A7News: 'We will hit Israel if US attacks Iran'

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Wednesday, Aug. 22 '18, י"א באלול תשע"ח



HEADLINES:
1. 'WE WILL HIT ISRAEL IF US ATTACKS IRAN'
2. 'TRUMP WH IS FRIENDLIEST ADMIN TO ISRAEL EVER'
3. DOES FALLEN WESTERN WALL STONE POSSES INTRINSIC HOLINESS?
4. 'GIFT TO ERDOĞAN FOR THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS'
5. BOLTON: NO 'QUID PRO QUO' IN JERUSALEM EMBASSY MOVE
6. BARAK: PROTO-FASCIST GOVERNMENT MUST BE STOPPED
7. REPORT: 'DEAL OF THE CENTURY' TO BE UNVEILED NEXT MONTH
8. 'I RECEIVED LIFE AS A GIFT'


1. 'WE WILL HIT ISRAEL IF US ATTACKS IRAN'
by David Rosenberg

One of Iran's top clerics warned Wednesday morning that the regime in Tehran would strike Israel in retaliation for any "harm…in the slightest way" by the US against Iran.

Ayatollah Seyed Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Islamic republic's religious governing body known as the Assembly of Experts, told worshippers at an Eid al-Ahda event in Tehran Wednesday morning that Iran would not accept President Donald Trump's offer to engage in negotiations.

"Americans say you should accept what we say in the talks," Khatami said, according to a report by Mizan. "So this is not negotiation, but dictatorship. The Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation would stand up against dictatorship."

In late July, President Trump said that he would be willing to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for negotiations without any preconditions, just days after he warned the Iranian leader not to threaten the US.

"I would certainly meet with Iran if they wanted to meet. I don't know if they're ready yet," Trump said. He said he would set "no preconditions," and, "If they want to meet, I'll meet, anytime they want."

Khatami also warned on Wednesday that Iran would not limit its attacks on the US if America caused any "harm" to Iran, and that the Tehran regime would retaliate against Israel as well.

"The price of a war with Iran is very high for America. They know if they harm this country and this state in the slightest way, the United States and its main ally in the region, the Zionist regime would be targeted."


2. 'TRUMP WH IS FRIENDLIEST ADMIN TO ISRAEL EVER'
by David Rosenberg

An Israeli lawmaker and former ambassador to the US played down recent comments by President Donald Trump regarding the "price" Israel would have to pay in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, calling the Trump White House the "friendliest" administration Israel has ever known.

On Tuesday night, President Trump told supporters at a rally in West Virginia that he expected Israel would have to pay a "higher price" in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority following America's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital city, and the subsequent relocation of the US embassy.

"If there's ever going to be peace with the Palestinians, then this was a good thing to have done," Trump said on the embassy move. "We took it off the table. In past negotiations, they never got past Jerusalem becoming the capital. So I said 'let's take it off the table'. And you know what? In the negotiations, Israel will have to pay a higher price, because they won a very big thing. But I took it off the table."

"But they [the Palestinian Authority] will get something very good next, because it's their turn next. We'll see what happens. It's very interesting."

While the comment led some Israeli lawmakers to express concern, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Michael Oren (Kulanu) played down the president's remarks, calling his administration the "friendliest" Israel has ever known.

"As a businessman, President Trump expects both sides to make concessions – including painful ones, Oren, who previously served as Israel's ambassador to the US, said in a statement Wednesday. "He also will take either side to task if they leave the negotiating table."

Israel, Oren added, she bear in mind the strong support the Trump administration has shown regarding Israel's security concerns, and must maintain a positive relationship with the president.

"This is the friendliest government we have ever known, which is standing by us on issues critical to our security like Iran, Syria, Gaza, and the United Nations. Therefore, Israel ought to have an open mind regarding any [peace] plan he offers, keeping an eye on our general strategic position. Israel should say 'yes', or at least, 'yes, but', and let the Palestinians be the ones saying no for a change."

