• Israel and Iran

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away! Israel and Iran had pretty good relations also before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Muslim extremism, radical Islam, antisemitism, anti-Western, around the world, fuelled by the Ayatollahs preaching their evil hatred

• Operation Thunderbolt

04 July 1976 Israeli forces conducted one of the most daring and successful military operations in the nation's history, to rescue Jewish civilian hostages held by terrorists, at the Entebbe Airport, in Uganda

Iran sent a letter to Israel, congratulating Israel's successful raid

Now Iran and many others are forces of evil who,
1. seek to annihilate the Jewish people
2. are clamoring for the Jewish state’s destruction
3. and surrounding Israel with Arab militias that seek to destroy it

Saudi Arabia Has Its Own 'Deal of the Century' for Trump
Newsweek by Tom O'Connor 24 November 2024

Extracts:

• Arab-Israel Peace Initiative

For Saudi Arabia, the answer to the conflict remains rooted in the Arab Peace Initiative, a 10-point proposal first introduced by the Kingdom and endorsed by the Arab League in 2002

The plan calls on Israel to concede all territories occupied after the 1967 Six-Day War, in exchange for a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, security guarantees and mutual recognition, including,
1. East Jerusalem
2. parts of the West Bank
3. the Golan Heights
4. and any other seized lands

• Two state solution?

Here's the confusing thing, to me.... Insane! Looking at the map of Israel -- tiny nation,
1. Gaza, East Jerusalem, West Bank, Golan Heights are scattered all over Israel
2. pockets of 'Palestinian territories' embedded inside Israel, all over

Whoever carved up Israel from wherever, whatever in 1948 seem to have had No forward-thinking / planning for it to not cause any future turmoil Obviously no surveyor! What boundaries?!

• On May 14, 1948 David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel
• US President Harry S Truman recognized the new nation on the same day

From the timeline, it is clear that Jews preceded both Arabs and Muslims in Palestine,

• by 2,600 years if measured from the time of Abraham or
• by at least 1,600 years if measured from the establishment of Kingdom of Israel

What have Trump administration nominees said about Israel and its wars?
Al Jazeera by Brian Osgood 17 November 2024

Extracts:

• Mike Huckabee, Trump nominee for US ambassador to Israel

18 August 2015
31 May 2015
*Repost

Wilders is king !

This is what I said in the Dutch parliament today: I will defend Israel to the very end!

https://www.facebook.com/geertwilde...efend-israel-to-the-ve/1004844184410457/

Israel never attacked Saudi Arabia, Iran or Turkey it is such a small country in the Middle East.
Hezbollah, Hamas and all those radicals like Al Qaeda and ISIS brought this war on themselves.
Blame the west is easy.

From: The Times of Israel December 14, 2024
Top US, Mideast envoys hold meetings on Gaza deal efforts and Syria’s future

terror convict Marwan Barghouti;
Biden aides discuss hostage deal with Egypt’s Sissi, as Israel said to refuse to free terror convict Marwan Barghouti;

The statement came as Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar quoted an unnamed Egyptian official as saying that Israel has objected to some of the names of Palestinian security prisoners Hamas seeks to release in exchange for hostages kidnapped on October 7, 2023 including popular Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti

Barghouti is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for his part in planning three terror attacks that killed five Israelis during the Second Intifada

Hostage-Prisoner deal:

“Israel has a vision of alternative lists of Palestinian prisoners, including people who were recently arrested, which could delay the drafting of the agreement,” the Egyptian source was quoted as saying.

The source added that Israel has requested that some of the Palestinian security prisoners be sent abroad instead of the West Bank or Gaza, “which may be accepted by the mediators as a compromise to end this new obstacle.”

Meanwhile, Kan news reported Friday that Palestinian sources familiar with the negotiations had for the first time expressed cautious optimism regarding Hamas’s willingness to reach a deal.

The sources credited the simultaneous pressure that has been placed on the terror group by Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, Hamas has refused to provide names of hostages it’s holding

It is believed that 96 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF

Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015 as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014

From: Haaretz December 3, 2024
'Those Who Are Alive Sit and Rot, and the Dead Are Decaying'

From: Haaretz December 14, 2024
Hezbollah chief calls on new leadership in Syria not to normalize ties with Israel

Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem called for cooperation between the Lebanese government and the new government in Syria on Saturday, stressing his hope that Syria would not move towards normalization with Israel.

How can this ever work?

It's like carving up our home -- a room here, a room there, area here, area there and house people including terrorists,
1. hostile to our very existence,
2. seeking our total destruction
3. and want to annihilate our home and us completely

The Syrian Druze, Christians and the Kurds will def don't want a war with Israel and the west. They would be doomed.

