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 ט"ז בתשרי תשע"ח / Friday, Oct. 06 '17 Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report -http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe Headlines
1. Trump: We will put an end to Iranian aggressionby David Rosenberg President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that his administration was prepared to take dramatic action vis-à-vis the Iranian regime, speaking out during a meeting with military leaders and their families in the White House. At the meeting, which took place amid reports indicating the president plans not to recertify Iranian compliance with the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, the president teased reporters with suggestions the gathering was “the calm before the storm”, without elaborating. The president invited reporters for the photo op during the meeting, which preceded a White House dinner with military leaders and their families, yet declined to explain the significance of the event. Trump asked journalists present if they knew “what this represents”. “Maybe it’s the calm before the storm,” the president added. “You’ll find out.” President Trump did make a reference to the Iranian government during the meeting, however, shedding some light onto his otherwise cryptic comments. In a brief statement, the president appeared to affirm reports that he intends to refuse recertification of Iranian compliance to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a move that would likely spell the end of the 2015 agreement. By law, the president must report to Congress on Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA every 90 days. Failure to recertify Iranian compliance would force Congress to respond within 60 days, either restoring US sanctions on the Tehran regime and likely forcing an end to the deal itself, or moving to alter the sanctions regime. Removal of those sanctions targeting Iran’s nuclear program was a key condition for securing Iranian agreement to the JCPOA. President Trump has thus far recertified Iran twice, but according to sources in Washington, is now expected to declare Iran in violation of the deal. During his statement Thursday night, however, the president went beyond Iran’s nuclear program, addressing Iranian aggression generally. “The Iranian regime supports terrorism and exports violence, bloodshed and chaos across the Middle East,” Trump said. “That is why we must put an end to Iran’s continued aggression and nuclear ambitions. They have not lived up to the spirit of their agreement.” Democrats, and even some senior Trump administration officials, backed recertification and the continuation of the JCPOA. Some 180 congressional Democrats signed a letter to the president urging him to recertify Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal ahead of the October 15 deadline. But some Republican lawmakers, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, strongly objected to recertification, citing Iran’s refusal to permit the International Atomic Energy Association’s inspection teams to perform on-site checks of military bases suspected of being used by Iran’s nuclear program. "The IAEA's admission that they are unable to verify a fundamental provision under the nuclear deal—that the Iranians are not engaging in activities or using equipment to develop a nuclear explosive device—is highly alarming. In these circumstances, issuing a compliance certification would be serious mistake," Cruz said. "If the Iranians are serious about a peaceful program, they need to prove it. Iran's continued refusal to allow IAEA access to military sites—a clear requirement of the terms of the deal—renders the JCPOA utterly ineffective, and, even worse, a sham that only facilitates Iran's acquiring nuclear weapons. This absence of any meaningful verification is yet another reason to vitiate this foolhardy agreement." 2. 2017 Nobel Peace Prize goes to anti-nuclear NGOby David Rosenberg The Norweigen Nobel Committee declared an organization dedicated to the eradication of nuclear weapons as the winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. At a press conference Friday, the committee announced that the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) would be the recipient of the award, and the roughly $1 million in prize money. The prize will be formally awarded to ICAN in December. The Nobel Committee’s decision surprised some observers, who had predicted the prize would be awarded in connection with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal. It was widely believed that this year’s prize would go either to Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, or to European Union foreign minister Federica Mogherini for their roles in securing the JCPOA. Reuters - Nobel Committee announces winner Defying expectations, however, the Nobel Committee turned the focus away from the Iran nuclear deal and instead chose ICAN, a Geneva-based group founded in 2007 to promote the total abolition of all nuclear weaponry. ICAN has strongly backed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a proposed treated backed by the United Nations General Assembly 122 to 1, but strongly opposed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and all nuclear-armed countries. A relatively small organization with an annual budget of some $1 million, ICAN had little mainstream exposure prior to Friday’s announcement. The Nobel Committee’s selection of the relatively marginal group has been described by some as a ‘censure’ or rebuke of world powers who oppose the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 3. Four species in hand, Ivanka Trump and Kushner head to synagogueby Gary Willig [רכיב:2033665] The daughter and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump took a much-needed break from their White House duties to spend time with their children during the Sukkot holiday, the Daily Mail reported. