Examples of continuous Israeli harassment/murder of Palestinians

[angelburst29]

Pompeo is in Israel giving support to Bibi and got an honorary visit to the famous "Wall".

Pompeo pays pre-election visit to Israel, cites close Trump-Netanyahu ties

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showcased his close relationship with the Trump administration on Wednesday, hosting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo three weeks before an Israeli election.

Pompeo, in first, accompanies Israeli PM to Jerusalem's Western Wall

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accompanied Israel's prime minister on a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on Thursday in the first such gesture since Washington recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, angering Palestinians.

Pompeo, in Israel, says Hezbollah putting Lebanon at risk

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday described the heavily armed Hezbollah group as a risk to their fellow Lebanese and conferred with Israel about the Iranian-backed militia ahead of a trip to Beirut.

Hezbollah sanctions harming Lebanon, says President Aoun

U.S. sanctions on Hezbollah are harming Lebanon as a whole, President Michel Aoun said on Thursday ahead of a visit to the country by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Israel says U.N. Gaza war crimes report biased against it

Israel said on Thursday a U.N. report critical of its use of lethal force during Palestinian protests on the Gaza border was biased and should have included a demand that the enclave's dominant Hamas group take action to stop anti-Israeli violence.

As for Trump, I hope he is "all words and no action" and this is only an outward appearance of giving Bibi support before the election?

In major shift, Trump says time for U.S. to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday it was time to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights that Israel seized from Syria in 1967, marking a dramatic shift in U.S. policy and giving a boost to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the middle of his re-election campaign.

Netanyahu tells Trump he has 'made history' with Golan move

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday that he had "made history" after Trump said it was time to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a statement from Netanyahu said.

Explainer: What is the significance of the Golan Heights

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States should back Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967.

 

[angelburst29]

Rafi Eitan, a former Israeli minister and veteran spy who led the operation to capture fugitive Nazi mastermind Adolf Eichmann, died on Saturday at the age of 92.

Israeli ex-spy who helped capture Nazi mastermind Eichmann dies at 92

FILE PHOTO: Rafi Eitan, who was involved in the capture of Adolf Eichmann, an architect of the Nazi Holocaust, sits during a ceremony to mark 55 years since the Eichmann trial of at Israeli President Reuven Rivlin's residence in Jerusalem January 27, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo

Eitan died after being hospitalized in Tel Aviv, YNET news website and other Israeli media reported.

Eitan played an influential role in the early years of Israel’s intelligence agencies.

In 1960, he was in charge of the Mossad operation that led to the capture of Eichmann, an architect of the Nazi Holocaust, who was living in Argentina under an assumed identity. Eichmann was taken to Israel where he stood trial for crimes against humanity, was found guilty and hanged.

Eitan was also involved in the planning and implementation of the attack on the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

He then headed Israel’s Bureau of Scientific Relations, which was involved in the scandal surrounding Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. naval intelligence analyst arrested in 1985 and sentenced in 1987 to life imprisonment for spying for Israel.

Israel has said Pollard was recruited in a rogue operation by the since-disbanded bureau. Eitan assumed responsibility for and resigned over the affair, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Eitan was elected to parliament in 2006 for three years and served as pensioners minister.

 

[angelburst29]

I'm assuming Trump is doing this to pacify Netanyahu and giving him "scoring points" before the big Israeli election next week but it's a totally "unconstitutional signing of a Document" by a U.S. representative - that has "no standing legal provisions or Mandates" within our own ratified U.S. Constitution. How can Trump grant possession and ownership of a sovereign parcel of Real Estate, in another Country, which neither the U.S. or Israel hold legal authority, title or property rights to?

"To Codify - recognition" is only to codify the existence of a mechanical royalty - fancy words "for giving express permission, by an entity or corporation." So, Trump is putting "on record" - that he supports Israel's rights to the Golan Heights. It basically boils down to a pompous PR stunt, to highlight Netanyahu and makes Trump and the U.S. look like subordinates. I'm un-impressed!

U.S. preparing official document on recognizing Israeli sovereignty of Golan Heights: source

U.S. officials are preparing an official document to codify recognition by the United States of Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights and President Donald Trump is likely to sign it next week, a senior administration official said on Friday.

