DEBKA

Israeli forces guarding the Gaza border were instructed Monday, April 2, to remove the gloves and take action for pre-empting Hamas’ escalating border provocations. DEBKAfile’s military sources report that this change of policy was set by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gady Eisenkot. They saw that Hamas had been encouraged into ramping up its aggression by the clashes that occurred Friday, which left 17 Palestinians dead and hundreds injured. The IDF was therefore instructed to adopt new tactics, before the violence practiced on the Gaza border got out of hand and spread to other anti-Israel fronts in Judea and Samaria, or even Lebanon.

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T. Belman. I agree with all points made by Mandel but more could have been said. First of all I do not believe Trump is even considering withdrawal from Syria. His remarks were just a head-fake. Secondly the issue facing the alliance of the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel is not to avoid war but to initiate it on their terms. All three are committed to stopping Iran from getting the bomb.  To do this, they must pre-empt. Also, I believe that they will encourage regime change. There is little doubt that all the threats you mentioned will work together to bring Israel down. They hope.

Iran, Turkey, Hezbollah, Hamas and the PA are motivated to stop Trump and his plans. They want to undermine his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to prevent the moving of the American Embassy. Plus they want to kill Trump’s expected peace plan. They cannot afford to have Trump calling the shots. They all want the destruction of Israel and they are backed by the NWO including the UN and the EU.

by Dr. Eric R. Mandel, MEPIN

Today there are upwards of 150,000 missiles in Hezbollah’s arsenal, enough to overwhelm every layer of Israel’s missile shield, capable of targeting any location in Israel.

Since the State of Israel was created 70 years ago, the question has always been not if there would be a war, but when. The only question now is will it be in the north against Iran and its proxies Hezbollah, Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Shi’ite Popular Mobilization Units, or will it be in the south against Hamas and Islamic Jihad, or will it originate from over the Green Line among the Arab Palestinians of the West Bank?
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PM blames NIF for pressuring third nations to pull out of agreements on infiltrators, working to undermine Israel as a Jewish state.

By Gary Willig, INN

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced the formation of a parliamentary commission of inquiry against the New Israel Fund (NIF) Tuesday evening in light of the organization’s exertion of pressure on the governments of Rwanda and Uganda not to abide by agreements with Israel to take in illegal infiltrators.

Prime Minister Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page: “The main factor that triggered the European pressure on the Rwandan government to withdraw from the agreement to remove the infiltrators from Israel is the New Israel Fund.”

“The New Israel Fund is a foreign organization that receives funding from foreign governments and elements hostile to Israel, such as from the fund of George Soros. The ultimate objective of the fund is to erase Israel’s Jewish character and turn it into a state of all its citizens, alongside a Palestinian nation-state that is free of Jews on the 1967 lines with Jerusalem as its capital,” Netanyahu said.
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BY ROBERT SPENCER, JIHAD WATCH

“Islam is a religion of peace. This is the translation of Islam.”

No, the translation of “Islam” is “submission.”

“For 1,400 years, Muslims have been trying to spread the word of God. In the Middle East, in North Africa, in Europe, they weren’t allowed to spread the word. That’s why they fought to spread the word.”

This is a novel excuse for the jihad conquests, but clearly Mohammed bin Salman is working from the stipulation in Islamic law that Muslims should live peacefully with non-Muslims unless the non-Muslims put any obstacles in the way of the spread of Islam. In that event, the Muslims have the responsibility to wage jihad in order to clear away the obstacles.
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by JOHN HAYWARD, BREITBART

In an interview with the Atlantic conducted from the compound of the Saudi ambassador in Washington, who happens to be his brother, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) offered strong criticism of Iran and some thoughts about the religious, cultural, and economic upheaval in progress in Saudi Arabia.
In one remarkable exchange, MBS recognized the right of Israel to exist—a bold step for any Arab leader, let alone the next guardian of Mecca and Medina.

Like many other interviewers, Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic highlighted 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed’s “directness” as his most arresting attribute. Goldberg amusingly describes the ambassador Prince Khalid and his staff teetering on the edge of a conniption fit every time MBS decided to drop a truth bomb. For example, he calls out the Supreme Leader of Iran as worse than Adolf Hitler.
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Arrangement that would have deported 16,250 illegal migrants to West while keeping similar number in Israel comes under scathing criticism from the Right • PM: New Israel Fund derailed prior deal with Rwanda • Opposition: PM easily influenced by pressure.

ISRAEL HAYOM

Responding to outrage and mounting pressure from government ministers and other coalition members, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that he was canceling the new agreement with the U.N. refugee agency to relocate thousands of African migrants from Israel while allowing thousands of others to stay.

Netanyahu said the government would return to the drawing board and work to devise other solutions.

“Every year I make thousands of decisions that benefit the State of Israel and the public, and from time to time I make a decision that needs to be reconsidered. After many consultations and … after re-evaluating the advantages and disadvantages in play, I decided to cancel the agreement,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
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By Ken Blackwell and Frank Wolf, THE HILL

by Jonathan Spyer, MEFORUM

Turkish forces this month entered Afrin City, bringing Operation “Olive Branch,” launched on January 20, to a successful conclusion. Latest reports suggest that the Turks are now set to seek to enter the neighboring Kurdish-controlled town of Tal Rifaat, after reaching an agreement with the Russians allowing them to contest its control.

According to the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 78 Turkish soldiers were killed in the Afrin fighting, along with 437 Turkey-aligned Syrian Sunni rebels. SOHR puts Kurdish casualties as 1,500 killed in the operation.

