08/07 Links Pt1: Bishop: Hamas fired rockets from Gaza church; Hamas Hide Behind ISM Activists

From Ian:

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Gaza Bishop: Hamas fired rockets from church compound

Israeli missiles targeted an area close to the church sanctuary.
In this video released today, Archbishop Alexios of Gaza describes how Hamas had fired rockets from the church compound (at 1:12)(h/t ColRichardKemp)
"Alexios took CBN News to the roof terrace outside his office to show how Hamas used the church compound to launch rockets into Israel. He refused to discuss details on camera for security reasons, but days after the war started, Israeli missiles targeted an area close to the church sanctuary."

Gaza Bishop: Hamas Used Church to Fire Rockets


Hamas Leaders Hide Behind ISM Activists

This first was apparent at the WAFA hospital where Hamas command and control leaders and weapons caches could be found being guarded by ISM human shields. The ISM sent out emails to its world members to contact the foreign ministries from the many EU countries from whence they came asking their pro-Hamas colleagues to write and call, urging them to demand the IDF not attack the hospital because to do so would violate “international law.”
Good sense prevailed though, and after the IDF gave warnings to allow the ISM-ers and their Hamas charges to flee and escape, the hospital was destroyed. Rumor had it that as they evacuated the hospital, local Arabs threw garbage and insults at the ISM and Hamas for bringing a bombing down on their neighborhood.
The ISM and their Hamas charges then went by ambulances to the Beit Hannoun hospital. They started the same scenario, writing ISM supporters worldwide that they needed to write foreign ministers and demand Israel be criticized for bombing hospitals. This time the issue was protecting “medical personnel” at Beit Hannoun hospital. According to the ISM itself, there was only one patient there attended by 60 “doctors” and the rest were ISM activists from all over Europe, and one in particular, Joe Catron from the USA.

GAZA DOME




Times of Israel Live Blog: Hamas: We’ll resume attacks Friday morning if blockade not lifted

An Israeli delegation is in Cairo to discuss the terms of a long-term ceasefire with Hamas, but Hamas has not accepted a ceasefire extension beyond Friday morning. PM Netanyahu said late Wednesday it would be “a moral mistake” not to hit back at terrorist strongholds in mosques and schools.
Pro-Hamas rally sees low turnout
Channel 2′s Ehud Ya’ari reports that only 2,000 Gazans attend the pro-Hamas rally earlier today, calling to renew the violence against Israel.

Ron Prosor Hits Back at UN 'War Crimes' Accusation

Israeli ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor sharply criticized the UN on Wednesday, after Secretary General Ban Ki Moon accused Israel of "war crimes" against Palestinian Arabs in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge.
"If the UN assembly had invested a tenth of the energy invested in investigating Israel, it would reveal horrific war crimes on the part of Hamas," Prosor fired.
"The international community has lost its way," he continued. "This organization was founded to promote morality, truth and justice. Unfortunately, that is not its mission now."

Netanyahu lays out Israeli case for morality of Gaza campaign

Arguing that Israel’s battle over the past month against terrorists in Gaza using civilians as human shields came during a critical test period, he said it would be a “moral mistake” as well as a practical one to not take action against terrorists operating from mosques, schools and other civilian areas.
Such behavior would represent “an enormous victory for terrorists everywhere,” he said, and would result in more and more civilian deaths around the world.
“What’s happening now is not only a test for Israel but for the international community, for the civilized world itself, [for] how it is to defend itself,” Netanyahu declared at a press conference on the second day of a 72-hour ceasefire that began on Tuesday morning.
Terrorists must not be allowed to “fight from civilian areas with impunity” and rely on world condemnation of the victimized nation — in this case, Israel — for responding to attacks, he warned.

Ethics expert: IDF fulfilled all ethical requirements in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces carried out Operation Protective Edge in compliance with ethical requirements, according to Israel Prize laureate Professor Asa Kasher, who helped formulate the military's Code of Ethics.
"We are fulfilling the ethical requirements," he said. "Every battalion commander has an officer in charge of locating civilians, and everything is overseen by too many lawyers, who help direct the operation on the ground. The number of casualties is irrelevant -- it does not speak of omissions or any wrongdoing on the part of the IDF."
Kasher said that during a military campaign, morale is extremely important.
"During a war, criticism does not improve anything; it is a shot in the back. All the criticism, including the blame for how protected the armored personnel carrier [in which seven soldiers died] was, are out of place. We must not interfere with the soldiers," he said.
Israel, he said, is facing a torrent of aggressive criticism because "there are people whose perspective is very shallow. They are shown photographs of a destroyed house and a doll's severed leg, photographs that are sometimes even from Syria, and they cry out. They do not understand anything and they feel the need to express a shallow sort of good-heartedness that has them momentarily identifying with the underdog."
In addition, he said, "there are pro-Palestinian groups in Europe that have a well-developed mechanism and a lot of money. You can know ahead of time: Within 10 days of the beginning of military clashes here, the masses get up and gather at [what have become] almost permanent spots."

