Netanyahu Rebuffs Philip Hammond over Iran Deal

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond holds a press
conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
at the latter's office in Jerusalem

THE TELEGRAPH: Israeli premier takes Foreign Secretary to task for remarks doubting whether Jewish State would have accepted any deal over Tehran's nuclear programme

Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a sharp rebuff to Philip Hammond over the Iran nuclear deal on Thursday, publicly dismissing the Foreign Secretary's assertion that Israel would have been unhappy with any agreement.

In a tense face-to-face exchange that reflected the gulf between Israel and the six world powers who negotiated with Tehran, Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, rejected the visiting British statesman's efforts to sell the pact signed this week in Vienna. At the same time, he tackled head-on criticisms Mr Hammond had voiced on the eve of his trip.

“Israelis know better than anyone else the cost of permanent conflict with Iran and it is wrong to suggest that Israel wants such an outcome. We [sic] seek a genuine and effective diplomatic solution," Mr Netanyahu told Mr Hammond in Jerusalem.

"The alternative to this deal is not war. The alternative is a better deal that would roll back Iran’s military nuclear program and tie the easing of restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program to changes in Iran’s behaviour. That’s the kind of deal that would be welcomed in Tel Aviv and here in Israel’s capital Jerusalem."

The Israeli leader's comments were aimed directly at Mr Hammond's remarks on Wednesday when he told the House of Commons that Israel opposed any accord with Tehran and would prefer permanent conflict. » | Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Thursday, July 16, 2015

Angela Merkel Tells Sobbing Asylum Seeker Why She Cannot Stay in Germany

Chancellor tries to comfort Palestinian girl whose family is facing deportation after telling her Germany ‘just can’t manage’ more refugees

Read the Guardian article here | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Thursday, July 16, 2015

Saudi Royals in Hot Water with Riviera Nudists over Access to Public Beach

The house of King Fahd of Saudi in Golfe Juan, France

THE TELEGRAPH: French bathers, including nudists, declare war on Saudi royal family over a bid to privatise a public beach at Vallauris, between Cannes and Antibes, during an upcoming visit

A row has erupted between the Saudi royal family and French bathers who have accused it of commandeering a public Riviera beach ahead of an impending visit as the strip runs right by the monarchs’ luxury villa.

Locals are threatening to sue the Saudi royals over a bid to block an underpass leading to the public Mirandole beach at Vallauris [F] - between Antibes and Cannes - with wire fencing.

They are also furious that workers have begun illegal construction work on a huge concrete slab in the sand as part of the royals’ plan to have the beach all to themselves during their stay.

Under French law, the beach is normally open to local bathers, with part of it reserved for nudists.

The villa is reportedly owned by Muhammad bin Fahd, the eldest surviving son of the late King Fahd, who bought the property around 20 years ago. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, July 16, 2015

Une plage du sud de la France fermée le temps des vacances du roi saoudien » | jeudi 16 juillet 2015

France Foils Charlie Hebdo Anniversary Beheading Plot

THE TELEGRAPH: France holds three suspected of plotting to kidnap and behead a military official to coincide with the January anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo killings

France has thwarted a plot to kidnap and behead a senior military official and post the act on the internet, the interior minister announced on Wednesday night.

The three suspects had planned to time the murder for next January to coincide with the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo killings in which Islamist gunmen killed 12 at the satirical weekly. They had intended to film their act with a GoPro camera and post it online.

The plot bears similarities with the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, the British soldier of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers hacked to death in London by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale in May 2013. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, July 16, 2015

Angela Merkel Doesn't Believe in Gay Marriage – 'I Don't Want Discrimination... But I Make a Difference at Some Point'

THE INDEPENDENT: German Chancellor insists ‘marriage’ is only for a man and a woman

Angela Merkel has insisted that marriage should only be between a man and woman.

The German Chancellor backed equal benefits for same-sex couples - such as tax breaks - and said that while discrimination should be "eliminated" she drew a "difference" between civil partnerships and marriage.

But the committed Christian, who has been married twice, gave her personal definition of marriage as ‘a man and a woman living together’, in a YouTube interview with Florian Mundt, a YouTube known under the alias LeFloid who has a significant online following.

“I’m someone who is very supportive of us eliminating all discrimination. We have come a long way; when I remember, 25 years ago, many people didn’t dare to say that they are gay or lesbian," she said, according to the Huffington Post.

