Middle East Roundup: September 18, 2015

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Declassified CIA report: Israeli offensive in Six-Day War surprised U.S.
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A newly declassified Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) report sheds new light on how the U.S. intelligence community viewed the outbreak of the 1967 Six-Day War, suggesting American officials were surprised by the clashes.

“Hostilities began early this morning,” reads the President’s Daily Brief (PDB) from June 5, 1967, which was classified as Top Secret. The report, in the form of a detailed intelligence summary, was presented to President Lyndon B. Johnson. It notes that “both sides report heavy fighting in the air and between armored forces along the Israeli border with Egypt.”

The brief later indicates that Israel fired the first shot of the war, stating, “Reports are still fragmentary, but the signs point to this as an Israeli initiative.”

It would later become apparent that Israel had indeed taken pre-emptive action after concluding that the diplomatic efforts to end a several-week standoff had failed. Operation Moked, launched in the early hours of that day, essentially decimated Egypt’s air force and secured Israel’s triumph in the war. “Israeli planes raided airfields in Cairo and other areas beginning at about 8:00 a.m. local time (2:00 a.m. Washington time),” the CIA report reads.

The brief is one of the roughly 2,500 PDBs from the Johnson and John F. Kennedy administrations that were officially released by the CIA on Sept. 16, along with a 40-page booklet describing the documents and the PDB process during that period.
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Iceland condemns Israel boycott adopted by its capital city
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A day after Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik passed a municipal bill to boycott all Israeli-made products, the country’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned the city’s decision, saying it was merely symbolic and had no tangible effect on its policies toward Jerusalem.

“The decision does not reflect Iceland’s relationship with Israel,” an Icelandic Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Israel’s Channel 2.

“The city of Reykjavik is just one of 74 local authorities, and like the others, there too the municipal council can determine policy regarding local matters, including matters pertaining to the purchase of products, as long as those policies are not against the law….Obviously, Israelis will be welcome in Iceland, as they have been until now,” added the spokesperson.

The municipality’s boycott bill, which condemned “the racist apartheid policies” of Israelis in the “occupied Palestinian territories,” had sparked a strongly worded response from Israel on Wednesday.

“A volcano of hatred has erupted in the Reykjavik City Council building,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emanuel Nahshon. “For no reason or justification, aside from pure hatred, there are calls to boycott the State of Israel. We hope that someone in Iceland will come to their senses and stop the one-sided blindness against the State of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.”
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European Jewish group mulls legal action over Iceland capital’s Israel boycott
(JNS.org) The European Jewish Congress (EJC) says that it is considering legal action over a decision by the city council in Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik to boycott all products made in Israel.

“This is clearly a discriminatory move and we have already sought advice that it might break international law and treaties,” Dr. Moshe Kantor, president of the EJC, said in a statement.

“Once again we see one nation, over all others, subjected to a ban and boycott, and we would like to ask those that sought this boycott if it is a mere coincidence that this nation also happens to be only Jewish nation in the world,” he said.

According to a symbolic bill passed in a majority vote by the municipality, the city will not purchase any products manufactured in Israel, whether within or beyond the 1967 lines, “as long as the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories continues.” Local businesses in Reykjavik are not obligated to uphold the decision.

“It is time for the Jewish world to fight back and let these people understand that hatred and discrimination cannot come without ramifications,” Kantor said. “There are laws and procedures which should protect a people or a nation from such moves and we will be carefully studying all possible avenues to fight this legally.”
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Israeli-American group names new leaders ahead of national conference
(JNS.org) The Israeli-American Council (IAC), an organization providing various means of support for the estimated Israeli-American population of 500,000-800,000, has named new top professional and lay leaders in advance of the group’s second annual national conference.

Philanthropist and businessman Adam Milstein—president of theAdam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, which supports more than 60 Jewish and pro-Israel organizations—will be the new chairman of the IAC’s board of directors. Shoham Nicolet, a social entrepreneur who co-founded the collaborative messaging platform hivve.me, will be the IAC’s new CEO.

The IAC’s stated mission is “to build an active and giving Israeli-American community throughout the United States in order to strengthen the State of Israel, our next generation, and to provide a bridge to the Jewish-American community.” The organization has regional offices in Los Angeles, Boston, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Las Vegas, and Washington, DC.

“I am honored and excited to assume the IAC chairmanship at this important moment for the Jewish people,” Adam Milstein said. “By educating, engaging, organizing, and mobilizing Israeli-Americans, the IAC will continue to play a vital role in strengthening the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and the U.S.-Israel alliance.”

From Oct. 17-19, the IAC will hold its second National Israeli-American Conference in Washington, DC. Last year’s major speakers included former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and former Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Lieberman.

Nicolet is returning to the IAC staff after previously serving as its founding CEO for four years.

“What began as a conversation amongst a few friends in 2007 has grown into a national movement—and a critical bridge between the U.S. and Israel,” he said.
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U.N. nuclear watchdog rejects resolution singling out Israel
(JNS.org) In a 61-43 vote on Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) General Conference rejected a resolution proposed by several Arab states that called for international supervision and inspections of Israel’s nuclear sites.

The Arab campaign, which was led by Egypt and supported by Qatar, Syria, Libya, Iraq, and Iran, called on Israel to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty and place its nuclear facilities under United Nations supervision. The IAEA is the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog.

