A7News: Pence rips Europe for helping Iran evade US sanctions

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Thursday, Feb. 14 '19, ט' באדר תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. PENCE RIPS EUROPE FOR HELPING IRAN EVADE US SANCTIONS
2. 'DITCH PICTURE OF BARUCH GOLDSTEIN - OR RUN ALONE IN ELECTION'
3. ELLIOTT ABRAMS AND ILHAN OMAR CLASH IN CONGRESS
4. TEEN INJURED BY METAL BAR WHICH FELL FROM CONSTRUCTION SITE
5. 'CAN'T ACHIEVE PEACE WITHOUT CONFRONTING IRAN'
6. KUSHNER ON US PEACE PLAN: ARAB STATES ABANDONING HATE
7. CHIEF OF STAFF: PREPARE FOR GAZA CONFLICT
8. NETANYAHU: I WILL MEET IMPORTANT ARAB LEADERS


1. PENCE RIPS EUROPE FOR HELPING IRAN EVADE US SANCTIONS
by Gary Willig

US Vice President Mike Pence called on European nations to cease assisting Iran in evading US sanctions.

Speaking at the Warsaw conference on the Middle East Thursday, Pence said that "sadly, some of our leading European partners have not been nearly as cooperative. In fact, they have led the effort to create mechanisms to break up our sanctions."

He decried the "effort to break American sanctions against Iran's murderous revolutionary regime".

"It is an ill-advised step that will only strengthen Iran, weaken the EU and create still more distance between Europe and the United States.

Pence strongly criticized the Iranian leadership for its threats and human rights abuses. "The authoritarian regime in Tehran represses the freedom of speech and assembly, persecutes religious minorities, brutalizes women, executes gay people, and openly advocates the destruction of the State of Israel."

"Beyond its hateful rhetoric, the Iranian regime openly advocates another Holocaust and seeks the means to achieve it," he said.

"So to all of you gathered here who share this vision for peace and security across the Middle East, I promise you, on behalf of the President of the United States and the American people, that if you stand with us in this noble cause, we will stand with you.

The Vice President expressed a vision of the three Abrahamic religions living together in peace and harmony.Today, Jews, Christians, and Muslims -- more than half the population of the Earth and nearly all the people of the Middle East -- claim Abraham as their forefather in faith," Pence said.

"And I believe, on that foundation of that Abrahamic tradition, we can find a firm foundation for a brighter future for all the peoples and all the faiths of the Middle East.

Referring to the Temple Mount by its Arabic name, Pence said that "at the Haram al-Sharif, we see young Muslims' heads bowed in prayer. At the Church of the Sepulchre, we see a Christian child receiving the grace of baptism. At the Western Wall, we see a young Jewish boy being bar-mitzvahed."

"What we see there, we can see across the Middle East. That's the vision that President Trump has. That's what brings us all here today to pursue with sincere hearts. I believe with all my heart we can claim that blessing anew for all of the people of this region and for the world -- for ourselves and our posterity -- if we claim it with faith and we claim it together. So let us begin," the Vice President concluded.


2. 'DITCH PICTURE OF BARUCH GOLDSTEIN - OR RUN ALONE IN ELECTION'
by Arutz Sheva Staff

A prominent national-religious rabbi issued an unusual demand Thursday for a possible joint run between the Jewish Home and Otzma Yehudit.

Speaking on Israel Radio Thursday, Rabbi Yaakov Meidan, dean of the Har Etzion, said that he would accept a joint run between the Jewish Home and Otzma Yehudit – but only if Otzma Yehudit's Itamar Ben-Gvir removes a picture of Baruch Goldstein from his private residence.

Recent polls show the Jewish Home and National Union struggling to clear the electoral threshold – even if they run on a joint list. A party must win 3.25% of the vote to enter the Knesset, or else see its votes divided up amongst the remaining parties.

Some party activists have suggested a joint run with Otzma Yehudit, which is led by supporters of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, including Baruch Marzel, former MK Michael Ben-Ari, and attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir.

