Friday, October 20, 2023

10/20 Links Pt1: Israeli Soldiers Die Because Its Military Is So Moral; How to Fight the Next War; IDF’s speedy hospital rocket response shows it has recovered its nerve

From Ian:

Gil Troy: Israeli Soldiers Die Because Its Military Is So Moral; How to Fight the Next War
That year, I interviewed my cousin, Adele Raemer. For decades, she lived happily in a progressive paradise of the Gaza corridor kibbutzim, but was now watching as Israel’s disengagement made their lives hellish. “The IDF is the world’s most moral army,” she said. “They aim for the feet. They ‘knock on the roof,’ warning dwellers to flee an apartment-building-turned-terrorist-base before destroying it. If, God forbid, Hamas had breached the fence, hundreds would have been killed.”

Adele, who had hoped for coexistence with Palestinians, resented Israel’s impotence: “I don’t remember voting for Hamas, but they — not my government — run my life. They decide when I go into my safe room — or not. They decide when school is open for me to teach — or not.”

I warned then, that what the UN called “protests,” the kibbutzniks experienced as riots — attempts at mass invasion, with thousands trained to kidnap or kill Adele and her neighbors.

Unfortunately, Israel’s moral code shaped the “conceptzia,” the conception that decided Hamas was pragmatic, and its violence could be indulged and contained.

Fighting this new unsought war for survival, Israelis should learn from this unhappy history:
- First, military morality entails a sliding scale. The greater the threat, the more evil the enemy, the more aggressive armies can be. After October 7, it would be immoral for Israel to tolerate Hamas’s continued presence next door.
- Second, among the many anti-Israel libels distorting coverage, reporters must stop claiming that Gaza is so “densely populated,” treating Palestinians like sitting ducks. How could anyone in Manhattan, with 72,918 residents per square mile, deem Gaza overcrowded, with 16,583 residents per square mile — even fewer considering the extra living space Hamas developed in underground tunnels by siphoning humanitarian aid from the UN and other dupes.
- Third, end the charade. Although Hamas is cruel to its people — many of its people have been cruel to Israelis. Don’t blame every Palestinian. But every Palestinian who cheered this rampage, who shared snuff videos, who giddily distributed candy after any terrorist attacks — is neither innocent nor hostage to Hamas.
- Finally, this sobering historical conclusion should not encourage Israelis to behave as despicably as their enemies do. Nothing justifies targeting civilians or Hamas’ October 7 brutality. Israel should never treat women and children and elders as Palestinians treated Israeli women and children and elders. Israel will never treat prisoners as Hamas is treating some kidnapped victims — no matter what negotiating advantage Israel might gain. And Israel will never specifically target civilians. It will do everything possible to minimize what the American army antiseptically calls “collateral damage.” Ultimately, Israelis must fight as moral a fight as they can, to satisfy their own consciences, to protect their souls, not to please the world.

The IDF’s main mission remains winning the war by dislodging Hamas. As cries of “disproportionate force,” and “cycle of violence,” distract others, Israel should remember Air Chief Marshal Arthur “Bomber” Harris, who headed Britain’s Royal Air Force Bomber Command during World War II. He proclaimed: “I do not personally regard the whole of the remaining cities of Germany as worth the bones of one British grenadier.”

That was the Allies’ moral standard when saving the world from the Nazis. Israel’s Lamed-Hah Morality is too ingrained in Zionism to be that brutal. Still, all Israeli soldiers must remember that in this war — and forever more — their primary moral obligation is to do their job, meaning defend themselves, their comrades, and their homeland against a most amoral foe.
It Is Heartwarming That the World Loves Dead Jews So Much
Isn’t it heartwarming that the world loves dead Jews so much? I almost feel guilty for getting that lung transplant. It pains me that I deprived so many members of Black Lives Matter — may they all be damned by G-d Almig-ty — and so many neo-Nazi White Supremacists of a small moment of extra joy.

My gosh, how beautiful their eulogies are! In England, they have projected an Israeli flag image, replete with Jewish star, on 10 Downing. In France, on the Eiffel Tower. In Germany, on the Brandenburg Gate. I could go on. Projecting six-pointed stars in the blue and white. Touching.

When was the last time England exercised its veto power on the U.N. Security Council for Israel? Once in 75 years? Twice? Never? They sip Pimms No. 1 Cup or No. 6 and leave it for America to be the heroes, as they did in The Great War, World War II, and every war since. And what about Le France? Jamais — Never. And again never. And even never again. They leave it for America to show courage while they snicker behind our backs and also leave it for us to save them — again and again. As for Germany, we Jews don’t hold our breaths for much more than that they just keep their hands off us.

