12 sept 2019
Politico says devices that mimicked cell phone towers also placed in other 'senstive locations' around Washington; Israeli officials vehemently deny claims, calling report 'blatant lie'
The United States believes Israel is responsible for planting listening devices near the White House and in other "sensitive" spots in the U.S. capital, Politico reported Thursday, citing "three former senior U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter."
Israel vehemently denied the report, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office called a "blatant lie."
Politico said that the listening devices, known as “StingRays,” monitor cell phone activity by imitating normal cell phone towers and fooling cell phones into providing data on the location and identity of the users.
The FBI and other agencies came to the conclusion that Israel was behind the espionage, based on forensic evidence, the former officials told Politico.
The report cited one former official as saying that the devices were likely meant to spy on President Donald Trump, his senior aides and other close associates.
Politico quoted a ex-senior intelligence official as saying that, “It was pretty clear that the Israelis were responsible.”
According to the report, Israel has not faced any consequences from the U.S. for the alleged espionage.
Politico said that the president has been notoriously careless in security protocols, such as failing to use a secured cell phone, and cited his denial of a New York Times report in October 2018 that Chinese spies were tapping his calls.
The president said the Times report was “so incorrect I do not have time here to correct it.”
At that point, Politico said, officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had already uncovered evidence of the "StingRays" around Washington, D.C., but was unable to peg their specific source.
The findings were apparently relayed to relevant federal agencies, Politico reported, based on a letter by top DHS official Christopher Krebs to Senator Ron Wyden of (D-OR) in May of 2018.
The article quotes Israeli Embassy spokesperson Elad Strohmayer as denying that Israel was behind the surveillance devices.
"These allegations are absolute nonsense," Strohmayer told Politico. "Israel doesn’t conduct espionage operations in the United States, period."
Foreign Minister Israel Katz also denied the claims Thursday, echoing Strohmayer by saying that, "Israel does not conduct any spying operations in the United States."
The Prime Minister's Office also said that it was Israeli government policy not to spy on the U.S.
"There is a longstanding commitment, and a directive from the Israeli government not to engage in any intelligence operations in the U.S. This directive is strictly enforced without exception," Netanyahu's office said.
The United States believes Israel is responsible for planting listening devices near the White House and in other "sensitive" spots in the U.S. capital, Politico reported Thursday, citing "three former senior U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter."
Israel vehemently denied the report, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office called a "blatant lie."
Politico said that the listening devices, known as “StingRays,” monitor cell phone activity by imitating normal cell phone towers and fooling cell phones into providing data on the location and identity of the users.
The FBI and other agencies came to the conclusion that Israel was behind the espionage, based on forensic evidence, the former officials told Politico.
The report cited one former official as saying that the devices were likely meant to spy on President Donald Trump, his senior aides and other close associates.
Politico quoted a ex-senior intelligence official as saying that, “It was pretty clear that the Israelis were responsible.”
According to the report, Israel has not faced any consequences from the U.S. for the alleged espionage.
Politico said that the president has been notoriously careless in security protocols, such as failing to use a secured cell phone, and cited his denial of a New York Times report in October 2018 that Chinese spies were tapping his calls.
The president said the Times report was “so incorrect I do not have time here to correct it.”
At that point, Politico said, officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had already uncovered evidence of the "StingRays" around Washington, D.C., but was unable to peg their specific source.
The findings were apparently relayed to relevant federal agencies, Politico reported, based on a letter by top DHS official Christopher Krebs to Senator Ron Wyden of (D-OR) in May of 2018.
The article quotes Israeli Embassy spokesperson Elad Strohmayer as denying that Israel was behind the surveillance devices.
"These allegations are absolute nonsense," Strohmayer told Politico. "Israel doesn’t conduct espionage operations in the United States, period."
Foreign Minister Israel Katz also denied the claims Thursday, echoing Strohmayer by saying that, "Israel does not conduct any spying operations in the United States."
The Prime Minister's Office also said that it was Israeli government policy not to spy on the U.S.
"There is a longstanding commitment, and a directive from the Israeli government not to engage in any intelligence operations in the U.S. This directive is strictly enforced without exception," Netanyahu's office said.