But Rabbi Meidan pushed back on the idea of running with Otzma, calling Ben-Gvir's support for Baruch Goldstein a deal-breaker.

Baruch Goldstein Flash90

"I totally disagree with Otzma Yehudit's approach," said Rabbi Meidan, "but I could agree to a joint run with them assuming we're talking about a technical bloc out of necessity to pass the electoral threshold – but only if they agree to one condition which I will not compromise one."

"In Itamar Ben-Gvir's house, there is a picture of Dr. Baruch Goldstein, who shot and killed 29 Arabs in the Tomb of the Patriarchs, with the verse 'Because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel,' [Numbers 25:13]. That is something that no young people should see, and we must not agree to let any young people come to the conclusion that this path is legitimate."

Rabbi Meidan added that he would prefer to see the Jewish Home fail to enter the 21st Knesset than run with Otzma Yehudit, should his demands not be met.

"I'd rather have us fail to reach the electoral threshold and not get in, rather than to get in with Otzma Yehudit if Itamar Ben-Gvir refuses to take down the picture and vow not to put it up again."

"If they're willing to take on our approach even a little bit, then we can talk, but if they are want to influence the youth with their erring ways, I'd rather we don't get in – we owe it to our young people."


3. ELLIOTT ABRAMS AND ILHAN OMAR CLASH IN CONGRESS
by Ron Kampeas, JTA

Twentieth and 21st century lightning rods clashed in Congress' hallowed halls in the persons of Elliott Abrams, the Jewish Reagan era official often accused of looking away from atrocities in Central America and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., the freshman fresh out of an anti-Semitism controversy.

Abrams appeared Wednesday before the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss his latest job, the Trump administration envoy to efforts to pacify Venezuela. Much of the West, including the United States, reject the presidency of socialist president Nicolás Maduro, and consider the country's leader to be National Assembly President Juan Guaidó.

Abrams wanted to talk plans and policy but a number of Democrats would not let him shake his Reagan era past. He was the point man for that administration's alliance with Latin American right-wing militias and governments. Abrams in 1982 derided as propaganda reports of a massacre carried out by the Salvadorean army in El Mozote; it was later verified that troops killed more than 800 civilians.

He also pleaded guilty to withholding from Congress information about the Iran-Contra guns for hostages affair, the signature Reagan presidency scandal.

Omar, who this week apologized for a tweet falsely accusing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee of paying lawmakers to be pro-Israel, was especially confrontational.

Pressed by Omar to confirm, as he once said, that he believed the U.S. legacy in El Salvador was "fabulous," Abrams was happy to, saying that the U.S. had midwived democracy in the country. Omar asked him if he thought the El Mozote massacre was "fabulous." Abrams said that was "ridiculous" and complained to committee chairman Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., that he was under attack.

Omar also asked how the committee could be expected to trust anything Abrams would say, a non-question question that also led Abrams to appeal to the chairman.

For all the rhetorical bomb-throwing, the son of a Jewish immigration lawyer and the refugee from Somalia agreed that protecting human rights is an American interest.

"Does the interests of the United States include protecting human rights and include protecting people from genocide?" Omar asked.

"That is always the position of the United States," Abrams said.

Their exchange, shared widely on social media, was an ideological Rorschach test. Abram's supporters said Omar was bullying a longtime public servant and strong defender of Israel. Omar's defenders insisted a neoconservative champion of realpolitik was getting his just desserts.


4. TEEN INJURED BY METAL BAR WHICH FELL FROM CONSTRUCTION SITE
by Arutz Sheva Staff

A 15-year-old girl was injured Thursday afternoon when an iron bar from a construction site near her school.

Magen David Adom Paramedics provided emergency first aid and evacuated the girl to Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital in Jerusalem. She is listed in moderate condition with a head injury.

