Saturday, March 16, 2024

03/16 Links: Shattered; Sharansky: Oslo sowed the seeds for the October 7 massacre; Why wasn’t October 7 prevented? Time to look to the West

From Ian:

Shattered
When Israelis speak about Oct. 7, they frequently say “there are no words.” But one word they consistently use is “shattered.”

Israeli psychologists have been treating severe trauma, complex trauma and collective trauma. The word “trauma,” however, fails to convey the scale, the savagery or the sadism of events that day. The term does not encompass the complex mix of disorientation, anguish, emotional overload and the experience of utter brokenness after the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

There is no word for the shock felt by Jews around the world when Israel was suddenly and without warning attacked by thousands of rockets targeting civilians from the north to the south and from the river to the sea. There is no word to describe what it is like to be a Jew kidnapped by terrorists indoctrinated since early childhood to believe that murdering Jews is rewarded in the afterlife. Or to know that the people you love are in the hands of terrorists who delight in rape, torture and slaughter; who enjoy forcing parents and children to watch as they inflict horrors on loved ones.

There is no word to convey the terrifying ordeal suffered by survivors of the attempted genocide that Hamas perpetrated on Oct. 7. There is no word that communicates the panic, betrayal, horror and distress of those who hid for hours waiting for help to come, reading WhatsApp messages about terrorists inside their neighbors’ houses. Hearing terrorists break into their own homes. Hearing the screams of injured and dying friends and relatives. Hearing sounds of gunfire and exploding RPGs punctuated by ecstatic shouts of “Allahu Akbar.” All the while knowing they were being hunted.

Everyone in Israel is just one or two degrees of separation from someone who was murdered, injured or kidnapped on Oct. 7. And everyone knows someone who sped to the rescue that day, many of whom never returned.

There is no word to describe the grief of a country still holding its breath while more than a hundred hostages remain in Gaza, and while hundreds of thousands of soldiers, many in their teens and early 20s, go to battle. Some returning badly injured. Some returning to be buried.

Israel, which in the 20th century absorbed hundreds of thousands of displaced Holocaust survivors as well as nearly 900,000 Jewish refugees fleeing antisemitism and violence in neighboring Arab countries, is now temporarily housing about 200,000 displaced Israelis — refugees in their own country — some in hotels and even dormitories.

This includes not only those evacuated from areas near the Gaza border, but also from the north, as confrontations with terrorists in Lebanon escalate. Many displaced families are unsure how long it will take before they can return home. Some refugees from the south have already returned. Some don’t have homes to return to. Some don’t know if they want to return.

There is no word in the psychological lexicon for what happened on Oct. 7 or the new world in which Israelis now live. But “shattered” comes closer than “trauma.”
Sharansky: Oslo sowed the seeds for the October 7 massacre
THE DISCUSSION quickly turns to Oct. 7 and the “shocking” and “terrible” failure beforehand of Israel’s intelligence community and of the IDF that day. He says that everyone wants "to fight back and restore peace, but our perception of our security changed that day.”

On the other hand, he says, “I think so much good has come out of our people” since the massacre. “In one day, we went from being a polarized society to the most united. Suddenly, it was clear that the whole year of these mutual accusations was not in the hearts of the people.

“I am sure there will be at least two new parties in the next elections: one to the left of Likud, and one to the right, with new faces for everyone.”

But Sharansky cannot let go of what he believes was the catalyst for the Gaza war: the Oslo Accords, meaning that the seeds of Oct. 7 were planted 30 years ago. He says the Olso approach essentially communicated that “It’s not our business, and it’s not important for us in what kind of society the Palestinians live” but rather that Israel “find a dictator who can guarantee our stability.”

“That was the idea of Oslo,” Sharansky explains. “We are bringing [Yasser] Arafat. We know that he is a ruthless dictator. And we say to the Palestinians, ‘Whether you want it or not, he will be your leader.’ And we say to ourselves, ‘Our prime minister said that it’s good he [Arafat] is not restricted by democracy because that’s how he will defeat Hamas much quicker than we can do it.’”

Sharansky opposed Oslo because he believed Arafat would quickly understand that the only way he could maintain power by force was to find an external enemy. “What other external enemy would he have except us?” he asks. “A lot of public money was put into Arafat’s account so he would be loyal to us. And it failed big.”

The former minister says that not only did Arafat fail to defeat Hamas, but “Hamas defeated him.”

Then came the Disengagement in 2005 and the vision that Israel could separate from Gaza. Sharansky was the first minister to resign over the idea.

It’s not that he does not want peace or believe it is achievable, Sharansky stresses. Rather, he does not think Israeli and world leaders have gone about obtaining it in the right way. He calls former prime minister Shimon Peres “primitive and a neo-Marxist,” having fully bought into a blissful vision of Mideast peace.

“He was so popular because of his optimism,” Sharansky says of Peres. “I am also optimistic, but I am not naive.” Former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, he opines, was more realistic but felt it was worthwhile to proceed.

He says he does not believe that then-prime minister Ariel Sharon really felt the Disengagement would achieve its goal. Sharon told Sharansky that he thought if Israel separated from Gaza and gave the Gazans complete independence, Israel would have 10 years of international approval – and be able to respond if Gazans carried out attacks against the Jewish state.