Netanyahu visits U.S. ally ahead of close Israeli election

With Israel's election only two weeks away, Benjamin Netanyahu will get to showcase his close ties with Donald Trump in a U.S. visit days after the president backed Israel's hold over the occupied Golan Heights.

Israeli PM Netanyahu says he will sue political rivals for libel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday he would sue two of his main political rivals for libel, claiming that they labeled him a traitor over a graft scandal involving a German submarine deal.

 

[Voyageur]

I'm assuming Trump is doing this to pacify Netanyahu and giving him "scoring points" before the big Israeli election next week but it's a totally "unconstitutional signing of a Document" by a U.S. representative - that has "no standing legal provisions or Mandates" within our own ratified U.S. Constitution. How can Trump grant possession and ownership of a sovereign parcel of Real Estate, in another Country, which neither the U.S. or Israel hold legal authority, title or property rights to?

Agree, it has "no standing," so yes, many question marks.

Wonder if it has anything to do with this thread, though?

What sort of long game is he playing?

...I believe that a much-needed self-examination of American policy in the Middle East has started in this country; but it can’t make much headway as long as AIPAC retains powerful influence in both the Democratic and Republican parties. Some leaders of the Democratic Party have promised to bring about a change of direction but they cannot deliver on that promise until they are able to resist the dictates of AIPAC...

On the one hand, as referenced, you have at home the Soros gang "gunning" for AIPAC (not that many would mind) - in a bid to help their borderless worldview remain on track. Which infers Israel, via AIPAC, is an impediment to that? Off continent in Israel you have Trump shielding and affirming what the Israeli's are doing in the Golan Heights - against the UN (and the Soros gang) and certainly the owner of the land, Syria.

I think the question marks stand as I've no idea "what this long game is" either, and perhaps it is a stalling game while awaiting for something to develop out of these behind the scene games; or it just keeps people bouncing around?

 

[angelburst29]

The signing ceremony took place at the White House during Trump’s talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump signs proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over Golan Heights

© AP Photo/Susan Walsh

US president Donald Trump has signed a proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

The signing ceremony took place at the White House during Trump’s talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was broadcast live by US news channels.

Israel says six wounded near Tel Aviv in long-range Gaza rocket attack

A long-range rocket launched from the Gaza Strip struck a house in central Israel on Monday, wounding six people in the first such incident since a 2014 war in the Palestinian enclave, Israeli authorities said.

Israel air strike targets office of Hamas leader in Gaza: Hamas radio
An Israeli air strike targeted the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Gaza Strip on Monday, Hamas radio reported.

Israel, Hamas clash over Gaza, then truce reached

Israel mounted air strikes on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza and deployed extra troops to the border on Monday in response to the longest-range Hamas rocket attack to cause casualties in years.

Israel, Hamas agree to truce via Egyptian mediators: Palestinian official
Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Egypt, a senior Palestinian official stated.

On the one hand, as referenced, you have at home the Soros gang "gunning" for AIPAC (not that many would mind) - in a bid to help their borderless worldview remain on track. Which infers Israel, via AIPAC, is an impediment to that? Off continent in Israel you have Trump shielding and affirming what the Israeli's are doing in the Golan Heights - against the UN (and the Soros gang) and certainly the owner of the land, Syria.

I think the question marks stand as I've no idea "what this long game is" either, and perhaps it is a stalling game while awaiting for something to develop out of these behind the scene games; or it just keeps people bouncing around?

Personally, I don't see a connection to what you Posted above and the situation I described between Netanyahu and Trump.

Basically what you are referring to, mostly likely - is a power play between Soros and Netanyahu? It has nothing to do with Trump.

As for "the long game" - AIPAC is much like a monopoly for Israel's interests and limits Soros power base and ambitions. I see it, as a dog fight between two "alpha breeds" vying for power.

March 2, 2019 - Soros Revenge? What's behind anti-Netanyahu campaign in Israel
Soros' Revenge? What's Behind Anti-Netanyahu Campaign in Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apparently fallen victim to an all-out George Soros-backed smear campaign,
political analyst Avigdor Eskin told Sputnik, adding that the increased confrontation between Tel Aviv and Tehran has nothing to do with the inner political struggle in Israel.

The allegations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are ridiculous, the Jerusalem-based Israeli political analyst Avigdor Eskin told Sputnik, noting that the notorious New Israel Fund backed by US billionaire George Soros plays an active role in the anti-Netanyahu campaign.

