DEBKA

At the end of hours of debate in Munich, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced early Friday, Feb. 12, that the US, Russia and other powers had agreed to a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria’s civil war to take place next week and immediate humanitarian access to besieged areas.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added: The cessation would go into effect next Friday, Feb. 19 but, he stressed, “terrorist” groups would continue to be targeted.

Possibly for the first time in his diplomatic career, Kerry termed an international document he initiated “words on paper” because, he said, “the proof of commitment will come only with implementation.”
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The administration has rejected Israel’s requests for additional systems it could use to defend against Iran attacks

By Caroline Glick, JPOST

This week, PM Benyamin Netanyahu told government ministers that he may wait for the next US president before signing a new military assistance deal with America. Israel’s current military assistance package is set to expire in 2018 and the new package is supposed to include supplemental aid to compensate Israel for President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. But to date, the administration has rejected Israel’s requests for additional systems it could use to defend against Iran attacks.

Last October, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon asked US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to provide Israel with a new squadron of F-15s that Israel would outfit with its own electronics systems. Carter reportedly rejected that request as well as one for bunker buster bombs.
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Herzog’s new policy proposal amounts to little more than an “aggressive retreat” behind higher & more extensive walls—and the ghetto mentality they symbolize.

By Martin Sherman, JPOST

Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad – ancient proverb, misattributed to Euripides.

Q: What is the difference between the State of Israel and a lunatic asylum?
A: In a lunatic asylum, the management is supposed to be sane.
– a popular joke

The political discourse in Israel has gone haywire. Unless a semblance of sanity is somehow restored, it is difficult to see how to prevent the country careening off into an irretrievably disastrous abyss.
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By Ben Caspit, AL MONITOR

Zeev Elkin, Israel’s minister of Jerusalem affairs and immigrant absorption, began his political career in late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s party before deserting Kadima for the Likud in 2008. He is currently a member of the diplomatic-security Cabinet and one of the most incisive thinkers of the Likud and the entire Israeli political system. Elkin is a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and viewed as one of Netanyahu’s most faithful and effective political operators, though tension has recently been detected between the two. Elkin also enjoys good contacts with Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman, the Israeli right’s most uncompromising opposition to the current government.
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By Vitali Nuamkin, al MONITOR

Recent developments in and around Syria have prompted Russian analysts to focus on three possible scenarios for the war-torn country: gradual national reconciliation through the Geneva dialogue, a military victory by President Bashar al-Assad or a major war involving global powers.

Russia, like most global and regional powers, continues to support a political solution to the Syrian crisis based on the June 2012 Geneva communique and agreements reached in 2015 by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) in Vienna.

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By Rachel Sharansky Danziger, TOI

Thirty years ago today, my father, Natan Sharansky, crossed a bridge.

The bridge was Glienicke Bridge, of Steven Spielberg’s “Bridge of Spies” fame. When my father walked onto it he was a prisoner in the Soviet block, though a free man in spirit. He found freedom on the day he stopped hiding his opinions. He earned freedom as he fought for his right to be a Jew in Israel, and for his fellow Russians’ human rights. He preserved it as the KGB imprisoned his body, trying and failing to force him to recant.

After nine years of imprisonment, my father stepped off Glienicke Bridge, and became a free man in body as well.

He finally left the USSR behind him, and had my mother, and Israel, ahead.
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Officials and politicians don’t want to lost control. Meanwhile, they have neither the time or the talent to do the job.

By Barry Shaw, ARUTZ SHEVA

It is disgraceful how incompetent the Israeli government is when it comes to public diplomacy. It’s not only shockingly bad, it’s actually dangerously damaging to us.

They are so bad that, if I were Donald Trump, I would tell all of them, “You’re fired!”

What a bunch of losers! They can’t even hold back a bunch of degenerates in the BDS movement.

Actually, they don’t deal with this problem at all. They complain about it. They scratch their heads and throw money around various ministries to make it look as if they’re doing something, but they do nothing effective at all, just wasting valuable funds that should go to those who are fighting against our demonization.
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By Michael Garfinkiel, PJ MEDIA

French socialist Christiane Taubira — the minister of justice, also known as the “keeper of the Seals” — formally resigned last week over what she called “a major political disagreement” with French socialist President François Hollande on anti-terror policies.

