rehabilitating the project since it would know that a decision to thwart its nuclear ambitions had already been taken once and will be taken again if necessary.

What weight should be assigned to the deal’s problematic ramifications for Israeli security? Is it possible to compensate Israel for the increased threat?

President Obama himself claims that he can understand those who criticize the deal out of their concern for and affinity to Israel, and that he also understands the concerns of Israel itself, given the danger Iran poses from its standpoint.

At the same time, in his view, none of this justifies voting against the deal, and Israel can be compensated for the increased dangers with weaponry and by boosting U.S. military aid and commitment to its security. In this context, Obama again stresses that he is the U.S. president who has bolstered military aid to Israel more than any of his predecessors.

And yet, if concern for Israel validates criticism of the deal, should it not also, from Obama’s standpoint, validate opposition to it? Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, but it is also a Western liberal democracy and an important component of the array of democracies fighting to defend the existing world order and enlightened values against the assault of Islamic radicalism, a category that includes Iran. The assigning of secondary priority to Israel’s needs reflects the weakness of the liberal-democratic camp as a whole. Moreover, no compensation can suffice for paving the way to a nuclear arsenal for a country that constantly reiterates its commitment to Israel’s destruction.

What will happen if the deal is not approved?

Obama and his supporters claim that non-approval of the deal will speed up Iran’s march toward the bomb and hence lead inevitably to a war to stop Iran from going nuclear. The assertion is, however, devoid of logic.

On the one hand, if the deal is voted down in Congress, Iran will still have an incentive to abide by the spirit of the deal since Iran repeatedly declares that it has no interest in nuclear weapons, and the deal’s implementation will likely lead to the lifting of at least Russian and Chinese sanctions and possibly those of other countries.

On the other hand, Iran will continue to fear that racing to the bomb now will lead to a military operation at a time when the threshold is still too distant and it does not have the capability to defend itself. It’s worth remembering that what brought Iran to the negotiating table in the first place were the sanctions and what stopped it from racing to the bomb was its fear of being attacked, with Iran well aware of its limited ability to deal with the consequences. Ramping up U.S. sanctions would probably cause Iran to show greater moderation, and augmenting the credible threat to use force if necessary would probably keep deterring Iran from attempting a breakout.

It should also be borne in mind that ultimately, Europe, Japan, and other major countries, and perhaps even China and Russia, will probably prefer economic ties with the United States to ties with Iran; hence it is not clear to what extent the sanctions regime will actually collapse. So far, all of the Administration’s prophecies of doom whenever measures were taken against Iran have turned out to be false prophecies. It is also worth recalling that the U.S. Administration strongly opposed the oil and financial sanctions and began to impose them only when, under pressure from Europe and Congress, it had no choice.

Can one rely on intelligence to detect Iranian cheating?

The confidence the Administration demonstrates on this issue is curious, and it is not clear what it is based on. In fact, so far, the record of American intelligence (and that of Israeli intelligence, too) when it comes to revealing foreign nuclear programs, including those of Iran, is far from impressive (one thinks of North Korea, Syria, Iraq, India, and Pakistan). Such programs are pursued by the rogue nation under a special cloak of secrecy, and it is clear that Iran, too, keeps getting better at the game. Even if secret activity is revealed, the procedure for visiting a site requires first presenting the information to Iran – something intelligence agencies would likely not be eager to do.

About Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser

Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser is Director of the Project on the Regional Implications of the Syrian Civil War at the Jerusalem Center. He was formerly Director General of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs & head of the Research & Analysis & Production Division of IDF Military Intelligence.

– See more at: http://jcpa.org/article/questions-and-answers-about-the-iranian-nuclear-agreement/#sthash.HN2GZAT4.dpuf

Vital Points on the Iran Deal: Major Flaws and Positive Elements
– Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser and Amb. Alan Baker

Questions and Answers about the Iranian Nuclear Agreement
– Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser

Why We Must Fight Against the Iran Deal
– Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser

The Nuclear Deal: No Pause in Iran’s Vow to Destroy Israel
– Lt. Col. (ret.) Michael Segall

Iran’s Supreme Leader Challenges U.S. Policy in the Middle East
– Lt. Col. (ret.) Michael Segall

Killing Americans & their Allies: Iran’s Continuing War against U.S. & the West
– Colonel (ret.) Richard Kemp and Major (ret.) Chris Driver-Williams – See more at: http://jcpa.org/article/iranian-nuclear-threat/#sthash.tDfw1itC.dpuf

6.Iran Denies Secret Deals with IAEA By: JNi.Media JewishPress.com 8/24/15

Photo Credit: Asher Schwartz

(JNi.media) Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Undersecretary for Strategic Affairs Ali Hosseini Tash rejected media reports alleging that he had inked a secret agreement with an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deputy chief, FNA reported.

