Friday September 30, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

An Egyptian court overruled a lower court and permitted an agreement which transferred back to Saudi Arabia two Islands in the Red Sea at the mouth of the Gulf of Eilat of Aqaba.

The agreement, which was signed during a visit of the King of Saudi Arabia to Cairo in April 2016, sparked the largest protests in Egypt since Al Sisi seized power in 2014. The agreement transferred Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia.

A lower court had earlier annulled the agreement. This court rejected that agreement. So the agreement now stands as it was signed.

This agreement also had both Saudi Arabia and Egypt negotiating with Israel which also controlled the island and wants to make certain the mouth of the Red Sea remains opens.

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Thursday September 29, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

An Egyptian lawyer took off his shoe and started beating an Imam on live TV.

The Imam, who is from Australia, argued that a woman's headscarf is just a cultural tradition and not a legal or a religious tradition. The lawyer insisted that that it was, instead, a religious obligation.

During the conversation the lawyer took off his shoe and stood up and started hitting the Imam. The stage crew sprinted in to separate the men.

Afterward the host apologized to the viewers and said that he should have done a better job of moderating the conversation and keeping distance between his guests.

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Wednesday September 28, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

The leader of Hezbollah, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, told his followers that Wahabi Islam is worse than Israel. Wahabi is the sect of Islam most commonly practiced in Saudi Arabia and is most influential in directing its education and even Islamic policies

Nasrallah said: "Wahabism is more evil than Israel, especially [in] that it seeks to destroy others and eliminate whatever thing that has to do with Islam and its history."

This is more than a simple comment and a passing attack from a Shiite about Sunni Islam.

This was a cry to make certain that in the battle which is raging in Syria and Iraq the Wahabi Muslims are the enemy of Hezbollah Shiite Islam.

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Tuesday September 27, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Everyone is talking and thinking about presidential elections. And not just the US presidential election.

Iran is also having elections -- they are scheduled for May.

The former and infamous Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed interest in running, once again, for the presidency in Iran.

Yesterday Ahmadinejad met with the Supreme Leader and asked not only permission to run but also for his support. In Iran it is de rigueur to meet with the Supreme Leader. Without the blessing of the Grand Ayatollah no one can win the presidential election in Iran.

The Supreme Leader denied Ahmadinejad's request.

The Grand Ayatollah told Ahmadinejad that his running would divide Iran and that was unacceptable at this time.

This effectively ruins Ahmadinejad's candidacy for president, at least for the moment. May is not yet upon us. And no one knows what will happen over the next few months.

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Monday 26, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Yesterday Iran introduced their first credit card.

There are three different categories for the credit card. A $3,000 limit, a $10,000 limit and a $15,000 limit.

Iran is easing the credit cards into their country in the hope that it will help stimulate the economy - especially the banking system. The country needs to jump start its internal purchases.

There is an important issue still at hand.

Islam rejects the concept of interest which is exactly how credit cards work. That is the reason Iran and other Islamic countries have until now shunned the credit card.

Is business trumping religion? I wonder how long credit cards will last in Iran.

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Sunday September 25, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Yesterday a Federal Court in Alexandria VA convicted Ardit Ferizi of hacking for ISIS.

This is the first case in which a person has been convicted of hacking and helping a terror group. Ferizi is a native of Kosovo and was arrested in Malaysia. From there he was extradited to the US to stand trial.

Ferizi stole the records of over a 100,000 people from a retailer in the US and identified 1,351 US members of the military and federal employees to be targeted by ISIS.

He knew that ISIS was going to attack them and "hit them hard." He pleaded guilty to the charges.

"Ferizi admitted to stealing the personally identifiable information of over 1,000 U.S. service members and federal employees and providing it to [ISIS] with the understanding that they would incite terrorist attacks against those individuals."

ISIS is working hard to attack the US - and attack in as many ways as possible.

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Friday September 23, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Last Tuesday Israel launched spy satellite Ofek 11. This satellite launch brings the total of Israeli spy satellites to ten.

When the spy satellite was launched, it was malfunctioning. That's a problem. The satellite was unable to send pictures back to earth to be analyzed by Israeli defense intelligence teams.

But yesterday, Thursday, we got a report that the Ofek11 was online and transmitting very clear pictures.

The coming on line of the satellite allowed the Israeli teams to breathe a deep sigh of relief. It is very hard to fix a satellite from earth - but it seems that is exactly what they did.

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Thursday September 22, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Simon Collis, the British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, converted to Islam. This week Collis and his wife, who is of Syrian descent and is also a Muslim, performed the Hajj - the pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Saudi press has been filled with compliments for Collis.

