Reflections on Gaza From an Israeli Mother
This crisis, like others that preceded it, has united the Israeli people. In normal times we tend to be a contentious lot, neighbors arguing against neighbors, political parties bickering bitterly in the Knesset and in the media. But all of that has disappeared, ideological and personal differences blurred or suspended. Israelis know that they are all in this together.'Human rights activists' at Hamas' service
It is precisely as a mother that my heart goes out to the innocent Palestinians in Gaza. A cruel and inhumane Hamas regime has deprived them of freedom and dignity, and endangers their lives in the name of radical jihad. It commandeers their homes for military posts, and to store and fire rockets, using them and their children as human shields to die for propaganda purposes.
I am proud to live in a country that makes phone calls to the residents of buildings that have been targeted, warning civilians so they can get out in time; a country that even now, in the midst of battle, continues its ongoing practice of providing medical care for sick and injured Gazans, just as it does for Syrians fleeing the bloody civil war there.
The average Israeli would like nothing more than peace and quiet. But that will have to wait. I just learned that another barrage of rockets was fired moments ago toward Beersheva.
Most of them have good intentions. They want peace and reconciliation and want us all to make love and not war. Hamas loves them.NGO Monitor: The Gaza numbers game
In October 2013, Ismail Haniyeh delivered a thanksgiving address: "We put our trust in the support of the liberals in the world… Greetings to all the civil society organizations and human rights organizations."
In that exact speech, he presented the "Palestinian national strategy," which will include "an armed struggle and a PR struggle in all regional and international arenas."
The strategy works. Hamas has launched another round in order to play its role in the "armed struggle" front. Only several hours passed before "writers and intellectuals" began filling their own role in the "PR struggle" front. The first petition has already hit the road. No to violence. Not to war. All they want is to "probe the incitement," Israel's of course. And they are demanding "an end to the fighting in Gaza."
Five days into Operation Protective Edge, the out-going UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, issued a statement that the number of casualties in Gaza raises “serious doubt about whether the Israeli strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”
In a similar vein, UNWRA Spokesperson Chris Gunness has a running commentary of casualties on his Twitter feed, including the plea to “Imagine being a 5 year old in #Gaza This is the 3rd terrifying bombardment in your short life. Where else have 5 year olds suffered thus?” These numbers and emotional appeals, however, are seriously misplaced.
If many civilians are being killed in Gaza, it is because Hamas is storing and launching deadly missiles from within populated areas and exploiting the population there as a human shield. Conversely, if even one civilian were to be illegitimately targeted, that single killing would be illegal.
Thus, the UN officials’ emotive statements are entirely disconnected from the legal and moral implications of Israel’s actions.
Times of Israel Live Blog: As truce appears to fizzle, Liberman calls for occupation of Gaza
Israel’s cabinet said Tuesday morning it would accept an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire with Hamas, after seven days of fighting, but Hamas was quick to reject the offer, continuing rocket salvos across the country. In mid-afternoon, Israel resumed attacks on Hamas targets, as Foreign Minister Liberman called to retake full control of the Strip. Earlier, two rockets hit the city of Eilat at Israel’s southernmost tip, lightly injuring four people in the first attack on the city since the Gaza campaign began. In Gaza, Israeli attacks overnight brought the death toll in the Palestinian enclave to 192.Anne Bayefsky: Undermining Israel's right to self-defense: The UN pathology
The 20th century job description of the United Nations was “to maintain international peace and security” based on “the sovereign equality of all its members,” and to do “nothing [to] impair the inherent right of self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a member of the UN.”“I Read It With A Magnifying Glass”
But the UN of the 21st century has an exception clause. Every time Israel is attacked, not only does the UN fail to maintain peace and security – it attempts to gut Israel’s inherent right of self-defense.
In accordance with this pathology, UN actors manufacture a cycle of violence that begins with Israeli aggression; assert a moral equivalence between Arab terrorists and their Israeli victims; and concoct a litany of Israeli human rights abuses. They conclude that Israeli actions in self-defense are crimes, and Israel’s enemies are understandably, if a tad too fervently, protecting human rights.
Ceasefires are just opportunities to shift gears from alleging crimes to demanding punishments.
The events of the past week have been a textbook demonstration of this toxic formula.
The story so far. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a most revolting statement utterly condemning Israel for defending it’s citizens and making almost no notice of Hamas firing missiles at us.Hospital Staff Fights – and Prays – to Save Injured Teen
Eviatar Manor, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations in Geneva, has issued a Press Release. It’s a zinger.
