The Israel Situation » Security

Gaza: The Countdown to War

Eric — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:41:52 +0000

Anyone who reads the news in the United States or Europe might think that the Gaza border has been calm lately. That is far from the case. Terrorist rocket fire has been escalating and the IDF is preparing for a new war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday alone, four rockets were fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip. Fortunately, no one was injured. However, this is merely one act of hundreds and one symptom of an escalating tension between Israel and its violent neighbors.

Ha’aretz reports that the Israeli army is preparing for a full scale ground war against Hamas in the coming months. Now three years after Operation Cast Lead, Israel may have to make a strong move to defend itself again.

“We are preparing and in fact are ready for another campaign, which will be varied and different, to renew our deterrence, if we are called on to restore full quiet to the communities [in the south],” said the head of the division’s Southern Brigade, Brig. Gen. Tal Hermoni.

“But I wouldn’t eulogize Operation Cast Lead just yet,” Hermoni added, in a briefing for military reporters. “On a daily basis, it’s pretty quiet here. The mild response [to Tuesday's targeted killings] is evidence that they don’t want to feel the IDF’s fists.”

The idea for a future Gaza campaign is different from Cast Lead. Chief of Staff Benny Gantz created a plan for a shorter incursion into Gaza that would be much more precise and powerful.

In an analysis by a JPost writer, it is revealed that Hamas has increased weapons smuggling into Gaza by 15-20%.

The IDF continues to maintain a high-level of alert along the border and to train its troops to know what to do in the event they are attacked and one of them is abducted. Shooting at the getaway car even at the risk of hitting their comrade is expected, senior officers explain.

It also requires the IDF to get ready for another offensive in the Gaza Strip, one that Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz said on Tuesday will happen either “sooner or later.” The operation will likely be different than Cast Lead but will be based on two similar principles – first to take Hamas by surprise with a devastating opening salvo and second to aim for a restoration of deterrence and several more years of quiet.

The IDF knows, though, that when it enters Gaza, it will face a different adversary than the one who repeatedly ran away from it during the January 2009 ground offensive.

For now, we may be enjoying the calm before the storm. I just hope the next storm has minimal casualties and keeps innocent Israelis safe from terror.

Image by Ian Aizman

Gaza: The Countdown to War is a post from: The Israel Situation

Thanking Gilad

Samantha Vinokor — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:38:40 +0000

This past October, after more than five years in captivity, Gilad Shalit was released from Hamas capitivity and returned to his family in Israel in exchange for hundreds of convicted Arab terrorists. The release of Gilad Shalit was the culmination of over five years of efforts: diplomatic efforts made by the Israeli government, personal appeals made by his family, and campaigns launched by supporters from around the world. Efforts to free Gilad ranged from rallies to peititions to the Red Cross, physical campaigns such as the protest tent set up outside the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem to online campaigns such as Tweet4Shalit. Youth groups were involved, as were synagogues, Federations and communities, all working together towards a common goal: to return Gilad Shalit to his family, and to the people of Israel.

Over the five years of his captivity, the Israeli people and Jews from around the world adopted Gilad as a part of their communities and families. His name was mentioned at Passover seders, by rabbis in sermons, around Shabbat tables and at gatherings of Jews both large and small. Public figures took up the cause, with multiple cities around the world granting Shalit honorary citizenship as a show of solidarity.

All of these efforts came to a climax this past October, when Gilad returned home to Israel after years in captivity. He appeared weak, pale and thin, but happy to finally be reunited with his family. Now, after a few months of seclusion, during which his family protected their fragile son from the media in order to give him time to adapt to life in Israel once again, Shalit has issued a video message to his supporters from around the world. In it, he thanks the individuals who worked to keep his name on the lips of politicians and world leaders and who, through their efforts, helped to secure his release.

In reality, it was we should should be thanking Gilad. Thanking him for remaining strong throughout his ordeal and for surviving the horrors that he surely must have been subjected to. The fight for and return of Gilad Shalit brought home for a new generation awareness of the fact that the people of Israel really are a family. It was said that Gilad was everyone’s son, and it is true. In a country where almost all young men are drafted into the army, Gilad could have been anyone’s son, brother, friend. During the years of his captivity, countless individuals who had never met him came to personally identify with Gilad, making room for him at their seder tables and in their hearts. It is imperative that we thank Gilad for the sacrifice that he made on behalf of the people of Israel, for the spirit that his return has injected into the Zionist movement, and for the humility and quiet strength that he has shown throughout.