Oren also responded to a statement by National Security Advisor John Bolton Wednesday morning that the Trump administration was not currently weighing the possibility of recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

The former ambassador said he was not surprised by Bolton's comments, adding that "recognition of Israeli sovereignty will come as a result of facts on the ground, not the other way around."

"Following the many contacts I've had with the administration, I've learned that the Americans prefer us to focus on developing the Heights, rather than recognition."

Oren said the time was ripe for the Israeli government to adopt his proposed plan to encourage massive settlement of the Golan Heights.

"The plan which I am pushing… the first serious plan dealing with the Golan in 50 years, calls for the development of the area and the settling of 100,000 Israelis," in the Golan.

"That would make the [Golan] an integral part of the State of Israel."


3. DOES FALLEN WESTERN WALL STONE POSSES INTRINSIC HOLINESS?
by Mordechai Sones

Rabbi Dov Lior referred to a question on the Yeshiva site recently asked about the stone that dislodged and fell from the Western Wall outside the central square about a month ago.

The questioner asked whether the stone should be treated with special reverence.

Rabbi Lior replied that "as far as is known today, it is accepted by many rabbis that this part of the Kotel is an addition by Herod. Therefore there is no place to say it possesses intrinsic holiness.

Removing stone that dislodged from Western Wall
Flash 90
"But we have to look at what Divine Providence sought to hint to us: That we take care of the Temple Mount's sanctity in general, and also the space around it, to preserve and respect the dignity of the place as it deserves."

One of the stones of the Western Wall dislodged from its place in Ezrat Yisrael and crashed on the prayer plaza adjacent to the Kotel itself.

The huge stone crashed a few meters from a woman who was there and by miracle was not hurt.

The Antiquities Authority cleared the stone and an halakhic debate arose around it: Is it given to clear it in the same manner as construction waste or does it posses holiness mandating it be treated differently?

[twittervideo:2045320]

Daniella Goldberg acknowledges miracle
Flash 90
Rabbi Dov Lior
Flash 90



4. 'GIFT TO ERDOĞAN FOR THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS'
by Mordechai Sones

Senior Agriculture officials are outraged at the default agreement that allows Turkish tomato imports to Israel during the holidays, even though there is no shortage of tomatoes in Israel.

Sources in the industry called the automatic process of lifting imported tomato tariffs prior to the holidays "a gift to Turkish President Erdoğan on the occasion of the Jewish holidays."

Farmers recently asked the Finance Minister to cancel the practice that was established several years ago during a tomato shortage, but the Minister did not comply.

Knesset agricultural lobby head MK Eitan Broshi (Zionist Union) responded to the holiday season tomato import.

"Importing tomatoes these days and before the holiday season is an incorrect move that has no justification, a move that won't affect the cost of living and won't lower the price to the consumer," Broshi said.

"There's no lack of good quality Israeli tomatoes at a reasonable price. Therefore I call upon the Finance and Agriculture Ministers to immediately halt the reckless import that constitutes a real threat to the continued existence of the vegetable industry in Israel," he said.

Broshi
Flash 90



5. BOLTON: NO 'QUID PRO QUO' IN JERUSALEM EMBASSY MOVE
by Arutz Sheva Staff

[youtube:2046408]

US National Security Advisor John Bolton addressed journalists at a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday to discuss his visit to Israel, and US policy across the Middle East.

The press conference opened Wednesday morning at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, a day after Bolton met with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who accompanied him on a tour of the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in the capital.

In his opening comments Wednesday, Bolton cited the recent arrest of Iranian agents in the US who were conducting surveillance of Israeli and American Jewish targets, as well as the planned attack by Iranian agents against a gathering in Paris, saying the two cases highlighted "the threat that Iran poses in Europe and the United States."

