Iran Tourism Takes a Dive

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Trust me on this, it's true = As a result of the nuke deal Iran was expecting a huge increase in tourism amounting to 3%-4% of their annual income.

Iranians were planning on their tourism expanding every year. Next year they were planning on a 6%-8% increase.

The problem is that new US sanctions are discouraging Iran's potential tourists.
But there are tourist coming to Iran.

There are curious tourists interested in visiting Iran and reporting back to their friends and relatives about their experiences. Most of these tourists are thrill seekers and there are plenty of these thrill seeking tourists.

And among the first of Iran's visitors are tourism writers and photographers, there to document the pristine adventures of uncharted escapes and trails. These are the tourists who blaze the trails for main stream conservative tourists.

What was supposed to be a real economic find for Iran has just had the rug pulled out from underneath it.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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3 Countires To Boycott Eurovision in Israel

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

It's a cardinal rule: the winner of the Eurovision, the international song festival, hosts the next year's competition.

This year, Israel won and next year Eurovision will be held in Jerusalem.

But it's not that simple - politics have set in and the situation is getting ugly.

Iceland, Sweden and Ireland have announced that they will not attend next year's competition in Jerusalem. They have chosen to boycott a cultural event whose very purpose - much like international sports, is to bring different people from differ countries together.

Knowledge and interaction promote dialogue and removes bias and hatred. Some nations, like some people, just can't get beyond their own biases.

That's a shame.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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No World Cup For Hamas Prisoners

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Gilad Erdan, Israel's Minister of Public Security, is forbidding Hamas prisoners from watching the World Cup which begins in three weeks and takes place this summer in Russia.

That is real punishment.

Erdan is also investigating whether or not he can strip all TV viewing privileges from Hamas prisoners all year round.

The World Cup takes place every 4 years. This summer, literally 50% of the entire world will be watching.

Four years ago several prisoners were forbidden from watching the Games and in response the prisoners appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court. They won. The Court ruled that the prisoners could watch the World Cup.

For die hard fans, not watching the World Cup is truly cruel and unusual punishment .

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Philip Cross Wiki Editor Draws Disdain

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Philip Cross, as he is called, is quite simply, impressive. He has edited Wikipedia over 133,000 times over the past 14 years. He has never missed a day and edits, on average, 30 times a day. And nobody knows his identity or real name.

Cross is hated by many because of his accomplishment. Rewards have been offered to discover his true identity. Cross is hated because he is relentless in his pursuit of truth. Those who hate him are on the other side of his quick typing and insight.

Cross has, for example, edited and reedited the Wikipedia entry for George Galloway 1,700 times.
Really! Galloway is a British politician who resigned under a cloud. He was such an anti-Semite that he was an embarrassment to his Labour Party especially his dear friend Cobryn the leader of the Labour party. Galloway's people edit his entry and then Cross re-edits it - over and over and over again.

Cross has no sympathy for Russian expansion, for liberal / labour conflict, for socialism, Marxism or anti-Semitism.

Some people guess that Philip Cross is not a person, but a group of British intel officers. Some argue that Cross is a group of former disgruntled journalists.

It doesn't matter. Philip Cross is leveling the playing field. He or they are making certain that we, the reader, are presented with an important and honest point of view.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Fire Kites

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
The fire kite has been Gaza's most effective weapon against Israel since they started using them on April 13, 2018.

The flying fire kite is a kite outfitted with a Molotov cocktail as its stabilizer tail.

The kites are launched into the air just like any regular kite would be. But then the kites burst into flames and turn into balls of fire. When they hit their targets, they land they ignite wheat fields on the Israeli side of the border.

The kite is an extremely low tech - and low cost, weapon. Hundreds of kites have been launched by Hamas and hundreds have landed in Israel and caught fire.

The damage that has been done is tragic. Over 1,000 acres of wheat has been burned. The fires are even more damaging now than when kites were first launched because the heat wave in the area causes the fields to be drier and more flammable.

Israel has now created a defense against Hamas launched Molotov cocktail kites.

Israel is using small multi-propeller drones with cameras and flying them right through the kites while the kites are on the Gaza side of the border. The fire kites fall on Hamas territory and catch fire there.

Over the past week Israel has downed over 120 of these flying fire bombs.

A low tech solution to a low tech weapon.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Azerbaijan & Israel

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Azerbaijan leadership has just concluded a three day trip to Israel.
This trip was groundbreaking - for a number of reasons.