Image by Boaz Guttman.

Thanking Gilad is a post from: The Israel Situation

UN Report: Iran Building Nuclear Weapons

Eric — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:55:57 +0000

Not that I have not told you a thousand times before, but now a report has been released by the UN indicating that Iran is, in fact, building nuclear weapons. The IAEA, the United Nations nuclear arm, had this to say:

“The agency has serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear program,” the report said. “After assessing carefully and critically the extensive information available to it, the agency finds the information to be, overall, credible. The information indicates that Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device.”

Last night I had the opportunity to see Shaul Mofaz, Member of the Knesset, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs And Defence Committee, and former IDF Chief of Staff, in person and he discussed the Iran issue at great length. He was clear about the real threat Iran poses to the State of Israel and Jewish people around the world.

The last time a world leader got up on stage and said he was going to kill the Jews, he killed 6 million. This guy (Ahmadinejad) says he will destroy Israel and he is building nuclear weapons. It is time for Israel, the United States, and the European Union to act before it is too late.

Read more at CNN or read the full UN report here.

UN Report: Iran Building Nuclear Weapons is a post from: The Israel Situation

Welcome Home Gilad

Eric — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:08:48 +0000

After five years in captivity with no visits from friends, family, or the Red Cross, Gilad Shalit is back home in Israel. He came home in good spirits and relatively good health.

Doctors said that Shalit was showing signs of malnutrition and a lack of sun exposure. He was taken from Gaza to Egypt where he was released to the custody of Israeli officials. Those officials took Shalit to a military base in central Israel where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and was reunited with his family. He is now at home in Mitzpe Hila with his family.

While Israelis were celebrating and rejoicing at the return of their lost soldier, roughly half of the 1,027 Palestinian terrorists were transferred from Israeli prisons to Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. Palestinians celebrated by holding what quickly turned into a violent riot complete with stone throwing and fires.

Like many others, I am upset to see so many violent murderers released. However, I am thrilled to see Gilad and his family’s turmoil come to an end.

Thank God he was brought home safe and alive.

Photo from IDF Spokesman.

Welcome Home Gilad is a post from: The Israel Situation

4 Common But False Myths About Israel

Eric — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:07:58 +0000

This is a guest post from Brett Borders. He is a copywriter living in Denver, CO. He cares about the safety and future of minority religions and ethnic groups in the Middle East.

The Jewish state of Israel is geographically one of the smallest countries in the world. Although Israel is 8 times smaller than Florida, it gets a disproportionately high percent of media coverage. Since the Jewish state was recognized by the UN in 1948, it has been attacked repeatedly by Arab Muslim neighbors – from suicide bombing campaigns, to full-scale surprise invasions by multiple armies. This perpetual conflict has kept Israel in the news spotlight… but many of the notions that are being repeated in syndicated news wires, opinion columns and online comments are not factual or accurate.

Here are 4 common, but false, myths about Israel to watch out for:

1. Most Israelis Are “European Colonists”

False. Over 20% of Israel’s population are Arabs. Of the 73% that is Jewish, over 50% the Jews are Mizhrai Jews who are members or descendants of ancient, indigenous Jewish communities in the Middle East who fled or were expelled from their homes in Arab lands. A minority of the Israeli population are Ashkenazi Jews, whose ancestors came to Israel from Europe and the USSR – many as refugees from genocide or persecution (who did not arrive by choice). 70% of the people now living in Israel were born in Israel (“sabras”). The facts are simple: Hebrew, Jews and Judaism are indigenous native to Israel. Arabic, Arabs and Islam are indigenous native to the Arabian peninsula.

