Wednesday, July 09, 2014
JPost Editorial: Protective Edge
Hamas, meanwhile, has vowed to expand the range of its rocket attacks to Tel Aviv and has rejected any talk of deescalation. Until now, there were many factors mitigating against Hamas attacking on a large scale.Amidror: If We Have to Go In to Gaza – Then Let's Go All the Way
The terrorist organization has been severely weakened by a number of recent developments, from the loss of its Iranian and Syrian patrons, to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s destruction of the lifeline tunnels from Sinai that connected the Gaza Strip to goods, materials and weapons from the outside world, to the lack of financial support from Qatar, to Saudi Arabi’as antagonism toward the Muslim Brotherhood and, as an extension, toward Hamas. But according to Benedetta Berti, a fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Hamas is stepping up rocket attacks on Israel to boost its popularity.
“After every armed struggle, Hamas’s popularity goes up,” Berti says.
Because Israel is so widely vilified in the Arab world, Hamas gains support by attacking Israeli civilians. If innocent Palestinian civilians are inadvertently injured or killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli retaliation, the benefits to Hamas are compounded.
Operation "Protective Edge" is underway, and already the Israeli public feels a sense of deja-vu. Given similar operations in the past, it's easy to predict what will happen over the next few days: the headlines will blare "The IDF prepares for a ground incursion", while the Air Force will work overtime, reserves will be called up and the "Home Front" will be asked to "keep calm." Meanwhile, Hamas will continue to make the lives of Israeli citizens in the south miserable, perhaps even giving residents of the country's center a "taste" of the experience. The operation will end with the declaration that "deterrence has been restored"; the citizens of Israel will meantime take bets on when the next such outburst will happen.IDF Foils Palestinian Terror Attack Launched From Sea Near Gaza (VIDEO)
Is this merry-go-round inevitable or is it possibly to defeat Hamas once and for all, thus permanently restoring peace to the south of the country? If the latter, then how?
Mida spoke with three experts with extensive experience in the defense and diplomatic arenas to see what they have to suggest.
Israeli army forces interdicted and foiled a Palestinian terror squad trying to infiltrate the Kibbutz Zikim area just north of Gaza, Tuesday evening.Hamas Terrorists Infiltrate Israel and are Neutralized
IDF troops killed five gunmen in the bid to carry out a terror attack under cover of a heavy rocket barrage overhead, according to the IDF Spokesman.
Israel Navy Prevents Infiltration of Hamas Terrorists
IAF destroys homes of all Hamas commanders, kills senior members
According to a report by the Palestinian news agency Ma'an, one of the homes targeted was that of senior Islamic Jihad terrorist Hafiz Mohammed Hamad. In the strike early on Tuesday, Hamad and five of his family members were reportedly killed.Analyst: With Strike on Tunnel, Israel Averted Major Terror Attack
In a separate incident, a joint IDF-Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) operation struck a vehicle containing a commander of Hamas's naval commando unit, Muhammad Sa'aban, aged 24, on Tuesday.
In his analysis of Operation Protective Edge, Ron Ben Yishai, military analyst of Yedioth Ahronot, wrote about the significance of the terror tunnel that was destroyed yesterday.Khaled Abu Toameh: "Moderate" Fatah Also Firing Rockets
The military wing, in addition to the failure of the kidnap of the three teens in Gush Etzion, suffered a severe setback on Sunday when Israel foiled a strategic attack that Hamas has long been planning. The plan was to enter Israel through a system of terror tunnels that would emanate from the southern Gaza Strip, in the Rafah area, and kill civilians and soldiers with bombs and ambushes by backup forces. This was supposed to be the surprise opening salvo in the next major conflict.
Fatah has several hundred militiamen in the Gaza Strip, some of whom are members of the Palestinian Authority security forces, who continue to receive their salaries from Western governments.Abbas' advisor calls to murder Israelis
At least two Fatah armed groups announced that they had started firing rockets at the "settlements" of Ashkelon and Sderot, cities inside the pre-1967 borders of Israel, with another Fatah group claiming responsibility for firing 35 rockets into Israel since Sunday.
So far as Abbas is concerned, "it all started when Israel fired back" in response to hundred of rockets fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip during the last few days. He seems concerned that if the world hears about the role of Fatah in the rocket attacks, the news will affect Western financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, which dominated by Fatah.
