Israel Matzav: Iran sanctions act passes Congress

Iran sanctions act passes Congress

On Thursday, the US Senate approved by an 80-17 vote legislation that bars companies that sell more than $1 million per year of refined petroleum products to Iran from bidding on United States Department of Energy contracts. Similar legislation has already been passed by the House and it now goes to President Obama for signature. There is also now a bill pending in the House that would prohibit any non-US company that sells gasoline to Iran from doing business in the United States.

Meanwhile, Iran is seeking to increase its gasoline production.

The plan focuses on supplying the country's needed gasoline within 48 hours to curb the possible impacts of sanctions imposed by the US on the country.

The initiative first proposed by the Iranian oil minister proposes change in the production process of a number of Iranian petrochemical complexes.

...

Iran is the world's fourth-largest exporter of crude oil but due to the lavish consumption of heavily subsidized fuel by Iranian drivers, the country is forced to import large amounts which it then sells at very cheap pump prices, burdening the budget through giant subsidies. Iran imports 22-25 million liters of gasoline per day at present.

Unfortunately, this seems unlikely to work. And while we're figuring that out, the Iranian centrifuges are churning out enriched uranium.

What could go wrong?

Israel Matzav: Iran sanctions act passes Congress

Israel Matzav: Congress calls on Obama to quash Goldstone

Congress calls on Obama to quash Goldstone

Leading members of Congress in both parties have called upon the Obama administration to quash any further discussion of the Goldstone Commission report in any international forum.

A non-binding resolution introduced on Friday by Rep. Howard Berman (D-California), the chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Ileana Ross-Lehtinen (R-Florida), the committee's ranking Republican, "calls on the president and the secretary of state to strongly and unequivocally oppose any further consideration of the 'Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict' and any other measures stemming from this report in multilateral fora."

Also signing on as sponsors were the Middle East subcommittee's chairman and ranking member, Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-New York) and Dan Burton (R-Indiana).

The report alleges Israel and Hamas committed war crimes in last winter's Gaza war. The Obama administration has called the report flawed, but also says it raises allegations that deserve to be addressed by the parties to the conflict.

The administration is opposed to furthering the report in international committees but has stopped short of unequivocally blocking such consideration.

Hmmm.

Israel Matzav: Congress calls on Obama to quash Goldstone

Israel Matzav: Congress angry over Saudi boycott

Congress angry over Saudi boycott

Last Monday, I reported that instances of the Saudis asking companies to boycott Israel had risen 76% since the Saudis agreed not to boycott Israel as a condition to their admission to the World Trade Organization in 2005. That report has apparently angered members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.

Democrat Howard Berman of California, Chairman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Post from Washington that he had read the report in Monday's paper.

"This is a very disturbing report," Berman said, "particularly in light of the fact that US officials assured us four years ago that Saudi Arabia would abandon the boycott as the condition for its entry into the World Trade Organization."

Berman declared that he would take action on the issue.

"I intend to pursue this matter with the administration," he said.

Across the aisle, Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana, who chairs the House Republican Conference, also criticized Riyadh for its duplicity.

"Saudi Arabia's disregard of its 2005 pledge to end the boycott against Israel is unacceptable," Pence told the Post.

"Congress and the administration must hold Saudi Arabia accountable. The United States cannot stand by and continue to witness this mistreatment towards the peace-loving people of Israel," he said.

"Ending the Arab League boycott and establishing trade relationships with Israel would help foster much needed peace in the region," Pence added.

Hey folks - time to stop fooling ourselves. The Saudis aren't going to accept Israel's 'right to exist' as a Jewish state in this region - not now and not ever. And neither will any of the other Arab - Muslim countries. The existence of the 'Palestinians' is a sham that's meant to divert attention from the fact that Israel liberated Judea and Samaria (and Gaza and Sinai and the Golan Heights) in a defensive war, and therefore has an absolute right to those lands under international law.

I'd love to see Saudi Arabia kicked out of the WTO, but it will never happen.

Israel Matzav: Congress angry over Saudi boycott

Israel Matzav: Oops! Did I say that?

Oops! Did I say that?

For those of you who live in Florida, this story ought to show you that your Congressman is so busy shilling for Barack Obama that he doesn't even think through his positions.

The Weekly Standard reports (Hat Tip: Danny A) that Wexler told Greg Sargent that when his master said in Cairo on Thursday that "America will align our policies with those who pursue peace, and we will say in public what we say in private to Israelis and Palestinians and Arabs,” he meant that "it is no longer acceptable to say in private, `Go Israelis, take on Hezbollah,’ or `Go Israelis, take on Iran.”

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Israel Matzav: Oops! Did I say that?

Israel Matzav: Will Congress revolt over Obama's Mideast policy as it did over Gitmo?

Will Congress revolt over Obama's Mideast policy as it did over Gitmo?

Frank Gaffney is a lot more optimistic than I am that the Congress will eventually revolt against President Obama's Middle East policy, as it revolted over his efforts to close the Guantanamo prison last month. Gaffney's only question is whether the revolt will come in time. I'm skeptical that it will come at all (for reasons I will go into after the excerpt).

Taken together with the U.S. administration's refusal to come to grips with what truly is the most serious threat to peace in the Middle East - Iran's rising power and growing aggressiveness, reflecting in part its incipient nuclear weapons capabilities - the stage is being inexorably set for the next, and perhaps most devastating, regional conflict.

Whether the signals Mr. Obama is sending are intended to communicate such a message or not, they are going to be read by Israel's enemies as evidence of a profound rift between the United States and the Jewish State. In this part of the world, that amounts to an invitation to an open season on Israel.

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Israel Matzav: Will Congress revolt over Obama's Mideast policy as it did over Gitmo?