There has been a ripple effect throughout the rest of the Arabic world.

Collis, in explaining his decision, said that he spent the past 30 years living in Muslim cultures.

Although conversion is a personal matter, Collis' conversion is clearly important to the Arabic world and they are literally holding Collis up as a hero within Islam.

On the other hand, I am certain that people in White Hall, the center of the British foreign office, are very concerned about this very public conversion and the attention it is getting in the press throughout the world.

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Wednesday September 21, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Russia and Egypt are in the midst of a serious trade crisis.

Russia is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat and Egypt is the largest importer of wheat in the world.

In August a shipment of Russian wheat arrived in Egypt contaminated with a common fungus called ergot. Egypt rejected the shipment.

Then Russia rejected Egyptian citrus fruit saying that the fruit shipment was potentially rotten.

Now a special Egyptian delegation is off to Moscow to solve the problem. But Egypt will not accept tainted wheat. There is no doubt that ergot ruins wheat, but Egypt has been filling part of Russia's fruit needs since the breakdown of Russian Turkey relations earlier this year.

Egypt needs both to get Russia's wheat and to sell them fruit. Russia is in the driver's seat in this dialogue. Is anyone surprised?

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Tuesday September 20, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Yesterday in Riga, Latvia the Israeli embassy and the Latvians conducted an important drill. They simulated a full blown hostage situation.

This Latvian drill comes on the heels of a drill in Rumania and another one conducted in Kiev, Ukraine. There was also a drill in Greece.

Israel needs to drill because the possibility of a hostage crisis is everywhere. These locations utilized the host communities to practice so that both the host country and Israel can be as well trained as possible.

Every single Israeli embassy and consulate around the world has been regularly training and drilling so that, when the situation arises, they will be ready and able to protect themselves.

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Monday September 19, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

A recent poll in France reveals two very interesting and important pieces of information about Muslims who live in France.

30% of those surveyed said that Islamic law is more important than French law and that one should follow Sharia over French law.

The next interesting point is that it has been assumed that 10% of the 64 million people in France were Muslims. This poll halves that number and puts it at 3 to 4 million Muslims in France.

The information in the poll is important to process. It is clear that Muslims in France are less and less likely to buy into the national values of freedom, equality and fraternity.

It is also important to realize that an entire educational message needs to be directed at teaching about the importance of the Republic.

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Sunday September 18, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

A massive crisis has engulfed Algeria. It is called "mapgate."

An educational textbook identified Israel by name on a map. It did not use the word Palestine. There are calls for the minister of education to resign. The Islamic parties are livid.

The books have been recalled.

The explanation given for the choice of Israel over Palestine was that the labeling was a mistake - that there was no intention of labeling the area Israel and not Palestine. The minister blamed the publishing house. The head of the publishing house apologized for offending Algeria sensibilities. It was called "a lapse and unintentional mistake."

The publisher said that the author was on deadline and downloaded a map from the internet without checking it.

The hatred towards Israel is so great in Algeria that they are jumping through hoops to try to justify using the name Israel. Israel, in Islamic Algeria, is quite simply an unacceptable word.

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Friday September 16, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Next week Israel will conduct a national drill. It will be as realistic as possible.

The Home Front Command is enacting a drill that will simulate a multi-front simultaneous attack against Israel. There will be attacks from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, the Golan Heights and from Iran. 95% of the rockets will not hit residential areas but 1%-5% will definitely land and cause damage.

The most important part of the drill is getting emergency teams to the people and places in need and providing the necessary triage to get the wounded to the proper trauma centers.

These drills are so important.

Israel needs to constantly keep themselves as on top of their game as possible. At any time, on any day, the enemies of Israel can strike. Israel needs to be prepared.

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Thursday September 15, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

The French are working overtime to prevent terror. Just in the last week they prevented two terror attacks that were in the works from being carried out.

Yesterday France made public the arrest of a 15 year old. This teen had links to the notorious terrorist organizer Rachid Kassim. Kassim is one of the leaders of ISIS in France and has been linked to at least four, mass murder, terror plots since June.

The French have expanded their defensive net and are arresting people who are vulnerable to ISIS messages coming out of Syria and Iraq. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve explained that the arrest of the teen was part of a larger program to target people vulnerable to "calls to carry out killings, led by certain members of Syrian actors."

This of course means that the French have broken the terrorists' communication code because, as the Interior Minister said, they "use encrypted means to encourage increasingly young people."

There is no doubt France has picked up their game. But there is still room for improvement, especially in the areas of sharing intel and info.

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Wednesday September 14, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Al Qaeda just released a new video in honor of the anniversary of 9-11.

