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In-Depth Issues:
Netanyahu: We Are Dismantling Terrorist Armies on Our Borders ( Prime Minister's Office)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday:
"We are dismantling the axis of evil that we face, with calculated blows. No longer will terrorist armies be on our borders."
"Hamas will no longer rule in Gaza and Hizbullah will not sit on our northern border, at positions a few meters from our border, from which it could invade. This will not happen anymore."
"We are also severing Iran's weapons pipelines to Hizbullah."
"In Lebanon...the agreements, documents, proposals and numbers - 1701, 1559 - with all due respect, are not the main point."
"The main point is our ability and determination to enforce security, thwart attacks against us, and act against the arming of our enemies, as necessary, and despite any pressure and constraints."
"Regarding Iran, we struck its soft underbelly. The haughty words of the Iranian regime's leaders cannot cover up the fact that in Iran today, Israel has greater freedom of action than ever before. We can go anywhere that we need to in Iran."
Israel to Expand Ground Operations in Lebanon If There Is No Ceasefire Deal ( Naharnet-Lebanon)
The Israeli army will expand ground operations and airstrikes deeper into Lebanon to clear Hizbullah's second line of defense if there is no ceasefire deal soon, Israel's Channel 12 reported Tuesday.
Moreover, Israel will not allow Lebanese residents to return to border-area towns as long as northern Israel residents are not back, the report added.
Hizbullah Rocket Fire Increasingly Targets Arab and Druze Communities - Seth J. Frantzman ( Jerusalem Post)
Hizbullah rocket fire wounded 19 people in the Israeli Arab town of Tira on Nov. 2.
In July, 12 children and teenagers were killed by a rocket that struck a soccer field in Majdal Shams.
On Oct. 31, Mina and Carmi Hasson from Shfaram were killed by rockets as the mother and son were out harvesting olives with their family.
On Oct. 29, Mohammed Naim was killed by Hizbullah rocket fire in Ma'alot-Tarshiha.
On Oct. 27, 3 people were injured in their homes during a rocket strike in the town of Tamra.
On Oct. 25, two people were killed and seven wounded in rocket fire that struck Majd al-Krum.
See also Of 34 Israeli Civilians Killed by Hizbullah Rockets, 19 Were from the Arab Community - Deiaa Haj Yahia ( Ha'aretz)
Terrorist Sentenced to Life for Synagogue Bombing Now Teaches at Canadian University - Mathilda Heller ( Jerusalem Post)
Dr. Hassan Diab, a Lebanese terrorist, was convicted by a French court over his involvement in a 1980 bombing that killed four Jews and injured 46 people outside the Rue Copernic synagogue in Paris.
Diab fled to Canada, was arrested in 2008, and was extradited to France in 2014. After two years in prison, a judge allowed him to be released to house arrest and he escaped to Canada on the same day.
The French court unanimously ruled that Diab was guilty and he was sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia.
Despite on international arrest warrant against him, Diab is a professor of sociology at Carleton University in Ottawa and will be teaching a course this year on "social justice in action."
Poland's New Envoy to Israel Rejects Gaza Genocide Claims - Lazar Berman ( Times of Israel)
Maciej Hunia, Poland's chief of mission in Israel, said in an interview Wednesday, "The entire democratic world should - must - support Israel in its fight against terrorists."
Hunia, a former top intelligence official, also rejects accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
"Genocide is a crime committed with willingness to commit it," he said. "I'm absolutely sure that the Israeli army is not planning out operations which are going to kill innocent people."
Gaza War Impacts Palestinian Arabs in West Bank - Omar Abdel-Baqui ( Wall Street Journal)
The fallout from more than a year of war in Gaza is increasingly threatening the local economy in the West Bank.
Production costs are up and exports have dropped. Rising unemployment is hurting local consumers. Tourism is down sharply.
The West Bank economy was relatively stable before the fighting in Gaza began last year. Israeli and Jordanian ports served as gateways to the world for Palestinian businesses. Tourism to historic sites in Bethlehem and Jericho generated revenue.
More than 100,000 Palestinians entered Israel legally for work, and relatively low unemployment kept West Bank residents spending.
