It has been a totally crazy week work-wise (hence the light posting), and it's only going to get worse - I'm flying early tomorrow morning to the US for about a week and a half. Multiple destinations....
I still Tweet more often than I post....
Suspected 'Palestinian' hackers hacked into Israel's Channel 2 on Friday night. (The link goes to the video - I didn't post the video because it would play automatically and I did not see a way to disable that).
During the airing of a popular television show "Big Brother" on
Channel 2, the broadcast was briefly interrupted by a clip showing
images of terror attacks and threatening messages in Hebrew.
"Stay in your homes," begins the ominous text. "The story is not over...there is more to come."
At the bottom of the message reads in Arabic: "Al-Quds Intifada."
Al-Quds
intifada refers to the rash of terrorist violence Israel has experience
for some six months, seeing nearly 30 Israelis killed and dozens more
injured.
Earlier in the day, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) together with the IDF and Israel Police shut down an Islamic Jihad media channel in Ramallah, according to security forces.
The
move comes one day after the security-diplomatic cabinet approved a
decision to close Palestinian media outlets that incite to terrorism
against Israelis. The decision was taken following a spate of
Palestinian knife and firearm attacks around the country in recent days.
The Falastin Al-Yom outlet is a television broadcast station, which also uses social media networks to send out its content.
The
channel's manager, 34-year-old Faruk Aliat, from Bir Zeit, an Islamic
Jihad operative who has been in an Israeli prison in the past, was
arrested during the raid.
The move to shut down inciting media is long overdue.
The settlement was confirmed on Friday by Michael Elsner, a lawyer
for the plaintiffs, and a spokesman for Arab Bank. The terms were not
disclosed.
Elsner said the framework of the deal would be finalised over the next few months.
A trial had been scheduled to start on Monday to begin determining
how much the bank would have to pay the victims and their families.
The Jordan-based multinational lender was found liable by a US jury
in September 2014 for financing terrorism by transferring funds for
members of Hamas.
Approximately 500 US citizens had sued Arab Bank under the US
Anti-Terrorism Act, which permits US citizens to pursue claims arising
from international terrorism.
The plaintiffs included both victims of attacks carried out by Hamas and other groups, as well as family members of the victims.
At trial, lawyers for the plaintiffs said Arab Bank knowingly
maintained accounts for Hamas operatives and facilitated payments to
families of suicide bombers and those imprisoned or injured during a
Palestinian uprising beginning in 2000.
Arab Bank argued that it had followed proper screening procedures to
checked accounts and transactions against lists of designated terrorist
organisations.
Several other banks are facing similar claims in US courts under the
Anti-Terrorism Act, including Bank of China, Credit Lyonnais, HSBC and
Royal Bank of Scotland, among others.
The settlement, whose details were not disclosed, comes days before
the trial was set to enter its damages phase in federal court in
Brooklyn, according to the Associated Press.
In the trial, 300 victims of terrorism during the Second Intifada in
the early 2000s sued the bank, which was accused of helping Hamas
create a “death and dismemberment benefit plan” for dead terrorists. The
suit was first filed in 2004.
According to AP, the case was the first time a bank had been tried
under the Anti-Terrorism Act, which allows victims of attacks by United
States-designated terrorist organizations to seek damages.
'Death and dismemberment benefit plan.' Never heard that one before.
The Shejaia club from the Gaza Strip must pass through an Israeli border
crossing to reach the West Bank city of Hebron, where Sunday's game was
scheduled to be played, and to do so needs approval from Israel.
"It
became clear seven people, including four players were not on the list
and therefore, the entire mission can't leave Gaza without them," said
Ala Shammaly of the Shejaia media office.
Israel said the four
players needed to undergo special questioning, which was to have taken
place on Thursday, but the Palestinians did not show.
It offered
to let the rest of the team cross on Friday, the start of the weekend in
Israel, with the four to meet them on Sunday when it would again be
possible to conduct the questioning.
The Palestinian federation said the game was delayed until further notice.
In a series of tweets, COGAT, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, tells a far different story.
(1/6)Provocation by Jibril Rajoub:
Following the Palestinians request, we coordinate the crossing of 37 players from #Gaza to Judea&Samaria
In case you need to be reminded why 'Palestinian' soccer players might need to pass 'preliminary inquiries' before being allowed to move through Israel and into the 'West Bank,' herearesome reminders.
