5 aug 2018
US senators are quietly paving the way for a military aid to Israel that exceeds $3.8 billion.
The number would amount to $23,000 per year for every family in Israel, according to a Friday report by Minnesota-based news website MintPress News, released amid a media blackout.
American senators passed a bill titled the “United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018,” on Wednesday, paving the way for its likely approval by the US House of Representatives within the week.
The amount is a result of a memorandum of understanding on security assistance between Washington and Tel Aviv.
The funding involves an additional $550 million aid for Israeli missile systems and $1 billion for US weapons stockpiles in Israel.
US military aid to Israel has skyrocketed over the past several years while the regime’s forces are engaged in blatant human rights violations against Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere.
Hailed as a “great friend to the Jewish people” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump has boosted ties with Israel.
The US president finally broke with decades of US policy by announcing that the embassy in Israel would be relocated from Tel Aviv to the holy city of Jerusalem al-Quds.
Trump made the move despite foreign leaders’ warnings that it could stoke further tensions in the region.
The Israeli regime, meanwhile, continues its atrocities and expansionist policies in the region.
The number would amount to $23,000 per year for every family in Israel, according to a Friday report by Minnesota-based news website MintPress News, released amid a media blackout.
American senators passed a bill titled the “United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018,” on Wednesday, paving the way for its likely approval by the US House of Representatives within the week.
The amount is a result of a memorandum of understanding on security assistance between Washington and Tel Aviv.
The funding involves an additional $550 million aid for Israeli missile systems and $1 billion for US weapons stockpiles in Israel.
US military aid to Israel has skyrocketed over the past several years while the regime’s forces are engaged in blatant human rights violations against Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere.
Hailed as a “great friend to the Jewish people” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump has boosted ties with Israel.
The US president finally broke with decades of US policy by announcing that the embassy in Israel would be relocated from Tel Aviv to the holy city of Jerusalem al-Quds.
Trump made the move despite foreign leaders’ warnings that it could stoke further tensions in the region.
The Israeli regime, meanwhile, continues its atrocities and expansionist policies in the region.
Jared Kushner, US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, has quietly been trying to shut down UNRWA, which has provided food and essential services for millions of Palestinian refugees for decades, according to internal emails obtained by Foreign Policy.
Foreign policy said, according to both American and Palestinian officials, that Kushner’s “initiative is part of a broader push by the Trump administration and its allies in Congress to strip these Palestinians of their refugee status in the region and take their issue off the table in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.”
“By trying to unwind UNRWA, the Trump administration appears ready to reset the terms of the Palestinian refugee issue in Israel’s favor—as it did on another key issue in December, when Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” the magazine added on its website.
Kushner, whom Trump has delegated to reach a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has been reluctant to speak publicly about any aspect of his Middle East diplomacy.
But his position on the refugee issue and his animus toward UNRWA are evident in internal emails written by Kushner and others earlier this year.
“It is important to have an honest and sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA,” Kushner wrote about the agency in one of those emails, dated January 11 and addressed to several other senior officials, including Trump’s Middle East peace envoy, Jason Greenblatt.
“This [agency] perpetuates a status quo, is corrupt, inefficient and doesn’t help peace,” he wrote.
In the same January email, Kushner wrote: “Our goal can’t be to keep things stable and as they are. … Sometimes you have to strategically risk breaking things in order to get there.”
Kushner raised the refugee issue with officials in Jordan during a visit to the region in June, along with special representative for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt.
According to Palestinian officials, he pressured the Jordanian leadership to strip its more than 2,000,000 registered Palestinians of their refugee status so that UNRWA would no longer need to operate there.
“[Kushner said] the resettlement has to take place in the host countries and these governments can do the job that UNRWA was doing,” according to Hanan Ashrawi, a member of Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
She said the Trump administration wanted rich Arab Gulf states to cover the costs Jordan might incur in the process.
“They want to take a really irresponsible, dangerous decision and the whole region will suffer,” Ashrawi said.
Saeb Erekat, the Palestinians’ chief negotiator, told reporters in June that Kushner’s delegation had said it was ready to stop funding UNRWA altogether and instead channel the money, $300 million annually, to Jordan and other countries that host Palestinian refugees.
“All this is actually aimed at liquidating the issue of the Palestinian refugees,” he said.
The White House declined to comment on the information published by Foreign Policy, which quoted a senior executive branch official as saying, on condition of anonymity, that US policy regarding the UN’s Palestinian refugee program “has been under frequent evaluation and internal discussion. The administration will announce its policy in due course.”
