“The historic trip to sign two peace agreements with Arab countries will bring good things to Israel and the world, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as the plane he took from Washington began its landed in Israel on Wednesday evening.Speaking over the plane’s loudspeaker of his ‘historic visit,’ Netanyahu referred to the folk song Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, which means ‘we brought peace unto you.’ ‘Sometimes we sing the song,’ he said. ‘This is that moment. We will bring peace.’ The agreements with UAE and Bahrain are ‘a revolution that is good for Israel, good for the region and good for humanity.’”

“President Donald Trump told US Jewish leaders on Wednesday that while he had not formally requested that Saudi Arabia sign a peace treaty with Israel ‘quite yet,’ he was confident that such a deal between the two nations could be concluded quickly, following the historic normalization accords inked on Tuesday at the White House by the Jewish state with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. On a conference call with nearly 400 American Jewish officials on Wednesday to mark the upcoming Rosh Hashanah holiday, Trump was buoyant at the prospect of additional Arab and Muslim states recognizing Israel more than 70 years after its creation. ‘I can tell you from personal knowledge, we are dealing with at least five countries,’ Trump said. ‘I haven’t asked the Saudis quite yet, but I will ask,’ the president continued. ‘I’ve spoken to the king of Saudi Arabia and I think he’ll be there at the right time.’”

“US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that two other countries may soon join the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in recognizing Israel. ‘Four or five’ other Arab countries ‘want to come in’ and normalize ties with Israel following the deal that was signed on Tuesday at the White House with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, Trump told a news conference. I talked to two of them yesterday and they are ready to try,’ Trump told reporters. ‘You’re going to have a whole level of peace in the Middle East without blood all over the sand.’”

“Israel is in normalisation talks with five other Muslim-majority countries, a Palestinian Authority official has said according to Israeli news media, following accords struck between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Oman, Sudan, Comoros, Djibouti and Mauritania are said to be in talks with Israel to normalise relations, Palestinian minister Ahmad Majdalani has said in comments shared by Israeli Kann News.”

“Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, on Tuesday accused the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain of seeking to grant Israel bases in the Gulf region, warning that they should bear the consequences of their actions. Rouhani described the Gulf countries’ normalisation agreements with Israel as a ‘violation of regional security and international resolutions”, saying, “we are surprised at how those who claim to be Arabs reach out to those who kill Palestinian Arabs every day’.”

“The Secretary-General of Fatah’s Central Committee has revealed that the UAE has been boycotting Palestine since 2010, Al-Khaleej Online reported on Wednesday. Jibreel Al-Rajoub made his comments on Palestine TV. ‘The UAE has not treated with the Palestinian ambassador in Abu-Dhabi since 2010,’ explained Al-Rajoub. ‘Indeed, since then, the ambassador has not been invited to any official event [in the UAE].’…Moreover, said Al-Rajoub, ‘The Arab countries have stopped the dues which they used to pay [towards the Palestinian Authority’s budget] based on resolutions agreed by the Arab League.’”

“It is a bleak picture. However, it is also worth remembering that no accord and no number of normalization deals will change the content of international law, the basic tenets that underpin that law or the fact that we, the Palestinian people, are still here, on our land. We remain committed to the principles of international law in the face of Israeli apartheid and American unilateralism. Are we alone? Do we, as a global community of states and nations stand up for a rules-based global order? Or do we let it slip away, so as not to confront Israel and its backers in Washington? Peace – real peace, a peace to truly celebrate – will only happen between us and Israel. And that will only happen when Palestinians can finally enjoy our rights, equal to every other nation on earth.”

“…all this financial investment in the occupation – and all the twisting of domestic laws to protect the illegal settlement project, all the political contortions to cultivate authoritarian allies, from Trump to Orbán to Bolsonaro – is rotting Israel from the inside, turning it into an apartheid state that rules over millions of Palestinians without rights.”

“…while the US administration, Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain were keen on presenting these pacts as agreements between governments and peoples, the reality on the ground couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, this audacious claim is also exposed as a fallacy by the reality in Egypt and Jordan, where decades after peace deals were struck normalisation between people remains strictly rejected and even forbidden by all cultural, academic, professional, and labour unions. This ice-cold peace also often explodes into popular anger when the Israeli repression of Palestinians escalates.”

