Israel's targets have been militants, military facilities, rocket launchers, tunnels and command centers. Israel has taken extraordinary measures to protect Palestinian civilian life.On the heels of the murder of three innocent Israeli teens, Hamas began pounding Israel with rocket fire, while Israel retaliated with defensive airstrikes on Gaza. As expected, however, Hamas and other Gaza officials -- including the head of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza, Raji Sourani -- have accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, while the Organization of Islamic Cooperation [OIC] announced plans for an "extraordinary ministerial meeting" to discuss "the intensifying and fierce Israeli campaign against Palestine."
Meanwhile, Hamas violates international law both by targeting Israel's civilians and by using its own people as human shields -- and then blaming Israel for the casualties.
The BDS movement covers up its ties with the terrorist group Hamas.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Christian and Canadian Support for Israel Defies Propaganda
Christine Williams
Middle East falls further into chaos, endangering Israel and US influence
Fox News
President Obama's call back in 2009 for a "new beginning" between America and the Muslim world -- a relationship defined over the prior decade by 9/11 and the Iraq war -- has descended into a foreign policy sandstorm that has left Washington dizzied by ever-changing powerbrokers, and its closest ally in the region more isolated and threatened.
The deadly conflict between Hamas and Israel, which is intensifying and widening by the day, is just the latest symptom of the Middle East mess.
The "Arab Spring," which the Obama administration roundly cheered,
has resulted in only one full-fledged and stable democracy taking hold,
in Tunisia. Syria remains gripped by bloody civil war, Egypt and Libya
have struggled to establish stable governments, and Islamic extremists
wreaking havoc in Iraq have declared their own "caliphate" in territory
across a wide swath of land across both Syria and northern Iraq.
And now reported rocket strikes out of Lebanon into Israel are raising concerns of a renewed conflict with Hezbollah.
Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said the environment now is "much worse" than it was during Israel's war with Hezbollah in 2006, noting Syria is in chaos and nearby Jordan -- a U.S. ally -- is feeling the strain.
"You can really see why what's happening now has the potential for much wider conflict," Bolton said.
He added: "And another significant fact, the United States is almost absent here."
President Obama's call back in 2009 for a "new beginning" between America and the Muslim world -- a relationship defined over the prior decade by 9/11 and the Iraq war -- has descended into a foreign policy sandstorm that has left Washington dizzied by ever-changing powerbrokers, and its closest ally in the region more isolated and threatened.
The deadly conflict between Hamas and Israel, which is intensifying and widening by the day, is just the latest symptom of the Middle East mess.
And now reported rocket strikes out of Lebanon into Israel are raising concerns of a renewed conflict with Hezbollah.
Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said the environment now is "much worse" than it was during Israel's war with Hezbollah in 2006, noting Syria is in chaos and nearby Jordan -- a U.S. ally -- is feeling the strain.
"You can really see why what's happening now has the potential for much wider conflict," Bolton said.
He added: "And another significant fact, the United States is almost absent here."
Friday, July 11, 2014
Gaza density
One of the most widespread is the idea that Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. It is nothing of the sort.
Earlier this year, I pointed out on my old Spectator blog some of the facts:
The UK politician George Galloway wrote in The Glasgow Record last month that the Gaza Strip is "the most densely populated piece of earth on the planet." Galloway wrote that 1.5 million Palestinians live there.But this isn't even as crowded as Tel Aviv. Gaza has plenty of problems. But they are nothing - nothing - to do with population density:
Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist currently teaching at Princeton, wrote March 26 that Gaza is "one of the most densely populated places on earth, with 3,823 people per square kilometre." Kuttab's figure is in line with recent Gaza population estimates of 1.4 million.
If Galloway's estimate of 1.5 million Gaza population is correct, this is almost 4,200 people per square kilometer. The Central Intelligence Agency projects that the Gaza population will reach 1,537,269 in July. This would bring the density to 4,270 people per square kilometer.
“Slowly, Thoughtfully, Agonizingly”
By now I had thought our ground forces would have entered Gaza, but the
operation remains on the edge of happening.
As I approach Shabbat and find I still have many preparations to attend to,
I want to share only a very brief overview of what is transpiring with regard to
the pros and cons of going in and what we do once we start the ground war.
We’re Jews. So we have as many opinions on the subject as we have commentators
and analysts.
In the end, it seems to me we must go in on the ground because Hamas is
stepping up the rocket launchings, and while – thank Goodness – no one one our
side has been killed, there have been injuries at this point, at least a couple
of which are serious.
Mordechai Yemin, an IDF soldier from Itamar, was seriously wounded by
mortar shells yesterday while he was in the Eshkol Regional Council, near Kerem
Shalom. We are being asked to pray for his full recovery: Mordechi
Chai Ben Bracha Yehudit.
And...rockets are aimed now at the airport. Not something we can
tolerate.
Hamas is being defiant. We must act decisively.
We Have Been Here Before
Daniel Gordis
We've been here before. That's the whole point of the Jewish calendar. None of this is new.