"Ambassador, Permanent Representative: Eviatar Manor
I have read the OHCHR press briefing from Friday, 11 July 2014, and I reject it outright.
I read it with a magnifying glass, looking for any combination of the words “Hamas” and “condemn”. I have failed to find it. In the efforts to safeguard the human rights of Israelis, the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights and her Office have failed dismally."
The staff at Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital is fighting to save a 16-year-old who was seriously wounded in the chest by shrapnel from a Hamas rocket that struck the coastal city Sunday.2 Bedouin sisters seriously wounded by rocket fire
Dr. Hezy Levy, General Director of Barzilai Hospital told Arutz Sheva about the treatment being given to the teen, as well as the special arrangements the hospital is making in order to deal with the emergency situation.
The hospital itself is well within the range of Hamas rockets but has a section that is fortified against rockets.
Dr. Levy took time to pray and don tefillin before going back to the hospital work.
All parts of Israel, from the Golan Heights in the north to Eilat in the south, came under fire on Monday. Two sisters, ages 11 and 13, were seriously wounded when a rocket strike a Bedouin community north of Beersheba. They were brought to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba for treatment.Two Rockets Fired Towards Eilat
An 81-year-old man in Beersheba was injured while running for cover during a rocket attack. In the Eshkol region, an Israeli soldier was lightly wounded by mortar fire.
Sirens were heard in the resort city of Eilat on Monday night, shortly after 1:30 a.m.IDF Spokesperson Explains Challenges in Fighting Hamas
Two rockets were fired towards the city, one of them hitting a parked car near one of the city’s hotels. A second rocket exploded in an open region.
Two people were lightly wounded from shrapnel and were taken to the Yoseftal Hospital for treatment. 11 others were treated for shock.
Firefighters were on the scene to put out a fire to the car that was hit.
In the video below, IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner explains the difficulties Israel faces in its struggle against the Hamas terror organization.Lt. Col. Peter Lerner on the IDF's Challenges in Fighting Hamas
While the IDF obligates itself to abide by international law and makes a huge effort to minimize civilian casualties, Hamas intentionally puts the population in harm's way while attacking Israeli civilians.
“This is not a battle between one army versus another army, but rather a state that abides by international standards, laws and regulations and a brutal terrorist organization,” said Lerner.
IDF Videos: Special Forces Raid, Air Strikes
The IDF Naval Commando (Shayetet 13) operated on Saturday night against a Gaza compound from which long-range rockets had been fired towards Israel.Israel Defense Companies Speed Up Iron Dome Delivery; 9th Battery Expected This Week
Terrorists who were in the compound opened fire towards the soldiers, who returned fire. Four soldiers suffered light wounds and were taken to a hospital in Israel for treatment.
Three Hamas terrorists were reportedly killed in the raid, which according to the IDF was targeting long-range missile launchers of the type that have been directing fire towards major cities in central and even northern Israel.
The Israeli defense firms behind the Iron Dome missile defense system that has been swatting Hamas rockets from the skies over Israel have advanced production of the system to fight the onslaught of rockets from Gaza, delivering Israel’s eighth battery to Israel’s Air Force last week, four months ahead of schedule. The ninth battery will arrive in the coming days, a full nine months ahead of a planned March 2015 delivery date, according to Israel’sGlobes business daily, which said Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries have been working around the clock to assemble the equipment.Boy saves great-grandmother as rocket hits near home
David Khashdi, seven, likely saved his great-grand-mother’s life on Monday afternoon when he helped her into the protected room in her Ashdod home, seconds before a rocket hit the road outside, shattering all the windows on the bottom floor and blasting a hole in the living room wall.Elderly, Ill, Pregnant Israelis Struggle to Reach Shelters as Rockets Hit (VIDEO)
Sunlight now streamed through the hole and onto the broken china that had smashed from the wooden cabinet to the floor during the attack.
With close to 1,000 rocket strikes in six days, elderly, hospitalized, bedridden, and pregnant Israelis are finding it hard – if not impossible – to reach shelter in time – 15 seconds up to 40 kilometers from Gaza.IDF Blog: Hamas’ Use of Human Shields is a War Crime
Even the outside edge of 90 seconds warning at furthest rocket range can be an impossible goal to reach in time when you are old, and using a walker, as seen in this video clip:
The terrorist organization Hamas deliberately uses Palestinian civilians as human shields, and has a long history of doing so. Hamas hopes to achieve two goals by using human shields: to deter IDF attacks on legitimate military targets, and to exploit any incidental harm that is caused as a result of IDF military activity.IDF: 1,535 Terror Targets Eliminated Since Operation Began
Hamas’ use of human shields is a clear and deliberate violation of international law. Under the law of armed conflict, the presence of the civilian population cannot be used to render certain points immune from military operations, or to shield one’s own military operations. International law also explicitly forbids directing the civilian population to shield military objectives from attack.
