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Israel Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 04, 2014 13 Comments
Live Video and Twitter feed at bottom of post Breaking reports out of Egypt indicate that the various "Palestinian factions" have agreed to a 72-hour unconditional truce. This was the original Egyptian proposal which was rejected by Hamas more than two weeks and over 1000 lives ago. Israel reportedly will agree, as it has multiple times before. Let's see if Hamas again uses the truce as an opportunity to launch more surprise attacks.

Posted by David Gerstman on August 04, 2014 13 Comments
Last week's ceasefire between Israel and Hamas prompted a number of similarly themed observations. https://twitter.com/MsIntervention/status/494995494230171650 Similar tweets appeared here and here and here and here. What did Hamas gain by agreeing to the ceasefire to the terms of Thursday night's ceasefire when it rejected the same terms more than two weeks earlier? What did it gain by continuing to lose fighters and resources? It now appears, as Elder of Ziyon shows, that the reason Hamas agreed initially to the ceasefire was to carry out Friday's attack that killed three Israeli soldiers.
Clearly the ceasefire provided the opportunity Hamas wanted to perform this operation. Their acceptance of the cease-fire - including the terms that IDF soldiers can keep their positions, which Hamas knew were near a hidden tunnel entrance - can only be described as a well-planned ruse for this attack, Hamas' most sought-after prize. These were not conditions that Hamas would normally accept. Hamas' claim that this occurred before the ceasefire is a lie, as the reports of heavy clashes in Rafah all started at 9:30, not 7:30 as Hamas says.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 03, 2014 21 Comments
We reported on the Finnish reporter who disclosed that there was rocket fire from just behind Gaza's main hospital, Hamas hides in, under and around Gaza’s main hospital, and the media covers it up (Video):
Also, a rocket attack was conducted from the “backyard” of the hospital at 2 o’clock in the morning. It (the rocket launch), in fact, happened somewhere close by because the noise right here at the hospital area was really loud. Indeed, these rockets launched here from the Gazan side (of the border) are headed into Israel.
Now, as reported by Sharona Schwartz at The Blaze, the reporter (name Aishi Zidan) has taken to Facebook to complain her words are being used as pro-Israel propaganda. She doesn't deny, however, the accuracy of her report: Aishi Zidan Facebook Banner
Don’t use me as your propaganda weapon I spent a night at the Shifa hospital in Gaza two weeks ago. I was covering the situation in Gaza for my newspaper. My story was about the Palestinian civilians who were victims of war. My article started with a story of four little boys who were killed on the beach the same day. They were playing on the beach when Israeli army hit them without any clear reason or warning. I interviewed a boy who survived from the attack. The Shifa hospital was full of women and children who were victims of this ugly war. I described their stories in detail. During the night someone launched a rocket somewhere behind the hospital. Now this sentence from my article is spreading in the pro-Israeli medias. I mentioned this in my article because I’m a professional journalist. I try to cover the events truthfully as I see them and I strongly condemn these kind of actions.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on August 02, 2014 3 Comments
Stoking racial tension against Israel has been a foundation of the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement in the U.S. One pro-Israel student is having none of it. Chloé Simone Valdary is an outspoken pro-Israel student, who is a shining star in the fight against BDS on campus. She is so effective that, during a recent pro-Israel rally in Boston, Chloé was physically assaulted by a woman carrying a pro-BDS poster, who insisted that Jerusalem would be cleansed of Jews: It seems the example of leftist "tolerance" has not dampened Chloé's pro-Israel activism in the slightest. Chloé has  a brilliant and devastating piece in Tablet, which decries the misuse and distortions of the real, historical racism experienced by blacks in this country by pro-Palestinian student groups (via Tammy Bruce).