All indications suggest that for Turkey, the recent battles were only a phase in a larger process. So where might Turkey turn next? And what is the goal of the Turkish campaign?
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T. Belman. No doubt he will recognized Jordan as the Palestinian land.

Secondly, don’t fall for Trump’s head fake. He has no intention of withdrawing from east Syria because it is too important in the battle against Iran’s expansionism.

“I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land,” the Saudi Crown Prince stated during a current tour in the US.

By: World Israel News Staff

In an interview by Jeffrey Goldberg published Monday in The Atlantic, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Israelis have a right to their own land.

Apparently pushing for a two-state solution, he said, “I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations.”
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Congress now knows that everything you are about to watch in this video, happened. Watergate was a minor crime compared to this.

An absolutely outstanding interview with Joe di Genova about the worst scandal in US history.

Trump’s talk with the Saudi crown prince made him conclude that there’s nothing Washington can do in Syria; they also see eye to eye on the weekend’s events in Gaza and the question of Hamas’ status

By Zvi Bar’el, HAARETZ

Smoke rises from buildings following a reported regime surface-to-surface missile strike on a rebel-held area on the southern Syrian city of Daraa, March 23, 2018.MOHAMAD ABAZEED/AFP

Last week U.S. President Donald Trump left his aides and cabinet secretaries agape when he said America was “coming out of Syriavery soon.” Just a few days earlier, Defense Secretary James Mattis said the exact opposite, declaring that America would be in Syria indefinitely. Senior American officials made similar statements last month, explaining that America’s presence was necessary until a diplomatic solution to Syria’s civil war was found.

What pushed Trump, who also used the occasion to freeze $200 million in aid for Syria’s reconstruction, to make this announcement? Apparently, his conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made him conclude that there’s nothing Washington can do in Syria.

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16,250 African migrants will be expelled to Western countries while the same number are to be granted temporary residency for five years and dispersed across the country.

JPOST

Israel announced on Monday that it reached an agreement with the United Nations to allow the deportation of asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Israel to Western countries.

According to the announcement, the deal discussed between the Prime Minister’s Office and the UN High Commission on Refugees stipulates that Israel could immediately deport some 16,250 people while granting temporary residency to thousands of others for a period of five years.

The government report said that 16,000 asylum seekers would be deported from Israel, with the assistance and direct intervention of Western countries, and an additional 16,000 would be allowed to stay as long as they meet thus far undisclosed criteria, which are to be determined through cooperation between Israel and the commission.
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By Evelyn Gordan

UNRWA, the United Nations agency tasked with caring for Palestinian refugees and their descendants in perpetuity, is facing what it terms its worst financial crisis ever. “Crisis” is an exaggeration, but the agency undoubtedly has less money than it wants. Given Gaza’s multiple woes (which UNRWA’s aid ostensibly alleviates) and Israeli fears that these woes could spark another Hamas-Israel war, this may sound like bad news. In fact, it’s good news for anyone who cares about either Palestinians or Israelis.

Obviously, no one wants a humanitarian crisis, but UNRWA’s budget shortfall won’t cause one. True, the agency is nearly $350 million short of its $1.2 billion budget, despite obtaining $100 million in new pledges at an emergency conference in mid-March, mainly because the Trump administration cut America’s contribution to just $60 million this year, down from $364 million last year.
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DEBKA

US President Trump’s intended pullout from Syria would dump a heavy burden on the Saudis. The Crown Prince plans to go next to Baghdad.

“Let me have $4 billion to cover the costs of keeping the administration afloat and rehabilitating North Syria,” President Donald Trump said to Saudi Crown Prince Muhamed Bin Salman (MbS) when they met at the White House on March 20. Trump was talking about the areas under the control of the Kurdish SDF party, which is supported by the US military. This challenge led to another: the president’s abrupt comment on Friday March 30: “We’re knocking the hell out of ISIS. We’ll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon. Let other people take care of it now. Very soon, very soon, we’re coming out.”

Some Washington officials explained that this comment “was not an impulsive thought bubble” as it was treated by some. Trump believes that, after the defeat of ISIS, America has done enough and the time has come for other nations to step in and look after their own security interests in Syria.
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T. Belman. Pres Trump recently announced he was pulling American troops out of Iraq just after Tillerson said the opposite. Trump probably based his decision on the reasoning in this article written a year ago.

I agree with much of this article which essentially argues for letting Assad stay in power. Today the issue is not Assad but Iran. I wanted the US to stay east of the Euphrates in order to contain Iran and encourage regime change there. When Obama withdrew US forces from Iraq, Trump criticised him for creating a vaccum. How is Trump’s withdrawal any different?

By Doug Bandow, FORBES

The U.S. presidential election mercifully has ended. But global conflict continues. And politicians are still attempting to drag America into another tragic, bloody Middle Eastern conflict.

To do so would be madness. President-elect Donald Trump appears to recognize that Syria is not America’s responsibility. Unfortunately, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, as well as some of those mentioned for top administration positions, take a more militaristic perspective. Trump should announce that his administration will not get involved in Syria’s civil war in any way.

President Barack Obama spent five years resisting pressure for direct military intervention. But he appointed war supporters John Kerry, Samantha Power, Susan Rice, and Hillary Clinton to manage his foreign policy. Kerry acknowledged to a group of Syrian refugees in Beirut that he and other officials had advocated use of force but “lost the argument.”
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