We've been before. That's what Shiva Asar Be-Tammuz, the 17th day of Tammuz, which we will commemorate on Tuesday, seeks to remind us. The Mishnah (Ta'anit 4:6) lists five calamities that are said to have befallen us on this date. Among them, the Mishnah says, the walls of the city were breached and an idol was placed in the Temple.
Can anyone doubt that we've been here before?
Thanks to extraordinary Israeli ingenuity, we've built a wall in the sky. Missiles come streaking towards us, and usually, the "wall" stops them; the remnants of what had been a deathly threat seem to float slowly, harmlessly, down towards the earth. But not all the time, as we saw first in Ashdod. Our "wall" can be breached, and one can only assume that the breaches to follow will be much worse than what's come thus far. The Babylonians breached the walls. So, too, did the Romans. So did the Syrians and the Egyptians in October 1973. So did Hezbollah in the Lebanon wars. So, too, can Hamas.
We've been here before.
We've been here before. That's the whole point of the Jewish calendar. None of this is new.
We've been before. That's what Shiva Asar Be-Tammuz, the 17th day of Tammuz, which we will commemorate on Tuesday, seeks to remind us. The Mishnah (Ta'anit 4:6) lists five calamities that are said to have befallen us on this date. Among them, the Mishnah says, the walls of the city were breached and an idol was placed in the Temple.
Can anyone doubt that we've been here before?
Thanks to extraordinary Israeli ingenuity, we've built a wall in the sky. Missiles come streaking towards us, and usually, the "wall" stops them; the remnants of what had been a deathly threat seem to float slowly, harmlessly, down towards the earth. But not all the time, as we saw first in Ashdod. Our "wall" can be breached, and one can only assume that the breaches to follow will be much worse than what's come thus far. The Babylonians breached the walls. So, too, did the Romans. So did the Syrians and the Egyptians in October 1973. So did Hezbollah in the Lebanon wars. So, too, can Hamas.
We've been here before.
The hand that rocks the street
Nadav Shragai
The spontaneous Arab riots, organized on
social networking websites, raise the question: Is there a hidden hand
providing direction?
Nadav Shragai
A youth holds a Palestinian
flag and a sling during clashes with Israeli police after prayers last
Friday in Shuafat
|
Photo credit: Reuters  |
Abdel Baset Salameh, mayor of the Israeli Arab
town Qalansawe, called the recent riots and unrest in Wadi Ara and the
Triangle region a "small tsunami." Salameh said it looked bad and added
that was no guarantee it would stay small.
The tsunami was quite reminiscent of the
not-too-distant days of October 2000. That was when unrest on the Temple
Mount spiraled out into the Second Intifada. Initially, Israeli Arabs
joined the uprising. Thirteen of them were killed in clashes with
police. The Or Commission, the state-appointed panel investigating the
events, placed the blame squarely on Israeli-Arab shoulders, though it
also cited the government's mishandling of flashpoint areas.
This time, the excuse -- real or imagined --
is the murder of the Arab teenage boy from Shuafat, Muhammad Abu Khdeir,
and Israel's operations against Hamas in the wake of the abduction and
murder of three Jewish teens. Thousands of Israeli Arabs from Tayibe,
Tira, Qalansawa, Sakhnin, Kafr Qara, Tamra, Nazareth and Umm al-Fahm
have taken to the streets and road junctions, ripping out road signs,
hurling bricks, setting tires alight, blocking major traffic arteries
and trying -- with some degree of success -- to harm Jews wherever they
may be.
Apologies overdue and overdone
David M. Weinberg
There has been a lot of
apologizing going on this week, some of it justified and necessary,
some not. Unfortunately, the most important, justified apologies have
not been forthcoming at all: from the Palestinians, the misguided
Israeli Left, and the international community.
Here is my tally of overdue and overdone apologies:
• Mahmoud Abbas: He
owes Israel and his own people colossal contrition for his never-ending
string of errors and calumnies that have encouraged terrorism against
Israel, blown all chances for peace, and left Palestinians floundering
in hate and victimhood.
Abbas' decision to
craft a unity government with Hamas is the ultimate blow to the Oslo
peace process, and makes him culpable for the war crimes of the Hamas
terrorists now raining rockets down on Israel.
The man who once denied
the Holocaust had the temerity this week to invoke "Auschwitz" when
talking about the murder of Palestinian teenager Muhammad Abu Khdeir,
and then to accuse Israel of "genocide" in Gaza. Ugh. Now Abbas is going
to The Hague to criminalize and isolate Israel.
Since apologies from
this man are not forthcoming, and peace with him is unrealistic, Israel
must be careful about investing too many more hopes in the Palestinian
Authority.
A Game Changer in Gaza
Daniel Greenfield On July 11, 2014
Terrorism
is a game. The rules are simple. You have three choices. 1. Destroy the
terrorists. 2. Live with terrorism. 3. Give in to the terrorists.