“There is no agreement signed by the SNSC undersecretary for strategic affairs and the IAEA,” Hosseini Tash said on Saturday, insisting such an issue is basically not within the framework the SNSC secretariat’s responsibilities.

His remarks came after the AP published thefull text of a draft agreement between IAEA and Iran, citing Hosseini Tash as a signatory at the bottom of the document.

The AP version states that Iranian experts will help the IAEA experts in inspection of Iran’s nuclear sites.

Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi on Saturday categorically denied the AP report, saying to reporters, “It is not right as AP reported that Iranian experts instead of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) staff will inspect the country’s nuclear sites.”

He reiterated that the IAEA had remained committed to keeping Iran’s documents confidential so far, and said, “Iran’s considerations have been fully addressed within the framework of Tehran-IAEA cooperation.”

The text published by AP includes 6 points of understanding between Iran and the IAEA, including the now notorious item 3: “Iran will provide to the Agency 7 environmental samples taken from points inside one building already identified by the Agency and agreed by Iran, and 2 points outside of the Parchin complex which would be agreed between Iran and the Agency.”

The document is signed:

“For the International Atomic Energy Agency: Tero Varjoranta, Deputy Director General for Safeguards.

“For the Islamic Republic of Iran: Ali Hoseini Tash, Deputy Secretary of Supreme National Security Council for Strategic Affairs.”

Policeman picking up right wing activist at Nof Ayalon conference. Photo Credit: Facebook

(JNi.media) Large police forces as well as a SWAT team on Thursday surrounded the community center at the village of Nof Ayalon near Modi’in, inside the 1949 armistice “green line.” The center was hosting a conference of right wing activists, rabbis and public figures, who gathered to debate the sharp rise in the issuing of administrative detention orders by the Israeli government. Police detained two (although there were reports of four) activists who have been expelled from Judea and Samaria attended the conference, although there presence there did not violate the orders against them.

Among the better known activists at the conference were Professor Hillel Weiss, Torah scholar and writer Rabbi Yoel Schwartz—a co-founder of the IDF Nahal Haredi battalion, former MK Michael Ben-Ari, Lehava leader Ben-Zion Gopstein, Noam Federman, Baruch Marzel, attorney Yitzhak Bam, and “hilltop youth” activist Meir Bartler.

Honenu legal aid society chairman Shmuel Medad, who attended the conference, wrote on his organization’s Facebook page, “The landlord is crazy (an Israeli expression meaning the government has lost it). It appears that even a conference against administrative decrees is not to the liking of the Israel Police. Unfortunately, the police receive instructions to act as if there are no restrictions on their force and no limitations on their resources.”

A senior police official confirmed to Maariv that forces were active in the village, and said, “The event was attended by young people who have recently accepted administrative orders. The orders include a prohibition on contacting other activists. These are activists who had violated the ban and met each other in this place. Troops arrived to carry out arrests following a breach of the order. Two activists have been arrested.”

Despite their claim to justification, police confiscated video cameras and erased records of their raid, saying the clips would expose clandestine members of the Jewish division of Shin Bet.

8.Jews Return to City of David Complex after 77 Years

Another Jewish property in Shiloach (Silwan) valley, where the British expelled Yemenite Jews 77 years ago, once again is in Jewish hands. By: Jewish Press Staff Published: August 27th, 2015

Israeli soldiers and security personnel protect Jews in Silwan [Shiloah Valley]. Photo Credit: Flash 90

Jewish families and yeshiva students moved into a large complex in the old Yemenite community in the [Shiloah] Silwan Valley in the pre-dawn hours Thursday morning, reclining another Jewish-owned property that was abandoned when the British expelled Jews in the 1930s.

The move, backed by the court that ordered eviction notices to Arab squatters, was made during the middle of the night in order not provoke friction with Arab neighbors.

