A7News: 'Hezbollah - the most dangerous terror group in the world'

Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Sunday, Feb. 17 '19, י"ב באדר תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. 'HEZBOLLAH - THE MOST DANGEROUS TERROR GROUP IN THE WORLD'
2. IRANIAN FM: CHANCES OF WAR WITH ISRAEL ARE GREAT
3. YISRAEL KATZ TO BE APPOINTED ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER
4. 'US WILL PUSH FOR COALITION WITH GANTZ'
5. 'DON'T REJECT US PLAN BEFORE IT'S EVEN PRESENTED'
6. 'I'M WILLING TO GIVE HALF A MILLION ARABS CITIZENSHIP'
7. HEATHER NAUERT WITHDRAWS FROM CONSIDERATION AS UN AMBASSADOR
8. SISI: ISRAEL-PA CONFLICT IS MAIN SOURCE OF REGIONAL INSTABILITY


1. 'HEZBOLLAH - THE MOST DANGEROUS TERROR GROUP IN THE WORLD'
by Arutz Sheva Staff

The chairman of the Israel Resilience party attacked Sunday at the Munich conference the Iranian foreign minister's words this morning at the conference.

"You have just heard foreign minister Zarif. Do not be deceived by his eloquence," Gantz said.

"Do not be fooled by his lies. As IDF former Chief of Staff, I saw first-hand precise information regarding what is really happening in Iran. Hence, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the regime Mr. Zarif represents is an evil one.

"It publicly calls for the destruction of my nation. It Hangs gays. It oppresses women. It persecutes minorities and violates human rights. It undermines stability throughout the Middle East and sponsors terror all over the globe. It represents a grave danger to the Middle East and world order. It is the Nemesis of everything the people in this hall hold dear-and believe in.

"It is no secret that Prime Minister Netanyahu is my political rival. We disagree on many issues. But make no mistakes – we are both devoted sons of the same nation. When Israel's security is under threat, there is no daylight between us. On this critical issue there is no right or left. There is no coalition or opposition. When it comes to defending Israel- we are united.

"I am standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Prime Minister Netanyahu in the fight against Iran's aggression. I am certain he will do the same when I will be the Prime Minister of Israel," Gantz added.

Gantz called Hezbollah "the most dangerous terrori organization in the world."

"Those in Europe who seek peace, security and stability- must take action and fully designate Hezbollah as the terror organization that it is. Inaction is unacceptable.

"We have all seen the tragedy in Syria [...] But the good news is that in many ways pragmatic Arabs and Israelis are closer than ever before. Many in the Arab world have realized that Israel is not part of the problem but part of the solution," Gantz said.


2. IRANIAN FM: CHANCES OF WAR WITH ISRAEL ARE GREAT
by Arutz Sheva Staff

"The chances of war with Israel are great," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zasrif said at the Munich Peace and Security Conference on the Middle East.

"There are those looking for war - Israel, of course. We're in Syria to fight terror, the violation of Lebanon's airspace and attacks in Syria are a violation of international law and no one criticizes Israel but rather us; the danger of war increases when no one refers to Israel."

Zarif had on Saturday Iran rejected US Vice President Mike Pence's remarks accusing the Islamic Republic of anti-Semitism akin to the Nazis, calling them "laughable" and insisting that Iran was "just against Zionists."

"Iran has always supported the Jews. We are just against Zionists. The Holocaust was a disaster," Zarif told Germany's Der Spiegel Online.


3. YISRAEL KATZ TO BE APPOINTED ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER
by Ido Ben Porat

Minister of Transportation and Intelligence Yisrael Katz will be appointed this morning, Sunday, as acting foreign minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided.

The cabinet will be asked to approve the appointment at its meeting this morning, in accordance with Prime Minister Netanyahu's notification of the Supreme Court over the weekend.

In addition to serving as prime minister, Netanyahu has held the portfolio of foreign minister since 2015. More recently, he became health minister and defense minister as well. However, the Supreme Court has ordered Netanyahu to give up one of his portfolios.

