Israel Matzav

Monday, July 04, 2016

Some Ugandans are unhappy about Netanyahu's visit

You can't please all of the people all of the time.

Let's go to the videotape.

VIDEO: FDC's Kaija, "that kind of celebration should have been in Jerusalem, not here..." #NetanyahuinUganda pic.twitter.com/Tx32YidMF6
— NBS Television (@nbstv) July 4, 2016

#NetanyahuInUganda

Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Entebbe

Video: Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech for the 40th anniversary of the Entebbe rescue

Here's Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking at the Entebbe Airport today. Part of the speech is in Hebrew, and since this was posted by the Ugandan television network NBS, there is no English translation. I apologize but I don't have the time to write a translation.

Let's go to the videotape.

Ugandan President Musevani's speech was in English - long and rambling and spending way too much time on the 'Palestinians' - and it may be found here.

Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Entebbe, Yitzchak Rabin, Yoni Netanyahu

Incredible: Memorial to Yoni Netanyahu in Entebbe

Prime Minister Netanyahu is currently speaking at Entebbe Airport in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Entebbe Airport rescue which was led by his brother Yoni 40 years ago today. Below is the memorial to Yoni Netanyahu which (incredibly) now stands at Entebbe Airport on the site of the old terminal.

A photo posted by Barak Raz (@barakraz82) on Jul 4, 2016 at 3:45am PDT

You can watch Netanyahu's speech live here.

Labels: Air France, Binyamin Netanyahu, Entebbe, IDF, Raid on Entebbe, Yoni Netanyahu

Friday, July 06, 2012

Soccer Dad's Middle East Media Sampler

Here's Soccer Dad's Middle East Media Sampler for Friday, July 8.

1) Phony PoLOnium

The efforts to explain the "news" that Israel killed Yasser Arafat continues.

The Washington Post helps out with As Arafat polonium mystery swirls, a look at the radioactive element’s deadly properties by the AP. This is a disgraceful piece of work filled with innuendo.
While it informs the reader of what Polonium is and how it kills, it never ties Israel to killing Arafat, except by implication.
"That category includes Russia — producer of the polonium believed to have killed Litvinenko — and Arafat’s foe, Israel."
"Israeli author Michal Karpin has claimed that the cancer deaths of several Israeli scientists were the result of a leak at the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1957. "
"But he says it would still be much higher than normal background levels, and with an autopsy it should be possible to tell “with a pretty high confidence” whether Arafat had polonium in his body when he died."
In addition a couple of contradictory points were glossed over.
"The symptoms shown by Litvinenko — nausea, hair loss, throat swelling and pallor — are also typical. "
As the photograph here shows, Arafat, at the end of his life, had a beard and a ruddy complexion.
"Scientists caution that traces on Arafat’s clothing aren’t sufficient proof of poisoning. Exhuming his body would a surer method. Derek Hill, a radiological science expert at University College London, said eight years after Arafat’s death in 2004, any polonium would have decayed and would be far less radioactive than it was at the time."
This would make sense if the polonium readings from his clothing were low; but they weren't. They were unusually high.

Elder of Ziyon did some calculations:
The authors note that 1 GBq will kill a man in a month. They then note that this amount would yield about 1.4 mBq in the urine after some 20 half-lives of decay, in February 2012.
And then they say that they measured 180 mBq in February, over a hundred times more!
But doesn't that mean that Arafat ("Mr. Louvet" in the report) would have ingested over 100 Gbq of polonium in 2004 - 100 times the dosage that kills within a month? If so, how did he survive as long as he did after he took ill?
Dr. Ely Karmon, an expert, came to the same conclusion and concluded that the polonium was planted:
“If it had been used for poisoning, minimal levels should be seen now. Yet much higher levels were found. Someone planted the polonium much later,” Karmon said.
“Because of the half-life of the substance, the conclusion is that the polonium is much more fresh,” he added.
Karmon added that the Al Jazeera report raised additional unanswered questions. Referring to the fact that Arafat’s widow, Suha, provided the researchers with Arafat’s belongings, Karmon asked: “If Suha Arafat safeguarded these contaminated materials, why, after seven years, was she not poisoned too? She touched these things and Arafat in hospital.”
Somewhat better is Inside the Arafat Assassination Conspiracies by Harvey Morris at the New York Times website. At least Morris acknowledged the existence of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories prevalent among Palestinians. (Not all of them, that would have taken too long. But Palestinian Media Watch has a comprehensive list.)

