Jewish Voters to Hear of Netanyahu’s ‘Red Line’ Criticism - By Jim Geraghty - The Campaign Spot. SecureAmericaNow.org is sending this message to “about a million” Jewish voters today: The message is direct: Prime Minister Netanyahu is fighting for the very survival of the Jewish State: “Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don’t have a moral right to place a red light before Israel.” But Obama responded, “NO red lines”for Iran. Then, president Obama refused to meet Prime Minister Netanyahu but invited Egypt’s new Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi to the United States. Click here to sign the petition and tell President Obama to STAND WITH ISRAEL. Plenty of folks who study the Jewish vote in U.S. elections point out that American Jews have more concerns than just the state of Israel.
Tags: Barack Obama , Iran , Israel. Exclusive: U.S. Scales-Back Military Exercise with Israel, Affecting Potential Iran Strike. Seven months ago, Israel and the U.S. postponed a massive joint military exercise that was originally set to go forward just as concerns were brimming that Israel would launch a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The exercise was rescheduled for late October and appears likely to go forward on the cusp of the U.S. presidential election. But it won’t be nearly the same exercise.
Well-placed sources in both countries have told TIME that Washington has greatly reduced the scale of U.S. participation, slashing by more than two-thirds the number of American troops going to Israel and reducing both the number and potency of missile-interception systems at the core of the joint exercise. (PHOTOS: The Ultra-Holy City of Jerusalem) “Basically what the Americans are saying is, ‘We don’t trust you,’” a senior Israeli military official says. The reductions are striking. (MORE: Will Iran’s Third-World Jamboree Hasten an Israeli Attack? (VIDEO: 10 Questions for Shimon Peres) MORE: The U.S. and Iran. White House claims 'cooperation with Israel has never been closer'
The White House on Friday dismissed statements made by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Thursday that the Obama administration had “thrown allies like Israel under the bus” regarding Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign up! “Cooperation with Israel between our military and intelligence communities has never been closer” under the Obama administration, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters. “Assistance provided to Israel by the United States has never been greater than it has been under President [Barack] Obama. We have an extremely close relationship with Israel, which is appropriate given our unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security.”
Romney, speaking the night before at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, had criticized Obama’s stance on Iran. “In his first TV interview as president, he said we should talk to Iran,” Romney said. Terrorists Infiltrate Israeli Border from Sinai Killing Security Fence Contractor. Roadblock near scene of the attack (photo from Ynet) Armed terrorists infiltrated Israel from the Sinai Peninsula early Monday morning and set up a roadside ambush of Israeli civilian contractors engaged in constructing a security fence whose purpose is to keep out armed militants.
Quoting IDF sources, Israel’s Channel 2 News and Ynet report the terror cell most likely originated in Gaza, infiltrated into Egypt and then ambushed the contractors by setting off a roadside bomb, firing a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and small arms. The incident took place at around 6:00 am. An Israeli soldier directs a tank, maneuvering near the border between Israel and Egypt, Monday, June 18, 2012. Unidentified militants crossed from Egypt's turbulent Sinai Peninsula into southern Israel on Monday, opening light arms and anti-tank fire on civilians building a security fence meant to fortify the porous border, defense officials said.
IDF tank near Egyptian border (photo from Ynet) The AP reports: 'Peace process clinically dead, Israel res... JPost. The peace process is clinically dead and Israel bears full responsibility, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared Sunday. “The ball is in the Israeli court,” Abbas said in a speech at a conference on Jerusalem that was held in Ramallah. The Palestinians, he added, have fulfilled all their obligations in line with international agreements. Abbas also accused Israel of working to destroy the two-state solution through its settlement policy. “We have emphasized that we are in favor of the two-state solution and reaching a settlement through negotiations,” he said. “The negotiations should lead to recognition of a Palestinian state with full sovereignty on the 1967 borders.” Abbas’s comments came as chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat was preparing to leave for Washington for talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on ways of reviving the stalled peace talks with Israel.
“But if Israel doesn’t present anything, we will ultimately go to the UN.” Israel calls for making Iran mil... JPost - Iranian Threat - News. On the eve of the third round of talks between Iran and the world powers expected to begin Monday in Moscow, Israeli officials urged the international community to better impress upon Tehran that they will face military action if their nuclear march is not stopped.
“Our position is that the international community needs to do three things for the talks to be successful,” an official said Sunday. “Make its demands crystal clear and tied to a clear timeline for implementation, ratchet up the economic and diplomatic pressure, and augment that pressure by making clear there is a credible military option.” The official, reflecting a position that has been percolating for weeks in Jerusalem, said there is a sense the Iranians are not yet convinced that when the US or others say that “all options are on the table,” they actually mean it.
“We would like the international community to say that these are our demands, these are our sanctions, comply...or else, “ he said. Israeli president, House lawmakers urging Obama to free Israeli spy Pollard. FILE: Former U.S. Navy intelligence clerk Jonathan Pollard is serving a life sentence for spying for Israel.AP Israeli President Shimon Peres was expected Wednesday to ask President Obama for the release of Jonathan Pollard, the American-turned-Israeli spy now serving a life sentence in U.S. prison.
Peres has made clear since arriving in the United States earlier this week that he will ask for clemency for Pollard, though not a pardon. The Israeli president is in Washington to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Peres told Fox News on Tuesday that Israelis “feel very strongly about (Pollard.) His expected request comes amid increasing pressure to free the 57-year-old Pollard -- a civilian Navy analyst who was sentenced in 1987 for stealing secrets and whose health is reportedly failing. The White House, though, does not seem likely to budge.
"Our position has not changed, and will not change today," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday. Reps. Israel Excluded from GCTF Counterterrorism Conference in Istanbul, Turkey? An Israeli newspaper is reporting that the U.S. blocked Israel’s participation in a meeting of the State Department’s flagship counterterrorism project, the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF).
Considering Israel’s vast experience in fighting terror as a result of its frequent targeting by Palestinian terrorism, it’s surprising that Israel would be excluded from the meeting which took place on Friday in Istanbul. Globes reports: A pro-Israeli source in Washington told “Globes” that Israel was excluded from the meeting because of fierce objections by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Israel tried hard to obtain an invitation to the meeting, and its exclusion, despite the tight US-Israeli intelligence ties, has greatly disappointed officials in Jerusalem.The GCTF, one of the pillars of President Barack Obama’s antiterrorism campaign, was established in September 2011. “The Turks have been behaving with irrational rage when it comes to Israel.”