All that changed after the Hamas-led attack. Israel has tightened restrictions on movement in the West Bank and canceled permits for Palestinians who worked legally in Israel.
German Arms Exports to Israel Up Sharply - Assaf Uni ( Globes)
Contrary to reports that Germany has imposed an arms embargo on Israel, data from the German Foreign Ministry show that since the beginning of August, Germany has approved defense exports to Israel worth $102 million.
AP Falsely Claims Palestinian "Right of Return" Backed by International Law - Dr. Alex Safian ( CAMERA)
An Oct. 29 AP article by Joseph Krauss claims that Palestinian refugees and their descendants "should be allowed to exercise their right under international law to return home."
An Oct. 31 AP article by Baraa Anwer invented: "International law gives Palestinian refugees and their descendants the right to return to their homes."
In fact, there is nothing in international law which gives Palestinian refugees and their descendants "the right to return to their homes."
The non-binding UN General Assembly Resolution 194 of 1948, often cited in Palestinian claims, does not give Palestinians "the right to return to their homes."
Moreover, all the Arab states voted against Resolution 194.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- U.S. Plan Envisions Israeli "Hot Pursuit" Capacity Against Threats from Lebanon - Shimon Sherman
At the base of the American proposal for de-escalation in Lebanon sits UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brought about a ceasefire following the Second Lebanon War in 2006. "The whole aim of the proposal is implementing Resolution 1701; in other words, 1701 is the common denominator of the proposal," said international law expert and former Israeli ambassador to Canada Alan Baker.
"1701 already exists and it just needs strengthening and encouragement. This arrangement is there to give a possibility for the resolution to be implemented properly in the way it was originally intended."
The resolution sought to guarantee the security of Israel's northern communities by removing all armed groups in southern Lebanon except the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and an international peacekeeping force (UNIFIL), but the resolution was never truly enforced. Baker explained that "You can't just get rid of UNIFIL, because it is set up by the UN Security Council and they will never get rid of it, so limiting UNIFIL is the best option."
A side-letter agreement between Israel and the U.S. expands on Israel's "hot pursuit" capacity, which was not initially codified in UNSCR 1701. Under the agreement, Israel would be allowed to respond "with the greatest urgency" to threats emanating from the border area. Israel would further be allowed to carry out strikes against developing threats throughout Lebanon, including storage or production of long-range missiles in northern Lebanon. However, such action would require prior consultation with the U.S.
According to Baker, "What has been added is Israel's right to act if the requirements of 1701 are violated, in coordination and support with the United States and other elements involved in monitoring the implementation. This is very significant for Israel's security." (JNS)
- Iran Stages Rallies to Mark 1979 U.S. Embassy Hostage Crisis
Iranian demonstrators gathered on Sunday outside the former U.S. embassy in Tehran to mark the anniversary of the 1979 hostage crisis. Following the Islamic Revolution that year led by Iran's late supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini, students loyal to Khomeini stormed the embassy building and held 52 staff hostage for 444 days while demanding that Washington hand over Iran's recently toppled shah, who was being treated in the U.S. for cancer.
Crowds of Iranians chanted "Death to Israel, Death to America!" outside the building, which is currently a museum known as the "Den of Spies," and covered with anti-American murals. Some burned the Israeli and U.S. flags.
(AFP)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- Israel Captures Iranian Spy in Syria - Yoav Zitun
Israel disclosed on Sunday the capture of Ali Soleiman al-Assi, an Iranian operative residing in the Saida area of southern Syria near the Golan Heights. The IDF said his apprehension effectively thwarted a prospective attack against Israeli interests in the area.
The IDF conducted a covert nighttime raid on his residence several months ago.
Sources said armed Hizbullah operatives and Syrian army personnel were in proximity but remained unaware of the operation, aided by simultaneous diversion and deception tactics. "The operative was quite surprised when we arrived and roused him" from his bed, the IDF said.
(Ynet News)
- Netanyahu: With or Without Deal, We'll Push Hizbullah Back to Litani River
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to the Lebanon border on Sunday: "With or without an agreement, the key to returning our residents in the north safely to their homes is to distance Hizbullah beyond the Litani [River], strike at any attempt to rearm itself, and respond vigorously to any action against us."