In the United Nations, Israel has only one almost totally reliable ally, America. And even that was not the case when Obama was there, thanks partly to leftist Jewish votes that contributed to helping elect him twice and the likes of the snake Jack Lew who served as his “Orthodox Jewish” defender. Or as they say in politics: Obama’s human shield. And human shill.

On vote after vote in the U.N., on the most simple and obvious of opportunities to stand with Israel, the “great world powers” are gutless. The final vote tallies on some General Assembly resolutions are appalling, as one after another after another of these “great Western powers” gutlessly votes to “abstain,” leaving it to Israel and America to stand alone, backed only by — I am sorry to say — the least important of itsy-bitsy countries that no one ever knew existed until Jewish news reports started hailing them for voting with Israel. We can always count on Micronesia (name says it all), Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua – New Guinea, and Togo (not the sandwich takeout chain). Often Cameroon, Uruguay, and Guatemala. Sometimes on Canada, sometimes not. Australia used to be a surprisingly reliable friend, but their new leader is changing course, hopping backward like a kangaroo in heat.

I once wondered “How will there be room for all the souls of 6,000 years of humankind to fit in the Holy Land when Moshiach (the Messiah) comes and the era of Olam Haba (the World to Come) arrives?” Well, there is part of the answer, I guess. There will be the righteous nations of the United States of America joined by the denizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua-New Guinea, and Togo. And when other nations come, embodying an image some Talmud students may recognize from the first chapter of Mesekhet (Tractate) Avodah Zarah, the Holy One Blessed Is He will hear the leaders of England and France and Germany and Japan ask of Him: “May we also enter eternal life and the World to Come?” And G-d will answer: “I abstain.”
Victor Davis Hanson: Our Post-Hamas Wreckage
The Palestinian State Solution
The Left’s shrill demand for a “two-state” solution, and tolerance of Palestinian tired and serial threats to drive Israel into the sea, are for now over. The glee with which Gazans and West Bankers met the news of mass murder, mutilation, hostage-taking, rape, and the desecration of bodies is proof enough that these dictatorial governments probably do represent the majority of their citizens.

Most Gazans were giddy on hearing of the macabre methods of Hamas, and only wished that there had been more opportunity to spit on hostages, poke captive women, kick corpses, and torment the child and female trophies brought back from Israel. The Gazan delight in the grotesque was reminiscent of some medieval pogrom, or the Roman triumphs of old with their files of enslaved captives. And perhaps the desire to take captives and pass them back through the killing fields to Gaza reminds of the Aztec practice of seeking to capture rather than just kill their enemies, in order to have plenty of bodies for the human sacrifices on Templo Major.

The old idea of Gaza—self-governed since 2005-2006 by “one man, one vote, once” Hamas—as a possible “Singapore” with Hyatt and Four Seasons beaches, flush with hundreds of billions of dollars from the Gulf, Europe, the U.S. and the UN, is finally revealed as the farce it always was. That fantasy was simply antithetical to the Hamas nihilist charter, the logical manifestation of which was the slaughter inside Israel of hundreds of civilians.

BLM
BLM was always a corrupt, disingenuous operation—the craftier successor to the Jesse Jackson/Al Sharpton 1980s corporate shake-downs. But it is has finally jumped the shark with its sick support for Hamas murderers (note its recent posters glorifying Hamas’s hang-gliding butchery).

Its pro-death advocacy of Hamas is the pièce de résistance to the corruption and abdication of its leadership, the Kendi-con, and the lethal crime wave it helped spawn in major cities. Its racist agendas may linger for a while. But BLM is going the way of the 1960s Black Panthers—that is, one leading to general disgust, then to irrelevance, and finally to nothingness.

The still-remaining BLM murals in our major downtowns are already embarrassments and eroding reminders of the insanity that swept the country from 2020 to the present.

Campuses
Universities have now crossed the Rubicon in de facto condoning their crazed students cheering on mass death. They made the argument after George Floyd that the country must listen to their pseudo-moral lectures, and now they unashamedly broadcast what they have become—traitors to the idea of an enlightened free society, and kindred spirits to the anti-Semitism, intolerance, and fascism of 1930s German universities.

Degrees from Harvard, Yale, and Stanford will soon become, not resume badges, but either embarrassments or certifications of a mediocre education. Or both.

Universities all rushed to embrace “decolonization”, starting with empty and ahistorical virtue signals and ending up paralyzed, as thousands of their own students showed the world how ecstatic they were over news that babies were murdered and women raped.

In response, their invertebrate administrators and faculty sat frozen for days, calculating how best to issue “on the one hand…on the other hand” mush. The first serious politician who calls for the taxing of the huge incomes of their endowments, for yanking the government out of the student loan business and returning the moral hazard to the universities who impoverish their own students, will win overwhelming support.

