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Biden’s Secretary of State Blinken delivered remarks at “the launch of the US-Germany dialogue on Holocaust issues in Berlin, Germany on June 24, 2021”. On Sunday, June 27th, Blinken met with the Israeli Foreign Minister Lapid in Rome who expressed: “some serious reservations about the Iran nuclear deal that is being put together in Vienna.” Biden bombed Iran-backed militia groups along the Iraq-Syria border on Sunday evening, June 27th, 2021. In DC, on Monday, June 28th, Biden told Israel’s President that he won’t let Iran get a nuclear weapon, on his watch.


“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken delivers remarks at the Launch of U.S.-Germany Dialogue on Holocaust Issues, in Berlin, Germany on June 24, 2021. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]”

John Kirby @PentagonPresSec: “At President Biden’s direction, US military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region.” 8.18 pm EDT, June 27, 2021. https://twitter.com/PentagonPresSec/status/1409305200146489344

This air strike occurred after Blinken met with the Israeli foreign minister in Rome and before Biden met with the Israeli President in DC on June 28th.

The new Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, co-founded and ran Cyota, which made anti-fraud software for banks. He sold it to RSA Security in 2005. As of 2010, the majority of bank transactions in the US and Canada used Cyota engineering. His father, Jim Bennett worked in PR-fundraising for Technion. See: “Man from longtime S.F. family now a settlement leader” By Dina Kraft, Dan Pine, October 8, 2010, https://web.archive.org/web/20210205052326/https://www.jweekly.com/2010/10/08/man-from-longtime-s-f-family-now-a-settlement-leader/ He is the child of “progressive” multi-generational American activists, who were at UC Berkley in the same period as Kamala Harris’ parents. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naftali_Bennett They changed their politics, after arriving in Israel.

G-20 Members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Spain is a permanent guest invitee. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G20
And, yes, Russia seems to still be a member. Israel is not.

Notice how they are playing down the G-20 and playing up the Pope. Even though Israel isn’t a member of the G-20, their foreign minister went to Rome and met with Blinken: “Blinken in Italy for Meetings With Top Leaders, Pope By VOA News Updated June 27, 2021 02:38 PM
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s multination trip to Europe takes him to Italy Sunday for several days of meetings with top Italian leaders, Pope Francis, Group of 20 leaders and ministerial-level officials. After being warmly welcomed in France and Germany, Blinken left Paris on Sunday for Rome, where he is meeting with the Italian foreign minister, United Nations food security agencies and U.S. Embassy officials. He also already met with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid…” https://www.voanews. com/usa/us-politics/blinken-italy-meetings-top-leaders-pope

“Israel Voices Opposition to Revamped Iran Nuclear Deal By Ken Bredemeier June 27, 2021 05:53 PM
Israel’s new government on Sunday pledged close cooperation with the United States even as it expressed “serious reservations” about efforts by Washington to rejoin the international pact to restrain Iran’s nuclear program. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Rome in their first face-to-face meeting since a new coalition government assumed power in the Jewish state, ending the 12-year control by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu….” https://www.voanews. com/middle-east/israel-voices-opposition-revamped-iran-nuclear-deal

“Iran Overshadows Biden Meeting with Israel’s President  
By Steve Herman June 28, 2021 07:50 PM
WHITE HOUSE – The subject of Iran overshadowed an Oval Office meeting Monday between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Israeli counterpart. “Iran will never get a nuclear weapon on my watch,” Biden told outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. Biden made the statement a day after he ordered airstrikes against what U.S. military officials describe as a pair of operational and weapons storage facilities of Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq. The attacks occurred amid ongoing negotiations in Austria between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, to try to revive a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program. During his meeting with Rivlin, Biden defended his order for the military response….“ https://www.voanews. com/usa/iran-overshadows-biden-meeting-israels-president

“Blinken, Israeli Foreign Minister Meet in Rome Amid Reset Bilateral Relations June 28, 2021 07:29 AM ROME – Hush-hush diplomacy. In-person visits. And a very public no-surprises agreement on Iran…” https://web.archive.org/web/20210628171544/https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/blinken-israeli-foreign-minister-meet-rome-amid-reset-bilateral-relations