Unfortunately Morris ruins his essay by asserting:
Israel’s Jerusalem Post came up with its own conspiracy theory this week, claiming Mr. Abu Sharif’s contributions to the poisoning debate were part of an attempt to pin blame on Israel and divert any possible link to Mahmoud Abbas, Mr. Arafat’s successor as president of the Palestinian Authority.
That's not a conspiracy theory. That was reported by the Jerusalem Post nearly three years ago. A few weeks after Farouq al-Qadoumi accused Mahmoud Abbas of conspiring with Israel to kill Arafat, Bassam abu-Sharif proposed a commission to establish that Israel was guilty of Arafat's death:
The sixth General Assembly of Fatah unanimously adopted a proposal on Thursday calling for the establishment of a committee to investigate the death of Arafat. The panel will abide by the following guidelines: Israel bears full responsibility for Arafat’s death, the issue continues to remain open, and the investigation will enlist international support.
One Foreign Ministry official quipped that if the convention already determined that Israel was guilty, what exactly was it going to investigate? The proposal was raised by Bassam Abu Sharif, Arafat’s former political adviser, and was motivated both by demands from a number of Fatah delegates at the gathering, and by estranged PLO leader Farouk Kaddoumi, who in an interview in mid-July claimed he possessed a document proving Arafat’s death was the result of an Israeli-Palestinian conspiracy….
The ubiquity of unfounded conspiracy theories is a hallmark of the Palestinian political culture. Even if Morris were correct that the Jerusalem Post's assertion was such a "theory," it hardly matches the scope of what is disseminated officially and unofficially in the Palestinian Authority. Unfortunately, people in media tend to treat the paranoia cavalierly rather than as a problem to be exposed and challenged.

One final note: yesterday I observed that there was supposed to be a second test of Arafat's personal effects. Given that the results were not reported, I speculated that it might have been because the test showed too little radiation, so the results were quashed. That speculation isn't consistent with the evidence reported. However, I still wonder if a second test was ever administered.

2) Freedom of expression

France 24 reports Arab countries withdraw prize reward for novelist who visited Israel:
Boualem Sansal had been due to receive the Editions Gallimard Arabic Novel prize for his book “Rue Darwin” [Darwin Street] earlier in June.
A15,000-euro cheque was to be given by the Paris-based Arab Ambassador’s Council, which founded the award in 2008.
But between being nominated and being awarded his prize, Sansal attended the Jerusalem Writers Festival in May – as guest of honour.
JoshuaPundit notes a contrast and what it means:
Sansal may not think he's at war with Israel, but the Arab leaders certainly do. And they act accordingly.They do it for one reason...because of what it says about Jews in the Qu'ran and Hadiths. And there's no getting away from it.
Contrast this with the attitude of the Israelis, who had no problem cordially inviting a prominent Arab writer to come to Israel as the guest of honor to a literary festival in their capitol.
That's the key to the Middle East situation in a nutshell..not 'land for peace', not 'settlements' or the so-called occupation, but the widespread Islamic hatred of Jews and the very fact Israel exists at all.
Is the Arab Spring a harbinger of greater openness? Not if Tunisia is an example, as Barry Rubin reports:
The much-touted, Islamist-led coalition government in Tunisia is showing how little has changed. It is imposing the regime’s power on the media, choosing loyal editors and censoring the news. The liberal and independent National Authority for the Reform of Media and Communications (INRIC) is so disgusted that it’s closing down.
Leaders of the INRIC openly accuse the government of trying to control the media ensuring that it spreads the government’s message, ideology, and misinformation. In fact, the Independent Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HAICA) is supposed to appoint editors. The INRIC also points out that the government is not implementing previous decrees to protect journalists.
The Islamist, Ennahada party which leads the government is the main offender. Reporters without Borders has also complained about the censorship and takeover of the media.
3) Other than being Jewish, what do Weiss, Blumenthal, Silverstein, Rosenberg, Beinart and Friedman have in common?

Ben Cohen answers in Attacking Israel Online:
But Rosenberg, Weiss, and Beinart take a different view of their place in the media conversation. They believe themselves to be fearless truth-tellers who actively resist a censorious tribal culture that bulldozes any hint of discord. Rosenberg offered a pithy insight into this in an April 2012 opinion piece for the website of Al Jazeera. After claiming that pro-Israel advocacy organizations were hindering efforts to secure a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, he concluded with an exhortation. “Being pro-Israel means caring about Israel,” wrote Rosenberg, whose career has been built on the fact that he briefly worked for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee three decades ago. “It does not mean using it as an excuse for power brokering and suppressing dissident voices.”
Dissident voices? Properly understood, the word dissident describes intellectuals and activists operating in oppressive societies. What they do frequently results in imprisonment, torture, and even death. The dissidents of whom Rosenberg speaks so modestly, since they include himself, are not silenced, but rather celebrated, by media establishments ranging from the Huffington Post to the BBC.
The persistent inclusion of these “dissident voices” in discussions of America, Jews, and Israel has proven very useful indeed, since their membership in the tribe is deemed to give them special standing in presenting their indictment of Israel—and, somewhat more subtly, inoculates Gentile critics of the Jewish state against the charge that their attacks on Israel might be anti-Semitic. How can they be if they are merely echoing the arguments made by such passionate, such moral, such fearless, such dissident Jews?
One man's "dissident voices" are another man's useful idiots.