The building, near the City of David across the street from the Western Wall plaza and located near other structures that have been bought by Jews in the old Yemenite Village, now is called Beit Rachel. It is a few minutes by foot from the recently redeemed sections of the original Yemenite Beit Knesset- Ohel Shlomo-Heichal Yonatan, named for Jonathan Pollard.

The original synagogue is one of the few buildings that remains in its entirety. It was one of the first buildings established in the Village by Yemenite Jews in 1885, who arrived in Jerusalem three years earlier before nay Arabs were living in the Silwan neighborhood.

Following Arab pogroms of 1936-37, the synagogue was defiled, desecrated and many holy books were burnt despite British promises to protect the holy Jewish site.

Arabs squatted in the old synagogue and in other buildings, including privately owned Yemenite homes.

In August 1938, the British Authorities removed the last remaining 35-40 Yemenite Jewish families who had managed to survive many years of attacks by Arabs in riots and pogroms.

The British High Commissioner on behalf of the British Government gave written assurances that the Jews would be able to return “shortly” to their homes but by the early 1940s, Arabs had literally taken apart buildings and had stolen floor tiles, roof tiles, taps, building stones, window and door frames.

9.Arlene Kushner “More Light, in the Midst of Darkness” 8/26/15

We here in Israel we speak a good deal these days about a world arrayed against us – a world ready to do business with Iran for self-serving reasons. In doing my writing, I have been remiss in not mentioning Canada, under the leadership of Prime Minster Steven Harper (pictured below). Israel has no better friend in the world. What is more, Harper has come out against both Iran and Islamic State – refusing to lift sanction against the former, and sending troops against the latter.

See please, an article, below, by Dan Illouz, the Legal Ground Campaign Knesset strategist and a JPost columnist, who grew up in Canada. “In the Middle East,” writes Dan, “Harper has led the world with moral clarity.”

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/A-Fresh-Perspective-Proud-to-be-a-Canadian-412005

This is a matter of some significance in this horrendous world, and I would have been remiss had I not called my readers’ attention to this.

Just over a week ago, 340 putative rabbis signed a letter to Congress endorsing the Iran deal. Claiming to represent “all streams of Judaism,” they were, in fact, almost exclusively progressive and left wing radical.

“We fully support this historic nuclear accord,” read the letter. “Fully.” Not a touch of reservation.

Unable to take on everyone and everything that is inherently offensive, I had let news about this pass. Although even before now I should have strongly encouraged you to read the article – “Rabbis for Hamas, Obama, and Iran: – by Daniel Greenfield. It describes some of the rabbis involved and provides context:

We are talking about rabbis who serve on the rabbinic cabinet of the anti-Israel JStreet, and rabbis who signed a letter demanding that Israel lift the blockade at sea of Hamas, rabbis who worked for Obama’s re-election, at least one who participated in the “Fast for Gaza,” and even one (may Heaven help us) who read the names of dead Hamas terrorists alongside names of Israeli casualties – from the pulpit.

Greenfield names names – Burton Visotzky, Elliott Dorff, Rachel Mikva, Chaim Seidler-Feller, and on and on. It is instructive. And vastly shameful.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/259835/rabbis-hamas-obama-and-iran-daniel-greenfield#.VdXP9Uv2_Ys.gmail

And now I have a different reason to write, a reason that is imbued with a touch of hope (emphasis in the original):

“The Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America are sponsoring a massive Rabbinical March on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC to demand that Congress vote down the suicidal agreement with Iran. The march is set for [Wednesday] September 9th, just 4 days before Rosh HaShana, which is also marks the deadline for Congress to vote on the deal.”

Plans are moving ahead and hundreds of rabbis are scheduled to march. May hundreds morph into thousands! Let the country see where rabbis who are true to tradition and Jewish values stand.

“The Rabbis March will take place on September 9th and I would like to propose that countrywide demonstrations begin on Sunday, September 6th. These pre-DC demonstrations will keep the media focused and created a build up to the Rabbinical March on September 9th…

“The march will mirror a rabbinic march that took place back in 1943, when 400 Orthodox Rabbis marched on DC to demand action on behalf of what remained of European Jewry.”

Yosef Rabin, who wrote the blog in which this information appeared, is carrying the idea one step further: “I am calling upon Jews across the US to follow in the footsteps of these courageous Rabbis and organize demonstrations in cities throughout the US before the Rabbis march on DC.

