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Saturday, 31 August 2019

Lebanon’s Defense Minister: We’re Not Concerned about Pressure, Will Respond to Any ’Israeli’ Aggression



When “Israel” invaded Lebanon in an attempt to occupy it and the resistance confronted it, it was often said at the time that “the eye does not resist the gimlet”. The weak believed this defeatist saying. But the resistance ignored it. A few have sought and struggled for the sake of Lebanon. It triumphed despite little material capabilities. And history recorded the enemy’s first ever unconditional withdrawal from an Arab country.
In 2006, the enemy waged a massive war against the homeland. The outcome was its surrender under Lebanese strikes. In 2017, the resistance and the military establishment fought a war hand in hand against the Takfiris. This war ended with the liberation of Lebanon from the terrorists. The so-called emirate was toppled thanks to the golden equation: the army, the people and the resistance.
A few days ago, “Israel” committed a new folly – a blatant and open attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs [Dahiyeh]. It did not go unnoticed. We saw the unanimous official positions as well as the popular support for the resistance and the military institutions, which seems ready to face any “Israeli” aggression against Lebanon.
While speaking to Lebanon’s Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab one gets the sense of how powerful and determined the military establishment is to defend the country. The minister seems confident more than ever about Lebanon’s ability to defend its territory from any attack.
In an exclusive with Al-Ahed News Website, Bou Saab confirms that the Lebanese army will take the initiative to confront any “Israeli” attack. In his opinion, Lebanon is stronger than before and it only gets more powerful with each passing crisis, especially with a strong president and a mindful leadership from all parties. The “Israelis” should take note of this.
Bou Saab also stresses that objections to Lebanon’s behavior are “anomalous” voices that have no value in politics and in influencing public opinion. Regarding external pressures, Bou Saab explains that the president is not concerned and neither are we. He says that their only concerns are Lebanon’s interest first and foremost. Thanks to this awareness, Lebanon continues to go from one victory to another.
Below is the transcript of the interview:
Q. Has Lebanon been subjected to pressure as a result of the positions it has formally adopted, especially with regard to the position of President Michel Aoun and the decisions taken by the Supreme Defense Council?
A. I do not want to say that Lebanon came under pressure. His Excellency the President is not concerned with these pressures and neither are we. When we make decisions at the Supreme Defense Council, we are concerned only with Lebanon’s interest first and foremost. President Aoun’s position is well known. In 2006, it was known, and today it is still known. Every attack on Lebanon is viewed by His Excellency the President through his articulated position. This was evident in his last stance following the attack on Dahiyeh. President Aoun is not concerned with any external pressures. He ignores any position from any party that contradicts his convictions. This is the approach of any President of the Republic who is keen on dignity and sovereignty. Lebanon makes its decisions in line with the positions we heard from the President of the Republic. He does not adopt positions that take into consideration how to please external parties. He does not adopt positions based on fears of exposing Lebanon to external pressures. We should know this about President Aoun. He is not concerned with any pressures. He is only concerned with the Lebanese national interest. And this is what we have seen the last time.
Q. There was talk of US pressure exerted on the Lebanese army, especially after confronting the Zionist drones. Was the army really pressured to be neutral? 
A. The decision made by the Lebanese army on Wednesday (August 28) to confront the Zionist drones in Adaisseh is not a spur of the moment decision. The order was not given on Wednesday. The army implemented the decision after seeing the drones with a naked eye. So, it fired directly at them. Earlier, I said that the Lebanese army will take the initiative to respond to any “Israeli” attack against Lebanese territory. Any attack that is clear and apparent and the army has a clear shot, the military will initiate, confront and shoot at it. Coincidentally, a few hours later, this incident took place. It turned out that drones flew at an altitude the army could see with a naked eye. So, it fired at them. This decision has not changed whether there is pressure or not. The position remains the same and will not change.
Q. If the incident reoccurs?
A. I assure you that the decision will remain the same. It will be in line with the defense of Lebanon and the Lebanese territories. We will respond to any “Israeli” aggression that the army sees clearly whether on land or in the air. In a previous incident along the border, a Lebanese army officer shot at “Israeli” drones. This means that the Lebanese army is following the same protocol and will not change courser under any pressure.
Q. Are you confident of the official Lebanese stance after seeing an honorable position from the three leaders? Or do you have fears of a split that may happen at any moment?
A. I do not think divisions can happen because the official positions in Lebanon and the political parties represented in both the parliament and the government are all united and clear. This is a blatant “Israeli” attack against Lebanon. Some Lebanese may agree with us that this is an “Israeli” attack, but they had a different position regarding the response, stating that the response should be decided by the government. They also argued that decisions regarding war and peace must be in the hands of the Lebanese state.