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump walked with their three children to the Friends of Lubavitch Synagogue near their Washington DC home Thursday, the first day of Sukkot. Kushner carried the four species, the lulav, myrtle, and willow plants, as well as the etrog citrus fruit. 4. With a gun in one hand and a camera in the otherby Arutz Sheva Staff As the old saying goes: 'A picture is worth a thousand words.' The IDF's Yahalom unit has taken that maxim one step further. The engineering unit for special missions has set up a multimedia division which is responsible for documenting all tasks carried out by the soldiers. "There was always documentation in the unit, but there was never anyone authorized to deal only with this, someone who would bring the cameras, assemble the materials and prepare clear and prepared products," said the commander of the unit. "Until we established the section, we were dependent on soldiers who [already] knew how to photograph." And what is the purpose of the photographs and video recordings? The commander explained that the photographs and footage are used to create an effective method for intelligence gathering. "The documentation files, which contain all the pictures and products we found, are transferred to the relevant authorities and to the command responsible for the sector in which we operate." "Beyond that," continued the commander. "We are also building databases for the unit, which will help the soldiers get to know the area better. When we get to an area where we have already been operating, the commanders will be able to see everything that happened there in the past, and to know what the unit has done in the sector over the years. That way they will understand the region better and learn how to manage it." [video:2033661] Results in the field The change came in 2015. An officer of the "Yael" unit conceived the idea in order to make the archives more organized. "The moment I heard about the idea, I was enthusiastic and ready to take the task on myself," the commander said. "Until then, I was editing products that were photographed by soldiers in the Yael reconnaissance unit, and after the decision I officially left my team - and I began to set up the [new] section. "Today, too, there are a number of soldiers who receive a camera and undergo training to serve as photographers during activities," explained the commander. "Only now, they are receiving better unified training in one place." "It is already possible to see the results of the work on the ground," the commander said. "There is no doubt that since we went into action, the commanders' conclusions are better, every company commander knows that he will not embark on complex operations without proper documentation [beforehand]. They come to us, study the department, and want to establish one in their unit." 5. Watch: Evolution of Jewish music from the 9th century to todayby Arutz Sheva Staff [youtube:2033669] 6. Report: Trump planning to declare Iran in breach of nuke dealby David Rosenberg President Donald Trump will declare the Iranian regime in violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 deal aimed at reining in Iran’s nuclear program, multiple sources in Washington say, potentially putting the Trump administration on a collision course with Tehran. On Wednesday, The Washington Free Beacon reported that President Trump is expected to declare Iran in breach of the deal on October 15th, despite pressure by some top administration officials – including Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson – to certify Iran as being in compliance with the terms of the agreement. The Beacon cited unnamed Trump administration officials who said the president had long suspected Iran of being in violation of the deal, and was pushed by recent revelations to deny recertification. "The president already knew that continued sanctions relief to Iran was inappropriate and not in our interest given their behavior, which was more than enough to decertify,” one source told The Washington Free Beacon. “He said so repeatedly. Now there's this new issue where the IAEA just admitted publicly they've been unable to verify entire sections of the deal, which makes the whole thing a no-brainer." "Decertifying clears a lot of clutter off the table because our guys no longer have to pretend the deal is a good deal," the source said. "They can let it stay in place for a while or try to fix it, all while focusing on the rest of Iran's aggression." By law, the president must report to Congress on Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA every 90 days. Failure to recertify Iranian compliance would lead to the resumption of some US sanctions on the Tehran regime, and potentially force an end to the deal itself. Removal of those sanctions targeting Iran’s nuclear program was a key condition for securing Iranian agreement to the JCPOA. President Trump has thus far recertified Iran twice, but according to sources in Washington, is now expected to declare Iran in violation of the deal. According to Israel’s Channel 2, Trump will not withdraw from the JCPOA, but will declare that Tehran has failed to comply with the terms of the deal, and will announce new sanctions on