Is PM on solid legal ground with his defense of IDF tactics?

Netanyahu on Wednesday described Israel’s operational methods against Hamas, and the way they are judged, as a test case for the international community. In fact, said Sabel, the US and the UK had tackled terrorism in the heart of civilian areas in both Afghanistan and Iraq. And overall, he said, “I think we’ve been more careful.”
And will that “careful” Israeli approach now ensure that it is vindicated in the looming wave of UN probes and possible war crime suits? “It is irrelevant in terms of public relations,” Sabel said, where you can’t tackle the issue of “dead children by quoting Protocol 1.” But Israel would be on firm legal ground “if the issue were to come to a neutral court of law.” And in terms of the assessment of Israel’s peers, notably the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in the US and UK, for instance, “here we come out with flying colors.”
Sabel said he did not regard the planned UN probe or possible International Criminal Court attention as neutral legal forums, and said he did not anticipate even friendly governments coming out to praise Israel. “But in their internal discussions,” in the relevant departments of those responsible states, “they’ll say we complied” with the rules of war.

Ya'alon to Red Cross: Fighting in Gaza complex due to Hamas's use of 'human shields'

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon told President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer on Thursday that, "We did all we could, in accord with our ethics and standards as well as our [Israeli] and international laws in order to prevent casualties. We regret every civilian who was affected, but this is a consequence of Hamas tactics."
The meeting took place at the Kirya Military Headquarters in Tel Aviv where Ya'alon showed Maurer evidence that Hamas had used the civilian population of Gaza as human shields and that the terrorist organization held responsibility for the high death toll among Gaza noncombatants.

IDF gears up for war crimes accusations, plans internal review of Gaza operation

The Israel Defense Forces high command has begun to make preparations for legal battles and anticipated war crimes charges in international forums in the wake of the nearly month-long campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported on Thursday.
Fearful of the growing international chorus demanding that IDF officers be tried for war crimes allegedly committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, senior military brass has ordered a comprehensive internal probe of the army’s actions during Operation Protective Edge.

IDF Chief of Staff Briefing Following the Cease Fire


What is Hamas Doing to Schools & Hospitals in Gaza?


Netanyahu Lends Credence to 'Rosh Hashana Massacre Plan' Report

The reports surfaced shortly after the start of the ground incursion into Gaza, and were said to have been based on confessions made by Hamas terrorists taken captive. Unverified reports claim the captives said that Hamas was timing the incursion for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.
Netanyahu did not mention Rosh Hashana specifically but said that Operation Protective Edge “damaged a strategic array that Hamas put a huge effort into, for years. The ability that Hamas prepared in digging these tunnels would have enabled it to abduct and murder numerous citizens and IDF soldiers by a simultaneous attack from many tunnels that penetrate our territory."

Al Jazeera Shows Alleged Attack Tunnel 'Ready for Action'

The outlet prominently features a Hamas tunnel - filled with rocket launchers, mortars and anti-tank missiles - which according to the terrorists is already being prepared for the possibility of renewed fighting.
"We are here on the border with Israel, ready for anything, we take care of our people," said one Hamas terrorist to the daily. "We still have a lot of surprises waiting [. . .] the resistance is ready."
Another terrorist commented, "We are now in a trench in this area because we do not believe in Jewish tricks."
"We shot from this outpost at a group of settlements in Eshkol, as well at IDF soldiers around Haza'a," he added.
The reporter also showed himself in another tunnel, allegedly an attack tunnel that enters Israeli territory and which the IDF has not demolished.

