| DAILY ALERT |
Thursday, July 25, 2024 |
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Wednesday turned an address to Congress into a forceful defense of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, casting it as a battle for survival of the Jewish state. Netanyahu emphasized that Israel is a strategic asset and deserves America's support, praising both President Biden and former President Trump. Netanyahu said of Biden's visit to Israel shortly after the Oct. 7 attack, "He came to Israel to be with us in our darkest hour," and thanked him for being a self-proclaimed "proud Irish American Zionist." Even as he thanked the U.S. effusively for supporting Israel, Netanyahu hinted that the Biden administration is slowing arms shipments for leverage, saying: "Give us the tools faster, and we'll finish the job faster." (New York Times) See also below Observations - Netanyahu Tells Congress: "For Iran, Israel Is First, America Is Next" (Prime Minister's Office) U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Tuesday referred to China's announcement that Hamas and Fatah had signed an agreement for a unity government at a meeting in Beijing. "Hamas is a terrorist organization - something that we obviously made clear before October 7th. But when it comes to governance of Gaza at the end of the conflict, there can't be a role for a terrorist organization." "Hamas has not renounced terrorism; it has not renounced the use of violence to achieve its political aims; it has not renounced the destruction of the State of Israel....So no, we do not see an organization that believes in those tactics and believes in carrying out terrorism as a suitable organization to govern the Palestinian people." "If you look at the death and destruction that Hamas's decision to launch the attacks of October 7th has brought on Gaza, there's no one that has brought more pain and suffering to the people in Gaza than Hamas through their decisions, first to launch the attacks of October 7th, and then their ongoing decision, which continues today, to hide among civilian communities and use civilians as human shields." (U.S. State Department) Germany has banned the Islamic Centre Hamburg (IZH) and its subsidiary organizations for pursuing radical Islamist goals, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. It said the IZH had acted as a direct representative of Iran's Shi'ite Muslim Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and sought to bring about an Islamic revolution in Germany to impose theocratic rule. 53 of the IZH's premises had been searched in eight German states. Subsidiaries in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin were also banned, with four Shi'ite mosques to be closed. Evidence from an earlier search of 55 properties conducted in November provided the basis for Wednesday's ban of the IZH. Iran's Foreign Ministry said it had summoned the German ambassador in Tehran on Wednesday in protest at the ban, calling the move "an example of Islamophobia" and a violation of "freedom of expression." A 2020 report on Islamic life in Germany said there were 5.5 million Muslims in Germany. (Reuters) News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
Three Israeli soldiers were shot and wounded on Thursday from a passing car near the entrance to the West Bank city of Kalkilya. (Ynet News) Cpt. Ariel Topaz, 24, one of four off-duty soldiers wounded in a Palestinian car-ramming attack at a bus station near the Tzrifin military base in central Israel on July 14, died of his wounds, the Israel Defense Forces said Thursday. (Times of Israel) Palestinian Islamic Jihad tried and failed a few days ago to launch rockets at Israel from the Tulkarm area in the West Bank, Israel's Channel 11 reported on Tuesday. (Jerusalem Post) The October 7th Geo-visualization Project - an interactive map - strives to provide a comprehensive representation of the atrocities committed by Hamas on that day. The location of each victim is recorded with their story wherever possible, with detailed information on the massacres at Zikim Beach, Zikim Base, Netiv HaAsara, Sderot, Mefalsim Bend, Sha'ar HaNegev Junction, Yakhini, Kfar Aza, Nahal Oz, Nahal Oz Base, Alumim, Be'eri, the Nova Festival, the Psyduck party, Kissufim, Re'im Base, Nirim, Nir Oz, Nir Yitzhak, Holit, and Ofakim. (oct7map.com) The IDF and Israel Security Agency announced on Thursday that they retrieved the bodies of five hostages from Gaza's Khan Yunis on Wednesday. They were identified as Maya Goren, IDF Staff Sergeant (res.) Oren Goldin, IDF Staff Sergeant Tomer Ahimas, IDF Sergeant Kiril Brodsky, and Sergeant Major (res.) Ravid Arie Katz. Their bodies were hidden in a tunnel. Goren, 56, from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was a kindergarten teacher and a mother of four. Goldin, 34, from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, was a member of the kibbutz's security squad. Ahimas, 20, and Brodsky, 19, were killed defending Kibbutz Nirim. Katz, 51, was an educator from Kibbutz Nir Oz. (Ha'aretz) After long rejecting the idea in public, Cairo is privately moving toward allowing IDF troops to remain in the Philadelphi Corridor, used by Hamas to smuggle weapons from Egypt into Gaza, Israeli officials told the Times of Israel on Tuesday. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared that the IDF remaining in Philadelphi was nonnegotiable. An Israeli official said of Egypt, "They, too, don't want Hamas to resume smuggling on the border." (Times of Israel) Israel will evacuate 250 sick and wounded residents of Gaza for medical treatment in the United Arab Emirates. An initial medical evacuation flight is expected next week. Israel is coordinating the evacuation with the World Health Organization, which is taking responsibility for evaluating and prioritizing which patients should be evacuated. (Ha'aretz) 899 terrorists who were captured in the Gaza war have been recognized by the Palestinian Authority as prisoners and are eligible for monthly terror reward salaries. In January, the PA had already recognized 661 terrorist prisoners from Gaza. 9,750 terrorist prisoners are now recognized by the PA as eligible for monthly terror rewards, up from 4,300 prior to Oct. 7. (Palestinian Media Watch) American F-15 fighter jets, outfitted with a cutting-edge Raytheon radar system, thwarted 75 Iranian Shahed drones during the April 13 Iranian assault on Israel, according to Gen. (ret.) Rob Novotny, who oversees fighter jet business development at Boeing. The radar system is a key component of the new F-15EX model that Israel intends to acquire. (Israel Hayom) Iran fired 170 drones toward Israel in April. The Houthis and Hizbullah have also launched attack drones at Israel. "The drones may have been assembled by Houthi or Hizbullah terrorists, but all the drones fired at Israel since the beginning of the war are manufactured, designed, and financed by Iran," said Rotem Mey-Tal, CEO of Asgard Systems, a military technology company specializing in defense, homeland security, and aerospace. "Most of Iran's defense budget is allocated to its proxies." "Israel is the most defended country in the world in terms of air defense, although there cannot be complete 100% defense," Mey-Tal said. "The challenge that drones pose is great. They fly very low for a very, very long time, and it is very difficult for radars to detect them." He says the way to thwart the threat is to use satellite imaging and artificial intelligence (AI)-based acoustic detection sensors that will recognize the different noises that drones generate and other intelligence abilities. The Ukrainian military has been frequently using electronic warfare and signal jamming systems to thwart drones, something that is now of great interest to Israel. (Media Line-Jerusalem Post) Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
U.S.-Israel Relations Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday was his fourth congressional address. He seeks to warn the West of Iran's intention and capability, under a nuclear umbrella, of destabilizing Israel, the Middle East, and the West. His challenge is to convey the Islamic Republic of Iran's hybrid warfare strategy to the American people. Iran uses perception warfare and terror proxy warfare, exploiting the Palestinian issue as the ultimate weapon against both Israel and its U.S. ally. Iran's propaganda machine has penetrated the U.S. political and public discourse, flooding social networks with bots and avatars to influence the American people against Israel and in favor of Hamas, on direct orders from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran's terror proxies are circling Israel in a ring of fire from Hamas in Gaza to Hizbullah and Syrian militias to Houthi killer drones in Tel Aviv. Houthi drones and rockets have virtually shut down traffic in the Suez Canal. Netanyahu's challenge is to help U.S. leaders, the American people, and the West understand that Israel and its allies must work closely together to defeat Iran's terror proxy network. No less important, they must work towards regime change in Tehran. The writer is president of the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs. (Jerusalem Post) When an ally is at war, the least its leader deserves is a hearing. The lawmakers who boycotted the speech by Israel's Prime Minister to Congress on Wednesday revealed more about themselves than they did about Benjamin Netanyahu. Had they listened, they might have learned why Israel fights. They also would have heard from Mr. Netanyahu that "Israel has enabled more than 40,000 aid trucks to enter Gaza. That's half-a-million tons of food and more than 3,000 calories [a day] for every man, woman and child in Gaza" before Hamas's theft. They could have considered how "the ability of all democracies to fight terrorism will be imperiled" by the constraints international institutions seek to impose on Israel. (Wall Street Journal) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet President Biden and Vice President Harris on Thursday and former President Trump on Friday. In her meeting with Netanyahu, Harris plans to reiterate her commitment to Israel's security and right to defend itself but will also "convey her