30 dec 2019
By: The Palestine Chronicle Staff
Following his triumph in the Likud party’s primary elections, on December 26, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu introduced a political plan aimed at securing US recognition of Israel’s annexation of West Bank settlements and rolling back Iran’s influence in the region.
Netanyahu’s plan, which is likely to play a major role in his desperate attempt to cling to power after yet another general election, slated for March, also proposes the normalization of ties between Tel Aviv and Arab countries, without ending Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Israeli newspaper Times of Israel reported on Netanyahu’s six-point plan, which was revealed during the Israeli leader’s victory speech on Friday.
“First, we will finalize our borders; second, we will push the US to recognize our sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea; third, we will push for US recognition of our extension of sovereignty over all the communities in Judea and Samaria, all of them without exception,” Netanyahu said.
“Fourth, we will push for a historic defense alliance with the US that will preserve Israeli freedom of action; fifth, stop Iran and its allies decisively; and sixth, push for normalization and agreements that will lead to peace accords with Arab countries”.
“Israeli officials have been preparing for this moment for more than half a century, since the West Bank and Gaza were seized back in 1967,” Palestine Chronicle contributor Jonathan Cook wrote last June.
“Annexation is not a right-wing project that has hijacked the benign intentions of Israel’s founding generation. Annexation was on the cards from the occupation’s very beginnings in 1967, when the so-called center-left – now presented as a peace-loving alternative to Netanyahu – ran the government,” Cook added.
“Ultimately, Israel wants the Palestinians gone entirely, squeezed out into neighboring Arab states, such as Egypt and Jordan. That next chapter is likely to begin in earnest if Trump ever gets the chance to unveil his deal of the century’.”
In his speech on Friday, Netanyahu promised his Likud supporters that he will “fight for them” as “they fought for me,” reported The Times of Israel.
Following his triumph in the Likud party’s primary elections, on December 26, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu introduced a political plan aimed at securing US recognition of Israel’s annexation of West Bank settlements and rolling back Iran’s influence in the region.
Netanyahu’s plan, which is likely to play a major role in his desperate attempt to cling to power after yet another general election, slated for March, also proposes the normalization of ties between Tel Aviv and Arab countries, without ending Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Israeli newspaper Times of Israel reported on Netanyahu’s six-point plan, which was revealed during the Israeli leader’s victory speech on Friday.
“First, we will finalize our borders; second, we will push the US to recognize our sovereignty in the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea; third, we will push for US recognition of our extension of sovereignty over all the communities in Judea and Samaria, all of them without exception,” Netanyahu said.
“Fourth, we will push for a historic defense alliance with the US that will preserve Israeli freedom of action; fifth, stop Iran and its allies decisively; and sixth, push for normalization and agreements that will lead to peace accords with Arab countries”.
“Israeli officials have been preparing for this moment for more than half a century, since the West Bank and Gaza were seized back in 1967,” Palestine Chronicle contributor Jonathan Cook wrote last June.
“Annexation is not a right-wing project that has hijacked the benign intentions of Israel’s founding generation. Annexation was on the cards from the occupation’s very beginnings in 1967, when the so-called center-left – now presented as a peace-loving alternative to Netanyahu – ran the government,” Cook added.
“Ultimately, Israel wants the Palestinians gone entirely, squeezed out into neighboring Arab states, such as Egypt and Jordan. That next chapter is likely to begin in earnest if Trump ever gets the chance to unveil his deal of the century’.”
In his speech on Friday, Netanyahu promised his Likud supporters that he will “fight for them” as “they fought for me,” reported The Times of Israel.
26 dec 2019
Reuven Rivlin and Yossi Cohen
Yossi Cohen says Tehran's nuclear ambition and entrenchment in the region presents a challenge to Israel's national intelligence agency; Rivlin who hosted annual ceremony emphasizing Mossad's excellence says Israel's enemies 'lay in wait'
The head of Mossad says Iran is the number one priority for Israel's national intelligence agency.
Speaking at a ceremony awarding certificates of excellence to Mossad's most outstanding employees, Yossi Cohen said the Islamic Republic is "at the top the Mossad’s work priorities."
All Iranian nuclear, long-range missile and precision missile activities, its regional spread and its support for terrorist organizations are a challenge to the security of the State of Israel and its citizens," he said.
He added that all the bodies and "men and women" of the intelligence agency work together "as a single fist" to achieve results.
