America launches the economic side of the Middle East peace plan amid skepticism

[Butifldrm]

Middle East Update, Dec. 30, 2018.

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Behold Israel

Published on Dec 30, 2018

 

 

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Amir's update on the Israeli strikes in Syria, the embarrassing response of the Syrian army, the new American strategy in Iraq, the civil unrest in Sudan, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq and much more!

[Butifldrm]

 

#Turkey #Kurds #Russia

Is Turkey gearing up to invade Syria and wipe out the Kurds?

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The Duran

Published on Dec 29, 2018

 

 

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The Duran Quick Take: Episode 47. The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss reports that suggest now that the US is pulling out of Syria, Turkey is readying a military incursion into northern Syria. Recent footage released by a Turkish news agency shows a convoy of army vehicles approaching the Syrian border. Is Erdogan about to enter Syria, wipe out the Kurds and occupy the north of the country?

[10 YEARS LATER]

Just no end to the fun games over there.

[Butifldrm]

After being accused of implicitly recognizing Israel. Hakim explains Iraq's position on the Palestinian issue

Thursday 03 January 2019

 

Baghdad - Nas

Iraq's historic position on the Palestinian issue is to support the rights of the Palestinian people to liberate the land and people, and Iraq supports Arab and international peace initiatives, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"Iraq's historical and principled position on the Palestinian issue is to support the rights of the Palestinian people to liberate the land and to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital," the foreign ministry said in a statement issued today (January 3, 2019). Arab and international peace initiatives, including the Arab Peace Initiative, which was presented at the 2002 Beirut Summit, and has become a permanent item on the agenda of subsequent Arab summits. "

The head of the national approach bloc Ammar Tohma accused in a press statement: "The Foreign Minister announced his welcome implicitly, and recognition of the state of the Zionist entity usurping, bypassing the frameworks and constitutional and legal contexts to take important positions on a fundamental issue in the minds of Iraqis in particular, Arabs and Muslims in general.

https://www.nasnews.com/بعد-اتهامه-بالاعتراف-ضمناً-بإسرائيل-ا/

 

 

Keywords:

[Butifldrm]

 

Middle East Update, Jan. 14, 2019

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Behold Israel

Published on Jan 13, 2019

 

 

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Amir's update on the deteriorating situation in Europe (particularly in France), the tension between Turkey and the US over the Kurds, the good report on rainfall in Israel, the end of Operation Northern Shield, the recent Israeli strikes in Syria and much more!

[nannab]

Thank so much again Butifldrm for bringing Amir's broadcast over. 

He tells's it like it is and Amir is not a new''s agency.  

[justchecking123]

Good reporting here. Thanks, Buti.

[Butifldrm]

 

Middle East Update, Jan. 21, 2019

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Behold Israel

Published on Jan 20, 2019

 

 

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Amir's update on Israel's strikes on Iranian targets in Syria, Netanyahu’s historic visit to Chad, the legal obstacles on the way of Netanyahu and Trump to win another term and more.

[yota691]

MIDDLE EASTWORLD

Israeli Newspaper: Trump Will Announce The Deal Of The Century End Of April

 one hour ago

A report published by the newspaper « Josalim Post » Israel, the US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, announced the deadline for US plan for peace in the Middle East in a secret closed session, compiled by diplomats Westerners, stressing that US President Donald Trump, will announce his plan for peace in Middle East, known as the "Deal of the Century", the end of April .

"The deal of the century" will be announced after the conclusion of the Israeli parliamentary elections, "the Knesset," scheduled for the ninth of April, but before the formation of the Israeli government .

[Butifldrm]

 

Middle East Update from Israel-Syrian border, Jan. 27, 2019

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Behold Israel

Published on Jan 27, 2019

 

 

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Amir talks about the escalation with Iran, the Russian demand to stop strikes in Syria, the Israeli warning to Lebanon to be delivered by Macron while in Beirut and how Venezuela is suddenly related to the Middle East crisis.

[Butifldrm]

Germany confirms its intention to "remove Iran" from the Golan: is a full right of Israel

 

  

Twilight News    

 14 minutes ago

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has affirmed Israel's "full right" to defend itself from the danger of Iran, saying that Berlin is working to prevent any Iranian troops from approaching the Golan Heights.

Merkel said in an interview with the Israeli radio station "Kan" on the anniversary of the Holocaust in the wake of the Second World War, that Tehran pursues policies that pose a threat to Tel Aviv, stressing that "it is important and correct for Israel to implement its security interests."