The Gaza of Hamas is going down, but so are a lot of corrupt institutions and ideas that threw in with its lot.

I would recommend against the Nazi reference: the Nazis didn’t deny knowledge of atrocities until *after the war*, making them a bad contrast to current Palestinians.
Victor Rosenthal: Biden’s Bear Hug
How is it possible that a sovereign state can allow a foreign power to sit in its war cabinet – as US Secretary of State Blinken did for seven hours the other day – and dictate strategy and tactics? It is not possible, and therefore Israel is not a sovereign state. Our political and military leadership sold our sovereignty in return for military aid. We took what the US wanted to give us, what was most suitable for American defense contractors (and not always for our needs); and they were in turn paid top dollar from the pockets of American taxpayers. The US tried to determine the outcome of our elections and intervene in our politics in ways that are just beginning to become clear.

The Biden administration ignored the Taylor Force Act and restarted aid to the Palestinian Authority even when it refused to stop paying the terrorists who murder us on a regular basis. The US supplies weapons and training to the Lebanese army and intelligence apparatus, despite the fact that Lebanon is 100% controlled by the Iranian proxy Hezbollah, which has 130,000 rockets aimed at Israel – including precision-guided ones that are far more dangerous than those of Hamas. And speaking of Iran, the US has recently freed up $6 billion which Iran can use to fund Hamas and Hezbollah as well as its nuclear project. These are not the actions of an ally; they are those of an imperial power that uses its satellites in the service of its own interests. And American interests, as seen by the Biden administration, are not coincident with Israeli interests: today they are directly opposed. With the exception of the Trump period, American policy since the Iraq war, as expressed in the 2006 Baker-Hamilton report, has been to obtain a détente with Iran, and to allow it to obtain the hegemony it seeks in the Middle East. Although the US at least pays lip service to the existence of a Jewish state, it expects Israel to return to an attenuated, pre-1967 shape.

The policy is contradictory for several reasons. Iran sees the US and Israel as enemies, and is committed for both geostrategic and religious reasons to destroy Israel. It also implies that Israel will give up control of Judea/Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Golan heights, which would make her impossible to defend.

But today Israel faces an immediate problem: how to escape the American “bear hug” for long enough to recover her deterrence in the region. I don’t know the answer to this, but it seems to me that we must try. It will require our leadership to summon up the courage to say ‘no’ to the Americans. Can we do this, or has the “bear hug” already squeezed the freedom and sovereignty out of us?

The next few weeks, perhaps days, will tell.


Biden calls to secure Israel, not give up on Palestinian statehood
Below are excerpts from U.S. President Joe Biden’s national address to the American public on Thursday night.

“Good evening, my fellow Americans. We’re facing an inflection point in history—one of those moments where the decisions we make today are going to determine the future for decades to come. That’s what I’d like to talk with you about tonight.

“You know, earlier this morning, I returned from Israel. They tell me I’m the first American president to travel there during a war.

“I met with the prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] and members of his cabinet. And most movingly, I met with Israelis who had personally lived through the horrific horror of the attack by Hamas on the seventh of October.

“More than 1,300 people slaughtered in Israel, including at least 32 American citizens. Scores of innocents—from infants to elderly grandparents, Israelis, Americans—taken hostage.

“As I told the families of Americans being held captive by Hamas, we’re pursuing every avenue to bring their loved ones home. As president, there is no higher priority for me than the safety of Americans held hostage.

“The terrorist group Hamas unleashed pure, unadulterated evil in the world. But sadly, the Jewish people know, perhaps better than anyone, that there is no limit to the depravity of people when they want to inflict pain on others.

“In Israel, I saw a people who are strong, determined, resilient and also angry, in shock, and in deep, deep pain.

“I also spoke with President [Mahmoud] Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and reiterated that the United States remains committed to the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and to self-determination. The actions of Hamas terrorists don’t take that right away.

“Like so many others, I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of Palestinian life, including the explosion at a hospital in Gaza—which was not done by the Israelis.

“We mourn every innocent life lost. We can’t ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians who only want to live in peace and have an opportunity …

“Hamas—its stated purpose for existing is the destruction of the State of Israel and the murder of Jewish people.


Jonathan Tobin: Has Biden tipped Democrats back towards a bipartisan consensus?

The Commentary Magazine Podcast: Joe Biden’s Disjointed Speech
Hosted by Abe Greenwald, Christine Rosen, John Podhoretz & Matthew Continetti

COMMENTARY senior editor Seth Mandel makes his debut on the podcast to discuss Joe Biden’s strange and unfortunate address from the Oval Office last night. What should the president have said about assisting Ukraine and Israel? What did he say instead? And why was the whole thing so all over the place.