Netanyahu Spokesman Mocks Al Jazeera Anchor for ‘Laughable’ Question, Faux Journalism

Gendelman responded, “It was Hamas that killed them. It was Hamas that violated all of the ceasefires which could have made the lives of the civilians easier.
“And because we never, ever target civilians, Hamas bears full responsibility for the loss of civilian lives in the Gaza Strip.”
Owais quoted Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon who said that Israel acted responsibly and with consideration. “I wonder when he [Ya’alon] stands trial at the ICC, like the Nazis in Nuremberg, he will tell the judge that the operation was conducted with ‘responsibility and consideration’ when he is asked about the killing of 1700 civilians in Gaza.”
Gendelman called her question “laughable,” telling her it is Khaled Mashaal and the rest of the terrorists who should stand trial at the ICC for killing hundreds and thousands of Palestinians.
Owais then retorted by asking Gendelman if he is referring to the same Mashaal that Israel tried to assassinate the Mashaal “whose family [Israel] has driven out.” She goes on to claim that these two facts would be part of Mashaal’s defense if he ever stood trial at the ICC.
“He will say that he was exiled because of the Jews you received from Russia, the Ukraine, and Poland,” said Owais.
When Gendelman asked Owais if she was speaking as a journalist or as a Hamas spokesperson, she responded, “Some journalists say worse things, I am being very fair towards you.”

Hamas rejects truce extension, threatens to renew fighting

An unnamed Israeli official was widely reported on Wednesday night as saying that Israel was keen to extend the 72-hour ceasefire “unconditionally.”
However, Hamas officials were quick to say that there was no agreement on an extension and that negotiations in Cairo were still ongoing.
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, said it will start firing as soon as the ceasefire ends on Friday at 8 a.m., Israeli news site Walla reported, citing the Hamas news agency Al-Risala.
Hamas deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzouk, part of the Palestinian delegation holding talks in Cairo, denied overnight there was yet any agreement.

Hamas threat to renew rocket fire amounts to 'extortion,' Liberman tells Kerry

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman told US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday that the threat by the factions in Gaza to resume rocket fire at Israel and refuse to extend the cease-fire amounts to “extortion.”
Liberman told his American counterpart that Israel is prepared for all possibilities. The foreign minister also thanked Kerry for Washington’s “unflinching support” for Israel during Wednesday’s UN session.
The foreign minister also told Kerry that Israel has no wish to see a further deterioration in ties with Turkey.
“The government has shown restraint in the face of provocations and harsh statements by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan against Israel,” Liberman told Kerry. “We hope that until Sunday’s presidential elections in Turkey, the series of attacks will cease. If this doesn't happen, Israel will respond.”

Liberman slams UN for not ridding Gaza of Hamas

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman responded Wednesday night to the UN condemning Israeli attacks on UNRWA facilities as “outrageous, unacceptable, and unjustifiable.”
UN officials should ensure their facilities are not being used to store weapons and launch rocket attacks, the foreign minister said, adding that institutions such as the UN Human Rights Council must not become a platform to embolden and encourage terrorism.
Had the UN been fulfilling its duties, in accordance with the principles on which it was founded, the organization would create an international body to rid Gaza of Hamas' terror regime rather than wait for Israel to do it.

IDF chief warns Hamas leaders fair game if attacks resume

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said Wednesday that Israel is prepared to strike Hamas leaders when they emerge from hiding, and warned that the IDF would retaliate strongly if the terror organization resumes its attacks on Israel.
“Its commanders sit in their bunkers in hiding, and everywhere we can hit them, we will hit, if we want to,” he said on Wednesday, the second day of a three-day truce, during a press briefing near the Gaza Strip. “They will go outside when they please — if they do, they will see the extent of the damage to their fighters and the damage in the Gaza Strip, which unfortunately, is Hamas’s fault.”
“I hope this lesson will be internalized in the Gaza Strip, because we will not hesitate to continue to mobilize our forces as necessary to ensure the security of Israeli citizens,” he said.

Minister Warns Hamas: Don't Test Us

Finance Minister Yair Lapid warned Hamas Thursday not to test Israel's mettle by renewing rocket attacks on the Jewish state.
"Fifty-one hours into the ceasefire, Hamas is threatening that it will go back to firing missiles if we do not surrender to its demands,” Lapid said in a press conference. “I say here: let them not try us. The IDF is ready and prepared, the Israel Air Force is ready and prepared. Any fire will be met with a heave volley of fire.”

Obama Urges Enduring Cease-Fire for Gaza Strip

Obama also said he has "great sympathy" for the Palestinian Authority, which is based in the West Bank city of Ramallah and is led by President Mahmoud Abbas, who over the last year participated in what was an ultimately failed push for enduring peace with Israel.
Obama called Abbas "sincere in his desire for peace," but said the Palestinian Authority appears to have been weakened by the violence and failure for a long-term resolution with Israel. He said the Palestinian Authority has shown itself to be responsible, and has recognized the state of Israel, as part of its desire for a solution that would also give international recognition to a state of Palestine.
"The population in the West Bank may also have lost confidence or hope on how to move forward,' Obama said. "We have to rebuild on that as well."

