TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES CHANGE IN WEST BANK SETTLEMENT POLICY

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Since the administration of Jimmy Carter in the late 1970’s, the official diplomatic position of the United States government regarding the Israeli settlements in the West Bank territory has been murkey at best. The administration of Jimmy Carter first crafted policy declarations that labeled all Israeli settlements in the West Bank as being “inconsistent with international law.” President Ronald Reagan then reversed that policy during his administration, at least by proclamation. The Clinton and Bush administrations each deferred the status of settlements to the outcome of peace processes during their respective administrations, only condemning or expressing concern about the construction of new settlements. The Obama Administration followed a similar tactic for most of its term, before regressing back to the Carter Administration’s blanket condemnation of all Israeli West Bank settlements in 2016.

During a US State Department press briefing today, Secretary Mike Pompeo announced that the US policy towards Israeli settlements in the West Bank is now officially shifting once again to align with the position of the Reagan administration in the 1980’s. Once again, the the US government does not consider all Israeli settlements to be inconsistent inconsistent with international law. Secretary Pompeo cited that Israel has a credible court system for processing the legality of each settlement project, and that there is nothing in international law that specifically addresses the issue of Israeli settlements per se. Pompeo also called into question the efficacy of US policy vis-a-vis Israeli settlements, stating that a policy of condemning them had done nothing over four decades to actually advance the peace process, which has started and stalled several times since the Carter Administration.

Palestinian Authority spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudaineh condemned the policy reversal, calling it “illegal” and claiming that the Trump Administration had, ““completely lost all credibility and no longer has any role in the peace process. We hold the US administration fully responsible for the any repercussions of this dangerous position.”

The disputed territory known as the “West Bank”, named for it’s geographical position to the west of the Jordan River, is traditionally known as Judea (Latin for Judah) and Samaria, the ancient Biblical heartland of the Jewish people. There is over 3000 years of extensive and growing archaeological evidence to support Hebrew settlement in the territory. It was eventually partitioned to the Kingdom of Jordan in 1947 by the United Nations and then lost by Jordan after two attempted invasions and successive defeats by the Jewish State in 1948 and 1967. The final status of the territory has not been achieved in the half-century since then, despite repeated Israeli attempts in the 1990’s and 2000’s to grant statehood to the Arab population in the West Bank. The so-called “Two State Solution” has been largely abandoned since 2008, when the most favorable Israeli offer to the Palestinian Authority was rejected. With constitutionally-mandated elections delayed indefinitely in the PA and no change in leadership, successive Israeli governments under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have found no path forward with the peace process, choosing instead to improve relations with Arab nations in the region and to build economic infrastructure within the West Bank.

Sources:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=586699252095374&id=12795435237&sfnsn=mo&d=n&vh=e

https://apnews.com/3da4fb3671004679a91a7d4ae9ab4e57

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Palestinians-condemn-Pompeos-dangerous-announcement-on-settlements-608252

BREAKING: MISSILE FIRED TOWARD MILITARY INSTALLATION IN GOLAN HEIGHTS

Photo: Deployment of the Iron Dome system (Credit: Raython).

Rocket fire from the Syrian side of the Golan Heights this evening was intercepted by Iron Dome. The presumed target was an IDF installation in the Israeli Golan and not civilian communities. Based on statements from Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria, the attack may have been a limited response to an Israeli air strike against the home of one of their political leaders near Damascus last week.

It is yet to be seen whether the IDF will respond to the rocket fire. Both sides in the conflict have sought to deescalate after a brief conflict on the Gaza front last week that saw the launch of 450 rockets into Southern Israel and multiple IAF airstrikes in Gaza that killed two dozen PIJ leaders and fighters.

Sources:

https://twitter.com/kann_news/status/1196862870023286784

https://twitter.com/kann_news/status/1196860831457333255

URGENT: ROCKET FIRE FROM GAZA CONTINUES INTO SECOND DAY, IAF RESPONDS WITH MORE AIRSTRIKES

Air raid sirens are blaring across Southern and Central Israel again for the second morning in a row as Palestinian Islamic Jihad continues to barrage the Jewish State with dozens of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. The PIJ has "declared war" on Israel for an Israeli Air Force (IAF) pinpoint strike early yesterday morning that killed one if its senior commanders. IDF analysts expect the rocket fire to continue for several more days.

The rockets have caused no direct casualties so far, although an 8-year-old Israeli girl suffered a heart attack yesterday morning while fleeing to a shelter. She is currently being treated in an Israeli hospital in critical condition.