"Our heroic reservists have an immense part in the achievements we have made. They are putting their lives on hold, leaving their wives and children, and sometimes losing jobs. They are losing friends. But I sat with them just now and I was greatly impressed. One must see their readiness and their fighting spirit....One of the brigade commanders told me: 'We have the privilege to defend our country. We are making history.'" (Prime Minister's Office)
- IDF Strikes Hizbullah's Intelligence Unit in Syria - Emanuel Fabian
The IDF confirmed launching airstrikes in Syria on Monday targeting infrastructure and assets of Hizbullah's intelligence division. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes in Syria killed two Hizbullah members at a house "used by members of Hizbullah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard" south of Damascus in Sayyidah Zaynab.
(Times of Israel)
- IDF Raids Hizbullah Compound in Lebanon - Yoav Zitun
The IDF announced on Sunday that Israeli forces had conducted a raid on a Hizbullah underground compound stocked with weapons and containing logistical and medical supplies for prolonged stays and military tents. The troops also located and destroyed rocket launchers, high-powered explosives ready to be activated, anti-tank missiles, mortar shells, AK-47 rifles, surface-to-air missiles, and a launcher concealed in a mountain on a track aimed directly at civilian communities in northern Israel.
(Ynet News)
- Israel Foreign Ministry Cancels Agreement with UNRWA
The Israel Foreign Ministry notified the UN on Sunday of the cancellation of the agreement between Israel and UNRWA that was signed in 1967, following the law passed by the Knesset last week which stipulated that Israel would sever all ties with UNRWA. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Dannon noted on X:
"Despite the overwhelming evidence we submitted to the UN that substantiate Hamas's infiltration of UNRWA, the UN did nothing to rectify the situation. The State of Israel will continue to cooperate with humanitarian organizations but not with organizations that promote terrorism against us." (Jerusalem Post)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
The Gaza War
- Sinwar's Death Is Just the Beginning of Israel's Necessary Moves in the War - Amb. Zalman Shoval
As the U.S. has confirmed more than once, Hamas, till now, has rejected all compromise proposals presented to it by the mediators or by President Joe Biden for an agreement on the hostages and ending the fighting in Gaza. Hamas has demanded guarantees to maintaining its rule over Gaza and a total and immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Basically, Hamas's intention was to come back another day and pursue its aims.
After Oct. 7, 2023, Israel's military campaign in Gaza, as well as in the north, is being conducted according to a structured strategic plan. Its goal is to significantly improve Israel's long-term security, while, in the shortest possible time frame, safely returning the hostages as well as the residents both in the Western Negev and in the North to their homes. A no less important goal is the restoration of Israeli deterrence against Iran and its proxies, as well as reinforcing its standing in the region.
Without arrangements acceptable to Israel with regard to the postwar situation in Gaza, the war will continue. Instead of reacting to proposals raised by others, Israel will put forward its own ideas. These would probably include, in addition to holding the strategically important Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors, creating a security zone on the eastern and northern sides of Gaza, and ensuring intelligence and, if necessary, military freedom of action in Gaza, similar to Judea and Samaria.
The writer was Israel's ambassador to the U.S. twice (1990-1993 and 1998-2000). (Jerusalem Post)
Lebanon
- UNIFIL Peacekeeping Force Is Ineffective in Its Current Format - Lt.-Col. (ret.) Orna Mizrahi
There are now 10,000 UNIFIL soldiers from 50 countries, supported by an annual budget exceeding $500 million. In recent years, it has become unmistakably clear that UNIFIL was not fulfilling its primary mandate - overseeing the prohibition of Hizbullah's military presence in southern Lebanon. Hizbullah operatives were able to travel south without any impediment, where they then prevented UNIFIL from accessing the areas they had taken over, using these locations to amass weapons to attack Israel in a future war.
In light of UNIFIL's failure to prevent Hizbullah from establishing an extensive presence and building its military strength in southern Lebanon, some in Israel have argued that the international force is ineffective and that the government should push to end its mandate or at least scale it back since it does not fulfill its purpose. They contend that UNIFIL's presence is even a burden on Israel, given that it restricts the IDF's freedom of operation, particularly during wartime.