Today, Abbas' advisor Sultan Abu Al-Einein posted on Facebook an article quoting his statements inciting violence and murder of Israelis, calling for a return to the PA terror of the Intifada a decade ago. He called for targeting "settlers" to "teach [them] a harsh lesson" and for spreading "threat and terror," so that "the occupation... itself [will] accept condolences," indicating his support for the murder of Israelis:Fatah: We want to fight Israel together with Hamas
"Let every hour of the settlers' presence on our land be a source of threat and terror for them. Let us deprive their lives of security, so that the Palestinian land becomes a minefield against the occupation."
"Our people will no longer accept condolences for the deaths of its Martyrs (Shahids), and that the occupation must pay the price for our Martyrs' blood and itself accept condolences [for those Israelis killed]."[Facebook page of Sultan Abu Al-Einein, Advisor to PA Chairman Abbas on NGOs, July 7, 2014]
Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement asserted yesterday in a Facebook post that it sees the reconciliation with Hamas "as an opportunity to establish a united front to fight Israel."Fatah: “One God, one enemy, one goal” unites Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad
The post was in response to a post by the spokesman of Israel's Prime Minister's Office, Ofir Gendelman, which openly asked Mahmoud Abbas in Arabic if he saw reconciliation as a means to unite with Hamas to fight Israel. Gendelman's post included a cartoon of Hamas and Fatah fighters smiling, shaking hands and aiming rifles at an Israeli soldier. To his question about uniting to fight Israel - Fatah posted its answer: "Yes, this is what we want."
Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah announced this morning in a Facebook post that the military wings of Hamas, Fatah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are "brothers-in-arms," united by "one God, one homeland, one enemy, one goal."Fatah to Israelis: "The KN-103 rocket is on its way toward you"
The picture shows three fighters from the three organizations' military wings: Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Hamas' Izz A-Din Al-Qassam and Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades.
Khaled Abu Toameh: Stunned by Israel's fierce response, Hamas sends distress signals
Despite fiery statements issued by Hamas spokesmen over the past 48 hours, it was obvious Tuesday night that the Islamist movement was searching for ways to rid itself of the current escalation.Iron Dome is proving its worth
Hamas feels that it has been forced into a confrontation with Israel – one that it did not want at this stage because of its increased isolation and financial crisis.
The massive Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours have surprised Hamas and other Palestinian groups. Hamas apparently expected a limited response to the recent rocket attacks on Israeli cities and towns. But as the IDF intensified its strikes against Hamas targets – including the homes of some of its top commanders – it became clear to the movement’s leaders that Israel means business.
On Tuesday night, Hamas spokesmen were sending distress signals to various parties. The organization is concerned that if the IDF operation continues for another few days, the movement will pay a very heavy price – one that could even bring about an end to Hamas’s rule over the Gaza Strip.
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.Islamic Jihad Claims Credit for Tel Aviv Missile
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.
The Islamic Jihad terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the missile barrage fired at Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening.IDF discounts report of Gaza anti-aircraft missile
One missile was intercepted directly over Tel Aviv by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, indicating that it was headed for a populated area.
The terror group is generously funded and equipped by Iran, as is Hamas and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist organization.
The army said Tuesday afternoon it was “not familiar” with reports from earlier Tuesday about an SA-7 surface-to-air missile allegedly fired at an air force helicopter.Israel’s Bennett on Gaza Campaign Against Hamas: ‘We Know That We Are Defending the Free World’ (VIDEO)
The report, though, raised the issue of what Hamas and other terror groups possess in their arsenals of imported and locally made weapons.
In an interview on Fox News on Tuesday, Israel’s Economy Minister Naftali Bennett asserted that Israel is on the front lines of the global war against Islamist terror as it faces off against Gaza-based terror group Hamas in its latest Operation Defensive Edge.Hamas Official Says Group Will Kidnap Israeli Soldiers in Event of Ground Operation
“We are going to do everything to defend our cities and our schools from the hundreds of missiles that Hamas, a radical Islamic organization, is shooting at our people,” Bennett told the interviewer. “We are at the forefront of the free world fighting radical Islam groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, Iran, and we’re going to do everything to protect our people.”