4) The C-130 pilot

Joshua Shani piloted the led plane - a C-130 Hercules transport - in the Entebbe rescue mission, this week in 1976. The IDF blog interviewed him in honor of the anniversary of the miraculous rescue. Here are some highlights:
The flight to Entebbe is about 2,500 miles (4,000 km). How’d you do it?

We had to fly very close to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, over the Gulf of Suez. We weren’t afraid of violating anyone’s air space — it’s an international air route. The problem was that they might pick us up on radar. We flew really low — 100 feet above the water, a formation of four planes. The main element was surprise. All it takes is one truck to block a runway, and that’s all. The operation would be over. Therefore, secrecy was critical. At some places that were particularly dangerous, we flew at an altitude of 35 feet. I recall the altimeter reading. Trust me, this is scary! In this situation, you cannot fly close formation. As flight leader, I didn’t know if I still had planes 2, 3 and 4 behind me because there was total radio silence. You can’t see behind you in a C-130. Luckily, they were smart, so from time to time they would show themselves to me and then go back to their place in the formation, so I still knew I had my formation with me.
...
How were you greeted in Israel?

The plane with the hostages landed at Ben-Gurion Airport, where they were reunited with their families. The other three planes remained for a debrief. Here comes Yitzhak Rabin, prime minister of Israel, walking up to me. I had been in my flight suit for 24 hours straight, in temperatures over 100 degrees in the airplane, sweating and smelly, and here walks the prime minister with big open arms. I’m thinking — please don’t hug me — he may die from this! He hugged me for what felt like a full minute, and said only “Thanks.”

What was it like returning to Israel as a hero?

After my father’s death, I found his letters from Bergen-Belsen that he sent to Kibbutz Mishmar Haemek. The letters describe his experiences during the Holocaust, what happened to his family, etc. I won’t discuss it here. One of his letters said, “My only comfort is Joshua. He gives me reason to continue.”
The reason I mention this letter is because, 30 years later, when I returned from Entebbe, my father hosted a party for me. Family and friends were all there to celebrate the success of my mission. My father was in a great mood. I know what he was thinking, a Holocaust survivor. His son at the time was a lieutenant colonel in the Israel Air Force and had just flown thousands of miles in order to save Jews. It probably added ten years to his life.

Labels: Arab spring, blood libel, Entebbe, freedom of speech, Jewish anti-Semitism, Middle East Media Sampler, Soccer Dad, Yasser Arafat

Monday, July 04, 2011

Entebbe's message 35 years later: Leave no man behind

I was sent this article by email in honor of July 4, the 35th anniversary of the raid on Entebbe.

ENTEBBE’S MESSAGE 35 YEARS LATER: LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND

By Doron Almog

Thirty-five years ago today (July 4, 1976), an Air France flight was hijacked and diverted to Entebbe Airport in Uganda. Shortly after landing, all of the non-Jewish passengers were released and the remaining Jewish passengers were held hostage. One week after the hijacking, I commanded the first task force to land in Entebbe as part of a daring mission that freed 105 hostages.

Faced with immense challenges, we pulled off a thrilling (yet bittersweet) victory. At the time, we saw the feat as an illustration of the strength and vitality of the Israeli army and the Jewish spirit. Upon reflection (so many years later), it is clear that it also highlighted the importance of standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

It should be noted that my participation in Entebbe was voluntary. After my brother, Eran, was killed in the Yom Kippur war (he was injured in the Golan Heights and bled to death after sitting untreated for seven days), I was given the choice of leaving my combat unit as a bereaved soldier. However, I chose to remain in the military in order to change the ethos of the IDF and make absolutely sure that no soldier would ever be left behind again.

It was this philosophy that drove me to participate in the Entebbe raid and numerous other military operations throughout my career and, ultimately, set the stage for the next phase of my adult life.