The vote to reject the resolution was a strong diplomatic victory for Israel after months of lobbying against the measure in dozens of international capitals. Among those who supported Israel were the United States, Canada, Australia, the entire European Union, and several African and Asian allies of the Jewish state.

During an address to the IAEA on Wednesday, the head of Israel’s Atomic Energy Committee, Ze’ev Snir, warned that the resolution would “hurt the credibility of the IAEA by politicizing the organization and reducing its valuable resources.”
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Christian Zionist group to Rabbinate: reconsider Feast of Tabernacles critique
(JNS.org) The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) expressed disappointment in a letter issued by Israel’s chief rabbis describing the ICEJ’s upcoming Feast of Tabernacles celebration in Jerusalem as a “spiritually dangerous” event that undermines the Jewish faith.

“The ICEJ has always respected and upheld the laws of the State of Israel, including those covering missionary activities, and it is regrettable that the Chief Rabbinate acted solely on the misrepresentations of those bearing false witness against us,” ICEJ said in a statement.

In a letter dated Sept. 3, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau and Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzak Yosef accused the annual celebration by evangelical Christians in Jerusalem of being an effort to convert Jews to Christianity.

“We call on the Jewish community in the Holy Land not to take part in this conference…the event is spiritually dangerous and undermines the nature of Judaism,” the letter said.

Citing its efforts to stand up for Israel across the world through sponsorship of aliyah and fighting anti-Semitism, ICEJ defended its relationship and support for Israel as a Jewish state, noting that it has always been warmly welcomed in Jerusalem in keeping with the biblical tradition of welcoming gentiles during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

“It is thus a shame that some are trying to scare the Israeli public against us,” ICEJ said. “We trust that the Chief Rabbinate will reconsider this decision, which could do much harm to the new level of close Jewish-Christian relations that have developed over the past 60 years.”

ICEJ’s Feast of Tabernacles draws thousands of Christians from across the world. This year’s event is scheduled to be held at Jerusalem’s Payis Arena from Sept. 27-Oct 2.
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Anne Coulter blasted for ‘f—ing Jews’ debate tweet
(JNS.org) Politically conservative pundit Anne Coulter sparked controversy during Wednesday’s Republican primary debate by tweeting, “How many f—ing Jews do these people think there are in the United States?”

Coulter was criticizing the numerous references to Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made by the GOP candidates. Before the controversial tweet, Coulter tweeted about former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, writing, “Good Grief, Huckabee is running for prime minister of Israel.” She later also tweeted, “How to get applause from GOP donors: 1) Pledge to start a war 2) Talk about job creators 3) Denounce abortion 4) Cite Reagan 5) Cite Israel.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement that Coulter’s “messages challenging the candidates’ support for Israel were offensive, ugly, spiteful, and borderline anti-Semitic. Her tweets give fodder to those who buy into the anti-Semitic notions that Jews ‘control’ the U.S. government, wield disproportionate power in politics, and are more loyal to Israel than to their own country. All decent Americans should reject Ms. Coulter’s rhetoric as simply beyond the pale.”

This is not the first time Coulter has been accused of anti-Semitism. In a 2007 interview on thevCNBC network’s “The Big Idea,” Coulter told Jewish host Donny Deutsch that her dream is to see America be an entirely Christian nation, and that Jews should “be perfected, as they say” by converting to Christianity.

Christians United for Israel (CUFI) called Coulter’s latest tweets “completely inappropriate.”

“The U.S.-Israel relationship is both a moral and strategic imperative. There are tens of millions of Christians in this country who stand with the Jewish state. Perhaps Ms. Coulter has forgotten that Israel is America’s stalwart front-line ally in the war against radical Islam and that the Jewish state upholds the very values Americans hold dear,” CUFI said on Facebook.
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GOP candidates express Israel support, slam Iran deal and Putin during debate
(JNS.org) Republican presidential candidates offered their views on Israel, the Middle East, and Iran during the second GOP primary debate on Wednesday night.

A first and second-tier debates were held one after the other, with the first-tier debate including the three leading candidates in the polls—business mogul Donald Trump, neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. Recent polls indicate that those three candidates hold a combined 51 percent of the Republican public’s vote.

“On day one in the Oval Office, I will make two phone calls, the first to my good friend to Bibi Netanyahu,” Fiorina said in the debate. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush said the U.S. must make sure that Israel has “the most sophisticated weapons to send a signal to Iran that we have Israel’s back.”

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said President Barack Obama is “more respectful to the ayatollah in Iran than he is to the prime minister of Israel.” With regard to the Iran nuclear deal, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he would cancel the accord on his first day in office as president. Ohio Governor John Kasich called the deal a “bad agreement,” but did not advocate its cancelation.

“I would never have done it, but canceling it would be playing to a crowd,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said it would be “absurd” to “cut it (the Iran deal) up without looking to see whether or not Iran has complied.”

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee said the nuclear deal “threatens Israel immediately, this threatens the entire Middle East, but it threatens the United States of America. And we can’t treat a nuclear Iranian government as they have sponsored terrorist groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, and they threaten the very essence of Western civilization.”

Cruz promised to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem if he is elected.

Trump addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose military forces have recently entered Syria, saying that Putin “has absolutely no respect for President Obama. Zero.”

“I will get along—I think—with Putin, and I will get along with others, and we will have a much more stable world,” said Trump.

Putin is “trying to reverse the fall of the Soviet Union, and exploiting a vacuum that this administration has left in the Middle East,” added Rubio.

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