view that it is time for the war to end in a way where Israel is secure, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can enjoy their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination," a Harris aide said. There's been some daylight between Harris and President Joe Biden on the issue of Israel and Gaza for months. One person close to the vice president's office said she believes the U.S. should be "tougher" on Netanyahu. She has called for being "more forceful at seeking a long-term peace and two-state solution," this person said. (Politico) See also Harris May Not Be the Savior on Gaza Some Dems Want - Nahal Toosi Vice President Kamala Harris isn't a fan of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but she is a strong supporter of Israel. She's been out front in expressing concern about the plight of Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire in Gaza, but she also believes that Hamas must be defeated and that Israel has the right to defend itself. In most ways, her policy toward the Israelis and Palestinians isn't necessarily going to differ that much from Biden's. After talks with current and former U.S. officials and analysts who closely watch the Mideast, every time I tried to suggest that Harris might have a more pro-Palestinian point of view than Biden, I was cautioned not to make her thinking seem too binary. Some insisted that she's simply been quicker to emphasize elements such as the humanitarian crisis. "She and President Biden are in lockstep when it comes to Israel. There is no daylight between them to be found," said Halie Soifer, who was Harris's national security adviser when she was a senator. The writer is Politico's senior foreign affairs correspondent. (Politico) About 70 Democrats snubbed Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to Congress on Wednesday, up from the 58 who boycotted his address to Congress in 2015. You'd have thought that the attack by Hamas would have resulted in a rise in support for the Middle East's sole democracy as it fights for its life against an enemy that is coming for us next. Yet in the minds of those taking the Hamas side of the argument, their hatred of "Zionism" is simply a philosophical opposition to the principle of Jewish self-determination. While beleaguered and controversial, Netanyahu's speech was a resounding triumph. When it comes to making the case for Israel, he is by far the best orator the Jewish state has ever produced. Here, at long last, was a demonstration to the West of what moral clarity looks like, delivered at the very heart of the free world. "This is not a clash of civilizations. It's a clash between barbarism and civilization," he said. To prevail, "America and Israel must stand together. We will win." This received perhaps the most rapturous applause. But the greatest significance of Bibi's tour de force was geopolitical. Israeli sources have suggested that Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar over-interpreted the campus protests in America, wrongly divining that public opinion was swinging behind Hamas when 80% of the population continued to support Israel. There can be no mistake after Bibi's speech. The scenes of ranks of congressmen united in a standing ovation were more powerful than any images of idiots in keffiyehs being pepper-sprayed outside. The U.S. and Israel stand shoulder-to-shoulder. Nor was this lost on the sophisticated leadership of Iran. Netanyahu's speech provided a clear vision of the threats facing the West. "Iran is virtually behind all the terrorism, all the turmoil, all the chaos, all the killing," Netanyahu said, and the U.S. was the only power standing in the way of Tehran's plans for global subjugation. The writer is the editor of the Jewish Chronicle-UK. (Telegraph-UK) Iran Vice President Kamala Harris's decision that an earlier commitment to the Zeta Phi Beta sorority's convention in Indianapolis mattered more than a speech to a joint session of Congress by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of one of America's closest allies, is fueling rumors the Harris Middle East policy would differ significantly from Mr. Biden's. It may also encourage the Iranians, sensing weakness and division within the administration, to turn up the heat. Iran has never been closer to a nuclear weapon than it is today, and American officials worry that Vladimir Putin, as part of his anti-Western campaign, might help Iran across the nuclear finish line faster than U.S. or Israeli officials thought possible. Washington's patience is wearing thin. The closing months of the Biden administration could see U.S. forces engaged in direct attacks on Iranian naval vessels or against Iran itself. People in government, former officials and informed observers tell me that the pressure inside the U.S. government for military strikes against Iran is building, and further Houthi provocations are likely to prompt a dramatically stronger response. Team Biden no longer sees detente with Iran as viable. Iran's rejection of President Biden's offer to re-enter the nuclear deal was sobering. Iran's expansion of support for proxies and terrorists across the region hammered the message home. Iran wants a hostile relationship with both the U.S. and Israel. If Iran is irreconcilable, the only route to stability in the Middle East involves a partnership between Israel and conservative Arab states like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. needs to work with the regional players who agree with us on the basics. Key Arab states believe that their own economic and security interests depend on strategic alignment with both Israel and the U.S. Disrupting the U.S.