The IDF has struck more than 100 terror targets on Monday, officials announced Monday afternoon, totaling 1,535 targets eliminated since Operation Protective Edge began seven days ago.Analysis: Does Iron Dome need to intercept rockets fired at Bethlehem or Hebron?
Targets tackled Monday include 33 rocket launchers, eight missile production sites, four civilian homes used as command posts, and seven terror tunnels.
The Israeli Navy also attacked several medium-range rocket launching sites.
Besides all of the above and any potential moral obligations, some might even say that Israel’s narrowly defined realpolitik interests would push for defending the Palestinian areas in the West Bank from rocket attacks.Israel's Innovative 'Trophy' Defense System Saves Tank as Tel Aviv Comes Under Fire Yet Again
The rationale would be that otherwise the Palestinians could demand the right to develop their own antiaircraft measures for defensive purposes – a demand that could degrade the total freedom the air force has had for operating in the West Bank until now.
To what extent the state needs to allocate resources, Iron Dome or otherwise, to defend Palestinian West Bank areas is then a separate policy question that can be raised with any Israeli city, given limited resources and Iron Dome batteries.
But even in that area, in light of the above realpolitik considerations, it might be said that the political echelon might be wary of underestimating the security of Palestinian areas should there be recurring rocket fire against the West Bank.
On Monday, an Israeli army tank stationed near the Gaza border came under fire from a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack. But for Israeli innovation, the tank likely would have sustained heavy damage and may have cost its crew their lives.IEC Restores Power to Gaza Border Communities After Rocket Strike
Israel’s Trophy active protection system (APS), an advanced 360-degree defense system that is mounted on many of their heavy armored vehicles, deflected what could have been a direct blow to an IDF Merkava tank.
Trophy intercepts incoming projectiles such as missiles and RPGs with what is described as a “shotgun-like” blast. The system was co-developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aircraft Industries. Much like the Iron-Dome, the system relies upon computer calculations to determine the angle and approach vector of an incoming projectile. The Trophy system creates a virtual 360 degree field of protection surrounding the tank. The system can also engage multiple threats simultaneously and arriving from completely different angles.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israel Electric Company (IEC) made it clear they will not risk their workers lives to restore the electricity to Gaza. But once the shooting is over, the IEC plans to fix the power lines.Israeli warplanes said to kill 4 in Syrian Golan
As it happens, rockets from Gaza also damaged power lines in Hof Ashkelon, and left some of the Israeli towns around the Gaza area also without electricity.
This afternoon, the IEC sent heavily protected workers to the area to restore power to the Israeli towns.
The IEC employees wore bomb vests and helmets as they quickly worked to restore power to Israel’s Gaza border communities.
They were protected by IDF troops. (h/t Bob Knot)
Israeli warplanes struck three administrative and military targets in Syria’s Golan at dawn on Tuesday, killing two security guards and two women, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.IDF resumes strikes in Gaza after Hamas rejects ceasefire, launches dozens of rockets
Israeli planes “launched rockets into southern Syria’s Quneitra province at around 1:15 a.m. Rockets hit Base 90 — a Syrian military airbase — and regime bastion Baath City. Four people were killed,” the monitor said.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon ordered a restart of the attacks on the Gaza Strip Tuesday afternoon after Israel's acceptance of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire was met with a morning and afternoon of Hamas rockets fired at Israel.Kerry slams Hamas for bucking ceasefire with Israel
Diplomatic officials said that the IDF actions, which came at 3:00 pm, six hours after Israel held its fire and responded positively to the Egyptian cease-fire proposal, were the result of Hamas and Islamic Jihad rejecting the cease fire.
IAF aircraft began striking targets on Tuesday afternoon following the decision. The IDF stated that it would strike all "elements that are behind terrorist attacks on Israel."
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip claimed on Tuesday that they had been receiving text messages and pre-recorded phone calls from the IDF that blame Hamas for the renewal of Israeli strikes following Hamas's rejection of the ceasefire. Netanyahu had earlier warned that Israel would widen its offensive in Gaza if the rocket attacks continued.
At least 35 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire was set to begin, mere hours ago.Hamas Reiterates 'Conditions' for Cease-Fire
"I cannot condemn strongly enough the actions of Hamas in so brazenly firing rockets in multiple numbers in the face of a goodwill effort to offer a ceasefire, in which Egypt and Israel worked together, that the international community strongly supports," Kerry told reporters in Vienna on Tuesday morning.