To the Students for Justice in Palestine, a Letter From an Angry Black Woman The student organization Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is prominent on many college campuses, preaching a mantra of “Freeing Palestine.” It masquerades as though it were a civil rights group when it is not. Indeed, as an African-American, I am highly insulted that my people’s legacy is being pilfered for such a repugnant agenda. It is thus high time to expose its agenda and lay bare some of the fallacies they peddle.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 02, 2014 5 Comments
The IDF has declared kidnapped soldier Hadar Goldin dead. Haaretz reports:
A special panel headed by Chief Military Rabbi Brig. Gen. Rafi Peretz announced the death of Goldin, an infantry officer in the Givati Brigade. The conclusion was based on forensic evidence from the scene of the attack,a statement by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said. It added that prior to the decision, religious, medical and other relevant issues were taken under consideration. Goldin's family was notified of the decision by the Head of the IDF Personnel Directorate Maj. Gen. Orna Barbivai, and the Chief Military Rabbi Brig. Gen. Rafi Peretz. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon accompanied the two officers.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 02, 2014 6 Comments
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just gave a major speech. It was predicted that he would announce an end to operations, but his actual speech was much less clear on that point. Repeatedly Netanyahu said that the operation would continue as needed.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 01, 2014 5 Comments
There have been reports for years that Hamas uses the main hospital in Gaza, Al-Shifa, as a headquarters. It reportedly has bunkers underneath, and uses the hospital itself. There have been tidbits of media reporting on Hamas' use of Al-Shifa as a de facto headquarters for Hamas leaders, who can be seen in the hallways and offices. But mostly it has been covered up by reporters in Gaza, as I detailed in Media cover-up of Hamas crimes starting to unravel. Tweets have been deleted and articles taken down by reporters for major publications. One Italian reporter who left Gaza blew the whistle on the fact that it was Hamas or Islamic Jihad misfired rockets that cause a large number of deaths in a refugee camps. The victims were transported to Al-Shifa, where another rocket had already hit. A Wall Street Journal reporter tweeted, then deleted, his observation that it was a Hamas rocket that hit the hospital. Once the evidence became clear that Israel was not responsible, the media moved on, as if it never happened. The media has a narrative it wants to tell, and that narrative does not include the deaths, injuries and damage Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and others are causing. Here is a good example of how the media played up an Israeli missile striking near Western reporters:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 01, 2014 81 Comments
[This post will be "sticky" most of the day] Live Video and Twitter feed at bottom of post. The U.N. and U.S. sponsored 72-hour ceasefire only lasted barely hours, as Hamas used the lull to launch an attack in which IDF soldiers were killed and one is missing and believed kidnapped. This has led to Israeli retaliation and renewed fightings.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 31, 2014 8 Comments
UPDATE 8-1-2014: The ceasefire lasted just a few hours as Hamas used the lull to launch an attack in which Israeli soldiers were killed and one is believed kidnapped. More to follow in separate post. --------------- John Kerry and Ban Ki Moon just announced that all sides have agreed to a 72-hour "humanitarian truce" starting 8 a.m. tomorrow (Israel time, about 7 hours from the time this post goes live). CNN reports that Hamas and other terrorist groups have accepted. The negotiations apparently were held in Egypt, which had proposed a ceasefire two weeks ago that Israel accepted and Hamas rejected. It appears that all forces stay in place. It's unclear whether and to what extend Israel can continue to search out new tunnels or blow up ones already located. Here is the statement: Joint Statement of Gaza Ceasefire US State Department Details to follow below.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 29, 2014 24 Comments
Yesterday one of the stories thrust into the mainstream media was nearly simultaneous explosions in a Palestinian neighborhood and at al-Shifa hospital. The media immediately took the Hamas line that it was Israeli missiles. Later, the IDF stated that it had not fired on those locations, and that the explosions were misfired Hamas or Islamic Jihad missiles. The media played it as he said, he said. But an Italian journalist has just left Gaza and is telling the truth about what happened now that he needs not fear Hamas retaliation -- Israel was right (h/t Israelly Cool): How many more of the civilian casualties have been cause by Hamas and Islamic rockets that fell short or misfired? Like Israel says happened at a U.N. school and shelter. We likely never will know because Hamas is so fast to cover up the scene and intimidates reporters:
The Times of Israel confirmed several incidents in which journalists were questioned and threatened. These included cases involving photographers who had taken pictures of Hamas operatives in compromising circumstances — gunmen preparing to shoot rockets from within civilian structures, and/or fighting in civilian clothing — and who were then approached by Hamas men, bullied and had their equipment taken away.
CAMERA discovered a Wall Street Journal reporter coming to the same conclusion as the Italian reporters, but then deleting the tweet:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 29, 2014 28 Comments
Just think what could have been. Israel left Gaza in 2005. The vast international aid that flowed to Gaza could have been used to build the foundation of a nation. Instead it was put to building tunnels and rocket infrastructure. Rather than forging economic ties with the world, it forged military ties with Iran and Hezbollah to achieve the goal of the Hamas charter -- the destruction of Israel. Meanwhile, Israel continued to build a nation, becoming one of the high tech capitals of the world. That could have been Gaza, where the people obviously have tremendous skills and ingenuity. But it was a choice that was not made. The NY Times has a good story about the nature of the vast Hamas tunnel network into Israel, designed specifically for kidnapping and attacks, Tunnels Lead Right to the Heart of Israeli Fear:
An Israeli military spokesman said that in the tunnels uncovered so far, soldiers have found more than 70 side shafts. Inside the Ein Hashlosha tunnel, they picked up potato-chip bags dated as late as February. Elsewhere, there were dates, water and crackers; rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles; small rooms for sleeping or hiding; a kidnapping kit of tranquilizers and plastic handcuffs; Israeli Army uniforms; and a Bosch drill used for digging the tunnels that Colonel Azulai described as “a very good one.” “It’s like a subway under Gaza,” he said. Israeli experts said each tunnel would take up to a year and cost up to $2 million to build, involving dozens of diggers working by hand and with small electric tools. The military has known about the tunnels since at least 2003 and had a task force studying them for a year, but was nonetheless stunned at the sophisticated network they found.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 28, 2014 7 Comments
Live Video and Twitter feed at bottom of post Last night the United Nations Security Council issued a Presidential Statement (less than a Resolution) demanding an immediate Gaza ceasefire. Hamas kept firing missiles, and Israel now is responding. Israel has rejected a ceasefire that does not include security guarantees. A devastating critique of John Kerry's botched ceasefire attempt, from left-wing Israeli author Ari Shavit:
If Israel is forced to ultimately undertake an expanded ground operation in which dozens of young Israelis and hundreds of Palestinian civilians could lose their lives, it would be appropriate to name the offensive after the person who caused it: John Kerry. But if the escalation does not happen, instead we should remember that those who prevented it are three people the Obama administration loathes: Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, Benjamin Netanyahu and Moshe Ya’alon.