“I told him, ‘We don’t have 10 years; we don’t have 10 days,’” Sharansky says. “I was wrong. We had a couple of months.

“We are paying a very big price for our attempts,” he continues, speaking quickly. “We have no choice now. If we want to continue to exist as a state, we have to destroy Hamas. We have to take control over the security.”
Seth Frantzman: Why wasn’t October 7 prevented? Time to look to the West
While Israel will need to investigate its own failures on and leading up to October 7, there is also enough blame to go around Western nations.

Hamas is hosted by Qatar, a major non-NATO ally of the US. Doha is also close to many other western countries. In addition, Turkey, a member of NATO backs Hamas. As such, two of the West’s closest allies in the Middle East are both closely connected to Hamas.

How did Hamas plan the greatest mass murder of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust while also being hosted by western allies? How is it possible that western allies hosted and backed Hamas while western governments knew nothing about the plans for October 7?

These are important questions because October 7 was certainly not in the interests of Israel or Gazans. More than 200,000 Israelis had to be evacuated in its wake, and Hezbollah’s supporting rocket fire.

'Ceasefire' calls amid post-Oct. 7 realities
Some 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 253 were taken hostage. Israel’s inevitable response has been massive. Most countries in the region as well as in the West would surely have wanted to avoid this war. Pro-Palestinian activists across the West demand a ceasefire and there are fears of a wider regional war Gaza war and famine in Gaza.

All of this could have been prevented, not just by more vigilant Israeli protection of its Gaza border. October 7 could not possibly have been carried out by a handful of terrorists alone. Hamas has never carried out such a complex attack. In fact, Hamas has only recently become powerful enough to conceive of such an attack. Its sophistication point to foreign support and advice.

Reports have shown that Hamas cyber and intelligence capabilities have expanded in recent years. It expanded its rocket arsenal and ability to fire large barrages of rockets simultaneously. It expanded its knowledge of Israel’s border fence electronics and sought to use new methods to outsmart artificial intelligence-driven technologies.

In addition to two Western backers Hamas’s main backer is Iran. After October 7, Russia and China did not condemn Hamas and have appeared to excuse its attack. In addition, the Iranian regime sent its foreign minister to Qatar to congratulate the Hamas high command.


New warfare standards gives 'terrorists absolute immunity', Netanyahu tells West Point scholar
In an interview with a scholar at West Point's Modern War Institute posted on X on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained why it was imperative for Israel to enter Rafah to win the war.

Netanyahu met with John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies while on his visit to Israel.

Spencer described the current war, also titled Operation Swords of Iron, as "one of the most historic wars of our generation" at the beginning of the interview, also noting it as a "generational war."

Spencer also notes in the interview the importance of not forgetting past wars that took place in urban locations, to which the prime minister noted the Battle of Manila of 1945 during World War II, where the two drew comparisons between it and the Hamas war in regards to the utilization of underground tunnels and embedment within the civilian population - actions in which Hamas has been recorded to have done.

Netanyahu went on to say that victory against the terrorist organization is "within reach" and that three-quarters of their fighting battalions have been destroyed. He has said that the IDF "intends to complete the job while evacuating civilians and taking care to provide them humanitarian aid."
John Spencer: Urban Warfare Project Podcast: Studying the October 7 Terrorist Attacks
On October 7, 2023, four thousand terrorists from Hamas and other groups crossed into Israel and attacked over twenty sites in southern Israel. The attacks killed over 1,200 Israelis and the attackers kidnapped 240 hostages, taking them back into Gaza. The attack sparked the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

In this episode of MWI’s Urban Warfare Project Podcast, John Spencer discusses his research on the October 7 attacks. Based on multiple visits to Israel and interviews with first responders, victims, and officials, he describes the details of a number of the sites targeted in the attacks, the tactics and the composition of the Hamas attacking force, and the initial responses to the attacks. He highlights many of the common characteristics of urban warfare that were on display during the attacks and how it might serve as a case study from which to extract lessons on terrorism and urban warfare.

You can find the two articles John references during the episode here:
“‘You Cannot Unsee the Evil’: A Report on the Graphic Hamas Terror Video, From Combat Veteran John Spencer“
“A Lesson on Human Suffering from a Kibbutz“
Ruth R. Wisse: Jews and Power: After October 7
Join Harvard University Professor Emerita and Distinguished Senior Fellow at Tikvah Prof. Ruth R. Wisse as she speaks on the impact of October 7 on Israeli and American Jewry – and on new questions about the paradoxes in the international perception of Jews in politics and power.

In this conversation, sponsored by Mosaic and our friends at Beit Avi Chai, Ruth R. Wisse speaks with the Israeli journalist Moav Vardi about her 2007 book Jews and Power. The book explains the political strategies Jews developed during their centuries of diasporic powerlessness, their rediscovery of political nationhood in 1948, and the moral confusion of those who have trouble accepting that rediscovery. Here she addresses, among other topics, the functions of anti-Semitism, Israel’s current predicament, how to defend the Jewish state, and the “moral solipsism” that has poisoned so many Jews today.


Don’t Expect the NY Times to Report This Awful Hamas Detail | Ron Dermer
Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. and now Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer about the ongoing conflict in Israel; how Hamas intentionally built schools over terrorist tunnels to use human shields as a part of its larger strategy; how Israel is fighting a war on many fronts, with skirmishes on the northern border and an all-out war in the south; how Israel is systematically dismantling Hamas' military machine in Gaza; the importance of Israel's victory for the United States; his hopes for the conflict in the north being resolved diplomatically; and much more.


