Senior Arab MP: Neither Hamas nor Fatah Recognize Israel

Leaders of the Hamas terrorist group made it clear last week they would never recognize the existence of the nation of Israel. In an interview with the Arab news agency Ma'an, Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar said that while Hamas would be willing to accept an Arab state within the "1967 borders", Hamas would never recognize Israel since such a move would counter the group's aim to "liberate" all of "Palestine". The Hamas leader said that recognizing Israel would jeopardize the right of return for Arab 'refugees' who have been "exiled" from the land since 1948 when Israel was recognized by the United Nations. If only Arabs in Judea and Samaria and Gaza are considered citizens of an Arab state, he continued, "what will be the fate of the five million Palestinians [sic] in the Diaspora?" At the same time, the Hamas leader confirmed the decision reached with Fatah to maintain the truce with Israel, calling the move "part of the resistance, not a cancellation," and noting that "truce is not peace." The Hamas leader, however, reiterated that the truce was "part of the resistance not its rejection," adding that a "truce is not peace." Speaking in an interview with the Iranian news service FNA, a senior Arab legislator and member of the Fatah terrorist group underlined on Monday that Fatah and Hamas share the same view on Israel as neither one recognizes the Israeli regime as a state. "No one in Fatah and Hamas movements recognizes Israel," Abdullah Abdullah told FNA when asked if the so-called Fatah-Israel peace talks would continue, given Hamas's opposition to the process. [This is in direct opposition to what the United States, Britain and others proclaim regarding Fatah's stance on recognizing Israel.--ed] The comments came as Arabs and the international community await details of a unity agreement signed by Hamas and its former rival Fatah. The deal, signed in Cairo on May 4, paved the way for the creation of a unity government that will see the Hamas-led government in Gaza and the Fatah-led cabinet in Judea and Samaria dissolved and replaced by a single cabinet of independent technocrats. The new body will set a path to elections within the year, as committees established by the deal work to unify the Arab security forces in the two Arab-occupied territories and set a government platform which will include the reconstruction of Gaza. Already, officials announced that a deal had been made which will see the release of political prisoners from both areas within the week.

Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Masha'al this week warned Israel that it has one more year to recognize an independent Arab state. If Israel fails to do so, Hamas will "add new cards to the resistance," Masha'al told a group of young Egyptians who took part in the recent overthrow of dictator Hosni Mubarak. Ma'an further quoted Masha'al as saying the Arab state Israel recognizes must include 100 percent of Judea, Samaria, and the entire eastern half of Jerusalem. Israeli leaders say the reconciliation agreement and the possible formation of unity government including Hamas and Abbas's Fatah group has effectively killed all chances of a bilateral peace agreement. Israelis also argue that the deal is further evidence of the true goals of Abbas and his allegedly "moderate" leadership.

Representatives of Arab groups will meet in Cairo next week, where committees of delegates will be appointed to see through the implementation of a unity deal signed in the Egyptian capital the previous week. Head of the coalition of independent figures Abdul-Aziz Shiqaqi said in a statement Monday that the first committee to be appointed would be charged with the construction of a new PA/PLO cabinet, including prime minister and cabinet posts. Four other committees will also be appointed, Shiqaqi's statement said, to lay down rules and guidelines for elections, to restructure the PA/PLO, to reformulate a national security force and a fourth to create and maintain an atmosphere of unity, likely to include a commission on the release of political prisoners. "The new cabinet, according to the agreement signed in Cairo, will prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections, resolve internal conflicts resulting from long years of rivalry, rebuild the Gaza Strip, and re-unite the institutions of the Palestinian Authority," Shiqaqi said. Following the appointment of the committees and the launch of their work, Shiqaqi said an Egyptian delegation would visit the Gaza Strip and supervise the implementation of the agreement, and oversee any "obstacles that come up."