“The Rabbis March will take place on September 9th and I would like to propose that countrywide demonstrations begin on Sunday, September 6th. These pre-DC demonstrations will keep the media focused and created a build up to the Rabbinical March on September 9th.

See more, including specifics on how to proceed:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/7415#.Vd3FRJsVjIU

(Thanks Moshe D. for catching this.)

At the bottom of this posting, please see a list of rallies that are already independently scheduled.

While I am sharing material from the very prolific and sharp Daniel Greenfield, I want to include another (dynamite) article from him related to Iran – “Traitor Senators Took Money from Iran Lobby, Back Iran Nukes” (emphasis added):

Once again, Greenfield names names. What he is talking about are – as the title of his article makes clear – Senators who received money from the Iran lobby, via one channel or another, and then declared support for the Iran deal or for Iran run by the mullahs more broadly. When he refers to the “Iran Lobby,” he includes in different contexts the Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC), American Iranian Council, and the Iranian Muslim Association of North America. He alludes to Housang Amirahmadi, founder of the American Iranian Council, and Hassan Nemazee, who was Hillary’s campaign finance director and is a member of the Iran Lobby.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/259895/traitor-senators-took-money-iran-lobby-back-iran-daniel-greenfield

Greenfield does not make idle charges: he provides links to background articles. There is, for example, a link to a 2008 article by Ken Timmerman that states:

”…Kaveh Mohseni, a spokesman for the Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran, calls Biden ‘a great friend of the mullahs.’ He notes that Biden’s election campaigns ‘have been financed by Islamic charities of the Iranian regime based in California and by the Silicon Iran network,’ a loosely-knit group of wealthy Iranian-American businessmen and women seeking to end the U.S. trade embargo on Iran. ‘In exchange, the senator does his best to aid the mullahs,’ Mohseni argues. Biden’s ties to pro-Tehran lobbying groups are no secret. But so far, the elite media has avoided even mentioning the subject.” http://www.newsmax.com/KenTimmerman/biden-iran/2010/02/02/id/348731/

And from 2002, a Free Republic article on the “Kerry/Iran Connection” “This is an of the emerging campaign finance scandal involving the Kerry campaign and lobbyists for the terror-supporting regime in Iran. At the center of the controversy is one Hassan Nemazee, listed as a Vice-Chair by the Kerry campaign, and identified by CBS News as having raised more than $500,000 for the campaign. Nemazee has served on the Board of the American Iranian Council, the Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC), and the Asia Society, all of which favor negotiations with the mullahs’ regime and eventual normalization of relations with Iran. (emphasis added) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1249569/posts

It is obvious that Greenfield (pictured below) does not paint every Iranian organization with the same brush – the groups he is referring to support the Tehran regime. The number and status of persons within the US government who have been connected to the Iran Lobby in one way or another (primarily as recipients of donations, but also in more complex political relationships) quite literally makes one’s hair stand on end.

Greenfield charges that those who have taken Iran Lobby money and then come out in support of Iran are treasonous.

Whether the links are solid enough to sustain this charge is not something that is clear to me. Perhaps there are readers who would want to pursue this further.

At the very least, this very damning evidence – which suggests betrayal of America – should be utilized as broadly as possible as we fight the fight against the deal, and then, subsequently, as the next election campaign goes into high gear.

Daniel Greenfield Credit: Frontpage

This is almost, but not quite, funny. Actually, on second thought this attempt to cover for Iran isn’t funny at all:

“On Monday, Hammond [British foreign secretary, visiting in Tehran] said Iranian President Rouhani had indicated a ‘more nuanced approach’ to Israel, and that aggressive statements by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should not necessarily be seen as representative of the country’s foreign policy.”

However, Iran denied British claims that it had indicated a ‘more nuanced approach’ to Israel, saying Tuesday that such discussions had not taken place and that its attitude toward the Jewish state remained unchanged.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-rejects-claims-of-more-nuanced-approach-to-israel/

What this incident tells us, I suspect, is just how eager the Europeans (and Brits) are going to be to cover for Iran when it comes to violations.