The exposure of Hizbullah's extensive and deep presence and its operational readiness for war in the area south of the Litani River - a flagrant violation of UN Resolution 1701 - strongly underscores UNIFIL's inability to fulfill its mandate.
It will not be able to continue operating in its current format "the day after" the war between Israel and Hizbullah. Media reports indicate that Israel seeks substantive revisions to UNIFIL's mandate.
Any ceasefire agreement to end the war must include the changes necessary to create an improved security reality along the border while also preserving Israel's freedom of operation if it becomes apparent that Resolution 1701 is not being enforced.
The writer, a senior researcher at INSS, served 26 years in the IDF and 12 years in the National Security Council, including as deputy national security adviser for foreign policy. (Institute for National Security Studies)
Iran
- What the U.S. Should and Should Not Do in the Middle East - Prof. Michael Mandelbaum
Blocking dangers to American interests in the Middle East is desirable and feasible.
The country that now threatens American interests is the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is conducting an active campaign to achieve dominance in the region by unseating governments friendly to the U.S. and evicting American forces from the Middle East.
If the Islamic Republic should acquire nuclear weapons, as it is actively seeking to do, its capacity to harm America's friends and interests would expand dramatically. The most important task for American Middle East policy is, therefore, to prevent that from happening.
Blocking an Iranian bomb will require, at the least, mounting a credible threat to use force if Iran takes the final steps in building working nuclear weapons, and attacking the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities if that threat does not achieve its aim.
American ground troops would not be needed; naval and air power would suffice.
For decades, successive American administrations pursued a political settlement between Israel and the Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank. These efforts all failed for the same reasons that American democracy-promotion efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq came to nothing: the political, cultural, and institutional bases for a Palestinian state willing to live peacefully beside Israel have never existed, and the U.S. cannot create them.
Absent the Palestinians becoming what they have thus far never been - a genuine partner for peace - the American government should waste no more time on what has come, over the years, to be called the peace process. The U.S. has more urgent Middle Eastern business that can, and must, be successfully concluded, with Iran.
The writer is Professor Emeritus of American Foreign Policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. (Jerusalem Strategic Tribune)
UNRWA
- Lawmaker behind UNRWA Ban: "Our Goal Is Not to Stop the Humanitarian Aid" - Sam Sokol
Last week, Knesset members voted 92 to 10 to prohibit UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory, and 87-9 to bar state authorities from having any contact with the agency. "There are internationally recognized organizations that deal with humanitarian aid in all conflict zones. UNRWA was an anomaly. It doesn't exist in any other conflict zone that there's a specific organization just for one group," said Likud MK Dan Illouz, a co-sponsor of the second bill.
"We've seen that what happens when such an organization gets built is that it ends up being an organization that has the perspective of one group, the Palestinian perspective. It gets embedded with groups like Hamas and extremist groups from that society and becomes a problem."
"Our goal is not to stop the humanitarian aid. Our goal is for it to go through channels that are not pro-terror, pro-Hamas, but rather through channels like the World Food Program."
The Prime Minister's Office said Israel is prepared to work with international partners, both in the 90 days before the legislation takes effect and afterward, to ensure that humanitarian aid would still reach Gazan civilians.
"UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable. Since avoiding a humanitarian crisis is also essential, sustained humanitarian aid must remain available in Gaza now and in the future."
Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, the sponsor of the first bill, said, "I can guarantee that there will not be a vacuum....The important international actors are aware of the fact that you need to work urgently to find a replacement for UNRWA." Concerns can be handled, he asserted, calling on Israel's allies and neighbors to pitch in on replacing UNRWA. "Our interest is that as soon as possible there will be a prosperous Gaza ruled by a non-corrupt and especially non-terror government." (Times of Israel)
- Israelis Are No Longer Prepared to Tolerate People Parading as Humanitarian Relief Workers Who Are Trying to Kill Them - Melanie Phillips
Despite all the evidence of UNRWA's terrorist ties, there has been hysterical outrage over Israel's parliamentary ban. There have been claims that it will deepen the humanitarian crisis with Gazans now on the brink of starvation, a claim that's been made repeatedly during the war but has always proved untrue.