Fatah leader calls to destroy Israel "from the river to the sea!"

Fatah, like Hamas, continues to present all of Israel's land as "occupied" and maintains the destruction of Israel as its ultimate goal.
In a recent example of this, Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi posted the following message on his personal Facebook page two days ago:

'I have no sympathy for Hamas,' Obama says

The president said the US goal was to ensure that the 72-hour cease-fire holds, so that the residents of Gaza could start rebuilding and "feel some sense of hope," and the people of Israel "feel confident that they're not going to have a repeat" of rocket attacks.
"I think it is important to remember that Hamas acts extraordinarily irresponsibly," Obama said, "putting civilians at risk" with its taunting of Israel, and its placement of rocket launchers in civilian areas during conflict with the Jewish state.
"I have said from the beginning that no country would tolerate rockets being launched into their cities," he continued. "And as a consequence, I have consistently defended Israel's right to defend itself, and that includes doing what it needs to do."

Obama Calls for End to Gaza Security Blockade

President Barack Obama said Wednesday that long-term stability in Israel and the Gaza Strip would come slowly and require leaders in the region to take political risks for the sake of peace and prosperity.
Speaking in Washington, Obama said the short-term U.S. goal for Gaza was for the temporary cease-fire to continue without being violated before it expires on Friday.
He maintained that Israel has the right to defend itself from rocket attacks and terrorist tunnels into its territory by Hamas, but also stressed that Gaza could not “sustain itself permanently, closed off from the world,” an apparent nod to the demand for Israel to ease the eight-year blockade of the territory.

Message to President Obama: Israel is No Banana Republic

Today, Israel is being criticized for supposedly responding too strongly to constant terror and rocket attacks from Hamas. Lest one forget, Hamas is deemed an illegal terrorist organization – by America and many other nations. Israel crushing Hamas is in the best interest of the United States.
But perhaps history is repeating itself. A major rift between the U.S. and Israel occurred in 1981 when Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin ordered the destruction of the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak, near Baghdad. Of course, over time, the world came to see Israel’s decision as the correct move. But back then, the U.S. was furious. In response, Begin summoned the United States ambassador, and read him the following statement. Later, Begin released the statement to the cabinet and issued it to the public.

Israel Asks Germans, EU to Monitor Gaza Border

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman has called for EU "inspectors" to monitor Gaza's borders amid efforts to extend a ceasefire, in a German newspaper interview published Thursday.
"Not police or soldiers. But Germany and the EU must dispatch inspectors to Gaza to monitor the Palestinians' trade with the neighboring countries," Liberman told the mass-circulation Bild daily in comments published in German.
"The EU already did that once at a crossing in Rafah in the south of Gaza," he said.

Terrorists Explode Gas Pipeline in the Sinai, Cutting off Gaza

Terrorists in the Sinai have bombed the Egyptian gas pipeline to Gaza for the 24th time since February 2011 - this time, southeast of Arish.
Egyptian security sources reported that terrorists placed large amounts of explosives under the gas pipe, and the damage has stopped the flow of gas to Gaza.
No specific terrorist organization has yet taken responsibility for the attack.

A Eulogy for an Israeli Soldier

Standing at Daniel Pomerantz’s open grave on July 24, I realized how strong the fabric of Israeli society is. Born in this country, the children and grandchildren of 19th century pioneers, Holocaust survivors and refugees expelled from the Arab countries generations ago, we are motivated by the justice of our path and will fight to build our country despite economic difficulties and bloodthirsty enemies whose only goal is to destroy us.
I realize how proud I have always been to be an Israeli, especially because of the infinite variety of citizens in Israel, which has taught all of us tolerance and given us the strength to suffer together when necessary, allowing us to develop a democratic society regardless of the perpetual threat we live under. My pride and sense of belonging were strengthened when Daniel’s mother read the last letter he sent from the Gaza Strip before he was killed.

Fiancee of Fallen IDF Officer Hadar Goldin Speaks: ‘I’m a Widow That Never Married’

Edna Seroussi, 24, who was set to wed IDF 2LT. Hadar Goldin, 23, opened her heart in an intimate interview, after his abduction and death at the hands of Hamas terrorists on Friday, and interment of his remains on Sunday.
“I’m a widow without ever getting married,” she told the Makor Rishon newspaper after the funeral in Kfar Saba in central Israel.
Goldin, a Givati Brigade recon officer, Maj. Benaya Sarel, 26, from Kiryat Arba and St.-Sgt. Liel Gidoni, 20, from Jerusalem were killed when a Hamas suicide bomber emerged from a tunnel near Rafah, ran towards the squad of troops, and blew himself up.