2. Israel “Stole” and Now “Occupies” Palestinian Land

False. Israel is a tiny spec on the map compared to the empire of 22 Arabs countries it sits in the mist of. Israel had no presence in the disputed West Bank (Judea and Samaria) before it was attacked by Jordan in 1967. Jordan lost the war and relinquished control of the area – and Israel has maintained a defensive military presence there till this day. Interestingly, there was no mention of a self-aware “Palestinian people” or nation before the mid-1960′s – when they simply called themselves Arabs. In the absence of a stable government or peace agreements with the Arab population in the former Jordanian territory, Jewish villages (“settlements’) were built on vacant or legally-purchased-from-the-owners land in the disputed areas of the Jewish ancestral & historical heartland. Israel has offered to sign a peace treaty and cede some of the disputed land to Arabs in West Bank since 1967… but to date, all sincere peace offers by Israel have been rejected by Palestinian Arabs.

3. Israel is a Racist or “Apartheid” State

False. Israel is the only country in the region where freedom of religion, women’s rights, minority and gay rights are fully guaranteed under law. Aparthied was a South African system where colonists (not refugees) went to a land that they had zero historical connection to and then systematically denied rights to the natives based on race. The situation in the West Bank is very different. The government and Arab residents of the area are at war with Israel. Israel has erected security walls and checkpoints to stop suicide bombers and snipers from infiltrating Israel. The checkpoints and settlements are a result of the continued Arab conflict (or “jihad”) against Israel, not the cause of it. There are more than a few actual racist and apartheid states in the Middle East – were minorities have limited rights under law and women forcibly segregated from men by “Modesty Police.”

4. Israel “Won’t Make Peace with Its Neighbors”

False. Israel has made great efforts to make peace with its neighbors and it has already signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. Israel withdrew its troops from fighting the PLO in Southern Lebanon in 2000. This did not bring peace… it allowed Iran to smuggle over 40,000 rockets into the vacated region and point them at Israel to further escalate tension. Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Arab-majority area of Gaza in 2005 as a sincere peace gesture to Palestinian Arabs. It did not bring peace. The number of terror and rocket attacks originating from the Gaza Strip increased exponentially, and crimes against humanity like hostage abductions and attacks on school buses have taken place.

This video, “The Truth About The Peace Process,” explains Israel’s numerous attempts to make peace with its Arab neighbors… and equally numerous times that its efforts to make peace have flatly been ignored, rebuffed and rejected:

4 Common But False Myths About Israel is a post from: The Israel Situation

Breaking News: Gilad Shalit Deal Imminent

Eric — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:10:13 +0000

The Jerusalem Post reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called an emergency cabinet meeting to approve an Egyptian mediated deal for the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli who has spent five years impassioned by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

From the JPost:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is convening a special cabinet meeting Tuesday evening to approve an Egyptian mediated deal for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit, government sources confirmed.

The meeting is scheduled to begin a 8 pm.

Netanyahu was quoted on TV news as saying “the window has been opened for an historic deal” to free Shalit, captured by Hamas militants tunneling under a border fence in June 2006.

Reports from other sources say a German mediator has been in Egypt for the last week to work out the details of a deal to bring Gilad home to Israel. He was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists who built an illegal tunnel under the border fence into Israeli territory.

Breaking News: Gilad Shalit Deal Imminent is a post from: The Israel Situation

Syria’s Bashar Assad Threatens Israel

Eric — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:33:59 +0000

Months of anti-government protests in Syria have left an estimated 3,000 dead. The Western world is looking on without intervening as it did in Libya, but they may not let the killing go on forever without intervening.

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad knows that the world is watching, so he made a bold statement. If NATO forces make any move against Syria, Assad will direct his military to launch rocket attacks on Tel Aviv. He said that “if a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, [he] will need not more than 6 hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv.”

He also threatened to unleash Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon to join in the attack against the only working democracy in the Middle East.

This is not the first time an Arab country has threatened Israel as a means to protect itself from a foreign power. During the first Gulf War, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq fired long-range missiles at Israel to discourage the American advance.

It is sad to see Israel caught in the middle of this mess, but I have faith that Benjamin Netanyahu would respond with much more force than Ehud Olmert during Israel’s most recent war. I also believe the United States would rush emergency supplies and defense aid to Israel to defend itself from the attack.

Assad also said that, in the event of a NATO attack against Syria, Iran would need only hours to begin a naval assault against US and EU vessels in the Persian Gulf and around the world.

Are we reaching a tipping point where the Arab Spring in Syria will lead to an international war? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Photo by syriana2011.

