Things are Heating Up in the Middle East

[ScottL]

[FONT=&quot]Israeli Laser System to Protect NATO Tanker Transport Aircraft[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Hanan Greenwood (Israel Hayom)
A laser system designed by Israel's Elbit Systems to protect aircraft against infrared missiles will be implemented in NATO's Multinational Multi Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF) starting in 2020, the company announced this week.
In a three-day series of flight tests at the end of May, the J-Music system functioned flawlessly.
It successfully handled simultaneous threat scenarios and overcame head-on, tail-on and side-on threats from several ranges and at different altitudes, as NATO officials monitored the process.
In addition, on Wednesday, Elbit announced it had been awarded a $73 million contract to provide J-Music directional infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) systems to the German Air Force.[/FONT]

 

[ScottL]

If the Israelis settled on Mars the Palestinians would claim they were there first:

[FONT=&quot]Ancient Guard Tower from Time of King Hezekiah Discovered at IDF Paratrooper Base[/FONT][FONT=&quot] (Jerusalem Post)
An ancient observation tower was discovered at an IDF paratrooper base on Wednesday dating back to the days of King Hezekiah, who ruled the Kingdom of Judah almost 3,000 years ago.
"In the days of the First Temple, the Kingdom of Judah built a range of towers and fortresses as points of communication, warning and signaling, to transmit messages and field intelligence," according to Valdik Lifshitz and Sa'ar Ganor, directors of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority.[/FONT]

 

[ScottL]

• [FONT=&quot]Iran Determined to Arm West Bank Palestinian Factions[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Ahmad Abu Amer
  Iranian officials have repeatedly declared that despite the geographical and logistical challenges of delivering weapons to Palestinian factions in the West Bank, arming these groups remains a priority. Iran so far has failed to transfer missiles to Palestinian factions in the West Bank, but it's not giving up, Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced on June 6.
  Hussein Sheikh al-Islam, an adviser to Iran's foreign minister, told Al-Monitor Iran believes that to eliminate Israel all the fronts surrounding it must be armed to be effective, like the fronts of Lebanon and Gaza. "We know how to deliver weapons to the West Bank. We have already delivered weapons to other fronts," he said. (Al-Monitor) [/FONT]

 

[ScottL]

• [FONT=&quot]EU Sanctions Iran over Planned Europe Attacks[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
  The EU on Tuesday froze the assets of an Iranian intelligence unit and two of its staff, as the Netherlands accused Iran of two killings on its soil and joined France and Denmark in alleging Tehran plotted other attacks in Europe. The move marks the first time the EU has enacted sanctions on Iran since the 2015 nuclear pact. (Reuters) [/FONT]

 

[ScottL]

• [FONT=&quot]Saudi Desalination Plant Struck by Missile from Yemen[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Gordon Lubold
  A Saudi desalination plant on the Red Sea was struck by a missile from Yemen on Wednesday, a senior U.S. official said. (Wall Street Journal)[/FONT]

 

[ScottL]

• [FONT=&quot]Fatah Calls for Violence Against Israel during Bahrain Conference[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
  In response to the Bahrain Conference on economic investment in the PA, President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Movement is calling for violence against Israel on the days the conference is taking place, urging Palestinians to "escalate confrontations." Earlier this month, Palestinian leaders participated in a meeting entitled "The Holocaust of the Century in Bahrain." The director of the meeting, Dr. Yusuf Abd Al-Haq, alleged that the Bahrain Conference only pretends to seek economic prosperity for Palestinians but in reality is a cover for creating "normalization" with the Arab states. (Palestinian Media Watch) [/FONT]

 

[ScottL]

Aiding the enemy....

• [FONT=&quot]Israel to Process Gaza Sewage with New Pipeline[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
  Israel will build a new pipeline to process raw sewage from the Gaza towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun that has been spilling into Israel, Yediot Ahronot reported Wednesday. "For more than two years, we have been struggling with the flow of sewage from Gaza into Israel," said David Rosenberg, an engineer with the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, calling the situation "a real danger to public health." Israel will fund the $4 million sewage line by deducting the cost from the tax revenues it transfers to the Palestinian Authority. (Times of Israel)[/FONT]

 

[Serbone]

The most important thing is, that we protect Israel. They are our ally!

