Top Defense Legislators Affirm: No Existing Authorization for Use of Force Against Iran, J Street
“J Street welcomes Congress’ top defense legislators clearly stating that there is no existing statutory authority for the use of military force against Iran. Conferees finalizing the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included a statement in the bill that nothing in the legislation may be construed as authorizing the use of force against Iran. They also included language in the accompanying report which stated that, ‘At the time of the signing of this report, the conferees are not aware of any information that would justify the use of military force against Iran under any other statutory authority.’….It is heartening to see Congress begin to step forward and restrain the president’s bellicose tendencies as his administration pursues reckless policies that risk placing the nation on a path to a new military confrontation in the Middle East.”
Israel’s Democracy Is On Life Support. Diaspora Jews Must Speak Up, Forward
Dany Bahar writes, “Those Israelis who are fighting for democracy — hopefully a majority — cannot do it alone. They need the help of all Jews around the world who believe Israel’s democratic character is an essential part of it. This attack is, perhaps, the most important threat to the future of Israel as it was envisioned by its founders and all the Jewish people. Thus, maybe the best course of action for Jews in the Diaspora is not to worry about updating or replacing now-outdated Hasbara lines, but rather, to be first to acknowledge this systematic attack on Israel’s democracy, ironically led by its own government. We cannot keep defending the indefensible. It is time for Jews in the Diaspora who love Israel to confront Netanyahu and his government for slowly destroying Israel’s democracy. The future of Israel depends on it.”
With Syria focused on ending war, it’s unlikely jet was any threat to Israel, Times of Israel
Avi Issacharoff reports, “Though it’s difficult to say for certain he did not enter Israeli airspace intentionally, a view of the Syrian conflict from above would seem to suggest pilot Col. Amran Mara’e simply strayed over Israeli airspace, making him the latest victim of spillover violence from the quickly fading Syrian civil war. There is little to suggest the Syrian air force had any intention of striking Israeli targets; rather the pilot was probably busy bombing rebel targets adjacent to the Syria-Jordan-Israel border triangle as part of a wide Syrian and Russian offensive.”
Israel Considers Deporting Asylum Seekers to Eritrea and Sudan, Haaretz
The Interior Ministry is once again exploring the possibility of deporting asylum seekers back to Eritrea and Sudan, something it has thus far refrained from doing. A plan proposed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, under which Western countries would take roughly half the asylum seekers and Israel would absorb the rest, has also been discussed by the parties concerned over the past few months, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu having formally reneged on that deal in April.
Israeli minister sees Gaza-style measures for U.S.-Mexico border, Reuters
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan last month hosted his U.S. counterpart, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, among aides to President Donald Trump who have been tasked with making good on his vow to clamp down on illegal immigration. During her visit to Israel, Nielsen inspected the hi-tech fences it has used to seal off the 230-km (143-mile) Egyptian frontier as well as its 60-km (37-mile) boundary with Gaza, a Palestinian enclave controlled by Hamas Islamists. “She told me there is certainly a lot to learn here, and I reckon that some of this will certainly be implemented in what the United States is setting up on its border with Mexico,” Erdan told Israel’s Ynet TV in an interview near Gaza’s border.
UN Mideast Envoy Urges Trump to Unfreeze Aid for Palestinian Refugees, Haaretz
UN special envoy to the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov on Tuesday urged U.S. President Donald Trump to resume funding the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which helps Palestinian refugees. Addressing a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East, Mladenov said that “UNRWA ’s financial crisis remains a very serious concern. At present, UNRWA needs some $217 million to sustain its work in 2018. I urge the swift mobilization of support to enable the continuity of assistance and a maintenance of stability on the ground in the region.”
Netanyahu’s Likud Party Continues to Slide in New Poll for Knesset Election, Haaretz
A poll by Israel Television News released Tuesday shows that if new Knesset elections were held today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party would receive 30 seats – the same as it has in the current parliament. However, the number of predicted seats continues a downward trend for the ruling party in recent months: A poll conducted in April predicted that Likud would get 35 seats, while a poll the following month predicted 32 seats.
World Bank to Allocate $90 Million for Palestinians, UN Mideast Envoy Says, Haaretz
UN special envoy to the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov on Wednesday said the World Bank will allocate $90 million to Palestinians, up from $55 million last year, in response to “the alarming economic circumstances in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
Trump Threatens a Showdown With Iran. But How?, New Yorker
Robin Wright observes, “The Administration’s strategy now is to squeeze Tehran—and, effectively, allies that are still party to the deal. But its goal appears to extend well beyond simply renegotiating terms of Iran’s nuclear program. It also wants Iran to end its support of extremist movements, stop meddling in the region, end human-rights abuses, release political prisoners, and stop testing missiles….The Administration’s hostile rhetoric rings hollow, especially if Iran does not go back to the negotiating table. Then what does Washington do?”
Iran Hawks Should Be Careful What They Wish For, Foreign Policy
Mahsa Rouhi writes, “[A] US policy that seeks to exert maximum pressure on Iran, even if successful, could bring about America’s (and Israel’s) worst nightmare. The Trump administration and those pushing for regime change ought to pause before they encourage instability and chaos and carefully consider what comes the day after. Iran’s next regime could prove to be an even bigger headache for Washington than the current one.”
With Syria focused on ending war, it’s unlikely jet was any threat to Israel, Times of Israel
Avi Issacharoff reports, “Though it’s difficult to say for certain he did not enter Israeli airspace intentionally, a view of the Syrian conflict from above would seem to suggest pilot Col. Amran Mara’e simply strayed over Israeli airspace, making him the latest victim of spillover violence from the quickly fading Syrian civil war. There is little to suggest the Syrian air force had any intention of striking Israeli targets; rather the pilot was probably busy bombing rebel targets adjacent to the Syria-Jordan-Israel border triangle as part of a wide Syrian and Russian offensive.”
Iran Is Not North Korea, Slate
Fred Kaplan writes, “Escalation is quite possible even if Trump doesn’t mean any of his fiery words and if he typed out that ALL-CAPS tweet strictly to distract attention from Helsinki, the Mueller probe, the Cohen tapes, and other political crises. Wag the Dog holds up unsettlingly well. So does this Trump tweet from November 2011: “In order to get elected, @BarackObama will start a war with Iran.” As it turned out, Obama was easily re-elected without a war and followed up by making a sort of peace. But Trump seemed to think, back then, that starting a war with Iran was an effective way for a president to get re-elected. The question of the moment: Does he still think so now?”