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In-Depth Issues:
IAEA Board Declares Iran in Breach of Non-Proliferation Obligations - Francois Murphy ( Reuters)
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on Thursday
declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations, the most significant resolution against it in years.
The resolution submitted by the U.S., Britain, France and Germany passed with 19 countries in favor, 11 abstentions and three states - Russia, China and Burkina Faso - against.
"The Board of Governors...finds that Iran's many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the Agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran...constitutes non-compliance with its obligations."
See also Iran Says It Will Create a New Uranium Enrichment Facility after IAEA Vote ( AP)
Western Intelligence: Iran Using Nuclear Talks to Weaken Potential Israeli Strikes - Amichai Stein ( Jerusalem Post)
"While nuclear talks are taking place, and Iran keeps scheduling yet another meeting, they are exploiting the time to modify nuclear facilities in ways that could diminish the impact of a potential military strike on those sites and their outcomes," a Western intelligence official told the Jerusalem Post.
Foreign reports say Iran is trying to move parts of its national security assets underground, spread out to more locations, and finish building a new nuclear facility at Natanz.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Says Muslim Nations Should Give their Own Land for Palestinian State - Lara Jakes ( New York Times)
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told the BBC that it should be up to Muslim countries to build a Palestinian state on their territory.
"Muslim countries have 644 times the amount of land that is controlled by Israel. So maybe, if there is such a desire for the Palestinian state, there would be someone who would say we'd like to host it, we'd like to create it."
U.S. CENTCOM Commander: Israel's "Disintegration" of Hizbullah "Was Brilliant" - Andrew Bernard ( JNS)
Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Michael Kurilla told Congress on Tuesday:
"Hizbullah acted as a sort of Sword of Damocles over the top of Israel. Israel's - the doctrinal term is 'disintegration' - of Lebanese Hizbullah should be studied by every military. It was brilliant."
Kurilla said that part of the problem in defeating the Houthis in Yemen is that they receive 80% of their supplies from Iranian smuggling vessels.
"The hardest part is to find that ship. At any given time, there are between 3,000 and 5,000 dhows between Iran and the Bab el-Mandeb. That's the same distance from the tip of Florida to Boston."
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Israeli Foreign Minister Refuses British Counterpart's Calls after Sanctions Move - Shirit Avitan Cohen ( Israel Hayom)
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar refused multiple calls by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy following London's sanctions on two Israeli ministers.
The imposition of sanctions on serving ministers was condemned across the government from wall to wall and also by opposition figures like Israel Resilience Party leader Benny Gantz.
Sirens Are My New Normal - Dr. Sharon Weiss-Greenberg ( Times of Israel)
When we moved to Modi'in, I thought we were generally out of range - close enough to the center of the country for convenience, far enough from the borders to feel insulated.
I remember hearing and seeing how residents of Sderot lived near Gaza. I wondered how people could live like that - always expecting a siren, always calculating the distance to the nearest shelter.
I couldn't imagine it. Now, I don't have to imagine. Before the Houthi threat, sirens were rare. Now, there's no rhythm, they just happen. Sirens are my new normal.
I've lost count of how many times I've called my kids, my husband, and my parents to check if everyone's okay.
There are moments I'll never forget - like crouching against a wall with my son because we couldn't make it to a shelter, both my husband and I covering his body with ours to protect him, literally ready to take the hit for him.
Or the night Iran attacked, and the sirens came one after another after another. It felt endless.
But mostly, the sirens have become routine. My heart rate doesn't spike anymore.
We've all learned to live with this new version of normal. We adapt.
The writer is Manager of Resource Development at ANU-Museum of the Jewish People.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Hamas Attack in Gaza Kills Five Palestinians Working for U.S. Humanitarian Group - Karen DeYoung
At least five Palestinians working for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an aid group backed by the U.S. and Israel, were killed Wednesday when the bus they were traveling in came under attack. The GHF blamed the attack on Hamas, which has issued public threats against the GHF and anyone working for them.
"We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people," the foundation said. (Washington Post)
- Iran Becoming "Much More Aggressive" in Nuclear Talks, Trump Says - Danielle Wallace
"Iran is acting much differently in negotiations than it did just days ago," President Donald Trump told Fox News on Tuesday. "Much more aggressive. It's surprising to me. It's disappointing." Senior administration officials said Iran appears to be dragging negotiations on without concrete progress while pushing forward with its nuclear efforts.
Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Michael E. Kurilla told the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that Iran "still remains the number one malign influence in the Middle East" and has doubled its enrichment capacity in the past six months.
(Fox News)
- U.S. Moves to Withdraw Some Middle East Personnel as Prospects for a Nuclear Deal with Iran Fade - Nancy A. Youssef
The U.S. is moving to draw down its presence in parts of the Middle East to essential personnel, the State Department and Pentagon said Wednesday, as tensions with Iran rise. The State Department said that it ordered the departure of all nonessential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and authorized the departure of nonessential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait. At the same time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from across the Middle East.
Experts and former officials say that Israel could try to defuse what it sees as the threat to its security of a nuclear-armed Iran if U.S.-Iran talks on Iran's nuclear program are stymied.