Regarding the new Israeli Prime Minister:
Naftali Bennett co-founded and ran Cyota, which made anti-fraud software for banks. He sold it to RSA Security in 2005. Bennett said that 70% of bank transactions in the US and Canada use Cyota’s engineering (2010). His father, Jim Bennett was employed in PR and as a fundraiser for Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and was sent to Montreal by the PR Department. See: “Man from longtime S.F. family now a settlement leader” By Dina Kraft, Dan Pine, October 8, 2010, https://web.archive.org/web/20210205052326/https://www.jweekly.com/2010/10/08/man-from-longtime-s-f-family-now-a-settlement-leader/

Blinken step-father Sam Pisar:
“Kaddish was recited by Maxwell’s longtime attorney and personal friend, fellow Holocaust survivor Samuel Pisar.” “Maxwell, Colossus Even in Death, Laid to Rest on Mount of Olives” November 11, 1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20131219030657/https://www.jta.org/1991/11/11/archive/maxwell-colossus-even-in-death-laid-to-rest-on-mount-of-olives

Israel’s new PM has multigenerational American roots, as well as connections to San Francisco. His parents attended UC Berkley and, thus, may have been active in the same leftist circles as Kamala Harris’ parents (Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris): “Naftali Bennett was born in Haifa, Israel, on 25 March 1972. He is the youngest of three sons born to Jim and Myrna (née Lefko) Bennett, American-Jewish immigrants who moved to Israel from San Francisco in July 1967…. Bennett’s parents were raised in non-Orthodox Jewish homes and were progressive activists during the 1960s. His father was arrested while taking part in an anti-racism sit-in protest in 1964. They later began to observe Modern Orthodox Judaism and embraced right-wing Israeli politics.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naftali_Bennett

VOA appears to be a Biden-Dem propaganda organ. This appeared true even while Trump was President. Nonetheless, it is funded by the US government and a public domain source of news. It is useful, but important to bear in mind its pro-Dem and often Anti-American prejudice. Among other things, VOA takes taxpayer money to import foreign journalists to insult the country (e.g. Patsy Widakuswara). Some of the older American journalists, such as Steve Herman and Ken Bredemeier, appear to do a more balanced job, as seen below.

“Iran Overshadows Biden Meeting with Israel’s President  By Steve Herman June 28, 2021 07:50 PM WHITE HOUSE – The subject of Iran overshadowed an Oval Office meeting Monday between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Israeli counterpart.

“Iran will never get a nuclear weapon on my watch,” Biden told outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

Biden made the statement a day after he ordered airstrikes against what U.S. military officials describe as a pair of operational and weapons storage facilities of Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq.

The attacks occurred amid ongoing negotiations in Austria between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, to try to revive a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program.

During his meeting with Rivlin, Biden defended his order for the military response.

“I directed last night’s airstrikes targeting sites used by the Iranian backed militia groups responsible for recent attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq,” he said, adding he had the authority under Article Two of the U.S. Constitution and that is acknowledged by lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Some lawmakers in Biden’s Democratic Party, however, are uncomfortable with this broad interpretation of the Constitution’s war powers authority, as well as early 21st century authorizations for use of military force by the president.

The Biden administration carried out similar airstrikes in February.

A member of the Senate’s foreign relations committee, Chris Murphy, expressed concern Monday that fighting between the U.S. military and Iranian-backed militias is beginning to resemble a “low-scale war.”

Rivlin, who leaves the mostly ceremonial office next month after a seven-year term as Israel’s president, said Biden’s declaration of an unwavering commitment to Israel’s self-defense allows “Israelis to understand that we have a great friend at the White House.”

Both governments are making adjustments to their 73-year-old relationship after recent changes of their respective political leaders.

Biden said he looks forward to welcoming the new Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett, to the White House soon, and, in response to a VOA question on when he will visit Israeli, said, “I don’t have a date, but I will.”

Bennett’s predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, enjoyed a close relationship with the previous U.S. president, Donald Trump. Their two governments forged the Abraham Accords, that led to two more Arab states, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.

“Both new administrations want to get back to good relations and they will both reach that by not changing the status quo. Israel has a government with too many contradictory ideologies to be able to follow any one of them, and the U.S. shows no intention of doing anything to implement its stated goal of a two-state solution” for Palestinian statehood, said Paul Scham, who directs the Gildenhorn Institute at the University of Maryland-College Park.