Police officers, investigators and forensic experts were summoned to investigate the incident, and an investigation revealed that the incident took place inside the school area, during which an iron bar fell from a nearby construction site and hit the head of one of the students. Police investigators detained a number of people for questioning, including the foreman of the construction site.

"When I got there, I saw the girl lying inside a building in a semi-conscious state and suffering from a bleeding head injury," said a senior MDA medic.

"I immediately started the medical treatment that included stopping the bleeding and she was quickly evacuated to a hospital in an intensive care unit with a moderate and stable condition. Another girl who apparently witnessed the incident fainted and was treated by us at the site," he added.


5. 'CAN'T ACHIEVE PEACE WITHOUT CONFRONTING IRAN'
by Yoni Kempinski, Warsaw

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259047

Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed reporters with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday, the second day of the "Ministerial to promote a future of peace and security in the Middle East" hosted by the US and Poland in Warsaw.

"Yesterday was a historical turning point," Netanyahu said. "In a room of some 60 foreign ministers and representatives of dozens of governments, an Israeli prime minister and the foreign ministers of leading Arab countries stood together and spoke with unusual force, clarity and unity, against the common threat of the Iranian regime."

"I think this marks a change and an important understanding of what threatens our future and what we have to do to secure it, and the possibilities of cooperation that extend beyond security to every realm of life for the peoples of the Middle East.

"This happened here in Warsaw, and my conclusion is that it must continue in other forms for the same purpose," Netanyahu added.

Pompeo thanked Netanyahu for his presence at the conference. Addressing a reporter who asked him if the summit dealt with "the ways to combat or fight Iran like Prime Minister Netanyahu said yesterday," Pompeo responded that "You can't achieve peace and stability in the Middle East without confronting Iran. It's just not possible."

"They're a malign influence in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, the three H's - the Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah - these are real threats," Pompeo elaborated. "There are others as well, but you can't get peace in the Middle East without pushing back against Iran."


6. KUSHNER ON US PEACE PLAN: ARAB STATES ABANDONING HATE
by Yoni Kempinski, Warsaw

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner said that the US Middle East peace plan would be presented after Israeli elections in April.

Speaking during a session at the US-Polish conference on the Middle East held in Warsaw Thursday, Kushner refrained from going into detail about the plan, but said that both sides would have to "make compromises," according to reports.

"I think hearing from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel probably did a better job than I could have done of explaining to you why this is very possible today and why there's reason to be optimistic.

"If you look at the unifying principle of a lot of the Arab world over the previous time I think hatred of Israel has been the unifying principle. Now you're seeing in a lot of these Arab countries it's the love of their citizens and their desire to what in their countries best interests to provide them with the most opportunity and to prevent the most harm, and I think that's leading a lot of these countries to make different decisions and choose different paths.

"We spoke about the Arab peace initiative. That's something I hear about a lot; I think it was a great initiative, in 2002 when it was done, but it hasn't produced peace, so if that was the framework under which something would be accomplished then I think that would have been accomplished a long time ago, and then I wouldn't be doing the duty I'm doing right now to try to bring the people together.

"I would just urge everybody as this unfolds over the next months to keep an open mind... We'll hopefully find creative solutions where both sides can gain a lot more than they give, and we'll work alongside some traditional frameworks to try to find a way where people can be better off."

Earlier Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had addressed the Iranian threat in the Middle East, asserting, "You can't achieve peace and stability in the Middle East without confronting Iran. It's just not possible."

"They're a malign influence in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, the three H's - the Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah - these are real threats," Pompeo elaborated. "There are others as well, but you can't get peace in the Middle East without pushing back against Iran."


7. CHIEF OF STAFF: PREPARE FOR GAZA CONFLICT
by Arutz Sheva Staff

The annual intelligence assessment for 2019 was presented to the IDF General Staff Wednesday, less than a month after Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi assumed his position as IDF Chief of Staff.

The situation on the Gaza border was considered the most pressing security issue facing Israel after Iran. The intelligence department estimates that the potential for an offensive initiative by Hamas and Islamic Jihad is very high and may occur even before the Knesset elections in April.