When this team said this in the Cabinet, the prime minister responded by stating that we do not make the decision for war and peace. “Israel” was the one that made that decision. It is the aggressor, and we will defend ourselves.
I think that these words demonstrate that there is certainly no fear of the unified positions among Lebanese officials being divided. I believe that the “Israelis” must learn a lesson from what happened. And each time they choose to attack Lebanon, they will be met with an unanimous position in the face of their threats.
Q. Do you think that Lebanon is stronger today?
A. We come out stronger than before following every crisis we go through and all the problems inside Lebanon or problems due to “Israeli” attacks. Many of the decisions made in Lebanon in the presence of the President of the Republic made us emerge from any crisis stronger than before. We have been through crises, both internal and external, and every time we came out stronger and stronger. Here, we are talking about the “Israeli” aggressions.
If you made a comparison between the present and what happened in the July war, in terms of the divisions and the political positions, I believe we have achieved a massive victory, even inside Lebanon, through political and unanimous positions. The “Israelis” should learn a lesson from this. Perhaps in the past, they were able to exert greater influence on Lebanon’s political decision-making process through international pressure. However, this is no longer an option for them, especially in the presence of a strong president and a mindful leadership of all parties. Therefore, the objections to Lebanon’s behavior are “anomalous” voices that have no value in politics and in influencing public opinion, which will be supporting the state in defending the Lebanese territory in the face of “Israeli” attacks.
Q. On the second anniversary of the liberation of the Joroud, the equation of the army, the people, and the resistance was embodied. Today we are beginning to see this trio is ever present in light of the recent Zionist aggression against Lebanon. Do you think this equation will peak?
A. In the ministerial statement we were clear: the Lebanese have the right to defend their land by all available means. They have the right to resist any aggression. Some get upset over the description of the trio: the army, the people and the resistance. But the ministerial statement translates this. The disagreement may occur in terms of talking about the resistance as an organization, whether it can make decisions on its own. I am not going to discuss this here. As a defense minister, I am not in a position to talk about this issue now. This should be discussed on the dialogue table in due course. But I emphasize that in any problem, crisis or aggression, we will not accept to burn time debating how to respond. We will all defend our homeland whether through the army, or the people. And whoever wants to resist, let him resist the way he wants. This is evident in the unity that is embodied during any assault. This issue is out of discussion. Any aggression will be faced with Lebanese consensus and defense by all means.
Q. With regard to the international and regional contacts that Lebanon has made officially, have you obtained what some call reassurances that “Israel” will not launch a large-scale war against Lebanon?
A. Diplomatic circles are saying that “Israel’s” message implies that they are not preparing for war and they do not intend to wage a war. What takes us to the other possibility is that “Israel” is preparing for elections and is trying to strengthen its internal situation by launching attacks of this kind. But these attacks are a double-edged sword that could turn against those who think about attacking. Because today we have a strong Lebanon capable of responding and creating equations. It can deter the enemy. If this was “Israel’s” intention, it does not necessarily mean it would have a positive outcome for the elections. It might turn out to be an issue with negative repercussions for them because as I said we are much stronger than before.
Q. Have you felt that the Americans are upset with what “Israel” did, or is there agreement with the “Israeli” position?
A. We found out that no one was expecting this to happen, after inquiries were made from more than one side.
Q. How do you explain what UNIFIL was quoted as saying that shots fired by the army violated Resolution 1701? Isn’t this a double standard, as we do not see this tone when “Israel” violates Lebanese airspace on a daily basis?
A. If an official position is issued by UNIFIL regarding this issue, we will respond in due course and give them the appropriate reply.
Final Words
On the anniversary of the Dawn of the Joroud Liberation, I pay tribute to the souls of all the martyrs who have fallen and without them we would not have been able to continue on this path. Without them, we would not have emerged stronger. We emerge from every battle, every war and every crisis stronger thanks to the blood of the honorable martyrs who fell while defending Lebanon, the Lebanese people as well as the homeland, its dignity and sovereignty.
Therefore, we can only salute their families, pray for mercy for the martyrs and say Lebanon will carry on from one victory to another until the logic of the state is achieved, attacks are prevented and any terrorist or enemy is deterred from thinking of violating Lebanon in the future or sees an opportunity to steal its land, oil or anything else.