 

[angelburst29]

Israel "overriding security control" in the occupied West Bank - does not grant the Palestine's peace but occupation. What kind of Peace Deal - is that?

U.S. envoy hints at peace deal with Israeli security control in West Bank

The U.S. ambassador to Israel said on Tuesday the Trump administration understands a need for Israel to have "overriding security control" in the occupied West Bank in any future peace deal with the Palestinians

Skiers at Golan Heights resort praise Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty

For Israeli skiers gliding down the snowy slopes in the Golan Heights, U.S. President Donald Trump's proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the territory it captured from Syria more than 50 years ago was long overdue.

 

[Voyageur]

I see it, as a dog fight between two "alpha breeds" vying for power.

Yeah, perhaps that is so.

 

[angelburst29]

Israel "overriding security control" in the occupied West Bank - does not grant the Palestine's peace but occupation. What kind of Peace Deal - is that?

U.S. envoy hints at peace deal with Israeli security control in West Bank

This recent headline has me concerned, due to it's implications and what the Israeli's might be setting up, under the terms of "overriding security control" and Israel's "right to self defense"? I wonder if Netanyahu's next game plan - is an Israeli Military takeover of the whole West Bank including the Gaza Strip?

Trump says any Middle East peace deal must account for Israel's right to self-defense
President Donald Trump, at the start of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Monday any future Middle East peace deal must account for Israel's right to self-defense, shortly after Israel began bombing Gaza in retaliation for a rocket attack.

I sense, Netanyahu is on an adrenalin high in his expansion efforts and land grabs? Directly after Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Netanyahu cut his trip short because it was claimed - Hamas rockets were shelling Tel Aviv. If you have been following any of the news reports coming out of Palestine and the West Bank, it would become apparent, the only one who possesses "long range rockets" - is Israel. Hamas has no ways or means of obtaining that type of military hardware. The attack on Tel Aviv, similar to what the Israeli's provoke in the Golan Heights, as an excuse to shell Syria, is the more likely scenario? It also gave Netanyahu an excuse to cut short his visit to Washington, after the choreograph signing of the Document by Trump. Netanyahu got everything he wanted, so now he had to rush home, to the next phase in his plans.

There is an uneasy feeling, if Netanyahu - indeed wins this up coming election, his next move is for a full Military invasion of Gaza and the West Bank? This conflict has been simmering for years and I think, Netanyahu is to the point of his "end-game"? Problem is - the World is watching and there's the real possibility of other Countries getting involved - and attacking "the State of Israel"? This is one of those situations, I hope intuition is wrong?

Israel accuses Hamas of rocket strike, media say new troops head for Gaza
Israel's military accused Hamas of carrying out a rocket strike from the Gaza Strip on Monday, and Israeli media said troop reinforcements were being sent to the border of the Palestinian enclave.

Israeli Army Sends Troops to Gaza Border After Rocket Attack

Israel deployed two infantry brigades and armored units to the Gaza border after accusing Palestinian resistance faction Hamas of carrying out a rocket strike from the Gaza Strip which hit a residential area North of Tel Aviv.

An Israeli military spokesperson claimed that the rocket attack was carried out by Hamas, adding that the army was set to deploy two brigades and infantry units to the Soutern Gaza area.

A house in the community of Mishmeret, North of the city of Kfar Saba, near Tel Aviv, has reportedly been hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Monday Morning, wounding seven people and prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short a trip to the United States.

It set the stage for a potential major conflagration, shortly before Israel's upcoming elections.

Israel, Hamas clash over Gaza, then truce reached
Israel launched air strikes on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza and deployed extra troops to the border on Monday in response to the longest-range Hamas rocket attack to cause casualties in years.

Rocket sirens sound in southern Israel after report of Gaza truce
Rocket sirens went off in southern Israeli towns less than an hour after Palestinians reported a ceasefire had been reached through Egyptian mediation.

Israel-Hamas cross-border fighting renews after lull

Palestinian militants fired rockets from Gaza into Israel on Tuesday, drawing retaliatory air strikes and breaking a day-long lull in cross-border fighting between Israel and Hamas that could impact an Israeli election two weeks away.

Israel air strike targets office of Hamas leader in Gaza: Hamas radio
An Israeli air strike targeted the office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Gaza Strip on Monday, Hamas radio reported.