There are no other choices.
The first choice comes from the right. The third choice comes from the left. The second choice is what politicians choose when they don’t want to make a decision that will change the status quo.
Despite all the explosions in Gaza, Israel is still stuck on the second choice. The air strikes aren’t meant to destroy Hamas. They are being carried out to degrade its military capabilities which will buy a year or two of relative peace. And that will be followed by more of the same in the summer of 2016 when Hamas will have deadlier Iranian and Syrian weapons that will terrorize more of the country.
That doesn’t sound like much of a deal, but these kinds of wars have bought more peace than the peace process ever did. The peace process led to wars. The wars lead to a temporary peace.
This status quo became the mainstream choice ever since Israelis figured out that the peace process wasn’t going to work and that their leaders weren’t about to defy the UN, the US, the UK and all the other U’s by actually destroying the terrorists.
There are no other choices.
The first choice comes from the right. The third choice comes from the left. The second choice is what politicians choose when they don’t want to make a decision that will change the status quo.
Despite all the explosions in Gaza, Israel is still stuck on the second choice. The air strikes aren’t meant to destroy Hamas. They are being carried out to degrade its military capabilities which will buy a year or two of relative peace. And that will be followed by more of the same in the summer of 2016 when Hamas will have deadlier Iranian and Syrian weapons that will terrorize more of the country.
That doesn’t sound like much of a deal, but these kinds of wars have bought more peace than the peace process ever did. The peace process led to wars. The wars lead to a temporary peace.
This status quo became the mainstream choice ever since Israelis figured out that the peace process wasn’t going to work and that their leaders weren’t about to defy the UN, the US, the UK and all the other U’s by actually destroying the terrorists.
Hamas Bombing Civilians, Using Gazans as Human Shields
Hamas is in violation of international law both in targeting civilians and in using its own population as human shields.
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND http://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/hamas-deliberately-endangering-gaza-residents-for-propaganda
Wed, July 9, 2014
Hamas terrorists in Gaza. (Photo: © Reuters)
The Islamist terrorist group Hamas has
launched hundreds of rockets into Israel over the last few days from
the Gaza strip, which it controls. In response, the Israeli army has
announced the launch of "Operation Protective Edge," a new campaign to
end attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza and is preparing for a possible
ground invasion.
Jewish-Arab
tensions have been soaring since the abduction and murder by Hamas of
three Israeli teenagers: Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar, and Naftali Fraenkel
by terrorists. The situation was further exacerbated when 17-year old Mohammed Abu Khdeir,
an Israeli-Arab, was abducted and burned alive in a suspected revenge
killing by seven Israeli extremists. The spate of murders was strongly
condemned by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas
MEMRI
In view of the recent
victory of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Palestinian
Authority Legislative Council elections, it is important to make the
Hamas covenant [1]
available in English for English speaking readers. The English version
which is currently posted in a number of websites is not satisfactory,
and therefore MEMRI is providing here a closer, more accurate
translation.
"You are the best nation that has been brought out for mankind. You command good and forbid evil and believe in Allah. If only the people of the Book [i.e., Jews and Christians] had believed, it would have been well for them. Some of them believe, but most of them are iniquitous. They will never be able to do you serious harm, they will only be an annoyance. If they fight you, they will turn their backs and flee, and will not be succored. Humiliation is their lot wherever they may be, except where they are saved from it by a bond with Allah or by a bond with men. They incurred upon themselves Allah's wrath, and wretchedness is their lot, because they denied Allah's signs and wrongfully killed the prophets, and because they disobeyed and transgressed." (Koran, 3:110-112).
"Israel will exist, and will continue to exist, until Islam abolishes it, as it abolished that which was before it." [From the words of] The martyr, Imam Hasan al-Banna', Allah's mercy be upon him. [2]
"The Islamic world is burning, and each and every one of us must pour water, even if it be a little, to extinguish whatever he can extinguish, without waiting for others." [From the words of] Sheikh Amjad Al-Zahawi, Allah's mercy be upon him. [3]
In the name of Allah the Merciful and the Compassionate
- In the name of Allah the Merciful and the Compassionate
- Palestine, Muharram 1, 1409 A.H./August 18, 1988
"You are the best nation that has been brought out for mankind. You command good and forbid evil and believe in Allah. If only the people of the Book [i.e., Jews and Christians] had believed, it would have been well for them. Some of them believe, but most of them are iniquitous. They will never be able to do you serious harm, they will only be an annoyance. If they fight you, they will turn their backs and flee, and will not be succored. Humiliation is their lot wherever they may be, except where they are saved from it by a bond with Allah or by a bond with men. They incurred upon themselves Allah's wrath, and wretchedness is their lot, because they denied Allah's signs and wrongfully killed the prophets, and because they disobeyed and transgressed." (Koran, 3:110-112).