First is that Azerbaijan is a Muslim nation and does not yet have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Second is that Azerbaijan borders not only Iran but also Turkey and Russia.

Third is that Azerbaijan is one of Israel's largest suppliers of oil.

Finally, Israel sells all kinds of sophisticated weapons to Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani delegation to Israel was lead by their minister of taxation and he was joined by several deputy ministers.

A few weeks earlier Azerbaijan's most famous singer released a music video which included footage of the Azeri armed forces. Included were several shots of Israeli weapons.

A big new opportunity is opening up.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Israel Says US Will Recognize Goan

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Israel's minister of intelligence Israel Katz suggested that the US might be interested in recognizing Israeli control over the Golan Heights.

This is part of the ripple effect begun when the US recognized Jerusalem as the national capital and dedicated the United States embassy there.

The Golan Heights was captured by Israel from Syria in 1967 - and then Israeli law was applied in the area. Israel views the Golan Heights as part of Israel. Before 1967 the Golan Heights was a strategic plateau from which the Syrians launched regular attacks on Israel. The attacks were so aggressive that it was nearly impossible for Israeli farmers in the valley below to plow their fields.

There is no way Israel will ever give up the Golan Heights.

Recognizing the Golan Heights as part of Israel would further cement another fact on the ground.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Arab Scholar Says Jews Are Violent It's Their Genes

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Arab culture is rife with conspiracy theories about Jews and the Holocaust. These canards are often spread by leaders and elites, even by professors.

That is what happened recently on Channel 2 Egyptian TV.

Professor Amr Allam, the head of the Hebrew department at Menoufia University said, while on air, that "the Israeli violence or aggressive spirit is embedded in the Jewish genes."

Allam was a guest on "The Blue Line" a weekly show which dwells on depicting Jews and Israel as evil. In this particular episode the topic was the reasons for the "abnormal" Israeli character.

Hazem Abu Saud, the host of the show, said that the Holocaust "was not directed specifically against the Jews, but against all the people suffering from diseases, and so on," and that the Jews "have exploited" and "continue to benefit" from what happened to them in the Holocaust.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Qatar will Pay Hamas Salaries

By Micah Halpern
I've Been Thinking:

When it comes to supporting Hamas in Gaza, Qatar has been picking up where many other Arab countries have stopped.

Most of the Arabic world has abandoned Hamas but Qatar has been trying to funnel money and support. Qatar has promised to pay government salaries and inject monies to rebuild water and electricity infrastructure facilities in Gaza.

According to Arabic media sources, the Qatari Ambassador to Palestine, Mohammed al-Ammadi, is scheduled to visit Gaza soon to discuss the proposal.

"The Qatar initiative is moving beyond the humanitarian side this time and is related to fundamental improvements," the sources said.

"Qatar will support projects to improve electricity, water and other things that Ammadi may soon announce."

This is a very bad precedent.

Qatar seems not to care that by sidling up to Hamas they will further alienate themselves in foreign diplomacy.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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US Sactions of Ian Are Working

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

New US sanctions against Iran are already having an impact.

On Thursday the largest international shipping container company in the world, A.P. Moller-Maersk, closed all operations in Iran. Maersk is so large that one cannot drive on a highway without seeing dozens of the containers rolling along on eighteen wheelers on the way to their destinations.

The day before that, on Wednesday, Total Energy shut their shop in Iran. Total Energy is one of the largest energy companies in the world, specifically for oil and gas. They employ over 100,000 people.

These are only two of the many companies that now feel the pressure of US sanctions to abandon Iran.

The sanctions mean that if companies continue doing business with Iran they will not be able to engage in any US economic banking activity.

That could destroy any company.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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50 of 61 Were Hamas Members

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Monday was a bloody day on the Gaza border. 61 Palestinians died.

On Wednesday senior Hamas official Salah Bardawil announced to Baladana TV, an official Hamas network, that 50 of the 61 dead were members of Hamas. In an interview Bardawil said that they were part of the Hamas ranks and that he was proud of their actions and their deaths. He said that they were fighting Israel and died as warriors and martyrs.

If that is correct - and there is no reason to dispute his claim, they were official members of a terror group, not innocents at the border.

That means that these 50 "protesters" were actually part of Hamas operations fighting against Israel. That is significant.

The remaining 11 may be connected to any number of other, anti-Israel, terror groups. Or they may have been simple rioters.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Israel Delivers Aid to Gaza

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

On Tuesday Israel sent supplies in to Gaza.

