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Resources updated between Monday, March 11, 2019 and Sunday, March 17, 2019

March 17, 2019

Michael R. White, right, with his mother, Joanne White, in 2018. White, a U.S. Navy veteran from California, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran. (White family via Associated Press)

U.S. Navy vet fighting cancer gets 10-year prison sentence in Iran Document

IDF soldiers respond to a shooting attack in the northern West Bank on March 17, 2019. (BLev Hadashot)

1 Israeli killed, 2 critically injured in Palestinian terror shootings Document

March 15, 2019

Screenshot of Secretary Mike Pompeo delivering his remarks (U.S. Department of State)

"SECRETARY POMPEO: Good morning, everyone. Today I'd like to make brief remarks on two foreign policy issues. But first, I want to offer my personal condolences to the nation of New Zealand in the wake of the grotesque mosque attacks in Christchurch. The thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the victims and their families today. The United States condemns this hateful assault. We pledge our unwavering solidarity with the government and people of New Zealand in this hour of darkness, and we stand ready to offer any and all assistance.

Now, I'd like to comment on the Senate vote this week to end support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. We all want this conflict to end. We all want to improve the dire humanitarian situation. But the Trump administration fundamentally disagrees that curbing our assistance to the Saudi-led coalition is the way to achieve these goals. The senators who voted "aye" say they want to end the bombing in Yemen and support human rights. But we really need to think about whose human rights.

If you truly care about Yemeni lives, you'd support the Saudi-led effort to prevent Yemen from turning into a puppet state of the corrupt, brutish Islamic Republic of Iran. If we truly care about Saudi lives, you'd want to stop Iran-backed Houthis from launching missiles into Riyadh. If you truly care about Arab lives in the region, you'd support allied efforts to prevent Iran from extending its authoritarian rule from Tehran to the Mediterranean Sea and on down to Yemen. And if we truly care about American lives and livelihoods, and the lives and livelihoods of people all around the world, you'd understand that Iran and its proxies cannot be allowed to control the shipping lanes that abut Yemen.

We're deeply aware of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and we deplore it. The United States has given more than $2 billion to help the Yemeni people since the start of the conflict, and Saudi Arabia has given over $500 million in 2018 alone and has pledged an additional $500 million this year. The Islamic Republic of Iran has provided zero dollars for humanitarian assistance.

The way to alleviate the Yemeni people's suffering isn't to prolong the conflict by handicapping our partners in the fight, but by giving the Saudi-led coalition the support needed to defeat Iranian-backed rebels and ensure a just peace. We hope – I met with Martin Griffiths yesterday – we hope that agreements can be implemented to de-escalate, but we must make sure that this crisis comes to an end.

Second item I wanted to talk today about is the International Criminal Court. In a speech last year in Brussels, I made clear that the Trump administration believes reforming international institutions, refocusing them back on their core missions, and holding them accountable when they fail to serve the people that they purport to help. We seek to partner with responsible nations to make sure that international bodies honor the principles of liberty, sovereignty, and the rule of law. Nation-states come together to form these institutions, and it's only with their consent that these institutions exist.

Since 1998, the United States has declined to join the ICC because of its broad, unaccountable prosecutorial powers and the threat it poses to American national sovereignty. We are determined to protect the American and allied military and civilian personnel from living in fear of unjust prosecution for actions taken to defend our great nation. We feared that the court could eventually pursue politically motivated prosecutions of Americans, and our fears were warranted.

November of 2017, the ICC prosecutor requested approval to initiate investigation into, quote, "the situation in Afghanistan," end of quote. That could illegitimately target American personnel for prosecutions and sentencing. In September of 2018, the Trump administration warned the ICC that if it tried to pursue an investigation of Americans there would be consequences. I understand that the prosecutor's request for an investigation remains pending.

Thus today, persistent to existing legal authority to post visa restrictions on any alien, quote, "whose entry or proposed activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences," end of quote, I'm announcing a policy of U.S. visa restrictions on those individuals directly responsible for any ICC investigation of U.S. personnel. This includes persons who take or have taken action to request or further such an investigation. These visa restrictions may also be used to deter ICC efforts to pursue allied personnel, including Israelis, without allies' consent. Implementation of this policy has already begun. Under U.S. law, individual visa records are confidential, so I will not provide details as to who has been affected and who will be affected.