Last week, 27 US Senators sent a letter to US President Barack Obama demanding that US financial aid to the PA/PLO be halted if Hamas is brought back into the government. "It is imperative for you to make clear to Abbas that Palestinian Authority participation in a unity government with an unreformed Hamas will jeopardize its relationship with the United States, including its receipt of US aid," wrote the senators. All Republican senators and about half of Democratic senators support cutting aid to a PA/PLO that includes Hamas. The lawmakers reminded Obama that it is actually illegal to give US aid to those listed as terrorists by the US State Department, which Hamas is [although it does give aid to Fatah, whose sub-group, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, is designated as a terrorist organization by the State Department-ed]. [FNA, Ma'an, Ha'aretz]

US Seeks Path to Avoid 'Hamas Issue' for PA/PLO Aid

On Monday, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner opened some wiggle room on the issue of US aid to the PA/PLO in which Hamas participates. Criticizing Israel for withholding transfer of the tax revenue it collects on behalf of the PA/PLO because of the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation deal, Toner admonished Jerusalem for being premature, saying that the Obama administration is "waiting to see what this reconciliation agreement looks like in practical terms before we make any decisions about future assistance", i.e., how to get around the issue of providing financial aid to an organization assisting a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). US law prohibits providing "material support or resources" to a designated FTO which appears on its terrorist list, as Hamas does. But while lawmakers in the US Congress appear to be firm that there is no way around the law unless and until Hamas recognizes Israel, renounces terror, and accepts agreements signed by previous governments -- the criteria set down by the Middle East Quartet (United States, United Nations, European Union, and Russia) -- concern is growing that the Obama administration is looking for a formula that will allow the law to be circumvented. The issue has the potential to be a point of contention between Congress and the White House. France is responding to Israel's withholding of tax revenue with criticism of the Jewish state and a $14.2 million gift to the PA/PLO to help pay salaries.

PA/PLO Prime Minister Fayyad said Wednesday that he was considering taking the issue of Israel's withholding of Arab tax revenues to the United Nations Security Council. His comments came following a meeting of the executive committee of the PA/PLO. Israel decided at the beginning of the month not to transfer more than $100 million in customs and tax revenues it normally collects at its ports on behalf of the PA/PLO on goods imported by Arabs and destined to the Arab-occupied territories. It cited the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas as the reason for its decision. The PA/PLO, which normally receives the money at the beginning of every month, uses it to pay salaries to over 150,000 public employees. The Israeli decision made it impossible for the PA/PLO to pay April salaries. Fayyad appealed to the international community for help in getting Israel to release the money. Despite statements from the UN, the IMF, and the World Bank to the contrary, Fayyad said the PA/PLO was already facing a very difficult financial situation even before Israel withheld the April transfers. He warned of a dire situation in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza if Israel does not release the money soon. The PA/PLO prime minister added that the authority has been facing a $30 million deficit every month so far this year, and had a $100 million outstanding deficit from last year. At the same time, the PA/PLO pays more than $200 million every month in salaries and financial assistance to impoverished and most needy Arab families.

Meanwhile, Padico Holding, an investment company led by Palestine Legislative Council member Munib Masri, said on Tuesday it will sell $70 million in bonds in a private placement. The proceeds will be used in infrastructure development projects in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, including a power station planned for northern Samaria and a tourism and real estate project in Jericho, the company said. The bond sale comes as the PA/PLO is engaged in a two-pronged effort to create a modern economy in Judea and Samaria and win worldwide recognition for an independent Arab country in the midst of Israel by the United Nations General Assembly. "This is a new [financial] tool in Palestine," Masri told The Media Line. "In September, we are going to declare Palestine a state and this will be a nice gift for institutional building. This will definitely give a boost to the economy over the coming four years." [The Media Line, WAFA, Ha'aretz]