Bassem Eid: My Fellow Palestinians: Stop Blaming the Jews—Hamas Is Starving Our Brothers and Sisters in Gaza
Beyond economic manipulation, Hamas's rule in Gaza is marked by a severe crackdown on political dissent. Opposition and press voices are silenced, often violently, with human rights organizations reporting arbitrary arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings. LGBTQ+ individuals, and anyone else who defies the harsh religious extremism governing all life in the Strip face torture and execution.

The real victims of Hamas's governance are the ordinary people of Gaza, who endure the consequences of their rulers' bloodthirsty actions. The youth, facing unemployment rates that are among the highest in the world, see their futures evaporate in an economy stifled by mismanagement and artificially exacerbated conflict. The sick suffer from a health care system in disarray, with hospitals overwhelmed and under-resourced, in part due to the diversion of medical supplies to serve Hamas's fighters and the repurposing of these healing spaces into military command centers.

As a Palestinian human rights activist, my loyalty lies with the Palestinian people, whose rights and future have been compromised by a cruel leadership that prioritizes military and terrorist objectives over human welfare. For those of us caught in the middle, the path forward requires an honest confrontation with the reality of our situation.

The plight of Gaza is a wound at the heart of the Middle East, a testament to the failures of an international policy that has foolishly coddled a brutal tyrant and implacable foe. Only by dismantling the governing rule of the irredeemable Hamas can we begin to heal this wound and move toward a future where the rights and dignity of all Palestinians are upheld, and peace and economic development alongside our Israeli neighbors can at last bear fruit for both sides.
Bassam Tawil: Biden Should be Threatening Qatar and the Terrorists, Not Israel
Biden's reported threat to halt or suspend US military supplies to Israel if the IDF enters Rafah is what encourages Hamas to continue fighting and reject every proposal to release the hostages. When Hamas leaders hear that Biden is threatening Israel to prevent the IDF from entering Rafah, they must say to themselves: "Why should we make any concessions to Israel? America doesn't want the Israelis to destroy the four remaining battalions. The US administration is opposed to Israel's plan to eliminate Hamas, so let's wait!"

A total defeat means the elimination of all of Hamas's battalions. An Israeli victory will never be complete as long as one, or even half, a Hamas battalion remains intact.

Biden is actually sending a message to Hamas and Iran's other terror proxies, including Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis, that America is about to throw Israel under the bus. Cutting off US weapons supplies to Israel is the ultimate fantasy of the terrorists.

The administration could show impressive leadership and in fact "bring this to an end as quickly as we can" -- not just for Israel but for all in the region who are seeking peace -- by encouraging Israel to take out the terrorists in Rafah without delay.

Instead of pressuring Israel, Biden should be pressuring his friends in Qatar to force their Hamas puppets to hand over the Israeli hostages and surrender. Instead of threatening to cut off weapons supplies to Israel, he should be threatening the leaders of Qatar with the withdrawal of US forces from the country's Al Udeid Air Base and to officially designate Qatar as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (for its funding of Hamas, Hizballah, ISIS, Al Qaeda, Taliban, Al Shabab, Al Nusra Front, among others).

This is the way – the only way – to end the war quickly, as well as to send a signal to America's adversaries looking on, that the US is prepared to uphold the values of civilization, not the values of terror.
Schumer’s anti-Netanyahu speech strengthens Bibi in Israel's war to defeat Hamas
Mideast expert Caroline Glick told Fox News Digital this dynamic is playing out.

"Schumer spoke about Netanyahu, but Netanyahu is simply acting in accordance with the demands of the public. As a result, calls from Schumer and the White House for Netanyahu's ouster only strengthen him politically," Glick said.

The law of unintended consequences also might help Netanyahu. The Israeli Prime Minister’s support could solidify and he could gain new followers due to Schumer’s efforts to dislodge a sitting head of state.

The New York senator is the highest-ranking Jewish politician in Congress.

Schumer’s anti-Netanyahu speech sent shock waves throughout the Jewish state as it aims to root out the last vestiges of the Hamas terrorist organization in Rafah, Gaza, as part of its ongoing self-defense war.

"Charles Schumer, like the Biden administration, fundamentally misunderstands the war, and, as a result, cannot understand Israel's behavior," said Glick,  a former adviser to Netanyahu. "This is not a counterterror operation. This is a conventional war. Hamas did not carry out a terrorist attack on Oct. 7.

"Hamas invaded Israel with the strength of a division. That division of terror soldiers seized villages, bases and kibbutzim as Hamas carried out a massive cyberattack against Israeli critical infrastructure and first response team and pummeled Israel with thousands of rockets.

"This is not a tactical battle. This is a strategic contest for survival. Either Israel survives or Hamas survives. Israelis overwhelmingly understand this, which is why 75% of Israelis demand the conquest of Rafah and oppose Palestinian statehood."

Israelis fired back at Schumer’s call to oust Netanyahu.

"Regardless of my opinion of Netanyahu and his fitness to serve, Senator Schumer’s call for new Israeli elections is deeply disrespectful of our democracy and sovereignty," Michael Oren, the former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. during the Netanyahu administration, wrote on X.