(Wall Street Journal)
- U.S. Slams UN Conference on Israel-Palestinian Issue - John Irish
The U.S. is discouraging governments from attending a UN conference next week on a possible two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. A U.S. diplomatic cable sent on Tuesday says countries that take "anti-Israel actions" following the conference will be viewed as acting in opposition to U.S. foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic consequences from Washington.
"We are urging governments not to participate in the conference, which we view as counterproductive to ongoing, life-saving efforts to end the war in Gaza and free hostages," read the cable. "The United States opposes any steps that would unilaterally recognize a conjectural Palestinian state....This conference undermines...delicate negotiations and emboldens Hamas at a time when the terrorist group has rejected proposals by the negotiators that Israel has accepted." (Reuters)
- U.S. Condemns UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Australia Sanctions on Israeli Government Officials
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday:
"The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war."
"We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel."
(U.S. State Department)
- U.S. Targets Sham Charity Networks Supporting Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Tuesday: "Today, the United States sanctioned five individuals and five sham charities for financially supporting Hamas under the guise of humanitarian work. Additionally, we are targeting a fraudulent charity linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). This action targets so-called charities that operate in Turkey, Algeria, the Netherlands, Italy, and the West Bank and Gaza, as well as those who serve in leadership positions in these organizations." (U.S. State Department)
See also U.S. Disrupts Sham Overseas Charity Networks Funding Hamas and PFLP (U.S. Treasury Department)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- IDF Recovers Bodies of Two Hostages Kidnapped to Gaza - Nir Hasson
The Israeli army said Wednesday it had recovered the body of Yair Yaakov, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz who was kidnapped on Oct. 7, from Gaza alongside the body of another hostage. Yaakov's two children, Or and Yagil, and his partner Merav Tal, were also kidnapped from the kibbutz and were released in the first hostage deal in 2023.
(Ha'aretz)
- IDF Detains Hamas Operatives in Southern Syria - Emanuel Fabian
The IDF said Thursday that "Following intelligence collected in recent weeks, IDF troops carried out a pinpoint nighttime operation in Syria and arrested several terrorists from the Hamas terror organization, who tried to advance many terror attacks against Israeli citizens and IDF troops in Syria." The Hamas operatives were nabbed in Beit Jinn, 6 km. from Israel and outside an Israeli-held buffer zone. (Times of Israel)
- Israel Moves to Cut Cooperation with Palestinian Banks - Avraham Bloch
The Israel Finance Ministry confirmed Tuesday that it was cancelling a waiver that had allowed Israeli banks to process shekel payments for services and salaries tied to the Palestinian Authority. Without it, Palestinian banks would be cut off from the Israeli financial system. The decision came in response to the "delegitimization campaign" by the Palestinian Authority against Israel globally. (Jerusalem Post)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
Israel and the UN
- UN Fudges the Data on West Bank Violence - Editorial
Who's terrorizing whom in the West Bank? President Biden, backed by UN data, built an unprecedented sanctions regime to address Israeli "settler violence," a suddenly ubiquitous term. But the data doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
A new report by Regavim, an Israeli NGO, scrutinizes the statistics from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on which the Biden case relied. It found that of 6,285 violent incidents by "settlers" from January 2016 through April 2023 listed by the UN, "The UN database includes thousands of clearly non-violent incidents in its count of violent events."
Every visit by Jews to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Judaism's holiest site, is counted as settler violence. So are class trips to archaeological sites, traffic accidents, state infrastructure work and trespassing by hikers. Other incidents are in Jerusalem, which isn't a "settlement."
Filtering out the thousands of such cases leaves 833 alleged incidents of nationalist violence resulting in bodily harm - a definition the UN claims to apply - over the 7-year period. But these include Palestinians harmed in the process of committing terrorist attacks who are listed as victims of settler violence. In about half the 833 cases, the UN also records the victim's "involvement in clashes," leaving it unclear who started it. In 117 of the cases, the UN says Israeli security forces, not settlers, are to blame.
Meanwhile, the Israel Security Agency records 6,068 serious attacks by Palestinians (shootings, stabbings, suicide bombings, etc.) against Israeli civilians over only two years, 2020-22. The picture of the West Bank of wanton violence by Israeli civilians against peaceful Palestinians is an inversion of the daily reality. (Wall Street Journal)
See also Report: "Settler Violence" - A Modern Blood Libel (Regavim)
Iran
- A Final Curtain on the "Axis of Resistance"? - Elfadil Ibrahim
Tehran's grip on Lebanon is loosening. The visit to Beirut of Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reflected Iran's efforts to adapt as its influence wanes and Hizbullah's power diminishes after its punishing war with Israel last fall. Araghchi's public statements avoided direct mentions of Hizbullah, a marked departure from previous speeches that celebrated its centrality to the "Axis of Resistance."
Significantly, he acquiesced to Beirut's insistence that all reconstruction aid flow through state channels, unlike after the 2006 war with Israel, when Iranian funds were channeled directly through Hizbullah, bypassing the Lebanese state.
Araghchi also had a less publicized meeting with Hizbullah's new secretary-general, Naim Qassem, and laid a wreath at the grave of his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, where he proclaimed: "The Zionist regime's defeat is an inevitable matter."
