The Secretary’s (and Obama’s) Epiphany
As a U.S. senator, Chuck Hagel went to great lengths to assure people he was not the “Senator from Israel,” and he seemed surprised when people objected to his remark, “The political reality is … that the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here.” It was never clear who should have been offended — Jews and/or Israelis, or the colleagues Hagel implied were “intimidated” or were in fact “Senators from Israel.”
It is that same Chuck Hagel — now secretary of defense — who is in Israel to conclude details of a proposed U.S. arms package including the KC135 refueling aircraft and Osprey V22 transport aircraft. The Osprey had not previously been released for sale abroad. And the KC135 had been denied to Israel by the Bush administration for fear it would appear that the U.S. was encouraging Israel to consider an attack on Iran. The Obama administration is selling it for precisely that reason. “Iran presents a threat in its nuclear program and Israel will make the decisions that Israel must make to protect itself and defend itself,” Hagel said.
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Jordan Is Palestinian
Thus far the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has weathered the storm that has swept across the Middle East since the beginning of the year. But the relative calm in Amman is an illusion. The unspoken truth is that the Palestinians, the country’s largest ethnic group, have developed a profound hatred of the regime and view the Hashemites as occupiers of eastern Palestine—intruders rather than legitimate rulers. This, in turn, makes a regime change in Jordan more likely than ever. Such a change, however, would not only be confined to the toppling of yet another Arab despot but would also open the door to the only viable peace solution—and one that has effectively existed for quite some time: a Palestinian state in Jordan.
Abdullah’s Apartheid Policies
Despite having held a comprehensive national census in 2004, the Jordanian government would not divulge the exact percentage of Palestinians in the kingdom. Nonetheless, the secret that everyone seems to know but which is never openly admitted is that Palestinians make up the vast majority of the population.
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NY court to hear landmark terror financing case
Complaint describes scheme by which Arab Bank administers “insurance plan” by giving benefits to families of suicide bombers.
US Eastern District of New York Judge Nina Gershon will hold a key hearing on Wednesday in what could be the first terror financing case against a bank to go to trial in United States history.
The potential blockbuster case against Arab Bank has already been featured on CBS’s Sunday Morning show and, in addition to setting significant and binding precedents, could have a “meaningful impact on banks” that finance terror groups “for profit because they are indifferent to just another customer and don’t care,” said lead litigator Gary Osen.
It will increase the risk for funding terrorist groups such as Hamas and al-Qaida and may change the conduct of institutions and banks that do business in gray areas, he continued.
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Report: No bunker-buster bombs in Israel-US weapons deal
NYT reports differences in stance of Israel, Washington regarding attack on Iran: weapons system capable of hitting underground bunkers not included in deal. Netanyahu advisor: Difference of views… re-emerging
The deal signed this week between the US and Israel includes advanced weapons systems, but the interesting note is in the item left out of the deal, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The paper said that the Israeli Air Force will not get bunker busting bombs which can pierce layers of cement at underground sites. These bombs are considered integral to a successful attack on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities.
On Monday during his visit to Israel, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and his Israeli counterpart Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon emphasized their shared commitment to stopping Iran’s nuclear program, also agreeing that it was preferable to break the stalemate via diplomatic measures.
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Ted Belman
Jerusalem, Israel
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