Evelyn Gordon reports that the Government of Israel continues to treat the southern part of the country with a NotInMyBackYard attitude. This article was received by email and was published in the JPost premium pages.
My
vote for most outrageous remark of the war goes to an unnamed senior IDF
officer who pooh-poohed southern residents’ anger at seeing rocket fire
from Gaza resume just two days after the army said they could safely go
home.
“It is possible now to be within those areas now just it was
possible during [Operation] Protective Edge to be in Tel Aviv and
Beersheba, even though there was firing,” he insisted.
“This is not a new situation for [southern] residents. They have
protected rooms, and with proper protection it is possible to live there
... These communities have been fired on for years and people did not
leave because of it.”
What makes this outrageous isn’t just the content, but the speaker:
A senior officer of the army charged with protecting Israel against
external threats has essentially declared that tens of thousands of
Israelis have no right to expect such protection. Instead, they must
continue living with daily rocket and mortar fire, playing Russian
roulette with their families’ lives and watching their children develop
post-traumatic stress disorder.
Moreover, an officer charged with protecting Israelis against
threats showed himself incapable even of identifying a threat. Comparing
the south to Tel Aviv is ludicrous. Tel Aviv suffered one or two
rockets a day during the month-long war and is rocket-free between wars.
The south has suffered one or two rockets a day for nine years straight
and dozens a day during wartime. Tel Aviv’s situation is indeed one
people can live with. The south’s isn’t.
True, southern residents “did not leave” despite being “fired on
for years,” but even heroes have breaking points. Southerners heroically
endured for nine years in the belief that eventually, the government
and army would restore security. The latest war shattered that belief.
First came the discovery that Hamas had dug dozens of cross-border
tunnels from Gaza that emerged near southern communities. Hams could
have used these tunnels to kidnap and kill hundreds of southerners, and
apparently intended
to do exactly that. Yet for years, despite knowing the tunnels existed,
the government and army did nothing about them, and even once the war
began, the cabinet, with full IDF backing, sought to end it before a
single tunnel had been demolished. Only when Hamas rejected a cease-fire
did the government order the tunnels destroyed. For southerners, the
message was clear: Neither the government nor the army had any interest
in protecting them; both were willing to abandon them to the tunnel
threat.
Then came the discovery that the tunnel network was far more
extensive than the IDF had thought. This intelligence failure left
southerners with little confidence in the army’s assertion that all
tunnels have now been destroyed, a concern they have voiced repeatedly.
Third was the army’s announcement two weeks ago that the war was
over and southerners could return home, only to have Hamas resume
shooting two days later. GOC Southern Command Sami Turgeman and Gaza
Division commander Mickey Edelstein at least apologized; Chief of Staff
Benny Gantz didn’t even do that. The lesson for southern residents was
twofold: Not only are the IDF’s assurances untrustworthy, but its top
officer doesn’t even care enough about their safety to feel guilty about
misleading them.
The result of all this is that residents of southern communities
are now openly questioning whether they should stay. During the war,
these communities turned into ghost towns, and a poll published last week found that 20% of residents are considering making this exodus permanent.
“As a parent, I’m struggling with a very big moral dilemma here,
and that dilemma is how much risk am I willing to expose my children
to,” one southerner explained, noting that the daily “drizzles” of
rockets and mortars “make our life unbearable.”
"The residents of the area are exhausted,” added another.
“We're frustrated that no long-term, strong, stable solution has been
reached. That's why the residents want to leave the community – because
of lack of confidence in the government, whose role is to provide us
with security.”
“It's impossible to raise children in an awful situation like this,” agreed a third.
Last Thursday, when 10,000 people – mainly southerners –
demonstrated in Tel Aviv to demand that the government finally restore
their security, Eshkol Regional Council head Haim Yellin put the issue
in a nutshell: “A sovereign state must protect the security of its
residents, even if they live in the periphery,” he declared.
The reason why ought to be obvious. The south isn’t “occupied
territory”; it’s sovereign Israel. If Israelis won’t even fight to
defend that, terrorists won’t stop at turning the south into a
wasteland; they’ll spare no effort to extend these tactics to the rest
of Israel. And the entire Arab world – even those parts that currently
oppose Hamas and Hezbollah – will support them, convinced that they’ve
finally found a recipe for Israel’s destruction.
