Saudis Priority is Defense Pact with the US
by Jewish Press News Desk
It has been revealed that Saudi Arabia’s paramount objective in its peace negotiations with Israel and talks with the US is to establish a military defense pact with the United States.
The Saudis are resolute in their decision to make peace with Israel, even in the absence of any substantial concessions from the Israeli side to the Palestinian Authority.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MbS) core and non-negotiable demand is a binding assurance of US protection, particularly in light of past attacks suspected to have been undertaken by Iran, such as the ones directed at their vital oil fields in 2019. This demand underscores the Saudi leadership’s focus on their own national security.
While a full-fledged NATO-style treaty might not be on the table, the United States is actively working to devise a formula that aligns with Saudi Arabia’s security requirements. This signifies a strategic move to counter potential threats in the region, as well as keeping the Saudis out of Chinese hands, who have been actively courting the Saudis and making serious inroads into the Middle East.
Additionally, the report indicates that the Saudis have shown a willingness to compromise on some of their civilian nuclear technology demands. This includes their preparedness to sign Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act.
In recent weeks, there have been observable initial steps towards normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, including recent, open visits to Saudi Arabia by Israeli civilians and even an Israeli government minister. (The problem is not with Saudis, who are inclined to have peace with Israel, but with the Biden administration, which continuously keep pushing the 2-State Solution agenda.)
Israeli and Saudi Officials Fear the US Insistence
Israeli officials and even Saudi ones are reportedly frustrated with the American administration's insistence on giving the Palestinian issue so much weight in the talks to reach a tripartite agreement between Saudi Arabia. The Biden administration's exaggerated obsession with the issue is impeding the process of normalizing ties and halting any breakthroughs. The American emphasis on the Palestinian issue is so excessive that it can be the thing that collapses the entire process. Saudi officials criticized the US administration's insistence on the issue as well.
Chag Sukkot Sameach!
Food for Thought by Steven Shamrak
Sukkot is my favourite Jewish holiday! It symbolises the need for unity of the Jewish people. Just as the mitzvah of Lulav requires all four species of plants, each represents four kind of Jews – from Zadik to agnostic. All of them are required to be held together for saying prayer of peace for the whole world. The unity of the Jewish people is the first step toward completion of reunification of the Eretz-Israel, the Jewish land.
Israel Makes Additional Concessions to the PA
When no one was looking, Israel has recently cut the tax that it collects from the Palestinian Authority on gas by 50%. The tax is currently 1.5% instead of 3%, as it had been since the economic agreements between Israel and the PA were signed in 1994. This will help the PA save 80 million shekels from its annual budget (to fund families of terrorists). The other economic concessions that were given by Israel to the PA since the start of 2023 come out to the sum of 270 million shekels. This means a 730 million NIS on-average rise in monthly payments to the PA, compared to only half a million, three years ago. (By providing financial support to the enemies Israel facilitates political survival of the terrorist regime of the PA.)
Iran's 'Peaceful' Nuclear Activities
The head of Iran's atomic energy organization says his country is unfazed by the sanctions against it and will continue "peaceful" activities in the field of nuclear science to promote the well-being of the Iranian people. Iran has the infrastructure in place and the know-how to make a nuclear weapon in less than two weeks, according to the US Department of Defense’s 2023 Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction report. (Most reactors are light water reactors and require uranium to be enriched from 0.7% to 3-5% U-235 in their fuel - not 60% and over.)
The US House Members Voted
The US House of Representatives approved a set of budget-related amendments last night. These amendments encompass measures such as preventing the relocation of the United States embassy from Jerusalem, delisting the "Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps" as a terrorist organization, and prohibiting any funding that aids in the formation of a Palestinian state unless it holds complete territorial control over the Gaza Strip, which is presently under the control of Hamas. Unfortunately, a proposal to terminate funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was narrowly rejected by a majority of 5 votes. (Even while having a huge budget deficit, and paying interest to China, the US is still eager to financially sustain, with the tax-payer funds, the enemies of the Jewish state!)
Explosion at Iran Missile Base
A suspected explosion rocked the area of the Iranian city of Khorramabad, with some unofficial reports speculating it could have been a sabotage operation in a nearby underground ballistic missile base. Situated some 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Khorramabad is the Imam Ali base, one of Iran’s two underground missile silos, where former president Mohammad Khatami ordered the production of Shahab-3 medium-range missiles - new variants of which have a range of 2,000 kilometers and are thought to be capable of hitting Israel and of carrying a nuclear warhead. Over the past three years, numerous unexplained explosions and fires have taken place at Iranian military, nuclear, and industrial facilities, as well as pipelines and refineries.