"Israel is an ally, not a vassal state. Along with the U.S., we’re one of the few countries never to have known a second of non-democratic government, and the only democracy never to have known a moment of peace. We certainly deserve that respect."


US drafts UN ceasefire resolution, discussion on Hamas demands pushed back again
Israeli political officials have received an updated outline of the ceasefire proposal that the US will present to the UN, which allegedly focuses on an "immediate and lasting ceasefire," Maariv reported on Saturday.

According to the report, the new draft has more severe language regarding a ground operation in Rafah, claiming that conditions on the ground wouldn't allow it to happen.

The report also stated that the updated proposal can not be changed further at this time.
Iranian official calls for forming international coalition against Israel at NY UN meeting
Iran’s Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, Ansieh Khazali, has called to form an international coalition against Israel, Iranian-state-backed Mehr News Agency reported on Saturday.

Khazali's comments came in a meeting with Nigeria's Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye in New York.

The two were in New York to attend the 68th annual meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

While discussing the war in Gaza, Khazali said that Iran was concerned over the hunger and the increasing number of dead and injured, Gazan women and children in particular.

Khazali and Kennedy-Ohanenya also raised additional issues related to women, family, the environment, and corruption.
Iran reportedly pushed US to broker Gaza ceasefire during secret talks in Oman
During recent indirect talks, Iran asked the Biden administration to bring about a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war while the US pressed Tehran to curb attacks by its proxies, according to a New York Times report published Friday.

The report offered further details on the January meeting in Oman between the Biden administration’s Middle East czar Brett McGurk and special envoy on Iran Abram Paley, and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, which was first reported by The Financial Times.

In addition to asking Iran to rein in attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and expressing concerns about its nuclear program, The New York Times said the American officials called for Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria to stop targeting US forces.

Citing US and Iranian officials, the report said Kani in turn relayed an Iranian request for the US to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, without specifying whether this meant a temporary truce or a permanent end to the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Iran is a key sponsor of the Gaza-ruling Palestinian terror group, and its leaders praised the October 7 onslaught that triggered the ongoing war.

Two Iranian officials were quoted saying that the Islamic Republic continued to deny it controls the activities of its proxies, in particular the Houthis, but said it could influence them to bring attacks to a complete stop only after a ceasefire is reached.
The ‘lawfare’ waged against arms sales to Israel reveals a dangerous Western delusion
If this did happen, it would be, to use everyone’s current favourite word, “performative”. Unlike the United States, we are not Israel’s arms lifeline. Britain sells less than £50 million worth of arms-related material to Israel annually. We buy much more from the Israelis than we sell them. Some of what they get from us is useful in tasks like reclaiming Gazan tunnels from Hamas, but its loss would not be materially large.

Think of the propaganda sensation achieved by an embargo, though. It would be a big political chance to show off, like that which South Africa took by bringing Israel to the International Criminal Court.

It would turn us against an ally. It would break our trust with Israel, which has grown deep in matters of intelligence and may even be helping find some of the hostages. Israelis who feel that the West’s response is almost as if the October 7 massacres were their fault would be dismayed. The “from the river to the sea” marchers here at home would be emboldened, not placated.

It would make it much harder for Britain to conduct future arms sales to countries like Saudi Arabia, whose help will be needed if plans for a durable Middle Eastern peace are revived. It would make Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Iran gleeful.

A delegation of worried Conservative MPs went to see Lord Cameron about the matter this week. On balance, it seems likely that ministerial and backbench resistance will see off the moves for an export embargo. Israel is starting to concede more on the aid front, promising to “flood” Gaza with it, and thus allowing people like Lord Cameron to claim that progress is being made without recourse to law.

But there are lessons in the Israel-Gaza case that go wider. In its obsession with “lawyering up”, the West is allowing a strange ideological equivalent of the Nazi-Soviet Pact to be forged between two apparently antagonistic groups which hate its values.

The first group is the law-intoxicated activist internationalists who dream of a world without borders but with universal high-minded jurisdictions. The second group consists of autocrats who hold all law in contempt but love it when it ties their opponents up in knots – Putin, Xi, Hamas etc. They note that our deepening engagement with international legal processes seems increasingly to mean that we are the losing stomach for any long fight.

Europeans called Putin “delusional” when he invaded Ukraine, but the sad truth may be that we are the more deluded.
Israeli lobby has ‘insidious influence in UK politics’, civil servants told
Aseries of meetings has been held by hundreds of civil servants discussing how to force the government to change its policy on the Israel-Gaza war and has featured numerous antisemitic tropes, The Times can disclose.

One official involved in the webinars allegedly told staff that the “Israel lobby” had an “insidious influence” on British politics, widely regarded as a common antisemitic trope.

He also shared anecdotes from a lecture given by Lowkey, a controversial anti-Zionist rapper, claiming the western media was covering up US and UK involvement in the war against Hamas.

The civil servant told fellow officials: “So we are in the belly of the beast in that respect.” The same official claimed the mainstream media was “biased” and “full of lies”.

The comments came during meetings of the Civil Service Muslim Network (CSMN), a cross-government umbrella network that represents and supports Muslim civil servants, although those attending do not have to be Muslim.

