News Items from Don Ward January 7, 2017
US sends special forces to RUSSIAN BORDER as NATO is poised to strike back against Vladimir Putin’s ‘aggression’
MARK HODGE
Russia is reportedly building up a nuclear arsenal in the province ofKaliningrad which borders Lithuania.
PRESIDENT Obama has deployed US special forces troops along Lithuania’s border with ‘aggressive’ Russia.
Tensions between Washington and the Kremlin have reached Cold War levels amid reports Vladimir Putin is building up a nuclear arsenal in the Russian province of Kaliningrad – which borders Poland, Belarus and Lithuania.
President Obama has sent US troops to the Russian border with Lithuania amid increased military aggression by Vladimir Putin.
And Lithuanian Defense Ministry spokeswoman AstaGaldikaite confirmed America has offered additional military support following Russia invasion of Crimea.
She said: “The United States was the first to offer additional safety assurance measures to the Baltic countries following the deterioration of the security situation in the region after the annexation of the Crimea”.
She added: “US Special Operations Forces presence in Lithuania is one of the deterrents” against military threats by Putin’s aggressive regime, reports the Express.
US military chief Gen. Raymond T. Thomas also revealed that the US has a ‘persistent’ presence in the Baltic states bordering Russia.
He added that many former Eastern Bloc countries are “scared to death” of Russia and that the vulnerable states are “desperate” for America’s leadership.
Lithuania’s foreign minister LinasLinkevicius confirmed Russia’s military activity inKaliningrad is terrifying the region.
He said: “Iskander missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads have been deployed.There are S-400 missiles and modernized jets.”
Russian leader Putin is reportedly building a nuclear arsenal in the Russian province of Kaliningrad.
Russia has developed a diesel-electric submarine which will patrol the Black Sea.
Outrage as land-grabbing Putin's says 'Russia's borders don't end anywhere'
Linkevicius branded Russian behaviour in the region “military hooliganism” and called on NATO to take action and offer more support to beleaguered Ukraine.
He said: “Russia likes to create problems, conflict and then suggest some ideas how to mitigate, how to mediate - and some of our colleagues say ‘look they are cooperating’.”
In November,Putin’s naval forces unveiled their latest super-stealth submarine which has been deployed in the Black Sea – as a shocking new report revealed Russia is ‘taking over’ the region.
Kremlin bosses promised the superpower would never allow the sea to become a “NATO lake” and they firmly believe the military alliance would crumble if, as feared, the Americans pull out.
Relations between the out-going Obama administration and Russia have soured following allegations that Putin ordered the email hack which helped scupper Hillary Clinton's presidential bid.
The White House has since expelled 35 Russian diplomats and has shut down two 'spy' compounds in New York and Maryland in response to what it claims is a campaign of harassment by Russia against American diplomats in Moscow.
Why Trump and US intel clash over Russia
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis January 6, 2017, 11:10 AM (IDT)
America’s intelligence chiefs may have been singing their swan’s song Thursday and Friday (Jan. 5-6) when they hurled allegations of election-meddling “ordered at the highest Kremlin level” against Russia at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington. The committee’s chair John McCain picked up the ball and declared that Russian hacking was “an act of war,” after hearing grim testimony from the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and the National Security Agency head Adm. Michael Rogers.
They disclosed that they had compiled a confidential intelligence report that demonstrated how President Vladimir Putin interfered in the US election campaign in favor of the winner, Donald Trump. They declined to divulge its contents but promised to release a shorter, censored version to the public next Monday, Jan. 9. CIA chief John Brennan and Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson then proceeded to the White House to present the confidential report to President Barack Obama.
It will be put before President-elect Trump Friday.
The furious clamor keeping the alleged Russian hacking scandal on the boil is being orchestrated by the outgoing president and his intelligence chiefs to ramp up US-Russian friction to an eve-of-cold war pitch.
debkafile’s Washington and intelligence sources find that the campaign is prompted by five motives:
1. The president-elect not only proposes to put relations with Moscow on a new and different footing, his transition teams are already at work with Putin’s advisers to chart areas of cooperation between the two powers, ready for the Trump administration to go forward when he moves into the White House on Jan. 20.
The most prominent area is the war on the Islamic State; another – the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. They are also exploring a joint US-Russian effort to resolve the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
2. Obama, who has decided to retain a team for monitoring Trump’s policies, has plunged into a dogged fight against his successor’s decision to reset US-Russian ties.
Battling to salvage a part of his “legacy” is, Obama, exceptionally for departing American presidents, is determined to cast a long shadow over his successors’ actions and policies.