IDF to Decorate Soldiers for Bravery, Courage as Operation Ends

The IDF has already launched a large-scale project in all divisions, a senior officer announced Wednesday, to determine which soldiers deserve medals or other decoration for their roles in Operation Protective Edge.
At this stage, the officer said, soldiers involved in a select handful of incidents may already be likely to receive decoration. One of them includes last week's battle with Hamas in Rafah, which saw one brave soldier run after terrorists in pursuit of presumed-abducted Lt. Hadar Goldin (hy"d).

Brave IDF Soldier Asks Not to Be Decorated for Heroism

Lt. Eitan has modestly asked not to be decorated for his heroic attempts to save Lt. Hadar Goldin (hy"d) last week, saying that the act of bravery was merely the right thing to do.
"I don't want a medal; I'm no hero," Lt. Eitan stated in a Yediot Aharonot interview late Wednesday night. "If not me, someone else would have done it."
"This is not some kind of heroic feat," he continued. "This is the essence of being a combat soldier, of being a commander."

New Wave of Olim Inspired by Fallen Lone Soldiers

Aliyah organization Nefesh B'Nefesh says that the “Lone Soldiers' Flight” landing in Ben Gurion Airport next week will include 109 youths aged 18-23 – 55 boys, 54 girls – who are going to enlist in the IDF.
Higher motivation among north American youths considering aliyah is being reported by Nefesh B'Nefesh, which specializes in assisting Jewish immigration to Israel, following Operation Protective Edge and the deaths of “lone soldiers” Sgt. Max Steinberg and Sgt. Nissim Sean Carmeli hy"d, who were killed in Gaza.
According to Noya Govrin, Director of the Lone Soldiers' Program in Nefesh B'Nefesh, the number of emails, phone calls and requests by Americans to enlist into the IDF has grown considerably following Operation Protective Edge. “I have no doubt that the operation will have an effect on the number of youths who make aliyah in order to enlist, in 2015.”

Injured Gazans Being Treated in Israeli Hospitals

Doctors and aid agencies are trying to capitalize on a truce in Gaza to evacuate more wounded Palestinians for life-saving medical treatment in Israel and Jordan.
More than 9,500 Palestinians were wounded during four weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.
Ninety of some of the most serious cases have been evacuated through the Erez border crossing since the conflict began, according to Guy Inbar, spokesman for COGAT which is part of the Israeli defence ministry.

A bruised tourism industry vows to keep its chin up

Hamas rockets, which had been hurtling through Israel skies all summer long, had now come dangerously close to Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport, with one landing in Yehud, a town in central Israel whose borders graze the buffer zone that experts felt had to remain rocket-free for flights to take off and land safely. Delta, US Airways and United all promptly nixed their flights, and the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration, citing an abundance of caution, soon blocked all US air travel to Tel Aviv for a period of 24 hours. A number of European air carriers followed suit.
The decision could not have come at a worse time for the Israeli tourism industry. War is always devastating for tourism, but a war that comes at the height of summer is especially painful. Summer is when children are off from school, synagogue and Jewish community groups are planning missions in droves, and Israel’s beaches and outdoor spaces are at the best and brightest. It’s the height of tourist season, and the flying missiles and wailing air-raid sirens had already caused millions of shekels of lost tourism revenue. The sealed air space felt like the kiss of death.

Douglas Murray: Has the West become more hostile to Israel?


Douglas Murray: Violence, threats and blackmail ought to have no place in politics

In her resignation letter over the UK government not being anti-Israel enough for her, Sayeeda Warsi backed up her ‘case’ by writing:

‘Early evidence from the Home Office and others shows that the fallout of the current conflict and the potential for the crisis in Gaza and our response to it becoming a basis for radicalisation could have consequences for us for years to come.’

Let us ignore for now the fact that the Home Office is today denying that any such evidence exists. It could be true. I do not think anybody is in any doubt that there are young Muslims in this country who feel very angry over the Israeli government defending its citizens from Hamas rocket fire.
Plenty of evidence certainly does exist suggesting that the war in Syria will have security consequences for years to come. As, indeed, does any intervention or non-intervention anywhere in the world where there are Muslims. We had a wave of radicalisation among British Muslims thanks to not intervening in the Balkans in the 1990s. And then we had fresh troubles when we did intervene. We found the same problem in Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and more.