11 sept 2019
The Hamas Movement has condemned US ambassador David Friedman’s remarks in Sderot settlement on Tuesday as “aggression and incitement against the Palestinian people.”
“US ambassador to the occupation David Friedman’s remarks in Sderot settlement on the border with Gaza, in which he affirmed that the Jews would remain on this land forever and that his government did not mind if the Gaza Strip was attacked reflected his extremist and Zionist mentality and not a position coming from an ambassador of a country claiming to be neutral and a mediator for peace and stability, senior Hamas official Basem Na’im said in a press release.
“Such remarks are unacceptable and reprehensible and we see them as direct aggression and explicit incitement against our people. They would also harm international efforts to resolve the conflict and achieve stability in the region,” Na’im added.
The Hamas official underlined that such American positions, which he described as “extremist,” paved the way for Israel to escalate its racist practices, settlement expansion, land annexation, Judaization and aggression against the Palestinian people, and helped it to escape accountability for its ongoing crimes.
Friedman, a lawyer and son of a Jewish rabbi, was appointed in December 2016 as US ambassador to Tel Aviv. He repeatedly voiced doubts about the possibility of reaching a two-state solution between the Palestinians and Israelis.
“US ambassador to the occupation David Friedman’s remarks in Sderot settlement on the border with Gaza, in which he affirmed that the Jews would remain on this land forever and that his government did not mind if the Gaza Strip was attacked reflected his extremist and Zionist mentality and not a position coming from an ambassador of a country claiming to be neutral and a mediator for peace and stability, senior Hamas official Basem Na’im said in a press release.
“Such remarks are unacceptable and reprehensible and we see them as direct aggression and explicit incitement against our people. They would also harm international efforts to resolve the conflict and achieve stability in the region,” Na’im added.
The Hamas official underlined that such American positions, which he described as “extremist,” paved the way for Israel to escalate its racist practices, settlement expansion, land annexation, Judaization and aggression against the Palestinian people, and helped it to escape accountability for its ongoing crimes.
Friedman, a lawyer and son of a Jewish rabbi, was appointed in December 2016 as US ambassador to Tel Aviv. He repeatedly voiced doubts about the possibility of reaching a two-state solution between the Palestinians and Israelis.
5 sept 2019
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attends a United Nations Security Council meeting on August 20, 2019 at the United Nations in New York
The United States has reportedly blocked a UN Security Council statement on criticizing Israel for attacking Lebanon.
AFP reported on Thursday quoting diplomatic sources that the draft text, put forward by France, denounced all violations of the Blue Line “and strongly calls upon all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities.”
It also expressed deep concern at the recent face-off between Israel and Hezbollah across the Blue Line.
Diplomats said Washington blocked the first version twice and wanted Hezbollah to be specifically slammed in the text.
Late last month, Israel launched a drone strike on Hezbollah's Beirut stronghold.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun denounced the attack as “a declaration of war” against the Arab country, and vowed that Lebanon will defend its sovereignty against the Israeli aggression.
“What happened was similar to a declaration of war, which allows us to resort to our right to defending our sovereignty,” Aoun's office quoted him as saying during a meeting with the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Yan Kubish on August 26.
The Lebanese president’s remarks came a day after two drones crashed in Beirut's southern suburbs.
According to the Lebanese Resistance Movement, Hezbollah, the first drone had fallen on a building housing Hezbollah’s media office in Dahieh suburb.
The second drone, which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first one, had crashed in an empty plot nearby after being detonated in the air, it added.
Following the drone raids, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general, vowed in a televised speech that fighters of the movement would counter any further violation of the Lebanese airspace by Israeli drones, warning the Tel Aviv regime to immediately halt such breaches.
The United States has reportedly blocked a UN Security Council statement on criticizing Israel for attacking Lebanon.
AFP reported on Thursday quoting diplomatic sources that the draft text, put forward by France, denounced all violations of the Blue Line “and strongly calls upon all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities.”
It also expressed deep concern at the recent face-off between Israel and Hezbollah across the Blue Line.
Diplomats said Washington blocked the first version twice and wanted Hezbollah to be specifically slammed in the text.
Late last month, Israel launched a drone strike on Hezbollah's Beirut stronghold.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun denounced the attack as “a declaration of war” against the Arab country, and vowed that Lebanon will defend its sovereignty against the Israeli aggression.