 River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!
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The Saker interviews Max van der Werff about the MH-17 conspiracy



The Saker interviews Max van der Werff about the MH-17 conspiracy
August 28, 2019
Introduction: MH17 is to Novorussia, what the Markale (also see here) has been to Bosnia and Racak (also see here) has been to Kosovo: a typical false flag operation which pursued two goals: first, of course, to justify a military aggression and, second, to force everybody to chose one of two options: first, either pretend to believe the official narrative or, second, be vilified and discredited. From this perspective, the MH17 false flag has been a tremendous success, mostly due to the extremely successful lobotomy inflicted by the legacy Ziomedia on the western public opinion (I would argue that the Skripal fairy tale is even more self-evidently ridiculous than the MH17 fairy tale, and yet that was also swallowed hook line and sinker by most western “experts”). But then, we live in a post-9/11 world, in which neither facts nor logic matter much anymore, except for a rather small amount of people, including Max van der Werff who has proven to be one of the most tenacious and courageous investigative journalists. I am most grateful for his time and answers!
——-
The Saker: First, a question about yourself: why and how did you get involved in this topic of MH17? What did were you doing before you got involved in this topic?
Max van der Werff : The very moment the news of the shoot down of the Malaysian Boeing broke on July 17th 2014, I immediately realized this tragedy would have long term geopolitical implications. What further struck me was the fact most passengers were citizens of my country, The Netherlands.
Since childhood I have an interest in geopolitics and history. The fact my father was an immigrant from Indonesia surely contributed and as a teenager I read a lot about Dutch colonial history.
After Japan surrendered and World War II ended 150,000 Dutch troops were sent to restore Pax Hollandia in the old colony and the main motive was to restore the exploitation of the ‘wingewest’ (area for profit) as soon as possible. The Dutch elite had the opinion that the Japanese rule over the Dutch Indies was merely a short interruption and that Dutch colonial rule would be reinstated for generations to come. This fatally wrong perception of reality led to the Indonesian war of independence lasting from 1945 to end 1949 causing hundreds of thousands casualties.
Prior to my MH17 investigations I spent a lot of time in archives and on the ground in Indonesia searching for evidence of Dutch war crimes. There’s a documentary about my work: https://vimeo.com/288088492
The Saker: Now, let’s immediately jump into the core question: after having researched and analyzed the topic of MH17, what personal conclusion did you come to?
What do you believe really happened that day?
Max van der Werff : Having spent thousands of hours researching the case and being interviewed by the official Joint Investigation Team more than once my answer to your core question might be disappointing for some: I don’t know what happened.
Let me elaborate. Depending on political preferences all kinds of ‘experts’ claim to know for sure what happened exactly. One camp is sure it was a false flag, executed by Ukraine. The opposing camp is sure Russia is responsible. There are many variants as to who is an accomplice. On social media you see claims Ukraine was just a proxy for the CIA or Mossad. On the other side Russia just supplied the weapon and rebels shot down the airliner.
Then there are more exotic claims flight MH17 was shot down by a drone, a modernized Georgian SU-25 or by Israeli Python-5 missile(s) fired from the air or from the ground.
I have not encountered any credible evidence supporting any of the theories. This specifically includes the official version. Too many things simply do not add up. I’ve written a lot about the questionable evidence the official investigators have presented to the public so far and was one of the producers of a documentary that already has more than 200,000 views on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkDWwYk4-Ho
The Saker: I outlined my personal guesstimate here where I wrote that in my opinion the Ukronazis used the radar of a Buk battery to guide a Su-25 withing 8 clicks of the MH-17 at which point the Su-25 fired a R-60 IR missile which hit one of the engines which caused the Boeing to go into a sharp turn and lose altitude – the Su-25 easily caught up and finished the Boeing with its 30 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-2 autocannon (I explain my reasons in details here: https://thesaker.is/mh-17-one-year-later/). Do you have any elements of proof which would undermine/negate my guesstimate? Specifically, do you consider it as admitted by all sides now that a Buk missile did strike MH-17?
Max van der Werff : President Putin recently said: “We have our own version, we presented it, unfortunately, no one wants to listen to us. And until there is a real dialogue, we will not find the right answer to those questions that are still open”
For five years I am asking: What exactly is the Russian official version of events?
To my knowlegde the Russian Federation has never claimed the Malaysian Boeing was shot down by a buk missile. You have to be very precise here. Over the years Russian media have presented all kinds of versions about what happened. One version even more exotic than the other.
As most of your readers will know Almaz Antey, the company producing the missile system, gave a press conference and conducted a life experiment detonating a buk missile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r63cskl08o
During the press conference the Almaz Antey spokesman explained that the observed damage patterns in the hull of the Boeing could not have been caused by a buk missile fired from the location near Snizhne as claimed by the MH17 Joint Investigation Team. If a buk missile caused the damage, it must have been fired from an area southeast of the village Zaroshenskoye. Notice the little word “IF” in the sentence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsohFzbJ-vs
Concerning your assessment a Su-25 fired a R-60 IR missile. You do get some support for your theory from Zahar Omarov, chief researcher at the Central Research Institute of the Air Force of the Russian Ministry of Defense:
“I can say that our results disprove the conclusion that the plane was shot down by a missile from a Buk-type anti-aircraft missile system. Most likely, it was an air-to-air missile with a mass of high-explosive fragmentation warheads not exceeding 33 kg (the mass of the warhead of the Buk missile is 70 kg).”
Omarov repeatedly attended meetings of Russian delegations with members of the Dutch Safety Board. Here’s a very interesting segment of what he experienced during one of those meetings:
–QUOTE–
During the first meeting, in which I had to take part, and this was in February 2015, the Dutch reported that the plane, in their opinion, was shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft missile. Moreover, a definite modification of this missile was indicated, and, moreover, even the area from where it was launched was indicated.
I will not hide, we were very surprised. After all, before this, fragments of the aircraft with holes were examined, and there was not a single fragment with cut out sections that would indicate the conduct of any laboratory research.
I want to draw attention to such a dialogue that I had with a speaking expert.
–I asked a question: “Excuse me, did you investigate combat damage on fragments of an airplane?”
–Answer: “No. We are only planning to do this.”
–Question: “But how did you establish that the plane was shot down by Buk missile launcher?”