Several webinars have been organised by the CSMN to discuss the government’s stance on the Israel-Gaza war since the Hamas attacks on October 7 and have taken place during working hours, with some running for more than 90 minutes with up to 595 civil servants in attendance.

A memo of the meetings, handed to The Times, has been compiled by civil servants who have become increasingly worried about antisemitic remarks and conduct of individuals in the CSMN.

On Friday evening, Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, ordered an immediate suspension of the CSMN and all of its activities pending an investigation after being made aware of the findings, and the individual who convened the meetings is facing disciplinary proceedings.
Pro-Palestinian activists target dozens of MPs in ‘litany of menace’
A damning dossier has revealed almost 40 incidents of MPs and councillors being targeted with intimidatory tactics by pro-Palestinian activists, The Telegraph can disclose.

Counter-extremism analysis has revealed a “litany of menace” since the start of the year, involving elected representatives experiencing verbal abuse, intimidation and disruptive protests related to the Israel-Hamas war.

Earlier this month, Rishi Sunak condemned a “shocking increase in extremist disruption” since the Oct 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and the ensuing military action in Gaza.

The analysis shows how widespread and routine the disruption of political meetings and barracking of MPs has now become.

The dossier of incidents – compiled by a counter-extremism analyst who asked not to be named – reveals that at least 38 such incidents took place across England between Jan 1 and March 15.

While politicians from both main political parties have been targeted, the data shows that Labour has borne the brunt of the protests.


IDF Chief Halevi: ‘We Are in a Multi-Arena War’ During Ramadan
In a recent situational assessment, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi highlighted the complexity of security challenges faced by Israel during the month of Ramadan, characterizing it as a “multi-arena war.”

“We are in a multi-arena war – Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and Gaza, and threats even further away,” said Halevi.

During the meeting, attended by key military officials including the commander of the West Bank division, Lt.-Col. Yaki Dolef, and the commander of the Binyamin region, Lt.-Col. Liron Biton, Halevi emphasized the continuous stream of attempted terror attacks since the beginning of Ramadan.

The IDF Chief of Staff also took the opportunity to engage with soldiers and special forces deployed across various regions, all of whom are on high alert to counter multiple security threats.

Ramadan, a period of heightened religious observance for Muslims, has historically seen an increase in tensions in the region, with various terrorist groups exploiting the situation to carry out attacks or escalate hostilities.
IDF, air force eliminate 25 Hamas terrorists in Gaza over past day
The IDF killed some 25 terrorists over the past 24 hours in Khan Yunis and Nuseirat, in the Gaza Strip and dismantled Hamas infrastructure, the IDF announced on Saturday.

Soldiers from the Givati Brigade identified two terrorists entering and leaving a structure in Khan Yunis and directed an aircraft that attacked and eliminated both of them.

Additionally, the 215th Combat Brigade killed about 15 terrorists in the Nuseirat area over the past day. The soldiers received information of multiple terrorists entrenched in a building. They subsequently directed an aircraft to attack the building, as well as the terrorists inside.

The same brigade directed a separate aircraft that attacked a group of Hamas terrorists, as well as a commander of a Hamas sniper cell.
Israel said to complain of slowdown in US arms deliveries amid growing rift
The United States has slowed the pace of its military aid to Israel compared to the beginning of the war, according to a report Friday that was denied by American officials.

As ties between the Biden administration and Israel become increasingly strained over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, an unnamed senior Israeli official told ABC News that supply shipments “were coming very fast” when the war erupted after Hamas’s October 7 attack, but “we are now finding that it’s very slow.”

The official said Israel was running out of 155 mm artillery shells and 120 mm tank shells, and also required sensitive guidance equipment, without discussing details.

According to the official, it was not clear what was causing the slowdown.

The Israel Defense Forces refused to offer a comment on the report.

US officials told the network that there was no purposeful delay in aid shipments and that no policies have changed.

Both Israeli and US officials acknowledged American frustrations with the war and the mounting death toll in Gaza, but US sources said the White House has not signed off on any decision to leverage military support to pressure Israel to do more to protect civilians.

US officials said that rather than a slowdown, the administration was considering increasing aid to encourage Israel to do more to prevent innocent deaths.


Palestinian gunman opens fire at Hebron settlement neighborhood, is killed by troops
A Palestinian gunman opened fire Saturday at an Israeli settlement neighborhood in the West Bank city of Hebron, according to the military, before being shot dead by troops.

Video footage showed the gunman shooting from a cemetery before he was fatally struck.

Suspected infiltration alarms sounded in the area as the Israel Defense Forces said troops were scanning for additional suspects.

There were no injuries in the attack, several hours after which the Home Front Command gave residents an all-clear to leave their homes.

The gunman was named by Palestinian media as Muhammad Nofal, the imam of Hebron’s al-Qassam mosque. He was also reportedly affiliated with Hamas.

The IDF later announced troops were operating around Nofal’s home and questioning suspects in the area, as Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox and other commanders held a security assessment at the scene of the shooting.


Terrorist attack in Hebron: gunman fires from cemetery, before being shot
A terrorist fired from a cemetery toward the Jewish settlement in Hebron, triggering an alert for suspected infiltration before being shot. The search for accomplices is ongoing. Defense and government commentator Amir Oren provides analysis




Seth Frantzman: Losing control of Gaza: Hamas crackdown on clans, civilians with new intensity
It’s not clear if the gunmen who massacred the people near the Kuwait roundabout were Hamas members, but it stands to reason that they were. Hamas is the group that has access to weapons and it is in Hamas’s interest to massacre people.