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said he hopes the Israel Defense Forces enters Gaza on the ground so that the terrorist group can kidnap Israeli soldiers.Hundreds of Arabs Celebrate Atop Temple Mount After Rocket Attacks on Jerusalem (VIDEO)
“As long as the occupation attacks, we’ll respond, and it will pay the price of its crimes. Our will won’t break,” Abu Zuhri vowed, adding, “I hope the occupation makes this error and enters Gaza in a ground operation, so that we’ll have an opportunity to abduct soldiers.”
A video showing hundreds of Arabs jeering and celebrating atop the temple mount after air raid sirens were heard in Jerusalem on Tuesday night has surfaced online.Watch: Gaza Rockets Interrupt Wedding in Ashdod
The Quds News Network website posted the video captioning it: “celebrations at the Holy Al-Aqsa mosque after hearing the sounds of rockets explode in occupied Jerusalem.” (h/t Yenta Press)
The following video, released by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, perfectly depicts the reality that residents of southern Israel have been dealing with for years, with the endless rocket attacks from Gaza.Life in Israel: Gaza Rockets Interrupt Wedding in Ashdod
A rocket attack on Ashdod took place in the middle of a wedding ceremony on Tuesday, sending the guests running for shelter.
Reality Bites: Gaza Rocket Alert Siren Shocks Contestants on Israel’s ‘Big Brother’ Reality Show (VIDEO)
Contestants on Israel’s popular “Big Brother” reality television show found out just how real it can get when a siren warning of a rocket fired from Gaza towards the center of the country wailed during the filming of an episode, Sunday night.Red Alert app offers a Yo! update on missile attacks
“I heard a siren,” one startled cast member said, and within moments, the entire cast fled from their normal activities and crowded into the “planning room,” their movements though the house tracked by the numerous cameras that follow their every movement.
What started out as a “joke app” is being marshaled to provide supporters of Israel worldwide with real-time updates on missile attacks against Israel, “adopted” by two Israeli app developers to spread the word on what Israelis are facing. This comes during an escalating conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, who are firing dozens of rockets and missiles at Israel every day. Israel is hitting back with airstrikes and building up ground forces on the border.Hamas Vows Revenge After Use of Human Shields Goes Awry
The Yo! app joins the veteran Red Alert: Israel app to inform users on exactly where the rockets fired at Israel by Gaza terrorists are aimed, said app co-author Ari Sprung.
The events leading up to the strike offer an insight into the difficulties facing IDF forces in combating Gaza-based terrorism. It also provides a revealing glimpse into the way Hamas and other terrorist groups violate international law through the use of human shields. Israeli leaders have in the past referred to such tactics as a "double war crime": firing missiles at Israeli civilians, while using Palestinian civilians as human shields.Hamas Caught Using Human Shields in Gaza
Witnesses said an Israeli drone launched a warning flare prior to the strike, in a bid to allow innocent civilians to evacuate the area. Instead, relatives and neighbors gathered at the house to act as human shields, but shortly afterwards an F-16 fired a missile which leveled the building.
In response, Hamas said "all Israelis" would be potential targets for retaliation. "The Khan Yunis massacre... of children is a horrendous war crime, and all Israelis have now become legitimate targets for the resistance," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said on Facebook.
Innocent bystanders can be killed as a result of Hamas’ abuse of its own civilians. Instead of keeping its citizens out of harm’s way, Hamas encourages and even forces Gazans to join its violent resistance against Israel.Gaza Terrorists Fire Rockets from Civilian Areas
During Operation Protective Edge, evidence of Hamas’ and other terror organizations’ use of human shields has surfaced.
This video published on July 8 on the Internet shows rockets being fired toward Israel. In the video, a civilian building can be seen next to the launching sites.
Video Evidence: Hamas Operating in Civilian Population for Terror Activities
NY Times's Page-One Anti-Israel Bias
The New York Times' anti-Israel bias is on prominent display today in its international edition with a highly skewed page-one headline. Completely inverting reality, the headline, on the top-right corner of the page, declares: "Israel presses air barrage and Hamas strikes back."Where is the outrage over the bombardment of civilians in Israel?