8 trucks filled with 53 tons of medical supplies crossed the border into Gaza.

And a line of gas trucks crossed from Israel into Gaza - but there was no one there to receive the gas, so the trucks turned around and returned to Israel taking with them the gas.

Hamas leadership, which controls Gaza, is actively working to destroy any attempts for aid to enter their domain - especially Israeli aid.

This assistance is from the Israeli army, the same group that the Gazans are fighting. The irony is staggering. The people you are attacking respond by sending you aid. Why? Because you were wounded striking out at them.

This is the Israeli way.

But did you see any international press showing the Israelis shipping humanitarian aid into Gaza the day after the world condemned them for being so brutal? The answer is: No, you didn’t.

That is the way of the world.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Why More Palestinians Have Not Shown Up

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Some insight into the riots and attacks in Gaza:

During the most recent riots, Hamas organizers did everything they could to pack in the numbers and get as many people out as possible. They were hoping to be at least 100,000 strong.

In addition to busing rioters to the riot points, Hamas cancelled classes in all schools and all universities. They also announced a total shutdown of businesses.

There was no excuse not to have over a million people on the border between Gaza and Israel - but only 40,000 Palestinians showed up.

The reasons are simple:

Kids prefer to play computer games at home than to go out and riot.

Despite the inverted logic of Palestinian leadership, Palestinian parents and children are electing not to attend the organized riots and not to give up their lives for the cause.

Bottom line: The numbers don't lie!

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Hamas Wins on Campus

Hamas Wins on Campus

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
Student Council elections at Palestinian Bir Zeit University had a not surprising result. Hamas won.

Hamas garnered 24 out of the 51 seats on the Student Council. The favorite party was the Martyr Party of Yassir Arafat which received 23 seats.

Hamas has claimed a tremendous victory - and they are correct to do so.
University elections are so important because they are a tool for predicting the future.

Winning at the university level empowers Hamas, it allows them to feel that they may very well be the future of the region.

It allows them to believe that they have unseated the establishment. This is not a good sign for the rest of us.

What is even more important than the results of the election at Bir Zeit University is that 75% of all students voted in this election.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Israel Claims Syrian Strike

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

In a rare move, Israel accepted responsibility for air bombing Syria earlier this week.

The bombing was a response to the Iranian Al Quds Force launching of 20 missiles toward Israel. In the end, Israel struck and destroyed 50 sites, maybe even a few more.

Not all the targets were pre-arranged. According to Israeli Air Force sources, however, every site that launched a rocket was identified and destroyed. The targets included mobile operations like the S-200 rocket systems, command and control HQ's, radar and stocks of weapons.

As in the past, the explosions registered on the Richter Scale. This time they registered 2.6 in magnitude.

It is important to know that the elite Iranian force is embedded in Syrian camps.

Syrian fighters were trained in old Soviet-style strategy. In looking at the targets a specific Soviet-style pattern emerges. There are three lines and the first two lines have three clusters. Classic Russian defense pattern.

Of the 25 soldiers killed in the attack, most were Iranian. Israel has said that they were targeting equipment and not people - that makes sense.

This is now a game of cat and mouse. The game may still escalate.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Iran Has A Plan

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Make no mistake about it, Iran definitely has a plan in place as a response to the Trump move to pull the United States out of the Iranian nuclear deal.

Iranian government spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht put it this way:

"The Management and Planning Organization of Iran have drawn up a plan that is proportional to the conditions of America's exit from the nuclear deal."

Piecing the plan together, it appears that Iran is making demands of the European nations. Iran is saying that, in order for them to stay in the agreement, they want more concessions. Iran will want more money and a shorter timetable to the sunset clauses. They will also permit more IAEA inspections.

It's all part of the game. And Europe may just agree to play by Iran's rules.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Israel Strikes Iran Missiles Again

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
All educational trips to northern Israel were cancelled until further notice by order of the Education Ministry.

The reason is clear.

Iran has bolstered its missiles located in Syria and trained them on Israeli targets. And Israel once again struck a Syrian base with Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Iranian missiles. According to reports 15 people on the base were killed -- 8 were Iranian.

Israel is preemptively striking the Iranian missiles while they are still on the ground.

Israel expects that Iran will use those missiles to strike them.