International aid is the problem, not the solution, for Gaza



The Israel Guys: Is Joe Biden Secretly Trying to Take Advantage of Israel? Strange things happening…
So far, Biden’s “unwavering support” for Israel has been:
Israel not allowed preemptive attack on Hezbollah
Forbidden from occupying the Gaza strip.
Warned not to harm Gazian civilians.
Forced to loosen Gazan crossings and allow "humanitarian aid" to refuel Hamas!
$100 million in aid package to Arabs in Gaza and West Bank.
Gives Iran $6 billion which are not frozen assets
Says "no direct evidence" of Iranian involvement in the Hamas attack
States that the Palestinians who voted Hamas into power don’t really support them.
Two-state solution…. best way forward!

Does this sound like support to you?


Israel war: Senate unanimously approves resolution condemning Hamas attack
The Senate unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday affirming U.S. support for Israel and condemning Hamas’s brutal terror attack that launched a war between Israel and Gaza.

The resolution, introduced earlier this week by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD) and ranking member Jim Risch (R-ID), was adopted without objection after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) brought it to the floor Thursday afternoon.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), the sole holdout blocking the unanimous consent request, agreed to co-sponsor the resolution when he returned to the Senate on Thursday.

“Our resolution has overwhelming, nearly unanimous, bipartisan support in the Senate. It is co-sponsored by 99 Senators, Sen. Paul being the outstanding one who hasn’t,” Schumer said on the Senate floor on Wednesday.

Paul’s office did not say what the senator’s concern was with the resolution before a deal to get him on board was reached.

The Senate has made Israel a top priority this week after Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attack. Senators received an all-members classified briefing on Wednesday about the conflict, and leadership began work on the start of a larger aid bill that will include assistance for Israel.
More than 100 retired generals sign open letter to Biden and Congress to support Israel
A group of more than 100 retired United States military leaders signed an open letter on Thursday from the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs calling on President Joe Biden and Congress to support Israel with aid and weaponry as it defends itself against attacks from Hamas, a terrorist group.

The letter specifically calls on Biden to support Israel's Operation Iron Swords after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that has escalated into a war in the Middle East. The conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to more than 1,400 Israelis killed and more than 3,785 Palestinians killed.

Among the signees are General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr., former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. James Amos, the 35th commandant of the Marine Corps, and Gen. James Conway, the 34th commandant of the Marine Corps.

"As retired American military leaders who devoted our lives to defending the nation, and many of whom served in the Middle East, we stand beside Israel and recognize its right to defend itself against the Iran-backed terrorist threats that surround it on all sides," the letter states. "To borrow from Winston Churchill, Israel might be fighting by itself alone but it is not fighting for itself alone. We have seen firsthand how Israel shares and helps protect American interests and values; we should not hesitate to come to Israel's aid in its hour of need."


Gallant sets main IDF priority in Gaza: Eliminate all Hamas capabilities

‘You will fight like lions,’ Netanyahu tells Golani soldiers

Israel Defense Forces: A Message to the Jewish People
We are one.
We are united.
We are in this together.
A special message to the Jewish people from the IDF Spokesperson Real Admiral Daniel Hagari




Israel war: The fake town that has helped ready troops for Gaza urban warfare

IDF to evacuate Kiryat Shmona amid attacks from Hezbollah-ruled Lebanon

IDF striking Hamas at ‘rate not seen in decades’







Uri Kaufman: Make No Mistake, Israel will Destroy Hamas
Hamas attacked Israel last week almost 50 years to the day of the Yom Kippur War. Are there parallels between the two attacks? Has Israel made the same mistakes? Should Israel's response be similar?

On this week’s episode of Top Story, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin talks with Uri Kaufman, author of the new book "Eighteen Days in October: The Yom Kippur War and How It Created the Modern Middle East".

They discuss
- Israel's false assumptions about Egypt and now Hamas
- Hamas' false assumptions about Israel and the way it will react
- the way forward in Gaza




‘Proportionality in conflict is absurd’: Douglas Murray
Author Douglas Murray says the idea of proportionality in conflict is absurd as debate is heard globally on what a measured response from Israel would be following terror attacks from Hamas which left over 1,400 people dead.

Mr Murray claimed Western countries and the UN only obsess about proportional responses in regard to Israel.

“Proportionate is an abstract idea. What is proportionate in a conflict?", he asked Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi.

“Proportionate in this conflict would mean that the response to the massacre of more than 1,000 Israelis in cold blood by Hamas a couple of weeks ago should be responded to by Israel by sending Israeli forces … as Hamas did.

“It is obscene to even think in these terms but that is what proportionality would mean in this conflict.”


Israel-Hamas War: A broader Middle East crisis in the making?
Israel and Hamas are in an ongoing conflict, raising global concerns over the potential for fighting to expand to other regions.