Responding to a question from a reporter at the press conference regarding President Trump's comments Tuesday night that Israel would have to pay a "higher price" in talks with the Palestinian Authority because of the US decision to relocate the embassy to Jerusalem, Bolton played down the statement, saying it did not indicate a change in US policy.

"I don't think there's any change in policy. I think the president looked at the recognition of Jerusalem as being Israel's capital and the inevitable consequence of that – that the US embassy ought to be in the capital city of the country which its accredited as the right and natural thing to do, and it's not an issue of quid pro quo.

"He's made the point, I think, several times that this issue has been a hang up in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. And as he said last night as well, he's taken that issue off the table. As a deal-maker... he would expect that the Palestinians would say, 'Okay, great – we didn't get that one, now we want something else.' We'll see how it goes.

"But the fundamental point is that this is something that the parties are going to have to agree on."

Citing former Secretary of State James Baker, Bolton said the US "can't want peace more than the parties themselves."

"The real point is, the president did the right thing in moving the embassy to Israel's capital. And that in and of itself brings reality to the negotiations."

"It was a very positive step forward not just for Israel, but for the Palestinians as well."

The NSA later added that a peace deal was not something "the US is prepared to force on anybody."

Bolton also criticized the Obama administration over its pursuit of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying that the easing of sanctions on Tehran bolstered Iran's floundering economy, which had been in dire straits due to gross mismanagement. Rather than encourage Iran to moderate its behavior, Bolton continued, the new cash flow encouraged Tehran to increase its military activity across the Middle East and support for terrorism.

"The Iran nuclear deal mitigated the effects of its mismanagement of the economy, and gave the regime new life... this regime that's been the central banker of terrorism since 1979... it gave it new assets for its nuclear weapons program, for its ballistic missile program, for its terrorist activities, for its conventional military activities."

"We saw the consequences of the provision of these new resources in not reduced Iranian belligerency in the region after 2015, but increased Iranian belligerency."

"As a result of the lifting of sanctions, the regime in Iran felt as if it had a free hand – a free hand in the region, a free hand with the new resources, a free hand economically."

Turning to the planned framework for a final status agreement, dubbed the "Deal of the Century" by President Trump, Bolton appeared to reject reports suggesting the plan would be unveiled at the United Nations General Assembly next month.

"On the peace plan, work continues. There are a lot of consultations that are underway, and there's no decision on when the timing of the full plan will be announced. I think there's been a lot of progress in relations in the region as a result of the process of going through the possible outlines of what the plan would look like. There have been dramatic geo-strategic changes in the Middle East with the recognition that the Iran deal has failed and failed badly. That gives the possibility of re-alignment with Israel and many of its Arab neighbors that no one would have predicted years before."

"In terms of the specifics of when the plan might be rolled out, no decision as of now."

On Tuesday, Bolton also visited the new US embassy in Jerusalem, formally part of the US consulate, where he was received by US Ambassador to Israel David M. Friedman.

Bolton arrived in Israel Sunday night and met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu over dinner, the first of a series of meetings with the Israeli premier.

On Monday, Bolton met against with Netanyahu, and addressed journalists at a joint press conference during which the two leaders bashed the "wretched" 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iran nuclear deal, and vowed to work with European allies to encourage them to withdraw from the JCPOA.

Iran's nuclear program and Iranian efforts to promote terrorism across the Middle East and beyond were the primary focus of the Prime Minister's talks with Bolton, Netanyahu said. Bolton's visit was said to also address Syria and Iran's military presence there as well as the future of the Gaza Strip.

[youtube:2046404]


6. BARAK: PROTO-FASCIST GOVERNMENT MUST BE STOPPED
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Former Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak continued his attacks on Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government, stating the Israeli government is following a fascist path and that Major General Yair Golan's warnings about similarities to Nazi Germany in the 1930s are coming to pass.

Barak addressed the controversy over the Nationality Law. in an interview with Reshet reporter Udi Segal. "The government is distorting Zionism and Judaism, betraying democracy, attacking the foundations and institutions of Israeli democracy, and stabbing the Declaration of Independence in the back."