Commenting on the Israeli raids on Syria, the German chancellor said, "Israel must defend its existence, and the situation in Syria is certainly a danger to it."

"For this reason we are working, for example, to ensure that no Iranian forces are present in the vicinity of the Golan," she said, adding that she had discussed the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Israel recently admitted to launching hundreds of raids on sites in Syria, which it said belonged to Iran.

Keywords:

http://www.shafaaq.com/ar/Ar_NewsReader/5c2ae851-722b-4920-a858-b4814263a19f

[Butifldrm]

U.S. and Taliban Agree in Principle to Peace Framework, Envoy Says

 

Afghan Army troops, left, and American soldiers attacking a Taliban firing position in 2013.CreditBryan Denton for The New York Times

Image

Afghan Army troops, left, and American soldiers attacking a Taliban firing position in 2013.CreditCreditBryan Denton for The New York Times

By Mujib Mashal

Jan. 28, 2019

56

 

KABUL, Afghanistan — American and Taliban officials have agreed in principle to the framework of a peace deal in which the insurgents guarantee to prevent Afghan territory from being used by terrorists, and that could lead to a full pullout of American troops in return for a cease-fire and Taliban talks with the Afghan government, the chief United States negotiator said Monday.

“We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement,” the American envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, said in an interview with The New York Times in Kabul. “The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals.”

He added: “We felt enough confidence that we said we need to get this fleshed out, and details need to be worked out.”

After nine years of halting efforts to reach a peace deal with the Taliban, the draft framework, though preliminary, is the biggest tangible step toward ending a two-decade war that has cost tens of thousands of lives and profoundly changed American foreign policy.

A senior American official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations that were still continuing, said that the Taliban delegation had asked for time to confer with their leadership about the American insistence that the insurgents talk with the Afghan government and agree to a cease-fire as part of any finalized deal. The official said they had made it clear to the Taliban that all the issues discussed were “interconnected” as part of a “package deal” that he likened to a Russian nesting doll. The official’s account was supported by details that have been leaked by some Taliban and Western officials in recent days.

Although other Taliban sources said that more concrete details of an American troop withdrawal had already been agreed upon, American officials said on Monday that those details had not yet been hashed out.

 

Mr. Khalilzad returned to Afghanistan on Sunday to brief the government in Kabul after conducting six days of talks with the Taliban delegation in Doha, Qatar.

In an address to the nation after being briefed by Mr. Khalilzad, President Ashraf Ghani expressed concern that a peace deal would be rushed. He highlighted previous settlements that ended in bloodshed, including when the Soviet Union withdrew from the country in the late 1980s.

Despite a promise of a peace deal at the time, Afghanistan broke into anarchy, and years later the Afghan president who had been in charge during that transition was hanged from a pole at a traffic roundabout.

 

“We want peace quickly, we want it soon, but we want it with prudence,” Mr. Ghani said. “Prudence is important so we do not repeat past mistakes.”

Taliban fighters during a cease-fire in Nangarhar Province in June.CreditParwiz Parwiz/Reuters

Image

Taliban fighters during a cease-fire in Nangarhar Province in June.CreditParwiz Parwiz/Reuters

During the talks last week, the Taliban signaled their seriousness by appointing one of their most powerful officials from the original movement, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, as their chief peace negotiator.

Though American and Afghan officials said that Mr. Baradar was not directly involved in the marathon meetings last week, with some sessions lasting as long as eight hours, he was expected to take the lead in the talks to come. The senior American officials said new high-level talks would start in late February, but suggested that teams from both sides could start on technical details before then.

The interview with Mr. Khalilzad on Monday was the first time that the American government had directly confirmed some details of the agreement taking shape.

As the first step in the framework, Mr. Khalilzad said that the Taliban were firm about agreeing to keep Afghan territory from being used as a staging ground for terrorism by groups like Al Qaeda and other international terrorists, and had agreed to provide guarantees and an enforcement mechanism for that promise.

That had long been a primary demand by American officials, in an effort to keep Afghanistan from reverting back to being the kind of terrorist base it had been at the war’s start, in 2001 after Al Qaeda’s Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

The next set of contingencies laid out by the senior American official involved in the talks would see the United States agreeing to withdraw combat troops from Afghanistan, but only in return for the Taliban’s entering talks with the Afghan government and agreeing to a lasting cease-fire.

 

Those last two points have long been resisted by Taliban officials, and could still provide trouble with the process, officials say. The Taliban delegation in Qatar said they had to break to discuss those details with their leadership.