A prolonged escalation could draw in other regional players, heightening the risk of a larger-scale conflict.

Iran's influence in the Middle East has long been a source of tension with Israel and its allies, prompting a warning from the United States against Iranian involvement.

This warning coincided with a visit by US President Joe Biden to the region, where he expressed support for Israel.

The situation in Israel and Gaza calls for a comprehensive, multilateral approach to achieve a lasting and peaceful resolution.

Sky News Digital Originals delves into the current situation in Israel and Gaza, the potential for involvement by other nations, and what the future may hold.


"Iran Funds, Arms, Trains And Directs Hamas And Islamic Jihad In Gaza" - Says Military Expert
Military expert Colonel Kemp highlights the significant message of support delivered by Rishi Sunak to Israel, stating that it's the strongest message ever conveyed by a British Prime Minister to Israel.

Israel is currently facing a challenging situation, with airstrikes in Gaza and troops preparing for a ground offensive if necessary. Additionally, the threat from Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran's proxy militias in Syria adds to the complexity of the conflict. In the wake of a recent massacre, Israel's need for support is paramount, he says.

The conversation included Iran's involvement in fuelling the conflict. Colonel Kemp says Iran funds, arms, trains, and directs Hamas and Islamic jihad in Gaza, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran's strategy is to force Israel into military operations, knowing that the terrorists hide among civilians, leading to civilian casualties.


Israeli Cabinet approves measures to shut down ‘Al Jazeera’ news bureau





“A War On The SANCTITY Of Life!” | Israeli MP Says Hamas Has Waged War On “Democracy”
The Prime Minister has arrived in Israel to “express solidarity” with the country over Hamas’s October 7 attack as part of a two-day trip calling for any escalation of violence in the wider region to be avoided.

In a meeting with President Isaac Herzog, Rishi Sunak said the country has “not just a right” but a “duty” to restore its security.

Israeli MP Sharren Haskel tells TalkTV’s Vanessa Feltz that Hamas has waged war on “democracy.”

“This is not a war between Hamas and Israel… this is a war on the sanctity of life. This is a war on the way we live - our values.”


Israel must focus on ‘eradicating’ Hamas’ military capability
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak has urged Israel to focus on “eradicating” Hamas’ military capability.

Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant met with soldiers gathered near the enclave's border on Thursday (local time).

"You see Gaza now from a distance, (but) you will soon see it from inside. The command will come," he said as armed troops watched on.

Israel vowed to annihilate Hamas after it launched a land, air and sea assault on October 7, indiscriminately killing more than 1,400 people and kidnapping others.

“We will fight Hamas; we will eradicate their infrastructure and their capability to repeat this crime,” he told Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan.

“Israel cannot afford Hamas attacking us in this way again and I am confident that any elected government of any country on earth would have done the same.”

The former general asserted that Israel is committed to upholding international law.


Son of Hamas leader breaks silence: They must be stopped
Mosab Hassan Yousef, whose father is a Hamas leader, joined 'FOX & Friends' to discuss his experience with the terrorist group and why he decided to leave that life behind.




Avi Mayer: Editor's Notes: Now I know what death smells like
Kibbutz Be’eri is remarkably peaceful.

Established in 1946, the community had a population of 1,047 in 2021. Verdant lawns stretch between small public buildings and houses shielded by leafy trees. The kibbutz is home to a printing press that serves as the community’s main source of income, as well as a veterinary clinic and a cycling center, and it is surrounded by agricultural fields. In wintertime, families from across the country flock to the adjacent Be’eri Forest to see the bright red anemones that blanket the area. Some years ago, the community – a bastion of liberalism and home to several prominent peace activists – established a fund to help support Palestinian families just a couple of miles away in Gaza.

At 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 7, Hamas launched a heavy barrage of rockets from Gaza into southern Israel. Using the rocket fire as cover, an estimated 2,900 Hamas terrorists utilized bulldozers to tear through the border fence and then drove through on motorcycles and pickup trucks. They then fanned out, making their way directly to kibbutzim and towns throughout the border area.

When they got to Be’eri, they immediately killed the community’s emergency readiness squad and set up an ambush at the main gate to prevent Israeli forces from coming to the rescue. Then approximately 100 terrorists drove into the kibbutz, dismounted their vehicles, and started going house to house, killing everyone they saw. They wrenched open the trunks of parked cars, removed spare tires, set them on fire, and rolled them into houses in order to burn the families inside to death. Anyone who fled the flames was shot. They fired rocket-propelled grenades at fortified safe rooms in order to get to the families huddled inside.

Within hours, large numbers of soldiers arrived and, after sustaining significant losses, overpowered the terrorists at the kibbutz gate. A fierce gun battle erupted. The army sent several tanks into the community and started shelling some of the houses from which terrorists were firing. The firefight stretched into the middle of the next day, until all the terrorists were dead.