“…What has made the normalization decision worthy of analysis is the myriad of special issues that are unique to Bahrain and might shed light on King Hamad’s breaking with the traditional Arab position on Palestine and Israel. As I wrote recently, normalizing relations with Israel is not about the Palestinians or the two-state solution. It’s primarily a quid pro quo transaction between the two Gulf Emirates and the Trump administration. They are likely routing for Trump in the upcoming presidential elections because of Joe Biden’s willingness to engage Iran and reenter the nuclear deal. In return, Trump has promised to sell them sophisticated jet fighters worth tens of billions of dollars. He has also indicated that the Israeli prime minister will delay pursuing the pseudo issue of annexation for several years.”

“People around the world are proclaiming an end to an era of conflict. Two Arabian monarchs have signed a peace deal with an Israeli prime minister. The American president now deserves a Nobel peace prize for facilitating this landmark agreement, right? Wrong. What are the Abraham Accords but a publicity stunt designed to reward Israel for its breach of international law? All ruthless governments work together. This has been the case for Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain for years. Now, it is just out in the open. The irony of it all is that this comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the self-purported “only democracy in the Middle East” faces corruption charges while running for another four-year term. The world watched as two unelected monarchs who have mercilessly stamped out any local resistance against their autocratic regimes signed an alliance with an Israeli politician that has been in power for 15 years.”

“To accept Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem is therefore to accept Israel’s permanence. And this was something even the United States, Israel’s best (and, at times, only) friend in the world, wasn’t willing to do formally. And if it wasn’t willing, how could Arab states take the final step to recognize Israel’s existence? If America didn’t fully embrace Israel’s permanence, how could they? The embassy move was therefore a huge change in what you might call ‘geopolitical psychology.’ It meant Israel was here to stay forever, and the time had come for Arab nations that want to move forward into the 21st century to accept its existence.”

“Less than one day after the ceremony marking the historic deals with the UAE, Bahrain and Israel, several White House employees tested positive for coronavirus, according to Israeli media. According to reports, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows did not provide details regarding the identities or positions of the employees who tested positive. At this point, it is unknown whether the employees in question attended the ceremony with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the Israeli delegation.”

“The minister of economy of the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday declared that the difference between his country’s peace accord with Israel and previous deals between the Jewish state and Arab nations was the level of enthusiasm and hope involved on both sides. ‘What makes this different is that we are very, very excited,’ Minister Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri said on a conference call hosted by the Atlantic Council think tank. ‘Both nations come in with an attitude of excitement and curiosity,’ Al Marri explained. ‘With that kind of mindset in place, thinking how we can change for the better, how can we build on our strengths — that’s how we see it.’”

“Israel is making a breakthrough in normalizing relations with some of the Gulf Arab states and it is easy to see what the Jewish state is gaining from it—long-coveted Arab recognition of its existence and sovereignty. But what do the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and perhaps eventually Oman and Saudi Arabia hope to get in return? The answer may well be a new security partner to replace, at least in part, a United States that is retreating from the Middle East. The White House ceremony Tuesday hailing the decision of UAE and Bahrain to normalize relations with Israel (at President Trump’s insistence) glossed over this underlying geopolitical shift and the ensuing security challenges it poses for America’s Gulf Arab partners.”

“Israeli innovation, including, alas, its cyber-hacking abilities, is what makes it such a desirable partner for the UAE and Bahrain.”

Also see:

AP: Israeli and Dubai diamond exchanges sign trade agreement
New Arab: Israeli firms hope to manufacture F-35 parts for UAE arms deal, report claims
Times of Israel: Israeli reality show ‘Goalstar’ to film its next season in the UAE
Middle East Monitor: Abu Dhabi Investment Office to open Tel Aviv office

“Russia said on Thursday it would be a “mistake” to think lasting peace in the Middle East could be secured without resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The foreign ministry statement came after Israel normalized relations with long-time foes Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates at the White House on Tuesday.”

“The United States is considering supporting the former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan as the next Palestinian Authority (PA) president, according to David Friedman, the US ambassador to Israel. There has been speculation that Dahlan, a staunch rival of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and an adviser to UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, could be supported by Washington to unseat the incumbent.  Asked in an interview with Israel Hayom on Wednesday whether the US was considering the possibility of “appointing” Dahlan, who lives in the UAE, as the next Palestinian leader, Friedman replied: ‘We’re thinking about it, we have had no desire to engineer the Palestinian leadership.’”

“UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel and the Palestinians on Wednesday to seize the opportunity for negotiations following the diplomatic agreements between Israel and two Gulf Arab states that resulted in the suspension of any Israeli annexation of territory that the Palestinians want for a future state. He said at a news conference that the United Nations has been pushing hard not only to promote direct contact but also to try to find a format in which the Quartet of Mideast mediators — the UN, U.S., European Union and Russia — or a group of countries linked to the Quartet could meet.”

“‘…I believe the people in Judea and Samaria want a better life,’ he [Friedman] said, adding that the Palestinian people need to understand it’s possible for them to attain such a goal. Their leadership, however, is still clutching to old and irrelevant complaints, he added. ‘They need to join the 21st century. They are on the wrong side of history at the moment.’ On the matter of Israel’s now-paused sovereignty initiative in Judea and Samaria, Friedman said, ‘I think it will happen.’ While the United States believes the initiative was the right move, he said, ‘Peace is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.’ Friedman said he believes the sovereignty issue can be revisited in a less controversial manner at a later date, after the peace initiative has been advanced and capitalized on fully. ‘It’s a temporary suspension,’ he said.” Also see: Al Jazeera – Kushner: US will not approve Israeli annexations for ‘some time’

“‘I met this week with MK Nir Barkat of the Likud party. He built, together with the ‘Kohelet Forum’ and ‘Shiloh Forum,’ a strategic plan for Judea and Samaria that makes much more sense and is predicated on three principles: settlement, tourism and employment. The plan essentially erases the Green Line and lays out, through a broad outlook, how to reach two million Israeli residents in Judea and Samaria…Let us pray that this new year is also one of settlement. We should not shy away because the sovereignty bid was unsuccessful, rather look at the glass half-full and continue filling it. In words and thought, but also in deeds on the ground. Because sovereignty is achieved through action.”

“Motti Isaak, CEO of the Holy Land Redemption Fund, spoke at the ‘Together for the Jordan Valley’ event in the community of Ma’ale Ephraim organized by the Holy Land Redemption Fund, and broadcast live on Arutz Sheva…‘While the other liberated areas enjoy population growth and economic development, the Jordan Valley has been somewhat left behind. This area needs special investment and that is why we set up the Holy Land Redemption Fund, to achieve the sacred goal of strengthening and building this unique stretch of historical and Biblical real estate. Since the time of Abraham, the Jewish people have been redeeming lands in Eretz Yisrael, and so too throughout the Modern Zionist era. Since we returned to our homeland, much land has been redeemed in Judea and Samaria and generations of families are now living in these areas. Our NGO aims to redeem land in the Jordan Valley and develop the population and the local economy on all levels. We view this as a sacred task because it will hugely reinforce our hold on the valley and the region as a whole.’”

“Catholic leaders in the Holy Land expressed astonishment that a large group of evangelical Christians from the U.S. received visas to come to Israel to help with the grape harvest in West Bank settlements, while Catholic institutions have not been able to obtain Israeli visas for their volunteers and staff members because of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘The refusal to grant visas is jeopardizing the work of the Christian communities, especially the institutions that serve the neediest,’ they said in a Sept. 10 statement.”

“Britain’s largest trade union, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) , has passed a motion identifying Israel as a state practicing apartheid and called for the continued support of the Palestinian people. TUC, which has nearly six million members, voted on Tuesday, in favour of a motion put forward by Unite the Union which opposes the current Israeli government’s plans to annex up to 30 per cent of the West Bank. The motion identifies annexation as ‘another significant step in the creation of a system of apartheid’ and has been welcomed by representatives of Palestinian civil society. The motion came a week after a statement was released by over 20 charities, trade unions, religious groups, and civil society organisations urgently calling on public bodies to ‘uphold their ethical and legal responsibilities to ensure human rights and international law are respected’ as a direct response to Israel’s illegal annexation plans.”

“The Islamic Waqf – the Jordanian religious authority that oversees the Temple Mount – on Wednesday ordered the site closed from Friday, in line with Israel’s renewed lockdown to attempt to arrest an alarming uptick in coronavirus cases. However, despite the spike in cases in both Israel and Palestinian controlled areas, the Waqf seemed to roll back its decision amid apparent controversy over whether Jews would be permitted to visit even during lockdown. The Waqf made its original decision after an emergency meeting with health officials, in which it decided to suspend entry to worshipers to the compound that houses the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. ‘We hope that citizens will understand this procedure, in order to preserve their health and well-being,’ Waqf member Hatem Abdel Qader told AFP early in the afternoon. However, within a few hours, unnamed Waqf officials told Palestinian Authority outlet WAFA news agency, ‘after we realized that the occupation authorities intended to open the Mughrabi Gate during the lockdown so that settlers could storm the mosque, we decided to keep the doors of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque open.’” Also see: Ir Amim alert – Tension Rises as Israel Intends to Allow Jewish Visits to the Temple Mount/Haram alSharif Despite Lockdown