But the agreement in principle to discussing them at all was seen as a breakthrough after years of failed attempts, American and Afghan officials said.

There is concern among senior Afghan officials about the fact that the Afghan government has still been sidelined from the talks. Officials close to Mr. Ghani say he is particularly concerned that the Americans might negotiate important agreements that Afghan officials are not party to, potentially including the shape of an interim government outside of elections.

Mr. Ghani has repeatedly insisted that such details only be taken up in direct talks between the government and the Taliban.

On Monday, Mr. Khalilzad insisted that he was trying to push the Taliban to negotiate those points directly with the Afghan side.

“There are a lot of reports that we have discussed an interim government: No, I have not gotten into any of that discussion,” Mr. Khalilzad said. “I have not entered into what that could look like with the Taliban — they would like to talk to me about it, but I have not.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/world/asia/taliban-peace-deal-afghanistan.html?action=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage

[nannab]

Good morning Butifldrm and DV  

[Butifldrm]

 

Middle East Update with Amir & Barry Stagner, Feb. 4, 2019

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Behold Israel

Published on Feb 4, 2019

[Butifldrm]

 

Israeli official: Netanyahu may retire from political life in return for not being tried

By Rudao 3 hours ago

Benjamin Netanyahu

Roudao - Erbil  , 

former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said he did not rule out the withdrawal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from political life if you decide indictment against him , coupled with the holding of the first hearing before the hearing scheduled on April 9 / April next elections. 

According to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Lieberman, the leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, was speaking in closed session in Jerusalem, but did not specify the date of the meeting. 

Lieberman said he expected Likud to win the election, but Netanyahu would not be able to form a government coalition under an indictment against him. 

He explained that anyone who doubts this should contact Naftali Bennett (leader of the New Right Party) and ask if he is willing to recommend the Israeli president to mandate Netanyahu to form the next government.

He pointed out that Bennett will not forget and will not forgive Netanyahu's attempt to discredit his wife and father through his request from the website "Wala" to publish reports offensive to them. 

"Netanyahu was the first to challenge Netanyahu in the back, and he will speak in front of the cameras with enthusiasm about the rule of law and the purity of standards," Lieberman said. 

He added that other partners of Netanyahu may do the same, and they are just waiting for the opportunity to attack him. 

According to Lieberman, in light of this situation, Netanyahu is expected to seek a deal with the Attorney General to retire under political life in return for not being tried. 

If this scenario is achieved, Lieberman says, the Likud will have to elect a new leader before the general elections, which will create a state of turmoil within the party that does not know how it will end. 

In response to Lieberman's comments, the new right-wing party said its leaders would recommend the president to appoint Netanyahu to form a government, and the new right accused Lieberman of saying and not  

doing.In the last third of this month, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is expected to issue his decision An indictment against Netanyahu in three corruption cases suspected of receiving and bribing, treason and deception.

http://www.rudaw.net/arabic/middleeast/10022019

[yota691]

THE WORLD

Gazette Post: Kouchner Sets Date For 'Century Deal'

Tomorrow 2 hours ago

 

 

Jared Kouchner, the US envoy for peace in the Middle East and President Donald Trump's co-founder, at the Warsaw conference, announced the deadline for the so-called "century deal ".

According to the Jerusalem Post , Jared Kouchner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, has announced that the "Deal of the Century" or the American plan for peace in the Middle East will be announced after the parliamentary elections of the Israeli Knesset, scheduled for the ninth of April .

Jared Kouchner made the remarks during a closed session held with foreign ministers participating in the conference "Security and peace in the Middle East", held in the Polish capital Warsaw .

Trump's brother-in-law said the Palestinian and Israeli sides would have to make concessions in order to reach a final version of the US plan for peace in the Middle East.

[yota691]

Netanyahu reveals his secret visit to four Arab countries

Editorial date: 2019/2/15 12:11 • 797 times read

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Thursday that he secretly visited four Arab countries, which have no official ties with Israel, over the past year.

According to the channel, Netanyahu promised in statements after the end of the Warsaw Conference on the Middle East, which ended in the Polish capital yesterday, a significant development in relations between Israel and Arab countries in the near future. 
As revealed by Netanyahu before leaving Warsaw that the "Mossad" Israeli thwarted several attempts by Iran to carry out suicide bombings in five European countries.