Hizbullah's traditional logistical lifeline, the overland corridor through Syria, which Iran used to funnel weapons and cash to the group via Iraq, was severed with the collapse of the Assad regime in Dec. 2024. In a significant shift, the new Syrian government has engaged in security cooperation with Lebanon explicitly aimed at closing illegal crossings and tightening monitoring of smuggling by Hizbullah.
With international reconstruction aid now explicitly tied to weakening Hizbullah's influence, there is limited space for the group to restore its previous financial and operational standing.
(Responsible Statecraft)
Israel and the West
- UK Sanctions on Israel Are Disgraceful Folly - Editorial
It is one thing for the UK to impose sanctions on autocratic enemies like Russia. But to do the same to a democratic ally is reprehensible. The decision to pick out two members of the Israeli government for prohibition is extraordinary from a government which refuses to proscribe Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or the Muslim Brotherhood. It is unprecedented for Britain to treat politicians serving in the government of a friendly power in this way.
(Telegraph-UK)
See also It Is None of Britain's Business Deciding Who Should Be in the Government of Foreign Nations - Stephen Pollard
The British government has no business deciding who should and should not be in the government of foreign nations. We gave up ordering the colonials around when we stopped running the Empire. I doubt that either of the two Israeli ministers have the least desire to visit a country with a government that so brazenly panders to the anti-Israel brigade.
The hypocrisy is mind-blowing. Qatar funds and houses Hamas. But we do not sanction Qatar. We beg for its money. (Telegraph-UK)
- Sanctions Against Israeli Ministers Show Dangerous Arrogance - Editorial
The decision by the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway to sanction two Israeli ministers is an unprecedented diplomatic step: sanctioning ministers of a democratic ally not for their actions but for their rhetoric. This holds Israel to a standard no other country is held to. For the first time, five democratic countries sanctioned elected officials from another democracy. What arrogance!
Who gets to decide when rhetoric becomes grounds for international punishment?
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that comments by the sanctioned ministers are an "impediment" to a two-state solution. Well, 85% of Jewish Israelis, according to a recent INSS poll, now oppose a two-state solution.
Why? Because they've been mugged by reality - first by the Second Intifada and more recently by Oct. 7. The vast majority of Israelis no longer see two states as a viable path to peace, not because of ideology, but because of bitter experience.
These countries have no problem sitting down with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose government pays monthly salaries to terrorists who murder Israelis. (Jerusalem Post)
- Unfathomable Media Fraud - Seth Mandel
Last month, Israel struck the tunnel under the European Hospital in Gaza in an attempt to eliminate Muhammad Sinwar, the leader of Hamas. News agencies insisted Israel was lying about the presence of Hamas leadership or an underground bunker. Then it turned out that, as usual, Israel was telling the truth.
Israel gave journalists a tour of the underground bunker.
Will these news agencies still continue to platform the fake "experts" who keep making fools of them? News agencies have been sensitive about the fact that most of their "reporting" is regurgitated Hamas press releases, so they quote civil defense officials.
Mahmoud Bassal is a spokesman for a Palestinian agency called Civil Defense. Bassal is a key player in this scam, because news reports can quote him without saying the word "Hamas." On June 8, the IDF revealed recovered Hamas documentation of Bassal's role within the organization.
"According to the documents, Bassal joined Hamas in 2005, became a soldier in 2013, and was promoted to officer in 2020," the Jewish Chronicle reported.
Just imagine how informed the public might have been - and how many fewer Jews attacked in the streets all over the world - had news agencies gotten the story right all along. Instead, the coverage of the war has been a 20-month work of extended fiction produced on behalf of a terrorist group that murders and kidnaps and tortures. (Commentary)
Observations:
- Today, in Gaza, there is no vacuum - there is only Hamas - and despair fills the streets.
The imperative now is twofold: to dismantle Hamas's control from the outside and to erode it from within. This cannot be achieved with bombs alone, but with a competing idea.
- Any talk of installing the current Palestinian Authority is a dangerous fantasy. The PA, in its present form, is widely seen by Palestinians as corrupt and illegitimate. To expect it to govern a hostile Gaza is to invite certain failure. Likewise, the notion that external Arab forces could impose order now is naive. A generation steeped in a jihadist worldview would reject them as invaders.
- The path forward lies in empowering local actors. The powerful clans and families in Gaza are the only available bridge. This is an interim solution, to build the foundation for a durable, long-term resolution. It is about creating the conditions for a legitimate and functional local Gazan administration to emerge.
- Once this local governance is established and the threat of Hamas is neutralized, Israel can reduce its military presence. The final phase would see Israel handing over supervisory responsibilities to a coalition of moderate Arab states, such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, who can help ensure long-term stability and oversee reconstruction.
- For this transitional phase to succeed, Israel must maintain absolute and unwavering freedom of security operations across Gaza. This is not a desire for occupation, but a necessary condition for success. Israeli security control is the temporary scaffolding necessary to protect this nascent structure until it can stand on its own.
The writer, former head of the Counterterrorism Division in the Mossad, is a researcher at the Jerusalem Center.
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