In the next four years, Barack Obama will keep hammering at the Russian hacking affair in order to keep the flames high against Trump’s “Russian steps.”
3. It is important to note that Trump and his advisers, including designated Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, don’t propose rushing into détente with Moscow or any sort of honeymoon. They are acting to restore relations to an even keel and end the disequilibrium of the past eight years, during which Obama just talked and Putin did what he wanted, especially in East Europe and the Middle East.
If the effort to restore balance to the relationship works, cooperation in common areas of concern might follow. But if not, the rivalry will continue, except that henceforth America will operate from a position of strength.
4. Working together in the war on Islamic terror will call for a large measure of cooperation between US intelligence agencies and the Russian secret services. Sixteen years ago, after 9/11, Putin proposed this kind of cooperation to President George W. Bush in the fight against Al Qaeda. In 2011, he stepped in again with an offer of assistance to Obama in the Libyan war.
Putin was rebuffed by both presidents. Donald Trump is the first US leader ready to seriously explore Putin’s intentions.
The US intelligence community is up in arms at this prospect, mainly because its clandestine branches were purpose-built to confront Russia, America’s historic Cold War enemy. It is hard for them to wrench the wheel round and head in the opposite direction at the bidding of the Trump administration.
5, Notwithstanding denials by administration officers, the president elect has every intention of overhauling the character and operational methods of America’s intelligence services. His overarching goal is to cut down the vast numbers off officers, analysts and computer operations, which turn out mountains of intelligence reports most of which he claims no one reads.
Trump plans to focus more on the product of secret agents in the field, and so save the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on desk staff and high-tech computer systems. His administration will prefer to rely more on human intelligence and less on technology-based input.
Trump encapsulated his approach to intelligence and computers in a remark to reporters on New Year’s day: “No computer is safe. You want something to really go without detection, write it out and have it sent by courier.”
Report: Israel spy satellite discovers secret Russian missile cache in Syria
An Israeli spy satellite has discovered a number of Russian mobile short-range ballistic missiles stockpiled in Syria, Channel 2 reported Friday.
In high definition photos taken by the Israeli "Eros B" satellite, the weapons, dubbed "Iskander" missiles, are clearly seen on trucks inside an army base in Latakia, located in western Syria.
The pictures seemingly prove what western intelligence agencies have long suspected: Russia has provided Syria with a wide array of the most advanced missiles in its possession.
Before Friday, evidence of the missiles had been scarce, given the fact that the Russians and Syrians had cached the weaponry in secretive strategic locations. Strong rainstorms, however, forced the Russians to transfer the missiles to different locations using trucks, leaving them exposed to documentation.
The "Iskander" missile, which has a range of up to 500 kilometers, is a medium range ballistic weapon that has the capacity to carry nuclear warheads and is superior to the older "scud" missile model.
Its accuracy is considered very high, while in tests the weapon can strike a target within a seven meter radius, as opposed to the scud which strikes within a 450 meter radius.
Syria has been engulfed in a bloody civil war over the past 5-years that has seen over 400,000 people killed and millions displaced from their homes. Russia has been an integral part in propping up current Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has been accused of carrying out crimes against humanity.
Jordan: Moving US Embassy to Jerusalem is a ‘red line’
Amman warns of ‘catastrophic’ repercussions if President-elect Donald Trump makes good on campaign promise
By AP and Times of Israel staffJanuary 6, 2017, 8:27 am23
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President-elect Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, December 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Jordan’s government spokesman warned on Thursday of “catastrophic” repercussions if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on a campaign promise to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
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Such a move could affect relations between the US and regional allies, including Jordan, Information Minister Mohamed Momani told The Associated Press, addressing the issue publicly for the first time.
An embassy move would be a “red line” for Jordan, would “inflame the Islamic and Arab streets” and would serve as a “gift to extremists,” he said, adding that Jordan would use all possible political and diplomatic means to prevent such a decision.
The US considers pro-Western Jordan an important ally in a turbulent Mideast. The Hashemite kingdom is a key member of a US-led military coalition against Islamic State extremists in neighboring Syria and Iraq, and maintains discreet security ties with Israel.
Jordan also has a stake in Jerusalem, serving as custodian of the Temple Mount holy site, revered by both Muslims and Jews.
Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967 and annexed it to its capital. The Palestinians want to establish the capital of a future state in the city’s eastern sector. Addressing the conflicting claims in the city would be central to any renewed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on the terms of Palestinian statehood.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has said he will resign, the peace process will be over for ever, the PLO will revoke its recognition of Israel and the US will be forced by Arab public opinion to close all its embassies in the Arab world if the Trump administration moves the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The US Embassy in Tel Aviv (photo credit: Ori~/Wikimedia Commons/File)
Much of the world has not recognized Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem and most countries, including the United States, maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv, Israel’s vibrant commercial center and seaside metropolis.
