Iran/Hizballah noose tightens around Israel

Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the UN, challenged the international community to hold Iran to account on Thursday, Aug. 31, after the Islamic Republic showed its “true colors” by restoring its ties with the Palestinian extremist Hamas. In her statement, she described as “stunning” the Hamas leader’s boast that Tehran is again the biggest provider of money and arms. The breach between them followed the terrorist group’s refusal to side with Bashar Assad in the Syrian civil war.

“Iran must decide whether it wants to be a member of the community of nations that can be expected to take its international obligations seriously, or whether it wants to be the leader of a jihadist terrorist movement. It cannot be both,” Haley said in her statement.

Turkey: The Hamas Safe Haven

The long, bitter chill in relations between Turkey and Israel may be coming to an end. At the end of August, it was confirmed that the two former allies held secret talks in Rome two months earlier in an effort to bridge the gap between them.

Israeli Foreign Ministry director general Dore Gold, who led the Israeli delegation at the secret meeting, told the Jerusalem Post that he was “hopeful that in the not too distant future Israel and Turkey will find a way to reestablish their relationship.”