A friend of mine who scrambled to Be’eri with his reserve unit that day said it looked like something out of a horror movie. “Never in my life did I imagine that humans could be so cruel to each other, and that I would see it,” he told me. He described seeing bodies everywhere, smoke wafting through the kibbutz.

At least 104 members of the community – approximately 10% of its total population – were murdered that day, along with six police officers. Multiple residents were kidnapped by Hamas and are being held hostage in Gaza; we still don’t know exactly how many.
Identifying Hamas' victims: Three-quarters of civilian victims named

Israeli forces nab four Gazans hiding in Beersheva
Israeli security forces arrested four Gazans on Friday who were hiding in an apartment in the southern Israeli city of Beersheva. Border Police officers acted upon intelligence indicating the Gazans were staying in Israel illegally, according to a statement by authorities. The four were taken for questioning. The statement did not reveal whether the four individuals were involved in Hamas’s Oct. 7 cross-border invasion in which 1,400 people were massacred in Israel and more than 4,000 wounded with as many as 200 civilians taken hostage to the Gaza Strip. Beersheva is located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military has not ruled out the possibility that Hamas terrorists remain in the country.


IDF’s speedy hospital rocket response shows it has recovered its nerve
The IDF’s central command centre, or war-room, known as ha’bor (the pit), five floors beneath the Kirya IDF headquarters, is only in full use at time of war or when major planned operations are in progress.

On October 7 it was activated when the full scale of the Hamas terror attack was realised, but in the days since, most of the generals have been touring IDF units down south, or up north, preparing for war in Gaza or with Hezbollah.

On a night very soon, the core command group of the General Staff will be there when the armoured brigades go into Gaza, but on Tuesday night they had something of an unscheduled dress rehearsal when they rushed there to direct a crucial operation.

“Everyone was there, the chief of staff, his deputy, commanders of the intelligence and operation branches,” said one officer who was present. “All were clamouring and focused on the mission.”

Their objective: To work out what had fallen from the sky and killed reportedly as many as 500 Palestinians at Al Ahli Hospital.

Minutes after the news began filtering in at 7pm and the television networks all carried the feed from Gaza, the generals knew it was their most urgent task.

They didn’t have to be told by their political masters that in 15 hours US President Joe Biden would be landing at Ben-Gurion Airport and they had better have a very good explanation for what had happened.


U.S. Intel: Israel ‘Did Not’ Bomb Gaza Hospital
The U.S. director of national intelligence (DNI) informed Congress on Thursday that Israel is not responsible for the bombing of a Gaza Strip hospital earlier this week that drew international headlines when the Hamas terror group blamed the Jewish state.

"We judge that Israel was not responsible for an explosion that killed hundreds of civilians yesterday [17 October] at the Al Ahli Hospital in the Gaza Strip," the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told lawmakers in an unclassified briefing, an official summary of which was obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. "Our assessment is based on available reporting, including intelligence, missile activity, and open-source video and images of the incident."

The U.S. intelligence community’s assessment bolsters claims by President Joe Biden and the Israeli government blaming Palestinian terror factions for the bombing, which appears to have been a misfire at Israel.

The latest intelligence is certain to increase pressure on American and international media outlets that quickly blamed Israel for the strike, citing Palestinian officials and Hamas, who are known to lie about such attacks in order to generate anti-Israel fervor. Anti-Israel Democrats in Congress quickly picked up the false reports, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (R., Mich.) blaming Israel for the attack even after contradictory information became public.

The U.S. intelligence is "based on available reporting, including intelligence, missile activity, and open-source video and images of the incident," according to the information provided to Congress by the DNI.
The Caroline Glick Show : Why EVERYONE Believes that Israel Bombed a Hospital
Everyone reports that Israel bombed a hospital - even though it wasn't Israel and no hospital was bombed, President Biden visits Israel, and why Israel is literally blamed for everything.




“A Full Blooded Crisis!” | Rod Liddle RIPS APART The BBC’s “Inherent Bias” Over Israel-Hamas War
Israel’s President has told the UK Prime Minister there should be a “correction” issued over the BBC’s coverage of the conflict in the Middle East, accusing the corporation of a “distortion of the facts”.

In a meeting with Rishi Sunak, Isaac Herzog said there should be an “outcry” over the corporation’s decision not to refer to Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

TalkTV’s Kevin O’Sullivan is joined by Rod Liddle to discuss the latest criticism of the BBC’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Rod: “This is a full blooded crisis.”

A statement from the BBC board, after its regular monthly meeting held earlier this week, said: “No one who has watched or listened to harrowing reports over the last 10 days could be left in any doubt about the horror brought about by Hamas’s attack on defenceless civilians in Israel.