The video appealed to Black African Americans coaxing them to convert to Islam and protect themselves from the oppressive White Americana who are subjugating them. The video invokes the Black Muslim leader Malcolm X.

The video's objective is to stoke racial tensions in the US and push Black Americans to convert to Islam.

We will never know how successful this video will be - but it will certainly have some influence on some people.

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Tuesday September 13, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

I read an insightful piece in the Japan Times yesterday. It was About Iran's new nuclear program.

According to Japan Times, Japan is offering Iran nuclear plants. The piece also noted that Russia is breaking ground on two new nuclear power plants. In addition, Russia and China have confirmed their positions as suppliers of nuclear technology. They have signed deals for 20 more nuclear sites between the Chinese and the Russians.

It seems obvious from this piece in Japan Times that Iran is already off and running on their nuclear program.

The reality is that Russia, China and Japan are jumping in and helping Iran's re-entry into this new nuclear era by supplying and building nuclear facilities all over Iran.

No one in the Western press has even begun to uncover this data or cover these issues.

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Monday September 12, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

A court in northern Germany dropped charges against a 92 year old woman charged as an accessory in the murder of 260,000 Jews. The woman was a radio operator in Auschwitz.

Yes, she is old and suffers from ailments of age including poor vision and poor hearing.

But age should not be a reason to drop charges. Age can and should mitigate the punishment, not wave it away.

Shame on Germany for not pursuing justice and historical truth on behalf of victims of the Holocaust.

These are goals that trump the health of the defendant. It was the responsibility of the prosecution to pursue justice for those 260,000 Jewish men, women and children.

After being found guilty, the judge could have shown compassion and not imprisoned her, or the judge could have found an alternative punishment. Dropping the charges was taking the easy way out and tantamount to dropping the ball.

History and truth require prosecutors to prosecute - especially when it comes to Holocaust crimes. Especially in Germany in the year 2016.

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Sunday September 11, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

The Haifa District Court convicted five Israeli Arabs of involvement in ISIS. They were all from the Upper Galilee. Their sentences range from 2 to 5 years.

Israeli Arab involvement in ISIS has been on the rise. We know that seven Israeli Arabs have already been killed while fighting for ISIS.

Best estimates suggest that about another 50 Israeli Arabs are in either Syria or Iraq fighting as part of ISIS.

If that many have come from Israel, how many can you guess come from elsewhere?

The CIA is saying that ISIS now numbers anywhere between 15, 000 to 20,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq. I would put the number where it has always been - at about 30,000 give or take a few.

There is no question that ISIS is being hit hard by the US -- but it hasn't stopped recruits from joining.

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Friday September 9, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Palestinians have postponed their elections. I knew they would.

The Palestinian High Judicial Council, the PA equivalent of a Supreme Court, has ruled that the election scheduled for October 8th has been postponed. They ruled that there are too many election related questions that need evaluation before the court to proceed with the October 8th date.

Almost all the cases have to do with lists and access to the ballot. Both Hamas and Fatah are challenging one another in court saying that they have not had proper access to voters and to the registration of candidates.

Elections are rescheduled until December. But the next case won't be heard until December 21. Hamas denounced the delay. They are demanding the elections go on as planned.

Who knows what will happen.

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Thursday September 8, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Over the past two days Iran has released some damning public critique against Saudi Arabia.

It might appear as if this is standard stuff, part of the on-going Shiite/Sunni - rift but it is much more than that. And the vitriol is far more biting.

On Wednesday September 7th, on the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iranian President Hassan Rouhani publicly said that Saudi Arabia should be held accountable for the deaths of last year's pilgrims during the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Last year 2,426 people were trampled to death in Mecca. The tragedy was allowed to happen because of poor planning. 2,426 is an official number of deaths, but there are estimates that place the number at two times that.

464 of the dead pilgrims were Iranian.

Iran says that other Islamic states should punish Saudi Arabia. Rouhani is quoted as saying: "regional countries and the Islamic world should take coordinated measures to punish the government of Saudi Arabia in order to have a real Hajj."

This is just one example of the vitriol.

For their part, Saudi Arabia declared that Iranian Shiites are not Muslims. Saudi Arabia's grand mufti Sheik Abdul Aziz al Sheik, the most notable cleric in Saudi Arabia, said that Shiite Islam is not Islam and that Iranians are not believers in the basic tenets of Islam.

He called them Majuws. The Majuws were pagan fire worshippers and Zoroastrians.

He said: "We must understand they are not Muslims, for they are the descendants of Majuws, and their enmity toward Muslims, especially the Sunnis, is very old."