Syria’s Bashar Assad Threatens Israel is a post from: The Israel Situation

Turkish Warplanes Reprogrammed: Israel is an Enemy

Eric — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:35:18 +0000

At the direction of the Prime Minister’s office, Turkey’s military has reprogrammed its fleet of F-16 fighter jets to categorize Israeli targets as enemies.

While Israel-Turkey relations have suffered since the Flotilla incident last year, the recent breakdown of ties resulted from a UN report which backed Israel’s right to blockade the Gaza border. Prime Minister Erdogan demanded retribution from Israel for those killed and Israel refused.

In the time since, Turkey has expelled its Israeli ambassador, it has cut off all military ties, and now is in the process of turning Israel into a military enemy. The Turkish government plans to reprogram its naval fleet in the coming weeks.

F-16s are equipped with a “Friend or Foe” radar system which prevents pilots from accidentally firing at friendly targets. Now that the locks have been turned off, Turkey is telling the world that it is considering using military force against its longtime ally.

Just as alarming, Turkey is threatening to sponsor another flotilla to Gaza. Unlike the previous attempts, this flotilla would have an armed military escort. Turkey is threatening to provoke Israel to engage in a military conflict in the waters off of the Gaza Strip.

The two countries have similar aerial military capabilities. The Turkish air force consists of 1,940 aircraft. The Israel Air Force has 1,964 aircraft. Both are scheduled to receive the new F-35 fighter from the United States, but neither country has received the planes to date. It appears that Israel will receive its delivery first.

I hope that the tensions will fade and the two countries can again work together toward common security concerns in the region. If not, I fear that Turkey may draw Israel into a major Middle Eastern conflict.

Image from Jerry Gunner.

Turkish Warplanes Reprogrammed: Israel is an Enemy is a post from: The Israel Situation

Shin Bet Busts Hamas Terrorists in Jerusalem

Eric — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:30:08 +0000

It is no secret that Hamas is not a partner for peace. It is not a secret that Palestinian terrorists are not secluded to Gaza. Earlier this year, terrorists detonated a bomb in Jerusalem that killed one and injured over 40 others. The Shin Bet stopped a repeat this week.

The Shin Bet, comparable to the FBI in the United States, has arrested dozens of terrorists connected to thirteen separate cells in the Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria areas. The terrorists were all connected with Hamas.

The terrorists were actively planning multiple attacks. One cell was planning the abduction of an Israeli soldier. One cell was planning an attack in Psgat Zev in Northern Jerusalem. These were active terrorists with near term plans to murder innocent people.

When people blame Israel for a lack of peace in the Middle East, it is important to remind them where the violence comes from. It comes from the Palestinians. So again, I ask, what partner for peace?

Shin Bet Busts Hamas Terrorists in Jerusalem is a post from: The Israel Situation

What Are Turkey’s Real Intentions?

Anthony Reich — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 13:05:20 +0000

Events in the relationship between Israel and Turkey moved very quickly on Friday after the publication of the Palmer Report which is the UN sponsored investigation into the Gaza Flotilla incident. The Palmer Report had been scheduled for release a number of weeks ago. Its release was delayed in order to facilitate efforts to try to reconcile the opposing positions that have been adopted by Israel and Turkey on the issue of the Gaza Flotilla incident. Ultimately, no real progress was evident in reconciling the opposing camps, and the report was formally released.

The release of the report did not reveal anything new due to the fact that most of the report’s contents had been leaked to the press in the weeks leading up to its formal release. So, it would have been known that the report supports Israel’s right to impose the Gaza blockade in order to counter the threat posed by terror groups in the strip. Palmer recognises both the extent of the threat that these groups represent to the safety of the State of Israel, and also the fact that the Gaza blockade is a legitimate and legal way of preventing the flow of arms that feed these terror activities. More than this, the Palmer report also recognises Israel’s legal right to defend her territorial waters from those who seek to compromise her security in any way.

The report did reserve some criticism for Israel, for the way in which her security forces dealt with the protestors who mobbed them after they boarded the Marvi Marmara. Palmer decided that the response of the Israeli soldiers was “excessive” and “unreasonable”. Although I don’t agree with Palmer’s conclusion when considering the type of attack that these soldiers came under when they boarded the ship, I do agree that the soldiers should have considered the tactics used to board the ship more carefully, given the level of threat that was already evident from the protestors on the ship.