Of course, the IDF isn’t primarily to blame for the senior
officer’s attitude: The army of a democratic state is supposed to
execute the government’s policies, and his remarks faithfully reflected
the policies of three successive prime ministers: Ariel Sharon, Ehud
Olmert and Binyamin Netanyahu.
Yet the IDF’s attitude also matters, because it constrains the government’s options. It’s no accident that, as Israel Hayom noted,
Gantz “was recently quoted as saying that every plan the IDF presented
to the cabinet was approved and nothing the military did not want to see
happen, happened” during the fighting in Gaza. Since the army prepares
the operational plans and trains soldiers to execute them, it’s
virtually impossible to assign it a mission senior officers oppose: They
can simply declare the goal unachievable, then make this a
self-fulfilling prophecy by failing to present viable plans or properly
prepare the troops.
Ordinary Israelis do seem to grasp the magnitude of the southern threat: In one poll
last month, fully 87% of respondents opposed a cease-fire, saying the
war should continue until Hamas is defeated. Unfortunately, our
political and military leadership has demonstrated no similar
understanding. And that means both must be replaced by people who do –
before it’s too late.
There was interview on Israel Radio after midnight last night with someone living in southern Israel. A large portion of the kids there have post traumatic stress disorder. Even grown-ups are afraid to get into the shower alone in case an alarm goes off. This is no way to live. Unless the government is willing to see our borders eroded (who will be next?), relying on the good graces of Hamas and Islamic Jihad not to shoot at us seems to beis insane.
Reports from Cairo indicate that there has been a breakthrough in the talks between Israel and the terror organizations. As of now, it appears that the current cease fire will be extended for 24 hours to allow the negotiations to conclude.
A Hamas official said that the Islamist group had agreed to prolong the cease-fire by another 24 hours so as to allow for more negotiations with Egyptian officials in Cairo. Israeli officials, meanwhile, are denying that an agreement is in place.
Palestinian News Agency Ma'an reported that the Israeli delegation had left Cairo and was set to return to Israel and present the cabinet with the cease-fire agreement to be approved.
The reported deal comes after significant progress was made in Egyptian-mediated cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas, according to Palestinian sources.
While there is no word regarding the nature of the discussions, a number of web sites affiliated with Islamic Jihad as well as independent Palestinian sources say that there has been greater movement by both sides toward a deal.
“There is optimism, and it seems as if the chances of reaching an agreement are better than they’ve ever been thus far,” said a Palestinian source currently in Cairo.
Sources in Cairo told the Ma’an news agency that the Egyptian government has presented a two-tiered plan – one security-oriented, and the other political – which includes a mechanism that could lead to a lifting of the siege on Gaza.
“A six-hour negotiating session today, as well as a nine-hour session on Sunday, led to agreement in a number of areas,” a Palestinian source is quoted as telling Ma’an.
There's a lot more to this story, but most of it seems to be unconfirmed rumors.
Meanwhile, sources close to the Palestinian delegation in Cairo told the Al Quds
newspaper Monday night that there has been a breakthrough in the talks
that may make it possible to extend the ceasefire even before it expires
at midnight tonight.
"The Egyptian mediator played an important role in the breakthrough,”
the sources said, “in refusing the new Israeli demands through which
Israel reinforced its objection to the Egyptian initiative.”
There has been no confirmation of this report from any other source.
The Al Mayadeen network reported, meanwhile, that the
Israeli delegation returned to Israel and that neither side is
interested in renewing the fighting, so the ceasefire that began
Thursday is expected to hold.
I wouldn't bet on it happening tonight, but maybe tomorrow it will. Or maybe not. As Yogi Berra used to say 'it ain't over 'til it's over.'
UPDATE 12:36 AM
Just to reconfirm, Israel Radio reported at Midnight that there is a 24-hour extension to the current cease fire during which they hope to work out a longer term deal. No one knows what the terms are. Nearly the entire JPost article (linked at the top of this post) is either speculation or 'Palestinian' claims not confirmed by Israel.
Breaking: 18 is the magic number - IAF retaliates and Israel withdraws delegation from Cairo
It took 18 rockets, but the IDF has retaliated for the Hamas and Islamic Jihad strikes at Israel this morning. Israel has also withdrawn its delegation from the Cairo talks.