“Israel knows it can’t stop the U.S. from moving towards a new JCPOA (nuclear deal with Iran), but wants good relations more than anything,” Scham, who is also a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute, told VOA.

Other analysts observe the new Israeli government clearly signaling a less partisan approach to relations with Washington than its predecessor.

Bennett’s government is viewed as more moderate in some respects than Netanyahu’s, but it is “unlikely to take major steps to help end ongoing occupation and de facto annexation in the West Bank or to strongly pursue Israeli-Palestinian peace — and therefore will continue to have significant differences with the U.S. on these critical issues, while finding common ground on others,” said Logan Bayroff, a spokesperson for J Street, a liberal advocacy group focused on Israel.

“As the new government finds its feet, we’re encouraging the Biden administration and Congress to make absolutely clear both that the U.S. is completely committed to Israeli security, and that we consider the status quo of endless occupation to be unsustainable, unjust and harmful to the interests of both our countries,” Bayroff said.

Also attending the Biden-Rivlin meeting Monday were national security adviser Jake Sullivan and other officials, as well as the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Gilad Erdan. “ https://www.voanews. com/usa/iran-overshadows-biden-meeting-israels-president
Actually, Bennett is seen as less moderate.

“Israeli Foreign Minister Meet in Rome Amid Reset Bilateral Relations June 28, 2021 07:29 AM https://web.archive.org/web/20210628171544/https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/blinken-israeli-foreign-minister-meet-rome-amid-reset-bilateral-relations

“Israel Voices Opposition to Revamped Iran Nuclear Deal By Ken Bredemeier June 27, 2021 05:53 PM Israel’s new government on Sunday pledged close cooperation with the United States even as it expressed “serious reservations” about efforts by Washington to rejoin the international pact to restrain Iran’s nuclear program.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Rome in their first face-to-face meeting since a new coalition government assumed power in the Jewish state, ending the 12-year control by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ahead of their talks, Lapid acknowledged that “in the past few years, mistakes were made” in relations between the two countries, with Netanyahu closely aligning himself with former U.S. President Donald Trump and Republicans in the U.S. Congress, at times to the exclusion of close ties with Democratic officials.

“Israel’s bipartisan standing was hurt,” Lapid said. “We will fix those mistakes together.”

The top Israeli diplomat, who under a power-sharing arrangement will become the country’s prime minister in two years following new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, said he has spoken with both Democrats and Republicans since taking office and had “reminded them all that we share America’s most basic, basic values — freedom, democracy, free markets and constant search for peace.”

Blinken noted that although the administration of President Joe Biden is five months old and Bennett’s two weeks, “the foundation that we’re working on is one of an enduring partnership, a relationship, friendship between the United States and Israel.”

Lapid did not spell out Israel’s objections to the U.S. rejoining the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which Trump withdrew from in 2018, saying it was not tough enough on Tehran. The former U.S. leader reimposed economic sanctions on Iran.

Biden is seeking to rejoin Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China in the agreement to block Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

“Israel has some serious reservations about the Iran nuclear deal that is being put together in Vienna,” Lapid said, adding he would make his country’s objections known privately to the U.S.

We have the same objective,” Blinken said. “Sometimes we differ on the tactics, and we, I think, are very clear and direct to each other when that’s the case and that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.”

Blinken and Lapid also discussed Israel’s normalization accords with Gulf Arab states, as well as the need for humanitarian aid to Gaza after nearly two weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in May.

Blinken is on a multination trip to Europe. He is also holding several days of meetings with top Italian leaders, Pope Francis, Group of 20 leaders and ministerial-level officials.

After being warmly welcomed in France and Germany, Blinken left Paris Sunday for Rome, where, in addition to Lapid, he also met with the Italian foreign minister, United Nations food security agencies and U.S. embassy officials.   

On Monday, Blinken and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio will co-chair a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, while Blinken also meets with Prime Minister Mario Draghi and President Sergio Mattarella to discuss Syria’s civil war and the humanitarian needs in that country.

The State Department says Syria remains a big concern, with tens of thousands of women and children in humanitarian camps subject to security issues as members of the Islamic State terrorist group work to exploit the camps to recruit the next generation of fighters.