Hamas leader appears in public as fighting with Israel tails off

The leader of the militant Islamist group Hamas viewed the rubble of his bombed office in Gaza on Wednesday, appearing in public as an uneasy calm took hold after two days of cross-border Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli air strikes.

One Palestinian killed as West Bank protesters clash with Israeli troops

About 150 Palestinian students threw firebombs and rocks at Israeli soldiers who responded with tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday after an Israeli raid on their university.

U.N. Security Council to meet over U.S. Golan Heights decision

The United Nations Security Council will meet later on Wednesday, at the request of Syria, over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

U.N. chief concerned by Israel, Gaza developments, urges restraint
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "gravely concerned" by the recent developments in Israel and the Gaza Strip and urges all sides to exercise maximum restraint, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Russia's Putin to discuss Golan Heights with Lebanon's president

Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the U.S. decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights with Lebanon's president at talks in Moscow later on Tuesday, the Kremlin said.

Gulf Arabs, Europeans, Iran reject U.S. recognition of Golan Heights as Israeli
U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights united Washington's Arab allies and their regional foe Iran in condemnation on Tuesday.

Pompeo defends US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights (Video)
Pompeo defends US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights


US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the decision of the Trump administration to recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory during a press conference in Washington DC on Tuesday.

“We are simply recognizing facts on the ground and the reality and doing the right thing. I hope those nations [who oppose the decision] will join us to understand how important that is, how right that is,” said Pompeo.

Pompeo also announced that “We’ll continue to refuse and provide assistance to foreign NGOs who perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning. Now, as a result of my decision today, we are also making clear that we will refuse to provide assistance to foreign NGOs that give financial support to other foreign groups in the global abortion industry.”

'Extreme Contempt for International Law': World Furious at US over Recognizing Israeli Sovereignty over Occupied Golan Heights (List of Countries)
Trump on Monday formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, reversing decades of United State's policy. The announcement came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House in a trip.

 

[angelburst29]

Hezbollah warned that the United States could next choose to recognize Israel’s “sovereignty” over the Tel Aviv-occupied West Bank unless the Arab world springs to action.

Mar 27 2019 - Hezbollah Chief Warns West Bank Next on US Recognition List

The Lebanese resistance movement’s Secretary General Seyed Hassan Nasrallah issued the caution during a speech on Tuesday, presstv reported.

“When the entire world allows [US President Donald] Trump to declare [Jerusalem] al-Quds as Israel’s eternal capital, and especially the Arab world remains silent, this opens the way for all US violations,” he said.

"When institutions and International laws fail to serve the American agenda and their interest, they just simply disregard it in all disrespect, and what is called 'the international community' is not able to protect any right of the people whatsoever, including land ownership and sovereignty, taking back conquered land like what happened in Golan or what happened before that in (Jerusalem) al-Quds," Nasrallah added.

Trump recognized the holy city, which the Israeli regime occupied as part of the Palestinian territory of the West Bank during a war in 1967, as Israel’s “capital” in late 2017. On Monday, the US president took his second most controversial pro-Israeli action during his tenure by recognizing the regime’s “sovereignty” over Syria’s Golan Heights. Tel Aviv occupied the latter territory during the same war.

“We must expect Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank,” Nasrallah stressed.

He stated that such a potential move “is part of the deal of the century”, referring to an under-wraps Washington proposal for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which reportedly includes outrageous violations against Palestinians’ historical demands.
“They can say the Palestinian people can go and live in Gaza,” the Hezbollah chief said, envisioning expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank as part of the US plan.

He urged the Arab world to resort to what “conscience” it had left by preventing these prospects.

The Arab League, Nasrallah proposed, should use its upcoming summit in Tunisia to withdraw the so-called Arab peace initiative, proposed by Saudi Arabia in 2002, and instead press for more negotiation.

The initiative offers normalization of ties between Israel and 22 Arab countries in return for Tel Aviv’s withdrawal from the West Bank.

Separately, Nasrallah pointed to remarks made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a recent visit to Lebanon. Attending the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, the top diplomat urged that the Lebanese “face” Hezbollah and branded the group as an obstacle to realization of the Lebanese people’s dreams.