It is reassuring, I think, to see that at least some Republicans in Congress are going to refuse to roll over and play dead if they cannot over-ride Obama’s veto. Already they are thinking of other actions they can take. See: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-08-25/republicans-plan-iran-sanctions-after-vote-on-nuclear-deal

Other rallies that are already planned for the days ahead (not specifically in conjunction with the Rabbis March):

Sunday, August 30, at Noon – BOSTON Rally at the Statehouse (downtown)

ICEJ (International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem) Director Susan Michael and Stand with Israel at the International Summit for Israel, two days in Florida August 30, doors open at 6 PM Open to the Public. Nova SWU, Don Taft Center, 3301 College Ave, Davie, FL

August 31, 9 AM to 4:30 PM Leadership Mobilization Meeting for pastors, ministers, church and community leaders. $25 cost for lunch. Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El, 8200 Peters Rd, Plantation, FL RSVP Required. browardpastorsnetwork@gmail.com

August 31, 5:30-7:30 PM – South Florida, Stop Iran Rally

At the office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, serving Florida’s 23rd District.

19200 W. Country Club Drive, Aventura. FL.

September 1, NYC, 5:30 PM, NYC, PRESS CONFERENCE AND RALLY

Outside Senator’s Schumer’s and Gillibrand’s office 780 Third Avenue, NYC (at 49th street)

The theme: “GILLIBRAND: DON’T SURRENDER AMERICA”

September 8, 12:30 PM – WASHINGTON, DC

Iran Deal Press Conference, featuring Members of Congress, Americans effected by Iranian terrorism Sponsored by EMET – The Endowment for Middle East Truth; AFSI is a co-sponsor.

Washington DC: “West Grassy Area,” facing the Ellipse, in front of the Capitol building

© 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

10.Arlene Kushner “Seeking Rays of Light” August 25, 2015

However painfully overcast the current situation is, we should not see it as totally dark. Those “rays of light” must be sought, and nurtured, even as we see what is going on with clear eyes and face it with stiff spines.

Turning back to the Iran situation and Congress, which is not exactly a situation bathed in light, I want to add just a couple of thoughts.

Following are names of key Democratic Senators who have not yet publicly declared their positions on the Iran vote. If you live in one of the states they represent, please, let your Senator(s) hear from you, and from family and friends in-state, with an urgent request that they vote against the deal. We cannot give up:

Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, Michigan; Joe Manchin, West Virginia; Ben Cardin, Maryland; Bob Casey, Pennsylvania; Mark Warner, Virginia; Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut; and Cory Booker, New Jersey.

I left Booker for last because I have further thoughts about him. I have written about his situation before, and (I would like to be wrong) what I am seeing is that he is under huge pressure from the administration – pressure that in the end may well trump his closeness to Jewish community. I understand he has significant supporters among the ultra-Orthodox in Lakewood and, he is, of course, particularly close to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. I just learned yesterday – if what I read is correct (with thanks to Chana G. for pointing it out) – that Hillary recently had a fundraiser in Long Island, and Booker was invited to attend. There is the suggestion that he is being cultivated – he is an up-and-coming in Democratic circles. (His cultivation, I suspect, is enhanced by the current situation.) So the challenge to him is whether he is prepared to put what is right first, even if it turns out to be politically inconvenient and impinges on his burgeoning career aspirations. I have read descriptions from Rabbi Boteach of how Booker studied Torah and even taught Torah. All very nice, I suppose. But what does it mean in the end? Senator Booker should be asked this question. Especially by people in Lakewood. Maybe he is quiet now, and yet will do what is right in the end. But, if you are in NJ, help him on his way, please. Were he to declare his stand against the deal soon, it would have considerable impact – which the administration clearly recognizes.

http://www.booker.senate.gov/?p=contact (202) 224-3224 (973) 639-8700

And then I mention this: I have picked up a report that Prime Minister Netanyahu believes the opposition in Congress to the deal is growing. Certainly the more the facts of the deal are exposed, the greater the number of people likely to vote against it. What is anticipated by the Israeli government is that there will be a sufficient number to defeat the deal on its first go-round, but quite possibly not enough to defeat Obama’s veto. (Although perhaps this could change if even more that is horrendous is exposed.)

What Netanyahu says he is looking for is what he refers to as a “resounding moral majority,” which will provide Israel with greater legitimacy when it comes to exposing Iranian violations of the deal (and perhaps for other reasons as well).

This position helps explain why it is worth continuing to campaign with members of Congress even if the desired goal might not be reached.