Confirmed: Following renewed terrorist aggression against #Israel, #IDF carried out airstrikes against terrorist infrastructure in #Gaza
— Peter Lerner (@LTCPeterLerner) August 8, 2014
Senior government officials stated to Arutz Sheva Friday
that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe
Ya'alon had authorized the IDF to retaliate with force to a barrage of over 18 rockets on Israeli civilians Friday morning.
The report surfaces less than one hour after Palestinian media sources reported possible airstrikes in northern Gaza.
...
"The IDF remains alert and maintains a high level of
preparedness with both defensive capabilities, and striking capabilities
in order to address the renewed aggression," the IDF added, in a press
release. "The IDF is determined to defend the civilians of the state of
Israel."
A military spokeswoman told AFP that no Israeli soldiers entered Gaza to carry out the strikes.
There has been "no change on the ground," she said.
Senior government officials also added that the Israeli delegation to
Cairo has been recalled, and already landed in Israel as of 7:00 am
Friday morning.
The announcement, if true, surfaces after several ministers
called for an end to the negotiations, which Hamas and Islamic Jihad
have insisted would continue despite continuing to fire rockets on
Israel and despite rejecting an extension of a 72-hour ceasefire.
Oh well... Hamas denies agreeing to 72-hour cease fire
Earlier this afternoon, the 'Palestinian Authority's Yasser Abd Rabbo (one of the sponsors of the 'Geneva Initiative') announced that Hamas and Islamic Jihad would unilaterally cease fire for 24 hours and that if Israel went along it would be extended to 72 hours. The cease fire was to go into effect immediately.
"After extensive calls and consultations with the brothers in Hamas
and Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian leadership announces on behalf of
everyone the willingness for a ceasefire and humanitarian truce for 24
hours," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, Secretary General of the Palestine
Liberation Organisation.
"We call on all Arab and international parties to support this ...
and hold Israel fully responsible for the consequences of refusing it,"
he said, reading out a statement.
He added that "there is also a suggestion from the United Nations to
extend this truce for 72 hours and we are dealing positively with this
suggestion."
The Israeli media fell all over itself to take the 'offer' seriously.
Israeli Channel 2's veteran Arab affairs analyst Ehud
Yaari said that Abed Rabbo is "a serious person" and that an
announcement of this nature probably has substance behind it.
There was just one small catch....
There has been no cessation of the fire from Gaza into Israel and
from Israel into Gaza so far, however. The IDF has been targeting the
Rimal neighborhood of Gaza for the first time and telling residents of
the eastern side of Khan Younis to evacuate their homes.
However, Hamas spokespersons have denied these reports and said they do not agree with this announcement and that a cease-fire cannot exist when Israeli forces are inside Gaza.
Israel did not immediately respond to the remarks.
Let's just forget the cease fire talk (we've had three and Hamas violated every one - including yesterday's) and finish the job. We never know when we will have another opportunity like this.
Islamic Jihad spokesman: IDF soldiers use 'Palestinian' children's blood to bake bread
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Here's an Islamic Jihad spokesman claiming that the IDF uses 'Palestinian' children's blood to bake bread. Straight out of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
Let's go to the videotape.
The descent into classic anti-Semitism shows conclusively that this is not a dispute about land. It is long past time to admit that this is a religious war, and no 'peace agreement' is possible.
The IDF killed Salah Abu Hasnin on Friday, the spokesman for Islamic Jihad.
The IDF and Shin Bet struck the Rafah home of senior Islamic Jihad
member Salah Abu Hasnin on Friday morning. Hasnin, a member of Islamic
Jihad's supreme military council, was killed in the attack. Hasnin was
also the head of Islamic Jihad's spokesman division in Rafah.
Let's go to the videotape. More after the video.
The IDF has released a list of senior terrorists killed in the last 24 hours.
The IDF said on Friday morning that it killed or wounded 40 terrorists
in the past 24 hours. The names of eight Hamas and Islamic Jihad
terrorists killed were released in a statement by the IDF
Spokesperson's Office:
Haphet Mahmad Hemed was a Senior Islamic Jihad commander for the Beit
Hanoun area. He was responsible for the rocket fire toward Sderot that
lead up to Operation Protective Edge.
Hassin Abbad Elkhader Mahsin was a senior Islamic Jihad commander for the Sajaiya area.
Ahram Sha'er was a senior Islamic Jihad commander for the Khan Yunis
area. Born in 1973, he was involved with executing terror attacks and
rockets fired at Israel.