the Iranian regime. Democratic lawmakers have strongly opposed such a move, with 180 congressional Democrats signing a joint letter to the president calling on him to certify Iranian compliance. The administration changed course on certification, however, after it was revealed that the International Atomic Energy Agency – which is charged with carrying out on-site inspections at Iranian nuclear facilities – was barred from Iranian military bases. Opponents of the JCPOA pointed to Iran’s refusal to permit inspections outside of declared nuclear facilities as evidence that the IAEA was unable to truly verify Tehran’s compliance, claiming. "The IAEA's admission that they are unable to verify a fundamental provision under the nuclear deal—that the Iranians are not engaging in activities or using equipment to develop a nuclear explosive device—is highly alarming. In these circumstances, issuing a compliance certification would be serious mistake," Texas Senator Ted Cruz said. "If the Iranians are serious about a peaceful program, they need to prove it. Iran's continued refusal to allow IAEA access to military sites—a clear requirement of the terms of the deal—renders the JCPOA utterly ineffective, and, even worse, a sham that only facilitates Iran's acquiring nuclear weapons. This absence of any meaningful verification is yet another reason to vitiate this foolhardy agreement." 7. Poll: Rightists, secular Jews most attached to Israelby David Rosenberg Right-wing voters and secular Jews are the groups most likely to identify strongly as a part of Israeli society, most Israelis believe according to a new poll, while Arabs and haredi Jews are the least likely to see themselves as an integral part of the country. According to the monthly Peace Index poll released earlier this week, a product of Tel Aviv University and the Israel Democracy Institute’s Guttman Center, 85.2% of Israeli Jews believe right-wing voters feel a strong sense of belonging to Israeli society, compared to just 8.8% who say right-wingers do not strongly identify with the country. By comparison, Israelis were split on whether left-wingers identify with Israel, with 49.8% of Israeli Jews saying left-wing voters do identify strongly with Israeli society, compared to 40.9% who say they do not. Secular Jews, immigrants from the former USSR, and members of the Druze community are also seen as identifying strongly with Israeli society. Eighty-two-and-a-half percent of Jews see secular Jews as identifying strongly with Israel, compared to 57% who feel the same regarding immigrants from the ex-USSR and 53% who see members of the Druze community in the same light. Immigrants from Ethiopia and haredi Jews ranked towards the bottom, with 36% of Israeli Jews saying Jews born in Ethiopia identify strongly as Israeli. Thirty-five percent say haredi Jews identify strongly with Israeli society. Israeli Arabs are perceived as identifying least with the country – a sentiment Arab respondents themselves shared. Just 13% of Jews say Israeli Arabs identify strongly with the country, compared to 34.5% of Israeli Arabs who say most of their community identifies as Israeli. By comparison, 81.1% of Jews and 65.4% of Arabs say Israeli Arabs do not identify strongly with Israeli society. The survey also showed Israelis to be generally upbeat about Israel’s situation, though most believe little will change over the next year. Among Israeli Jews, 45.1% say Israel’s overall situation is good, compared to 54.0% of Israeli Arabs who expressed the same sentiment. Just 15% of Jews and 12.1% of Arabs say Israel’s situation is poor, while 37.6% of Jews and 31.6% of Arabs say Israel’s situation is neither good nor bad. Most Jews say Israel’s situation will likely remain unchanged next year, with 53.9% saying it will be about the same next Rosh Hashanah, compared to 28.4% who say Israel’s situation will be better, and 12.8% who believe it will be worse. Israeli Jews expressed high levels of confidence in the IDF, but middling levels of trust in the Supreme Court and very low levels of trust in the Chief Rabbinate. While 88.7% of Jews say they had a high level of trust in the Israeli army, compared to 9.9% who said they had little or no trust in the IDF, 53.9% placed a high level of trust in the Supreme Court, with 44% saying they had little or no trust in the high court. Just 28.3% say they trust the Chief Rabbinate, compared to 65% of Jews who say they had little to no faith in the state’s top religious body. Israelis were about evenly divided in terms of whether or not they trust Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, with 48.7% of Israeli Jews saying they generally had a high level of trust in the Prime Minister, compared to 48.8% who said they had little to no faith in him. Just 16% of Israeli Arabs, by comparison, said they trusted Netanyahu, with 76.5% saying they had little or no faith in the Prime Minister. Zionist Union chief Avi Gabbay fared even worse, however, at least among Jews, with just 24.5% saying they trusted him, compared to 49.6% who say they did not. Among Arabs, 18.6% say they trust Gabbay, compared to 41.9% who say they do not. The Peace Index poll was conducted via telephone and internet from September 25th to 26th by the Midgam Research Institute and surveyed 600 respondents. The poll has a 4.1% margin of error. 8. Jewish, Druze startup offers lifesaving new appby ILTV [brightcove:2033659] Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report - http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe | |
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