The new foreign minister will hold the position until a new government is formed after the upcoming elections in April.



4. 'US WILL PUSH FOR COALITION WITH GANTZ'
by Arutz Sheva Staff

The head of the Institute for National Security Studies, Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, referred in an interview with Reshet Bet this morning, Sunday, to Netanyahu's words about the US peace plan in the closed part of the Warsaw conference.

"We do not have to accept the Arab peace plan, which is unacceptable, we do not have to accept what Sisi said yesterday in Munich, but it is impossible with the positions presented by the Israeli government in the past four years to move forward with the Arabs," Yadlin explained.

"I think that Netanyahu, as an experienced statesman, understood that he is going to get the Trump plan not in the summer but immediately after the elections," added Yadlin.

Yadlin noted, "I think that the Americans have reached the conclusion - and this is an assessment, not a statement of fact - that that they need to influence which government there will be in Israel after the elections."

In response to a question about whether this meant a government with Gantz instead of Bennett, Yadlin said, "This is exactly the intention, to move the next coalition of the State of Israel to the center-right, not to the extreme right."


5. 'DON'T REJECT US PLAN BEFORE IT'S EVEN PRESENTED'
by Yoni Kempinski

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259155

In a closed meeting at the Warsaw conference last week, US President Donald Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner presented some general outlines regarding the peace plan to be presented by the United States after the Israeli elections.

Kushner said that the plan would demand concessions from both sides, stressing that the Arab peace initiative had not produced results and was no longer relevant (the recording can be found at the bottom of this page).

Some of the participants in the discussion responded to Kushner's remarks and the last one to respond was Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Arutz Sheva obtained a recording of his remarks.

"Any time Israel encountered an Arab leader who wanted peace, we made peace," said Netanyahu, who mentioned Israel's peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and promised that "if we encounter a Palestinian leader who will genuinely want peace, even declare it and move towards that goal, then I believe we can make peace."

"It's true that if we make progress and indeed a formal peace with the Palestinians, it would help us enormously in the Arab world and I would say with parts of the Muslim world, but I think it's equally true that the normalization of relations with the Arab world also helps achieve peace with the Palestinians, and I'm happy to say that there's progress on that," he continued.

Regarding the US peace plan itself, Netanyahu said, "We have a fresh approach, a new approach, and I want to congratulate both Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt for taking the file. Of course we'll wait to see what the final plan will look like. It will be presented after the Israeli elections – as you can imagine, that takes up a little bit of my time now."

"I don't think that any of us should reject the plan and reject this initiative by the American administration before it's even presented," said Netanyahu, in criticism towards Palestinian Authority leaders who have rejected the peace plan outright.

"I am told that because we have excellent relations with the current administration, that is a cause for the Palestinians to reject such a discussion, which I find amazing. I had very good relations with the previous American administration, maybe not as good as the current one, but that didn't lead me to say to Mr. [John] Kerry, 'Well I won't discuss this with you and don't present it to me because you tilt the other way.' In fact, I spent many many hours and days and weeks with Mr. Kerry and I was willing to discuss the plan that he put forward with President Obama."

"I think that if we want to have a chance at peace, then we should look at what the proposal is and that's something that I intend to do," Netanyahu stressed. "Now, I hope that I will be able to do it in my current capacity, but that requires going back to Israel, so I want to ask your forgiveness if I leave a little early."

At the conclusion of his remarks, Netanyahu sought to bring the discussions back to the common denominator that unites the participants, saying, "We have to confront and roll back the danger of Iran. I think that includes the JCPOA. I think that if there's something that can come out of this conference, it is the awareness that we are united in resisting Iranian aggression for the future and peace of the Middle East."

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259155


6. 'I'M WILLING TO GIVE HALF A MILLION ARABS CITIZENSHIP'
by Arutz Sheva Staff

"If we apply Israeli law to Area C, I'll live peacefully with the fact that we gave 400-500,000 Palestinians Israeli citizenship and allow them to vote in the Knesset's elections," Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (New Right) told Israel Hayom.
Area C, which makes up roughly 60% of Judea and Samaria, is under full Israeli control, as opposed to A, which is under Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civil administration, and Area B, under PA civil administration and Israeli security control.