“For me, personally, marriage is a man and a woman living together. That is my concept, but I support civil partnerships." » | David Trayner | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Islamic State Fanatics Put Up Billboards Ordering Women to Wear the Burkha...or Else

The billboard appeared in the Libyan city of Sirte

DAILY EXPRESS: ISLAMIC State (ISIS) fighters have put up huge billboards ordering women to wear the Burkha or face cruel and severe punishments.

Enormous hoardings setting out the fanatics' oppressive dress code have been put up in a city in Libya held by the militants.

The posters set out seven rules for women, which include making sure that all body parts are covered and a ban on see-through and tight-fitting clothes.

Brand names are also forbidden, as are 'masculine garments' and designs that will attract male attention.

Finally, the Jihadists state that all "perfumed" clothes are heretical and should not be worn. » | Nick Gutteridge | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

'Just Lit the Fuse' Warning That Iran Nuclear Deal Could Spark Middle East Arms Race

DAILY EXPRESS: CONCERNS have been raised that the historic nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers could spark to a Middle East arms race.

The deal, which was struck in Vienna yesterday, will allow Iran to carry out research in return for allowing United Nations (UN) officials access to sites which are suspect of being used to create an atomic bomb.

Iran, who will now be able to enrich uranium levels, have always maintained its nuclear programme is for energy and not for weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the decision makes the world more dangerous and the removal of sanctions was a mistake.

He said: "Iran will get a jackpot, a cash bonanza of hundreds of billions of dollars, which will enable it to continue to pursue its aggression and terror in the region and in the world.

"Iran is going to receive a sure path to nuclear weapons."

Senator Ben Sasse, from the opposition Republican party in America, also condemned the deal which the US played a driving force in. He said: "Sadly, the Administration just lit the fuse for a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

"We all know Iran's neighbours will not sit idly as the world's largest state-sponsor of terror becomes a nuclear-threshold state." » | Peter Henn | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Doku: Die deutschen Gotteskrieger - Töten und Sterben für Allah

ISIS Make Chilling Call to Supporters to Attack Britain after Tunisia Massacre

DAILY EXPRESS: ISLAMIC State (ISIS) has issued a chilling call to arms to their supporters to carry out more attacks on Britain and America.

ISIS's propaganda magazine Dabiq, which describes itself at "The Law of Allah, or the laws of men", celebrates the brutal Tunisia beach massacre as “Bloody Friday”.

The day where Seifeddine Rezgui opened fire to kill 38 tourists, 30 of which were British, also saw the beheading of a business owner in Lyon, France, and the suicide bombing of a mosque in Kuwait.

Printing images of dead bodies on the Sousse beach and the British Army bringing home victims in coffins, the extremists made clear they were planning more serious attacks on the west.

The magazine urges more Muslims to join their regime to “wage war” on their opponents "wherever they're found, especially those belonging to the member nations of the crusader coalition." » | Helen Barnett | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Golden Dawn MP Furiously Tears Up Papers in Parliament over Bailout Deal

Far right Golden Dawn MP, Ilias Kasidiaris harshly criticises the deal Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras agreed to during an impassioned speech to Parliament.

Papers are thrown across parliament and a minister resigns as Greece's PM attempts to win a vote on laws ahead of a new bailout.

Strassenschlachten vor dem griechischen Parlament, wo die Debatte läuft

TAGES ANZEIGER: Molotowcocktails und Steine – Vor den Parlamentsabstimmungen in Griechenland knallt es, die Proteste eskalieren.

Vor der umstrittenen Parlamentsabstimmung über die Sparauflagen sind die Emotionen in Griechenland hochgekocht. Am Abend kam es auf dem Syntagma-Platz vor dem Parlament in Athen zu Strassenschlachten zwischen einer Gruppe Autonomer und Bereitschaftspolizisten. Molotow-Cocktails und Ziegelsteine folgen auf der einen Seite, die andere antwortete mit Tränengas und Pfefferspray. » | sda | Mittwoch, 15. Juli 2015



Live: Griechen erwarten Abstimmungsergebnis des griechischen Parlaments über Sparmaßnahmen

Op-Ed: The End of an Era

ARUTZ SHEVA: Liberty, equality and fraternity are now superseded by the recognition accorded the darkest regime known to man.

For the past 226 years, the 14th of July has been commemorated as "Bastille Day", the day that the infamous Parisian prison fell into the hands of the people who, rebelling against King Louis XVI, stormed its gates during the French Revolution of 1789. The fall of the Bastille symbolizes the fall of the French monarchy and its despotism, and the establishment of the Republic, the nation of the people, based on liberty, equality and fraternity. This is France's national holiday. The French Revolution became a model for many other peoples who took their destiny into their own hands, and it is therefore ffitting to view the 14th of July, 1879, as the day that ushered in the democratic era, the rule of the brave people who defeated despotism, destroyed a dictatorship and founded the democratic framework in which a citizenry runs its own affairs, with liberty and freedom for all.