According to Barak, 12 out of 14 "symptoms of Fascism" exist in Israel today.

"This government is leading Israel along the path followed by fascist movements, and it consistently and decisively undermines the foundations of democracy. Yair Golan's words, two years ago, unfortunately are confirmed before our eyes, and it is impossible to say that this man said the right thing in a difficult and painful moment when he looked back to the Holocaust. "

When Barak was asked by interviewer Udi Segal if his aggressive statements were not meant merely to present himself as an alternative to the current government, he replied that he "does not understand this babbling," as he put it. "I'm not dealing with myself. I'm dealing with the state. Your children and grandchildren will live in a country that you and they will not want to live in if this group can continue to storm."

"From experience and history, we know that whoever does not stop the phenomena of the proto-fascist movement who follow the dark messianic magic of blood, race and soil - whoever does not stop them in time cannot stop them later."


7. REPORT: 'DEAL OF THE CENTURY' TO BE UNVEILED NEXT MONTH
by Gary Willig

The Trump Administration will unveil its long-awaited Middle East peace plan next month, according to a report by Palestinian Authority newspaper Al Quds.

The plan, which President Donald Trump has dubbed the 'Deal of the Century,' will reportedly be unveiled during Trump's speech to the UN General Assembly on September 25.

The plan was drafted by US Special Envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt and Trump's advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas has refused to consider the Trump administration an honest broker for negotiations since Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital last December.

PA officials have repeatedly rejected the Trump administration's peace proposal, claiming it was coordinated with Israel.

Last week, Jason Greenblatt wrote on his Twitter account that "No one will be fully pleased with our proposal, but that is the way it must be if real peace is to be achieved. Peace can only succeed only if it is based on realities."


8. 'I RECEIVED LIFE AS A GIFT'
by Hezki Baruch

Shuva Malka (18), Migdal HaEmek resident and Raya Ulpana in Beit El graduate, was seriously injured in a stabbing attack last June in Afula.

Malka and her family held a thanksgiving feast at the La Belle club in Jerusalem, with friends and relatives wishing to acknowledge and thank the Creator for the young woman's miracle.

"Nothing is self-evident," says Malka in conversation with Arutz Sheva. "It's all so overwhelming. Sometimes there are difficulties, but we try to make that the exception, not the rule. It's exhilarating to understand that we received life as a gift, and to return to normal life slowly, to be with the family.

"We wanted to thank Hashem in a dignified manner, to publicize the miracle," she explains, "Thank G-d the moment has arrived, much time has passed, I've almost come back to myself, and I hope every year we'll mark the day and the date with some honored feast so we won't forget life is a gift."

Malka was on her way to a matriculation exam when an Arab attacked her, stabbing her brutally. After a few days of hospitalization at Haemek Hospital, the young woman recovered and was released from hospital in good condition.

Shuva smiling
Meir Vaknin/Flash90
The Muslim who stabbed Shuva nine times, a 20-year-old from Jenin, was charged with attempted terrorist murder and several other charges. He said he selected Shuva to be his target as she waited for a bus in Afula, because she seemed like "a settler".

The Muslim, Nur a-Din Shinawi, escaped from the scene and was caught an hour after the attack. The Shin Bet investigation revealed Shinawi entered Israel in February 2018 while on a tour and remained in Israel without legal permits while working as a plasterer in the Upper Nazareth and Iksal areas.

At some point he decided to carry out an attack in the State of Israel against a soldier or religious person, equipping himself with two knives. At the time of the incident, Shinawi noticed Shuva Malka, who appeared to him to have a religious Jewish appearance at the bus stop and decided this was the opportunity to carry out the attack he'd planned.

He waited for the moment when she would be alone, came up behind her and stabbed her nine times in the upper body. After thinking he caused her death he fled the scene.

[video:2046384]




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