Mr. President, Iran is the enemy, not Israel

It’s a shame Obama is making the Iranian nuclear issue personal. Whoever is not with him is against him. Iran is the enemy, Mr. President. Not you. Iran is the enemy — not Israel. America is still the “Great Satan,” Israel is still the “Little Satan” and the ayatollahs still aren’t holy. Even the prominent Democratic supporter, Haim Saban, has understood the danger and has joined the opposition.
It is exceedingly rare for Congress to reject an administration decision related to foreign policy. Too recall an instance of the Senate rejecting an agreement, we must go back to the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 and the 14 Points plan proposed by one of the greatest American presidents, Woodrow Wilson (also a Democrat, also a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize that same year). That was nearly 100 years ago.
Obama needs to understand that this is not personal. All he has to do is peruse the comments made by supporters of the deal in order to understand why people in Israel, and in America, are very worried. Let’s take, for example, Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, who supports the deal. She admits the deal is “not perfect” and believes Iran will continue to lie and continue to get stronger. Could it be that the deal’s detractors aren’t actually “ignorant,” as the president, according to commentators, tried painting them as in his speech at American University? Perhaps they are simply seeing clearly? And if someone is failing to understand why the polls suddenly flipped on Saturday — it’s because people have only just begun discovering the details of the deal. The Americans, for example, were stunned to learn during Secretary of State John Kerry’s congressional hearing that he was not versed in the details of the secret deal between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The important thing, however, is that here in Israel there are also those who support the deal. Maybe they know things that Kerry does not?

Prof. Phyllis Chesler: Farewell to the Man Who Launched a Blood Libel

France’s Channel 2 Television man in Jerusalem, the infamous Charles Enderlin, is finally leaving the Holy Land.
As some might say: Baruch Hashem. However, Charles Enderlin was neither fired nor jailed. He remained at his prestigious post for fifteen years. Enderlin claims that he is not retiring, that he will be devoting himself to other projects. His replacement is Franck Genauzeau, a man with no known track record of anti-Semitism.
With Charles Enderlin’s departure, there may now be only 999 reporters and NGO activists—maybe more–left in Jerusalem to spin the news according to the Palestinian narrative. Apparently, there are more foreign, reporters and more foreign NGOS on the ground– especially German and Scandinavian–than in any other city or country on earth.
As my colleague, Tuvia Tenenbom, might say: I guess the world really cares about the Jews—or is it merely overly eager to “catch” Jews making mistakes so that its ongoing anti-Semitism feels justified; the Germans feel less guilty about the European Holocaust; and Muslims can feel righteous for holding onto to their long-simmering genocidal intentions towards the People of the Book, especially Jewish Israel?
Who, really, is Charles Enderlin?
On September 30, 2000, ’twas Enderlin and his Palestinian camera man, Talal Abu Rahma, who launched the Mohammed Al-Dura Blood Libel against Israel–a libel which justified, fanned, and inflamed Arafat’s long-planned Intifada of 2000 which led to thousands of Israeli civilian and soldier deaths, injuries, and disabilities—and to a frenzy of global anti-Semitism against individual Jews and against the Jewish state.

The Truth About Susiya

Daniel Patrick Moynihan once famously stated, “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.” This rebuke is an appropriate response to Alon Ben-Meir’s post, “The Dismantling of Susiya is an Israeli Injustice.”
In his apparent eagerness to condemn the “inhuman action” of demolishing an illegal Arab encampment, and to attack the “moral decadence” of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, he has created a fictitious scenario that maligns Israel.
Here is the truth.
Fact: The residents of the illegal encampment, which has come to be called “Ancient Arab Susiya,” illegally and systematically put up most of the structures on that “ancient” encampment between 2011 and 2013.
Fact: This case of illegal building has been before the Supreme Court of Israel for close to 15 years, and the claims of these Palestinian squatters have repeatedly been rejected. Ben-Meir fails to mention the extensive litigation before the High Court of Justice. During all of the litigation, the Arab residents have failed to show any proof of valid ownership of the land and even if they did, all land in that area is zoned agricultural land only and they have no rights to build on it. Instead, illegal construction has taken place for the duration of the judicial process, in blatant defiance of court orders.
Arab residents have joined the Susiya encampment knowing full well of pending court orders. It should also be noted that these residents are being assisted by the NGO Rabbis for Human Rights, which, although registered in Israel, is heavily funded by foreign countries including Germany, Spain, Sweden, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the EU.

I don’t intend to lose battle over Iran deal, vows defiant Obama

Israel’s security is “sacrosanct” to Washington, US President Barack Obama said in an interview to CNN aired Sunday, as he pledged to overcome American political opposition to the recently struck deal with Iran over its nuclear program.
“I don’t intend to lose on this,” he said, referring to the battle between the administration and a Republican-dominated Congress over the Iran deal.
The president also repeated his stance that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “wrong” about the nuclear deal with Iran and has failed to offer any viable alternatives.
Opponents to the nuclear agreement — including Netanyahu, Congressional Republicans and some Democrats — have presented no “plausible alternative[s] to Iran attaining a nuclear weapon other than military strikes,” Obama said.