But you should know if you're responsible for the proposed ICC investigation of U.S. personnel in connection with the situation in Afghanistan, you should not assume that you will still have or will get a visa, or that you will be permitted to enter the United States. The United States will implement these measures consistent with applicable law, including our obligations under the United Nations Headquarters Agreement. These visa restrictions will not be the end of our efforts. We are prepared to take additional steps, including economic sanctions if the ICC does not change its course.

The first and highest obligation of our government is to protect its citizens and this administration will carry out that duty. America's enduring commitment to the rule of law, accountability, and justice is the envy of the world, and it is the core – at the core of our country's success. When U.S. service members fail to adhere to our strict code of military conduct, they are reprimanded, they're court-martialed, and sentenced if that's what's deserved. The U.S. Government, where possible, takes legal action against those responsible for international crimes. The United States directs foreign aid to strengthen foreign nations' domestic justice systems, the first and best line of defense against impunity.

The United States also supports international hybrid legal mechanisms when they operate effectively and are consistent with our national interest. These would include, for example, the mechanism handling Rwandan and Yugoslav atrocities and international evidence collection efforts in both Syria and Burma. But the ICC is attacking America's rule of law. It's not too late for the court to change course and we urge that it do so immediately. Thank you.

MR PALLADINO: We have time – the Secretary has time for a few questions. Let's go to Associated Press, Matt.

QUESTION: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes. Morning, Matt.

QUESTION: Just very briefly on the ICC decision, are you doing this today because they haven't closed or dropped the pending Afghanistan investigation or is there some other reason?

And then secondly, I'm wondering if you've had a chance to see and if you could respond to what the North Korean deputy foreign minister said overnight about the U.S. giving up a golden opportunity by walking away in Hanoi and blaming you personally and Ambassador Bolton for creating this atmosphere of hostility.

SECRETARY POMPEO: So with respect to the reason for the actions we're taking today, it's part of a continued effort to convince the ICC to change course with its potential investigation and potential prosecution of Americans for their activities and our allies' activities in Afghanistan, trying to stop them, trying to prevent them from taking actions that are deeply inconsistent, in our view, with the course of action that has been laid out for the ICC, even though we're not members. That's a model that we've talked about before, and we are now implementing what we had already said that we would do.

I did have a chance to see the remarks overnight from Choe Son-hui. In Singapore, after a great deal of work, the two leaders came together and began a course of action which has led to the toughest sanctions that have existed against North Korea – global sanctions, UN Security Council resolution sanctions that remain in effect. The demands of those sanctions are the complete denuclearization of North Korea, the missiles, the weapons systems, the entire WMD program. That's the requirement laid out by the United Nations Security Council.

The two leaders met. Chairman Kim made a commitment to denuclearize. We continued to work between Singapore and Hanoi to deliver on that. We've had hostages return. We have them having stopped missile testing and nuclear testing. We are hopeful that we can continue to have conversation, negotiations. I saw the remarks that she made. She left open the possibility that negotiations would continue for sure. It's the administration's desire that we continue to have conversations around this. As the President said when he was in Hanoi, the offer that they made simply didn't rise to the level that was acceptable given what they were asking for in exchange for that.

MR PALLADINO: Let's go to BBC, Barbara.

QUESTION: Just a quick follow-up on North Korea: What's the next step, then? Because there has also – she also hinted that Kim Jong-un would make a statement possibly lifting the moratorium on tests.

And then secondly, if I could on Golan, the human rights ambassador said on Wednesday that removing the word "occupation" or "occupied" from the Golan and the West Bank was not a policy change, but we know that Israel is afraid of Iran and Hizballah threatening Israel from the Syrian side of the Golan, so in your view, does that strengthen the Israeli case for annexing the occupied bit?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So I don't have anything to add about the change in language that we used. It was characterized properly. There is a real risk. The proxies that are in the region, in southern Syria and in the vicinity of the Golan Heights, are presenting risk to the Israelis, and we've made clear the Israelis have a right to defend themselves. With respect to what was said last night about Chairman Kim potentially considering ending the moratorium, I can say only this: In Hanoi, on multiple occasions, he spoke directly to the President and made a commitment that he would not resume nuclear testing, nor would he resume missile testing. So that's Chairman Kim's word. We have every expectation that he will live up to that commitment.