Defense News Around the Middle East

Due to the recent political upheaval in the region, the US State Department and the US Department of Defense are reviewing its defense trade relationships with countries in the Middle East and even putting some of them on hold. The United States has put "on pause" some of its planned transactions with countries in the region, James Miller, principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, told the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs during a May 12 hearing. As to the long term, the Obama administration is looking at the implications for defense trade on a country-by-country basis, as well as assessing the region as a whole, he said. The majority of US military aid to the region goes to Israel. [It is important to note that the bulk of this aid must be spent in the United States with US military contractors. In addition. many times Israel makes advanced technological improvements to US-made military equipment which it then provides to the US at no cost. This was the case, for instance, with the Patriot missile system the US provided to Israel during the 1990-91 Persian Gulf war. Many times the US also works in conjunction with Israel on military equipment projects.--ed] The United States also provides military financing to Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Bahrain, and Yemen. During his speech to the Defense Trade Advisory Group at the State Department, Andrew Shapiro, the assistant secretary at the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, emphasized that arms transfers are used as tools to advance US foreign policy goals. However, members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee expressed concern that arms sales to certain countries may no longer advance US foreign policy interests. Committee Chair Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), wanted assurance that all sales to the region comply with the Conventional Arms Transfer Policy. Each sale goes through review before any deal is made, responded Ellen Tauscher, undersecretary for arms control and international security at the State Department.

Although Israel has been the Middle East's predominant military power, recent wars have exposed its main weakness: the vulnerability of its population centers to missile attacks. Since 2001 there have been more than 9,000 rocket and mortar attacks on Israel from terrorists in Gaza. These groups include Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Popular Resistance Committees, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hamas, and the Western-backed Fatah. These attacks have spurred the development of missile defense as a critical part of the Israeli arsenal. Israel has put together a multilayered shield designed to intercept rockets and missiles capable of striking it from as close as the Gaza Strip and as far away as Iran, reflecting concern that future conflicts will target Israel's civilian population centers. At Palmachim air base in central Israel, soldiers in a fortified control room are training to activate a cornerstone of this shield -- the Arrow missile defense system, meant to protect Israel from its enemy Iran's expanding array of missiles. The Arrow, produced jointly by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. and Chicago-based Boeing Co. at a cost of more than $1 billion, is being deployed in Israel after successful tests in both Israel and the US It has not been tested in combat, but the system is already in its third generation, having been fine-tuned to deal with increasingly complicated threats. The Arrow was designed to counter Iran's Shahab ballistic missile, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and whose range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), puts Israel well within striking distance. Despite Iranian denials, Israel is convinced Iran is developing nuclear weapons.

In order to demonstrate Israel's capabilities, the military took foreign journalists Thursday to the Palmachim air force base for a rare look at its latest air defense weapons. A highlight was the Iron Dome system, which in its first operational deployment last month successfully intercepted rockets fired at southern Israeli cities by Arab terrorists in the Gaza Strip. Designed to defend against short-range rockets that can travel up to 45 miles, the Iron Dome is the bottom tier of Israel's multi-layered missile defense system, which also includes the Arrow for long-range ballistic threats and a system under development known as David's Sling, designed to intercept medium-range rockets and missiles. During terrorist attacks from Gaza in April, two newly deployed Iron Dome batteries downed eight of nine rockets fired at the southern cities of Ashkelon and Beersheba. The system had a 100 percent interception rate when it was test-fired, according to a Defense Ministry spokesman, who added that it could be considered "a game changer" in Israel's confrontation with Gaza terrorists. Defense Ministry director general Maj. Gen. (res.) Udi Shani says that Israel plans to invest nearly $1 billion in the coming years for the development and production of Iron Dome rocket interception batteries. Israeli critics have cautioned that a full deployment of the system may prove too costly, as well as inadequate to protect large metropolitan areas. They have also described the system's reaction time as too slow at very short ranges, including distances of less than 2.5 miles near the Gaza border. Shani told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz this week that five countries have expressed an interest in Iron Dome, spurred by its success on the Gaza front, but he did not elaborate.

In addition to the Iron Dome there are plans to invest, over the coming five years, another $1 billion in the continued development of Magic Wand, a medium-level missile interception system developed by Rafael, the maker of the Iron Dome system. "Along with the third system, Arrow Mark III, whose development is done with the Americans," Shani added, "it will be the largest technological development project in the field of missile interception in the world. The success of Iron Dome has increased interest. Five countries have issued requests for information about the system."