Douglas Murray discusses Warsi's resignation on Newsnight 5 August


Ben Shapiro to Peter Beinart: "Hamas Celebrates When You're on TV"


Australia: Five Arrested for Anti-Semitic Attack on School Bus

Five teenagers were arrested Thursday over a vicious anti-Semitic attack on a bus full of children from Jewish schools in Sydney that left them traumatized.
Police said a group of five- to 12-year-olds were travelling on a private bus to the suburb of Bondi Junction on Wednesday afternoon when eight teens jumped on.
They then proceeded to racially taunt the children and made physical threats, with parents claiming they yelled "Heil Hitler, kill the Jews" and "free Palestine".
Children also reported the attacks threatened "we will cut your throats" and "Palestine must kill you Jews".

Tesco launches investigation into ‘racist’ incident in Romford

Tesco has apologised to a Jewish shopper who was short-changed after a member of staff at the Romford Express store allegedly told her: “It’s only 40p… You Jews have enough money.”
Karen Krimgoltz received a letter from the retail giant following the incident with a female shop assistant on Thursday 31 July, whose response Krimgoltz labelled as “not only offensive but totally racist”.
“She knew of my faith as I was wearing a Star of David around my neck,” said Krimgoltz this week. “It’s unacceptable, regardless of any alliance Tesco may take. And to think, it was Jack Cohen, a Jew, who co-founded Tesco.”

Swedish Politician Quits Following Anti-Semitic Facebook Post

A Swedish politician resigned following sharp criticism after he wrote on Facebook that "Jewish pigs" are responsible for mass murders in Gaza, according to the English language Swedish website The Local.
Omar Omeirat, Social Democrat candidate for the town council of Filipstad, central Sweden, gave a speech in the town on Friday evening advocating diversity and openness.
On Saturday he sang a very different tune.
"The entire Muslim world is sitting and watching while our brothers and sisters in Palestine are slaughtered by the Jewish pigs," Omeritat wrote on his Facebook page, according to The Local.
"May Allah strengthen those who defend Palestine, and be merciful towards the dead Muslims. Amen."

UN Chief: This is the Last Time We'll Rebuild Gaza

United Nations (UN) chief Ban Ki-moon declared on Wednesday that the organization is ready to help rebuild Gaza but it would be “the last time”.
Ban opened a special meeting of the United Nations General Assembly with an appeal for a lasting peace as a 72-hour ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was holding for a second day.
"The senseless cycle of suffering in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in Israel must end," he was quoted by AFP as having told the 193-nation assembly.
After three wars in Gaza in six years, the UN secretary general warned that the world's patience with the Israelis and the Palestinian Arabs was being tested.
"Do we have to continue like this -- build, destroy, and build and destroy?" Ban asked.

UK, France, Germany propose plan for Gaza reconstruction

The initiative was presented to National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen and senior Foreign Ministry officials, who, sources say, are inclined to work with the Europeans on its implementation.
In a two-page document, the three countries, known as E3, acknowledge Israel’s security concerns and support its goal of demilitarizing Gaza, but at the same time insist that to enable the Strip’s proper “rebuilding and stabilizing,” the restrictions placed on the free movement of people and goods need to be eased. The status quo as it existed prior to Operation Protective Edge is no longer tenable, the E3 argue.

Britain to Toughen Arms Export Measures for Israel

The British government is expected to announce tougher arms export measures for Israel but will not suspend all export licenses, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday.
Downing Street insiders confirmed to The Telegraph that an announcement was “imminent” but said details of the measures were still being finalized. An announcement is anticipated on Thursday.

Ecuador to open embassy in 'Palestine', president cancels visit to Israel

The President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa cancelled his trip to Israel, scheduled for later this year, in the aftermath of Israel's 28 day offensive in the Gaza Strip.
"We must continue to denounce this genocide" he said in an interview with a local radio station, clarifying that the cancellation is in response to Israel's policies vis-a-vis Gaza.
The decision comes after Ecuador recalled its ambassador from Israel, at the height of Operation Protective Edge. Correa mentioned that his country was the first in South America to do so.

Nicaragua Pres Says Israel's Netanyahu 'Possessed by Devil'

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said he’s convinced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under the influence of a demonic being.
The leader of the Central American state told Globovision, “Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to be possessed by the devil. He needs Pope Francis to exorcise it...”
Ortega continued, claiming that the Jewish state of Israel was “committing genocide” in Gaza akin to “the crimes of the Nazis.”