MR PALLADINO: CNN, Michelle.

QUESTION: Thanks. This week – on North Korea again – the State Department has said that talks have continued with North Korea. On what level have they continued?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I'm not going to talk about the negotiations. They're ongoing.

QUESTION: So --

SECRETARY POMPEO: I've been very consistent about that.

QUESTION: Does this --

SECRETARY POMPEO: I intend to be.

QUESTION: Well I mean, saying what level they continued on doesn't necessarily give anything away.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, I understand.

QUESTION: But – but this announcement, then, was – did this come out of left field from your point of view? And if I could, on the ICC, you mentioned that this is already being implemented. Could you give us a number or an assessment of how many people will immediately be affected by sanctions?

SECRETARY POMPEO: No.

MR PALLADINO: Last question. Washington Post, Carol Morello.

QUESTION: Sir, do you think the attacks on you personally made by the North Koreans will hamper your ability to continue negotiations or do you think you're going to have to pull back in some way? Because they clearly are accusing – clearly, they flatly accused you of creating an atmosphere of mistrust and hostility.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah. Well first, they're wrong about that, and – I was there. I have – my relationship with Kim Yong-chol is professional. We have detailed conversations. I expect that we will continue to do that. He's the counterpart that the North Koreans have put forward for me. It's not the first time – I have a vague recollection of being called "gangster-like" from a visit that I took one time previously, and following that we continued to have very professional conversations where we tried our best to work together and represent our respective sides. I have every expectation that we'll be able to continue to do that.

MR PALLADINO: All right, thank you all.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Great, thank you all. Have a good day.

MR PALLADINO: All right, thank you."

SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO'S REMARKS ON THE ICC AND RESTRICTING VISAS Document

A body lies on the footpath outside a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday. (AP)

49 killed and more than 20 seriously injured in New Zealand mass shooting targeting mosques Document

Forty-nine people have been killed and at least 20 wounded in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in the nation's deadliest attack.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described it as a terrorist attack and one of New Zealand's "darkest days".

A gunman identifying himself as an Australian live-streamed the rampage at Al Noor mosque to Facebook. He had espoused racist, anti-immigrant views.

Police say a man in his late 20s has been arrested and charged with murder.

Two other men and one woman were also detained. One was released later.

No names have been made public. Firearms and explosive devices were recovered, Police Commissioner Mike Bush said.

The gunman live-streaming the attack from a head-mounted camera said he was a 28-year-old Australian called Brenton Tarrant. The footage showed him firing indiscriminately at men, women and children from close range inside the Al Noor mosque.

Police called on the public not to share the "extremely distressing" footage online. Facebook said it had removed the gunman's Facebook and Instagram accounts and was working to remove any copies of the footage.

The suspect who was charged appeared to have published a document before the attack outlining his intentions as well as details about the plan for the attack. He is due in court on Saturday morning.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the man as an "extremist, right-wing" terrorist. New Zealand Police Commissioner Bush confirmed that the man was not known in advance to either New Zealand or Australian security services.

How events unfolded

The first report of an attack came from the Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch.

A gunman drove to the mosque's front door and entered to begin firing indiscriminately. The live-streaming of the attack lasted some 17 minutes.

Witnesses told local media they ran for their lives, and saw people bleeding on the ground outside the building.

One unnamed survivor told TV New Zealand he saw the gunman shoot a man directly in the chest. The attacker reportedly targeted the men's prayer room in the mosque, then moved to the women's room.

"What I did was basically just waiting and praying, God please, let this guy run out of bullets," the witness said. "He came to this side, he shot this side, he went to another room and went to the ladies' section and shot them. I just heard one of the ladies has died."