Kerry said that Hamas is "purposely playing politics" by continuing the rocket fire, using innocents as "human shields... against the laws of war." "And that is why they are a terrorist organization," Kerry added.
Speaking to AFP, Hamas legislative member Mushir al-Masri said that “talk of a ceasefire requires real and serious efforts, which we haven't seen so far. Any ceasefire must be based on the conditions we have outlined, nothing less than that will be accepted.”Hamas Objects To Cease-Fire Applying To Hamas (satire)
Among those conditions: An Israeli lifting of the sea blockade around Gaza, allowing free access to the sea; the reopening of the Rafah crossing into Sinai, which was closed by Egypt; and the re-release of Hamas terrorists arrested in recent weeks as the IDF rounded up suspects who may have been involved in the kidnapping and murder of Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Frenkel, and Gilad Sha'ar.
Israel’s cabinet voted to accept an Egyptian-mediated cease-fire with Hamas this morning, but the Gaza-based militant organization has yet to endorse the agreement, protesting that the terms of the truce should only apply to Israel.Muslim Cleric: Israel Defends Us from Hamas Missiles
“Any agreement that does not allow the continuation of the resistance is no agreement,” said Hamas spokesman Mahder Fakr. “We demand the lifting of the Zionist blockade, the release of all prisoners, and the ability to kill Jews unimpeded.” International attempts to mediate the overall conflict have focused on tweaking the parameters of the first two demands while leaving the third untouched.
The Mukhtar (Islamic religious leader) of the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher on Monday praised Israel for defending the city – and particularly the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount – from Hamas rockets.Bosnian Serb Leader Backs Israel's Gaza Operation
Just days after wide-scale riots by Jerusalem Arabs over the murder of Arab youth Mohammed Al-Khder, Zuheir Hamadan said that Hamas, which claimed to be “defending” the Arabs of Jerusalem, was doing quite the opposite.
“Israel is the one defending Al-Aqsa from the missiles of Hamas,” Hamadan said. Speaking to Israel Radio's Arabic service, Hamadan said that Hamas' seemingly careless firing of missiles endangered Muslim holy places, as well as Arabs, who live and work in all parts of the country.
Nearly alone among European leaders, Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska (the Bosnian Serb Republic), has expressed unqualified support for Israel and its counter-terror operation in the wake of ongoing Palestinian rocket fire.US Jewish establishment clings to dogmas of the past
In a letter sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Dodik condemned the rocket attacks against Israel and noted his “complete understanding and support for Israel’s determination to respond to terrorist threats and actions in order to protect the safety of its citizens and their property”.
“The terrorist threats and actions of extreme Islamist groups are a threat to the entire world community,” Dodik pointed out, adding that Israel is on the front lines in confronting this menace.
It is immensely frustrating to watch the liberal Jewish establishment in the US cling to the leftist dogmas of the 1980s and 1990s, while a tsunami of change in the Middle East makes these ideas obsolete.South African official lauds Hitler’s genocide of Jews
For example, the former head of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, published an article entitled “Stop the rockets, stop the settlements” which was read aloud by rabbis in more than one Reform congregation this past Friday night. Because much of it was numbingly familiar, listeners might be excused for failing to notice how disconnected with reality it was:
The social media manager of an affiliate of the African National Congress, South Africa’s ruling party, posted a Facebook message lauding Hitler’s genocide against the Jews.Senior Labour MP Apologises After Accusing Editor of Jewish News of 'Killing Children'
The post by Rene Smit, who works at ANC Western Cape, displayed an image of Hitler with the title “Yes man, you were right…” followed by the line: “I could have killed all the Jews, but I left some of them to let you know why I was killing them.” At the bottom of the image was the message, “Share this picture to tell the truth a whole world.”
The post has since been deleted.
A Labour whip has taken to twitter to accuse the news editor of Jewish News of "killing children" and of "murder". Graham Jones MP has now removed the tweet and apologised, according to Guido Fawkes.Turkish PM accuses Israel of ‘state terrorism’
On Saturday the MP for Hyndburn in Lancashire posted the following message to Justin Cohen: @CohenJust Murder is murder. There's no justification on either side. You've lost any sense of humanity & justice. You're killing children.— Graham Jones MP (@GrahamJones_MP).
Later Mr Jones said: "I unreservedly apologise to Justin Cohen. I have now deleted the tweet." It is unlikely that the tweet came from his staff, as it sent out on a Saturday when parliamentary aides do not generally work.