Violence Among Illegal Migrants
A 31-year-old Eritrean national was fatally shot and two men in serious condition after a late-night brawl among Eritrean migrants in several incidents of violence in southern Tel Aviv. Three others were in moderate condition with similar injuries, and four more were lightly wounded. Southern Tel Aviv was the scene of intense clashes earlier this month between supporters of the Eritrean regime, its opponents, and police. Over 150 were injured in the fighting and dozens were arrested. (The issue of illegal migrants from Africa has not been dealt with for quite a while, same as the violence in the Arab Israeli sector, which the government of Israel is also unwilling to resolve.)
Saudis Playing 'Palestinian state’ Game
An official Saudi delegation arrived in Ramallah, the first time since the Oslo. This visit occurs amid American efforts to facilitate normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Naif Al Sudairi, Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the Middle East said “We’re working to establish a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Riyadh has a strong interest in the Palestinian issue and a solution to it based on an international decision.” Saudi Arabia is determined to secure a military pact requiring the United States to defend the kingdom in return for opening ties with Israel and will not hold up a deal even if Israel does not offer major concessions to Palestinians in their bid for statehood, three regional sources familiar with the talks said. (This is an extortion game - to extract from the US and Israel as much as possible, before a normalization agreement with Israel. The Saudis have never been so 'interested' in fake Palestinians before.)
Quotes of the Week:
“I know that I speak for the absolute majority of Israeli citizens when I express deep sorrow and shock at the sight of our own people fighting one another on a day that has always been a symbol of unity. The enemies of Israel express themselves about this repeatedly and refer to the internal crisis within us as the beginning of the end of the State of Israel; and even though they are completely wrong, we must come to our senses, lower our tone, listen, reach out, and by talking and agreeing, end the internal crisis we are in." - President Isaac Herzog said one day after street fighting broke out in Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv over the issue of gender segregation in the Yom Kippur prayer.
Legally non-Binding Resolutions!
by Steven Shamrak
I realised a long time ago that people’s political views are based predominantly on their emotional attachments to their personal upbringing and life experiences and have almost nothing to do with the facts of history, be it ancient or modern, and legality of the issues. Nevertheless, I decided to take a risk and so compiled the following legal information about the most ‘famous’ resolutions related to the Arab-Israel conflict. The fact that that most of the resolutions have expired or are not legally binding do not bother most of the members of the international anti-Semitic chorus. Strangely, most of Israel’s previous governments bow to international pressure even though they are fully aware of its unfairness and anti-Israel bias!
This information is for people who are interested in forming their opinion based on facts or for those who are still open-minded and capable of changing their political view about the right of state of Israel and Jewish people to live in peace on the land of our ancestors in its entirety.
1) In July 1922, the League of Nations entrusted Great Britain with the Palestine Mandate, recognizing “the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine” (Jews were commonly called Palestinians at the time). Article 5 of the resolution stated: “The Mandatory (Great Britain) shall be responsible for seeing that no Palestine territory shall be ceded or leased to, or in any way placed under the control of, the Government of any foreign Power...”. Three months later, in violation of the Mandate, in order to obtain full control over the Suez Canal, Great Britain and France made a deal with the Hashemite Kingdom and Egypt and ceded trans-Jordan (77%) and Golan Heights (5%) from the Palestine Mandate. The League of Nations just rubber-stamped this deal, made by major political powers at the time in violation of the League of Nations’ resolution!
2) UN Resolution 181 (“Partition Plan” of 1947): Julius Stone, the eminent professor of international law, completely refutes that UN Resolution 181 is still legally binding on Israel. He argues that that resolution never came into legal force at all: “The Arab states (including Jordan) not only rejected it, but committed armed aggression against it and against Israel, and thus wholly aborted it. They deliberately destroyed it, as it were in utero, before it entered the world, of legal effectiveness...”
3) Security Council resolution 242 (Nov. 22, 1967) was not carried out and became obsolete because the Arab states refused to give “respect for, and acknowledgment of, the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of” Israel. Therefore, Israel had retaliated by refusing to withdraw.
4) Roadmap: was a “performance-based and goal-driven” agreement. Its deadline expired in 2005. The Palestinian Authority has never stopped terror attacks against Israel, which is the first and most important prerequisite of the Roadmap agreement prior to further negotiations. Therefore, the agreement has no validity any more.
5) The Annapolis Accord was an attempt to push Israel toward acceptance of a two-state solution. It completely ignored the continuation of the PA’s terrorist activities against Israel and disregarded the spirit of the Roadmap agreement. Taking into account that the Accord has not been ratified by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, just the same as many other international agreements, it is not legally binding! The Annapolis accord was seen as a last-ditch attempt by President George W Bush to make his ‘mark’ on history!
The legal rule that actions have consequences seems to have completely escaped the attention of recent Israeli leaders and the international anti-Semitic community of states and organizations (UN, EU, the Quartet, Russia and the US) since the beginning of the Oslo process and long before it!