Syrian rebel leader: Israel has ‘no more excuses’ to strike, we don’t seek conflict
The Times of Israel by Gianluca Pacchiani 14 December 2024

Extracts:

• Syrian rebel leader: Israel has ‘no more excuses’ to strike, we don’t seek conflict

Syrian Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, in his first comment on the Jewish state since the fall of Assad regime, saysand hints at,
al-Sharaa who spearheaded the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime, spoke Saturday about Israel for the first time since taking over the country, in an interview with the Syrian TV news channel

Ahmad al-Sharaa, who is better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Julani, said,
The rebel leader called on the international community,
1. to assume its responsibility to avoid an escalation
2. and guarantee the respect of Syrian sovereignty

Without directly mentioning Israel, al-Sharaa, further spoke of

Syrian rebel leader: Israel has ‘no more excuses’ to strike, we don’t seek conflict
The Times of Israel by Gianluca Pacchiani 14 December 2024

Extracts:

• Israel's pre-emptive Syrian attacks

Earlier in the week, Israel launched a major operation, to destroy the Syrian military’s strategic military capabilities, including chemical weapons sites, missiles, air defenses, air force and navy targets, in a bid to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile elements

In a move that has drawn some international condemnation, Israel also entered a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights, just hours after the rebels, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham HTS took Damascus

Israel has said,
In a video message to the new regime taking shape in Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, on Tuesday,
The Assad regime was an ally of the Islamic Republic and a part of the latter’s so-called Axis of Resistance against Israel

Netanyahu added,

Syrian rebel leader: Israel has ‘no more excuses’ to strike, we don’t seek conflict
The Times of Israel by Gianluca Pacchiani 14 December 2024

Extracts:

• HTS addresses Israel's concerns

Syrian Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Ahmad al-Sharaa, the new leader in Damascus, in his interview on Saturday, appeared to indirectly respond to Israeli concerns and provide reassurance

al-Sharaa said,
Over the course of a wide-ranging interview, al-Sharaa mentioned some of the issues that his new government will soon need to address in managing post-war Syria

al-Sharaa stressed the importance of abandoning the “revolutionary mentality” that propelled the rebels and the need to establish modern institutions, guarantee the rule of law and respect the rights of all Syrians

al-Sharaa delivered a scathing critique of the corrupt Assad regime, saying,adding,
al-Sharaa highlighted

Syrian rebel leader: Israel has ‘no more excuses’ to strike, we don’t seek conflict
The Times of Israel by Gianluca Pacchiani 14 December 2024

Extracts:

• HTS relation with various rebel groups and Russia

However the Syrian Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmad al-Sharaa did not conceal the fact that relations between the various rebel groups have been marked by internal conflicts, factionalism and foreign meddling

al-Sharaa also mentioned the limited Russian air campaign against the rebels, in the days prior to Assad’s overthrow and said it raised fears of a repeat of the Gaza scenario

With regard to future relations with Moscow, al-Sharaa said,

Syrian rebel leader: Israel has ‘no more excuses’ to strike, we don’t seek conflict
The Times of Israel by Gianluca Pacchiani 14 December 2024

Extracts:

• Israel Border Security

Visiting Israeli troops in the Syrian Golan Heights Saturday IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi declared: Halevi said in a video released by the IDF
The previous regime came into power in 1970 when Bashar’s father Hafez al-Assad seized power in a bloodless coup
Bashar al-Assad had been president since his father’s death in 2000

• Israel and Syria do not have diplomatic relations
• and have formally been in a perpetual state of war since Israel declared independence in 1948
• Syria was one of a number of Arab countries that attacked the newly born Jewish state
• an armistice agreement was signed in 1949 that demarcated a border between the two countries
• despite the armistice agreement, Syria has never formally recognized Israel’s existence
• Syria also attacked Israel during the 1967 Six Day War before the IDF pounded Syrian forces and
• seized the Golan Heights which Israel later annexed unilaterally
• Syria attacked again in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War and was pushed back after a major advance into the Golan
• after the Yom Kippur War, the 1974 disengagement agreement was signed between the states
• the disengagement agreement, marked the demilitarized zones, on the Israel-Syrian border

While the fall of the Assad regime which stood for over five decades,

• could provide a historic opportunity for recognition between Israel and its neighbor
• the potential power vacuum in Syria could also lead to further chaos
• and serve as a breeding ground for a resurgence of terror in the region

Syrian rebel leader, after Assad's ouster, tightens his grip on the state
Reuters by Timour Azhari, Maya Gebeily and Tom Perry 13 December 2024

Extracts:

• Powerful Syrian faction brings its administration to Damascus
• New Prime Minister says, will govern until March, not clear what happens then
• Diplomats cite concern over inclusiveness of process
• UN Resolution calls for new constitution, elections

Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is stamping its authority on Syria's state with the same lightning speed that it seized the country - raising concerns over how inclusive Damascus' new rulers intend to be
1. deploying police
2. installing an interim government
3. and meeting foreign envoys

However the way HTS has gone about shaping the new interim government - by bringing senior administrators from Idlib - has caused concern for some

Zakaria Malahifji, secretary general of the Syrian National Movement who once served as political advisor to rebels in Aleppo, said

My take for what it is worth!

• HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa

He seems a pragmatist, measured language, no longer 'terror oriented terrorist' and no dramatics!

Sure thing former al-Qaeda affiliate HTS is a designated terrorist organisation by some and al-Sharaa is in his Honeymoon period

al-Sharaa -- among others,
1. saying all the right things -- for now
2. pledged to protect minority faiths, winning broad approval
3. appeared to address Israeli concerns and provide reassurance ie: HTS not seeking conflict with Israel

Israel may have missed an opportunity to cultivate Syria-HTS neighbourly peaceful co-existence?

• What says you?!

1. Did Israel miss their chance? in not giving HTS a go?
2. one less enemy
3. HTS "leopard never changes its spots"

US in ‘direct contact’ with leading Syrian rebel group despite terror designation
The Times of Israel and Agence France-Presse AFP 14 December 2024

Extracts:

• Blinken's ‘direct contact’ with 'terrorists' HTS

Blinken reveals US in ‘direct contact’ with leading Syrian rebel group despite terror designation

The United States has made “direct contact” with Syria’s victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels despite designating the group as terrorists

Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells reporters after talks on Syria in Jordan, without specifying how it took place

Putin is very worried now if it can happen with Assad it can happen to him.

Hezbollah wants HTS to consider Israel an enemy, allow arms flow to resume
The Times of Israel by Agencies and ToI Staff 14 December 2024

Extracts:

• Hezbollah chief says supply route via Syria cut, hopes rebels won’t have ties with Israel

Hezbollah head Naim Qassem expects rebel leadership that ousted Assad will consider,
1. Israel an enemy
2. allow arms flow to resume

Qassem acknowledged Saturday that the Lebanese terror group had lost its arms supply route through Syria following the toppling of Bashar al-Assad’s regime nearly a week ago by a sweeping rebel offensive

Qassem didn’t mention Assad by name in his televised address and said,but Qassem hoped,Qassem added,Syria provided a land route for Hezbollah’s patron, Iran, to send convoys of weapons to Lebanon

Such convoys were often targeted by Israeli airstrikes but the terror group was able to heavily arm itself regardless
Thanks! to UNIFIL

UNIFIL "said little and did less” while Hezbollah was building up their tunnel-based massive military build-up, for nearly two decades Peace and Security Sure thing Job well done! indeed

*United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was established 19 March 1978

Hezbollah wants HTS to consider Israel an enemy, allow arms flow to resume
The Times of Israel by Agencies and ToI Staff 14 December 2024

Extracts:

• Enemy Israel

More than 50 years of Assad family rule have now been replaced with a transitional caretaker government put in place by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a former al-Qaeda affiliate that spearheaded the rebel offensive

The Hezbollah chief, Qassem also said,
The Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who is better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Julani, said Saturday,

Putin let Bashar al-Assad's regime fall in Syria
ABC News Australia by Kathryn Diss 15 December 2024

Extracts:

• Vladimir Putin let Bashar al-Assad's regime fall in Syria

Putin was already cultivating new relationships in the region

Just 12 hours before the fall of Damascus -- Russia, Iran and Türkiye met on the sidelines of the Doha Forum
Top of the agenda: the impending collapse of the Syrian regime

The trio were trying to determine if Bashar al-Assad's government was salvageable

The three countries issued a strong statement calling,But by this point, the diplomats most likely knew it was all over

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said,
Hours later, Damascus fell

Putin let Bashar al-Assad's regime fall in Syria
ABC News Australia by Kathryn Diss 15 December 2024

Extracts:

• Putin could have sent more firepower — but he didn't

There's no doubt the toppling of the Assad regime significantly weakens Vladimir Putin's Middle East power

But it's also clear that Russia was wary of getting caught up in another decades-long conflict
It also has other strategic relationships with Türkiye and the Arab Gulf states that it perhaps didn't want to sacrifice for a dying regime

In the lead-up to the collapse, Russia did launch air strikes on Syrian rebels in support of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces but not enough to counter the rebel advances on the capital, Damascus


If Putin had really wanted to, he could have sent in more military firepower — but he didn't

In fact, ABC News Australia VERIFY confirmed Russia moved key military assets away from their posts, in Syria earlier this month

Putin let Bashar al-Assad's regime fall in Syria
ABC News Australia by Kathryn Diss 15 December 2024

Extracts:

• So, why did the Kremlin effectively sit back as Syria fell to rebel forces?