"Israel will exist, and will continue to exist, until Islam abolishes it, as it abolished that which was before it." [From the words of] The martyr, Imam Hasan al-Banna', Allah's mercy be upon him. [2]
"The Islamic world is burning, and each and every one of us must pour water, even if it be a little, to extinguish whatever he can extinguish, without waiting for others." [From the words of] Sheikh Amjad Al-Zahawi, Allah's mercy be upon him. [3]
In the name of Allah the Merciful and the Compassionate
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Operation Protective Edge: The Real Peace Process
P. David Hornik
It was slightly under a year ago that the not-real peace process, the one driven by the U.S. administration and especially Secretary of State John Kerry, got under way.
In that “process,” Israel and the ostensibly moderate
Fatah wing of the Palestinians, led by Mahmoud Abbas, were supposed to
negotiate for nine months and reach a conflict-ending two-state
solution.
Now, three months since those talks wound down, Israel is at war. It’s been a fierce war, but it offers more hope of peace than Kerry and Indyk’s “process” ever did.
It offers such hope because, after two days, Israel in Operation Protective Edge is displaying even more stunning capabilities than in its previous war against Gaza-based, mainly Hamas terror, the eight-day-long Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012.
There was a hitch: to reach that pot of gold, Israel would have to release 104 Palestinian prisoners in phased batches. They could not be car thieves and the like; they had to be terrorist murderers. Sometimes the road to peace has strange bumps in it.
That peace process ended with something less than a bang in April. Even though Kerry’s envoy Martin Indyk admitted that Abbas—insufficiently appeased by the prisoner releases—had “shut down” and stopped talking with Israel by December, both Kerry and Indyk managed to blame Israeli building in “settlements,” primarily Jerusalem, for the talks’ failure.Now, three months since those talks wound down, Israel is at war. It’s been a fierce war, but it offers more hope of peace than Kerry and Indyk’s “process” ever did.
It offers such hope because, after two days, Israel in Operation Protective Edge is displaying even more stunning capabilities than in its previous war against Gaza-based, mainly Hamas terror, the eight-day-long Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012.
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
“Proportionality and Other Matters”
There is a widespread – but very erroneous – impression that if an enemy
attacks, a proportional response means a nation can only return what was
received and no more. That is, the mistaken impression is that if Hamas shot one
rocket, we could only shoot one rocket back.
International law, however, defines proportionality very differently: it is
a question of legitimate military goals and intentionality. Put very
simply, we would not be restricted to only shooting one rocket back at Hamas,
but rather doing what is necessary (within certain defined limits) to ensure
that Hamas does not shoot any more rockets. That is a legitimate military
goal.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who was the
Chief Prosecutor at the
International Criminal Court in
2003, wrote this about proportionality:
“Under international humanitarian law and the
Rome Statute, the death of
civilians during an armed conflict, no matter how grave and regrettable, does
not in itself constitute a war crime. International humanitarian law and
the Rome Statute permit belligerents to carry out proportionate attacks against
military objectives, even when it is known that some civilian deaths or injuries
will occur. A crime occurs if there is an intentional attack
directed against civilians...or an attack is launched on a military
objective in the knowledge that the incidental civilian injuries would be
clearly excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage (principle
of proportionality).”
Strategy, not politics
Zvika Fogel
Not long ago, Israel
celebrated its 66th birthday. This is a young country from the point of
view of history, tradition, culture and legacy. Sixty-six years have
passed and we are still surrounded by enemies who refuse to recognize
our right to exist. We have developed, built and established a
democracy, which with all of its flaws is a source of strength and
pride. We have looked toward the future and have known what needed to be
done to provide for the next generations.
Our enemies have
morphed and changed shape, but have not changed their objective, their
way of thinking and approach. They have been stuck with leadership that
cannot see beyond its own nose, and which is not willing to pay the
price needed to build a future for its people.
But something bad has
happened to us in recent years as well. We have lost the feeling of
sharing a mutual fate, our sense of responsibility, our spirit of
initiative and determination, everything that brought us to realizing
that war is the last option -- but that when it is forced on us we have
no choice but to win it. The only thing remaining from the spirit that
defined us on the eve of the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War is our
ability to be pained by loss and embrace the bereaved.
There is no moral equivalence but Netanyahu must act now
Isi Leibler
July 9, 2014
http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=5152
July 9, 2014
http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=5152
 |
The words of last week’s Torah
portion resonate loudly, as we read of the non-Jewish prophet Balaam’s
description of “the people that dwells alone and is not counted among
the nations.”
We have all been traumatized by
the events of the past month. No sooner had we absorbed the shocking
tragedy of the brutal abduction and murder of the three teenagers and
humbled by the exceptional dignity of their anguished parents, we were
stunned to learn of the barbaric murder of an Arab youngster by Jews.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the act immediately, even prior to being aware of the motive or the killers.
U.S. President Barack Obama
however related to the abduction and murder of the three Israelis in a
somewhat muted manner, and only 18 days later, upon the discovery of
their bodies. Yet within moments of hearing of Muhammad Abu Khdeir’s
murder, he denounced the act in a highly provocative manner, insinuating
that it was yet another act in a cycle of violence.