-Arab-Israeli entente is Iran's objective and also is important to Russia and China. All the revisionist powers loathe the idea of a U.S.-led alliance system stabilizing the Middle East. The writer, a fellow at the Hudson Institute, is Professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities at Bard College. (Wall Street Journal) Palestinian Arabs On Tuesday the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement with Hamas and Islamic Jihad to form a unity Palestinian government. They did it in Beijing, with China's foreign minister presiding over warm handshakes with the perpetrators of the Oct. 7 massacre. The deal is a way for the PA to signal solidarity with the "resistance." China enjoys coordinating anti-American forces and disrupting U.S. diplomacy. Since Hamas has proved effective at sparking wars that stress the U.S. regional alliance system, China will help keep Hamas in business. While some insist on a Palestinian state, they rarely ask what kind of state it would be. At present it would be a Hamas state, by force of the ballot or the bullet. Creating a jihadist-theocracy Iranian satellite state isn't high on a list of vital U.S. priorities. (Wall Street Journal) The two main rival Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, signed a joint statement in Beijing on Tuesday that endorsed, in concept, a temporary government for Gaza and the West Bank. Yet, for many Palestinians, the gathering in the Chinese capital was little more than a performance - and one they had seen before. "What happened in China isn't significant," said Jehad Harb, an analyst of Palestinian affairs. "There aren't any indications that Hamas and Fatah intend to end the split between them." Hamas and Fatah have been deeply divided for years, each trying to present itself as the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people and wary that the other will undermine its power. Multiple past attempts to broker unity have failed. (New York Times) After nine months of Israel's all-out war against Hamas, the group's government remains a key source of civil authority across Gaza. As law and order collapse, Hamas has retained pockets of power, analysts and residents say, and has been quick to reemerge in areas when Israeli forces withdraw. Local officials still exercise a degree of control over the economy, provide limited services, and mercilessly punish their critics. "Hamas is part of our national fabric," said Jabril Rajoub, a prominent figure in Fatah, Hamas's main political rival. While many Gazans still support Hamas, open criticism has become more common as the war drags on. On July 8, Amin Abed, 36, a prominent political activist and critic of Hamas, was attacked by a group of masked men with hammers and crowbars who identified themselves as being from Hamas's Internal Security Service. They severely beat him for more than 20 minutes. "I heard the person in charge telling them, 'Break the fingers on his hands that he uses to write and incite against us,'" Abed said. "And indeed they broke my fingers with the crowbar." (Washington Post) Ever since it seized power in 2007, Hamas has exerted its despotic influence over Gaza's inhabitants, deploying an arsenal of coercion and relentless indoctrination to crush dissent and mold minds. Children were taught to aspire to become pawns in a deadly game of jihad. Television programs and radio broadcasts spewed the same dogma. Community events entrenched the Islamist narrative. Hamas controlled access to jobs and resources. The regime did not tolerate opposition. Political rivals were eliminated. Arbitrary arrests, torture and extrajudicial killings were the norm. Women were subjected to severe restrictions and discrimination under the guise of religious and cultural norms. Women were systematically traumatized and brainwashed to accept their subjugation. Child marriage is rampant in Gaza, with girls as young as 12 being forced into marriages with older men. A wife is seen as the property of her husband, her consent irrelevant. Under Hamas, homosexuality is not just taboo; it is criminal. The writer is executive director at We Believe in Israel. (JNS) Marwan al-Ghoul, a CBS News producer in Gaza for more than two decades, was among the speakers at an official event of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in 2018 commemorating one of the prominent members of the terror group who was also Al-Ghoul's relative. According to the PFLP website, Al-Ghoul spoke on behalf of the family, which "expressed their gratitude to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and