8/13/21

 * Israel will pay a price for being on wrong side of the US-China fight America's greatest adversary is not Iran, Islamic terrorism, or even Russia. It is China, and Israel is on the wrong side of those battle lines.

* Bennett cut down plans for new settlement homes to avoid angering US — report According to Kan, PM took number of houses set for approval down by 1,000 ahead of planned first meeting with Biden.

* Israel seeks to coordinate "Plan B" with U.S. on Iran if nuclear talks fail Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told CIA Director Bill Burns in a meeting on Wednesday that the U.S. and Israel should start working on a joint strategy for a scenario in which Iran elects not to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, Israeli officials told me.

* GOP Lawmakers Blast EU for Sending Senior Official to Iranian President’s Inauguration EU touts support for human rights while legitimizing election of Ebrahim Raisi.

* Afghanistan faces CIVIL WAR as rival factions & Al-Qaeda seek foothold in country, UK defence secretary says Internal conflicts in Afghanistan could lead to civil war and create a breeding ground for terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has warned, as a Taliban offensive closes in on Kabul.

* The Abraham Accords a year later: Challenges and hope The Abraham Accords were announced a year ago, in August 2020.

* Tehran: Nuclear diplomacy is contingent on a new agenda. New Anti-West FM tipped by Raisi “The continuation of [nuclear] negotiations based on the past pattern will not be considered,” DEBKAfile quotes this new decision reached this week by the Iranian leadership, led by the head of the National Security, Adm. Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

* Problem Child From the headlines, one would think Poland is at war with the European Union.

* EU foreign policy chief urges Afghan government to work with Taliban The Afghan government should engage with the Taliban to reach an inclusive settlement, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday as the militant group made rapid gains amid spiralling violence and worries of a refugee crisis.

* Afghanistan: Taliban offensive puts Iran in a bind The situation along the border between Afghanistan and Iran remains tense as more and more Afghans, including soldiers, flee to escape the Taliban offensive.