Meanwhile there are delays in the production of the new Air Force fighter the F-35, and these will affect its effective entry into the IAF. The delay may be as long as three years, with the first aircraft arriving in 2018. "During the last visit by [US] Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to Israel a month ago, we were told that the delay may be shorter than they originally thought. In any case, I am not nervous about it," Shani said. "This [delay] may actually serve our interests. I favor an aircraft with as many Israeli-made systems as possible," he added. "We will see how they try to meet our requests over this time. In the original timetable, it was argued that there was no time [to incorporate Israeli systems into the Israeli F-35s]. We will hear their conclusions and I expect a dialogue with the Americans over the new timetable and the changes." The idea that the Air Force will, in the meantime, acquire another squadron of F-15s in order to meet the gap that will be created "is not relevant." The delay may mean that in the future there will be more aircraft coming to Israel in a shorter period of time, and the numbers procured may rise from 20 to 30.

The Defense Ministry is also set to invest millions to upgrade Israel's space communication capabilities, to enable reconnaissance and surveillance satellites used by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) to provide real-time intelligence. As things stand, Israeli satellites can only download their data when they fly directly over Israel which can mean a delay of up to 90 minutes, a critical handicap in times of conflict. Israel currently operates the Ofek 9, Ofek 7, and the Ofek 5 satellites, as well as the advanced TecSar satellite which is one of only a handful in the world that uses advanced radar technology instead of a camera. The IDF also receives services from two commercially owned satellites known as Eros A and B. Sources in the IDFs C4I Directorate said on Tuesday, however, that one of the current drawbacks for Israel was its inability to download footage taken by a satellite before it completes its 90-minute orbit across the Earth when it can link up to one of Israel's satellite ground stations. Currently, Israel's satellite coverage is considered fairly comprehensive due to the relatively high number of satellites it operates in space. With at least four military-designated satellites, the IDF can continuously track targets or areas of interest by having satellites fly over them at short intervals. To facilitate the data transfer back to Israel, the Defense Ministry is considering launching a communications satellite that will be solely used for military purposes. Such a project is considered ambitious and extremely expensive. In the meantime, the country is moving forward with plans to launch the Amos-4 communications satellite, which will augment two communications satellites currently in space, in early 2013. Built by Israel Aerospace Industries, the 4.2-ton Amos is said to be more capable that its three predecessors. The satellite has 10 antennas which will provide coverage over Africa, Asia and Europe. One of the 10 antennas is a multi-beam antenna, and two of the others are dual band and wideband antennas, which can transmit and receive on two different frequencies.

Iran has largely defeated United Nations' sanctions and continues to develop ballistic missiles, enrich uranium, and test rocket-delivery systems, according to a UN report. The report, leaked to the Associated Press, said the sanctions had made it "costlier and riskier" for Iran to acquire the technology and equipment it needed for its nuclear and missile activities. But, the investigation asserted, Iran was able to circumvent the sanctions by using front companies to conceal shipments, financial transactions, and the transfer of conventional arms and related materiel from abroad. Syria, its neighbor and closest ally, was fingered as its biggest facilitator in exporting conventional weapons. The final report was to be officially released on Thursday.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced on Sunday that Iran plans to produce long-range anti-aircraft missile systems, but meantime dismissed the speculations that Tehran is working on plans to develop an Iranian version of the Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missile shield. Speaking to reporters here in Tehran, Vahidi announced that Tehran has no plan to produce S-300 or S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, but at the same time stressed Iran's resolve to produce other indigenous long-range air defense systems. An Iranian top military commander had announced several months ago that Tehran is able to replace the Russian-made anti-aircraft S-300 missiles with other air defense systems. Code named 'the SA-20 Gargoyle' by NATO, the S-300 system is a mobile land-based system designed to detect and shoot down aircraft within a 120 kilometer (75 mile) distance. The advanced version of the S-300 missile system, called S-300PMU1 (SA-20 Gargoyle), has a range of over 150 kilometers (over 100 miles) and can intercept ballistic missiles and aircraft at low and high altitudes, making the system an effective tool for warding off possible air strikes.