Meanwhile, the IAF has continued strikes in the Gaza Strip, killing several more PIJ and Al-Aqsa Brigades fighters, including senior PIJ al-Quds commander Khaled Moawad Farraj. Hamas has so far not participated in the rocket fire, although Hamas-controlled media broadcast propaganda videos on Tuesday that called for the destruction of Israel. The Israeli Home front agency has published guidelines for Israelis in range of Gazan rocket fire, including the closure of schools, encouragement to non-essential businesses to remain closed and limitations on the sizes of public gatherings.

We ask our global partners to continue in prayer for the safety of the people of Israel and Gaza. We believe the prayers of God's people are powerful and effective, and so far, there have been no reported deaths in Israel or Gaza in the latest round of fighting besides those terror leaders targeted by the IAF in airstrikes.

Sources:

https://twitter.com/AAhronheim/status/1194472444398112768

https://twitter.com/AmichaiStein1/status/1194478726261755905

https://twitter.com/Jtruzmah/status/1194487601572376576

https://twitter.com/newsisrael13/status/1194482257362329600

https://twitter.com/newsisrael13/status/1194482257362329600

https://twitter.com/Jtruzmah/status/1194483220185698304

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Home-Front-Command-announces-directives-amid-Gaza-tension-607681

https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Hamas-TV-plays-Death-to-Israel-song-as-terrorists-launch-rockets-607703

GAZAHAMASIDFISRAELNOVEMBER 13, 2019

URGENT: ROCKETS RAIN DOWN ON ASHDOD, SDEROT, SIRENS IN TEL AVIV AFTER PIJ COMMANDER ASSASSINATED BY IDF

Image of rockets being launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel (Credit: @Natsecjeff on Twitter)

A senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization, Baha Abu El-Ata, who was responsible for overseeing hundreds of deadly rocket attacks against Israeli citizens, was assassinated in his home in Gaza this evening after an IAF airstrike. Less than an hour later, another senior political leader of the Islamic Jihad movement was targeted in an airstrike in Damascus, but survived.

PIJ and the military wing of Hamas immediately declared all-out war on Israel, declaring that their retaliation will "have no limits and will be equal to the enemy's crime", shortly before firing dozens of rockets into the Jewish State just over an hour ago. The latest volley of rockets activated sirens as far north as Tel Aviv, and deployed the Iron Dome system across Southern and Central Israel. Schools and businesses have already been advised to close around Tel Aviv tomorrow, as the rocket fire so far shows no sign of abating. No reports of casualties or damage so far.

We would ask our global partners to pray for the safety of both Israeli and Gazan civilians tonight, for the rocket fire to be ineffective, and for Israeli leadership to be granted divine wisdom in their management of the crisis.

Photo: Image of rockets being launched from the Gaza Strip into #Israel (Credit: @Natsecjeff on Twitter)

Souces:
https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1194118576027971584

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-12-2019/

https://twitter.com/Jtruzmah/status/1194126428863782912

https://twitter.com/StandWithUs/status/1194119955731468288

https://twitter.com/ignis_fatum/status/1194130808702930946

HEZBOLLAH FIRES AT ISRAELI DRONE AMIDST LEBANESE UPHEAVAL

Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters overrun an anti-government protest site in Beirut on Tuesday, October 29th, 2019. (Credit: AP)

Lebanese Hezbollah fired an anti-aircraft missile at an Israeli drone yesterday, but missed their target. Both the Israeli military and Hezbollah confirmed the incident, which came just two days after Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation.

Lebanon has been embroiled in political and social turmoil since wide-scale street protests broke out on October 17th. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah initially voiced public support for the protests. However, the populist movement has largely eschewed any established power structure in Lebanon, and when it became clear that Hezbollah could not co-opt the movement, they began to criticize and suppress it instead. Supporters of the Iran-sponsored terrorist organization attacked protesters and ransacked their protest site on Tuesday afternoon. Then Iranian Supreme leader accused Israel and the United States of provoking the protests in both Lebanon and Iraq last month, claiming that they are intended to destabilize the pro-Tehran governments in Baghdad and Beirut. The Iranian regime has taken a direct role in the suppression of grassroots protests in Iraq, with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directing Iraqi security forces and Iranian-sponsored militias there. It remains to be seen if the protests inside Lebanon and the subsequent resignation of the Hezbollah-aligned prime minister will result in positive change in that country, or a spiral of violence that mirrors Iraq’s descent into the grip of Iran.

Some analysts have suggested that Hezbollah may attack Israeli forces at the Lebanese or Syrian borders in order to rally the Lebanese public around them, similar to the border provocation near Avivim on September 2nd. In any event, one thing remains clear: Hezbollah has consolidated their hold over southern Lebanon and southeastern Syria, and have been stockpiling rockets and other armaments in preparation for an eventual war with Israel.

Sources:

https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Report-in-Lebanon-Israeli-drone-shot-down-606431

https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-accuses-israel-us-of-causing-protests-in-lebanon-iraq/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04P7xWUEerA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1KaZM6n8yc