[yota691]

 

"The Impossible Mission: Trump's Deferred Plan For Peace In The Middle East"

Tomorrow one hour ago

 

 Participate

London, the capital of London, hosted the activities of the Tomorrow's Forum for the Middle East 2019, with the participation of a group of diplomats, politicians, stakeholders, media professionals, observers of the Palestinian cause and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The meeting was attended by Palestinian leader Mohammed Dahlan, former US envoy to the Middle East Dennis Ross, former senior US diplomat Jamal Hilal and David Makovsky, director of the Middle East peace process at the Washington Institute.

The panel discussed the prospects of what has become known in the media as the famous media dealer Raz Khan. Through their long experience in the process of peace and negotiation between Israelis and Palestinians, the speakers explained how the American role in the region's oldest issue has changed in modern times.

According to the speakers, the US administration headed by Donald Trump has changed its role in the Palestinian cause after it decided to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. The leak from President Trump's deal to bring peace to the Middle East does not reflect a clear American will to implement the two-state solution.

The Palestinian MP and leader Mohammed Dahlan said that the Palestinians have the patience and determination to make their cause alive forever and they will not accept the waiver of their rights at any cost. He pointed out that the current US administration is trying to bury the two-state solution, which makes the Palestinians only a one-state solution, Israel fears him more than the two-state border, he said.

For his part, the former US envoy to the Middle East, Dennis Ross, said that the US administration kept the team based on Trump's plan for peace is small and absent many institutions and ministries in order to maintain the confidentiality of information, noting that the Palestinian issue does not need a friend and an active friend, Maintains the need for the US role in the efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The US role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict must continue," he said, referring to the former diplomat and former top US diplomat Jamal Hilal. "Washington plays a key role in the Palestinian cause and the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem does not mean that the United States is no longer interested in solving this issue. It is not known whether Trump's management is able to play this role, as he put it.

"If the United States fails to bring peace to the region, its role in the region will be threatened in the future," said David Makovsky, director of the Middle East peace process at the Washington Institute. "The decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem is a fix for an earlier situation, but Washington could have given up Of Israel in the Palestinian issue in exchange for this decision, but missed the opportunity.

The Forum for Tomorrow for the Middle East is one of the most important platforms for strategic dialogue on the region. The forum has witnessed a strong response and a remarkable attention to the social networking platform, which confirms that the Palestinian cause remains the central and central issue of the Arabs.

 

[Butifldrm]

US closes Jerusalem consulate, demoting Palestinian mission

State Department says decision to put embassy to Israel in charge ‘does not signal a change of US policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip’

By ISABEL DEBREToday, 3:16 am  0

•  
•  

In this June 30, 2010, file photo, then US Consul General of Jerusalem Daniel Rubinstein gives a speech during a reception for the US Independence Day celebrations at the American Consulate in Jerusalem. (Gali Tibbon/Pool Photo via AP)

AP — The United States officially shuttered its consulate in Jerusalem on Monday, downgrading the status of its main diplomatic mission to the Palestinians by folding it into the US Embassy to Israel.

For decades, the consulate functioned as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians. Now, that outreach will be handled by a Palestinian affairs unit, under the command of the embassy.

The symbolic shift hands authority over US diplomatic channels with the West Bank and Gaza to ambassador David Friedman, a longtime supporter and fundraiser for the West Bank settler movement and fierce critic of the Palestinian leadership.

 

The announcement from the State Department came early Monday in Jerusalem, the merger effective that day.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman arrives at the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018. (AFP Photo/Menahem Kahana)

“This decision was driven by our global efforts to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our diplomatic engagements and operations,” State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said in a statement. “It does not signal a change of US policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip.”

When first announced by US Secretary Mike Pompeo in October, the move infuriated Palestinians, fueling their suspicions that the US was recognizing Israeli control over East Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories that Palestinians seek for a future state.

Palestinian official Saeb Erekat called the move “the final nail in the coffin” for the US role in peacemaking.

The downgrade is just the latest in a string of divisive decisions by the Trump administration that have backed Israel and alienated the Palestinians, who say they have lost faith in the US administration’s role as a neutral arbiter in peace process.

Last year the US relocated its embassy to Jerusalem after recognizing the city as Israel’s capital, upending US policy toward one of the most explosive issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians in turn cut off most ties with the administration.

View of the US embassy in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood, May 13, 2018. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The administration also has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, including assistance to hospitals and peace-building programs. It has cut funding to the UN agency that provides aid to Palestinians classified as refugees. Last fall, it shut down the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington.