Obama: Netanyahu only foreign leader ‘I can recall’ forcibly interfering in US policy

In a clip released ahead of the interview, Zakaria asked Obama a question about Netanyahu’s stiff opposition to the deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program that was worked out between Tehran and the six world powers; the US, Russia, China, France, Great Britain and Germany.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu has injected himself forcefully into this debate on American foreign policy in Washington. Can you recall a time when a foreign head of government has done that. Is it appropriate for a foreign head of government to inject himself into an American debate,” Zakaria asked.
Obama responded, “I do not recall a similar example.”
He added: “Obviously the relationship between the US and Israel is deep. It is profound. It is reflected in my policies. But as I said in the speech yesterday on the substance, the prime minister is wrong on this.
“I can show that basic assumptions he has made are incorrect. If in fact my argument is right, that this is the best way for Iran not to get a nuclear weapon, that is not just good for the United States, that is very good for Israel.”

Obama: Iran nuclear deal is good for Israel

President Obama says the U.S. shares a “deep” and “profound” relationship with Israel. But when it comes to the Iran nuclear deal, Prime Minister Netanyahu is wrong. Obama spoke with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.

Obama’s failed speech

In his speech, Obama said that the sanctions on Iran could not be maintained in the wake of a rejection by Congress of the deal, as other countries in the world would still renew trade with Iran. Indeed, there will be a flow of international trade with Iran, which will give the Iranian regime a cash windfall of billions of dollars, some of which it will use to sow instability throughout the Middle East. Obama might be right that the sanctions will collapse even if Congress rejects the deal, but this is his fault. It was Obama who was determined to capitulate to Iran and get rid of the sanctions, which had been crafted to stop the nuclearization of Iran.
Obama warned that if the deal is rejected by Congress, the U.S. will have to boycott China, due to its extensive trade ties with Iran, and this will seriously harm America’s interests. But is not Obama himself responsible for China’s renewal of trade with Iran? Who created this troubling reality that Obama is warning about? Obama himself.
Obama’s hints that opposing the deal meant going against America’s interests were a vile attempt to threaten American Jews by letting the “dual loyalty” genie out of the bottle. These statements by Obama were extremely out of line, as was his comparison of American opponents of the deal to hard-liners in Iran. These were gutter rhetorical devices used by a president seeking to market to the American people one of the most shameful diplomatic failures in U.S. history.

Iran: Future US Presidents Can’t Cancel Nuclear Deal

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi stated on Sunday that the Iran nuclear deal sealed last month with world powers is final, and includes a clause stipulating sanctions cannot be returned in the future by presidents after US President Barack Obama.
“There is a paragraph in the agreement which requires the US administration to stop implementation of the sanctions constantly, and this means that there won’t be a change once Obama leaves the office,” Takht Ravanchi said, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
Possibly fueling the statement were promises made by Republican presidential candidates last Thursday during a televised live debate, in which several vowed to cancel the Iran nuclear deal upon taking office.
Takht Ravanchi’s claim of a clause banning the return of sanctions may possibly refer to a classified side deal. It has been revealed the nuclear deal includes such side deals that are not being shown to Congress, and among other things include stipulations that Iran will inspect its own covert nuclear sites where nuclear detonator testing has occurred.

Iranian Ayatollah Calls for Muslim World to Unite and ‘Expel’ Jews from the Region

Iran’s Friday Prayers Leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani, a radical Shiite cleric whose position grants him enormous influence in Tehran and who is appointed directly by Iran’s Supreme Leader, called on Friday for the Muslim nations of the world to “unite and expel the Zionists from this region.”
The prayer leader, who often leads chants of ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel,’ took the time to thank Iran’s negotiators for reaching an agreement he believed was favorable to the regime in Tehran, Iran’s state-run IRIB news service reported.
Kashani told worshippers that Israel will only be satisfied with their position in the world “when all nations have perished and they alone remain in this world.” This is why Israel has “no qualms whatsoever about spilling innocent blood,” the Ayatollah said.
“This regime [Israel] is amongst the vilest, inhuman and bloodthirsty regimes in the world, and Muslim nations must unite and expel the Zionists from this region if they want to live in peace and security,” Kashani added.
By calling for the expulsion of “Zionists,” Kashani specifically singles out the Jews of Israel, and not its Arab population.