Jordanian officials in New York and Washington did not respond to the magazine’s queries about Kushner’s positions in this regard.
Kushner and Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, both proposed ending funding for the UNRWA back in January. But the State Department, the Pentagon, and the US intelligence community all opposed the idea, fearing in part that it could fuel violence in the region.
The following week, the State Department announced that that US would cut the first $125 million installment of its annual payment to UNRWA by more than half, to $60 million.
“UNRWA has been threatening us for six months that if they don’t get a check they will close schools. Nothing has happened,” Kushner wrote in the same email.
Foreign Policy said there was another email sent by Victoria Coates, a senior advisor to Greenblatt, to the White House’s national security staff indicating that the White House was mulling a way to eliminate UNRWA.
“UNRWA should come up with a plan to unwind itself and become part of the UNHCR [UN High Commissioner for Refugees] by the time its charter comes up again in 2019,” Coates wrote.
Foreign policy said, according to both American and Palestinian officials, that Kushner’s “initiative is part of a broader push by the Trump administration and its allies in Congress to strip these Palestinians of their refugee status in the region and take their issue off the table in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.”
“By trying to unwind UNRWA, the Trump administration appears ready to reset the terms of the Palestinian refugee issue in Israel’s favor—as it did on another key issue in December, when Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” the magazine added on its website.
Kushner, whom Trump has delegated to reach a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has been reluctant to speak publicly about any aspect of his Middle East diplomacy.
But his position on the refugee issue and his animus toward UNRWA are evident in internal emails written by Kushner and others earlier this year.
“It is important to have an honest and sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA,” Kushner wrote about the agency in one of those emails, dated January 11 and addressed to several other senior officials, including Trump’s Middle East peace envoy, Jason Greenblatt.
“This [agency] perpetuates a status quo, is corrupt, inefficient and doesn’t help peace,” he wrote.
In the same January email, Kushner wrote: “Our goal can’t be to keep things stable and as they are. … Sometimes you have to strategically risk breaking things in order to get there.”
Kushner raised the refugee issue with officials in Jordan during a visit to the region in June, along with special representative for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt.
According to Palestinian officials, he pressured the Jordanian leadership to strip its more than 2,000,000 registered Palestinians of their refugee status so that UNRWA would no longer need to operate there.
“[Kushner said] the resettlement has to take place in the host countries and these governments can do the job that UNRWA was doing,” according to Hanan Ashrawi, a member of Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
She said the Trump administration wanted rich Arab Gulf states to cover the costs Jordan might incur in the process.
“They want to take a really irresponsible, dangerous decision and the whole region will suffer,” Ashrawi said.
Saeb Erekat, the Palestinians’ chief negotiator, told reporters in June that Kushner’s delegation had said it was ready to stop funding UNRWA altogether and instead channel the money, $300 million annually, to Jordan and other countries that host Palestinian refugees.
“All this is actually aimed at liquidating the issue of the Palestinian refugees,” he said.
The White House declined to comment on the information published by Foreign Policy, which quoted a senior executive branch official as saying, on condition of anonymity, that US policy regarding the UN’s Palestinian refugee program “has been under frequent evaluation and internal discussion. The administration will announce its policy in due course.”
Jordanian officials in New York and Washington did not respond to the magazine’s queries about Kushner’s positions in this regard.
Kushner and Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, both proposed ending funding for the UNRWA back in January. But the State Department, the Pentagon, and the US intelligence community all opposed the idea, fearing in part that it could fuel violence in the region.
The following week, the State Department announced that that US would cut the first $125 million installment of its annual payment to UNRWA by more than half, to $60 million.
“UNRWA has been threatening us for six months that if they don’t get a check they will close schools. Nothing has happened,” Kushner wrote in the same email.
Foreign Policy said there was another email sent by Victoria Coates, a senior advisor to Greenblatt, to the White House’s national security staff indicating that the White House was mulling a way to eliminate UNRWA.
“UNRWA should come up with a plan to unwind itself and become part of the UNHCR [UN High Commissioner for Refugees] by the time its charter comes up again in 2019,” Coates wrote.
3 aug 2018
The Trump administration recently released millions of dollars of frozen aid money to the Palestinian Authority (PA), but only for Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation, the Times of Israel reported on Thursday.
While Washington says it will continue to review its assistance to the Palestinians, it chose to allocate specific funds for the current fiscal year to specific PA programs that ostensibly serve American interests, an official said.
“We recently decided to move ahead with FY2017 International Narcotics and Law Enforcement funding for Palestinian Authority security assistance and Non-Proliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) in the West Bank,” a State Department official said Thursday.