“What happened was similar to a declaration of war, which allows us to resort to our right to defending our sovereignty,” Aoun's office quoted him as saying during a meeting with the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Yan Kubish on August 26.
The Lebanese president’s remarks came a day after two drones crashed in Beirut's southern suburbs.
According to the Lebanese Resistance Movement, Hezbollah, the first drone had fallen on a building housing Hezbollah’s media office in Dahieh suburb.
The second drone, which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first one, had crashed in an empty plot nearby after being detonated in the air, it added.
Following the drone raids, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general, vowed in a televised speech that fighters of the movement would counter any further violation of the Lebanese airspace by Israeli drones, warning the Tel Aviv regime to immediately halt such breaches.
3 sept 2019
Ismail Ajjawi, 17, a Palestinian refugee from Lebanon who was turned back at a US airport 10 days ago when he arrived in Boston to attend Harvard University, has arrived on campus yesterday, a day before classes were scheduled to start, following interventions that led the US immigration office to overturn his entry denial decision, reported the Harvard Crimson.
Ajjawi, who was admitted to Harvard University and earned a scholarship from AMIDEAST to study at this prestigious university, was issued a visa to the United States. However, he was denied entry to the country when he arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on August 23 and forced to return to Lebanon, where he was born and went to school at Deir Yassin High School in El Buss refugee camp, south of Tyre.
“The last ten days have been difficult and anxiety filled, but we are most grateful for the thousands of messages of support and particularly the work of AMIDEAST,” according to a statement by Ajjawi’s family issued through his lawyer, reported the Harvard Crimson.
US immigration denied entry to Ajjawi supposedly due to content his friends posted on social media that opposed the policies of the administration of US President Donald Trump. He was detained in the airport, harassed and berated by immigration officials, then ordered to hand over all of his electronics.
After going through his phone and computer for hours, officers returned to the room in which Ajjawi was being held and began screaming and yelling at him. They then proceeded to inform him that his visa was being revoked due to posts by his friends on social media and put him on the next plan back to Lebanon.
Statements of support from Harvard student body, staff and AMIDEAST as well as petitions led the US immigration office to overturn its decision and allow Ajjawi in to assume his earned seat at Harvard.
Ajjawi, who was admitted to Harvard University and earned a scholarship from AMIDEAST to study at this prestigious university, was issued a visa to the United States. However, he was denied entry to the country when he arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on August 23 and forced to return to Lebanon, where he was born and went to school at Deir Yassin High School in El Buss refugee camp, south of Tyre.
“The last ten days have been difficult and anxiety filled, but we are most grateful for the thousands of messages of support and particularly the work of AMIDEAST,” according to a statement by Ajjawi’s family issued through his lawyer, reported the Harvard Crimson.
US immigration denied entry to Ajjawi supposedly due to content his friends posted on social media that opposed the policies of the administration of US President Donald Trump. He was detained in the airport, harassed and berated by immigration officials, then ordered to hand over all of his electronics.
After going through his phone and computer for hours, officers returned to the room in which Ajjawi was being held and began screaming and yelling at him. They then proceeded to inform him that his visa was being revoked due to posts by his friends on social media and put him on the next plan back to Lebanon.
Statements of support from Harvard student body, staff and AMIDEAST as well as petitions led the US immigration office to overturn its decision and allow Ajjawi in to assume his earned seat at Harvard.
Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif Qanu’a has described UN envoy Jason Greenblatt’s call for pressuring his Movement to release Israeli captive soldiers in Gaza as “blatant bias in favor of the Israeli occupation state.”
Spokesman Qanu’a said that Greenblatt ignored the suffering of thousands of Palestinian prisoners who have the right under international law to resist the occupation and receive humane treatment in Israeli jails.
Greenblatt this week addressed a letter to the UN, urging the international body to work on having the Israelis held in Gaza released, according to the Israeli media.
According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, Greenblatt, president Donald Trump's top Mideast negotiator, wrote the letter on the heels of a meeting with Leah and Simcha Goldin, the parents of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, one of the captive soldiers in Gaza.
Spokesman Qanu’a said that Greenblatt ignored the suffering of thousands of Palestinian prisoners who have the right under international law to resist the occupation and receive humane treatment in Israeli jails.