Mahmoud Ziada was a senior Islamic Jihad commander in the Jabaliya area,
responsible for building up rocket supplies and took part in
anti-Israel fighting and rocket attacks toward Israel.
Osama Alhiya was a Hamas commander in the Sajaiya area. He was the son
of Halil Alhiya, a senior official in Hamas' national assembly.
Muhammad Shabban was a senior commander in Hamas' naval forces
Ahmed Sahmud was a commander in Commander in Khan Yunis.
They may not have homes to which to return but Ismail Haniyeh and his friends are still trying to set conditions for a 'cease fire' - ten of them in fact in return for ten years of quiet (they might ever...) - rather than just accepting one unconditionally (link in Hebrew).
1. Israel to move its tanks away from the border and allow 'Palestinian' farmers to work land along the 'security fence.'
2. Free all terrorists arrested after the kidnapping and murder of Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach HY"D (May God Avenge their blood), including those released as part of the terrorists for Gilad (Shalit) deal, and ease up on the conditions of 'Palestinian' terrorists in Israeli prisons, including Jerusalem residents and 'Israeli Arabs.'
3. Open the borders of Gaza and allow goods and materials to pass freely, including building materials (used to build bunkers and rockets) and anything necessary to operate Gaza's power plant.
4. Establish a seaport and an airport (they used to have one until Israel had to destroy it at the beginning of the intifadeh) under the supervision of the United Nations.
5. Widen the fishing zone to 10 kilometers from the shore, and allow the use of larger boats to transport goods.
6. Turn the Rafah border crossing into an international crossing to be operated by the United Nations and friendly Arab nations (CiJ comment - Presumably not including Egypt. This is not within Israel's power to decide).
7. International monitors to monitor borders and Israel is forbidden to overfly Gaza. (You mean like EUBAM was in control and fled?).
8. Ease the granting of approvals to pray at al-Aqsa mosque (the Temple Mount) in Jerusalem.
9. Refrain from interfering in the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation.
10. Re-establishment of industrial zones (to replace what they destroyed) and improvement of development conditions in the Gaza Strip.
In the meantime, Hamas has announced that it has developed a new rocket, the Ahmed Yassin. No, it doesn't blow up sitting in a wheelchair. Hamas claims it has a range of 180 kilometers and that it carries a particularly large payload.
Peace is at hand!
UPDATE 2:48 PM
JPost and Arutz Sheva now reporting this story, as is Channel 2 television. JPost is reporting that the proposal was presented on al-Jazeera Arabic by Azmi Bishara. Bishara, who fled Israel and now lives in Qatar, suggests that Turkey and Qatar would be better mediators than Egypt, which he claims has too many shared interests with Israel.
How is it that the Mossad has not knocked off Bishara yet? Hmmm.
17-year old seriously injured by rocket fire in Ashkelon
Unfortunately, eventually, a rocket is likely to hit something. A 17-year old was seriously injured and a 60-year old was lightly injured by a rocket in Ashkelon on Sunday. Both were evacuated to the city's Barzilai Hospital.
A 17 year old boy has been seriously injured during the last volley
of rockets fired on the city of Ashkelon, according to multiple sources,
along with a 60 year-old man who suffered light injuries.
Both have been transferred to Barzilai Hospital for immediate medical treatment.
Islamic Jihad, not Hamas, has accepted responsibility for the rocket fire.
Simon Logesi, head of Ashkelon Branch of Ichud Hatzalah, spoke to Arutz Sheva about the injured teen.
"This is a rocket which landed near a building," he said. "The boy was hit by shrapnel."
"Following first aid, the boy received medical treatment by Hatzalah
medics on the scene, and was brought to Barzilai Hospital were he is in
serious condition," he added.
Both Logesi and Ashkelon mayor Itamar Shimoni encouraged all
civilians to follow Home Front Command (HFC) instructions during a
siren, and immediately go to protected areas and shelters in the event
of an alarm.
But keep saying the rockets are harmless, 'international community.' If only it were so.
Israel denies Islamic Jihad cease fire claim, continues to pound empty buildings
Israel is denying claims by Islamic Jihad that a 'cease fire' has been reached, and is continuing to pound empty buildings in Gaza.
The Air Force hit several terror targets in Gaza on Thursday afternoon, following a wave of rocket attacks
on southern Israel on Thursday morning. Israel denied Gaza terrorists'
claims that a ceasefire had been successfully negotiated.