Firstly, at least for Putin, his hands were full with the war in Ukraine and Putin didn't really want to divert resources elsewhere

Iran and Lebanon, both backers of Assad, were also fighting battles of their own, with Israel relentlessly targeting what was the region's strongest rebel force, Hezbollah, in recent months

The writing was on the wall for Russia
Throwing more resources at Syria wasn't going to turn things around for Bashar al-Assad

Julien Barnes-Dacy, the director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, says,

• Putin striking a deal with his friend Assad's enemy

So Vladimir Putin appears to have done the unthinkable

With Hezbollah, Hamas and Syria on the back foot and all but destroyed, the theory now is that Putin will lean into other non-state actors within Iran's so-called Axis of Resistance

• The speculated deal?

Agreeing with the rebel HTS forces to let the Assad regime fall quickly as long as Russia could maintain its strategically important military bases in Syria

Putin let Bashar al-Assad's regime fall in Syria
ABC News Australia by Kathryn Diss 15 December 2024

Extracts:

• Russia looks to Yemen's Houthis

Moscow has in recent years established and been building its presence in North Africa and Yemen, in particular its relationship with the Houthi rebels

University of Sydney Professor Sarah Phillips told the ABC Australia

• Israel's dominance in the region won't go unchallenged

The actions of Yemen's Houthis in the Red Sea have been disruptive to global trade

From an ideological standpoint, they also show the United States and its allies that Israel's dominance in the region won't go unchallenged

Professor Phillips adds,

Fearing Civil Unrest, Iran Tries to Block Syria's Shockwaves
Haaretz by Zvi Bar'el 16 December 2024

Extracts:

• Iran -- "hijab and chastity" bill

Fearing Civil Unrest, Iran Tries to Block Syria's Shockwaves

After the coup in Syria and its expected hampering of Hezbollah's reconstruction abilities, Iran now needs damage control, mostly to defend its nuclear sites

An unprecedented suspension of a draconian bill out of fear of its threat to national security points to domestic changes

These remarks were not made by Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin, in a moment of regret and introspection

Rather, they were uttered by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in criticism of a new "hijab and chastity" bill that had been scheduled to take effect last Friday

Protesters descend in Sydney, Australia to decry antisemitic attacks
9News by April Glover 15 December 2024

Extracts:

• Protesters descend on Martin Place in Sydney, Australia to decry antisemitic attacks

Crowds of protesters have descended upon Martin Place in Sydney today to decry the acts of antisemitism across the country since the 07 October 2023 attack

Demonstrators holding signs and flags bearing the Star of David called on the country's leaders to take action as they marched across the CBD on the 10th anniversary of the Lindt Cafe terrorist attack

The "Enough is Enough" rally against antisemitism was attended by senator Dave Sharma and former Labor Member of Parliament, Michael Danby

• zero-tolerance policy for acts of antisemitism

The hundreds of protesters, which included prominent members of the Jewish community, called on, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs minister Penny Wong to have a zero-tolerance policy for acts of antisemitism

the city was flooded with members of the peaceful rally. Signs with the words were seen -- among others,

• Leadership Fails Hate Prevails
• Albo, the World is watching [but the PM only cares about the Muslim vote at our election early 2025]
• Penny Wrong
• Together against Hate
• Stop the Hate, Mate
• Stand for Peace Stand against antisemitism Stand with Israel
• How can you sleep when our synagogues are burning?
• Action against antisemitism Now!
• Protect the Jewish Community
• From the River to the Sea indigenous to Jews Always was Always will be

Protesters descend in Sydney, Australia to decry antisemitic attacks
9News by April Glover 15 December 2024

Extracts:

• Protesters descend on Martin Place in Sydney, Australia to decry antisemitic attacks

The backdrop of the march included memorials, flowers and signs which marked 10 years since two people were killed in the Sydney siege in 2014

The rally follows two major antisemitic attacks across Australia in the past few weeks

• Fire bombing of Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea

Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne's south-east, in Victoria was gutted by fire earlier this month, in an incident later declared a likely terrorist attack

The arson attack left the local Jewish community in deep shock

• anti-Israel slogans and car set on fire in Woollahra

Multiple properties at Woollahra, in New South Wales were also sprayed with *anti-Israel slogans, in the days following while a Toyota Corolla was destroyed by fire

The peaceful protest comes after residences in Woollahra, Sydney's east, in New South Wales were graffitied with “kill Israiel” (sic) and “death 2 Israiel” (sic) in front of a burning car Shows the pro-Palestinian, antisemitic's ignorance -- Can't even spell Israel

Woollahra is home to many Jewish community members though police said,
In a press conference, NSW Premier Chris Minns said,
Please! Melbourne Follow suit "Enough is Enough" indeed

Putin as well as Iran gave up Assad, not because they wanted to they had to Russia's war in Ukraine is not going well without the former Wagner Group who were also their enforcers in Syria and Africa.
African dictators are now also worried and may go back to the West.