All Jewish settlements are in Area C, but PA Arabs live in all three areas. Israelis are not allowed to enter Areas A and B, due to the danger involved.

Regarding US President Donald Trump's peace plan, Shaked said, "The choice to hold elections is a choice between a strong right and a weak left. After elections and before the coalition is created, Trump is supposed to publish his peace plan, which will bring [Benny] Gantz on a silver platter to the government. Therefore, we - and not Gantz - need to be the ones who are the Likud's central partners."

"Likud's ideology is influenced by its coalition partners. Our goal is to be the next-largest party, second to the Likud. Until we came, people voted right and received left. Thanks to us, we have a right-wing government. For this to continue, we need to be a party with a double-digit number of seats, and in the future, we will lead the government.

"We are in favor of applying Israeli law to Area C, where 100,000 Palestinians live. They will be able to choose to become citizens or residents, whichever they prefer."

When asked whether 400,000 residents of Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods would also receive full Israeli citizenship and the right to vote in Israel's elections, Shaked said, "Jerusalem's residents choose to receive residency, not citizenship. But if we apply Israeli law to Area C, I'll live peacefully with having 400-500,000 Palestinians becoming Israeli citizens. And they can vote in the Knesset's elections. I'm not worried. Their birthrate is identical to our birthrate."


7. HEATHER NAUERT WITHDRAWS FROM CONSIDERATION AS UN AMBASSADOR
by Elad Benari

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Saturday night she has withdrawn from consideration as UN ambassador, CNN reported.

President Donald Trump announced in December he was picking Nauert to replace Nikki Haley, but the formal nomination had not yet been sent to the Senate.

"I am grateful to President Trump and Secretary Pompeo for the trust they placed in me for considering me for the position of US Ambassador to the United Nations. However, the past two months have been grueling for my family and therefore it is in the best interest of my family that I withdraw my name from consideration. Serving in the Administration for the past two years has been one of the highest honors of my life and I will always be grateful to the President, the Secretary, and my colleagues at the State Department for their support," Nauert said in a statement from the State Department.

The State Department said Trump will make an announcement about a new nominee soon.

Nauert was brought on to the State Department under former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and continue to serve as spokeswoman under his successor, Mike Pompeo. Before that, she was an anchor for Fox News.

Haley announced in October that she would exit the administration by the end of 2018, citing her desire to "take a break" from public service.



8. SISI: ISRAEL-PA CONFLICT IS MAIN SOURCE OF REGIONAL INSTABILITY
by Elad Benari

The failure to reach a fair and final settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict represents the main source of instability in the Middle East, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi said Saturday.

The Egyptian President was speaking at the Munich Security Conference and was quoted by Haaretz.

Sisi said in his speech that his country supports international efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict based on the two-state solution within the pre-1967 borders and a Palestinian capital in eastern Jerusalem.

Egypt is one of two Arab countries to have signed a peace treaty with Israel, with the other being Jordan.

In 2016, Egypt expressed a desire to play a key role in Israeli-Palestinian Authority (PA) peace talks, which have been stalled since 2014.

Sisi has in the past urged Israelis and Palestinian Arabs to seize what he said was a "real opportunity" for peace and hailed his own country's peace deal with Israel.

He repeated his call for a resumption of peace talks between Israel and the PA in September of 2018.

Although Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, their ties have been formally cold at times, and Egypt's political elite has remained hostile to any normalization of ties with Israel.

Ties appear to have improved under Sisi, who took power in 2013 after the army ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Sisi recently acknowledged in an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" that Egypt and Israel closely cooperate in the Sinai Peninsula.

"The Air Force sometimes needs to cross to the Israeli side. And that's why we have a wide range of coordination with the Israelis," the Egyptian President said.