Nasrallah added that his movement was in the service of Lebanon’s protection as has been the case during Israel’s several invasions of the country. Hezbollah rather upheld the Lebanese people’s dreams of retrieving the part of their land, which has been occupied by Tel Aviv, and eradication of corruption.

“Is Hezbollah standing in the face of these dreams? Or is Hezbollah part of the apparatus, which people pin their hopes on,” he asked.

The Hezbollah chief also referenced the US’s history of sowing instability, destruction, and bloodshed across the world through military invasion.

By singling out the resistance group as the source of the country’s problems, the US is rather trying to pit the Lebanese people against each other and trigger a “civil war”, Nasrallah noted.

“He (Pompeo) is trying to incite us and wants the Lebanese people to shed each other’s blood. Pompeo is frustrated with the stability and peaceful coexistence in Lebanon,” he stated.

U.S. pressure on Hezbollah, Iran is working, Pompeo says in Beirut

U.S. sanctions on Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah are working, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday on a visit to Beirut, calling on Lebanon to stand up to the Shi'ite group which he accused of "criminality, terror and threats".

Lebanon PM Hariri has heart procedure in Paris

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has undergone a "precautionary" heart procedure in Paris, his office said on Monday.

 

[angelburst29]

Gulf Arabs, Europeans, Iran reject U.S. recognition of Golan Heights as Israeli
U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights united Washington's Arab allies and their regional foe Iran in condemnation on Tuesday.

Relations between Arab states and Israel need to shift to help progress towards peace with the Palestinians, a senior United Arab Emirates official was quoted on Thursday as saying.

UAE official urges Arab openness to Israel: paper

FILE PHOTO: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs for the United Arab Emirates, Anwar Gargash, speaks at an event at Chatham House in London, Britain July 17, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall/File Photo

The decision by many Arab countries not to talk with Israel has complicated finding a solution over the decades, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said, according to Abu Dhabi-based daily The National.

“Because clearly, you have to really dissect and divide between having a political issue and keeping your lines of communication open.”

His comments came after the UAE and other Gulf states criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition this week of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau captured from Syria in a 1967 war.

They also followed a visit last month by Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Gulf Arab states to seek support for the economic portion of a long-awaited U.S. proposal for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Gulf Arab states host U.S. troops and are important for Washington’s regional defense policy.

Israel has formal diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, neighboring Egypt and Jordan.

Israel sees Arab states as its natural allies against regional powerhouse Iran. But many in the Arab world resist following Jordan’s and Egypt’s lead as long as the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory continues.

Capturing 24 hours in Gaza, one hour at a time

In the build-up to the one-year anniversary of the Gaza border protests that opened up a deadly new front in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Reuters photographer Dylan Martinez visited Gaza for the first time.

Slideshow (35 Images)
Capturing 24 hours in Gaza, one hour at a time

 

[angelburst29]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel is prepared to wage a broad military campaign in Gaza if needed, after a two-day flareup of cross-border fighting that has thrust his security policies to the fore two weeks before an election.

Netanyahu says Israel ready for Gaza campaign if needed; Palestinians plan huge march

In Gaza, organizers announced plans for a massive protest on Saturday along the border to mark the anniversary of weekly demonstrations at which Israeli forces have, according to Gaza medical officials, already killed nearly 200 Palestinians.

“All Israelis should know that if a comprehensive campaign is required, we will enter it strong and safe, and after we have exhausted all of the other possibilities,” Netanyahu said after visiting the Gaza frontier and meeting with Israeli commanders.

Although this week’s fighting has since died down amid Egyptian mediation, Israel’s security posture toward Gaza will be tested again by what are expected to be massive demonstrations on Saturday.

“The military will resort to a very strong hand against anyone trying to confront our troops,” Israeli security cabinet minister Arye Deri told Army Radio. “Let no one blame Israel after.”

Netanyahu cut short a visit to the United States after seven Israelis were injured in Monday’s initial rocket strike in the village of Mishmeret, 120 km (75 miles) north of Gaza. Twelve Palestinians were wounded by Israeli retaliatory attacks, Gaza health officials said.

Televised scenes of a high-tech military facing off against crowds of youths armed mostly with rocks or improvised kite-and balloon-borne firebombs bedevil Netanyahu’s government.