Similar reasoning applies with regard to why it is worth pursuing this with Congress even though the UN has already voted to lift sanctions. A certain moral weight, which should not be discounted, would hold sway if Congress did defeat Obama’s veto. What is more, it is said that if the US sustained sanctions, it would have some dampening effect on those seeking to deal with Iran – who would then be penalized in dealings with the US.

Now here is something that is truly good, and has made me and my associates in the Legal Grounds Campaign very happy (emphasis added):

President Ruby Rivlin, speaking to heads of regional councils in Judea and Samaria at his Jerusalem residence yesterday, said that the Jewish right to the land of Israel is not up for “political debate.”

“It is a fundamental fact of modern Zionism. We must not let anyone have the feeling that we doubt our right to the land.”

“In the last few months, and especially in the last few days, the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria has been dealing with grave terror attacks. Thus, in these days our meeting is especially important. As always, the pioneers walking ahead of the camp meet the toughest resistance, and pay, together with IDF soldiers, a heavy price.

“We have to cope. We have the ability to cope with the current wave of terror, to fight against it, and not to give anyone the power to disrupt daily life. We must be an iron wall, a strong shield against those who wish to rise against us.” http://www.timesofisrael.com/president-to-settlers-our-right-to-land-not-debatable/ Right on! President Rivlin, for speaking straight.

PRES. RUBY RIVLIN Credit: Jewish Exponent

You can email the president’s residence at: public@president.gov.il I would like to suggest you thank him for his clear position on Judea and Samaria. He might like to know that he is appreciated.

And then, using Ruby Rivlin as a model of the position that should be taken in the face of challenges to our rights to the land, I want to take a quick look at precisely what should not be done:

Just one week ago, head of the opposition Yitzhak Herzog (Zionist Union), alarmed about increasing numbers of terrorist attacks, went to see Mahmoud Abbas of the PA in Ramallah. Speaking to the press after the meeting (alone, Abbas did not join him), he said that the concern was to prevent a “third intifada.” To that end:

“…we must combat terror on the one hand aggressively, and on the other hand move toward a diplomatic process…We must ignite the process yet again and give it another effort…We must not miss this opportunity.”

Declaring that a peace agreement could be reached in two years time, he said he would continue “trying to convince the public in Israel of the need for a diplomatic process.” http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4692065,00.html

This man is not only a colossal fool, he is dangerous. And I would like to disabuse anyone who may have been attracted to what he said of the notion that there is wisdom in “igniting” [what an inappropriate word] the peace process. There is NO “opportunity.”

Compare this to Rivlin’s remark about the need to be an iron wall against those who would rise up against us. Herzog is conveying cowardice: The message he delivered is that he is afraid, and so, in the face of Arab violence he runs to give them part of our land. This sort of appeasement backfires. It is a signal to attack further for more concessions.

The entire idea of giving even part of Judea and Samaria to the Arabs at this point – important nationalist ideology aside – is suicidal. Yesterday I wrote about Hezbollah working to recruit disgruntled members of Fatah in Judea and Samaria to attack Jews.

As to Abbas, there are reports that he has resigned from his leadership position in the PLO – although some reports question whether he is serious in his intent. What is being said is that he is retaining only his position as president in the PA.

That makes me laugh. The world pretty much chooses to ignore the fact that his term of office ran out in January 2009. There have not been new elections, because of lack of political stability in the PA and fears that Hamas might win such elections.

Think for a moment, if you will, about what sort of “state” there would be if Israel negotiated its existence with the PA. It would last perhaps two weeks.

Abbas has no credibility, and there have been many fresh charges surfacing of enormous PA corruption that he has never addressed.

Of late, he keeps insisting that he is going to visit “sister Iran,” even though in Tehran they say they don’t want to see him.

At almost 80, he is a worn-out, failed man who grabs at straws. Wait until Obama and the EU start telling us again that he is our “peace partner.”

ABU MAZEN Credit: topnews

Hamas, I will table for a future posting.

Other news that we can consider encouraging at one level or another:

“Anwar Eshki, a retired major general in the Saudi armed forces, has made it his personal goal to strike peace between Saudi Arabia and Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

“A former top adviser to the Saudi government, Eshki raised eyebrows in June when he appeared alongside Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General and longtime confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Dore Gold at a conference held by the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington DC, espousing desires to build a Saudi-Israel peace, especially to counter the regionally destabilizing expansion of Iran.