This is not the first time Labour MPs have made offensive remarks about the actions of the state of Israel. Indeed, as reported on Breitbart London, in February Yasmin Qureshi MP claimed that the country was committing a holocaust in Gaza.
Presenting himself as the sole world leader speaking up for the Palestinians, Erdogan said that any normalization in the troubled ties between Israel and Ankara was currently out of the question.In Wake of Hamas Campaign, Attacks on Jews from Europe to America
“Israel is continuing to carry out state terrorism in the region. Nobody, except us, tells it to stop,” Erdogan told members of his ruling party in parliament, accusing Israel of perpetrating a “massacre” of Palestinians. “To what extent will the world remain silent to this state terrorism?”
With Hamas’ decision to begin firing hundreds of rockets into Israel, precipitating Israeli action to stop that rocket fire, anti-Jew sentiment has now exploded full-force onto the public scene. This isn’t unprecedented – each time Israel acts in its own self-defense, whether in Gaza or in southern Lebanon, Jew-haters around the world have utilized the opportunity to target Jews.Netanyahu Killed 3 Israeli Kids So He Could Attack Gaza Claims U Of Ottawa Prof
Such evil has now shown its ugly face around the world. Here are the latest incidents across the globe against Jews, utilizing Israel’s defensive activities as an excuse:
“Justified Vengeance”, The Pretext for Bombing Gaza: Was the Netanyahu Government behind the Killings of the Three Israeli Teenagers?Hezbollah, Iran Condemn Int’l Support of Israeli Right to Self Defense
Over the weekend Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei accused the United States and the United Kingdom ofArab-American group to boycott Obama’s Ramadan dinner
"officially supporting the murder of the oppressed children in Gaza….”some world powers would make much ado about death of a pet in any point in the world.”
“However, the latest attack on Gaza and slaughtering of more than Gazans, many of them innocent children and oppressed people, not only would not raise their sensitivities, but the US and UK are officially supporting such attacks as well,” his eminence added.
“Today’s world realities lie in supporting the dominant forces without fear, and in supporting their dirty and corruption, along with opposing any cleansing and sacred action not in harmony with their interests,” Supreme Leader went on to say".
Citing America’s support for Israel and its alleged spying on Muslims, a powerful Arab-American group has called for a boycott of Monday night’s annual Iftar dinner at the White House.U.S. Objective Should Be to Disarm Hamas
The event, celebrating Ramadan and scheduled to be held in the State Dining Room, is inappropriate in light of current violence in the Middle East, according to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).
Without the demilitarization of Gaza and the end of its status as an independent Palestinian state in all but name—but one ruled by Islamist tyrants—there is no chance for peace for Gaza or the West Bank in the foreseeable future. Kerry, who devoted much of the last year to a futile and actually counter-productive round of peace talks that set in motion the series of events that led to the current fighting, must try and see beyond the immediate problems and realize that if the parties are not to be doomed to endless repetitions of this drama, the status quo in Gaza must be upended. If, instead, he signs on to yet another cease-fire proposal that will leave Hamas and its rockets in place, it will mean more than a guarantee of more fighting in the future. It will also ensure that any future peace efforts will be just as pointless as the ones Kerry just conducted. Rather than pressuring Egypt to help Hamas, Kerry should be marshaling international opinion behind a solution that will disarm the terrorists and give peace a chance.The (Gaza) question that must be answered
The daily barrage of rocket fire, coupled with the ability of Hamas missiles to reach as far as Haifa, has once again brought to the fore a critical question, one that Israeli society and its leaders have wrestled with for much of the past decade but never really answered.'We were incredibly stupid'
Simply put, it boils down to this: what price are we willing to pay to stamp out the threat from Hamas once and for all? For as previous experience has shown, limited military operations against Hamas in Gaza have had limited and largely lackluster results.
In a piece in Haaretz which is thus far only out in Hebrew, Shlomo Avineri, an icon of the Israeli Left (no, that's not him in the picture - it's our main Leftist dufus), tells readers, "We were incredibly stupid.... We thought they wanted a state, and a two-state solution, but it turns out that they want to destroy Israel, because they cannot/will not accept any form of Jewish national self-determination." As my kids like to say at such times "Boker Tov Eliyahu" (Good morning Elijah).France speaks the truth about Hamas and Israel
Of course, Avineri reaches the wrong conclusion (he calls for a redeployment of IDF forces in Judea and Samaria, removing the remainder of the blockade on Gaza, and a thinning of the civilian population by paying Jewish residents to leave Judea and Samaria), but the mea culp
Though British Prime Minister David Cameron also strongly condemned, “the appalling attacks being carried out by Hamas against Israeli civilians,” the most important exception to the morally equivalent position has been President François Hollande.UN And International Community Share Gaza Guilt
He had already shown his goodwill in Israel in November 2013, speaking in Hebrew in his airport declaration and saying, “I will always remain a friend of Israel.” He opposed the movement to boycott Israeli goods, even those coming from Israeli settlements.
