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DAILY ALERT | Thursday, January 28, 2021 | ||
In-Depth Issues: IDF Chief of Staff Kochavi: Return to Iran Nuclear Deal Is Strategic Mistake - Yonah Jeremy Bob (Jerusalem Post) A return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, or a "slightly improved" deal, would be an operational and strategic mistake for the world, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi warned on Tuesday. He said that the U.S. and others must maintain all sanctions and pressure now as Tehran is at its weakest and closest to making real concessions. Moreover, he said that the normalization trend is isolating Iran in ways that it never expected and was not prepared for. See also The Iranians Know Israel Means Business - Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Yossi Kuperwasser (Israel Hayom) IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to come up with plans for possible offensive action against Iran to prevent the Iranians from acquiring a nuclear weapon, making Israel's fervent opposition to a return to the nuclear deal perfectly clear to the White House. Iran's clear preference to return to the deal and its energetic efforts to this end are proof that Kochavi was correct in his analysis that a return to the deal is good for Tehran and threatens regional and global peace as well as Israel's security. Despite their claims otherwise, the Iranians are likely taking Kochavi's rem arks very seriously indeed. The writer, former head of the research division of IDF Military Intelligence, is a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Biden Freezes U.S. Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia - Warren P. Strobel (Wall Street Journal) The Biden administration has imposed a temporary freeze on U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and is scrutinizing but did not freeze purchases by the UAE as it reviews weapons transactions approved by former President Trump, according to U.S. officials. U.S. officials said it isn't unusual for a new administration to review arms sales approved by a predecessor and that, despite the pause, many of the tr ansactions are likely to ultimately go forward. Israeli Intelligence Minister Visits Sudan (Times of Israel) Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen on Monday became the first Israeli minister to visit Sudan following the recent normalization deal. Cohen led a delegation from his ministry and from the National Security Council, holding talks with senior Sudanese officials including Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the ruling sovereign council, and Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim. Israel Reopens Mission to Morocco after 20 Years - Lahav Harkov (Jerusalem Post) The Israeli Liaison Office in Morocco reopened on Tuesday when former ambassador to Egypt David Govrin arrived in Rabat. The Israeli Liaison Office was previously opened in 1994 and closed six years later during the Second Intifada. Frequent New York Times Opinion Writer Was Secret Iranian Agent, Federal Prosecutors Charge - Ira Stoll (Algemeiner) The New York Times published more than a dozen opinion articles and letters to the editor by Kaveh Afrasiabi. On Jan. 18, Afrasiabi was arrested and charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent of the Iranian government. The U.S. Justice Department said, "Since at least 2007 to the present, Afrasiabi has also been secretly employed by the Iranian government and paid by Iranian diplomats assigned to the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations in New York City (IMUN)." "Afrasiabi has been paid approximately $265,000 in checks drawn on the IMUN's official bank accounts." His opinion pieces were authored "at the direction and under control of" the government of Iran. See also Political Scientist Author Charged with Acting as an Unregistered Agent of the Iranian Government (U.S. Department of Justice) PA: The Holocaust Was Europe Repaying Jews for Their "Wickedness" - Itamar Marcus (Palestinian Media Watchpan>) In time for International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, official Palestinian Authority TV taught viewers that the Holocaust was the price the Jews paid for their "evil behavior." PA Chairman Abbas himself explained that Europeans committed massacres against Jews "every 10 to 15 years" for centuries culminating in the Holocaust in response to Jewish behavior. Abbas' Fatah movement also produced a video, purportedly about Jewish history in Europe, which makes the same claim that Jews brought anti-Semitism on themselves, presenting Jews as an evil and threatening force from which Europeans had to defend themselves. As a result of the PA's continuous demonization of Jews, an ADL Global 100 poll found that 87% of Palestinians believe "People hate Jews because of the way Jews behave." The poll also found that Palestinians are the most anti-Semitic population in the world. PA incitement to hate and terror successfully poisons the minds of the Palestinian population and remains the driving force behind Palestinian hate and terror. "Tribal Justice" in PA Outflanks Official Legal System - Rania Zabaneh (Al Jazeera) Palestinians are resorting to settling disputes outside Palestinian courts which people are trusting less and less. Tribal justice is seen as the alternative by many, deriving its provisions from tribal traditions and cultural heritage. Yet human rights groups say it compromises justice for stability, does not provide for fair trials, discriminates against women, and imposes collective punishment on families. A recent Palestine Transparency poll showed that 2/3 of Palestinians believe there is corruption in the courts and public prosecution. In Huwwara, south of Nablus, fires have been set in three buildings on the outskirts of the village since last June. They belong to the families of nine Palestinians charged with the killing of three others in a street fight in May 2020. The homes were initially burned in foret al-dam, the time period immediately after a crime is committed. During foret al-dam, which translates to "when the blood boils," if the family of the victim attacks properties of the family of the perpetrator, damages are not accounted for and all members of the killer's family are legitimate targets. Israeli Food Truck Sells 1,000 Servings of 3D-Printed Vegan Meat in Five Hours - Anna Starostinetskaya (VegNews) In mid-January, a food truck selling 3D-printed vegan meat in Kidron, Israel (a suburb of Tel Aviv), sold 1,000 servings in five hours. Hosted by Israeli vegan company Redefine Meat, the food truck served traditional meat-centric Mediterranean dishes without initially informing customers that the meat component was vegan. When customers learned that the meat they consumed was plant-based, 90% were satisfied and said that it was comparable to animal-derived meat in taste, texture, and mouthfeel. Founded in 2019, Redefine Meat uses a revolutionary 3D technology that maps 70 sensorial parameters to create vegan meat that mimics the taste, texture, and juiciness of beef steak. Israel in Figures (Israel Central Bureau of Statistics) Download a 34-page report with selected data on 28 topics from the Statistical Abstract of Israel 2020. 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