Author: David Isaac/jns.org

by David Isaac/JNS.org The Islamic Republic refuses to resume talks with the United States so long as the latter continues its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, senior Iranian leadership said on Sunday. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a call that the U.S. “must first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade,” as a condition for “resolving issues.” The U.S. Navy has redirected 37 vessels since April 13, the day its blockade of Iranian ports went into effect. On Saturday, a U.S. Navy helicopter from the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney intercepted the M/V Sevan in the Arabian Sea. The…

By David Isaac/JNS.org Canada’s Jewish community faces a “realistic possibility” of a “violent extremist attack” within the next six months, according to a Canadian federal intelligence organization assessment obtained by JNS. “The most likely scenario of an attack targeting the Jewish community is a lone actor using unsophisticated methods against easily accessible targets,” according to a March 18 report by the Integrated Threat Assessment Centre. ITAC, a specialized organization in the Canadian intelligence community, provides threat assessments for decision-makers and security partners. Hosted at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canada’s equivalent to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, ITAC answers to the…

Ali Shaath, who has been tasked to head the Gaza administration reconstruction of the Strip, was praised by the White House last month as “a widely respected technocratic leader.” But an Israeli watchdog group said Shaath shares the radical anti-Israel ideology one would expect from a former Palestinian Authority functionary. “His ideology is taken directly from the Palestinian Authority’s playbook of hate and terror promotion,” said Palestinian Media Watch in a statement on Sunday. Before U.S. President Donald Trump tapped Shaath to lead the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), Shaath shared his views about Israel and terrorism…