Greenblatt this week addressed a letter to the UN, urging the international body to work on having the Israelis held in Gaza released, according to the Israeli media.
According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, Greenblatt, president Donald Trump's top Mideast negotiator, wrote the letter on the heels of a meeting with Leah and Simcha Goldin, the parents of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, one of the captive soldiers in Gaza.
2 sept 2019
Damage caused to a Hezbollah media center in Beirut , left, purportedly by an Israeli drone, right
Unnamed official says Israel's focus is now on preventing Iranian precision missiles reaching Lebanon and Syria, casts doubt on American willingness to 'buy what Rouhani selling'
A senior Israeli security source says that the defense establishment system has shifted its strategic focus to averting the threat of precise missiles that Iran is trying to introduce into Syria and Lebanon.
"In recent days, we have attacked on several fronts. We also carried out simultaneous attacks in Syria and other arenas," the senior official said on Monday.
"There was also a certain development in Lebanon, which according to foreign publications was attributed to Israel. There was a need to take action in several arenas within a 24-hour window, and we planned accordingly."
According to the same source, Israel acted "as precisely in as many arenas as we planned, including in that possible enemy reactions. We are prepared for war but do not need it, as the event we carried out in Lebanon proved."
The source also touched on the apparently imminent rapprochement between the U.S. and Iran and the plans to hold talks on the issue of Iranian nuclear ambitions.
"We have an ongoing relationship with the Americans, and I think they have no illusions about (Iranian President Hassan) Rouhani," the source said.
"I don't see them buying what he is selling, nor (Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad) Zarif. Will they talk? Perhaps. I believe the talks will take place in a different way from the previous talks, which is what I am hearing from everyone at all levels."
Strategic change
Israel has redefined its priorities regarding the threats it currently faces. The Iranian nuclear threat is still one of the top priorities of the defense establishment, and in third place is the Iranian attempt to entrench itself in the region, in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
The senior security source said in a conversation with military reporters that "in light of developments and situation assessments, it was decided three months ago that the precision missile project would be given high priority because of the immediate danger it poses. The military echelons were informed of this decision."
He added: "We cannot afford to be surrounded by thousands of precision missiles that could land and harm the State of Israel."
The senior official noted that in the past six months, the issue has been discussed by the cabinet with the upper echelons of the defense establishment, and the ensuing guidelines were passed on to various officials and the IDF.
"Our three targets have one address - Iran," the source said.
"The address for two of the three threats is the same - the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, Qasem Suleimani," the source said, but declined to answer a question on how Israel would deal with Suleimani.
In recent months, the defense establishment has been making efforts in the diplomatic and defense spheres to prevent the threats coming from Tehran.
"We operate in all spheres – on the diplomatic, security, counterterrorism and intelligence levels," the official said.
"What you see in practice is just the tip of the iceberg. There are ma y activities, most of which are connected to the IDF and the Mossad (external security service), for dealing with these issues.
"We work with a combination of determination and responsibility from a complete strategic perspective. It is the political level that determines which threats the State of Israel faces, and the military accepts missions according to priority."
Nasrallah asked for a ceasefire
The security source also touched on the IDF strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday after Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles across the border, saying that three countries - France, Egypt and the United States – asking Israel to bring an end the incident.
Hezbollah leader Hassan "Nasrallah via (Lebanese PM Saad) Hariri appealed to other countries that then asked Israel to end the incident. This has to be said because the man in the shelter is continuing to give speeches, and he obviously just wanted to come out of this with some respect.
"From my perspective, it does not bother me as long as Israel advances its objectives. Even Hariri understands that his country is under threat if Nasrallah continues to operate from Lebanese territory. We are exploring our options and will make decisions based on developments. We are dealing with all arenas and achieving our goals."
The official noted that the Russians had not intervened in recent events in Lebanon, and received updates throughout the incident.
"I had a conversation with French President (Emmanuel) Macron, and told him that inviting Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif to the (G7) conference in France on the day Iran conducts simultaneous attacks against us – and where he was embraced - highlights the absurdity of the European attitude toward Iran," the source said.