Iron Dome is proving its worth
Aharon Lapidot
Much as in Operation
Pillar of Defense and in the almost two years since, Iron Dome saved the
day. Over 100 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel on
Tuesday, with 40 of them raining down in the span of just one hour on
Tuesday night, from Ashdod to Ramat Hasharon, from Beersheba to Beit
Shemesh, and even farther.
Only one rocket
achieved its goal, hitting and damaging a building in Ashdod. A handful
of rockets landed in open areas, including in the greater Jerusalem
area. The rest were successfully intercepted by Iron Dome, and no
injuries were reported.
In the wake of
Operation Pillar of Defense, many commentators attempted to question
Iron Dome's success rate, which the IDF Spokesperson's Unit pegged at 85
percent, and criticized its performance. Thankfully, the military
dismissed them and the Defense Ministry continued funding the program,
which has proved itself once more.
Despite the grouped
rocket fire, the system intercepted every rocket believed to threaten
lives or property. Truth be told, there is no need for learned
commentary -- the public sees the results with its own eyes.
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
The Myth of Ethnic Inequality in Israel
Ethnicity in
Israel is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Both Jews and Arabs are
subdivided into ethnic sub-groups, and there are important differences
in socioeconomic status among Arab Muslims, Arab Christians, and Arab
Druze.
|
Middle East Quarterly
Summer 2014
It is commonplace to attribute much of Israel's domestic tensions to supposed Jewish discrimination against the country's Arab citizens.[1] Nearly every Israeli Arab nongovernmental organization insists that such discrimination characterizes the Jewish state in general and its labor markets in particular.[2] The Israeli media routinely interview Israeli Arabs (and non-Ashkenazi Jews) who claim to have been victims of discrimination. These allegeations are echoed by Jewish Israeli academics, think tanks, and journalists, especially on the political Left, not to mention the international anti-Israel movement and the boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign. Indeed, the U.S. Department of State has even joined the growing outcry concerning Israel's alleged racist discrimination against its Arab citizens.[3]
Of course, in reality, Israel is the only Middle Eastern entity that is not an apartheid regime, and the apartheid slander holds no water whatsoever save in the minds of the Jewish state's enemies and defamers. Yet discrimination is a scientifically empirical question subject to testing and not a matter of subjective personal opinion. Stripping away the venomous anti-Israel rhetoric, the legitimate question remains whether and how much discrimination really exists in Israel.
Inequality Myths
Ethnicity in Israel is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. Both Jews and Arabs are subdivided into ethnic sub-groups, making exploration and analysis of ethnic disparities a complex challenge. In official statistical data on income, Israeli Arabs are treated as a single population group, but this is somewhat misleading. There are important differences in socio-economic status and performance among Arab Christians, Arab Muslims, and Druse. Those sub-categories are in fact amalgams of even smaller divisions. For example, there are interesting differences between "ordinary" Arab Muslims and Bedouins. The Israeli Income Survey sample does not include the Arab population of the "occupied territories," except for East Jerusalem and the small population of the Golan Heights, both of which are formally annexed to Israel.Op-Ed: When They Ask for a Ceasefire - Not so Fast
Israel's
passive policies of measured responses, supplemented by empty threats
concerning the endgame, provide a strong incentive for another round
whenever the blood-thirsty terrorists feel dehydrated.
Published: Tuesday, July 08, 2014
It is a vicious cycle.
Hamas
or one of its sister-terrorist organizations initiates a terror attack,
launches barrages of rockets. Israel retaliates, most often by bombing
empty structures; the terrorists respond with rockets aimed at the
Israeli civilian population; Israel retaliates, then threatens critical
punishment.
Hamas declares a ceasefire and Israel concurs. And then, following a brief pause—a replay of the same episode.
Something
is awfully wrong with this picture. Hamas is the one calling the shots.
They initiate, then terminate cycles of violence when the heat rises in
their kitchen, making them sweat. And the Israeli government’s policies
of retaliations constituting measured responses appear impotently
reactive in the face of the Gaza terror machine.
In
fact, Israeli passive policies of measured responses, supplemented by
empty threats concerning the endgame, provide a strong incentive for
another round whenever these blood-thirsty terrorists feel dehydrated.
What an Islamic Caliphate Would Mean for the West
Frontpagemag.com On July 8, 2014
Shillman Fellow Raymond Ibrahim was recently interviewed by CBN News’ George Thomas on the rise of the Islamic State, its aspirations for caliphate, and what all that means for free peoples around the world:
To view video clip, click here
Shillman Fellow Raymond Ibrahim was recently interviewed by CBN News’ George Thomas on the rise of the Islamic State, its aspirations for caliphate, and what all that means for free peoples around the world:
To view video clip, click here
Prime Minister Netanyahu: The gloves need to
come off when dealing with Hamas; ground incursion is on the table • IDF
launches Operation Protective Edge in efforts to curtail escalating
rocket fire from Gaza • Defense minister: We'll exact a heavy price.