Hollande has, during his presidency, taken the lead in a fight against radical Islamist terrorists, and Hamas falls in that category. He joined the international chorus in calling for the parties to avoid the escalation of violence.
However, he went farther. On July 9, 2014, in a telephone call to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he issued a strong message of support for Israel, which he said should take all measures to protect its population faced with rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. France, he said, firmly condemns these aggressions.
France has once again taken the high road and demonstrated the meaning of the symbolic words coming from the French Revolution: liberty, equality, fraternity.
Yes, the international community could play a constructive role, but not by demanding a new series of useless negotiations. Instead, the UN, NATO, and above all the United States should make clear that after the current violence ends or subsides, any new round of rocket launches against civilian targets will bring devastating, multi-lateral consequences, and Israel need not stand alone in confronting increasingly sophisticated attacks against its citizens. Without some record of enforcing civilized norms against aggressive terrorists, how can South Korea rely on guarantees of protection against the nightmare state to their north; or Japan (or Taiwan, or the Philippines, for that matter) rely on help against an increasingly imperialistic China; or Ukraine (or Poland) feel secure from a new Russian grab on their territory; or Israel count on promised American and NATO protection from a nuclear-armed Iran?ADL issues security advisory to Jewish institutions worldwide
The current lack of leadership by the US and, even more conspicuously, by the UN and the international community, doesn’t just destroy prospects for progress toward Middle East peace. It also insures a far more unstable, perilous and explosive world to menace the security of Americans and all other civilized peoples in the months and years ahead.
The Anti-Defamation League on Monday issued a special security advisory to Jewish institutions and synagogues worldwide following the recent series of violent anti-Israel demonstrations over Operation Protective Edge in Gaza Strip.France Beefs Up Security After Paris Synagogue Attack
The advisory urged heightened vigilance among all Jewish institutions and recommended they take special steps to bolster whatever security measures they had in place.
"The events taking place in Israel and the Gaza Strip have resulted in tense atmospheres at anti-Israel rallies in Europe and across the United States," ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said.
France stepped up security on Monday, a day after protesters demonstrating against Israel's operation in Gaza tried to storm two Paris synagogues.French Green MP Justifies Attacks On Jews: "If synagogues act like Embassies they should be targeted like Embassies"
According to the AFP news agency, President Francois Hollande warned that he did not want to see "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict imported into France" after two Jewish men were hurt in clashes that erupted on Sunday.
The tweet reads... "If synagogues act like Embassies they should be targeted like Embassies"An Open Letter to Eddie Vedder
Eddie, you are not virtuous for declaring safe opinions to throngs of obsequious fans, fans who would cheer just as loudly if you had been reading them the label of a ketchup bottle. It is not courageous to talk trash when you’re the only one with the microphone. Try having more civil discussions with people who are not in your far-left echo chamber. Try to understand people who think differently than you.Neo-Nazis, Islamists Declare 'You Jews Are Beasts' During Protest Of Israeli Operation
The older I get, and the less I care about being “cool”, the harder it gets for me to reconcile your artistic genius with your boorish politics. Thanks for the memories, Eddie. Off I go.
As reported by the German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau, the protest against the Israeli action was registered for only 50 participants, but by 4:00 p.m. on Saturday there were about 2,500 protesters gathered on the Rathenau Square in the center of Frankfurt leaving the police woefully understaffed.Solidarity with Israel
"The crowd chanted slogans such as "Allahu Akbar" (God is great), "Freedom for Palestine" and "child murderer Israel" and waving it next to Palestine Flag the flags of Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas."
Other reports claim the presence of Anti-Semitic banners such as "You Jews are beasts!" (h/t Canadian Otter)
Thanks to Abraham Joseph Pal for these great photos from the LA Solidarity with Israel rally . More can be found herePro-Palestinian Attackers Spit On, Assault Israel Supporters
The peaceful pro-Israel rally, organized by the Israel-American Council (IAC), took a violent turn at around 5:30 P.M.Antisemitism at RALLY for GAZA
Several men in a pick-up truck waving Palestinian flags pulled into the crowd and began shouting obscenities and spitting on the pro-Israel demonstrators, according to accounts provided by two employees of Advance Security Concept (ASC), which had been hired by the IAC to provide security.