The Trump administration has cited the reluctance of Palestinian leaders to enter peace negotiations with Israel as the reason for such punitive measures, although the US has yet to present its much-anticipated but still mysterious “Deal of the Century” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, announced last month that the US would unveil the deal after Israeli elections in April. The Palestinian Authority has preemptively rejected the plan, accusing the US of bias toward Israel.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-closes-jerusalem-consulate-demoting-palestinian-mission/?utm_source=us-closes-jerusalem-consulate-demoting-palestinian-mission&utm_medium=desktop-browser&utm_campaign=desktop-notifications

[Butifldrm]

Police order additional protection for Netanyahu state prosecutors – report

PM accused Shai Nitzan, Liat Ben-Ari of political motivation in their pursuit of the cases against him; Nitzan denied allegation, as did Justice Minister Shaked

By TOI STAFF3 March 2019, 11:09 pm  0

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, left, and State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan. (Tomer Neuberg/ Flash90)

Police have ordered added protection for State Attorney Shai Nitzan and Liat Ben-Ari, the lead prosecutor in the cases against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Channel 13 TV news said on Sunday.

The decision to boost protection for the two came after security officials reviewed possible threats against them following last week’s decision by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to indict Netanyahu, pending a hearing, and the prime minister’s subsequent allegation that Nitzan and Ben-Ari had pursued him because of political motives.

Netanyahu gave an immediate response in a televised speech after Mandelblit publicized his decision and charged that Nitzan and Ben-Ari “were the two prosecutors who pushed especially hard to indict me.”

 

“One thing is clear. There’s one law for everyone else, and another law for Netanyahu,” he said. The Justice Ministry immediately dismissed the claim as baseless.

Channel 13 did not give details of what the additional protection the two jurists would receive.

Liat Ben-Ari (Ynet video screenshot)

Nitzan denied Netanyahu’s allegations during a speech at  Haifa University on Sunday.

“There is no basis for these claims,” he said.

Nitzan also defended Ben-Ari, the lead prosecutor in Netanyahu’s cases who also headed the cases against former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert by saying: “She is a consummate professional who has dedicated the best years of her life to the fight against corruption.”

Nitzan and Ben-Ari earlier received the backing of Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, a right-wing coalition partner of Netanyahu’s, and on Friday, Channel 12 news reported that Mandelblit singled out the two for praise in a letter to the legal team that oversaw the investigations of the prime minister.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-order-additional-protection-for-netanyahu-state-prosecutors-report/

[Butifldrm]

 

[Butifldrm]

Trump Signs Order Recognizing Golan Heights as Israeli Territory

With Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, Trump said the U.S. will always stand by Israel's side

Noa Landau

 and 

Reuters (Washington, D.C. )

 Mar 26, 2019 10:46 AM

  6comments    Zen Subscribe now

 

President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on, Washington, D.C., March 25, 2019.AP/Susan Walsh  

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday to sign a presidential proclamation officially recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory on Monday, thus formalizing a move announced with a tweet earlier on Thursday. 

>> FULL TEXT: Trump's proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights

skip - Haaretz Weekly Episode 20

Haaretz Weekly Episode 20Haaretz

In a joint press conference, Trump said: "We do not want to see another attack like the one suffered this morning north of Tel Aviv," adding: "Our relationship is powerful." Trump then said: "We will confront the poison of anti-Semitism."

skip - Golan recognition

Golan recognition - דלג

>> Donald Trump has just legitimized Israel's illegal conquest of occupied territory ■ Trump just boosted Netanyahu – but handed Putin an even more priceless gift

Netanyahu called Trump's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights "historic justice" and a "diplomatic victory," saying that "Israel won the Golan Heights in a just war of defense."

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, D.C., March 25, 2019.AFP  

 

Netanyahu said he brought Trump a "box of the finest wine from the Golan Heights."

skip - Trump calls for U.S. recognition of Israeli control over Golan Heights

Donald J. Trump

 

✔@realDonaldTrump

 

 

After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!

 

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Trump calls for U.S. recognition of Israeli control over Golan HeightsDonald Trump / Twitter

The prime minister said that "as we speak Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression," referring to the offensive Israel launched on Gaza moments before.

Netanyahu then thanked Trump for moving the American embassy to Jerusalem in May, and for pulling out of the Iran deal. 

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin welcomed the proclamation, calling Trump "a true friends of the State of Israel." Opposition head Shelly Yacimovich, as well as Labor chairman Avi Gabbay, also commended the move.