The annual ceremony was hosted by President Reuven Rivlin, who praised the intelligence agency. “In the Mossad’s dictionary, you will not find the word ‘impossible,'" he said. "For the Mossad, excellence is not a luxury, it is the only way to survive in the world of the shadows.”
Rivlin said Israel's enemies "lay in wait" looking for an opportunity to attack. "They are frustrated by their failure to harm us, and never stop searching for a way to catch us unawares. To protect ourselves in the neighborhood we live in, we have no option but to be sharper and much better."
This year the certificate of excellence was awarded to 13 employees, 9 men and 4 women, for their achievements. Two operations personnel, five intelligence officers and technology experts, and four operations assistants.
Yossi Cohen says Tehran's nuclear ambition and entrenchment in the region presents a challenge to Israel's national intelligence agency; Rivlin who hosted annual ceremony emphasizing Mossad's excellence says Israel's enemies 'lay in wait'
The head of Mossad says Iran is the number one priority for Israel's national intelligence agency.
Speaking at a ceremony awarding certificates of excellence to Mossad's most outstanding employees, Yossi Cohen said the Islamic Republic is "at the top the Mossad’s work priorities."
All Iranian nuclear, long-range missile and precision missile activities, its regional spread and its support for terrorist organizations are a challenge to the security of the State of Israel and its citizens," he said.
He added that all the bodies and "men and women" of the intelligence agency work together "as a single fist" to achieve results.
The annual ceremony was hosted by President Reuven Rivlin, who praised the intelligence agency. “In the Mossad’s dictionary, you will not find the word ‘impossible,'" he said. "For the Mossad, excellence is not a luxury, it is the only way to survive in the world of the shadows.”
Rivlin said Israel's enemies "lay in wait" looking for an opportunity to attack. "They are frustrated by their failure to harm us, and never stop searching for a way to catch us unawares. To protect ourselves in the neighborhood we live in, we have no option but to be sharper and much better."
This year the certificate of excellence was awarded to 13 employees, 9 men and 4 women, for their achievements. Two operations personnel, five intelligence officers and technology experts, and four operations assistants.
20 nov 2019
Russia has denounced Israel’s latest aerial assaults on Syria as a “wrong” move that will exacerbate tensions.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Wednesday that his country had contacted its allies about the Israeli attacks in Damascus suburbs.
“We will look into the circumstances. All this is very wrong,” he said. “It merely causes an unnecessary escalation of tensions.”
At the request of Damascus, Russia, along with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement, has been assisting Syrian armed forces in their battles against terrorist groups in the Arab country, many of which have the support of the Israeli regime.
Israeli warplanes fired several missiles from the direction of both the occupied Golan Heights, and Marjaayoun area in Lebanon targeting the outskirts of Damascus in the early hours of Wednesday, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.
It also quoted a military source as saying that Syrian air defenses had managed to foil the aggression by intercepting the “hostile missiles” and downing most of them before they reached their targets.
SANA further reported that the strikes had killed two civilians in the town of Saasaa, southwest of Damascus, and injured several others, including a girl in a residential building in the suburb of Qudsaya, west of the Syrian capital.
However, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 11, adding that the Mezzeh airbase, in western Damascus, was among the targets of the Israeli air raids.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed it had attacked dozens of targets inside Syria, which it claimed belonged to the Syrian army and the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), which runs a military advisory mission in Syria.
It further claimed that the strikes came in response to a rocket attack on the northern parts of the Israeli-occupied territories on Tuesday.
Israel frequently attacks military targets inside Syria in what is considered as an attempt to prop up foreign-backed Takfiri terrorist groups that have been suffering heavy defeats against Syrian government forces.
The Damascus government has several times complained to the UN about Israel’s illegal strikes on Syria.
Iran has no yet reacted to the Israeli regime’s new claims.
Last year, similar Israeli raids led to the downing of Russian aircraft off a Syrian coast, killing over a dozen Russian servicemen and sparking some of the worst tensions in Moscow-Tel Aviv ties.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Wednesday that his country had contacted its allies about the Israeli attacks in Damascus suburbs.
“We will look into the circumstances. All this is very wrong,” he said. “It merely causes an unnecessary escalation of tensions.”
At the request of Damascus, Russia, along with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement, has been assisting Syrian armed forces in their battles against terrorist groups in the Arab country, many of which have the support of the Israeli regime.
