Adverts highlighting Palestinian objections to the Balfour Declaration of 1917, when Britain promised to establish a Jewish national home in Palestine, have been blocked by Transport for London. Theresa May and her Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, are expected to be the guests of honor at a London dinner celebrating the centenary of the declaration, the most high-profile of several events. Israeli officials say it is right to celebrate the centenary and have accused those demanding that Britain apologize for the declaration of being anti-Semitic and ignoring Palestinian hostility and intransigence. (Arutz-7/UK Guardian)
[Comment]

"Despite the nuclear agreement reached with world powers in July 2015, Iran has not given up its illegal activities in Germany. The mullah regime also made efforts this year to obtain material from German firms for its nuclear program and the construction of missiles, said security sources.” They added, "Iran has according to the security sources clearly not given up its long-term goal to become a nuclear power that can mount nuclear weapons on rockets.” Frank Jansen, who is a one of Germany’s most prominent journalists covering counterterrorism, radical Islamism and neo-Nazism, wrote in his Tagesspiegel article: "Security experts say Iran is very interested in equipment to extend the range of missiles. Iran made more than 30 attempts to obtain equipment for its nuclear and missile programs in 2016."

According to thecity state of Hamburg’s intelligence agency: "There is no evidence of a complete about-face in Iran’s atomic polices in 2016” after it signed the nuclear accord the previous year. Iran sought missile delivery technology necessary for its rocket program.” Meanwhile, USA Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged the UN to crack down on Iran's behavior, telling the body that Iran "has repeatedly thumbed its nose" at Security Council resolutions. "Iran hides behind its assertion of technical compliance with the nuclear deal while it brazenly violates the other limits of its behavior, and we have allowed them to get away with it. This must stop,” said Haley. (INN/ (J.Post) [Comment]

 Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely sees the cabinet's decision to freeze diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians as long as Hamas does not reform, as an important breakthrough. She said: "It is clear that over the years of discussion on Palestinian Authority union with Hamas, part of the thought of future negotiations has dealt with the idea that the PA represents only some of the Palestinians and that they are separate from Hamas. This has changed, and therefore the government made a decision that we will not allow the Palestinians to continue telling the world on the one hand that they want peace, and on the other hand to conduct a political campaign against Israel while embracing a terrorist organization. We're not willing to play this game anymore. The Israeli government has made a value-based statement here that has wide implications - even when we sit with the Americans and talk about the future of the region and what we expect. It is no secret that the Americans hoped that a regional agreement could be reached and there is no doubt that this undermines the ability of the Americans to force the Palestinians to come to the negotiating table - because of this situation in which they bound themselves with Hamas terrorists.

"Throughout the years, we have demanded that the Palestinians stop the incitement to terrorism and that the Palestinian Authority stop financing the families of terrorists. We have engaged in this campaign, and some European countries responded to our request to reduce the amount of funds they transfer to the PA, which receives more foreign aid per capita than anywhere else in the world. Also on the issue of recognition of the State of Israel; we have demanded this in all our dialogue and negotiations with the Palestinians. Our basic expectation is that they recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, that we have a historical right here and not only that there happens to be an entity with that name on a map. Our demands are on the PA as well, not just on Hamas." Hotovely said that the signals coming from the White House indicate that the Trump Administration understands the Israeli position, even if this is not explicitly stated. "There are red lines for every country when it wants to negotiate, and in any normalization negotiations, red lines must be drawn. This embrace and partnership with Hamas, which is more than just a political partnership, is such a red line that Israel cannot remain silent about it, and the Americans understand this. Instead we see support from the USA, and the most important issue that concerns us at this time is the Iranian issue," said Hotovely. (Arutz-7)