Syria's foreign ministry called the decision a "blatant attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Syria on Monday, in a statement carried by state news agency SANA. 

Trump, Pence and Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, March 25, 2019.Susan Walsh,AP

The two leaders also discussed Iran and Syria after the press conference.

The event is overshadowed by an escalation between Israel and Gaza that forced Netanyahu to cut his U.S. trip short. Netanyahu might still address the AIPAC conference via satellite, however.

>> Trump’s Golan tweet brings U.S. back to Syria through the back door ■ Recognizing Israeli control of Golan may hurt peace plan's chance with Arab world, former U.S. officials warn ■ Trump's Golan Heights declaration: What does it mean and what happens now

In a tweet on his personal Twitter account on Thursday Trump wrote: "After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!"

In a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Netanyahu said, "We feel that it's a Purim miracle, President Trump made history today." According to Netanyahu, "Trump recognized Israel's sovereignty in the Golan Heights at a time when Iran is trying to use it as a platform to destroy Israel."

The move by Trump caused an instant international uproar of protests: under international law, the Golan Heights are considered to be Syrian territory occupied by Israel, like East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Israel captured the Golan Heights, which is populated by around 25.000 Druze, in 1967 and de facto annexed the territory in a 1981 law.

After the Trump tweet, a European Union spokesperson in Israel told Haaretz the EU will not change its position regarding the Golan Heights in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration. Representatives of Russia, Turkey, multiple actors in the Arab world including Palestinians and Syrians also condemned the move.

The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the area, but the ongoing conflict in Syria has complicated the matter of ownership. Assad-aligned forces, including Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias, regularly clash with rebel forces on the Syrian side of the border.

Only around 12 per cent of the Golan's Druze hold Israeli citizenship, as most still reject it on nationalist grounds citing an allegiance to Syria.

Relations with local Israeli residents are however far better than between Palestinians and Israelis settlers in the West Bank.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-trump-signs-order-recognizing-golan-heights-as-israeli-territory-1.7058996

Edited March 26, 2019 by Butifldrm

[Butifldrm]

The Hezbollah Brigades issued a statement against Trump's decision on the Golan Heights and declared its readiness to stop the American "plunder"

19:09 - 26/03/2019

0

 

  

BAGHDAD - 
The Islamic Resistance, the Hezbollah Brigades, condemned Tuesday the recent decision of the American president on the occupied Syrian Golan, while affirming the suffering of the Arab and Islamic peoples from the policies of America and the Zionist entity, declared its readiness to stop the "Salafha" of the Americans and their interference in the Arab region. 
"The Arab and Islamic peoples have suffered from American policies and their aggressive interventions aligned with the Zionist entity in the region," the Brigades said in a statement. At the expense of the Palestinian people and the peoples of the region in a blatant and frank in the era of Trump the fool. " 
She added that "this absolute adoption of all Zionist ambitions and defense, emerged from the adoption of the transfer of its embassy to Jerusalem to end the Palestinian cause under the name of the (Deal of the century) suspicious."
"Following the failure of its plan to dismantle and occupy Syria, its recent provocative move to grant the occupied Syrian Golan Heights to the usurper entity underscores the extent to which the United States has ignored the United Nations charters, international legitimacy and the will of the people." 
"Trump did not realize that his anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim policies, which are biased to the interests of the usurper entity, will assure the peoples of the region that resistance is the only way to stand against this savage beast to prevent him from achieving his plans to enable the Zionists from the necks of the Arab and Islamic peoples. "He said. 
"The next phase requires preparation for the stage of liberating Palestine and all the Arab territories occupied by the Zionist gangs. We are ready to confront the project (the Zionist-American).
On Monday, US President Donald Trump signed a decree to recognize the sovereignty of the Golan Heights on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

https://www.almaalomah.com/2019/03/26/396175/

[yota691]

27-03-2019 12:51 PM

Political analyst: "End of Iran" means the liberation of Jerusalem and the occupied territories

 

 

Baghdad

"If the Islamic Republic of Iran does not extend to Israel, Israel will not expand in the Arab region," said political expert Abdul Qadir al-Nayel. "The end of the Iranian regime will enable the Arabs to liberate Jerusalem and the occupied territories."

"Iran is not economically besieged and the evidence is its trade with Iraq," he said. "Iran's politics in the region have made the people forget Israel."

"America has given Iran the green light to expand in the Middle East," he said, adding that "the collapse of the Iranian regime will liberate Jerusalem and the occupied territories."

 

[10 YEARS LATER]

Then “ END IT “