An Israeli tank stationed
near the Gaza border on Tuesday
|
Photo credit: AFP  |
"The gloves need to come off when dealing with
Hamas," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday, as Israel
launched Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in efforts to curb escalating
rocket fire.
Speaking at an emergency meeting of the top
defense echelon in the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu
said that "Hamas chose to escalate and they will pay dearly for it."
At the meeting, the prime minister urged the
defense establishment to "engage in an unremitting, long and powerful
strike in Gaza."
"We must be prepared to go all the way, and a ground offensive is also on the table," Netanyahu said.
One senior defense official indicated Tuesday
that Israel was headed toward a large-scale operation in Gaza. He
indicated that the IDF was preparing to mobilize additional reserves
units and amass forces in the area.
The IDF opted not to make any declarations or
define the operation, but officials hinted that the current effort could
include a ground incursion in the future.
BBC Warns – Gaza Photos Aren't Really from Gaza
Gil Ronen
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) published a short report Tuesday in which it warned that many of the graphic images that are being shared on social media, purporting to show destruction that the IDF is wreaking in Gaza, are not in fact photos from Operation Protective Edge.
“Over the past week the hashtag #GazaUnderAttack has been used hundreds of thousands of times, often to distribute pictures claiming to show the effects of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza,” the BBC wrote. “A #BBCtrending investigation has found that many of these images are not from the latest conflict and not even from Gaza. Some date as far back as 2009 and others are from conflicts in Syria and Iraq.”
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) published a short report Tuesday in which it warned that many of the graphic images that are being shared on social media, purporting to show destruction that the IDF is wreaking in Gaza, are not in fact photos from Operation Protective Edge.
“Over the past week the hashtag #GazaUnderAttack has been used hundreds of thousands of times, often to distribute pictures claiming to show the effects of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza,” the BBC wrote. “A #BBCtrending investigation has found that many of these images are not from the latest conflict and not even from Gaza. Some date as far back as 2009 and others are from conflicts in Syria and Iraq.”
Tonight in Israel.....
July 8, 2014
As you probably know, sirens went off in different parts of Israel
just about 4 hours ago - to announce more rockets from Gaza. We have
rec'd them by the dozens.
The Muslims want to kill - with impunity - and the free world is witness to their killing their own as well as others.
On June 12, when the 3 Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and
murdered Hamas insisted that Abbas not help in finding their two
terrorists who were missing and identified. The mother of one of the
men said that although she did not believe her son was involved, if he
had, she would be proud of him. Abbas said very little but that was to
be expected as
he was too busy distributing sweets and celebrating with his henchmen anyway.
The parents of Gilad, Eyal, and Naftali (who has American
citizenship, too) inspired everyone with their hope and faith that the
boys would be found safe and returned to their families and the larger
Israeli family. There was a request that prayers be said and good deeds
be done in the name of the boys. In addition, the parents asked that
people not lose faith should the results not be what was hoped for.
This was their message even as they spoke so emotionally at
the dignified burials which took place together in Modi'in , in the
presence of more than 50,000 people. They asked that everyone keep the
boys in their prayers and do acts of kindness in their memories.
It must be noted that when the Israeli teenagers were missing and
there was so much news about this and the voices of the parents, there
was not one word from the President of the U.S. Sec'y of State Kerry
did condemn it but not the President. Only when the bodies were found
did Obama find his voice - and warned Israel to 'show restraint'.
Who is Ultimately Responsible for the Cold-Blooded Murder of a Palestinian Teenager?
Neil Snyder
In
the wake of three murdered Jewish teenagers in Israel, another issue
has taken center stage: Jewish revenge killing. A Palestinian teenager
was burned alive, and it appears as though the culprits were Israeli
Jews. That savage murder has struck the soul of the nation because
that’s not the way Jewish people are supposed to behave.
Today’s Israel Hayom includes two opinion pieces dealing with the issue: “How do we deal with the shame?” by Uri Heitner and “When the margins become the center” by Dr. Shlomo Yishai. Both of them raise serious questions that deserve answers, but let’s be sure to identify who the real culprits are.
Yes, it is dangerous when radicals on either side of the political spectrum break out in a fit of anger; it’s more dangerous when radicals assume political power; and it’s more dangerous still when political leaders allow sores to fester to the point that people begin to believe that they must take matters into their own hands. That’s the situation Israel faces now.
Today’s Israel Hayom includes two opinion pieces dealing with the issue: “How do we deal with the shame?” by Uri Heitner and “When the margins become the center” by Dr. Shlomo Yishai. Both of them raise serious questions that deserve answers, but let’s be sure to identify who the real culprits are.
Yes, it is dangerous when radicals on either side of the political spectrum break out in a fit of anger; it’s more dangerous when radicals assume political power; and it’s more dangerous still when political leaders allow sores to fester to the point that people begin to believe that they must take matters into their own hands. That’s the situation Israel faces now.