On the very same day, 226 years later, the 14th of July 2015, representatives of several democracies – one of them France – together with representatives of less democratic countries, Russia and China, signed an agreement in which the democratic world capitulated to the despotic dictatorship that is Iran. The world, in effect, authorized Iran's plans to achieve regional, and possibly greater than regional, hegemony, while ignoring the destructive role the land of the Ayatollahs plays in countries like Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. » | Dr. Mordechai Kedar | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Op-Ed: Obama's Iran Deal Has the Makings of a Catastrophe

ARUTZ SHEVA: This is not Libya, the South China Sea or Yemen.

Barack Obama has repeatedly signaled during the past six and a half years that that his No. 1 priority in foreign affairs is not China, not Russia, not Mexico, but Iran. He wants to bring Iran in from the cold, to transform the Islamic Republic into just another normal member of the so-called international community, ending decades of its aggression and hostility.

In itself, this is a worthy goal; it's always good policy to reduce the number of enemies. (It brings to mind Nixon going to China.) The problem lies, of course, in the execution.

The conduct of the Iran nuclear negotiations has been wretched, with the Obama administration inconsistent, capitulating, exaggerating, and even deceitful. It forcefully demanded certain terms, then soon after conceded these same terms. Secretary of State John Kerry implausibly announced that we have "absolute knowledge" of what the Iranians have done until now in their nuclear program and therefore have no need for inspections to form a baseline. How can any adult, much less a high official, make such a statement?

The administration misled Americans about its own concessions: After the November 2013 Joint Plan of Action, it came out with a factsheet which Tehran said was inaccurate. Guess who was right? The Iranians. In brief, the U.S. government has shown itself deeply untrustworthy. » | Prof. Daniel Pipes | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Christian Pastor Slammed after Calling Islam ‘Religion of Hatred’ and Likening Gay People to Paedophiles

Shocking sermon: Steve Crosthwaite

MIRROR: Pastor Steve Crosthwaite has been criticised for the 'disgusting' Sunday sermon in which he also criticised same-sex relationships

A Christian church leader has been slammed after calling Islam a ‘religion of hatred’ and likening gay people to paedophiles in a ‘disgusting’ Sunday sermon.

Pastor Steve Crosthwaite, of Wythall's Hollywood Christian Life Centre in Birmingham, told his 60-strong congregation ‘homosexuality is wrong’ and criticised same sex relationships.

During his 30-minute sermon, branded ’highly offensive’ by a local minister, pastor Crosthwaite said: "Islam is not a peaceful religion. Islam is a religion of hatred, the Birmingham Mail reports.

"Islam teaches there are permissible sins. For a Muslim to tell you 'I love you, I'm a peaceful guy' and it be a lie, well, Allah forgives that sin.

"For a Muslim to go out and kill someone, to commit murder in the name of Allah, well, that's a permissible sin.

"Islam is not a peaceful religion, but we're not allowed to say that are we? In our multicultural society we're not allowed to say things like that."

Crosthwaite gave the sermon, called 'Judging Others', at a 58-year-old place of worship that boasts of "unashamedly following Jesus”. » | Mike Lockley | Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Atomabkommen: Teherans Stärke reizt Riad

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Nach dem iranische Atomabkommen stehen die sunnitischen Monarchien mit dem Rücken zur Wand. Eine von ihnen könnte nun selbst nach Nuklearwaffen streben.

Das Atomabkommen mit Iran könnte die bisherigen Allianzen in der arabischen Welt neu ordnen. Bereits seit dem vergangenen Sommer kooperieren die Vereinigten Staaten faktisch mit der schiitischen Führung in Teheran im Kampf gegen die sunnitische Terrorgruppe „Islamischer Staat“ (IS) im Irak. Die iranischen Verbündeten gingen am Boden gegen die Dschihadisten vor, die amerikanische Luftwaffe griff deren Stellungen aus der Luft an. Diese indirekte Zusammenarbeit dürfte sich künftig verstärken – sehr zum Missfallen der sunnitischen Führungsmacht Saudi-Arabien. Am Mittwoch zitierte die saudische Nachrichtenagentur SPA einen Regierungsmitarbeiter in Riad, der Iran davor warnte, dass Versuche, den Einfluss Teherans weiter auszudehnen, mit „Entschlossenheit“ bekämpft würden. » | Markus Bickel, Kairo | Mittwoch, 15. Juli 2015

Dante's Tomb in Italy to Get Extra Protection amid Fears It Will Become ISIS Target

DAILY EXPRESS: DANTE'S tomb is set to be given extra protection over fears Islamic State-inspired terrorists might target the site due to the famous poet's fictional slaughter of the Prophet Muhammad.