There was an explosion at Shifa Hospital (used by Hamas as a safe haven) which immediately was blamed on Israel, but now appears likely to have been a Hamas rocket misfire. We will update as the day goes on.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 27, 2014 25 Comments
Margie in Tel Aviv called attention today to a Christopher Hitchen's quote. I had not heard that before, so I looked it up, here is the clip, from 2010 (transcription):
“And I'll close by saying this. Because anti-Semitism is the godfather of racism and the gateway to tyranny and fascism and war, it is to be regarded not as the enemy of the Jewish people, I learned, but as the common enemy of humanity and of civilisation, and has to be fought against very tenaciously for that reason, most especially in its current, most virulent form of Islamic Jihad.... Our task is to call this filthy thing, this plague, this—this pest, by its right name; to make unceasing resistance to it, knowing all the time that it's probably ultimately ineradicable, and bearing in mind that its hatred towards us is a compliment, and resolving (some of the time, at any rate) to do a bit more to deserve it. Thank you.”
http://youtu.be/SVNcCKeRIlk?t=3m20s What we are seeing is anti-Semitism back in the open in the name of anti-Zionism. You cannot separate the two in the political real world. In addition to all the other videos and images we have protested, here is France, where anti-Semitic pro-Palestinian street rioters wear "Boycott Israel" shirts (which we have seen before): http://youtu.be/YnErARKvIRk?t=21s Here is Paris burning during anti-Semitic riots (more here): It is important to document this widespread, worldwide anti-Semitism which infuses these "pro-Palestinian" protests.

Posted by David Gerstman on July 27, 2014 3 Comments
My father just told me about this song by Peter Himmelman, "Maximum Restraint." Himmelman, in addition to being a singer-songwriter in his own right is also Bob Dylan's son-in-law. In the song, Himmelman mocks calls for Israel to exercise "maximum restraint" in response to rocket attacks. Here's a taste of the lyrics:
They’re shooting grads and quassams, from hospitals, mosques and schools When they photograph their dead and dying Hamas just sits and drools Another photo op to take, take straight to CNN they paint Israel as the aggressor – and then it all begins again When someone comes to kill you In the middle of the night Don’t try to defend yourself Don’t use an ounce of might Just sit there quietly and try hard not to faint As the world calls out for – maximum restraint
Himmelman like his father-in-law is a folk rocker from Minnesota. His defense of Israel and criticism of the world's hypocrisy echoes Dylan's 1980's release "Neighborhood Bully" which included this lyric:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 26, 2014 28 Comments
When I heard parts of John Kerry's news conference today, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was talking as if he's trying to create a way to bolster Hamas when the fighting is over. Sure enough, Barak Ravid, a well-regarded reporter for the left-wing Israeli Haaretz newspaper presents a chilling tale of John Kerry's complete incompetence in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, Kerry's latest cease-fire plan: What was he thinking?
The draft Kerry passed to Israel on Friday shocked the cabinet ministers not only because it was the opposite of what Kerry told them less than 24 hours earlier, but mostly because it might as well have been penned by Khaled Meshal [the political head of Hamas who lives in Qatar]. It was everything Hamas could have hoped for. The document recognized Hamas' position in the Gaza Strip, promised the organization billions in donation funds and demanded no dismantling of rockets, tunnels or other heavy weaponry at Hamas' disposal. The document placed Israel and Hamas on the same level, as if the first is not a primary U.S. ally and as if the second isn't a terror group which overtook part of the Palestinian Authority in a military coup and fired thousands of rockets at Israel.
It gets worse, as I suspected Kerry is seeking to make Hamas a post-war power, Ravid reports:
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