“As this war continues, with so many deaths of innocent civilians in both Israel and Gaza, the BBC will no doubt continue to come under scrutiny about the way in which we cover it – that is to be expected and also welcomed. The BBC is listening.

“We believe that our editorial guidelines serve us well, and continue to serve us well in difficult circumstances; we do periodically review them as a matter of course, and when we do so at our next planned review in the spring, we will consult and debate these issues just as we always do.”




"A Threat From Fake News" Dr Alan Mendoza On Power Of Misinformation Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict
TalkTV's Alex Phillips and Henry Jackson Society member Dr Alan Mendoza discuss the power of misinformation during the continued Israel-Hamas conflict.

This comes after The Palestinian Authority's health minister, Mai Alkaila, accused Israel of "a massacre" at Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital with a missile strike killing hundreds of people during Israel's intense 11-day bombing campaign in Gaza.

The death toll was by far the highest of any single incident in Gaza during the current violence, triggering protests in the occupied West Bank, Istanbul and Amman.

Mendoza says: "You saw the chaos around the hospital strike as people were willing to blame Israel immediately without a shred of proof"




Israel war: Newt Gingrich calls for censure of 'Squad' Democrats in the House

'Truly Disturbing': Fetterman Slams Dem Colleagues Who Peddled Hamas Propaganda

FACT CHECK: GOP Rep Calls Rashida Tlaib ‘Disgusting Person’ Who ‘Has No Business Serving' in Congress

Ilhan Omar Blames Everyone But Herself For False Gaza Hospital Bombing Tweet



PreOccupiedTerritory: Hospital Blast A Hamas Rehearsal In Case They Hit Al Aqsa (satire)
A Gaza-launched rocket that hit the parking lot of a nearby medical facility two days ago instead of its announced target of Haifa, a hundred kilometers away, will serve as a test case through which the terrorist organization that runs this coastal territory will refine its response if one of their rockets ends up hitting the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which houses what many consider Islam’s third-holiest site, a source within the group disclosed today. Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched a barrage of rockets toward Israel at around 7 pm on Tuesday, one of which misfired, broke up shortly after launch, and struck just outside the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Hamas’s immediate response included the accusation that Israel has bombed the hospital, killing 500. The libel spread internationally and credulous media personalities and organizations failed to question the provenance or accuracy of the information, let alone how anyone could arrive so quickly at a casualty figure. Real-time video footage, intercepted Hamas communications, IDF denials, drone photography, and other analysis soon showed that in fact a Gaza-launched rocket had struck the site, killing perhaps several dozen and barely affecting the structure or functioning of the hospital itself. Nevertheless, Hamas and its supporters – including prominent politicians and journalists in the US and UK, not to mention Arab And Iranian outlets – continued to blame Israel for the blast, and refused to update their casualty figures. The ease with which the libel spread caused Hamas to decrease its concern over targeting Jerusalem, which the group has avoided striking lest the rockets hit Al Aqsa Mosque or the nearby Dome of the Rock shrine.
Israel war: In Israel response, DeSantis beats both Biden and Trump
Late on Sunday evening, a flight touched down in Tampa, Florida, carrying Americans evacuated from Israel. On Monday, a few more arrived. All were grateful to be back in the U.S. little more than one week after the world watched in horror as Hamas slaughtered innocent men, women, and children simply for existing. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) led the evacuation effort in concert with Project Dynamo. He may only be running for the highest office in the land, but his actions are already presidential.

The executive order signed by DeSantis on Oct. 12 allows "the State of Florida to carry out logistical, rescue and evacuation operations to keep its residents safe." Approximately 300 Americans arrived safely back home because DeSantis stepped up and made a decision to help. According to his press release, additional flights will carry more Americans back here to safety with possibly 700-1,000 evacuated before it's all over. Before the first flight arrived, the governor released a brief video from the airport, stating, "There was a [void] of leadership, so we stepped up and led." He is not wrong.

The Biden administration has not made it easy for Americans to escape from the war-torn region. The climate grows more tense each day. Talking with Fox News, DeSantis said, "It was sad because the State Department and the embassy over in Israel were not helpful to these people," adding that Americans in Israel were given options such as being dumped in the nearby island of Cyprus.

It's one thing to disagree that the U.S. should help militarily or even supply aid to a foreign ally. The situation is different when Americans are stranded in a dangerous crisis. The latter requires swift and prudent executive leadership, regardless of optics.

The contrast between President Joe Biden and DeSantis is stark. DeSantis is unapologetic in his admiration for and commitment to Israel. He understands they are our allies and exist as a beacon in a dark, terror-filled region of the world. His condemnation of both Hamas and Hezbollah can't be misunderstood. And he was quick to offer a practical solution to hundreds of Americans who wanted to leave Israel for the safety of the United States.