IAF commanders reported that all warplanes involved had returned safely to their bases.
...
At the same time that the IAF announced it had carried out further
strikes, Islamic Jihad declared a ceasefire. A spokesman for the
terrorist group told AFP, “An Egyptian-brokered truce went into effect
at 2 p.m.”
However, Israel denied this claim. Israeli sources said only that "quiet will be answered with quiet."
'Terror targets' means the buildings and bases which the terrorists use, which are abandoned by the time the IAF shows up (unless they catch someone firing, which does happen from time to time). It's only civilians that the terrorists leave behind when they expect an attack.
I hope that the IAF at least got this contraption:
More than 60 rockets were fired at Israel on Wednesday, and there were at least another four on Thursday mornign. The IDF struck back... by hitting empty buildings.
The IDF responded to the attacks Wednesday evening, hitting two terror
locations in the northern and southern Gaza Strip with artillery fire. A
short time later, IDF aircraft struck more than 29 terror sites in
Gaza.
Yes, of course the terrorists know what's coming and those buildings were abandoned.
Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad released a video on Thursday morning that warns of deaths and kidnappings of Israelis if the IDF invades Gaza.
"Al-Quds Brigades is ready for your invasion and if you come there
will be no other option than for you to die or become prisoners," the
anonymous jihadist, laden in head-to-toe black, read from a piece of
paper.
"You wont ever have security in 'our' country. Don't
sacrifice your life for your leaders. We are inviting you to get out of
our country and search for a new country," he added.
...
“You haven’t yet seen the extent of our capabilities,” the al-Quds
spokesman said, additionally threatening longer-range projectile strikes
on Israel if the IDF retaliated.
But John Kerry keeps telling us that 'peace' is at hand. What could go wrong?
The footage, which was posted on a Hamas-linked Facebook page, shows
the challenges often faced by the Israeli military in responding to such
attacks whilst avoiding civilian casualties.
It illustrates what Israeli officials, including Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu, have often referred to as a "double war-crime": the
firing of rockets against Israeli civilians, whilst using the
Palestinian Arab civilian population in Gaza as cover, and in the hope
that any Israeli response will draw condemnation for striking a civilian
area.
Asymmetric warfare at its best.
By the way, if the fight is only being picked by Islamic Jihad, why was this posted to a Hamas Facebook page?
The IDF has sent tanks into Gaza over the past several minutes, and
have already eliminated two terror targets, in response to the barrage
of rocket fire on Israel.
At least 60 rockets slammed into southern Israel on Wednesday, hitting several Jewish communities.
Several were stopped by the Iron Dome; no injuries have been
reported. Thousands of Negev residents remain in shelters Wednesday
evening, however, until the attacks have subsided.
Here we go? 50-55 rockets fired by Islamic Jihad, IDF preparing ground response
2014 is not continuing the 'no rockets' of 2013. In less than the last hour, Islamic Jihad has fired 50-55 rockets into southern Israel, and the IDF is preparing ground troops to respond.
IDF Radio is reporting that between 50 and 55 rockets have
landed in Israel so far, after initial reports put the number at closer
to 25. Of those, at least five were launched at Sderot; the Iron Dome
has stopped some of them from making an impact on Israeli soil,
according to the latest updates.
No injuries have been reported.
The Islamic Jihad terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack, in response to IAF airstrikes in Gaza on
Tuesday, which killed three Islamic Jihad terrorists. Those airstrikes
were themselves a response to an attempted mortar attack on IDF forces
by the terrorist squad.
"The Al-Quds Brigades responded to [Israeli] aggression with a volley
of rockets," read a statement released by the Iranian-backed group.
At least of one of the communities near Gaza has reported damage from
the rocket fire, according to the latest news reports, though it has
not been confirmed which one.
Residents are being advised to stay in protective shelters until
further updates warrant; the Israeli Police has raised the alert level
throughout the Negev in response to the rocket fire.
IAF helicopters are patrolling the skies near Gaza now, as "security
forces and the IDF are weighing the appropriate response," according to Walla! News.
The big show won't be until Monday, when the government hopes to bring most of the foreign diplomats in the country to Eilat, but the IDF has already posted its final inventory of the weapons discovered on the Klos-C - the Iranian weapons ship that was intercepted off the coast of Sudan this past week.
After detailed analysis carried out by the Engineering Corps, the IDF
found 40 M-302 rockets, with a range of between 90 to 160 kilometers,
hidden in crates.