The Hamas-run health authorities put out claims that Israel was responsible for the “massacre” as it did after the stampede in late February.

Israel is now facilitating more aid into Gaza by sea via a new artificial pier. This, and another aid corridor for trucks, is supposed to bypass Hamas control. Hamas wants to stop this aid being delivered and also opposes airdrops. Hamas has likely encouraged its contacts in international organizations to issue statements against the airdrops.

A HAMAS CRACKDOWN is also targeting Gazan clans. Reports of an Israeli initiative to work with Gaza clans clearly concerns the terrorist group.

Hamas recently murdered several Gaza clan members to send a mafia-like message against these family-based groups. One victim was a leader of the Doghmush clan, powerful in eastern Gaza, in areas such as Tal al-Hawa and Sabra, according to a report on Ynet. Saleh Doghmush is a leader of the clan, but it was not immediately clear if he was the victim. Hamas has increased its rhetoric against the clans over the last week.

The IDF said last week that “in accordance with government directives, six humanitarian aid trucks containing aid from the World Food Programme (WFP) entered the northern Gaza Strip via the “96th” gate on the security fence last night (Tuesday). This was done as part of a pilot in order to prevent the Hamas terrorist organization from taking over the aid.”

In addition, on Wednesday, the IDF said that ”following IDF and ISA (Shin Bet) intelligence, an IDF aircraft precisely targeted and eliminated a terrorist in Hamas’s Operations Unit in the area of Rafah, Muhammad Abu Hasna. Hasna was a combat support operative in Hamas’s military wing. He was also involved in taking control of humanitarian aid and distributing it to Hamas terrorists.”

These two statements illustrate how Israel is also following developments in Gaza regarding the aid distribution issue. To remove Hamas from controlling Gaza will require removing their control over aid.

Now there are discussions about Israel’s operations in Rafah, which Hamas uses to control aid coming into Gaza. Israel has approved plans for an operation in Rafah, and hostage talks are continuing.

Its recent spate of murders clearly indicates the lengths to which Hamas will go to keep its monopoly on aid distribution, concentrating more on suppressing Gazans than on fighting Israel.
Hamas Lashes Out at Abbas’s ‘Unilateral’ Designation of New PM
The Islamist terrorist group Hamas on Friday criticized the “unilateral” designation by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of an ally and leading business figure as prime minister with a mandate to help reform the Palestinian Authority (PA) and rebuild Gaza.

Mohammad Mustafa’s appointment comes after mounting pressure to overhaul the governing body of the Palestinian territories and improve governance in the West Bank where it is based.

Hamas said the decision was taken without consulting it despite recently taking part in a meeting in Moscow also attended by Abbas’ Fatah movement to end long-time divisions weakening Palestinian political aspirations.

“We express our rejection of continuing this approach that has inflicted and continues to inflict harm on our people and our national cause,” Hamas said in a statement.

“Making individual decisions and engaging in superficial and empty steps such as forming a new government without national consensus only reinforces a policy of unilateralism and deepens division.”

At a time of war with Israel, Palestinians needed a unified leadership preparing for free democratic elections involving all components of their society, it added.

In the West Bank, Fatah fired back at Hamas’ criticism of Abbas, blaming it for what had befallen Gaza since it unilaterally carried out “the Oct. 7 adventure.”

“Has Hamas consulted the Palestinian leadership as it is negotiating with Israel now and offering the concessions, in a bid to secure guarantees of its leaders’ personal safety in return?” said the Fatah statement.
Fatah slams Hamas: Responsible for the current ‘Nakba’
Fatah also referred to Hamas’s bloody takeover of Gaza in 2007 after winning the election, questioning whether “Hamas consulted anyone when it carried out its black coup against Palestinian national legitimacy in 2007, and refused all initiatives to end the division?”

As for the appointment of Mustafa, Fatah mocked Hamas, saying he “is armed with the national agenda and not with false agendas that have brought nothing but woes to the Palestinian people and have not achieved anything for them,” also asking cynically if Hamas would rather they “appoint a prime minister from Iran, or let Tehran appoint a prime minister for the Palestinians,” pointing at Hamas’s alliance with the Islamic Republic.

The Fatah statement also made a point to refer to the lavish lifestyles led by Hamas leadership in Qatar, noting that “it seems that the comfortable life that this leadership lives in seven-star hotels has blinded it from what is right.”

Fatah also wondered why they and their families fled Gaza and left the Palestinian people to face a “brutal war of extermination” without any protection.

Hamas has shown increased popularity in the Palestinian street, recording major successes in local and student elections. According to a poll conducted by Khalil Shikaki during the temporary ceasefire of December 2023, the terrorist group has enjoyed more popularity since the October 7 massacre.

The poll showed that 57% of respondents in Gaza and 82% in the West Bank believed that Hamas was correct in launching the massacre.


When Israeli Children Were Released From Gaza: An Interview with Dr. Efrat Bron-Harlev
In much of the West, the focus on Israeli hostages in Gaza has revolved primarily around the campaign to bring them home. But while their return home is the end of the story for many of us, for the returnees, it marks the beginning of a long, unimaginable process of recovery.