Israel will continue to seek out and destroy all Syrian centers for Iranian weapons because those weapons threaten innocent Israeli citizens.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Palestinian Foundations Are Crumbling

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

The Palestinians are up in arms at Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Bahrain and UAE participated in the first leg of an Italian bike race. That first leg took place in Israel - hence the reason for Palestinian ire.

Palestinians thought their boycott against Israel was ironclad - until it was smashed by these two Arab countries which have now officially competed in an international bike race hosted in part by the Jewish State.

The Palestinians are watching their foundations crumble. The bedrock upon which Palestinians stood in the Arab world was their position as victim. Now that the Arab boycott against Israel has been broken, their place in the Arab world is diminished, almost obliterated.

Now Israel and the Arab world are sharing interests.

This is very upsetting for the Palestinians.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Saudis Are Happy- Oil Hits $75

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
Strange things are happening in the oil markets - especially between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

For years Saudi Arabia has tried to push prices of oil down and tried to make certain that Iran was not able to benefit from sales of higher priced crude. But this week oil hit a high of $75/barrel and the Saudis announced that they want oil prices to rise higher - even to $80/barrel.

Oil today is already 50% higher than it was last year.

Meanwhile, Iran wants to sell as much oil as possible.

This change in attitude about the price of oil is part of a plan - a plan to hurt Iran.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Bibi To Meet Putin

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will, once again, visit Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Bibi will fly to Moscow where he will be an official guest at the Victory Day parade and celebrations.

Victory Day is held every year on May 9th. It celebrates the Russian (actually the Soviet) defeat of the Nazis. It is a huge celebration in Russia.

This will be the 8th face-to-face meeting between the Russian and Israeli leaders in two years. They have much to discuss.

Tensions between the two leaders surrounding Syria and Iran are certainly a high priority agenda item.

Putin's invitation to Netanyahu to join him at the Victory Day celebration and parade is a grand gesture signifying that the Russian leader wants to get relations between the two countries back on track.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Jack Ma in Israel

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:
Jack Ma, the richest man in China and the founder and head of Alibaba, is in Israel receiving an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University.

During his presentation Jack Ma announced that he will continue to invest in Israel. He and his company have already invested in five companies in Israel. The results have been successful and Ma is very pleased. Now he will be investing in many more Israeli companies.

Ma said that Israel is one of only three places in the world where he would even consider investing.

That is a tremendous compliment - especially from Jack Ma.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Israel Builds Alternative Airport

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Tourism in Israel is up.

This first quarter of 2018 was up 30% over the same period in 2017.

That is very impressive by any standard, especially so while Israel is under the threat of war from Iran and Hezbollah.

Recognizing that Ben Gurion Airport is a high profile target - and that there is a real threat of an attack on the airport from Hezbollah and from terrorists coming from closer to the airport in the West Bank - Israel is re-outfitting and expanding an air force base deep in the Negev desert.

The base is far away from a Hezbollah threat or a West Bank attack. But it is an alternative and, if needed, if there is a crisis, it will be there.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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Abbas Spouts Anti-Semitism

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

Palestinian President Abbas launched into an anti-Semitic tirade during his two hour long speech at the Palestinian National Council meeting. This was the first meeting of the Council since December 1998.

Here is some of what Abbas said:
"From the 11th century until the Holocaust that took place in Germany, the Jews - who moved to Western and Eastern Europe - were subjected to a massacre every 10 to 15 years. But why did this happen?"

He continued: "The Jewish issue that was widespread in all European countries ... was not because of their religion, but rather their social behavior related to usury and banks."

Abbas often reverts to his anti-Semitic wheel-well to gain wall-to-wall support from his followers.

The Arabic world is filled with conspiracy theories and people all too often believe these canards.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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WOW - What A Press Conference

By Micah Halpern

I've Been Thinking:

WOW. That is the best response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's press conference in which he unveiled, for all the world to see, an Iranian nuclear archive.

The European response is that the information is not new. In essence, Europe is saying that no proof will alter their mindset vis a vis the nuclear deal.

Iran denies all the allegations and claims that Netanyahu made it all up.

IRNA, Iran's official news agency, asserted that the Israeli prime minister is "famous for ridiculous shows."

Fars a semi official state news agency, believed to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, dismissed Netanyahu's speech as a "propaganda show."

All Iranian media has joined together in issuing a public proclamation stating that Iran has never sought nuclear weapons and they are not seeking nuclear weapons now.

Micah@MicahHalpern.com 

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