Iran and Saudi Arabia will continue to trade shots at one another. But they are taking it up a notch. The situation is intensifying.

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Wednesday September 7, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

A new poll conducted by Israel's Channel 2 News has left me surprised.

According to the poll if there were to be an election today, Yair Lapid would unseat Prime Minister Netanyahu. Lapid and his party would garner 24 seats - up from the 11 seats they received in this past election and Netanyahu and his Likud party would only get 22 seats, down from the 30 they have now.

Another big winner would be Naftali Bennet and his Bayit Hayehudi party increasing to 14 seats from 8.
Lieberman, the current defense minister would increase from 6 to 10.

The biggest news is the big losers.

Biggest is the Labor party now called Zionist Union. They will drop from 24 to 13 seats. And the Kulanu Party, headed by finance minister Moshe Kahlon, would almost disappear, dropping from 10 to 6.

Polls are never something to rely on. However, this one is very telling. Obviously Netanyahu is in a low spot in his popularity but not that bad. 22 seats to 24 seats looks more like a tie with Lapid than a dismal defeat.

The big new centers on Labor dropping even more and Bennet gaining. Israelis like Bennet because he has no guile. He is direct and honest in his vision and objectives.

The Labor Party continues to fall. It seems that the party that founded and shaped Israel for decades is having difficulty connecting with Israelis today.

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Tuesday September 6, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

September 29th is going to be the busiest day in the history of Israel's airport, Ben Gurion International. 90,000 people will go through Ben Gurion on that fateful Thursday breaking the record set this summer when 87,000 passed in a single day.

The month of September is expected to see 1.73 million passengers pass through the airport, a 6% increase over 2015, the last busiest month in history.

So why September 29? Because it is the last day people can leave or arrive in Israel before the New Year -- Rosh Hashanna, which begins early Sunday evening October 2nd.

The flights are all booked. In addition to the many tourists entering Israel, many Israelis are leaving. Some are leaving for the Holidays, flying away from the anything remotely Jewish and heading for beaches and gambling casinos.

The largest group of people leaving the country, however, is travelling specifically for religious reasons. They are headed to Ukraine, to the city of Uman where the great Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav is buried and where tens of thousands of his disciples descend during this period.

This travel record is a huge boost for Israel. It tells Israelis that people are coming to visit, that their economy is getting a big shot in the arm and that, despite the news, people still see Israel for her true self. People see Israel as a very attractive place to visit and support.

It reinforces for Israelis the knowledge that Israel is a destination worth visiting.

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Monday September 5, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Israel and the Palestinian Authority signed an official Memorandum of Understanding yesterday.

The MOU was signed in order to coordinate postal delivery. The new process will allow direct transfer of PA mail to cross into Jordan using the Allenby Bridge which is controlled by Israel and then off throughout the world.

This process will streamline PA postal service around the world and allow for more efficient movement of the mail as it moves out of the PA. Until now Palestinian Authority mail was bottlenecked and there was great difficulty getting the mail out.

The PA and Israel have come to an agreement about a small but important issue - small, but important. It's a good start.

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Sunday September 4, 2016

I've Been Thinking:

Syria has just launched a tourism campaign entitled "Syria Always Beautiful."

It sounds crazy. I watched the video - looking at it you would never guess that Syria has been at war for 5 years. The campaign pushes the beautiful beaches and great historical sites of Syria.

In 2011, before the war began, 8.5 million tourists visited Syria every year. That would amount to about 15% of their annual economy.

Since 2011 tourism has dropped to nearly nothing.

They Syrians claim 400,000 tourists came in 2014. I find that number to be an exaggeration. No way did 400,000 people visit Syria - certainly not tourists using passports. Maybe, if you include the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Hamas fighters you might reach that number.

The irony of it all is that 400,000 is also the estimate of the number of people killed by the war in Syria.

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Friday September 2, 2106

I've Been Thinking:

The famous Romanian hacker Guccifer was sentenced to 52 months in a US federal prison yesterday for hacking. He claims he is the one who hacked Hillary Clinton's server and made it known that she had a private server in her NY home on which she was conducting State Department work.

In May, Guccifer plead guilty to crimes including the crime of unauthorized access to computers.

The Romanian hacker Marcel Lazar Lehel changed his name to Guccifer which, he feels, combines the style of Gucci and the light of Lucifer.

The United States asked Romania to extradite Guccifer because of the damage he had done here. He hacked into hundreds of official emails. He embarrassed the cyber security of the United States. He has been made an example of. But what of the illegal discovery?

Guccifer will spend 52 months in the federal penitentiary. Hillary Clinton is not even charged.

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