Senior Iranian military officials announced on Monday that the country's latest home-made missile system, Sayyad 2, has been deployed in all air-defense units across the country. Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli told FNA that the new air-defense system would boost the capabilities of Iran's air-defense units to a large degree. As regards the capabilities of the new missile system, Esmayeeli stated that the system will "increase the range, altitude and tracking and interception power of the country's missile shield". Iran had earlier unveiled Sayyad 1 surface-to-air missile which is a two-staged air defense missile that is capable of destroying targets with low Radar Cross Section (RCS) at low and medium altitudes. The system enjoys the capability to defuse jamming and electronic warfare attacks. Sayyad 2 is an upgraded version and enjoys higher precision, range and destruction power compared with its previous version. In April, Iran successfully test-fired two mid-range Hawk missiles named "Shahin" capable of tracing and targeting aggressive aircraft at low and medium altitudes. The two Shahin missiles were launched from a home-made air defense system named "Mersad". The Mersad air defense shield is a completely indigenized system developed by the Iranian experts and technicians to promote the country's combat power. The system was deployed in all Army air-defense units on Sunday to boost the country's air-defense power. The Mersad system equipped with Shahin missiles is capable of tracing and targeting any enemy aircraft at 70 to 150 kilometers (43.5 to 93 miles) altitude and is considered as a mid-altitude system among the country's missile defense shields.

Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army Brigadier General Abdul-Rahim Mousavi announced that the Army plans to test its ground forces' mobility in massive military exercises in the next few days. Mousavi said that the joint drills, dubbed as "Jafar Tayyar (AS)" will be held in Iran's Southeastern regions from Shabbat and will last for a week. The commander announced that multi-purpose ground units, offensive choppers, airborne logistics and transportation units, Air Force bombers and fighter jets and air defense units will participate in the drills. As regards the objectives of the military drills, Mousavi stated, "Tactics for rapid deployment and redeployment, consecutive rearrangement and reformation and engagement in multiple-front confrontations will be exercised in the drills." He further said that Army will also assess the efficiency and mobility of its forces as well as the flexibility and dynamicity of the structure of its forces in the drills. [Defense News, The Washington Post, Haaretz, FNA, The Media Line, Jerusalem Post, AP]

EU Lawmakers Sign-on for New Gaza Flotilla

Several European Union lawmakers have pledged to take part in a new flotilla, with organizers saying that their status will help protect others on board. On Tuesday the organizers of the new Gaza flotilla vowed to carry out their plan to break an Israeli naval blockade and deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, in what an Israeli official warned would be a "political provocation." The flotilla is expected to reach the waters off Gaza in the third week of June, Greek organizer Vangelis Pissias said at a press conference hosted by EU parliamentarians in Strasbourg. The attempt comes one year after a similar flotilla, carrying armed terrorists, attempted to break through Israel's naval blockade. The ships will allegedly carry school materials, medical equipment, and possibly construction equipment for Gaza citizens, according to organizer Manuel Tapial. Israel's ambassador to the EU, Ran Curiel, insisted in a separate press conference in Strasbourg that his country is well within its rights, noting that it had intercepted a German-owned cargo ship carrying weapons for Arab terrorists in March. He also called on the flotilla organizers to bring their materials to Gaza through approved land-based routes. "In our view, the flotilla is clearly a political provocation, ... since there's no need for a flotilla to aid Gaza," Curiel said. "You can pass whatever you want to Gaza through normal channels." [Haaretz]