Treating an adult who returned from Hamas captivity is one thing. But what about the children? I spoke to Dr. Efrat Bron-Harlev, director of Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva, which received 19 children freed from captivity in Gaza. In our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed how Efrat and her staff prepared for the unprecedented scenario of treating released child hostages, those first few days of freedom, and the hope she holds for the children going forward.

What did a normal work week look like for you before October 7?
Every week in a hospital is different. There is no such thing as a normal week. As with any pediatric hospital, we have a work plan for each of our wards. Our hospital has everything in the pediatric world, from our emergency department and general pediatric wards, to neurosurgery, severe trauma patients, organ transplantation and cardiac operations.

The special thing about Israel is that because this is a public system, any Israeli is entitled by law to receive medical services everywhere, and when children come to our hospital from throughout Israel, I always say it’s an above and beyond hospital because children are above and beyond. All children come here. It doesn’t matter if they’re Jews, Arabs, ultra-Orthodox Jews, secular Jews, Muslims, Christians, whatever. And we say that we speak the language of the children, so our everyday work is to look at children as children and not as children with a disease, and to treat them as children.
Rescued Israeli hostage breaks silence on captivity ordeal
Louis Har, who, along with his brother-in-law, Fernando Marman, was liberated from Hamas captivity, recounts the bold IDF mission last month that saved them and shares his experience upon returning to Israel after 129 days in captivity


Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff publicly raising money for relief group allegedly tied to Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel
The stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris is publicly raising cash for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency — even as the United States has cut funding to the group over its members’ alleged participation in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel.

Ella Emhoff — whose father is second gentleman Doug Emhoff — posted a link to UNRWA’s English-language fundraising page on her personal Instagram, and only removed it after a Post inquiry to the White House.

“We urge Ms. Emhoff to go on the website of UN Watch and read our reports showing how UNRWA teachers and school principals systematically promote and encourage Jihadi terrorism and the slaughter of Jews,” said Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of the nonprofit United Nations watchdog.

“I am sure that if Ms. Emhoff understood how UNRWA promotes hatred and murder, she would stop raising money for them, and she would apologize to victims such as Ayelet Samerano, whose 21-year-old son Yonatan was kidnapped on October 7th by an UNRWA social worker.”

UNRWA, the largest employer in Gaza, has long faced international criticism for its close ties to Hamas, which has ruled the enclave since 2006.

President Trump cut US aid to the organization in 2018 — a decision President Biden initially reversed when he took office.

Under Biden’s leadership, at least $730 million found its way to UNRWA’s coffers.
The Israel Guys: What U.S. Senate Leader Chuck Schumer Just Did to Israel is INSANE
Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer just called for a regime change in the middle east. Not in Iran, Syria, Gaza, or the Palestinian Authority, but in Israel. We’ll get into that, along with a tragic stabbing attack that just happened in southern Israel.




Hard Left inciting chilling anti-Semitism on campuses as students occupy university buildings in pro-Palestine protests organised by the 'extremist' Socialist Workers Party

Judge renews injunction on protests outside Jewish buildings in Montreal
A judge has renewed an injunction issued last week to bar protests at six Jewish community buildings.

An order to bar protests within 50 metres of the buildings was granted on March 6 by the Quebec Superior Court for a period of 10 days on a provisional basis until the merits of the case can be heard. The renewal on Friday means the injunction will remain in place until at least April 8.

The buildings affected by the order are the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue on St-Kevin Ave., the Federation CJA building on Côte Ste-Catherine Rd., the YM-YWHA building on Westbury Ave., Herzliah High School on Mountain Sights Ave. and United Talmud Torahs of Montreal on St-Kevin is in effect for 10 days. It took effect Tuesday, the day the injunction was granted.

The order is issued against the groups Independent Jewish Voices, Montréal4Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement Montreal and Alliance4Palestine.QC and an individual, Bara Iyad Abuhamed. Representatives of the groups named in the injunction were not present in court on Friday.

The injunction comes after two consecutive evenings of protests in front of the Jewish community buildings. On March 5, a group waving Palestinian flags and chanting in front of the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal protested against the synagogue hosting a trade fair called The Great Israeli Real Estate Event.

The day before, protesters barred the doors to the Cummings House on Côte-Ste-Catherine St. for four hours during an event with three Israeli speakers, former members of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Audience attendees said they were yelled at, spat on and shoved.

Reacting to the renewal of the judgement, Federation CJA CEO Yair Szlak said he was pleased.


California State University, Long Beach President Denounces Antisemitic Flyers on Campus
The president of California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) has denounced a recent antisemitic hate campaign targeting a professor that involved posting flyers across campus.

An unknown person or groups plastered in several buildings posters calling the professor, whose picture was included, a “genocide denier” and other demonizing names, The Daily 49er, a campus newspaper, reported on Wednesday.

“Earlier this week, flyers appeared on campus featuring the image of one of our professors and characterizations purporting to represent his views related to the Hamas/Israel conflict,” president Jane Close Conoley said in email quoted by the paper. “Everyone involved in the conflict is hurting … but no one on this campus is bombing Palestinians or was involved in the horror of Oct. 7.”

Pleading for civility, Conoley added, “No one on this campus deserves to be seen as an enemy. We are all reluctant observers of an unfolding tragedy.”