“The High Court of Justice is still out and maybe it is the last resort to save the day. As we wait with bated breath for its ruling, one question seems to be unanswered: Why, with so much professional opinion against it, does the tourism ministry still feel the urge to erect what would seem to be a white elephant in the middle of one of the most iconic sites in Israel, if not beyond? All the history, theology, beauty, all the awesomeness of the place would be wiped away for the sake of a bunch of tourist dollars, of tourists, who are here today and gone tomorrow. There must be a missing link here that ties all these issues together; a link which can be provided only by the few people inside the ministry or the municipality who think that this scheme could work for anyone’s benefit. It is for them to come clean and show their hand before it is too late.”

“Shin Bet says Yasmin Jaber, an employee of the National Library, was recruited by the Lebanese terror group while attending a 2015 conference in Beirut.”

“Palestinians on Thursday marked the anniversary of the horrific Sabra and Shatila massacre which took place in Beirut 38 years ago. On 16th September 1982, Israeli-allied militiamen from the right-wing Lebanese Christian Kataeb Party and the South Lebanon Army stormed the Sabra and Shatila Palestinan refugee camps in west Beirut and killed up to 3,500 people. The memory of the massacre, which lasted for three days, remains a source of great pain for the Palestinian and Lebanese civilians who survived it. It took place during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon which aimed to destroy the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as a military force. This invasion was one chapter in Lebanon’s complex 1975-1990 Civil War, which tore the country apart on sectarian and ideological lines.”

Also see, from the archives:

New York Times (Seth Anziska) 9/16/12 – A Preventable Massacre [“While Israel’s role in the massacre has been closely examined, America’s actions have never been fully understood. This summer, at the Israel State Archives, I found recently declassified documents that chronicle key conversations between American and Israeli officials before and during the 1982 massacre. The verbatim transcripts reveal that the Israelis misled American diplomats about events in Beirut and bullied them into accepting the spurious claim that thousands of ‘terrorists’ were in the camps. Most troubling, when the United States was in a position to exert strong diplomatic pressure on Israel that could have ended the atrocities, it failed to do so. As a result, Phalange militiamen were able to murder Palestinian civilians, whom America had pledged to protect just weeks earlier.”]

“The pandemic is clearly not serving as a great equaliser around the world; rather, it is shining a spotlight on structures of power and oppression that privilege the health of some over others. This is certainly the case for Palestinians, whereby Israel’s settler colonial regime has directly impacted their health and access to healthcare. This treatment of Palestinians exemplifies the relationship between the settler and the indigenous population, whereby the former’s life is prioritised over the latter. The systemisation of this prioritisation over many decades has rendered Palestinians vulnerable and more susceptible to the virus. Indeed, the pandemic adds yet another layer of precarity to their already insecure lives as a result of the continuous violence by the Israeli regime. It can therefore be concluded that Israel is not only exacerbating the conditions that make Palestinians more susceptible to infection but is also directly responsible for them, rendering the Israeli regime one of comorbidity…”

“Israeli occupation forces arrested 12 Palestinians, including a mayor, from the occupied West Bank last night, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) reported. According to a statement issued by the PPS, Israeli forces rounded up five Palestinians after ransacking their houses in Bethlehem. One of the five detainees was identified as a resident of Umm Salamuna village, south-west of Bethlehem, two others as residents of Marah Rabah village, south of Bethlehem city, and two others as residents of Beit Sahour city. During the raid in Jericho, the PPS said, Israeli occupation forces stormed Ein Sultan, west of the city, in military vehicles and rounded up one and physically assaulted another. It added that a similar military raid was conducted in Silat Ad-Dhar town, south-west of Jenin, where soldiers, Wafa said, arrested the town Mayor, As‘ad Amin Hantouli, and a former prisoner.”

“During the prime ministry of Benjamin Netanyahu, who signed an agreement with the UAE and Bahrain to normalize relations, nearly 3,500 Palestinians, including many women and children, were martyred and thousands of others injured in the attacks of Israeli forces, Anadolu reports. Netanyahu, shown as one of the chief architects of Israel’s oppression and violations against Palestine, served as the prime minister during the two bloody attacks on the Gaza Strip under the blockade by the Israeli army. According to the data of the Israeli rights group B’Tselem, nearly 3,500 Palestinian Palestinians have been martyred in the attacks of the Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza since 2009, when Netanyahu was the prime minister. Of the Palestinians who lost their lives in Israeli attacks, 799 were children, and 342 women.”