US Asks Israel to 'Show Restraint in Response'
The United States on Monday night said it supported Israel's right to defend itself -- to an extent.
By Moshe Cohen
First Publish: 7/8/2014
Aftermath of rocket attack (illustration)
Flash 90
With that, State Department spokesperson Jean Psaki said that the US supported Israel's right to defend itself. “We condemn the firing of missiles at Israel and support Israel's right to defend itself.” Kerry, she said, had spoken to Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and asked both to work towards preventing a further flare-up in tensions.
Monday, July 07, 2014
Cabinet Gives IDF Green Light for Harsher Gaza Action
The
cabinet on Monday authorized the IDF to increase its military pressure
on Hamas - but to avoid escalation of tensions, if possible.
First Publish: 7/7/2014, 7:06 PM
Israeli airstrike in Gaza (archive)
Reuters
With that, the government decision said that the aim of the IDF operation was not to enter into a wide-ranging military action against Gaza Arab terrorists, but to ensure quiet in the south. In addition, the IDF is to ensure that rocket fire does not spread to cities other than the ones that Hamas and terror groups have been targeting, mostly in the Gaza border area. In addition, extra batteries of the Iron Dome system will be set up throughout southern Israel, officials said.
“Quiet will be answered with quiet,” the government said, adding that it demanded “a cease-fire with no preconditions.”
"Sons of Zion, this is an oath to the Lord of the Heavens: Prepare all the bags you can for your body parts"
"We wish for the blood to become rivers"
by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Today, Fatah, headed by Abbas, posted the following threat to Israelis:
"Sons of Zion, this is an oath to the Lord of the Heavens:
Prepare all the bags you can for your body parts"
[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," July 7, 2014]
Two days ago, Fatah posted a similar threat with a picture of burning houses:
"The sons of Fatah will turn your settlements into balls of fire and increase your horror"
[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page,"July 5, 2014]
Earlier this month, Fatah posted a poem including the line "We wish for the blood to become rivers":
"The source of terrorism is the Zionist...
The Zionist, by Allah, is treacherous
O settler, O malicious one
Your time has ended..
O Arabs, enough betrayal:
We wish for the blood to become rivers...
This homeland wants [your] rage -
It does not want you to wait."
[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," July 2, 2014]
Obama's Secret Directive Supporting Global Islamism
RAYMOND IBRAHIM
July 7, 2014
A recent Gulf News report sheds
some light on how and why the United States helped bring the Muslim
Brotherhood and its Islamist allies to power, followed by all the
subsequent chaos and atrocities in the Mideast region.
Large portions of the report follow with my commentary interspersed for added context:
Large portions of the report follow with my commentary interspersed for added context:
Dubai: For the past decade, two successive US administrations have maintained close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria and Libya, to name just the most prominent cases.
The Obama administration conducted an assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2010 and 2011, beginning even before the events known as the "Arab Spring" erupted in Tunisia and in Egypt. The President personally issued Presidential Study Directive 11 (PSD-11) in 2010, ordering an assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood and other "political Islamist" movements, including the ruling AKP in Turkey, ultimately concluding that the United States should shift from its longstanding policy of supporting "stability" in the Middle East and North Africa (that is, support for "stable regimes" even if they were authoritarian), to a policy of backing "moderate" Islamic political movements (emphasis in bold added throughout).
Jewish Victims of Arab Terror 1873-1920
MyRightWord
Based on just one site, I collected the names of Jews who were killed by Arabs between 1873 and the Fall of Tel Chai in March 1920. They were either civilians going about their regular business or guardsmen protecting Jewish property and life from Arab attacks.
Based on just one site, I collected the names of Jews who were killed by Arabs between 1873 and the Fall of Tel Chai in March 1920. They were either civilians going about their regular business or guardsmen protecting Jewish property and life from Arab attacks.
Aharon Hershler, January 1873
Yisrael Chaim Sheinboim, April 9, 1881
Rachel Hadad, April 2, 1886
Avraham Yalovski, January 1888
Yisrael Roseman, August 1890
Bechor Moshon, September 1900
Yaakov Avramovitz, September 24, 1902
Yitzhak Cohen, November 24, 1903
Shimon Melamed, April 12, 1909
Yisrael Korngold, April 12, 1909
Dov Schweiger, April 12, 1909
Yaakov Plotkin, November 18, 1909
Pinchas Abramowitz, October 13, 1910
Yehezkel Nissanov, February 2, 1911
Tzvi Bortanovsky, July 5, 1911
My comments to the Algemeiner article of July 6, 14 by Shmuely Boteach
Many Americans seem not to understand that the ‘language’ of the
Middle East is different from that of the West. The effort to impose
peace in the region has failed because there is no solution; there is a
difference in ideologies with Israel being a democracy and most
Arab/Muslim countries having a radical Islamist dogma which demands that
it destroy world democracy and create a caliphate with sharia law for
all. Rabbi Boteach points out the tragic results of this lack of
understanding.