Beware of Qatar’s Mediation

Now consider Hamas. The magnitude of Qatar’s support for the terrorist group should be enough to get Qatar prime listing on the state sponsor of terrorism list. And yet, Kerry has made Qatar a full partner in the diplomatic process to achieve a ceasefire. America’s goal might be to achieve calm, and Kerry’s goal might be to find some—indeed any—success during his tenure, but it’s essential to recognize that Qatar’s goal is simply to salvage Hamas and allow its rearmament.
It’s always a dangerous thing when militants and terrorists conclude that an American desire for peace means that promoting violence can lead to a deal which privileges the violent over those who follow the rules of diplomacy. Yet, that’s exactly what first Rice and then Kerry did when it has come to Qatar acting as the good cop to achieve the aims of the bad cops in the Middle East. Rather than treat Qatar as a partner, it’s long past time the State Department and Pentagon began crafting plans to disassociate the United States from Qatar, which increasingly should be considered a liability rather than an asset.

Arabs see Gaza war stoppage as Hamas victory despite destruction

Key Hamas backer, Qatar, through the popular Al Jazeera media channel supported Hamas’s narrative since the latest conflict in Gaza began, with its website continually leading with pictures of Palestinian victims and alleged Israeli atrocities.
The Al Jazeera website carried the tag, “Gaza triumphs” for articles dealing with the war.
According to an advanced copy of a report provided to The Jerusalem Post by MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute), the channel’s pro- Hamas stance was demonstrated by its reporters, hosts and anchors on social media.
Ahmed Mansour, host of Al Jazeera’s Without Borders program, wrote a statement on Facebook on July 9 that still appears to adequately demonstrate the pride that many Arabs have for the group in its ability to stand up to Israel.

Hamas Executes Dozens of Palestinians for 'Collaboration'

A security official in Gaza, defined as someone close to the Hamas-controlled security forces, confirmed Tuesday that "resistance groups" in Gaza executed tens of Palestinians deemed as alleged "informants" to Israel during Operation Protective Edge.
"A number of agents have been executed in the conflict when attempts to disrupt the operations of the resistance and ambushes set by the Israeli army," the Palestinian security official said.
He added that "resistance forces" will continue to act to deter the informants for Israel and harming Israeli intelligence agents through the elimination of the Gaza Strip.

How Hamas Deliberately Created a Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

Take, for instance, the widely reported shortages of medicines and various other essentials. Many of these products are imported, and since Egypt has largely closed its border, Gaza has only one conduit for these vital imports: the Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel. Thus if Gaza’s Hamas government had any concern whatsoever for its citizens, ensuring that this crossing was kept open and could function at maximum efficiency would be a top priority.
Instead, Hamas and other terrorist groups subjected Kerem Shalom to relentless rocket and mortar fire throughout the 29-day conflict, thereby ensuring that the job of getting cargo through was constantly interrupted as crossing workers raced for cover. Hamas also launched at least three tunnel attacks near Kerem Shalom, each of which shut the crossing down for hours.

The anti-Semite inside you

Internalized anti-Semitism encourages ferocious rage against Israel and Israelis, a level of rage expressed against no other people. It permits the viewing of Israel as uniquely racist and oppressive and evil, instead of being seen as ordinary or all too human. Even what I would call “soft” or “positive” anti-Semitism encourages double standards and unfairly heightened expectations for Israel which faces extraordinary challenges from an enemy lacking morality.
Internalized anti-Semitism also makes it easy for people to believe numerous fantastic modern-day blood libels about Israel, such as the charge I have seen repeatedly (against all evidence) that Israel is committing genocide. This is no different than when people actually believed that Jews murdered God in the form of Jesus, drank the blood of Christian children, and caused the bubonic plague.
Anti-Zionist movements have made this further acceptable by attempting to intellectually separate Jews outside of Israel from those within Israel, in effect saying it’s okay to hate these Jews over here or Jews who support them, i.e. Zionists. At a minimum, to repeat such modern blood libels as gospel truth is to recklessly support those calling for the genocide of the Jews, for who is more worthy of killing than a people “guilty” of genocide.

Where Were You?