The four Palestinian supporters eventually emerged from their truck with “sticks” and a “tire iron” and began attacking the pro-Israel faction after a heated argument, according to written accounts by the two ASC officials that were obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
A DHS officer on the scene was said to have discharged his weapon at the attackers after he was targeted, according to the written accounts, which provide a detailed window into the chaotic incident.
When I arrived at Sydney Town Hall I was quite taken aback by the numbers of people there. Here I was in a sea of Arabs, keffiyehs, hijabs, niqabs, hamas headbands, Palestinian flags, Greens’ banners, black “flags of Jihad” and good number of Hezbollah flags , which was surprising seeing as this was supposed to be about Gaza.ADL Comes To Defense of Assaulted Truth Revolt Contributor
It was comforting to see the Police there in such great numbers. There were Police from the Riot Squad as well as regular and mounted Police.
I have to tell you I found the whole event frightening and very confronting. I was not comfortable, far from it. The anger, the rage, the hate was overwhelming and I really was quite scared.
I was especially upset to see tiny children dressed in Hezbollah flags, Hamas outfits with headbands too, draped in keffiyehs and pumping the air with their fists yelling:
“Death to Israel” “Down, down with Israel” “Israel, Israel, who can’t hide, you support genocide” and the original “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”
The New England chapter of the Anti-Defamation League issued a statement on Sunday afternoon saying it is "disturbed" by allegations that TruthRevolt contributor Chloe Valdary was assaulted at a Boston anti-Israel Friday on afternoon.Hamas encourages civilians to act as human shields
"(Boston, MA) July 13, 2014 – The Anti-Defamation League was deeply disturbed by allegations that supporters of Israel were assaulted and the subject of anti-Semitic name calling at a Boston anti-Israel protest.
Robert Trestan, New England Regional Director, issued the following statement.
We are deeply disturbed by news accounts of assaults and anti-Semitic name calling at a protest in Boston on Friday. According to reports the protest quickly turned ugly, when pro-Israel students were called “Jesus-Killers” and some were attacked. People of good faith everywhere should regard this conduct as an affront to decency. This injection of anti-Semitism is part of a national trend of anti-Israel protests which include calls for violence, comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany and claims that Israel is intentionally murdering Palestinian children."
Valdary has filed charges with the Brookline police who have opened an investigation into the incident.
Two days ago, Israel warned Palestinians who live near the Israeli border in the Northern Gaza Strip, an area from which Hamas launches long-range missiles, to evacuate their homes to areas of safety before Israel bombed the launching sites. Hamas' Ministry of Interior immediately called on its civilian population to ignore Israel's warnings and remain in their homes in spite of the danger:Hamas tells civilians to ignore warning notices from the Israeli army
"An important and urgent message:
The [Hamas] Ministry of the Interior and National Security calls on our honorable people in all parts of the [Gaza] Strip to ignore the warnings [to vacate areas near rocket launching sites before Israel bombs them] that are being disseminated by the Israeli occupation through manifestos and phone messages, as these are part of a psychological war meant to sow confusion on the [Palestinian] home front, in light of the [Israeli] enemy's security failure and its confusion and bewilderment." [Hamas' Ministry of Interior spokesman Iyad al-Buzu, on Ministry's Facebook page, July 12, 2014]
Israeli bombing turns Gaza into ghost town
Some quietly criticize Hamas. Abu Ali, a driver for his family business who identified himself only by his first names to avoid Hamas retribution, insisted that at least in his immediate neighborhood, the movement was widely reviled.Palestinians refuse Israeli humanitarian aid
"Everybody here hates Hamas," he said. "But they're too afraid to say so publicly. Our food comes from Israel but what we give them in return is rockets — rockets that don't even make little holes in the ground."
Israel's Magen David Adom emergency services on Monday offered to transfer blood units and donations to Gaza Strip, but the humanitarian gesture was rejected by the Palestinian Authority.Iran attempting to rearm Hamas with missiles
According to MDA Director Eli Bin, the organization then offered to assist the PA by facilitating blood drives involving Palestinian or Israeli Arab donors, but that offer was rejected as well.
Egyptian military sources told WND the Hamas claim of flying a drone over Tel Aviv is being taken seriously.Hamas Boasts over Failed Drone Attack, Says it Has UAV 'Arsenal'
Hamas, the Egyptian sources said, laid out its conditions for a long-term truce, including the reopening of Egypt-Gaza crossings and the release of more than 60 Hamas officials arrested by Israel in the West Bank in response to the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens.