 

[Voyageur]

The signing ceremony took place at the White House during Trump’s talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump signs proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over Golan Heights

There is a pretty good overview from Whitney Webb back in February (13th) concerning the Golan Heights:

The Match is Lit: Israel Preps for Syrian War with Golan’s Oil and Water in its Sights

News of Syria’s downing of an Israeli F-16 is fizzling, but Israeli plan's for a war to secure the Golan Heights are just getting underway.

www.mintpressnews.com

Snip:

Though measuring no more than roughly 460 square miles, the Golan is of great strategic importance for several reasons. The most commonly cited by Israeli media is that it offers a bulwark against northern “hostile” nations due to its rugged geography, helping Israel to “defend” against incoming attacks from either Syria or Lebanon.

A topographical representation of the Golan Heights, including it’s precious water resources centering around the Sea of Galilee. (Graphic courtesy of Mashregh News)

However, much more important to Israel’s “national security” than the oft-stated “barrier” advantage is the fact that the Golan Heights houses significant fresh-water resources. Under occupation, the Golan is one of three sources of fresh water to the Israeli state — and is the largest in size and most plentiful, as it comprises the mountain streams that feed Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) and the headwaters of the Jordan river. Currently, over a third of all the fresh water made available to Israelis originates in the Golan Heights.

Though fresh water is an especially important resource in the Middle East, it is now more important to Israel than ever before. Israel is in its fourth year of a drought so massive that a NASA study called it the worst drought in the region in nearly 900 years. As a result, the water in the Golan Heights is essential to Israel and its attempts to expand.

This resource was a major motivating factor in Israel’s 1967 takeover and subsequent 1981 annexation of the Golan Heights. During that period, Israel expelled nearly all of the area’s original inhabitants and demolished their villages. As Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported in 2010, more than 100,000 Syrians lost their homes and property as a result of the occupation. Israel has no intention of letting the Golan’s original inhabitants return, however. The area is currently home to some 20,000 settlers and a plan is currently underway to settle 100,000 more in the next several years in order to strengthen Israel’s claim to the area.

Though the abundant fresh water in the Golan Heights is of crucial importance to Israel, the Golan’s value grew sharply following the discovery of a major oil reserve in the area, estimated to contain “billions of barrels” of crude oil that could turn Israel – which currently imports the vast majority of its fuel – into a net oil exporter. Yet, because the Golan Heights are internationally recognized as being under occupation and not an official part of Israel, the commercial extraction and export of this vast oil reserve cannot go forward — until this status changes. As a result, only exploratory wells have been drilled, mostly by a division of Genie Energy Co., a U.S.-based oil company connected to well-known figures such as Rupert Murdoch, Jacob Rothschild, and Dick Cheney.

The desire to claim the Golan Heights and all of its resources under internationally recognized circumstances is also, in part, to blame for Israel’s key role in the genesis of the current violence in Syria.

Five years before the current conflict in Syria began, the government of Israel hatched a plan to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by creating sectarian strife in the country and isolating Syria from its strongest regional ally, Iran. As mentioned, the Assad-led government has refused to recognize Israel’s hold on the Golan and has vowed to retake it as part of Syria.

The plan was never designed to be enacted by Israel but instead by its “staunch ally” the United States. The U.S. adopted the plan and the communications of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton revealed that this plan was a major factor in U.S. policy leading up to the genesis of the Syrian conflict. One of her leaked emails, published by WikiLeaks, stated that “the best way to help Israel deal with Iran’s growing nuclear capability is to help the people of Syria overthrow the regime of Bashar Assad.”

That same email also noted that “a successful intervention in Syria would require substantial diplomatic and military leadership from the United States.” It also added that “arming the Syrian rebels and using Western air power to ground Syrian helicopters and airplanes is a low-cost high-payoff approach.”

Unsurprisingly, official recognition of Israel’s annexation of the Golan was prominent among the regime-change promises touted by the Syrian “rebels.” Throughout the now seven-year-long war, rebels have offered to “trade” or sell the Golan to Israel in exchange for military aid or an Israeli-imposed “no-fly zone” in their bid to overthrow Assad.