Israeli warplanes fired several missiles from the direction of both the occupied Golan Heights, and Marjaayoun area in Lebanon targeting the outskirts of Damascus in the early hours of Wednesday, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.
It also quoted a military source as saying that Syrian air defenses had managed to foil the aggression by intercepting the “hostile missiles” and downing most of them before they reached their targets.
SANA further reported that the strikes had killed two civilians in the town of Saasaa, southwest of Damascus, and injured several others, including a girl in a residential building in the suburb of Qudsaya, west of the Syrian capital.
However, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 11, adding that the Mezzeh airbase, in western Damascus, was among the targets of the Israeli air raids.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed it had attacked dozens of targets inside Syria, which it claimed belonged to the Syrian army and the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), which runs a military advisory mission in Syria.
It further claimed that the strikes came in response to a rocket attack on the northern parts of the Israeli-occupied territories on Tuesday.
Israel frequently attacks military targets inside Syria in what is considered as an attempt to prop up foreign-backed Takfiri terrorist groups that have been suffering heavy defeats against Syrian government forces.
The Damascus government has several times complained to the UN about Israel’s illegal strikes on Syria.
Iran has no yet reacted to the Israeli regime’s new claims.
Last year, similar Israeli raids led to the downing of Russian aircraft off a Syrian coast, killing over a dozen Russian servicemen and sparking some of the worst tensions in Moscow-Tel Aviv ties.
War monitoring group says at least 7 of the casualties are foreign nationals; IDF says it carried out the attacks, hitting targets belonging to Iran's elite Quds force, in response to the rocket fire at Israel's north; 'Our message to Iranian leaders: you're no longer immune,' says Bennett
The Israeli military said it struck dozens of Iranian targets in Syria on Wednesday, carrying out a wide-scale strike in response to rocket fire on the Golan Heights the day before. War monitoring group reported at least 23 people were killed including foreign nationals.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 7 out of 23 casualties were foreign nationals and are believed to be Iranians. "We cannot confirm whether the seven foreigners killed are all Iranians or pro-Iranian fighters of different nationalities," added Rami Abdul Rahman, the head of the London-based NGO with an extensive network of sources in the country.
The military said its fighter jets hit multiple targets belonging to Iran's elite Quds force, including surface-to-air missiles, weapons warehouses and military bases. After the Syrian military fired an air defense missile, the Israeli military said a number of Syrian aerial defense batteries were also destroyed.
The Syrian Observatory said the airstrikes targeted arms depots belonging to the Quds Force in the Damascus suburbs of Kisweh and Qudsaya. Abdul Rahman added that several other areas were targeted in Wednesday's strikes, including the Mazzeh airbase in western Damascus where air defense units are stationed.
Earlier, Syria's state SANA news agency said the two people were killed by shrapnel when an Israeli missile hit a house in the town of Saasaa, southwest of Damascus.
The report also said several others were wounded in the airstrikes near the capital, Damascus. It claimed that Syrian air defenses destroyed most of the Israeli missiles before they reached their targets.
The strikes further burst into the open what's been a long shadow war between Israel and its archenemy Iran. The two foes have increasingly clashed over what Israel says is Iran's deeper presence along its borders.
Yesterday's Iranian attack towards Israel is further clear proof of the purpose of the Iranian entrenchment in Syria, which threatens Israeli security, regional stability and the Syrian regime, the military said in a statement, adding that it would continue operating firmly and resolutely against Iran in Syria.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said the significance of the operation was the multitude of targets hit.
Several important targets were struck, he said, including what he described as the Iranian headquarters at Damascus airport where senior Iranian officials are based and which is used to coordinate shipments from Iran to its allies in Syria and beyond. He added that Israel also holds Syria responsible for hosting the Iranians.
Tuesday's rocket fire on the Golan was the sixth attempt by Iran to attack Israeli targets since February 2018, and all have been thwarted, Conricus said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a series of warnings recently about Iranian aggression throughout the Middle East and has vowed to respond firmly. "I made it clear: whoever harms us, we will harm them. That's what we did tonight," he said early Wednesday. We will continue to aggressively protect Israel's security.
Israel's new hard-line defense minister, Naftali Bennett, issued an equally firm statement.
"The rules have changed: whoever fires on Israel during the day will not sleep at night," he said. "Our message to the leaders of Iran is simple: you are no longer immune. Any place you dispatch your tentacles, we will chop them off."