In view of the conclusions reached by the Palmer report, the response by the Turkish government on Friday took many people by surprise. No longer had the report officially been released, and the announcement came from Ankara that the Israeli ambassador was to be expelled from Turkey. This was accompanied by a downgrade of diplomatic relations to the lowest possible level, and the cancellation of all military agreements in place between the two countries. Many have asked what justification Turkey has for this extreme response to the Palmer report, when the bulk of the report actually supports Israel’s position.

Ever since the events of the Marvi Marmara which resulted in the death of 9 Turkish activists after they attacked the Israeli boarding party, Turkey has insisted that Israel issues a formal apology to Turkey for the deaths. Turkey has also insisted that Israel pays compensation to the families of the 9 victims. Israel has refused to issue a formal apology, even though the Israeli government did express regret for their deaths. There are those, even senior Israeli government officials, who hold the view that it would be best for Israel to issue an apology in the interests of preserving the relationship between Israel and Turkey. I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu has made the correct choice not to issue a formal apology, even if this means the deterioration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The main reason that I support Netanyahu’s position not to issue a formal apology, is because I feel that this would admit guilt on Israel’s part. The only thing that Israel was guilty of, was protecting its territorial waters and enforcing the Gaza blockade. The Palmer report has already confirmed Israel’s rights to these two activities. Additionally, issuing an apology would conceal the role of the Turkish government in the Marvi Marmara incident. The Gaza Flotilla was largely facilitated by a Turkish NGO known by the acronym IHH. This was the organisation that purchased the Marvi Marmara with the intention of sailing to Gaza to break the Israeli blockade. There are those who have accused the Turkish government of providing at least some of the financing to the IHH for the purchase of the Marvi Marmara. Even if this was not the case, there can be no doubt that the IHH had the support of the Turkish government in its quest to confront the Israeli government over the Gaza blockade. A year later, the efforts that the Greek government made to prevent the flotilla from departing Piraeus were in stark contrast to the tacit (or even active) support given by the Turkish government to the first flotilla. It seems only logical that the Turkish government be held responsible for its role in facilitating the fiasco. The truth remains that the Turkish government should have prevented the confrontation from taking place in the first place by preventing the flotilla from departing its shores. Placing the entire blame of the confrontation on Israel is a gross misrepresentation of the truth.

The speed with which the Turkish government moved to expel the Israeli the envoy, and the manner in which the demand was made for a formal apology without any option of a compromise, has made me wonder whether the Turks were not simply looking for an excuse to downgrade their relations with Israel. The Marvi Marmara incident may have given them the perfect pretext to do so. One could possibly even trace the start of the downward trend in relations between the two countries to the re-election of Prime Minister Erdogan and his (Islamic) Justice and Development Party in 2007. Turkey has come under greater influence of the Islamists, and this is clearly not compatible with close relations with Israel. The Gaza flotilla incident is simply one significant point along a line that has been sloping downward for some time. Could it be that Turkey’s newest ally, Iran, has demanded that it break ties with Israel because Iran is unable to contemplate close relations with a country that counts Israel as one of its strategic friends? This is certainly not inconceivable.

Turkey’s behaviour in the Gaza flotilla affair, starting with its support for the flotilla through its demands of Israel for a formal apology, and now ending with its rejection of many of the conclusions of the Palmer Report risks alienating Turkey. Whereas it had the chance to try to seek a compromise solution, there now seems to be no way down from its current position. In downgrading its diplomatic relations with Israel, Turkey also risks damaging any relationship that it has with the USA and other European countries. This is not because these countries are so concerned about Turkey’s relations with Israel, but because it seems as though this decision pushes Turkey into the firm clutches of Iran.

Having recovered from being the “sick man of Europe”, a term attributed to the Ottoman Empire around the time of the First World War, Turkey has succeeded in achieving unparalleled economic and cultural development over the past twenty years. It has also suffered disappointment, particularly in connection with its efforts to be accepted for membership to the European Union. Any step, however, that takes it nearer to Iran and alienates it from the west will, in my estimation, be extremely damaging for Turkey in the longer term. It also makes Turkey a much less attractive friend for Israel. If Turkey continues to court Iran as a friend, Turkey is not an ally that Israel would wish to keep.

What Are Turkey’s Real Intentions? is a post from: The Israel Situation