Also Monday, Blinken goes to Vatican City for meetings with Pope Francis and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican foreign minister. Among the topics he and Vatican officials are expected to discuss are climate change, human trafficking and debt relief for impoverished countries.  

His meeting with the pope comes ahead of an expected October meeting between the pontiff and Biden, the second Catholic U.S. president.”
https://www.voanews. com/middle-east/israel-voices-opposition-revamped-iran-nuclear-deal

“Blinken in Italy for Meetings With Top Leaders, Pope By VOA News Updated June 27, 2021 02:38 PM U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s multination trip to Europe takes him to Italy Sunday for several days of meetings with top Italian leaders, Pope Francis, Group of 20 leaders and ministerial-level officials.

After being warmly welcomed in France and Germany, Blinken left Paris on Sunday for Rome, where he is meeting with the Italian foreign minister, United Nations food security agencies and U.S. Embassy officials. He also already met with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.

Blinken and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio will co-chair a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Rome on Monday, when he also meets with Prime Minister Mario Draghi and President Sergio Mattarella to discuss the Syrian civil war and the humanitarian needs in that country. 

The State Department says Syria remains a big concern, with tens of thousands of women and children in humanitarian camps subject to security issues as members of the Islamic State terrorist group work to exploit the camps to recruit the next generation of fighters.

Also Monday, Blinken goes to Vatican City for meetings with Pope Francis and Archbishop Paul Gallagher. Among the topics he and Vatican officials are expected to discuss are climate change, human trafficking and debt relief for impoverished countries.

His meeting with the pope comes ahead of an expected October meeting between the pontiff and U.S. President Joe Biden, the second Catholic U.S. president.

At a recent conference, U.S. Roman Catholic bishops voted to draft a statement on Communion that may rebuke Catholic political figures, including Biden, who defend abortion rights but personally oppose the practice.

During his visit to Paris on Friday, Blinken warned that the absence of an interim agreement to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities could prompt the U.S. to abandon efforts to rejoin a nuclear deal.

“We’ll see if we can bridge the differences, but they’re real, and we have to — we have to be able to bridge them,” Blinken said at a briefing in Paris after meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian.

“I would tell you that with regard to the [International Atomic Energy Agency], this remains a serious concern, a concern that we’ve communicated to Iran, and it needs to be … resolved.” 

The agency has said a three-month interim monitoring agreement reached Feb. 21 expired Thursday after being extended by one month. It said it was seeking an “immediate response” from Iran on whether it would extend the monitoring agreement, according to an internal agency statement seen by Reuters news agency.

Blinken acknowledged earlier Friday at a Paris news conference that the United States could eventually decide not to rejoin the agreement if negotiations in Vienna continue without progress.

“There will come a point, yes, where it will be very hard to return back to the standards set by the JCPOA,” the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and major powers to curb its uranium enrichment program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions imposed by the U.S., the European Union and the United Nations.

He called on Iran to make “difficult” decisions to advance talks that could revive the accord.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement Friday that “the opposing sides are the ones who must take the decisions.”

Negotiating parties have held talks for six weeks, and a sixth round of indirect talks ended last Sunday with major issues still unresolved.

Le Drian underscored Blinken’s warning, telling reporters in Paris on Friday it is up to Iran to move the talks forward.

“It’s been six weeks since the negotiations started again.  Some progress was achieved, and we will now be entering the most difficult times.  It will require some strong and courageous decisions on behalf of the new Iranian authorities, but now is the time,” said Le Drian.

Blinken met with French President Emmanuel Macron later Friday.

The top U.S. diplomat arrived in France from Germany, where on Thursday he and German leaders said the U.S. and Germany were partnering to counter Holocaust denial and antisemitism, an effort the secretary of state said will “ensure that current and future generations learn about the Holocaust and also learn from it.”

Speaking at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Blinken said Holocaust denial and antisemitism go hand in hand with homophobia, xenophobia, racism and other forms of discrimination, and have become “a rallying cry for those who seek to tear down our democracies.”

The top U.S. diplomat also met Thursday with Libya’s interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dabaiba on the heels of an international conference focused on supporting Libya’s transition to a permanent, stable government.

Wednesday’s conference, hosted by Germany and the United Nations, included officials from 17 countries and reinforced support for national elections in Libya scheduled for late December.