Uninformed, casual readers would have no clue from this grossly skewed headline that the opposite is true. It is Israel which is striking back following 386 Palestinian rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip and targeting civilian communities in southern Israel since June 12, when the three Israeli teens were abducted and killed.
Where is the outrage from the mainstream media? Instead, news organisations like the BBC, lead their stories about the rocket attacks headlines like ‘Israel launches new air strikes on Gaza Strip’ and not ‘Palestinian Terrorists in Gaza Rain Down Over 120 Rockets Against 1 million Israelis in 24 hours.’World disinterested in Gaza operation, senior official says
Where is the outage that Iran, which the international community is currently negotiating with over their nuclear weapons program, and which has called for Israel to be wiped off the map, is the primary funder and supplier of arms to Hamas?
Where is the outage that civilians across southern Israel are being instructed not to send their kids to school and stay in bomb shelters, or that 24 prematurely born babies and 34 newborns had to be moved last night to a protected area in Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva, due to the rocket attacks from Gaza?
What sort of inhumane way is that for children to live?
Where is the outrage that the very same Hamas now responsible for the rocket fire against millions of Israelis, was only a month ago welcomed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, our so-called ‘partner for peace’ into his unity government, while the international community, including the EU, rushed to embrace it?
Despite several statements by world leaders condemning rocket fire on Israel and calling for restraint, the international community currently doesn’t really care about Israel’s conflict with Gaza, a senior diplomatic official said Wednesday.Lecturing us on security, as the rockets fly in
“The international community is totally disinterested. Yes, there were a few press releases from [UK Foreign Secretary] William Hague and a few others, but generally the world doesn’t show any particular interest in this,” the official told The Times of Israel. “They’re either very tired of [the Israeli-Palestinian conflict], or their attention is elsewhere, or they want to go on a summer vacation and don’t think this story is important enough.”
Sometimes you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. On Tuesday, at a conference organized by the Haaretz daily in Tel Aviv, the White House’s Coordinator for the Middle East, Philip Gordon, delivered an address that dealt at some length with the US effort to both broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal and draw up the security arrangements that would leave Israel feeling safe enough to carry out significant territorial withdrawals.International Leaders Condemn Rocket Fire on Israel
Gordon made lots of valid points about Israel’s essential interests requiring an accommodation with the Palestinians. But parts of his oration read as though Gordon is a recent arrival from Planet Zog who has mistaken the Middle East for Finland.
Foreign European dignitaries on Tuesday condemned the wave of rocket fire engulfing Israel, after the IDF launched Operation Protective Edge the previous night to squelch the attacks emanating from the Hamas-enclave of Gaza.US slams rocket fire at Israeli civilians, urges sides to ‘act responsibly’
British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the rocket fire on Israeli civilian population centers, but stopped short of calling those firing the lethal projectiles at citizens "terrorists."
"I condemn the firing of rockets into Israel by Gaza-based militants. The UK calls on Hamas and other militant groups to stop these attacks," stated Hague.
As barrages of rockets rained down across central and southern Israel, the US State Department called on both sides to “act responsibly” while condemning the “deliberate targeting of civilians by terrorist organizations in Gaza.”KERRY SIGNALED OK TO PALESTINIAN INTIFADA. Hamas, Fatah stand to gain with new violent campaign
“We strongly condemn the continuing rocket fire into Israel and the deliberate targeting of civilians by terrorist organizations in Gaza,” State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a Tuesday press briefing. “No country can accept rocket fire aimed at civilians, and we certainly support Israel’s right to defend itself against these attacks.”
Secretary of State John Kerry’s rhetoric may have signaled to the Palestinian leadership that in the absence of negotiations with Israel, it is legitimate to launch a violent uprising, or intifada, against the Jewish state.US Embassy in Israel Instructs Employees to Stay at Home
His previous comments warrant review in light of the recent collapse of Israeli-Palestinian talks and amid the chatter about whether or not the Palestinians are on the cusp of a third intifada.
Last November, Kerry warned in a joint interview with Israel’s Channel 2 and a reporter from Palestine TV that the deterioration of peace talks could lead the Palestinians to start an intifada while Israel might find itself increasingly isolated internationally.