–Answer: “We found out from the Internet that the aircraft could have been hit either by a GSh-23 type air gun, or a R-60 type air missile, or a Buk anti-aircraft missile. One of the steel pieces found in the wreckage of the aircraft, in our opinion, is somewhat reminiscent of the shape of a “butterfly”. And we know that the warhead of one of the modifications of the Buk missile has damaging elements in the form of a “butterfly”. Therefore, of the three versions, the last was chosen.”
Logic, as they say, is iron. Something reminds me of our school exam. Dutch experts, apparently, have a good university education. However, for such work, education alone is not enough. Of course, experience is necessary, but even this is not the main thing. It is necessary to know, or, in extreme cases, at least conceptually understand the methodology for investigating such aviation events.
–UNQUOTE–
Now back to the type of air-to-air missile allegedly used. Omarov claims:
“The warhead was equipped with compact striking elements in an amount of not more than 4000 pieces. The missile most likely had a matrix-type thermal imaging homing head or passive radar. I note that missiles with similar characteristics are not in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces and never have been.”
The Saker: Russia and Malaysia were denied the right to participate to the investigation. Can you outline what the legalities are to decide which countries do or do not get the chance to participate? Do Russia and Malaysia not have any legal instruments to invoke to challenge the absolutely ridiculous way the official inquiry was formed and, even more so, the way this commission of inquiry operated (such as using social media sites, but not official Russian data)? Russia is an IATA member, so is Malaysia. Can they not sue?
Max van der Werff : This is a question for legal experts, but I’m quite certain Malaysia would have a strong case. ICAO Annex 13 describes in detail how the composition of an air disaster investigation must be. For sure the country of the operator (in this case Malaysia Airlines) has to be part of the investigation from the very beginning, which we all know was not the case. Malaysia only was a llowed to become MH17 JIT member four months after the shoot down.
Russia could argue that Ukraine as a potential suspect of the crime is a member of the official investigation and to compensate this obvious anomaly the Russian Federation should be part of the investigative team too.
Connected to this issue Lawyer and expert international criminal law Geert-Jan Knoops argues:
“In my view, the OM made a wrong choice by first setting up a trial model with the JIT team, with the Netherlands and The Hague District Court as the place of trial, then presenting the report with the suspects and then expecting Russia to cooperates. ”
and
“I think Russia might have been more cooperative if there had been trial in a neutral country, a non-JIT country.“
The Saker: What is going on in Russia? First, they strongly hinted that some Ukie aircraft had shot MH17, then they declared that it was a Buk owned by the Ukronazis. So did they actually change their working hypothesis and ditched the Su-25 hypothesis to the (much less credible, at least in my opinion) Buk missile scenario?
Max van der Werff : Information management of the Russian Federation is of very low quality, to put it mildly. It took Russia four days to present its version of events and claimed a (most probably) Su-25 appeared on radar as it broke the 5,000 meter altitude. Russia also claimed it had deleted its radar data only to find a copy a few days before the official JIT press conference. And on those radar data a Russian expert explained there was no fighter jet visible. How credible is all this and how could it fail to explain why on one set of radar data a fighter jet is visible and on the other there is not?
Another criticism is Russia reacts when new accusations are disseminated by the official investigators, but fails to take the initiative and to communicate its own version of events in a simple, complete and credible narrative. More about this in two radio interviews with patrick Henningsen of 21st Century Wire en Chris Cook of Gorilla Radio.
The Saker: If the quasi official hypothesis now is that a Buk was shot (by somebody, nevermind for the time being how did it)? In spite of the fact that a HUGE plume should have been seen and in spite of the fact that any such Buk launch was absolutely certain to be tracked and recorded by all sides? Does it not strike you that the Buk hypothesis is just not credible at all? To ask the question a little differently: do you think that challenging the Buk hypothesis is still a viable strategy or should I (and a few others) give up on our Su-25 hypothesis and accept the Buk theory as established beyond reasonable doubt (or even by a preponderance of evidence)?
Max van der Werff: The narrative of a buk missile fired from rebel held territory was the first narrative that circulated in western media and after five years it is unchanged and still the dominant narrative. It is now also the official version of the MH17 Joint Investigation Team.
To your question if challenging the Buk hypothesis is still a viable strategy the answer depends very much on who is questioning this hypothesis. For sure the Russian Federation knows a lot more than what it is sharing with the public.
The tragedy happened merely thirty kilometers from the Russian border. For me it is unthinkable Russia does not know exactly what happened on July 17th 2014. What facts and information does it hide after even five years and for what reasons? If a buk missile was not the murder weapon, why not explain this to the world with irrefutable evidence?
The Saker: Finally, do you believe that the full truth about MH17 will eventually come out and, if yes, roughly how and when?
Max van der Werff : For sure at some point in time the truth will come out. However, I am not sure we will be living long enough to witness this event.
The Saker: thank you so much for your time and replies!
——-
Afterword by The Saker:
During my years as an strategic intel analyst I had the chance to personally witness how the airspace over Europe is controlled in peacetime: not a single aircraft can take off without immediately being detected by numerous and redundant reconnaissance capabilities of many different actors including NATO, but also the various member states and even some neutral countries. I can only begin to image the degree, the concentration, of intelligence/reconnaissance means deployed by ALL SIDES of the conflict in the Donbass. There is absolutely NO doubt in my mind that both the Russians and the Empire have very detailed radar tracks, signal logs and God knows what else which gives them a 20/20 vision of everything which took place on that day (and before and after too, of course). This brings me to three different questions:
  1. Why are the Russians not releasing to the world the full and irrefutable evidence of what took place that day? I could understand why the Russians remained silent about 9/11, but in this case I really don’t get it!
  2. How are the various NATO states justifying that they are not simply showing the general public the full picture of what took place that day? Has nobody asked them point blank?
  3. How is it that journalists with a lot of contacts (say a Seymour Hersh or a Robert Fisk) not get at least ONE (even anonymous) source to give them the full picture? There must be HUNDREDS of people between all the US and EU intel agencies who know exactly what has taken place and most of those probably do not sympathize with the Ukronazi regime in Kiev). Why this deafening silence?
I think that MH-17 will go the way of the Kennedy assassination or the way of 9/11: everybody will know that the official version is a load of bull, everybody will have his/her version of what really might have taken place, and we will probably never know for sure.
Unless one of the hundreds of people of actually do know know the truth steps forward.