“The Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group, Ziyad Al-Nakhalah stated that Palestinian terror groups have military presence in the West Bank in an interview with Al-Mayadeen on Wednesday, warning that there are ‘no red lines’ if war breaks out with Israel. Referring to a recent decision to establish a joint leadership of the Palestinian terrorist organizations, the PIJ leader stated that ‘important changes’ will take place in the Palestinian territories, ‘especially in the West Bank.’ Nakhalah added that military structures which belong to the terrorist groups are present in the West Bank. ‘Soon we will develop new equations that may reach joint military action,’ said Nakhalah, stressing that there is ‘no binding truce’ for the terrorist groups in Gaza and they are in a ‘continuous war and conflict at the borders of the Strip.’”

“As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated signing landmark accords with two Gulf states in Washington, near the Israeli-Gaza border Tammy Shalev was hunkering down in a bomb shelter. The latest flare-up with Palestinian militants in the enclave jarred with Netanyahu’s claim that the deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain could ‘end the Arab-Israeli conflict once and for all’.”

“Defense minister warns Hamas of consequences of continued attacks after terrorists fire 15 projectiles overnight, injuring two Israelis, including during Abraham Accords ceremony.”

“President Donald Trump spent much of his 20-minute call with American Jewish leaders making the case for more American Jews to vote for him. He closed by repeating a line that has raised their eyebrows before. ‘We really appreciate you,’ Trump said as he signed off the call, an annual pre-Rosh Hashanah presidential tradition. ‘We love your country also.’”

“US President Donald Trump appeared to suggest again that American Jews are loyal to Israel, as he urged community leaders to get out the vote for him in a brief pre-Rosh Hashanah phone call Wednesday. Trump signed off the 20-minute call by telling the Jewish leaders, ‘We really appreciate you… We love your country also.’ The comments echoed others he has made in the past that suggest that American Jews are loyal to Israel, including at a White House Hanukkah party two years ago.”

“Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said Wednesday that the Israel-UAE-Bahrain normalization agreements were made possible by a concerted strategy adopted by President Donald Trump that bypassed the Palestinians, concentrated on Iran, emphasized unapologetic support for the Jewish state and won the trust of Arab leaders.”

“The Trump campaign ran a Facebook advertisement depicting Senator Bernie Sanders as a puppet master controlling presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday, one of a series of similar ads depicting politicians, including former president Barack Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, as puppeteers manipulating Biden. The trope of the ‘puppet master Jew’ has been traced back to the 18th century and is thought to stem from stereotypes that Jews orchestrate world politics and economies. The trope was prominently featured in Nazi propaganda and remains a threatening vector for anti-Semitism today. Social media posts by the shooter who attacked the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh were directly linked to this trope.”

“The Ad Kan Organization warned of an anti-Israel campaign that is being planned by the ‘Samidoun’ organization for between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The campaign is expected to include protests, calls for boycotting Israel, a media blitz, and more…The letter concludes with a recommendation, ‘The government should prepare to act through all the relevant channels in order to prevent the campaign, or at least minimize its impact as much as possible. The campaign is still in the early planning stages. Now is the time to act in order to avoid what could become a significant problem.’ Gilad Ach added: ‘Many anti-Israel organizations are working against the State of the Israel, both within her borders and abroad. They have the goal of delegitimizing Israel and damaging her reputation. These organizations must be uprooted, and their activities must be stopped before they get off the ground. That is the only way to mitigate the expected harm to the State of Israel. We call on those ministers responsible for Israel’s relationship with foreign countries to fight against these anti-Israel organizations with all the tools at their disposal and develop creative approaches in order to expose these organizations. We cannot remain complacent while the State of Israel and her citizens are besmirched before the world. The planned campaign has not yet started, the ball is in your hands.’”

“On Wednesday, September 16, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) hosted a live event on the Jerusalem Post website on modern antisemitism. The broadcast focused on eleven actual events that met the official definition of antisemitism, as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) that has been accepted by 34 countries…Elan Carr [US Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism] ”added that while more countries have adopted the official IHRA definition, it is essential that it be adopted by civil society, including Internet organizations, and colleges and universities.”