“The alternative to getting back to the talks is the potential of chaos,” Kerry said. “Does Israel want a third intifada?” (h/t Canadian Otter)
In a message to United States Citizens, the US Embassy in Israel announced that its employees in Tel Aviv have been instructed to remain in their homes due to the threat of rocket fire from Gaza:Hamas, Stop That Right Now, Or I Shall Be Forced To Frown! By US President Barack Obama (satire)
As a result of the July 8 rocket attacks on Tel Aviv and the potential for further attacks, U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv will operate at minimal staffing until further notice. Chief of Mission personnel will not be allowed to travel south of Tel Aviv without prior approval. Embassy families living in Tel Aviv are being advised to remain at home and in close contact with one another.
Making a frown is perhaps extreme for some, who would rather see me ignore the situation entirely. To them, I say what good would that accomplish? Remaining silent would condone the ongoing violence. What is necessary here is a clear condemnation of the violence, but not one that would commit actual resources to giving the condemnation any teeth. I do not show teeth. Facial expressions featuring teeth are not in keeping with the dignity of this office. A proper presidential smile is disdainful, even haughty. Toothless.In Israel, Canadian MPs, senators scramble for bomb shelters as rockets fly
There is no reason to take measures that would add to the suffering. It is sufficient to let others cause the suffering, and scold them for doing so. Action is far too reminiscent of Vietnam, of Lyndon Johnson, when the effect we seek is much more closely represented by Neville Chamberlain. He was a firm personality. It is that firmness for which we strive now.
Do not defy me, Hamas. I have reserved my most withering scowl in case you do.
Five Canadian MPs and two senators scrambled for safety in bomb shelters in Jerusalem Tuesday after Israeli Defence Forces sounded the alarm on fears that Hamas terrorists would send rockets into the capital.Iran Condemns Israeli Self-Defense as 'Savage Aggression'
BC Conservative Bob Zimmer, BC New Democrat Jasbir Sandhu, Manitoba Conservative Ted Falk and Newfoundland and Labrador Liberals Gerry Byrne and Yvonne Jones were in Israel as guests of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs. (h/t Canadian Otter)
The remarks by Iran, a traditional ally of Hamas, came after the Israeli Air Force pummeled terror targets in Gaza Tuesday night, in response to nearly a week of near-constant rocket fire on Israeli civilians.Jordan Demands Israel Stop 'Barbaric' Operation
"We are, unfortunately, witnessing the escalation of savage aggression by the Zionists in recent days against the innocent and defenseless people of Palestine," IMFA spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said in her weekly briefing with reporters.
Jordanian spokesperson Mohammed Momani said that the airstrikes on Gaza, which reportedly have killed over 20 Gaza residents, including many senior terrorist officials, are "aggressive," reports AFP.EU Urges 'Maximum Restraint' Following Rockets, IDF Operation
Momani said his country, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 it has threatened to revoke, "condemns the military aggression that Israel has launched in the Gaza Strip," and calls for "its immediate halt."
The European Union (EU) on Tuesday strongly condemned the rocket fire from Gaza on southern Israel, and at the same time also expressed concern over the number of civilian casualties in Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza, part of the counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge.Gaza Youth Receive Life-Saving Treatment in Israel Despite Ongoing Conflict
"We are following with grave concern the rapidly deteriorating situation in the South of Israel and the Gaza Strip,” said a statement from the EU’s high representatives for foreign affairs, Catherine Ashton.
Although Hamas has been directing rockets at Tel Aviv throughout the day, doctors at an Israeli non-profit located in the city of Tel Aviv, Save a Child’s Heart, have been working around the clock to treat Gaza youth, regardless of their background and without restraint due to the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Four of the children received today – all under five years of age and from Gaza – were brought into Wolfson Medical Center outside of Tel Aviv for vital treatment procedures.
The patients were transferred to Israel via the Erez Crossing at the Israel-Gaza border. The patients consisted of 2-year-old Bana from Elromel, Gaza; 2-year-old Remas from Jabaliya, Gaza; 1-year-old Osaid from Kham Yunis, Gaza; and 4-year-old Marwan from Elshatai, Gaza.
The four youngsters are attending a free clinic that Save a Child’s Heart holds every Tuesday specifically for Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank regions.