 River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!
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Is Lisbon the New Jerusalem?



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 Introduction by GA:   In 2015, the governments of both Spain and Portugal passed laws to allow descendants of Sephardic Jews to apply for citizenship and a passport. Four years later, we learn that the Israeli press has proclaimed   that “millions” of Israeli Jews  are eligible for Portuguese citizenship. The following translation of an Israeli article provides a clear window into the Israeli psyche. According to the Hebrew article, 2200 Israelis apply for Portuguese citizenship every month, but not because they are enthusiastic about Portugal: its culture, its history, its language, it heritage, not because they plan to live there or, god forbid, mingle with the locals, but mainly because of the business opportunities in real estate. Apparently, all it takes for an Israeli to be eligible for Portuguese Citizenship is approval from the Portuguese Jewish community.   
The article exposes a disturbing picture of a deeply parasitic mindset. According to the Hebrew article “it is estimated that in Israel, millions are eligible for a Portuguese passport from the descendants of Spanish Jews.” It is peculiar that Israelis, who see themselves as entitled to ‘return’ to Portugal or Spain after a few centuries, can’t see that Palestinians who still hold the keys for their houses in Yaffo, Lod and Haifa, and who possess land deeds for those properties, can’t return to their land. 
On further thought, if those “millions of Israelis” are  sincere about their intention to acquire a Portuguese citizenship and return to Portugal the Israel/Palestine conflict  could be resolved in a matter of weeks. Sadly, it would quickly turn peaceful Portugal into a new Palestine. One may wonder where the new Gaza will be located for all the indigenous Portuguese refugees who might refuse to fit with the new Jewish promised land. 
 Portuguese Passport: Israeli Investors Discovered The Great Business Opportunity Of 2019