The report of Iran’s Hezbollah proxy attempting to rearm Hamas comes after WND reported Saturday Hezbollah reopened an operational room with Hamas to coordinate regional militant developments, according to informed Mideast defense officials.
Hamas on Monday confirmed that it had sent out a drone over Israel earlier in the day. A Hamas spokesperson said that the Izz-a-Din al-Qassam wing of the terror group had dispatched the drone, and that the terror group had more of them.Hamas’ Latest Drone Video Is Lame Agitprop Again
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), apparently laden with explosives, was shot down by the IDF near the port city of Ashdod Monday morning.
Israel shot down a Hamas drone yesterday along the coast.Hamas 'Takes Over' Channel 10
So naturally, Hamas need to push lame propaganda about their drones “penetrating the enemy” and such, and they do it with edited video.
Terrorists from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s “military wing”, were able to take over the broadcast of Israel’s Channel 10 on Monday evening.Hamas is weaker than ever, even in the Arab media
Some viewers who tuned in to the channel reported seeing wounded persons from Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
The pictures of the wounded were accompanied by the following text, "Your government chose the opening hour of this campaign. If your government does not agree to our terms, then prepare yourself for an extended stay in shelters.”
The Second Authority for Television and Radio said that Hamas was able to take over Channel 10 through a satellite. As a result, only viewers who own a satellite saw the Hamas caption and not viewers with digital converters.
This is not the first time that Hamas took over Channel 10’s broadcasts. It did the same to both Channel 10 and Channel 2 during Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012.
Israel has long grown accustomed to widespread criticism triggered by its military operations in the Gaza Strip, but this time, Operation Protective Edge has been characterized by biting criticism of Hamas as well. Figures in the Arabic press have said that Hamas is culpable for the recent escalation of violence and the suffering of the more than one million Palestinians who live in Gaza.
The criticism of Hamas has been expressed through various editorials and commentaries across the popular Arabic press, as well as by senior commentators on Arabic news programs covering the Gaza violence.
Hamas clip celebrates 2011 missile attack that murdered 16-year-old
A new Hamas propaganda video celebrates the murder of a 16-year-old in 2011.Hamas celebrates missile attack that murdered 16-year-old in 2011
The video addresses Israelis in Hebrew opening with the question: "Do you remember?" It then shows footage from a 2011 attack in which Hamas struck a school bus with an anti-tank missile. The clip ends with footage of an ambulance carrying Daniel Viflic, a 16-year-old Israeli, who later died of his wounds.
The Hamas video ends with the promise of more killings:
"We will hunt down cowards like you in your dens."
Gaza schoolgirls repeat Hamas slogan: "Strike, strike Tel Aviv!"
How I Shut Down the Hamas Facebook Page
For years, these pages have presented "heroic" clips of rocket launches and fire towards IDF vehicles, alongside other propaganda messages written in literary Arabic and Google-translated Hebrew. But with the start of Operation Protective Edge, these messages have gone up a few notches in the vehemence of their rhetoric.Neil Young’s heart of gold
The propaganda itself may be primitive and absurd, but I'm sure it helps to stoke the viewers of the al-Aqsa Channel and firmly establish the power of Hamas propaganda. This in turn strengthens a regime which has already done so much to subject the residents of Gaza to a violent and extremist regime, which when it isn't busy trying to kill Israelis spends its time purging "enemies of the regime".
A moment before the Facebook page was closed, the account ran an animation clip showing rockets heading for houses in Jerusalem, at the end of which is the slogan "Victory is Near". A day before, the wall featured a Hebrew language video with the slogan "the blood of our pure sons will be the fuel for our rockets".
The show would have been Young’s first in Israel since the 1990s. With a steady barrage of rockets into Tel Aviv since last week, the authorities couldn’t allow some 30,000 people to gather in Yarkon Park, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
“It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we must cancel our one and only Israeli concert due to tensions which have rendered the event unsafe at this time,” a representative for Young said in a statement. “We’ll miss the opportunity to play for our fans and look forward to playing in Israel and Palestine in peace.”
In the same statement, Young said, “I will be making donations to both the Louise & Tillie Alpert Youth Music Center of Israel, and Heartbeat, two organizations that teach music to Palestinian and Israeli youth simultaneously by enabling them to play music together.”
It’s not yet clear how Young chose Heartbeat and Beit Alpert, as the Louise & Tillie Alpert Youth Music Center is known locally.