Libya has experienced political instability since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi from power.  Rival governments operated in separate parts of the country for years before a cease-fire deal in October that included a demand for all foreign fighters and mercenaries to leave Libya within 90 days. This report includes information from Reuters and AFP. https://www.voanews. com/usa/us-politics/blinken-italy-meetings-top-leaders-pope

“Blinken Meets with Pope, Italian Officials By VOA News Updated June 28, 2021 05:14 AM U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Vatican on Monday to meet with Pope Francis and other officials with climate change, human rights and human trafficking among the topics of discussion.  

The visit comes ahead of an expected October meeting between the pope and U.S. President Joe Biden, who is the second Catholic to lead the United States. 
In addition to meetings with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the top U.S. diplomat received a tour of the Sala Regia and Sistine Chapel. 

Also Monday, Blinken and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio co-chair a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS where State Department officials said ministers will discuss maintaining pressure on the militant group in Iraq and Syria while also working to counter affiliates elsewhere in the world.

Patrick Worman, acting director of the U.S. Office of the Special Envoy to Defeat ISIS, told reporters a particular focus of the meeting will be “new challenges ISIS is posing in Africa,” particularly West Africa and the Sahel. 

The United States launched a coalition effort, now involving 83 members, aimed at defeating the Islamic State group in 2014 after the militants seized control of a large area across northern Syria and Iraq, and in 2019 declared the militants had been ousted from their last remaining territory. 

“ISIS remains a determined enemy,” Worman told reporters.  “There is still much work to do in Iraq and Syria, where ISIS continues to conduct attacks and sow fear among local populations.” 

Worman said the coalition is working with the Iraqi government, including supporting Iraq’s security forces, to “target remaining ISIS cells, deny ISIS sanctuary, and to eliminate ISIS media, finance, and facilitation networks.” 

Worman also highlighted a need to help victims of ISIS atrocities, hold those who committed crimes accountable, and to focus on humanitarian efforts. 

Another meeting Monday focuses specifically on Syria, where in addition to issues related to the Islamic State group, Blinken, De Maio and other ministers will focus on renewing efforts to bring an end to the decade-long conflict in Syria. 

Humanitarian access, in particular the ability for the United Nations to deliver cross-border aid, will be among the issues Blinken highlights, the State Department said. 

He is also expected to discuss U.S. support for an immediate cease-fire in Syria. 

“Stability in Syria, and the greater region, can only be achieved through a political process that represents the will of all Syrians,” Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Joey Hood told reporters.  “We’re committed to working with allies, partners, and the UN to ensure that a durable political solution remains within reach.” 

Efforts to resolve the Syrian conflict, through a combination of halting the fighting and carrying out a political roadmap endorsed by the U.N. Security Council, have seen little progress in recent years. 

Hood said the international community “must renew its shared resolve to ensure the protection, dignity, and human rights of the Syrian people.” 

Blinken is on a multination tour of Europe, which on Tuesday brings him to Matera, Italy for a meeting of G-20 foreign ministers. The agenda for those talks includes the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and equitable economic recovery. “ https://www.voa news.com/usa/blinken-meets-pope-italian-officials

“IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement by the Department of Defense
JUNE 27, 2021
(Attributable to Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby)
“At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region. The targets were selected because these facilities are utilized by Iran-backed militias that are engaged in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq. Specifically, the U.S. strikes targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq, both of which lie close to the border between those countries. Several Iran-backed militia groups, including Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS), used these facilities.

As demonstrated by this evening’s strikes, President Biden has been clear that he will act to protect U.S. personnel. Given the ongoing series of attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting U.S. interests in Iraq, the President directed further military action to disrupt and deter such attacks. We are in Iraq at the invitation of the Government of Iraq for the sole purpose of assisting the Iraqi Security Forces in their efforts to defeat ISIS. The United States took necessary, appropriate, and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation – but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message.

As a matter of international law, the United States acted pursuant to its right of self-defense. The strikes were both necessary to address the threat and appropriately limited in scope. As a matter of domestic law, the President took this action pursuant to his Article II authority to protect U.S. personnel in Iraq.”
president biden iraq syria” https://www.defense. gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2672875/statement-by-the-department-of-defense/