The tomb in Ravenna, on the north east coast of Italy, is on a list of churches and sites where extra security will be implemented amid concerns of an ISIS attack, according to Italian newspaper reports.

All the sites have links to or contain art works featuring Muhammad or referring to victories over Muslim armies.

Dante Alighieri, known as Italy's greatest poet, describes a fictional encounter in his gory verse The Divine Comedy where devils have to cut Muhammad's chest open as he descends into hell. » | Alix Culbertson | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Iran Nuclear Deal: However the Great and Good Represent It, America Has Now Taken the Shia Side in the Middle East's Sectarian War

THE INDEPENDENT: Obama hailed a 'more hopeful world...an opportunity to move in another direction'

However much Bibi Netanyahu of Israel and the Gulf sultans rage at the Vienna agreement, the Arabs at least will suspect the truth: that the Americans have taken the Shia Muslim side in the Middle East’s sectarian war.

That’s not how it was represented by the great and the good, of course. The headlines were simple. The Iranians agree to jam the breaks on their nuclear programme, pack up their centrifuges for a decade and cut back their uranium stockpile. All this in return for an end to the sanctions, financial goodies and bank transfers that Washington, the EU and the dear old United Nations had variously imposed on and witheld from the nation which that bearded old prelate Ruhollah Khomeini founded as an Islamic Republic 36 years ago. » | Robert Fisk | Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Israel and Saudi Arabia Present United Front over Iran Deal

THE TELEGRAPH: Iran's enemies unsettled by its deal with the West, but Bashar al-Assad of Syria says it is 'a great victory'

The nuclear deal with Iran caused fury in Israel and consternation around the region at the likely increase in influence and resources of a newly enriched Iran.

Most telling was the loudest expression of support. "I am happy that the Islamic Republic of Iran has achieved a great victory by reaching an agreement," President Bashar al-Assad of Syria said in a message to his Iranian opposite number, Hassan Rouhani.

"In the name of the Syrian people, I congratulate you and the people of Iran on this historic achievement."

Israel and the Sunni Arab world have set aside old grievances to stand together against the West’s engagement with Iran.

The more strident denunciations came from Israel, which regards Iran as a direct threat. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, said the country would not be bound by what he called a "stunning historic mistake".

"Israel is not bound by this deal with Iran," he said in a televised address hours after the conclusion of the accord. "Iran continues to seek our destruction and we will defend ourselves." » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Editor and Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Iran's Supreme Leader Posts Photo of Himself Trampling Israeli Flag: 'The Zionist Regime Is Doomed'

The caption on this photo, posted on supreme leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's website[,] is 'The Zionist
Regime is Condemned to Vanish' 

CNS NEWS: (CNSNews.com) – A photograph posted on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s official website--as the Obama administration was finalizing negotiations on a deal intended to prevent Iran from building a nulcear [sic] weapon--shows the walking stick-waving supreme leader striding across, and apparently glaring at, a painted representation of Israel’s national flag.

The caption on the photo, according to a translation by American Enterprise Institute scholar Michael Rubin, reads, “The Zionist Regime is Condemned to Vanish.”

“The Zionist regime is a regime with very shaky pillars,” the caption continues. “The Zionist regime is doomed. The Zionist regime is an imposed regime and was created with intimidation. Nothing created with intimidation can last long and this one will not last long either.” » | Patrick Goodenough | Monday, July 13, 2015

Irans Regime verwandelt sich nicht über Nacht in die Heilsarmee

DIE PRESSE: Zum Atomabkommen hätte es schlechtere Alternativen gegeben. Doch sich davon eine Zeitenwende im Nahen Osten zu erwarten ist schwer übertrieben.

Am Ende waren in Teheran sogar die Scharfmacher der Partei der „Selbstlosen“ begeistert. Außenminister Javad Zarif habe mit viel diplomatischem Geschick Irans Interessen verteidigt, ließen die ultrakonservativen Abgeordneten wissen; vor Kurzem noch hatten sie ihn als Verräter beschimpft. Die Iraner können mit dem Wiener Atomabkommen zufrieden sein. Sie sind nicht nur die Sanktionen los, die ihre Wirtschaft abgewürgt haben, sondern auch ihren internationalen Pariastatus. » | Christian Ultsch (Die Presse) | Dienstag, 14. Juli 2015