Momani, the Jordanian minister, said that moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem “will have catastrophic implications on several levels, including the regional situation.” He said countries in the region would likely “think about different things and steps they should take in order to stop this from happening.”
“It will definitely affect the bilateral relationship between countries in the region, including Jordan, and the parties that will be related to such a decision,” he said.
Trump said during the presidential campaign that he intended to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.
According to reports, Trump’s advisers are already in the process of planning the relocation. Campaign manager and soon-to-be White House counselor Kellyanne Conway last month said relocating the embassy was “a very big priority” for the president-elect.
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks during a campaign rally at the Rohan Recreation Center on March 13, 2016, in The Villages, Florida. (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images/AFP)
Trump’s choice for US ambassador in Israel, David Friedman, a vocal supporter and even donor to Israeli settlements in the West Bank, said he expected to carry out his duties in “Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”
On Tuesday, three US senators introduced legislation that would commit Washington to moving the embassy to the Israeli capital.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R), Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) and Nevada Sen. Dean Heller (R) proposed the Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act on Tuesday, the first day the new Congress convened on Capitol Hill as Republicans prepare to control the White House, Senate and House of Representatives for the first time since 2007.
The measure is similar to a 1995 resolution, led by former House speaker and current Trump confidant Newt Gingrich, that called for moving the embassy. It was immediately dismissed by then-president Bill Clinton, who wanted the future status of Jerusalem settled in final negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
Clinton and his two successors — presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama — have repeatedly used the prerogative granted them to delay implementation of that Congressional demand to move the embassy.
But with an incoming president who has indicated he will break with these practices, those pushing for the relocation believe the White House may no longer be an obstacle.
Christian Clergy Welcomes Islam Into The Church, Then Bows To It
By GiulioMeotti/Gatestone InstituteJanuary 05, 2017
There is a disturbing and growing trend in Italy and Europe.
For the first time in more than 700 years, Islamic songs resonated in Florence's Cathedral, the Church Santa Maria del Fiore.
Under the famous Dome of Brunelleschi, Islamic melodies accompanied Christian ones. The "interfaith initiative" was promoted a week after the barbaric massacre by Islamist terrorists in Paris at the magazine Charlie Hebdo, and included "Koran is Justice" and other such "hymns".
A priest in the south of Italy then enraged parishioners by dressing the Virgin Mary in a Muslim burqa for his church's Christmas nativity scene.
The pastor of the parish of Saints Joachim and Anne in Potenza, Father Franco Corbo, said that he had the special crèche constructed "in the name of dialogue among religions".
These interfaith initiatives are based on the gradual elimination of the Western-Christian heritage in favor of Islam.
Another priest in Italy also eliminated the Christmas nativity scene at the local cemetery because "it could offend Muslims". Father SanteBraggiè said there would be no crib in the cemetery in the northern city of Cremona because it may anger people of others faiths or people whose relatives are not buried there: "A small corner of the cemetery is reserved for Muslim graves. A crib positioned within sight of them could be seen as a lack of respect for followers of other faiths, hurt the sensibilities of Muslims, as well as Indians and even atheists".
In Rebbio, the Italian parish church of St. Martin was preparing the end of Mass. Suddenly a veiled woman, NourFayad, took the floor and read the verses of the Koran which announce the birth of Christ. The initiative was intended by the priest, Don Giustodella Valle, as "a gesture of dialogue".
In Rozano, near Milan, headmaster Marco Parma, then scrapped his school's Christmas carol concert: he decided to ban traditional festivities at Garofani school, "to cause no offence".
In July, for the first time during a Mass in Italy, a verse of the Koran was recited from the altar. It happened in the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, during a ceremony in memory of Father Jacques Hamel, who was slaughtered by ISIS terrorists in France.
While Catholics recited the Creed, a delegate of the mosque of al Azhar Mosque in Cairo softly repeated an "Islamic prayer for peace".
The Catholic clergy is probably disoriented by Pope Francis himself, who was the first to allow the reading of Islamic prayers and Koran readings from the world's most important Catholic facility.
It happened when Pope Francis met with late Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Vatican City, a gathering designed "to pray for Middle Eastern peace".
Since he was elected Pontiff, Francis has spent a lot of time in mosques. He has visited many Islamic places of worship abroad, as in Turkey and in the Central African Republic, but he was also willing to become the first Pope to visit the Grand Mosque in Rome.