An offensive initiative can come in the form of an attack originating from a tunnel, a pinpoint operation such as shooting at a bus and anything that will shock the system without drawing Israel into a war, but could still bring a significant Israeli response.

Hamas faces significant challenges and wants to lift the siege on Gaza. The terror group is therefore willing to take actions that will force Israel to exhaust all possibilities, and may consider election time a good time to do this.

According to the intelligence assessment, the Judea and Samaria region has a strategic potential for escalation, but not at the same level as Gaza. According to the report, he cause of the escalation could be the unveiling of President Trump's peace plan, the departure of Mahmoud Abbas or other elements on the ground which could inflame the situation.

As for the northern arena, Syria, or as it is called in the defense establishment - Sadadistan - it is also a challenge where the likelihood of reaction scenarios rises in light of the attacks on Israel.

As for Hezbollah and Lebanon, their plan of attack was severely hampered, but not fully neutralized during the destruction of Hezbollah's cross-border attack tunnels. Hezbollah does not have the capability to manufacture precision rockets in Lebanon today, but the organization is making constant efforts to change this reality.

Above all, Iran is the "keystone" connecting virtually all threats in the region. The sanctions led to a severe economic crisis. For example, banana prices have risen by hundreds of percent, as have the prices other basic products, but Tehran has yet to make a decision about their response to the cancellation of the nuclear agreement and the renewal of US sanctions.

If the Iranians decide to unilaterally violate the agreement, they can restore enrichment capability within a year and build a nuclear bomb within two years. Alternatively, they can either wait until the Trump time passes or signal that they are willing to discuss the agreement and thus gain time.

A new challenge for the security establishment is Turkey, which is defined as a "rising hostile force." They have allocated more forces to learn about what is happening in Turkey under Erdogan.

Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi devoted his first month as chief of staff to these issues, making his first visit to the IDF Southern Command and the Gaza Strip, where he learned about and approved the operational plans for the coming year.

In order to meet the missile threat, Kochavi ordered the acceleration of the production of the Iron Dome system. By the end of the year Israel will possess eight Iron Dome batteries, eight in operation and to in reserve.

In light of the annual intelligence assessment, the army understands that the battles fought in future wars will be faster, more explosive, and will spread to remote areas as well. The new chief of staff therefore decided to expand the IDF's field training. Every two years the armored and engineering forces will carry out 17 weeks of training and 17 weeks of deployment with the infantry brigades, which would require another 15 reserve battalions to be employed each year.

Another issue that the chief of staff has decided upon in light of the lessons of the past is the establishment of a military objectives directorate, which will beshared by the Air Force and the Ground Forces, with an emphasis on the Intelligence Branch, which will collect information on additional targets in order to increase the rate of production of military objectives.

In order to make the information immediately available, the IDF is now working on an advanced operational Internet network that will bring the information collected faster, more efficiently and more reliably.

Another decision that the chief of staff undertook when he took office was to strengthen the operational edge by supplying weapons, optics and anti-tank missiles in order to strengthen the army's capabilities in the field.


8. NETANYAHU: I WILL MEET IMPORTANT ARAB LEADERS
by Yoni Kempinski, Warsaw

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will continue to meet Arab leaders during the international conference in Warsaw, he stated Wednesday.

"I am now coming from an excellent meeting with the foreign minister of Oman," said the prime minister. "We have talked about additional steps we can take together with countries in the region to advance common interests."

"From here I am going to meet with 60 foreign ministers and representatives of countries around the world against Iran. What is important is the meeting. And it is a meeting that not hidden or held in secret, because there are a lot of such meetings. It is in fact an open meeting with representatives of leading Arab countries who sit with Israel to advance the common interest of containing Iran.

The Prime Minister added: "What we are doing is removing Iran from Syria. We are committed to doing this and will continue to do so. Warsaw is cold at the moment, but Israel's foreign relations are heating up and warming for the better."

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259014