Demand for a Portuguese passport breaks records, but it isn’t just young (Israelis) seeking new experiences, but also businessmen and investors who take advantage of citizenship as leverage for business development across the entire (European) continent.
In recent years we have noticed an increase of hundreds of percent in (Israeli) demand for Portuguese passports. The passport, which provides European citizenship, opens the door to residential living on the continent, freedom of movement in the Union countries, free tuition, many job opportunities, and the right to free entry into many countries around the world, including the United States. Therefore, it is no wonder that demand is breaking records and soon tens of thousands of Israelis will hold a Portuguese passport.
The law that offers Israelis the opportunity to gain Portuguese citizenship does not have a complex bureaucracy or requirements such as knowledge of the language or residence in the country,it has  just one basic condition: recognition of the local Jewish community of the roots of the citizenship applicant as a descendant of Spanish and Portuguese expatriates.
Many Israelis understand the opportunity provided by the new law and seek to take advantage of it: In 2017, some 700 applications for citizenship were submitted monthly, by 2018, an average of 2,200 applications were submitted each month – three times as many businessmen, high-tech companies and real estate investors who understood the economic potential of European citizenship.
For business people operating in Europe and their investors, a Portuguese passport allows for the expansion of job opportunities and investment opportunities. They can also relocate to any of the EU countries, work without a work visa and enjoy tax benefits and easing conditions in banks like any European citizen.
Portugal has caught the attention of Israeli businessmen as a country that has recovered from some turbulent financial crises, and today offers plenty of investment and business opportunities – especially in the real estate industry.
For the last four years, Portugal has shown a significant economic recovery accompanied by growth, the basis for the recovery has been reforms by the government, and has led to a huge boom in the tourism industry and an increase in investor and industrial confidence. In 2018 alone, Portugal had 21 million tourists from around the world.
Housing prices have risen considerably in the country, but have not yet reached their prices and they embody opportunity. Portugal’s real estate market is a growth market,  demand is outstripping supply, and expectations are for a continued rise in prices – so investors are expected to make significant profits.
The country’s largest cities, Lisbon and Porto, are  the focus of investors’ attention – the demand is mostly for small apartments, which can also be rented out on a short term basis to the millions of tourists who visit the country every year, and investors will make nice monthly profits from the rental. And the country still has a wide range of other real estate opportunities that can generate significant increases in value in just a few years.
Investment in real estate in Portugal  is expected to yield almost twice the monthly return as investment in Israel, especially because  Portuguese passport holders also enjoy attractive terms on loans to finance the purchase from local banks, and tax benefits that are very much worth checking out before investing.
In Portugalis , the largest company in Israel that specializes in Portuguese citizenship applications, explains that there is indeed a dramatic increase in the number of investors and businessmen seeking to start the process. The eligibility check in their offices is free of charge and, if there is a citizenship entitlement, the  process to apply to the Jewish community in Portugal for official recognition of the applicant as a descendant of the Spanish and Portugal deportees can begin immediately. After recognition, the bureaucratic process continues with the Portuguese government and takes about two years – after which the applicant will receive Portuguese citizenship, which makes the applicant a citizen of one of the EU countries.
“We have five branches in Israel and another branch in Portugal,” says attorney Yossi Yitzhak, CEO of Portugalis and founder of the company. “We take care of the process from one stage to the next – all stages. The Portugal branch is committed to being in continuous contact with the Jewish community and relevant government officials, and we keep abreast of the professional changes and innovations that apply in our field and with our active accompaniment with Portugal,  all leading to perfect a success rate for those that use our company.”
Unlike other companies or lawyers in the field, Portugalis has a dedicated department at every stage, including a large branch in Lisbon that handles the  Portuguese bureaucracy and has many employees who have accumulated experience and expertise over the years in advancing the process and solving difficulties that emerge at critical junctions. “Our exclusive expertise in the company is only Portuguese passport applications – all our resources are directed at maximizing the efficiency of the process for the thousands of clients who choose to go through the process with us and this has proved itself within the field,” says Attorney Isaac.
It is estimated that in Israel, millions are eligible for a Portuguese passport from the descendants of Spanish Jews deported, concentrated mainly in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, Libya and Egypt), the Balkans (Greece, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia), Turkey, and South America.
One of the reasons for the rising demand for a Portuguese passport at the present time is the understanding that this is a lenient legislation that may change if Portugal chooses to impose restrictions on the process and make the bureaucracy associated with it burdensome. “This is a rare opportunity that can expire at any time, and keep in mind that changing laws and we have already seen states that have imposed immigration policies on them. Today, in light of Portugal’s lenient policy toward Israelis, the descendants of Israelis should be eligible for such a passport and quickly obtain additional citizenship. His future descendants, “Adv. Yitzhaki concludes.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!
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Donald Trump has no measure