The Klos C also carried 180 120mm. mortar shells and some 400,000 7.62mm. bullets.
“These
are advanced weapons that were intended to threaten the security of
millions of Israeli civilians. The IDF will continue in its mission to
prevent arms smuggling across the Middle East to various terrorist
organizations, under Iranian cover and funding,” the military said in a
statement.
Before being intercepted,
the ship was heading for Port Sudan, where the Iranian Quds Force had
planned to pick up the rockets and move them overland via Egypt and
into Gaza through smuggling tunnels, the IDF determined.
We all know that Muslims have no sense of humor, particularly when it comes to cartoons mocking them. The cartoon above was drawn by a woman named Majedah Shaheen. Some of you might figure out that the man in the cartoon is Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas (admittedly it does like very slightly like Mohammed Morsy of Egypt). Unless you read Arabic, you probably don't realize that the dog is meant to be Islamic Jihad's al-Quds brigades. Haniyeh is trying to get al-Quds under control. Neither side was amused and Shaheen has been threatened with death by those nice men with the masks over their heads.
The cartoon by Majedah Shaheen depicts Hamas Prime Minister Ismail
Haniyeh asking his dog to “calm down.” The dog represents the Al-Quds
Battalions.
Following strong condemnations and threats, Shaheen published an apology on her Facebook account.
“I wish to apologize for the cartoon I published about Hamas and the
Al-Quds Battalions,” she wrote. “My intention was to relay a message in a
clear and firm manner. But there are many who prefer to deal with the
issue in an artificial manner instead of making an attempt to understand
the idea behind it.”
The apology has failed to calm many Palestinians, who posted abusive
comments against her on Facebook, denouncing her has a “Zionist agent,”
“traitor” and “prostitute.”
But just give them a 'state' and they'll learn to take things in stride...
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu promised a terror victim's family,
through a telephone call from Jordana Cutler of his office, that he
would allow former government agent Uzi Shaya to testify against the Bank of China in a major US terror financing case, according to a response filed by the family's lawyers on Tuesday.
The
response said that the telephone call was from Cutler in Israel to the
parents of terror victim Daniel Wulz in Florida in April 1, 2012.
Also, on May 14, 2012, then Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren
called US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to confirm that Shaya would
testify - all of this after Ros-Lehtinen had personally delivered
Netanyahu a letter from the Wultz family in March 2012, said the
response.
...
Shaya's testimony was planned to be a major part of the terror victims families' case against the bank.
More
specifically, he was due to testify about Israeli warnings to China
that the bank was being used to fund attacks on civilians in Israel.
...
The Wultz's also discussed personal communications in which they say
they were encouraged to pursue the case by senior Israeli government and
intelligence officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
former Mossad chief Meir Dagan, former National Security Council head
Yaacov Amidror and Shaya himself.
In addition, the response says
that the government actively participated in preparing Shaya to be
deposed in the case, including by arranging a face-to-face meeting
between Daniel Wultz's father, Yekutiel (Tuly) Wultz, and Shaya.
It
continued stating that the government directed Shaya to "review
government files, instructed Shaya to meet with senior government
lawyers, and prepared a letter that set the government's ground rules
for Shaya’s testimony."
Further, the response says that the
government provided the Wultzes bank account numbers and details about
how money was being laundered for Palestinian terrorists through the
bank.
Most importantly, says the response, the government
disclosed "the content of discussions between Israeli officials and
officials of the People’s Republic of China" which made filing the case
possible.
In related developments, Shurat Hadin, an NGO
representing 22 families of victims in a parallel case, demanded the
depositions of Israeli Ambassador to China Matan Vil'nai and Amidror.
The brief filed Tuesday by David Boies, lead attorney for the
Wultzes, states "the State of Israel should not be allowed to sabotage a
case, which it set in motion in the courts of the United States to
advance its own national agenda, by using the expansive pretense of
national security – an interest that it has never previously raised
during the five-year pendency of this lawsuit, or in any similar case."
Much more than that, Mr. Boies (whose name I recognize from my days practicing law in New York in the 80's and early 90's). The State of Israel should not be trying to block victims of terror attacks in Israel from seeking justice through American courts whether or not the State of Israel had a role in setting the case in motion. We're just plain taking the wrong side in this case. And it's shameful. Downright shameful.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