CSULB has been fraught with tension over Israel’s war with Hamas since Oct. 7, when the Palestinian terror group invaded the Jewish state, murdered 1,200 people, and kidnapped 253 others. Jewish students at CSULB have reported feeling unsafe on campus amid a burst of anti-Zionist sentiment. The same has been true for Jewish members of the academic community across the state, where anti-Zionism has led to incidents described as “riots” and Jewish students being spat on.

As The Algemeiner previously reported, University of California, Santa Barbara Student Association president Tessa Veksler last month discovered in the school’s multicultural center over a dozen messages, written on placards, which said, “resistance is justified,” “you can run but you can’t hide Tessa Veksler,” and “get these Zionists out of office.” In marker, someone else graffitied “Zionist not allowed” on the door, just inches away from a mezuzah, a small parchment scroll containing Hebrew verses from the Torah that members of the Jewish community fix to their doorposts.


Houthi Official Confirms Beirut Meeting with Palestinian Terror Groups
A Houthi official has confirmed that Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels held a meeting with Palestinian terror groups in Beirut, Lebanon.

The discussion revolved around strategies to escalate confrontations and encircle Israel, according to information shared with AFP.

The meeting, which took place last week, included representatives from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). These groups are known for their terrorist activities against Israel and have been active participants in the ongoing war in Gaza.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the Houthi official revealed that the discussions focused on coordinating actions of resistance for the next phase of the war in Gaza. This meeting underscores the growing cooperation between the Houthi rebels and Palestinian factions in their shared objectives against Israel.

One Palestinian source, also speaking anonymously, disclosed that the meeting addressed the potential role of the Houthis alongside Palestinian factions, particularly in the event of an Israeli offensive on Rafah.


Synagogue in English City That Spawned Anti-Jewish ‘Blood Libel’ Vandalized With Antisemitic Slogans
The sole synagogue in the English city where the first known instance of the medieval anti-Jewish “blood libel” occurred has been vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.

The wall of the Norwich Synagogue was daubed with the slogan “Zionism = Nazism, Isra’hell, apartheid. Tsiahal [sic] + Saitanyahu = Genocide.” The word “Tsiahal” (“Tsahal”) is the Hebrew acronym for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), while “Saitanyahu” is a contraction of the Arabic word for “Satan” with the name of current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The offensive graffiti was spotted by a congregant as he walked with his family near the synagogue last weekend.

The witness, who chose to remain anonymous, told the London-based Jewish Chronicle that he had been deeply shocked by the message.

“I stopped in my tracks when I noticed the writing,” he said. “I quickly ushered my wife and children along saying I’d catch up with them while I reread it again to try and take it in. I didn’t want them reading any more of it. I was quite shocked and saddened that they had targeted our lovely little community, and I didn’t really want to have to inform other members.”


Sao Paulo adopts IHRA definition of antisemitism
Tarcisio de Freitas, the Governor of the State of São Paulo, alongside key figures from the Jewish community and the Israeli Consulate, endorsed the International Alliance for Holocaust Remembrance's (IHRA) definition of antisemitism on Friday.

The ceremony, marked by unity and commitment to fight prejudice, was also attended by notable personalities such as the President of the Israeli Federation of São Paulo, Marcos Knobel; Executive President Ricardo Berkiensztat; CONIB President Claudio Lottenberg and Director Sergio Napchan; Deputy Governor Felicio Ramuth; Arthur Luis Pinho de Lima, Head of the Civil House of the Government; Fernando Lottenberg, the Organization of American States (OEA) Commissioner for Monitoring and Combat against Antisemitism; and representatives from StandWithUs Brazil, Daniel Bialski and Hana Nusbaum.

In a statement, Governor De Freitas expressed the importance of this membership, "By joining the IHRA, Sao Paulo reaffirms its commitment to combating antisemitism and all forms of discrimination. Education and remembrance are powerful tools in this fight."


Israel's Eurovision song ranked sixth most streamed entry on Spotify among 2024 contestants
As the Eurovision Song Contest nears with the event taking place in early May, the participating nations have released the songs that will be represented in this year’s competition in Malmö, Sweden.

Israel’s Eurovision representative Eden Golan is expected to perform her song “Hurricane,” which, after many changes and much anticipation, was released on Sunday.

The song’s title and contents underwent several changes until it was finally approved by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It was originally titled “October Rain,” alluding to the October 7 attacks on southern Israel and the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

However, the EBU deemed the song’s lyrics, title, and message to be overtly political, mainly because it supports the State of Israel and the IDF, which caused friction with the EBU and the Eurovision contest, which claimed to be non-political.

Numerous Spotify streams
“Hurricane” was officially approved by the EBU on March 7. With the song’s recent release and increased coverage, it has already received numerous streams. According to X account Eurovision Charts, an unofficial and unaffiliated account that claims to be a “Fan-made account tracking music charts, sales, and streaming data for Eurovision songs and artists,” Golan’s “Hurricane” has received some attention.
Guns & Guitars: IDF soldier reveals the real secret to victory in Gaza
Noam Buskila, IDF Soldier, has been on the front lines of battle on the the Northern border of Israel since October 7th.

Noam continues to uplift the spirits of all Jews around the world with his angelic voice and guitar in tow.

This is the story of how Noam Buskila is so positive and B'simcha amidtst such chaos and terror.




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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 over 19 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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