Regarding the relationship and coordination between Israel and the U.S. after an attack in Iraq attributed by foreign outlets to Israel, the source said: Israel is in constant contact with Americans, almost on a daily basis."
There are talks with Secretary of State (Mike) Pompeo on the diplomatic and security levels all the time. We are coordinating with them both on the diplomatic and military levels."
Unnamed official says Israel's focus is now on preventing Iranian precision missiles reaching Lebanon and Syria, casts doubt on American willingness to 'buy what Rouhani selling'
A senior Israeli security source says that the defense establishment system has shifted its strategic focus to averting the threat of precise missiles that Iran is trying to introduce into Syria and Lebanon.
"In recent days, we have attacked on several fronts. We also carried out simultaneous attacks in Syria and other arenas," the senior official said on Monday.
"There was also a certain development in Lebanon, which according to foreign publications was attributed to Israel. There was a need to take action in several arenas within a 24-hour window, and we planned accordingly."
According to the same source, Israel acted "as precisely in as many arenas as we planned, including in that possible enemy reactions. We are prepared for war but do not need it, as the event we carried out in Lebanon proved."
The source also touched on the apparently imminent rapprochement between the U.S. and Iran and the plans to hold talks on the issue of Iranian nuclear ambitions.
"We have an ongoing relationship with the Americans, and I think they have no illusions about (Iranian President Hassan) Rouhani," the source said.
"I don't see them buying what he is selling, nor (Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad) Zarif. Will they talk? Perhaps. I believe the talks will take place in a different way from the previous talks, which is what I am hearing from everyone at all levels."
Strategic change
Israel has redefined its priorities regarding the threats it currently faces. The Iranian nuclear threat is still one of the top priorities of the defense establishment, and in third place is the Iranian attempt to entrench itself in the region, in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
The senior security source said in a conversation with military reporters that "in light of developments and situation assessments, it was decided three months ago that the precision missile project would be given high priority because of the immediate danger it poses. The military echelons were informed of this decision."
He added: "We cannot afford to be surrounded by thousands of precision missiles that could land and harm the State of Israel."
The senior official noted that in the past six months, the issue has been discussed by the cabinet with the upper echelons of the defense establishment, and the ensuing guidelines were passed on to various officials and the IDF.
"Our three targets have one address - Iran," the source said.
"The address for two of the three threats is the same - the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, Qasem Suleimani," the source said, but declined to answer a question on how Israel would deal with Suleimani.
In recent months, the defense establishment has been making efforts in the diplomatic and defense spheres to prevent the threats coming from Tehran.
"We operate in all spheres – on the diplomatic, security, counterterrorism and intelligence levels," the official said.
"What you see in practice is just the tip of the iceberg. There are ma y activities, most of which are connected to the IDF and the Mossad (external security service), for dealing with these issues.
"We work with a combination of determination and responsibility from a complete strategic perspective. It is the political level that determines which threats the State of Israel faces, and the military accepts missions according to priority."
Nasrallah asked for a ceasefire
The security source also touched on the IDF strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday after Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles across the border, saying that three countries - France, Egypt and the United States – asking Israel to bring an end the incident.
Hezbollah leader Hassan "Nasrallah via (Lebanese PM Saad) Hariri appealed to other countries that then asked Israel to end the incident. This has to be said because the man in the shelter is continuing to give speeches, and he obviously just wanted to come out of this with some respect.
"From my perspective, it does not bother me as long as Israel advances its objectives. Even Hariri understands that his country is under threat if Nasrallah continues to operate from Lebanese territory. We are exploring our options and will make decisions based on developments. We are dealing with all arenas and achieving our goals."
The official noted that the Russians had not intervened in recent events in Lebanon, and received updates throughout the incident.
"I had a conversation with French President (Emmanuel) Macron, and told him that inviting Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif to the (G7) conference in France on the day Iran conducts simultaneous attacks against us – and where he was embraced - highlights the absurdity of the European attitude toward Iran," the source said.
Regarding the relationship and coordination between Israel and the U.S. after an attack in Iraq attributed by foreign outlets to Israel, the source said: Israel is in constant contact with Americans, almost on a daily basis."
There are talks with Secretary of State (Mike) Pompeo on the diplomatic and security levels all the time. We are coordinating with them both on the diplomatic and military levels."
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