Despite Israel and U.S.’ best efforts, the“low-cost high-payoff approach” has not gone as planned. Instead, Assad has managed to consolidate large parts of Syrian territory once lost to the “rebels,” the bulk of which are terrorist groups or their affiliates. As its past efforts and more recent plans to annex southern Syria through regime change have failed, Israel has grown more desperate, as evidenced by everything from the “dozens and dozens” of attacks it has launched against Syria to last year’s threats to assassinate Assad by bombing his residence. Experts have long noted that these are attempts to provoke Syria into a conflict.

In addition to these provocations, Israel has been creeping further into southern Syria under the guise of establishing a “safe-zone” or buffer region that extends from the Golan into the southern Syrian provinces of Quneitra and Daraa. According to Syrian opposition sources and Israeli-American NGOs, this safe zone is “intended to keep the Syrian army and its Iranian and Lebanese allies as far away from Israel’s border as possible, as well as solidify Israel’s control over the occupied Golan Heights.”

Alongside the buffer zone’s expansion, Israel has “offered” to occupy Syrian villages to “protect” them from the very Syrian rebels that Israel has been funding, arming, and offering medical treatment to throughout the conflict — even though most are allied with al-Nusra Front (Al Qaeda) or Daesh (ISIS).

While Israel has, for much of the war, been conducting these attacks against, and illegal incursions into, Syria with impunity, all of that has now changed due to this past weekend’s events. Now that Syria is responding to flagrant violations of its sovereignty, Israel knows the match is lit and, by all indications, are preparing for what comes next.

What came next was obtaining the US's unequivocal support for their rights to the Golan Heights while sending the message to Assad in preparation (e.g. you fight the US gang if you don't stop "what comes next").

 

[angelburst29]

No surPRIZE here - actually - it was expected!

Israeli researchers - hundreds of fake Twitter accounts boost Netanyahu

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to a news conference in Jerusalem April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Two Israeli researchers said on Monday they had discovered a network of hundreds of fake Twitter accounts that promoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attacked his political rivals, a week before a national election.

No direct connection had been found between the network and Netanyahu or his right-wing Likud party, said the report by the researchers, who described their work as part of a project aimed at ridding social networks of manipulative practices.

Opinion polls show Netanyahu and his main challenger, centrist candidate Benny Gantz, locked in a close race ahead of the April 9 election.

Researchers Noam Rotem and Yuval Adam said fake names were used in more than 150 accounts in the network and hundreds more might also be bogus. They described the research as independent.

Rotem describes himself as an activist committed to rooting out the manipulation of social media. The authors of the report said the postings on the fake accounts were controlled by people, not automatic “bots”.

They named one of the alleged operators, who denied through his lawyer involvement in any organized pro-Netanyahu network.
“Expert analysis shows the network has reached more than 2.5 million Israelis,” the report said, putting the number of tweets since the start of the election campaign at more than 130,000. Israel has a population of about 8.7 million.

Brazil opens Israel trade mission in Jerusalem, short of full embassy move

Brazil opened a new trade mission to Israel in Jerusalem on Sunday, edging back from earlier signals it would follow the United States with a full embassy move to the contested city.

 

[angelburst29]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that he would annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins another term in office, a last-minute pre-election promise likely to enrage Palestinians and the Arab world.

Israel's Netanyahu says he plans to annex settlements in West Bank

FILE PHOTO: A general view picture shows houses in the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the occupied West Bank February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo

In an interview to Israeli Channel 12 News three days ahead of the April 9 poll, Netanyahu was asked why he had not extended sovereignty to large West Bank settlements, as Israel did without international recognition in east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, both captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

“Who says that we won’t do it? We are on the way and we are discussing it,” Netanyahu said.

“You are asking whether we are moving on to the next stage - the answer is yes, we will move to the next stage. I am going to extend (Israeli) sovereignty and I don’t distinguish between settlement blocs and the isolated settlements.”

Netanyahu is competing for votes with small far-right parties who advocate annexation. His comments are likely to appeal to hardline voters, who object to ceding lands to the Palestinians.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rdainah, told Reuters: “Any measures and any announcements will not change the facts. Settlements are illegal and they will be removed.”

The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, all territory Israel captured in 1967. Israel has annexed east Jerusalem and withdrawn from Gaza. The West Bank remains under Israeli military occupation with limited Palestinian self rule.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that he would annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins another term in office, a last-minute pre-election promise likely to enrage Palestinians and the Arab world.

Israel's Netanyahu says he plans to annex settlements in West Bank

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