In reality, hundreds of aid trucks enter Gaza every week. Hamas continues to steal the aid and sell it on the black market at hugely inflated prices. Hamas has seized an estimated $500 million in foreign aid since the war began.
Moreover, why should Israel be held responsible for providing Gaza with humanitarian assistance? Israel has been under bombardment from Gaza for two decades. Gaza's population elected Hamas to rule them. Opinion polling consistently reveals that even among those who now hate Hamas, the vast majority support the killing of Israelis.
Thousands of those civilians took part in the Oct. 7 atrocities in Israel and grossly abused the Israeli captives when they were dragged into Gaza. The IDF subsequently found evidence of ties to Hamas in virtually every house. In what conceivable moral universe is a country targeted for such a remorseless and genocidal attack expected to look after the welfare of its murderous attackers?
The pretense that UNRWA exists to provide for the suffering was finally ripped apart by the part its employees played in the Oct. 7 atrocities and in the war that has followed. Israelis are no longer prepared to tolerate people who are trying to kill them and destroy their country while parading as humanitarian relief workers.
The writer is a columnist for The Times-UK.
(JNS)
Israeli Security
- Israel Is Regaining Its Strength after Oct. 7 - Micah Halpern
Perceived strength is one of the most critical characteristics of defense in the Middle East. Israel's reputation as being virtually undefeatable was an essential part of its defense. It was a disincentive for Israel's enemies to attack. The brutal massacre of Oct. 7 diminished Israel's reputation and its deterrence took a serious hit, putting Israel's safety at high risk.
After the Oct. 7 massacre, the Arabic and Iranian media were full of leaders and commentators shouting that Israel is "a house of cards," easy to destroy.
They preached that Israel can be defeated. That is why the miraculous success of Israel's recent operations are so important to broadcast in the world media. The enemies of Israel should be quaking at the lengths to which Israel can and will go to achieve its objectives.
(Jerusalem Post)
Observations:
- One year ago, Hizbullah started what has morphed into the third Lebanon war with Israel, exposing the international failure to implement security arrangements mandated after their second war in 2006. UN Security Council Resolution 1701 ably diagnosed the main reasons for the outbreak of the second Lebanon war: Hizbullah's possession of military weapons outside the government's control, and its deployment of forces in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel.
- 1701 wisely called on Beirut to extend its sovereignty via the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), supported by UNIFIL, and to establish a zone south of the Litani River that was free of any nongovernmental armed forces. Yet none of these requirements was fulfilled.
- Disarmament of militias was never seriously addressed. Instead, Lebanese officials essentially endorsed Hizbullah's right to bear arms. The Lebanese government and LAF actively colluded with Hizbullah in violating 1701, systematically obstructing UNIFIL access to Hizbullah military sites including cross-border tunnels, firing ranges, and missile launch sites.
- To end the current Lebanon war and prevent the outbreak of a fourth one, the international community must provide better security arrangements, especially an effective implementation mechanism that helps the Lebanese government establish a monopoly on arms within its borders.
- Specifically, future security arrangements must ensure that Lebanese territory is no longer used to threaten Israel - whether by Hizbullah, other Iranian proxies, Palestinian groups, or jihadists. The goal is to safeguard both Israel and Lebanon's security and sovereignty.
- The core of Lebanon's future security architecture should begin with its government assuming sovereign responsibility over its territory. Given Beirut's long-running weakness, however, additional layers are necessary. Realistically, the prospects for a significantly stronger Security Council resolution are slim. Hence, a non-UN path may be required.
- The U.S., Israel, and like-minded countries could create their own mechanism independent of the UN to compensate for the shortfalls in the current arrangement, on issues ranging from oversight to monitoring to coercive sanctions. Israel could provide intelligence to focus their efforts - and even military enforcement should all else fail.
- To set all this in motion, aid to Lebanon's economy and reconstruction, as well as arms, funds, and training support to the LAF, must be conditioned on meeting clear benchmarks. Any Lebanese actors closely colluding with Hizbullah should be designated as terrorist elements and dealt with accordingly.
The writer, an International Fellow with the Washington Institute, is former head of the Israel Defense Forces Strategic Planning Division.
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