The rare rocket fire comes a week after an Israeli airstrike against a top Palestinian militant based in Syria. Akram al-Ajouri, a member of the leadership of the militant Islamic Jihad group who is living in exile, survived the attack but his son and granddaughter were killed.
Israel frequently strikes Iranian interests in Syria. But last week's airstrike appeared to be a rare assassination attempt of a Palestinian militant in the Syrian capital. It came the same day as another Israeli airstrike killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza, settling off the fiercest round of fighting there in years.
Iran has forces based in Syria, Israel's northern neighbor, and supports Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. In Gaza, it supplies Islamic Jihad with cash, weapons and expertise.
Netanyahu also has claimed Iran is using Iraq and far-off Yemen, where Tehran supports Shiite Houthi rebels at war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the government, to plan attacks against Israel. Hamas also receives some support from Iran.
The Israeli military said it struck dozens of Iranian targets in Syria on Wednesday, carrying out a wide-scale strike in response to rocket fire on the Golan Heights the day before. War monitoring group reported at least 23 people were killed including foreign nationals.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 7 out of 23 casualties were foreign nationals and are believed to be Iranians. "We cannot confirm whether the seven foreigners killed are all Iranians or pro-Iranian fighters of different nationalities," added Rami Abdul Rahman, the head of the London-based NGO with an extensive network of sources in the country.
The military said its fighter jets hit multiple targets belonging to Iran's elite Quds force, including surface-to-air missiles, weapons warehouses and military bases. After the Syrian military fired an air defense missile, the Israeli military said a number of Syrian aerial defense batteries were also destroyed.
The Syrian Observatory said the airstrikes targeted arms depots belonging to the Quds Force in the Damascus suburbs of Kisweh and Qudsaya. Abdul Rahman added that several other areas were targeted in Wednesday's strikes, including the Mazzeh airbase in western Damascus where air defense units are stationed.
Earlier, Syria's state SANA news agency said the two people were killed by shrapnel when an Israeli missile hit a house in the town of Saasaa, southwest of Damascus.
The report also said several others were wounded in the airstrikes near the capital, Damascus. It claimed that Syrian air defenses destroyed most of the Israeli missiles before they reached their targets.
The strikes further burst into the open what's been a long shadow war between Israel and its archenemy Iran. The two foes have increasingly clashed over what Israel says is Iran's deeper presence along its borders.
Yesterday's Iranian attack towards Israel is further clear proof of the purpose of the Iranian entrenchment in Syria, which threatens Israeli security, regional stability and the Syrian regime, the military said in a statement, adding that it would continue operating firmly and resolutely against Iran in Syria.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said the significance of the operation was the multitude of targets hit.
Several important targets were struck, he said, including what he described as the Iranian headquarters at Damascus airport where senior Iranian officials are based and which is used to coordinate shipments from Iran to its allies in Syria and beyond. He added that Israel also holds Syria responsible for hosting the Iranians.
Tuesday's rocket fire on the Golan was the sixth attempt by Iran to attack Israeli targets since February 2018, and all have been thwarted, Conricus said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a series of warnings recently about Iranian aggression throughout the Middle East and has vowed to respond firmly. "I made it clear: whoever harms us, we will harm them. That's what we did tonight," he said early Wednesday. We will continue to aggressively protect Israel's security.
Israel's new hard-line defense minister, Naftali Bennett, issued an equally firm statement.
"The rules have changed: whoever fires on Israel during the day will not sleep at night," he said. "Our message to the leaders of Iran is simple: you are no longer immune. Any place you dispatch your tentacles, we will chop them off."
The rare rocket fire comes a week after an Israeli airstrike against a top Palestinian militant based in Syria. Akram al-Ajouri, a member of the leadership of the militant Islamic Jihad group who is living in exile, survived the attack but his son and granddaughter were killed.
Israel frequently strikes Iranian interests in Syria. But last week's airstrike appeared to be a rare assassination attempt of a Palestinian militant in the Syrian capital. It came the same day as another Israeli airstrike killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza, settling off the fiercest round of fighting there in years.
Iran has forces based in Syria, Israel's northern neighbor, and supports Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. In Gaza, it supplies Islamic Jihad with cash, weapons and expertise.
Netanyahu also has claimed Iran is using Iraq and far-off Yemen, where Tehran supports Shiite Houthi rebels at war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the government, to plan attacks against Israel. Hamas also receives some support from Iran.