After our son was born – and we named him Eran after my late brother – he was diagnosed with severe physical and cognitive disabilities. In an instant, my world was turned upside down. At first, I had a very hard time coming to terms with the fact that my beloved son would never speak or hold down a job, and would always be dependent on others to provide his every need. But my "no man left behind" philosophy prevailed, and I found the strength to be the father that Eran needed me to be.

In fact, my time with Eran allowed me to develop my philosophy even further, and I became committed to changing the way society views the disabled. I realized that it is not enough to make sure that these wonderful children don't get left behind. We must ensure that they are given every opportunity to excel and reach their greatest potentials.

For the Entebbe raid, our IDF battalions travelled 2,500 miles to fight for those who could not fight for themselves. It is time for us to harness that bravery, resolve and dedication to our fellow men, to turn our sights inward and focus on the urgent rescue missions in our own neighborhoods. These "hostages" are in very real danger every day of their lives and are often abandoned. They are the weakest members of our society and are completely dependent on the kindness of others. We don't need to launch a complex tactical mission to set them free. We simply need to wrap them in love and help them integrate into our social fabric.

Make no mistake: our commitment to care for the disabled members of society remains immeasurably more difficult than any military campaign I have ever led. But we must stand up and fight to provide them with the care that they deserve. Because, in the end, our generation will be judged by how well we complete this mission.

Major General (Res.) Doron Almog is the founder and Chairman of Aleh Negev – Nahalat Eran, a village named in memory of his son, that provides a continuum of residential care for children with severe disabilities as they grow from adolescents into young adults. Learn more about Aleh at www.aleh.org.

Labels: disabled persons, Doron Almog, Entebbe

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Israel's role in getting Bin Laden

I am going to guess that Israel played some roles in getting Bin Laden about which we do not know and may never know. But here's one role we do know about: The role of the IDF's 1976 Entebbe operation in shaping the strategic thinking of US Vice Admiral William McRaven, the commander of the Bin Laden operation.

In the mid-1990s, William McRaven, then a U.S. Navy SEAL, wrote a book about commando operations. Entitled "Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice" (Presidio Press), the book featured six case studies. One chapter was devoted to Entebbe, beginning with the lessons learned in the Israel Defense Forces as a whole, and in the Sayeret Matkal special operations unit in particular, after the failure to save the lives of 25 hostages in Ma'alot two years earlier. It included a discussion of Israeli intelligence gathering, decision-making processes, creation of the command and control system, personnel conflicts and the actual rescue operation in Entebbe Airport in Uganda, on July 4, 1976.

One of the slides McRaven subsequently used in lectures was a drawing of the old terminal building there, a sort of elderly relative of the intricate mock-up that McRaven - who is now relinquishing control of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in order to be promoted - used for preparing for last week's targeted raid on Osama bin Laden.

...

In recent years there has hardly been an Israeli chief of staff, branch commander or senior officer who has visited the Special Forces bases in North Carolina and Florida who has not engaged with McRaven and his brothers-in-arms. American officials have come here as well, among them CIA chief Leon Panetta, who visited Israel about three months ago, was hosted by Mossad head Tamir Pardo, and participated in a farewell meeting with outgoing Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.

A few weeks ago McRaven was about to complete his tour of duty and prepare for his promotion to four-star head of the U.S. Special Operations Command, where he will preside over JSOC, the army, navy, Marines, air force and Special Forces. McRaven will be the second consecutive naval commando man in this position, following the current SOCOM chief, Adm. Eric Olson. From the reports on McRaven's involvement in the final stages of the bin Laden operation, it appears that the changeover was delayed until the mission was accomplished.

Olson, McRaven and the fighters who pulled the trigger at Abbottabad are all Navy SEALs, even though the only "naval" part of the operation was at the end: the burial at sea.

Read the whole thing.

Labels: Entebbe, Osama Bin Laden, US Navy Seals

Friday, March 25, 2011

Elizabeth Taylor offered to be exchanged for Entebbe hostages

I'm sure most of you know already that Elizabeth Taylor passed away this week, and many of you may even know that she was pro-Israel, but how many of you knew this?

Elizabeth Taylor Offered to Be Hostage, Dinitz Discloses
June 16, 1977
LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Movie actress Elizabeth Taylor offered herself as a hostage for the more than 100 Air France hijack victims held by terrorists at Entebbe Airport in Uganda during the tense days before the Israeli rescue raid last July 4. That disclosure was made here by Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Simcha Dinitz, at a Jewish National Fund gala honoring Ms. Taylor and her husband, John W. Warner, for their devotion to the land reclamation work of the JNF and other humanitarian causes.

Hmmm.

Labels: Elizabeth Taylor, Entebbe