Donald Trump has no measure
August 27, 2019
Some weeks ago, I was convinced that Trump would be quietly re-elected in 2020. His position was very confortable. His political program “Make America great again” has made its way. He has finally taken the reins in his government. And in the relations of the USA with the other countries, he has established the style “as long as you dance to my tune and give me enough money, you can do and think what you want”. Hence, he has created a quite clear, new image of the USA, which is easily to sell in an election campaign. (Be aware, please, that all this is a description, not a judgement of quality.)
On the other side, the political leaders of the opposition are weak. They keep their program of a “moral” imperialism. The world should not only accept the USA as the unique leader, but also think like the USA. Consequently, they more strongly back open interference in other countries; China/Hong Kong is a typical example. Their message to the population in the USA seems to be restricted to “give us the power, we then know what to do”.
So, the stage for the elections in 2020 seemed to be set. Regarding from outside, Trump had just to continue as before and calmly attend the elections. However, apparently, he has not this capacity. I understand now that he never will be satisfied with his achievements. This is an unhealthy attitude.
Trump has no measure. May-be, many knew this since quite some time, but for me, it became evident in the last weeks. Here are some examples. On 22 July, Trump declared that, in order to win the war in Afghanistan, he could kill 10 millions Afghans (but he does not intend to do so). Later, he repeated his claim, “specifying” that this can be done without nuclear arms. On 27 July began some tweets on Baltimore, describing this city as a rat hole in which, as Trump wrote, “no human being would want to live”. On 31 July, sanctions against the Iranian foreign minister Zarif were announced by the US-government; one immediately asked for the logic of this action, given the fact that Trump repeatedly demanded negotiations with Iran. Later on, it was revealed that Zarif was probably “punished” since he – in accordance with Tehran – did not accept to meet Trump in the White House. (By the way, the expression “maximal” pressure against Iran also illustrates the lack of measure.) On 15 August, Trump’s wish to buy Greenland from Denmark became public; he even cancelled a state visit to Denmark – scheduled for September – with the justification that Denmark was not ready to consider selling Greenland. Of course, Greenland has a big strategic value in the Arctic so Trump’s idea is not silly, abstractly speaking. But it was completely silly to think that a country in Western Europe, even a small one, would consider selling some part of its territory; politically speaking, the latter is just unthinkable. Finally, and this happened on 23 August, Trump tweeted that “American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China”. The crucial word here is of course the word “ordered”. In a subsequent tweet, Trump insisted that he, as the president, has the right to order such kind of things.
Each of these acts, looked at separately, may follow a logical plan. But on the whole, Trump’s behaviour is excessive and looks far too extreme; the result is certainly counterproductive (judged from his point of view).
Having no measure is a grave weakness for a leader. He or she lacks sovereignty and makes a driven impression. In the Christian tradition, having no measure is considered as a severe sin, very near to the so-called deadly sins.
One should distinguish the lack of measure on the one hand and being unconventional on the other hand. During the campaign for the election in 2016, Trump made an unconventional impression and frequently attacked the political establishment. This made him quite popular. After his election, he continued in this manner from time to time. However, no one of the examples mentioned above is of this type. Also, Trump regularly used the tactics to bluff first and withdraw later. Again, no one of the examples mentioned above is of this category. Nor can they be interpreted as a manifestation of a sound self-confidence.
It is of course useful for the world to figure out the weaknesses of the US president. This supports the fight against his aggressive politics. It will be the same for the successor of Trump; it will be better to quickly grasp his or her weak points.
I now feel that the outcome of the 2020 elections in the USA is far from clear. Trump has this capital defect of having no measure. Moreover, actually, the international situation is changing fast. Major events are expected to occur in the next months. Quite probably, they will have a substantial influence on these elections.
PS: I do not at all intend to say that Trump is (mentally) sick. In politics, labeling a person as sick is just a simple – indeed rather primitive – method in order to disqualify this person. It does not help to understand whatsoever.
* * *
I, Paul, am a retired, trained mathematician from Switzerland. Since nearly 50 years, I am an active anticolonialist. More recently, I came to the conclusion that Western societies have lost the capacity to positively contribute to the development in the world. Generally speaking, I support China, Russia, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and similar forces. My values are autonomy, humility, perseverance, and positivity.

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More Eligible? ’Israel’ Places Dummies inside Military Vehicles on Lebanon Border!


Beirut – Perhaps more qualified to accomplish the mission of guarding the border than real soldiers, the ‘Israeli’ occupation army placed dummies inside their military vehicles across the northern front on facing the Lebanese side.
The breakthrough was first spotted by al-Manar correspondent in South Lebanon, Ali Shoeib, which went viral on Twitter.
Soon after, the military correspondent of ‘Israeli’ channel 10 news, Or Heller, confessed the news, adding an extra close photo on the same incident.


The measure reaffirms reports of ‘Israeli’ fears of Hezbollah’s awaited response since the last speech of Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who vowed retaliation to the ‘Israeli’ attacks against Lebanon and Hezbollah members.
The ‘Israeli’ regime attacked a Hezbollah site in Syria, which killed two fighters, and sent two spy drones that crashed over Beirut’s southern suburb [Dahiyeh].
Sayyed Nasrallah on Sunday warned the ‘Israeli’ army to await Hezbollah response, adding that the Resistance will choose the suitable time to respond to the Zionist crimes and violations.
Since then, the ‘Israeli’ occupation army has taken strict measures in order to avoid Hezbollah operation as Zionist analysts maintained that Sayyed Nasrallah’s threats will inevitably come true, referring to His Eminence’s historical credibility in this regard.
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الاستنزاف والترقب نصف ردّ… والنصف الثاني مؤلم


أغسطس 30, 2019

ناصر قنديل

– يناقشون في مراكز القرار السياسي والعسكري للكيان طبيعة رد المقاومة وموعده، وهم واثقون من أن الكلام الذي قاله الأمين العام لحزب الله السيد حسن نصرالله يندرج تحت عنوان الوعد الصادق، وهو بالتالي سند مستحق السداد، ولا ينتظر توافر الإمكانية الموضعية لهدف المحدد ولا القدرات اللازمة لبلوغه، بل القرار التنفيذي المبنيّ على معطيات تتصل بالتوقيت الأمثل وطبيعة الهدف الأنسب، والتداعيات التي تضمن تصحيح قواعد الاشتباك وتضع الكيان أمام خيرات الابتعاد عن العبث برهانات الضربات المبرمجة.