“This assistance underpins Palestinian Authority security cooperation with Israel, which remains in force despite recent tensions,” the official added.
“This decision does not in any way prejudge the outcome of our review of other funding streams and programs. It is simply the first decision to emerge from the review, which is ongoing.”
The official gave no details on exactly how much money was given to the Palestinians.
But, according to the Times of Israel, the amount appears to be in the region of $42 million. Total US aid spent in the West Bank this year totals $92,796,646. In mid May that figure stood at $50.5 million.
In January, Washington announced it also would withhold the $65 million in assistance to the UN relief agency for Palestinians. The move came after Palestinians protested US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy there.
While Washington says it will continue to review its assistance to the Palestinians, it chose to allocate specific funds for the current fiscal year to specific PA programs that ostensibly serve American interests, an official said.
“We recently decided to move ahead with FY2017 International Narcotics and Law Enforcement funding for Palestinian Authority security assistance and Non-Proliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) in the West Bank,” a State Department official said Thursday.
“This assistance underpins Palestinian Authority security cooperation with Israel, which remains in force despite recent tensions,” the official added.
“This decision does not in any way prejudge the outcome of our review of other funding streams and programs. It is simply the first decision to emerge from the review, which is ongoing.”
The official gave no details on exactly how much money was given to the Palestinians.
But, according to the Times of Israel, the amount appears to be in the region of $42 million. Total US aid spent in the West Bank this year totals $92,796,646. In mid May that figure stood at $50.5 million.
In January, Washington announced it also would withhold the $65 million in assistance to the UN relief agency for Palestinians. The move came after Palestinians protested US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy there.
2 aug 2018
A US official close to the White House on Wednesday participated in laying ceremonial stones for a new neighborhood at a Jewish settlement in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, and voiced hope to buy a “holiday home” there.
According to different Israeli news reports, the US official is Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and whose daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the White House press secretary.
The former governor laid bricks and spread cement with other Israeli officials Wednesday for the construction of new housing units in the illegal settlement of Efrat.
In a speech during the ceremony, Huckabee expressed his willingness to "purchase a holiday home" there.
Huckabee also said that president Donald Trump would have been pleased to join him, describing Trump as a builder who loves to see construction sites.
According to different Israeli news reports, the US official is Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and whose daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the White House press secretary.
The former governor laid bricks and spread cement with other Israeli officials Wednesday for the construction of new housing units in the illegal settlement of Efrat.
In a speech during the ceremony, Huckabee expressed his willingness to "purchase a holiday home" there.
Huckabee also said that president Donald Trump would have been pleased to join him, describing Trump as a builder who loves to see construction sites.
1 aug 2018
Facebook social networking platform announced on Tuesday that it had removed 32 accounts and pages from both Facebook and Instagram, in order to combat foreign intervention in the midterm 2018 US congressional elections and the 2020 US presidential elections.
According to the social media giant, it uncovered "sophisticated" efforts of meddling with US policies and as a result removed the 32 fake accounts and pages.
US lawmakers called these social media attempts "a threat to democracy."
Although Facebook denied identifying the owners of the fake accounts and pages, the company revealed it was most likely associated with Russia, referring to alleged Russian attempts on social media platforms, tampering with the 2016 U.S. elections by posting and buying advertisments.
In response to the accusation, Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement.
Facebook labeled this move as a coordinated political influence campaign and explained that "this kind of behavior is not allowed on Facebook because we don't want people or organizations creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they are, or what they're doing."
The company confirmed that the removed pages had created 30 events since May 2017, as well as more than 290,000 accounts were following at least one of the removed pages and that about $11,000 had been spent on more than 150 advertisement.
Some of the revealed deleted pages include Aztlan Warriors, Resisters, and Black Elevation.
The company identifies this influential activity as foreign manipulation of U.S. policies and as political misinformation through fake accounts and pages.
According to the social media giant, it uncovered "sophisticated" efforts of meddling with US policies and as a result removed the 32 fake accounts and pages.
US lawmakers called these social media attempts "a threat to democracy."
Although Facebook denied identifying the owners of the fake accounts and pages, the company revealed it was most likely associated with Russia, referring to alleged Russian attempts on social media platforms, tampering with the 2016 U.S. elections by posting and buying advertisments.
In response to the accusation, Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement.
Facebook labeled this move as a coordinated political influence campaign and explained that "this kind of behavior is not allowed on Facebook because we don't want people or organizations creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they are, or what they're doing."
The company confirmed that the removed pages had created 30 events since May 2017, as well as more than 290,000 accounts were following at least one of the removed pages and that about $11,000 had been spent on more than 150 advertisement.