The contrast between former President Donald Trump and DeSantis is stark, too. In his never-ending quest to undergird his ego, Trump criticized Israel and its leadership and labeled the terrorist group Hezbollah as "very smart." This came less than a week after the rape, murder, burnings, beheadings, and kidnappings that occurred across Israel. These words would even be bad coming from regular citizens. But they came from a former president and current GOP front-runner for the 2024 presidential nomination. Unconscionable. On social media, DeSantis made clear his opposition to Trump's comments by posting, "As President, I will stand with Israel and treat terrorists like the scum that they are."
Ben Shapiro: The Hamas Caucus
Rashida Tlaib lies about who bombed a Gaza hospital while leading protesters to take over a government building; Democrats struggle to maintain solidarity over Israel; and the media avoids culpability for inflaming the Middle East with its false reports.


Young America's Foundation: Hamas Is Evil, And Its Defenders Are Jew-Haters | Ben Shapiro LIVE at the University of Florida
Watch Ben Shapiro take the stage LIVE at the University of Florida to send a clear message to the twisted leftists justifying senseless violence in Israel: NO MORE.

Ben Shapiro is a nationally renowned attorney, editor-in-chief of the Daily Wire, and the host of The Ben Shapiro Show. Thanks to the Fred Allen Lecture Series, Ben Shapiro, a New York Times bestselling author, partners with YAF to trigger leftist snowflakes on campuses nationwide in the fight against political correctness and safe spaces run amok.


Megyn Kelly: Israel Prepares, Biden's Aid for Gaza, and "Insurrection" in DC, with Bethany and Karol, and VDH
Megyn Kelly is joined by Bethany Mandel and Karol Markowicz, authors of "Stolen Youth," to talk about how American Jews are doing after the horrific events of October 7 and anti-Semitism on display since, knowing who your real allies are in this new environment, heartbreaking stories of Israeli men and women preparing for war, the "all hands on deck" situation in the country, realities of the ongoing hostage crisis, the Biden administration providing aid for Palestinians in Gaza in this moment, he "insurrection" in D.C. yesterday involving anti-Israel protesters storming a House building, Rep. Rashida Tlaib basically leading it, the lack of media coverage when compared to January 6, the reality of the Trump administration's help for Israel, and more. Then Victor Davis Hanson, author of "The Dying Citizen," joins to talk about what happens next in the war between Israel and Hamas, whether Iran will get involved, the state of the Middle East right now, how an debate answer by former President Obama in 2007 may have massively influenced America's foreign policy, how the Obama administration enabled Iran to help Hamas, why the Biden administration is just Obama's third term, contrasting how America treats Israel with how America treats Ukraine when it comes to calls for "proportionate response," the true scope of Hamas' barbarism, campus anti-Semitism, and more.




Former foreign minister details 'horror scenario' for Israel in current conflict
The horror scenario in the Israeli conflict would be if the IDF not only had to fight against Hamas but Hezbollah, who are “rather similar”, says former foreign minister Alexander Downer.

“Hezbollah, they’ve started firing rockets into Israel but they will increase their kinetic activity into Israel,” Mr Downer told Sky News host Chris Kenny.

“And then to the east on the west bank, it’s possible there could be what used to be called an intifada, an uprising of Palestinians there."

Mr Downer said this would have the Israelites “dealing with three different fronts at once”.

“And that could stretch the resources of the Israeli Defence Force quite substantially.”


Israel attacks won’t end until ‘Hamas is annihilated’- Liz Storer
Sky News host Liz Storer says the Israeli lives lost in the conflict against Hamas was done in the “most brutal and deliberate way”.

Ms Storer compared the Hamas terrorist group to “animals”.

“We know that this conflict is going to wage,” she said.

“Until, as the Israeli’s say, Hamas is annihilated.

“I would argue that they’re doing this for the betterment of the world.”




Ed Husic and Anne Aly the ‘first two’ MPs in Aus history to accuse Israel of ‘war crimes’
Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic and Early Childhood Education Minister Dr Anne Aly are the “first two” MPs in Australian history to accuse Israel of “war crimes”, according to Former Victorian Liberal Party President Michael Kroger.

Israel declared a state of war on October 7 following a surprise attack from Hamas in which the Palestinian militant group fired thousands of rockets as far north as Tel Aviv.

“Both he and Aly spoke in code today and I’ve been waiting all day for Albo or the opposition or someone in the media to work out what his coded language was which no one has worked out yet,” he told Sky News host Paul Murray.

“So the term he used of collective punishment, is a war crime under the Geneva convention.

“Albanese needs to condemn these two because what Israel is doing is defending their country from the slaughterous barbarians that are Hamas.”






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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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