PA/PLO TV Presents Female Terrorist as Role Model for Women

Last week PA/PLO TV rebroadcast a clip from a 2010 Arab world TV campaign which among others presents terrorist Dalal Mughrabi as a role model to women. Mughrabi was a PLO terrorist who was involved in the 1978 Coastal Road massacre which killed 38 civilians, including 13 children. In the Arab campaign she is venerated as a role model for "martyrdom" and "victory over enmity". Another role model presented was Al Khansa, a 7th century Arab poet who celebrated her four sons's martyrdom deaths in battle. She is praised as an example of "resolve" and "martyrdom and giving". As reported by PMW, a TV clip presenting several "model women" was broadcast on more than 50 Arab TV stations in November and December 2010, including PA/PLO TV, as part of a TV campaign to "support women's issues" in the Arab world. The clip is part of the "White Hands Campaign -- the largest media campaign to support women's issues," which is organized by "the Arab Producers Union for TV (APUTV)", according to the campaign's English Web site. When PMW first reported on this campaign, the Web site listed the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as part of the campaign's organizers and carried the organization's logo. Following PMW's exposure of the UN's stated involvement in the campaign, UNFPA issued a press release "disavowing" its involvement in the campaign. The campaign has since removed the UNFPA logo from its Web site. The Web site explains that "women are essential partners and important actors for the development of society," and mentions that one of the campaign's objectives is "to bring about distinguished women samples that have offered great services to society." It further states that "societies signal distinguished samples of personalities with pride, and reflect the spotlights on them in order for them [Arab women] to take an inspirational course for generations to come. Arabic societies, like other societies, highly appreciate figures where great virtues of giving transcend in different fields, and there is nothing greater than distinguished women in our societies, as they are great models to be followed by the old or the young, these women can be the working farmers, the teachers, the doctors, the engineers, the scientists, the lawyers, the activists in all fields whether social or political, they are the ones to sacrifice, and in all of their cases, they are the mothers!" The campaign's English Web site also states that "APUTV works under the umbrella of the Arab League, and through the Arab Ministers Information Council." APUTV's official headquarters are in Cairo, Egypt. [PMW]

PA/PLO Official Says: Right of Return Will Not Be Compromised

PLO official Zakaria Al-Agha, who heads the PA/PLO 'refugees' affairs department, said Thursday that no one had the right to deny refugees the right to return, as enshrined in UN resolution 194 of 1948. Al-Agha noted that despite issuing the resolution, the international community has not facilitated the return of Arabs who were expelled who have been scattered around the world for 63 years [due to the unwillingness of any Arab nation to take them in]. He said a series of activities were planned to mark the "Nakba" -- the Arab observance of the alleged expulsion of an estimated 700,000 Arabs from their homes during the creation of the State of Israel -- commemorated on Sunday. Arabs from all groups would commemorate Nakba together this year, Al-Agha said, and simultaneous events would be held in Ram'Allah and Gaza City. Only the Palestinian flag would fly to express the nation's unity on the right of 'refugees' to return. Arabs in 'refugee' camps in other countries will also hold activities to mark their alleged expulsion. Al-Agha said a petition signed by millions of Arab 'refugees' around the world would be presented to the UN, demanding their right to return home.

Arab leaders are fond of restating the actual facts of the 'refugee' situation. First of all, the original number of Arab 'refugees' who left Israel was, as Al-Agha stated, approximately 700,000 ( but now claims there are millions in the camps), but what he failed to mention, as all Arab leaders do, is that the number of Jews who were forced out of Arab countries at the same time was much larger. (The Arab refugees, by the way, were not "expelled" from their land by the Jews, as the Arabs like to tell it. They were told to leave by their own leaders, who believed they would quickly defeat Israel in the war of 1948 and then those people could return to their homes. When that didn't happen their leaders left them to fend for themselves in UN-created refugee camps.) While Israel absorbed many of the Jewish refugees (some preferred to go to other countries, such as the US and throughout Europe), the Arab nations have continually refused to accept any of the Arab refugees, preferring instead to keep them in "refugee camps" to be used as political pawns. Even the UN body created to help the refugees -- UNRWA -- has worked to keep them living in poverty for more than 60 years in UN-created "refugee camps".) Arab leaders also try to use UN Resolution 194 as proof that Arab refugees have a "right to return" to their homes in Israel. What they fail to mention is that the refugee situation is a small part of the Resolution. In addition, the Resolution makes no distinction between Arab refugees and Jewish refugees. See "UN Resolution 194 and the Refugee Problem". [Ma'an]