 

[ScottL]

[FONT=&quot] Does Israel Abide by International Standards of Human Rights?[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Jennifer Rubin
The New York Times asked the Democratic presidential candidates the same 18 questions, including asking whether Israel abides by international standards of human rights. Here is the answer they should have given:
You know it's weird you are asking about the only true democracy in the region. Saudi Arabia dismembered an American journalist. Egypt is run by a brutal authoritarian. Syria's Bashar al-Assad committed genocide. And yet you want to know about Israel. Why don't you focus on any of those, on China, on Russia, on illiberal regimes that have come to power in Europe?
Now you may be referring to its policies regarding the Palestinians. Let's start with a reminder that, on multiple occasions, Israel has offered the Palestinians more than 90% of the West Bank. Currently the offer is on the table to negotiate with the Palestinians with no preconditions.
Israel is not perfect. However, the insistence on singling Israel out for criticism is emblematic of a double standard. Criticize Israel (I do). But let's not make it No. 1 on the wanted list of human rights violators. It frankly shouldn't be on the list at all. (Washington Post) [/FONT]

 

[ScottL]

• [FONT=&quot]Failing to Blacklist Iranian Banks Could Have Bigger Consequences[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Jeb Bush, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mark Wallace
  Iran, the world's leading state-sponsor of terrorism, has lied to global financial policymakers at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for three years about its intention to prevent its banks from laundering money and financing terror organizations. The Iranian regime has failed to implement the plan it agreed to in 2016 and has been actively funding proxy wars, plotting terror attacks in European cities and threatening U.S. forces serving abroad.
  With a vote to blacklist Iran, the FATF, meeting in Orlando this week, would seriously disrupt Tehran's ability to move money to bad actors around the world. But if the FATF shows that it can be bullied into giving Iran more time, terror leaders will breathe a sigh of relief, more attacks will be planned and more hostages will be taken.
  Jeb Bush served as governor of Florida. Former Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) served in Congress from 1989 to 2017. Mark D. Wallace, a former U.S. ambassador to the UN for management and reform, is CEO of United Against Nuclear Iran. (Orlando Sentinel) [/FONT]

 

[ScottL]

• [FONT=&quot]The Greatest Danger Is an Iranian Miscalculation[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Walter Russell Mead
  Amid all the talk about American decline, American power in the international system has actually grown. The U.S. has developed the ability to globalize unilateral sanctions. Washington doesn't need the support of its allies to isolate Tehran economically because "secondary sanctions" can effectively compel other countries to comply with the U.S. effort.
  The recent attacks in the Gulf of Oman, together with Iran's announcements that it will exceed the nuclear deal's limits on its supply of enriched uranium this month, signal that Tehran is trying some brinkmanship of its own. However, as long as the flow of oil from the Middle East is essentially unaffected by pinprick attacks and Iran refrains from an all-out nuclear effort, there is a strong argument for military restraint in Washington.
  The status quo is weakening Iran and improving the American bargaining position. While taking all necessary action to keep traffic moving freely in international waters, the administration's best option for now is to concentrate on tightening sanctions on Iran and its proxies. The greatest danger is an Iranian miscalculation. Any attack on U.S.-flagged ships or servicemen could force a strong military response. Tehran's imperial ambitions are at the root of this conflict. The writer is professor of foreign affairs and the humanities at Bard College. (Wall Street Journal)[/FONT]

 

[ScottL]

[FONT=&quot]The Palestinian Refusal to Attend the Bahrain Economic Workshop Is Irresponsible and Self-Defeating[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Amb. Alan Baker (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)[/FONT]

• [FONT=&quot]The Palestinian leadership took upon themselves the political responsibility to negotiate peace when accepting the reins of governance and the representation of the Palestinian people under the Oslo Accords. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Thus, one may well ask whether their negative and obstructive position regarding the economic workshop in Manama, Bahrain, and their concerted attempt to politicize what is intended to be a non-political meeting is not, in effect, a serious violation of their international responsibilities and obligations. [/FONT]
  
• [FONT=&quot]Moreover, Palestinian insistence on paying significant portions of their budget as salaries to imprisoned terrorists and their families, as a sign of their institutional support, glorification, and encouragement of terror, is the antithesis of any concept of prudent economic governance. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]But more notably, it is also a serious violation of accepted international norms encapsulated in counter-terror conventions prohibiting the transfer of finances to terrorists and for use by terror organizations, as well as UN resolutions and declarations calling upon states to refrain from financing terror activities. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]It is a sad reflection on a misguided and irresponsible leadership that prefers conflict, incitement, and hostility, rather than the hope for peace and economic improvement for the Palestinian people.
  
  The writer, former legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated in the negotiation and drafting of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians.[/FONT]

 

[ScottL]

Going to keep this stuff in here and try to avoid entering the idiotic discussion in Offshore....

[FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]In-Depth Issues:[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]The Race to Retrieve the U.S. Spy Drone Downed by Iran[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Ron Ben-Yishai (Ynet News) The MQ-4C Triton - the drone brought down by Iran over the Straits of Hormuz - is the naval version of the Global Hawk RQ-4, the most technologically advanced intelligence-gathering drone in the world. Its sensors are one of the most advanced and secret weapons in the U.S. arsenal. If the Iranians recover its parts from the water, they may try to reverse engineer the sensors and will almost certainly try to sell the technology to China and North Korea. See also Iran Says It Retrieved Sections of U.S. Drone (Reuters) "We've retrieved sections of the U.S. military drone in our territorial waters where it was shot down," Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted Thursday.[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Global Airlines Reroute Flights after Iran Downs U.S. Drone[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Jon Gambrell (AP-Washington Post) Australia's Qantas, Dutch carrier KLM, British Airways, Air France and Germany's Lufthansa on Friday began rerouting their flights to avoid areas around the Strait of Hormuz following Iran's shooting down of a U.S. military surveillance drone there, as America warned that commercial airliners could be mistakenly attacked. [/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Oil Shippers Boost Security after Attacks on Tankers in Gulf[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Aya Batrawy (AP) A series of attacks on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf has raised fears over the safety of one of Asia's most vital energy trade routes. Some of the 2,000 companies operating ships in the region are ordering their vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz only during daylight hours and at high speed. Immediately after last week's attacks, freight rates for operators in the Gulf rose 10-20% as the region was declared a "Listed Area," meaning it faces enhanced risk. Insurance premiums are also expected to rise 10-15%. If the situation deteriorates further, ship owners might consider having armed guards onboard. This is already the case for many vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden, where piracy is a major concern.[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]With No Clear Alternatives, Israel Maintains Status Quo in Gaza[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Ariel Ben Solomon (Israel Hayom) Yoram Meital, chairman of the Chaim Herzog Center for Middle East Studies and Diplomacy at Ben-Gurion University, says maintaining the status quo in Gaza, while not ideal, is the best option open to Israel at the moment. Meital said Israel's current approach "is better than launching a wide-ranging military operation," in which case Israel would likely face "ongoing guerrilla warfare." Additionally, retaking Gaza "will dismiss the claim that Israel has withdrawn from Gaza and is not responsible for what is happening there." "A third possibility is the renewal of the political process, but... that is not realistic."[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]In Lebanon, Syrian Refugees Face New Pressure to Go Home[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Sarah El Deeb (AP) Lebanese authorities led by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil are making their most aggressive campaign yet for Syrian refugees to return home and are taking action to ensure they can't put down roots. Lebanon hosts the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world - 1 million amid a Lebanese population of nearly 5 million.[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]New Zealand Minister Apologizes for Map Excluding Israel[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Henry Benjamin (JTA) New Zealand's Minister for Immigration Iain Lees-Galloway has written to the Israeli ambassador in Wellington Itzhak Gerberg apologizing personally for a map on a government website that showed a "Palestine," but not Israel. "I can assure you that the fact sheet did not reflect New Zealand Government policy. The map was clearly inaccurate and did not label the State of Israel as it should," he wrote. "Immediate action has been taken to correct the situation." [/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Israeli Firm Providing Unmanned Aerial Patrol Services to Iceland[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - George Allison (UK Defence Journal) Israeli firm Elbit has started operating the maritime unmanned aerial system (UAS) patrol service available to EU countries under a contract between the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the Portuguese company CEiiA. Iceland is the first EU country to use this long-range UAS patrol service. The Hermes 900 Maritime Patrol enables persistent monitoring of vast swathes of sea and long coastlines and effective identification of suspicious activities and potential hazards. The Hermes 900 has been adapted to withstand the strong winds and icy conditions common to the North Atlantic Ocean.[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Israel to Assist Developing Countries Improve Cyber Defenses[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Eytan Halon (Jerusalem Post) Israel signed an agreement with the World Bank on Monday to assist developing countries in fields including cybersecurity, universal Internet access, harnessing big data and digital government. Israel will contribute $1 million to the World Bank's Digital Development Partnership and provide technical assistance to countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]Documentary Explores Nazi Concentration Camp in Occupied British Channel Islands[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Curt Schleier (JTA) The Nazis imported thousands of slave laborers to build defenses at Alderney, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of France conquered by Germany. Caroline Sturdy Colls, a British professor and forensic archaeologist, explores the island in a documentary called "Adolf Island" airing Sunday, June 23, on the Smithsonian Channel. The Nazis burned most of the records on Alderney, so there was no telling how many prisoners were killed there.[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] [/FONT]

 

[ScottL]

• [FONT=&quot]U.S. Weighed Airstrikes on Iran in Retaliation for Downing American Surveillance Drone[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - Michael D. Shear
  President Trump approved military strikes on a handful of Iranian targets, like radar and missile batteries, in retaliation for downing a $130 million American surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them on Thursday. Planes were in the air and ships were in position, but no missiles were fired.
  Iran's ability to target and destroy the high-altitude American drone, which was developed to evade the very surface-to-air missiles used to bring it down, surprised some Defense Department officials. (New York Times)
  See also Trump Reportedly Warned Iran via Oman that U.S. Attack Imminent, Called for Talks
  Iranian officials told Reuters on Friday that Tehran had received a message from U.S. President Donald Trump through Oman warning that a U.S. attack on Iran was imminent. "In his message, Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues....He gave a short period of time to get our response but Iran's immediate response was that it is up to Supreme Leader Khamenei to decide about this issue," one official said. (Reuters-CNBC) [/FONT]