At stake was a constitutional amendment known as the Protection of the Nation Constitutional Act (Loi constitutionnelle de Protection de la Nation) that would strip persons who join ISIS or other jihadist networks, or who commit “grave crimes against the life of the Nation,” of their French citizenship.
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By Norman Bailey, WORLD TRIBUNE

The U.S. and Europe — the traditional pillars of Israeli foreign diplomatic and economic relations — are crumbling.

Since Israel’s independence, its most important economic and financial partners have been in Europe and the U.S. In the past few years, however, this situation has changed dramatically.

On the plus side, Israel’s position in the Middle East has improved, despite the chaos that has overtaken the region since the so-called “Arab Spring” of 2011. Not only is Israel militarily stronger, but due to the threats from Iran and Islamic State, Israel’s relations with its Sunni Arab neighbors have undergone a dramatic transformation, as those countries realize that Israel can be an important asset. Thus far this rapprochement has been largely behind the scenes, but no less marked because of that.
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By Clifford May, ISRAEL HAYOM

The global conflict now underway is often called “unconventional.” Among the ways that is true: The West has decided to fight with half measures while attempting to “address the grievances” of their enemies and those who might be inclined to join them.

War is — and always will be — hell. The Law of Armed Conflict is not meant to change that — only to make it a little less hellish. There are weapons you agree not to use. In exchange, your enemy doesn’t use those weapons against you. You treat captured combatants humanely. You expect the same when your soldiers are taken prisoner.

It’s a rational and enlightened concept and, in the global war of the 21st century, it has failed spectacularly. Those who call themselves jihadis feel bound only by their reading of Islamic law, not by the Geneva Conventions and other international obligations and restrictions.
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T. Belman.  Remember during the last Gaza war, Obama kept pushing Israel to enable Turkey and Qatar to arrange a ceasefire on their terms.  Israel and Egypt said no and kept them out. Now under Obama’s pressure, no doubt, both Turkey and Qatar have insinuated themselves.

DEBKA

Qatari envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi with Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza

Few Israelis, including the people who wake up at night to the clatter of Palestinians in Gaza digging tunnels under their floors, have never heard of Mohammed Al-Emadi. But his importance to their lives cannot be overestimated, because, as DEBKAfile reveals here, he is the Persian Gulf Emirate of Qatar’s de facto ambassador to the Gaza Strip and to Israel.

He is moreover Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s secret weapon against Hamas’s terror tunnels.
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New budget requests show cooperative programs down by over $100 million, no new Iron Dome funding after 2017, amid defense aid standoff.

By Ari Yashar, ARUTZ SHEVA

Pentagon documents released on Tuesday indicate that the 2017 budget requests of the US Defense Department include a total of $145.8 million for Israeli missile defense programs, a sharp drop in financial support amid a standoff over American military aid.

The aid, meant for Israel’s missile interceptor programs including the short-range Iron Dome, medium-range David’s Sling and Arrow ballistic missile interceptor, includes far lower figures than those recorded the year before in 2016, reports Reuters.
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T. Belman. During the last Gaza War, Bennett lead the fight to get Israel to destroy about 30 tunnels. Just this month he led the fight to get Israel to once again destroy the tunnels. He was ridiculed by Yaalon for his troubles. Israel at first refused to allow concrete into Gaza but then relented somewhat.  It is this concrete that is being used in the construction of the tunnels.

Security appraisal reveals over 1,000 Hamas terrorists are working on one central tunnel breaching deep into Israel for a massive attack.

By Shimon Cohen, ARUTZ SHEVA
An IDF appraisal of the current security threats published on Wednesday morning estimates that over 1,000 Hamas terrorists are currently working on digging one central terror tunnel leading deep into sovereign Israeli territory.

The estimation, published in Yedioth Aharonoth, shows a sharp break from past activity when Hamas worked on constructing dozens of smaller tunnels simultaneously. Around 30 such tunnels were destroyed in 2014 Operation Protective Edge, but Hamas has since been busy rebuilding the system.
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T. Belman. This bothers the hell out of me. We are legally in the right to demolish EU financed illegal homes.  We should not compromise on this one iota. We should demolish 90 such homes rather than the token 9 we demolished. Our refusal to allow them to be part of the Palestinian negotiations should remain as long as the labelling is in force. There is nothing to negotiate.

Israeli official says labeling of settlement products was ‘unilateral and adopted Palestinian narrative – that’s no way to conduct respectful dialogue.’