 In the first detailed USA response to this month’s Palestinian unity deal, Jason Greenblatt, President Trump's special representative for international negotiations, said Thurs. 19 Oct. 2017: "Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognize the State of Israel, accept previous agreements and obligations between the parties - including to disarm terrorists - and commit to peaceful negotiations. If Hamas is to play any role in a Palestinian government, it must accept these basic requirements." Hamas has thus far rejected calls for it to disarm its estimated 25,000 troops in Gaza, even as talks on the unity deal move forward. (Times of Israel/AFP) How tragic that Hamas has used billions of dollars of foreign aid money to build terrorist attack tunnels into Israel to buy and use weapons against the Jewish state, and to pad their own pockets. So much could have been done to build up the suffering Gaza Strip society, to provide jobs, homes, schools, and so much more. Instead, Hamas continues to feed its men, women and children on hate and jihad. An entire population is starving on such a diet. Pray that Hamas will in factbe overthrown and that others with a positive eye towards rebuilding the Gaza Strip and co-operating with Israel will be put in place. [Comment]

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Hezbollah terrorists have entered Germany since mid-2015 as part of the wave of refugees from the Middle East, according to a German intelligence report. The report released this month shows increased membership for Hezbollah in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. North Rhine-Westphalia is home to the Imam-Mahdi Center in the city of Münster, which is a meeting place for Hezbollah members, according to the report. Additional cities where Hezbollah is active in North Rhine-Westphalia are Essen, Bottrop, Dortmund and Bad Oeynhausen, it continued. According to Germany’s federal intelligence agency, there are 950 active Hezbollah operatives in the Federal Republic. USA Canada, Israel and the Netherlands classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. The intelligence document noted that Hezbollah’s goal is the "destruction of the State of Israel as well as Islamic domination over Jerusalem.” (J.Post) Pray according to scripture: "Do not grant the wicked their desires, O Lord; do not let their plans succeed.” Ps.140:8 [Comment]

PM Netanyahu announced Thurs. 12 Oct. 2017 that Israel will be exiting the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) over the organization’s anti-Israeli bias, following a similar announcement by the Trump administration. The leading contender for the post of head of UNESCO is a Qatari delegate. The Simon Wiesenthal Center protested the choice, writing that candidate Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari has repeatedly endorsed anti-Semitic works and denied Jewish connection to Jerusalem. Earlier this year, UNESCO declared the ancient city of Hebron, King David’s first capital and home to the tomb of the biblical patriarchs, an endangered Palestinian heritage site. Last year, UNESCO passed resolutions declaring that Israel has no rights to Jerusalem, and described the Temple Mount and Old City of Jerusalem as Muslim holy sites.

The Prime Minister instructed the Foreign Ministry to prepare Israel's withdrawal from the organization alongside the United States. Netanyahu added that he "welcomes the decision by President Trump to withdraw from UNESCO. This is a courageous and moral decision because UNESCO has become the theater of the absurd and because instead of preserving history it distorts it." The USA decision to leave the UN’s cultural body was met with praise from Israel’s coalition and opposition politicians alike, citing UNESCO’S 'anti-Israel bias'. Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said that "the important decision taken by the USA regarding UNESCO demonstrates a determined struggle against the industry of lies. UNESCO lost its moral mandate with a string of absurd resolutions which distorted history and its time it paid the price." (Artuz-7) [Comment]

The Trump administration announced on Thurs.12 Oct. 2017 that the USA will withdraw from UNESCO, the UN's educational, scientific and cultural body. The Paris-based body is known for designating World Heritage sites like the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and Grand Canyon National Park, but it has struggled for relevance as it becomes increasingly hobbled by regional rivalries and a lack of money. A fight over who will next run the organization highlighted the Trump administration's concerns: one leading candidate, Qatar’s Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kawari, has been openly accused of anti-Semitism by Jewish and Israeli groups. "This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects USA concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO," the State Department said. "I wish to express profound regret at the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from UNESCO," said Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, in response to the USA decision. "Universality is critical to UNESCO’s mission to strengthen international peace and security in the face of hatred and violence, to defend human rights and dignity." Bokova did not address Israel or anti-Semitism - part of the reason for the American exit from the organization. In recent months, UNESCO members have pushed the body to recognize Jerusalem as a holy site exclusive to Muslims, without recognizing its Jewish roots. Trump administration officials such as Nikki Haley, its UN ambassador, have warned for weeks that pulling out would be a possibility if the body fails to reform. (Reuters) [Comment]

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