Security Decline in Judea and Samaria by Yaakov Lappin With the power struggle in the Palestinian Authority in full swing, Israel heading to its fifth elections in three years, and Hamas waiting in the wings, conditions are ripe for serious security deterioration, says Arab affairs expert IDF Col. David Hacham. One of the key factors raising the odds of violence is the growing instability in the Palestinian Authority that stems from the power struggle raging over who will succeed PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, 86, whenever he exits the political scene. Faced with these internal divisions, factionalism based on regional and tribal/clan identities will likely intensify within PA-ruled territory. The first sparks are already visible. The emergence in northern Samaria of a new generation of terrorists is a response to the power vacuum resulting from the PA’s weakness. “Armed attacks have become practically an everyday issue, and they usually target IDF positions, checkpoints and Israeli civilians in the sector,” said Hacham. Almost every night, soldiers are shot at during arrest operations in Palestinian cities and towns, at levels not seen previously. After entering these hotspots, IDF units are met with small arms fire, stones and firebombs. As a consequence, it is vital that the IDF increase its operational readiness and seize the initiative through increased security raids, he said. Israel may also have to consider a broader counterterrorism offensive to disrupt the wave of attacks. (The best way to stop this is to have a plan to remove the enemies from Jewish land. The government of Israel must be ready and willing to execute it.) Food for Thought. by Steven Shamrak Regardless of what Israel does, it is always blamed for a culture of hate, terror and violence, which is dominant amongst the population of our enemies - be it in the PA controlled areas or in the Israeli-Arab sector. Is the Iran Deal "off the Table"? A new nuclear deal between Iran and world powers is “off the table” for the foreseeable future, President Joe Biden and senior US officials told Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid, according to a report. (There is no official declaration from the White House. Is it another attempt to prevent Israel from neutralising the Iranian nuclear program?) The US Must Review its Army Rules First Israel has rejected a Biden administration call to review its army rules regarding the use of live fire. “No one will dictate our live-fire instructions to us when we are fighting for our lives. The IDF never deliberately shoots at innocent people,” Lapid clarified. Prime Minister Yair Lapid said during a graduation ceremony for maritime officers. I will not let a fighter in the IDF who defended his life under fire from terrorists be prosecuted just so that we will receive applause abroad." (It will never happen - Jew-haters do not praise Israel. How many ‘incidents’ did the US army and its coalition partners have in Iraq and Afghanistan - many of which were deliberate? Have they done anything about it? Israel’s rules of engagement are more restrictive than the US. The request meets the IHRA definition of antisemitism – treating Israel differently from other states.) A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned Israel-friendly Arab states: "The Zionist regime (Israel) is considered a major threat to Iran's security, and all governments that cooperate with this regime's aggression against Iran's security will pay its price." Israel, which sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, has warned of military action against the country's nuclear sites. Meanwhile the UN Nuclear Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday that Iran's stock of uranium that is enriched to up to 60%, close to weapons-grade, has grown and if enriched further, is enough for a nuclear bomb. Surprising Condemnation by 'Useless Nothing' The United Nations condemned Gaza’s Hamas rulers after five Palestinian Arabs were executed, two of them for helping Israel. “Having ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as a matter of international law, Palestine is obliged to abolish executions,” said the spokesperson. (Usually, the 'Ugly Nazi' condemns only Israel, and disregards what Hamas, Fatah or Islamic Jihad do.) The PA Cabinet approved a new committee to fund their fight against Jewish 'settlements,' and to promote illegal Arab construction in Area-C. (The Israeli government does almost nothing to stop enemy incursion into Area-C and expansion in Judea and Samaria.) Arab-Israeli Reporter Killed - Jew-Haters are Silent An Arab-Israeli journalist, Nidal Agbaria, who covered organized crime, was assassinated in Umm Al-Fahm in what appeared to be an execution directly linked to his reporting. He was shot to death while sitting in his car outside of his home in the northern Israel city. Notably, international voices like the United Nations and European Union did not release statements condemning the murder of Agbaria, in stark contrast to their responses after Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh was slain. Quote of the Week: "President Biden (who spoke) with Prime Minister Lapid, repeated the message that we stand by Israel to make sure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon. That is also in our national security interests and we've repeated that over and over again. As he said in the call with the prime minister… we understand the aggression of Iran and we will never tie Israel's hands. Yes, we also would like a diplomatic solution to this but only under the conditions the president has laid out with our European colleagues.” - Thomas Nides, the US Ambassador to Israel - Let hope that the US "will never tie Israel's hands" again, as many times before. A Diplomatic solution with Iran or the PA does not work! The time is coming, quite soon, for Israel to deal with Iranian nuclear program on its own, or with help of new-found Arab friends. Iran has been at war with the US since 1979, and has been calling for “Death to America” since. Only Trump was willing to stand up to the mullahs, but even he did not go far enough! Keeping PA Strong is not Responsibility of Israel by Jay Clemons The Biden administration wants the Israeli government to stabilize the possibly weakening Palestinian Authority, which officials say is increasingly weakening and losing its control in Judea and Samaria to Hamas. As usual, the PA blames Israel for the increased violence. The Palestinian Authority is the governing body of the Palestinian autonomous regions of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and was established as such in 1994 as a consequence of the Oslo Accords peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. For the Oslo Accords, the two sides agreed to mutual recognition and terms whereby governing functions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip would be governed by a Palestinian council. Several militant Islamic groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, denounced that peace agreement. (In spite of receiving billions of dollars from 'Israel-loving' countries and organizations), the PA has struggled to pay the salaries of security personnel. This is one of the reasons why violence in the West Bank is increased - due to weakening Palestinian security force control and influence within the area (and irreconcilable and pathological hate that different PA groups have toward each other). On its website, the State Department characterizes U.S.-Palestinian relations as the following: "The United States is strongly committed to the development of a secure, free, democratic, and stable Palestinian society and governance. The US government remains committed to a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and believe that Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve equal measures of freedom, security and prosperity." (For how long must Jews in Israel suffer from this ongoing stupidity, imposed on Israel by international anti-Semites?) "In addition, the US government aims to promote and protect human rights for the Palestinian people, and encourages the Palestinian Authority to promote and protect the rights of the Palestinians as it works to fulfil the aspirations of the Palestinian people and enjoy lasting peace with Israel. Supporting a negotiated two-state solution will continue to be a core US policy objective." (What about the rights of Jews to live in peace, and aspirations to reunite their ancestral land? Israel must set and execute its own "policy objective"!)
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