“’The main project between me and Dore Gold is to bring peace between Arab countries and Israel,’ said Eshki (left, with Gold, in the picture below).

“The former general noted that while the initiative is ‘personal,’ Riyadh ‘knows about the project’ and ‘isn’t against it, because we need peace.’”

http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/08/23/report-retired-saudi-general-makes-it-his-personal-goal-to-achieve-saudi-israeli-peace/

ANWAR ESHKI & DORE GOLD Credit: alalam

No “done deal,” but perhaps a start. Our prime minister refers from time to time about possibilities of peace with our Arab neighbors.

If this is true, it is most interesting:

“Eshki said Israeli and Saudi plans for their shared principal enemy Iran do not completely align, especially regarding an Israeli strike against Iran. He added, however, that Israel would be interested in dealing first with the threat posed by Iran’s proxy in Lebanon and Syria, Hezbollah, before committing its military to countering the much larger and imposing threat of Iran.”

There is a certain logic to this, clearly, as it is anticipated that any hit on Iran would automatically generate a war with Hezbollah. And there is much talk about the possible imminence of conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Saudis, who are not confronting Hezbollah as Israel is, are terrified about Iran directly across the Persian Gulf and eager to see the danger reduced if not eliminated. For this they look to Israel.

News of action to defend our rights is always very welcome.

The residents of the community of Kfar Adumim, in the Judean desert east of Jerusalem, in Area C – in cooperation with the organization Regavim – yesterday petitioned the High Court to order the Civil Administration to demolish 15 homes funded by the EU this year. Built on state land, they are illegal. ”The petition comes as the international community, including the EU and the US, is pressuring Israel not to demolish illegal Palestinian buildings – modular structures with cement floors.
“’We had no choice but to turn to the High Court of Justice because the Defense Ministry and the Civil Administration failed to respond to us [on this matter],’ Regavim said in a statement. It noted that illegal building was a criminal offense. (Emphasis added here and following.)
”By funding such construction, it said, the EU is acting unilaterally in Area C to help the Palestinian Authority annex that territory for its future state.
“’The criminal intervention of foreign governments in territory under the responsibility of another nation should not be tolerated,’ it added, explaining that such action is a breach of both the Oslo Accords and agreements reached between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.’” http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Settlers-take-EU-to-court-for-funding-illegal-Palestinian-building-413149

EU building for PA in area C – illegally Credit: Tova Lazar I’ve written about this situation before and you will be hearing a great deal more on it soon. The Civil Administration, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Defense, is the administrative authority in Judea and Samaria. Unfortunately, international pressure has an “inhibiting” effect on its readiness to act in cases such as this one.

Big bad Israelis depriving poor Arabs of homes, goes the international charge, when in point of fact these Arabs are deliberately being moved from PA areas to Israeli-controlled Area C.

And so Bravo! to Regavim for the important work they do.

The Financial Times reports that in recent months Israel has imported three-quarters of its oil from the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. These purchases are accomplished via complex, secretive deals, as I understand it, through Turkey.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/199829#.VdyAf5sVjIV

What the purchases do is give an important boost to the cash-strapped Kurds in their fight for full independence – a situation that should be encouraged. As I am reading it, the Kurds – who would in the end be positively pre-disposed to Israel, and would constructively change the dynamics in the region – are at present feeling vulnerable and prefer to remain reticent about their ties with Israel. Not an uncommon story. Until very recently it was true of the Saudis as well – with meetings kept quiet.

© 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

The blast that broke the ceasefire, Goldin’s disappearance and his squad’s search: how it unfolded

Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, 23, of the Givati Infantry Brigade was taken hostage Friday by Hamas and killed minutes after a proposed humanitarian ceasefire entered effect, shortly after 06:00 GMT. This is how the minutes immediately before and after the attack during which he was captured unfolded, according to an unnamed source speaking to i24news.

Forces of Hadar Goldin’s Givati unit followed an intelligence lead regarding a terror tunnel, the entrance to which was located some two miles into Gaza territory. Having arrived during the night, the soldiers started to move on the road in daylight in order to locate the shaft of the tunnel. The area of the operation is rural land, with farms and greenhouses scattered around.