Some of the revealed deleted pages include Aztlan Warriors, Resisters, and Black Elevation.
The company identifies this influential activity as foreign manipulation of U.S. policies and as political misinformation through fake accounts and pages.
30 july 2018
US Ambassador David friedman visiting Ovadia family
David Friedman is the first US envoy to pay visit to terror victims’ families in West Bank, signalling possible change in US policy; ‘There are no words that can describe the evil and barbarity.’
United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman paid a condolence visit Monday to the family of Yotam Ovadia who was killed in last week’s stabbing attack in Adam.
“My heart was broken upon seeing the tragic consequence of the killing of Yotam Ovadia,” Friedman said. “A young mother left alone to care for two toddlers, parents mourning their only son. There are no words that can describe the evil and barbarity of this act of terror.”
Friedman was joined in his visit by Chairman of the Yesha Council Hananel Dorani, Head of the Council's External Relations Division Oded Ravivi and Chairman of the Binyamin Regional Council Maoz Begun.
According to the Yesha Council (an umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank), this is the first time that an American ambassador has paid an official visit to the West Bank to visit terror victims, signalling a change in official US policy vis-a-vis West Bank settlements.
“I want to express my appreciation to Ambassador Friedman who saw fit to visit the settlement of Adam in Binyamin and comfort the bereaved family,” said Dorani. “This sends an important message to the world regarding strengthening the positive forces and combating the negative forces in the region.
“Terrorism is the common enemy of us all and the firm struggle against it and against incitement is a common goal. This visit encourages and strengthens us in the war against terror. I hope the US government will continue to support Israel and Jewish settlements with brave friendship as the ambassador has shown today,” Dorani concluded.
David Friedman is the first US envoy to pay visit to terror victims’ families in West Bank, signalling possible change in US policy; ‘There are no words that can describe the evil and barbarity.’
United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman paid a condolence visit Monday to the family of Yotam Ovadia who was killed in last week’s stabbing attack in Adam.
“My heart was broken upon seeing the tragic consequence of the killing of Yotam Ovadia,” Friedman said. “A young mother left alone to care for two toddlers, parents mourning their only son. There are no words that can describe the evil and barbarity of this act of terror.”
Friedman was joined in his visit by Chairman of the Yesha Council Hananel Dorani, Head of the Council's External Relations Division Oded Ravivi and Chairman of the Binyamin Regional Council Maoz Begun.
According to the Yesha Council (an umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank), this is the first time that an American ambassador has paid an official visit to the West Bank to visit terror victims, signalling a change in official US policy vis-a-vis West Bank settlements.
“I want to express my appreciation to Ambassador Friedman who saw fit to visit the settlement of Adam in Binyamin and comfort the bereaved family,” said Dorani. “This sends an important message to the world regarding strengthening the positive forces and combating the negative forces in the region.
“Terrorism is the common enemy of us all and the firm struggle against it and against incitement is a common goal. This visit encourages and strengthens us in the war against terror. I hope the US government will continue to support Israel and Jewish settlements with brave friendship as the ambassador has shown today,” Dorani concluded.
Several US senators are attempting to pass into law a new bill introduced in the Congress that recognizes only 40,000 Palestinian refugees instead of 5.3 million refugees.
The newly introduced bill would ensure that the funds contributed to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) would go towards the resettlement of Palestinians displaced in the aftermath of the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe), and not their descendants – who are a total number of 5.3 million people.
The bill was initiated by Republican Congressman, Doug Lamborn, who entitled it as "The UNRWA Reform and Refugee Support Act."
Lamborn said in a statement that the "refugee status is not something that can be handed down from generation to generation," referring to the descendants of Palestinian refugees who were born and are living in other countries.
The bill was allegedly introduced to differentiate between the original Palestinian refugees, who have the right to return after being displaced from their homes, from their descendants.
Lamborn demanded that UNRWA "figures out the actual number of true Palestinian refugees", claiming that the total is not correct.
“Palestinians in Gaza are not refugees; they are a population suffering under the Hamas terror regime, whose leaders take aid money and instead of building schools and hospitals, build terror tunnels and send rockets hidden under UNRWA schools in Gaza into kindergartens in Israel," the US congressman further alleged.
The newly introduced bill would ensure that the funds contributed to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) would go towards the resettlement of Palestinians displaced in the aftermath of the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe), and not their descendants – who are a total number of 5.3 million people.
The bill was initiated by Republican Congressman, Doug Lamborn, who entitled it as "The UNRWA Reform and Refugee Support Act."