– لضبط النفس والتهدئة مفهوم واحد الآن، ولا تجدي في تغييره الاتصالات الأميركية والغربية والعربية بالمسؤولين اللبنانيين، تحت شعار تفادي التصعيد بالضغط على المقاومة لتجنب الرد أو تأجيله، أو جعله رمزياً يمكن لكيان الاحتلال التغاضي عنه بعدم الرد عليه، ويمكن للمقاومة احتسابه تحقيقاً لوعد السيد نصرالله بالرد الحتمي، فقادة الكيان يعلمون أن مفهوم ضبط النفس لدى المقاومة هو واحد، أن يضغط العالم على قادة كيان الاحتلال كي يبتلعوا الرد ويعضّوا على الجرح والألم، والمقاومة التي لا تريد الحرب تريد إيصال رسالة مفادها أنها لا تخشاها، وعلى الكيان الذي يريد الحرب ولكنه يخشاها أن يترجم ذلك بامتصاص الغضب والجرح عندما يتلقى الضربة.

– في الكيان يناقشون الفرضيات والاحتمالات، فيتحدّثون عن متلازمات تحديد التوقيت ويضيعون بين رد يأتيهم قبل الانتخابات، ويقولون إن لذلك مبرراً يتصل بتدفيع رئيس حكومة الاحتلال بنيامين نتنياهو فاتورة تلاعبه بقواعد الاشتباك ومحاولة توظيفها انتخابياً، ثم يعودون فيقولون ربما يستغلها نتنياهو للرد بالتصعيد عله يتخطى الانتخابات ومخاطرها ويؤجلها بذريعة الأوضاع الأمنية، ثم ينتقلون لفرضية الضربة بعد الانتخابات فيقولون ربما يناسب المقاومة التعامل مع كنيست ممزق بلا حكومة على الأرجح، وإن فاز نتنياهو فالمرجح بقاء عجزه عن تشكيل حكومة، واسترهانه لمعادلات الردع وسيكون عاقلاً شديد الواقعية ويصمت، وإن فاز خصومه فسيجدونها فرصة لتحميله التبعات والانكفاء من مشهد التصعيد، لكنهم يستدركون، أن المقاومة ربما تعتبر ما بعد الانتخابات فرصة لترسيخ قواعد جديدة، وربط ما جرى قبلها بما كان قبلها وطي صفحته فيعودون إلى حيص بيص، قبل أم بعد؟

– في الكيان يناقشون الأهداف أيضاً، فيتوقعون خطفاً أو قنصاً للجنود والضباط، فيقررون التراجع عن الحدود سبعة كيلومترات، ويقولون ربما يكون القنص أو الخطف من البحر، فيتوقفون عن الدوريات على الشواطئ، ثم يقولون ربما يكون الردّ برميات صاروخية، فيبدلون مواقع عديدة ويغيّرون جغرافية معدات حساسة وشخصيات ذات قيمة علمية واستخبارية، ويتحدثون في نومهم عنها فيتخيّلون طائراتهم المسيرة التي سقطت بلا إسقاط، قد قامت بشيء مشابه يؤذي المقاومة، فينشرون في إعلامهم ما يعزي النفس كمن يحدث نفسه ويغني خلال سيره في المقابر تبديداً لوحشتها، ويصل بهم التحليل إلى فرضية استخدام المقاومة لطائرات مسيرة لرمزية الردّ وربطه بالموضوع، وبعدما يقومون بكل ذلك وهم مستنفرون تعبون مرهقون، ينفقون مالاً ووقتاً وجهوداً لتخفيف الخسائر، ينتبهون أن هذا التعب والانتظار والقلق والمال والجهد والوقت هو نصف الرد، وأن نصف الرد الباقي آتٍ لا محالة وسيكون مؤلماً وحسب.

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Aoun’s Adviser to Al-Ahed: ’Israel’ to Receive Strong Response



By Al-Ahed
Beirut – The Advisor of Political Affairs to the Lebanese President Pierre Raffoul told Al-Ahed News Website that President Michel Aoun’s decision to respond to “Israel” would be carried out despite those disapproving of it. He warned of a strong response to the latest “Israeli” aggression. The position of the president of the republic is clear in this regard.
“There are positions from those who claim to be sovereign and they do not even issue a statement of condemnation against ‘Israel’. On the contrary, they are attacking the sovereign decisions and protection of Lebanon,” Raffoul said. “We are preserving our dignity and our country. Anyone who opposes the decisions of the state that protect Lebanon and defends “Israel” in one form or another must be prosecuted. People who do not adopt a national position do not know the taste of freedom and sovereignty. Unfortunately, they only know how to be subordinate. ”
The president’s advisor for political affairs explains to Al-Ahed that “Israel has reached Dahiyeh [Beirut’s southern suburbs] and the Bekaa and attacked us, and we must preserve the sovereignty of Lebanon. There are some voices that must be tried because we are under ‘Israeli’ aggression and there are those who refuse to defend our homeland. This also happened during the July war when certain figures got involved and wanted the war to continue to eliminate the resistance.”
He stressed that today in Lebanon there is national unity. The three levels of leadership in the state want to defend Lebanon and protect its territory. He pointed out that “the position in the Council of Ministers is aligned with this direction.”
Raffoul praised the position of the Supreme Defense Council regarding the recent “Israeli” aggression against Lebanon, which he described as “a national and honorable position that can be relied on now and in the future to protect Lebanon.”
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