Barak Ravid, HAARETZ

Two months after freezing EU out of peace process, Netanyahu meets with Mogherini

Israel and the European Union have begun quiet talks toward resolution of the crisis growing out of the European Union’s decision to label products made in the settlements in European marketing chains, and to restart discussion on the Palestinian issue, which was halted by Israel three months ago.

Officials in Jerusalem said Israel and the EU are working toward reaching understandings that would include mutual steps to bring the relationship back on track.
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“The situation is unacceptable and the ones who suffer the most are first and foremost Arab civilians,” says Inspector General Roni Alsheich.

By Ben Hartman, JPOST

The level of crime and the number of illegal firearms in the Arab sector is unacceptable and a plague upon the lives of Israel’s Arab citizens, National Police Commissioner Insp.-Gen. Roni Alsheich said Tuesday.

“The situation is unacceptable and the ones who suffer the most are first and foremost Arab civilians, and afterwards the other sectors of society. There is a very powerful desire in the Arab sector to strengthen the police work there, and over the decades we haven’t done this.”

Alsheich’s comments came during a committee meeting held at the Knesset as part of a day-long salute to police held by the parliament during which Alsheich also laid out some of his goals as commissioner.
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T. Belman. The bottom line issue is whether Turkey will be given a say in Gaza and get Israel to lift the blockade. Turkey should not be allowed to get a victory on Gaza yet Netanyahu is saying that both sides must compromise. Wrong. Israel should not lift the blockade or let Turkey in.

Diplomats say Israeli and Turkish negotiating teams will meet on Wednesday for talks on reconciliation agreement.

By Elad Benari, ARUTZ SHEVA

Israeli and Turkish negotiating teams will meet in Switzerland on Wednesday for another round of talks in an attempt to finalize a reconciliation agreement, Western diplomats close to the talks told Haaretz on Tuesday night.

Participating in the talks on the Israeli side will be Joseph Ciechanover, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s representative, and acting National Security Adviser Jacob Nagel.

Turkey will be represented in this round by Under Secretary of State Feridun Sinirlioglu, according to Haaretz.
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Iran’s “sweet surrender” would never have been possible without the sophisticated and determined pressure of one country; Saudi Arabia, and one man; Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.

By Mudar Zahran, JPOST

On Jan 1/16, Iran’s official media confirmed the state had filled the Arak nuclear reactor core with concrete. In short: Iran has killed its flagship nuclear site and its nuclear program is now limited to smaller projects, paperwork, research and, of course, propaganda videos.

But how could this have happened? While the US-Iran nuclear deal does dictate that Iran must reduce the operational capacity of the Arak nuclear reactor in particular, nobody could have believed Iran would have jumped to execute this part of the deal so quickly. Iran has been known to never give up anything except for handsome rewards.
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T. Belman. Most of the comments at AT were outraged by this analysis. AT titled it “The Assad Republicans Are Wrong”

There is a serious dispute among the Republican presidential candidates on one of the most important foreign policy issues facing America. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump want the United States to join with Russia and Iran in backing Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad as a necessary policy to fight the ISIS terrorist group. Marco Rubio is willing to use U.S. military forces to defeat ISIS and set up a no-fly zone over the non-Assad controlled regions of Syria, thereby containing Assad and putting a check to the expansion of the power of the Kremlin-Iran alliance across the Middle East.

Experts warn similar crackdowns on free speech coming to America

WND

The unprecedented influx of Muslim migrants into Europe is fueling civil unrest as well as government repression directed against the native population, say experts who warn similar crackdowns on criticism of Islam could be coming to America.

In recent days, police in the Netherlands questioned and threatened to charge citizens who made Internet posts protesting government plans to resettle migrants in their communities.

In Calais, France, thousands of migrants have settled in a ramshackle settlement outside the city. Rather than removing them, the French government recently banned a demonstration by the Pegida group, which has called for resistance to Islam’s growing control over European life and the expulsion of the migrants.
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T. Belman. Til now I have preferred Ted Cruz. But then I saw an article explaining that the Israeli right prefer Rubia because they saw him as a Neocon, who would keep the US engaged in the ME compared to Cruz who was considered an isolationist. Isolationist he maty be but his support of Israel is right on.

by Jacob Kornbluh, JEWISH JOURNAL via Jewish Insider

The relationship between the U.S. and Israel will be reset by itself with the election of a Republican president in the fall, Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said on Monday.

Addressing national security at BAE Systems Inc., an aerospace company headquartered in Nashua, N.H., Rubio was asked what he would do to reestablish warm relations with Israel if elected as president.
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