This third world war officially began September 11, 2001 when Fanatical Islam came from out of the blue skies to murder 3,000 Americans.
It’s been hell on earth ever since.
Israel has been fighting this war since about the time of Pharaoh.
Did both sides bomb the World Trade Center? Even Obama didn’t sit down to have a nice chat with Osama bin Laden.
Again this minute you’re showing French and Indian TV proving that journalists operating in Gaza feared for their lives, feared to tell the truth. At the point of Hamas guns they were compelled to lie and to begin each story with “innocent civilian casualties.” They acted well.
For all that time journalists were reading a script. They were in a movie written, directed and produced by Hamas thugs.
Too late to make amends, though I doubt it’s what you have in mind. You poisoned the air and now Israel will have to undo the PR damage that you wrought.
Israel must now go out to undo a world of lies and tell the truth. Given your bias, you won’t be around for that, either.

UNRWA: United Neo-Nazis for Rockets, War and Abductions

Almost nobody knows, but everyone should know, what UNRWA is. UNRWA is a real-life, super-secret, terror organization that is trying to destroy the State of Israel. UNRWA is an acronym standing for United Nazis for Rockets, War and Abductions. UNRWA acts as it does only because it is a Jewish state. In real-life, nobody really knows about UNRWA’s purpose because it has successfully masqueraded itself under the legitimate cover of a humanitarian Palestinian refugee “relief” organization using the very same initials - UNRWA - ostensibly standing for United Nations Relief and Works Agency. The UNRWA terror organization is an evil product of the great post-World War II powers, the United Nations.
In the case of UNWRA, truth is stranger, and far uglier, than the fiction of SPECTRE.
How did we get UNRWA? And, how does it work to try to destroy Israel?

Israeli War Ethics

The super compassionate, fraudulent media hacks do not see this as a battle between good and evil - they see this as "two scorpions in a bottle, battling each other." Churchill vs Hitler--lots of dead children in Dresden and Berlin. Pearl Harbor vs Hiroshima and Nagasaki - where is the proportional response? Just imagine what Errin and Geraldo would have reported against "evil" America and "morally reprehensible" Great Britain? Yet those devastating bombings are what ended WWII, and ultimately saved tens of millions of lives.
Today Gaza is filled with dead bodies, injured children and tears, all of which generate immense compassion from a gullible world that seems to have lost its moral compass. All the nice people who watch TV, check their computers or read newspapers have been fooled once again.
Why weren't these so called "innocent civilians" in Gaza crying to Hamas terrorists, when they took aid money over the past 8 years and built terrorist tunnels instead of hospitals, when they placed rocket launchers into mosques, schools and houses, instead of helping their fellow citizens? The Palestinians cheered when missiles hit homes in Israel, and now they want you to cry with them, and even help them when Israel responds.

IsraellyCool: One Celebrity Rules Pro Israel Twitter. You Won’t Believe Who

It may come as a surprise, but in this humble blogger’s opinion, the most veraciously pro-Israel celebrity on twitter is……. Roseanne! Roseanne was once considered by many – and in particular by this blog – to be no friend at all of the Jewish State. In fact Israellycool has in the past called Roseanne out on many occasions for her past comments on Israel’s affairs. You can see some examples here, here and here. However regular readers of the blog will also know that we have been documenting Roseanne’s journey from the dark side to the correct side of the force and we are proud to know that she is even an occasional reader of the blog!
Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, Roseanne – a prolific tweeter with over 115000 tweets – has been taking on Israel’s enemies around the clock. It should be noted that Roseanne is in favor of a one state solution that she refers to as “Israstine”, but there can be no mistaking on whom she places the blame of the recent conflict. Here is a selection of her tweets:

Facebook Acquires Hamas: Tool In Further Emotional Manipulation Studies (satire)

Mountain View, CA, Augist 6 – In a follow up paper to Facebook’s controversial emotional manipulation study, Facebook researchers have found that posts reporting and commenting on military or terrorist actions overseas have a statistically significant impact on people’s moods.
“By directing the timing of military actions we could quantitatively isolate the impact of a single rocket vs. clusters of attacks in a given timeframe,” researchers explained. Facebook learned for example that people increased their social media activity and used progressively stronger negative language as the number of rocket attacks increased.
In the end, Facebook found that by manipulating the rocket attacks over a long period of time, it could cause a large segment of American Jewry to do absolutely nothing but check Facebook and other social media and news sources.
With few exceptions, the study found that no pattern of rocket fire whatsoever had any emotional impact on most other demographics. “Some European groups experienced increased fire on Israel as a mood enhancer, rather than the expected depressor,” the study found.
As a control study, Facebook also acquired groups attacking Palestinians in Syria. Researchers found almost no emotional resonance for these action among any population groups.