Around 6:00 GMT the force locates the tunnel. Major Benaya Sarel goes into the field with a unit of two, including Goldin and the radio operator Liel Gidoni. As they are proceeding forth, terrorists open fire at the unit. As they proceed along to a greenhouse, a blast killed Sarel and Gidoni. Additional troops were spread nearby, and the closest squad that was holding position attempted to reach Sarel, the company commander. It took them several minutes to realize what happened and for the company’s deputy commander to reach the location of the blast, where they found the bodies of Sarel, Gidoni and the terrorist.

When the company deputy commander noticed the three bodies, he immediately realized that 2nd Lt. Hadar Goldin was missing, and made the operative decision to follow and locate the officer, whom he assumed was taken captive. At this point he entered the tunnel, despite clear instructions that they should not be entered without sappers’ backup, for they could be mined. The squad began to scout the tunnel, locating several items which belonged to Goldin.

This whole time, as the squad entered the tunnel, much tension was spread across the military communications network: from the Givati brigade commander through the Southern Command chief and up to the Chief of Staff himself. Many tense minutes after, the squad emerged from the tunnel, with bad news in tow: Hadar Goldin is most likely in the hands of Hamas.

Southern Command chief, Maj. Gen. Sami Tourjeman said over the weekend that he personally knew the commander of the Givati Special Forces unit, Benaya Sarel, “He was definitely one of our finest, the man who led the force. We paid a high cost. But we must remember that despite its price, this operation revealed an assault tunnel that reached Israeli territory.“

This assault tunnel is 2500 meters long, it has two exit points and it leads up to Israeli territory, the area near Kibbutz Kerem Shalom in the southern Eshkol Regional Council. Both exit points are deeper into Gazan territory: one is in a mosque and the other is in a Hamas command center. As soon as it was revealed that Goldin was taken captive, the army forces moved westward, covered by heavy fire, a tanks battalion and infantry forces. Their goal: to shut off the terrorists’ escape route.

All those actions, however, did not bear immediate fruit, so massive intelligence efforts to locate any details that could lead to the captive officer immediately began.

12.Summer’s End By: Paula R. Stern JewishPress.com Published: August 24th, 2015

The last week of August – everyone is rushing to finalize plans for the start of school, enjoy these last days before “reality” returns.

Summer is ending and a whole new reality is beginning…we got through the summer without a war…here’s hoping we can get into and through next summer without one as well.

There are basic currents that we feel here – usually they are internal. We feel tensions building and worry that a war may be coming; something happens and we watch carefully to see where it will end.

This time, the currents seem to come from abroad and Israel seems remarkably stable. Obama is fighting an all out war to get his Iran deal passed. The more desperate his attempts, the sillier the deal appears.

That the Iranians would be given 24 days’ notice appears ridiculous enough; but ridiculous has crossed into absurdity with the news that some of the inspections, at least, would be conducted by the Iranians.

Though the outcome of the deal will definitely effect Israel, it is an outside force rather than an inside one. As much as we can do to persuade the world that the Iranians are playing them, laughing at them and utterly humiliating the west, the west alone will choose its destiny. Israel will do what is has to do to survive, that is the single greatest truth in the Iran deal. If that makes some in the west nervous…good.

A second “current’ that is sending ripples through Israel is the growing anti-Semitism worldwide. Especially in Europe, but in other places, including the US, as well. Like the Iran deal, we are outsiders and yet we are not. There are few Jews in France who are not worried, wondering and perhaps even planning. The Jews in the United Kingdom are feeling the worry though have yet to internalize the threat.

If the winds of hatred bring these Jews to Israel, we will offer them a home here. Perhaps as we have done in other places, we will have to physically send in planes to bring them.

It’s still August here, still hot. No one is feeling the weather change yet, though we know that is now weeks away instead of months. But each summer melts into autumn, each autumn flows into winter. Wars and tension happen here without warning. We made it through the summer and that is something to celebrate. We’ll concentrate on getting back – back to school, back to work and let the world continue for a while on its own.

The Iran deal will bring what it will; the rise in anti-Semitism will take its course. Somehow here in Israel, the path seems steadier than usual, calmer than usual. Ultimately, as Ben Gurion said long ago, to be a realist in Israel, you must believe in miracles and so we believe, we wait, we live.

At summer’s end…life is good here in Israel, and for those of us blessed to call this our home, that really is all that matters.

About the Author: Visit Paula Stern’s blog, A Soldier’s Mother.