Lamborn said in a statement that the "refugee status is not something that can be handed down from generation to generation," referring to the descendants of Palestinian refugees who were born and are living in other countries.
The bill was allegedly introduced to differentiate between the original Palestinian refugees, who have the right to return after being displaced from their homes, from their descendants.
Lamborn demanded that UNRWA "figures out the actual number of true Palestinian refugees", claiming that the total is not correct.
“Palestinians in Gaza are not refugees; they are a population suffering under the Hamas terror regime, whose leaders take aid money and instead of building schools and hospitals, build terror tunnels and send rockets hidden under UNRWA schools in Gaza into kindergartens in Israel," the US congressman further alleged.
CNN report: Washington is considering action against Tehran, following escalating rhetoric and Iranian threats against oil exports. Officials claim that any military action would be carried out by US allies in the region.
As tensions between the US and Iran soar following US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, the US administration is looking at military options in order to keep vital waterways in the Middle East open, reports CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
Concerns have been growing for days in the wake of attacks on Saudi oil tankers by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, and increasing verbal threats made by Iranian officials against shipping in the Persian Gulf.
Iran threatened to block all of its competitor's oil exports in the Gulf if the US sanctions are imposed. Iran also made specific threats regarding shipping through the choke point at the Strait of Hormuz, which is a very important oil transport route.
Gen. Joseph Votel, head of US Central Command, and commander of US military operations in the Middle East, visited the region this week, and met with his counterparts to discuss US security concerns.
CNN's report also says that apart from stepping up their rhetoric, Iran's Wednesday attack on two Saudi oil tankers, each of which could carry up to two million oil barrels, is a cause for greater concern. One tanker sustained minor damage, and no oil spilled.
US officials stress that if any military action will take place, it would be carried out by US allies in the region, such as the Saudis, and not by US forces.
The US military already provides support in the form of intelligence sharing to the Saudis in their fight against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
According to these officials, any long-term military effort would require the involvement of other nations.
US Defense Secretary James Mattis stressed that the US intends to keep international oil shipping lanes open.
On Friday, Mattis said that "Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz," and that Tehran has tried to stop shipments in the past only to be met by an international military response.
Mattis emphasized that the Pentagon would continue to cooperate with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE in order to minimize Iranian impact in the region.
Earlier this month, Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, General Qasem Soleimani said that if the US imposes their boycott on Iranian oil, the Revolutionary Guards are prepared to implement a policy that would completely prevent any oil shipment from the region.
Soleimani praised President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, on Sunday, for threatening to disrupt oil traffic from Iran's neighbors in the Persian Gulf, if Washington continues to persuade its allies to boycott Iran's oil.
Soleimani also claimed he was prepared to ban oil shipment if necessary.
As tensions between the US and Iran soar following US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, the US administration is looking at military options in order to keep vital waterways in the Middle East open, reports CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
Concerns have been growing for days in the wake of attacks on Saudi oil tankers by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, and increasing verbal threats made by Iranian officials against shipping in the Persian Gulf.
Iran threatened to block all of its competitor's oil exports in the Gulf if the US sanctions are imposed. Iran also made specific threats regarding shipping through the choke point at the Strait of Hormuz, which is a very important oil transport route.
Gen. Joseph Votel, head of US Central Command, and commander of US military operations in the Middle East, visited the region this week, and met with his counterparts to discuss US security concerns.
CNN's report also says that apart from stepping up their rhetoric, Iran's Wednesday attack on two Saudi oil tankers, each of which could carry up to two million oil barrels, is a cause for greater concern. One tanker sustained minor damage, and no oil spilled.
US officials stress that if any military action will take place, it would be carried out by US allies in the region, such as the Saudis, and not by US forces.
The US military already provides support in the form of intelligence sharing to the Saudis in their fight against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
According to these officials, any long-term military effort would require the involvement of other nations.
US Defense Secretary James Mattis stressed that the US intends to keep international oil shipping lanes open.
On Friday, Mattis said that "Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz," and that Tehran has tried to stop shipments in the past only to be met by an international military response.
Mattis emphasized that the Pentagon would continue to cooperate with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE in order to minimize Iranian impact in the region.
Earlier this month, Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, General Qasem Soleimani said that if the US imposes their boycott on Iranian oil, the Revolutionary Guards are prepared to implement a policy that would completely prevent any oil shipment from the region.
Soleimani praised President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, on Sunday, for threatening to disrupt oil traffic from Iran's neighbors in the Persian Gulf, if Washington continues to persuade its allies to boycott Iran's oil.
Soleimani also claimed he was prepared to ban oil shipment if necessary.