The gunman is then said to have driven to Linwood where the second shooting occurred.

One witness described how one of the worshippers had managed to disarm the man, who ran to a waiting car outside.

It is not clear where the arrests were made. Police also defused "a number of IEDs [explosive devices] attached to vehicles", Mr Bush said.

Authorities advised all mosques in the city to shut down until further notice. Armed police were also seen at Papanui High School in Christchurch, which was cordoned off.

Mr Bush said a number of firearms had been recovered from both mosques, and explosive devices were found in a car belonging to one of the suspects.

Police advised Christchurch residents to remain off the streets and stay indoors and a lockdown was implemented at all schools in the area. The lockdown was later lifted and parents allowed to collect their children.

The main suspect

Brenton Tarrant identified himself in the video live-streamed on Facebook.

Social media accounts in that name were used to post a lengthy, racist document in which the author identified the mosques that were later attacked and set out anti-immigrant motivations for the attack.

Although New Zealand police said they had charged a man in his late 20s with murder, they did not identify the man.

Cricket team escapes attack

The Bangladesh national cricket team appeared to have narrowly escaped the shooting. A reporter following the team, which was due to play New Zealand in a now-cancelled test match on Saturday, tweeted that the team had "escaped from a mosque near Hagley Park where there were active shooters".

Player Tamim Iqbal tweeted that the "entire team got saved from active shooters".

Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Jalal Yunus said most of the team had gone to mosque by bus and were about to go inside when the incident took place.

"They're safe. But they are mentally shocked. We have asked the team to stay confined in the hotel," he told the AFP news agency.

Global reaction

"It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack," Prime Minister Ardern said in a press conference.

In a tweet, she said: "What has happened in Christchurch is an extraordinary act of unprecedented violence. It has no place in New Zealand. Many of those affected will be members of our migrant communities - New Zealand is their home - they are us."

US President Donald Trump offered his "warmest sympathy and best wishes" to New Zealand. "The US stands by New Zealand for anything we can do. God bless all!" he wrote.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May offered her "deepest condolences to the people of New Zealand".

The Queen said she was "deeply saddened by the appalling events in Christchurch today. Prince Philip and I send our condolences".

Pope Francis offered his "heartfelt solidarity" and was "deeply saddened to learn of the injury and loss of life caused by the senseless acts of violence", Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said in a telegram.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she mourned "with New Zealanders for their fellow citizens who were attacked and murdered out of racist hatred while peacefully praying in their mosques".

And French President Emmanuel Macron called it an "odious attack" and said France stood "against any form of extremism".

Christchurch shootings: 49 dead in New Zealand mosque attacks Document

March 14, 2019

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Dannon presenting a photograph of Hezbollah terror tunnels and bases in Lebanon. (COURTESY OF THE ISRAELI MISSION AT U.N.)

Israel issues complaint to U.N. over terrorists on Golan border Article

March 13, 2019

Gazans swarm at security fence by Gazan border (Illustrative photo: IDF)

The U.N. Human Rights Council Remains Allergic to Facts Article

Police post hit by firebomb on Temple Mount (Israel Police spokesperson)

Palestinians Hurl Firebomb at Police Post on Temple Mount, Sparking Riot Document

The knife used in the attack (IDF Spokesperson)

A Palestinian man attempting to carry out a stabbing attack in the Hebron area has been shot and killed by IDF soldiers, said the Israeli military spokesman.

"IDF fighters identified a terrorist armed with a knife running toward them," said the IDF statement.

"The fighters had forced back the terrorist who had been running toward a civilian structure nearby as he held the knife," said the statement. "The fighters fired at the terrorist, thwarted the attack, and he was killed. There were no casualties among our forces."

The attacker had apparently tried to enter Beit Ha'Shalom, a contentious building originally built by Arab businessmen but later purchased by Israeli Jews, located on the outskirts of Hebron near Kiryat Arba.

According to reports, at least one resident of the building spotted the terrorist and called for Israeli security forces. The terrorist reportedly lunged in an attempt to stab the soldiers but was shot and killed before he could carry out the attack.

Hebron stabbing disaster averted thanks to IDF soldiers Document