Instead of supporting and strengthening the ties to Israel, the bulwark of freedom in the region, the Obama administration has shown leniency to the PA , even endorsing the new ‘unity government’ that includes Hamas which is on the US terrorist list – an illegal act. Sec’y of State, Kerry threatened Israel that, should it not acquiesce to American demands for dangerous concessions, thereby preventing a ‘peace process’, there would be a third intifada and further EU isolation of Israel. To the enemy this was an invitation to escalate the violence and led to the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers.
International Law Precludes Ceasefires with Terror Groups
International law has precise
form and content. It cannot be invented and reinvented by terror groups
such as Hamas or by aspiring states.
Prof. Louis René Beres
Written for Arutz Sheva. An expert in international law weighs in on the proposal to achieve a ceasefire with Hamas.
Any time there is an announced "cease fire" between Israel and Hamas, it wrongly and foolishly bestows upon that terror organization
(1) an expressly legitimate status under international law; and
(2) a clear and newly incontestable condition of legal symmetry between the parties.
This is never a tolerable jurisprudential arrangement for Israel.
Moreover, no proper system of law can ever permit any sort of compromise or accommodation by a government with criminal organizations, even, in the case of Israel and Hamas, one that might involve a somewhat less formal arrangement than the currently proposed cease fire.
It follows that Israel ought never to unwittingly prop up its criminal adversary in Gaza by agreeing to a cease fire or similar "armistice"; instead, it should proceed immediately to do whatever is needed operationally, while simultaneously reminding the world that the pertinent conflict is between a fully legitimate sovereign state (one that meets all criteria of the Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, 1934) and an inherently illegal insurgent organization that meets none of these criteria, and that routinely violates all vital precepts of the law of armed conflict.
(1) an expressly legitimate status under international law; and
(2) a clear and newly incontestable condition of legal symmetry between the parties.
This is never a tolerable jurisprudential arrangement for Israel.
Moreover, no proper system of law can ever permit any sort of compromise or accommodation by a government with criminal organizations, even, in the case of Israel and Hamas, one that might involve a somewhat less formal arrangement than the currently proposed cease fire.
It follows that Israel ought never to unwittingly prop up its criminal adversary in Gaza by agreeing to a cease fire or similar "armistice"; instead, it should proceed immediately to do whatever is needed operationally, while simultaneously reminding the world that the pertinent conflict is between a fully legitimate sovereign state (one that meets all criteria of the Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, 1934) and an inherently illegal insurgent organization that meets none of these criteria, and that routinely violates all vital precepts of the law of armed conflict.
Sunday, July 06, 2014
Looking evil squarely in the eye
MICHAEL FREUND
Arrest of Hamas leader Hassan Yousuf in Hebron. Photo: IDF SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE
The announcement on Monday night that the three Israeli teenagers
kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists had been found dead near Hebron
sent shockwaves throughout the nation.
After 18 days of Psalms and prayers, tears and tribulations, the people of Israel received a jarring reminder regarding the undeniable iniquity of our enemies.
There are those who still refuse to acknowledge this cold, hard truth, and instead choose to cling to futile hopes of Palestinian sincerity regarding reconciliation.
But the abduction and brutal murder of Eyal Yifrah, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel by Palestinians should lay to rest once and for all any such delusions.
After 18 days of Psalms and prayers, tears and tribulations, the people of Israel received a jarring reminder regarding the undeniable iniquity of our enemies.
There are those who still refuse to acknowledge this cold, hard truth, and instead choose to cling to futile hopes of Palestinian sincerity regarding reconciliation.
But the abduction and brutal murder of Eyal Yifrah, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel by Palestinians should lay to rest once and for all any such delusions.
Media and Administration disgrace
Two American lawyers, Obama and Kerry, have
decided - prior to any investigation- that the burning murder of an Arab
boy - still living - was done by Israel in retaliation for the
kidnapping and murder of 3 Israeli teenagers in mid-June. This is a
MUSLIM custom to avenge the shame on the family for homosexuality. The
father of the boy initially stated that his own people had committed the
crime. However, Mr. Obama, who did not say a word about the Israeli
boys until their bodies were found, found his voice immediately when it
came to condemning Israel - with no proof of the accusation. How
terrible the crime! Contemptible the unproven charge against Israel!
Muslims murder homosexual Pali boy, world blames Israel
Updated:
Several times in the past when Arabs have accused Israel or “settlers” of
killing Arabs, it has turned out that Arabs themselves committed the deed,
either for “family reasons” or “criminal reasons” such as a turf war between
rival businesses or drug dealers. During the 1987-89 “Intifada” (the first
Palestinian war of attrition against Israel), hundreds of Palestinians were
killed by other Palestinians under the cover of charges that they were
collaborators with Israel, when actually, they were killed for personal or
business reasons.–Analysis:
Arab Sex and Arab Terror
6:29 pm