US think tank questions Iran alibi for Parchin activity

A prominent U.S. think tank on Friday questioned Iran’s explanation for activity at its Parchin military site visible in satellite imagery, saying the movement of vehicles did not appear related to road work.
The U.S.-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said this week that Iran might be sanitizing its Parchin military site, where some countries suspect experiments may have taken place in a possible nuclear weapons program. Iran denied it, saying it was part of road works near the Mamloo Dam.
The think tank issued a fresh analysis on Friday disputing Iran’s story.
“Commercial satellite imagery does not support the Iranian explanation,” the think tank said in a statement. “ISIS analyzed commercially available satellite imagery taken on July 12, 19, and 26, 2015 but did not find any visible signatures related to road work on the road near the dam.”
It said it would make little sense for Iran to “park vehicles three kilometers south of the dam and at the one site that would create intense concern and suspicion about Iran’s intentions to comply with the recently negotiated [deal].”
A spokesman for Iran’s U.N. mission in New York said Tehran stood by its statement from Thursday and had nothing to add.

US ‘concerned’ by reports Quds Force chief visited Moscow

The United States is trying to determine whether the commander of the Quds Force in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard recently visited Russia in violation of a United Nations travel ban, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power said Friday.
Power said the travel ban requires all countries deny Maj. Gen. Ghasem Soleimani entry into their borders, and the only exception is if the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against Iran grants an exemption.
“To our knowledge no such exemption was granted, and we would know,” Power told reporters Friday. “So these are very concerning reports but we are still, again, tracking down the facts.”
Soleimani has been on the U.N. sanctions blacklist since 2007, which also requires that all countries freeze his overseas assets.
Fox News, citing two Western intelligence sources, reported Thursday that Soleimani arrived in Moscow on July 24 for meetings with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and President Vladimir Putin.

IsraellyCool: Iranian Journalist Claims Kerry Negotiated On Iran’s Behalf With Other Members Of P5+1

Last week I wrote about Amir Taheri’s report on Ayatollah Khamenei’s magnum opus, describing the method through which Khamenei plans to destroy Israel. Yesterday, Taheri came out with a new, and potentially even more damning report:
Salehi recalls that when he briefed newly elected President Rouhani on the secret talks, the latter was “astonished” at Obama’s readiness to bend backwards to appease Tehran. For Tehran, Obama and Kerry made an ideal team.
During lengthy negotiations in Geneva, Lausanne and finally Vienna, the Iranian and US teams were often on the same side, fighting to persuade other members of the P5+1 to soften their positions vis-a-vis Iran.
In an off-the-record briefing in Tehran which was nevertheless partly leaked, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi cited a number of occasions when Kerry fought hard to win others to Iran’s position.
One occasion was when the French and the British insisted that Iran formally undertake not to finance and arm the Lebanese branch of Hezbollah. “Naturally, we refused,” Araqchi said. “And it was [John] Kerry who persuaded others to drop the issue.”
. . . .
On another occasion, according to Araqchi, Kerry sided with Iran in rejecting a demand by the European Union foreign policy “tsarina” Federica Mogherini to commit Iran not to help Bashar Al-Assad kill more Syrians. Kerry remained “steadfast” that talks should only focus on the nuclear issue.

An Iranian story the BBC chose not to translate

The IranWire article details some of the interesting points made by Araghchi in that meeting, including the following:
“Araghchi confirmed that Iran is arming Lebanese Hezbollah: “We said that we cannot stop giving arms to Hezbollah, and we’re not ready to sacrifice it to our nuclear program. So we will continue doing it.””
Likewise, the independent publishing platform Khodnevis notes that:
“He [Araghchi] also pointed out that the Islamic Republic has been sending arms to Hezbollah, something Iran has publicly denied for years.”
Khodnevis attributes the information in its article to a report published by the BBC Persian service (“Araghchi what was said at the meeting with managers of radio and television?“) and another article concerning the removal of the reports by Persian-language outlets was also produced by BBC Persian.
Curiously though, the BBC apparently did not consider that admission by an official of a UN member state that it is systematically breaching the terms of UN SC resolution 1701 (“no sales or supply of arms and related material to Lebanon except as authorized by its Government”) worthy of translation into English for the benefit of the majority of members of its audience who do not read Farsi.

PLO seeks to strengthen ties with Iran

The PLO is looking forward to developing its relations and strengthening mutual trade with Iran, a senior PLO official said on Sunday.
Majdalni said he delivered a letter from PA President Mahmoud Abbas to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
He added that the letter, which was relayed to Zarif, deals with the current situation in the Palestinian territories and “Israeli assaults against our people and their holy sites, as well as bilateral relations between the two sides.”
Majdalni said that the PLO leadership was hoping to develop its relations with Iran.
He said he also discussed with the Iranian foreign minister the ongoing dispute between the PLO and Hamas. The PLO is hoping that Iran would use its influence to end the dispute.

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2015/08/0809-links-mr-president-iran-is-enemy.html