their esteemed comrades everywhere in the Palestinian land...for their...commitment to continue the struggle." Al-Ghoul praised the group's terrorists, emphasizing his relative's dedication to "maintaining the noble national values established by the leading martyrs, such as Al-Hakim, Abu Ali Mustafa, and Wadie Haddad, and those who followed their path of struggle and martyrdom." The PFLP is a designated terrorist organization, according to the EU, the U.S., Canada, and Israel. Like many other Gaza "reporters" who work for respected Western media outlets, Al-Ghoul is a propagandist, at best, or a terror collaborator, at worst. (HonestReporting) Most Palestinians that Jewish American comedian Zach Fox spoke to in Ramallah expressed unwavering support for Hamas, antisemitic views, and an antipathy towards a two-state solution, he told the Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. "I didn't meet one person who didn't love Hamas....All of them hated Jews with every bone of their body." Fox, accompanied by a translator, producer and cameraman, did not reveal his Jewish identity. Fox queried whether they saw the videos posted by Hamas on Oct. 7. "Everything," declared one woman. "And you are okay with everything they did?" "With everything they did," she confirmed. When asked whether they felt that Hamas should release the remaining Israeli hostages, there was a resounding "no" from all the Palestinians. He was interviewing a girl, and a Palestinian man came over and started shouting in Arabic. Fox's Arabic-speaking colleagues told him the man was upset that the girl was being interviewed, believing it to be immodest. The man then called over more men. "All of a sudden, he comes up and says we have to delete the rest of our footage....My cameraman said, 'I'm very scared, they are threatening to kill us if we don't delete this.' I've been making videos for 15 years, and I've never had to delete videos because someone's threatened to kill me." "Do you want to live with the Israelis in peace?" Fox asked some women. "No. I want a one-state solution. No Israel. We should delete Israel." "So you would not be okay with a two-state solution?" "Of course not," came the reply. (Jerusalem Post) See also Watch the Video: Interviews with Palestinians in Ramallah - Zach Sage (FactsForPeace) Other Issues Israel must never again allow a situation in which its citizens live hundreds of meters from potential terrorists, as was the case on Oct. 7. An impassable buffer zone of significant size must be enforced around Gaza, against Hizbullah in the north, and at Israel's narrow waist in the area north of Tel Aviv opposite Netanya. There is a 300 km. border between Israel and Jordan that, until recently, was secured almost exclusively by Jordanian security forces that have prevented attempts by terrorist elements to infiltrate into Israel. Iranian activity in Jordan and the subversion against the Hashemite monarchy have been going on for several years. A draconian buffer zone and an Israeli military presence in that area are an unquestionable necessity. The lack of enforcement against polygamy among Bedouin in the Negev has led in the past decades to an increase in the number of Palestinian women from Gaza and the southern Hebron Hills living in Israel and raising their children on the values they had learned in Gaza. While polygamy is prohibited by Israeli law, Sharia courts, which are authorized to rule on matrimonial and family law matters among Muslims, allow it. The writer is a fellow of the Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy, a former Knesset member, and a former deputy Israeli ambassador to Egypt. (Jerusalem Post) Israel continues to be ranked among the top 10 happiest countries, according to the UN's global happiness index. Following the traumatic events of Oct. 7, Israel's happiness rating actually improved. Israel's Health Ministry even reported a decrease in suicides from October-December compared to previous years. The events of Oct. 7 spurred a wave of solidarity and mutual support in Israel. The sense of "togetherness" and shared destiny became palpable. People discovered a mental fortitude and a sense of meaning that transcended individual struggles. This collective resilience is a crucial factor in Israel's happiness. Another factor contributing to Israel's high happiness index is the degree of excitement in daily life. While Israel may rank low on the question of "How much do you experience calmness in your life?" the thrill and excitement of living in such a dynamic environment significantly contribute to psychological well-being. Research shows that 55% of Israelis prefer a life filled with excitement over a tranquil one. This constant stimulation, whether positive or challenging, keeps life engaging and fulfilling. The writer is a social psychologist and the research director of Belong, a private social enterprise that encourages immigration to Israel. (Jerusalem Post) The war against the West led by Iran is not only a war in the conventional sense, but also a war where psychological ploys are used to target Americans who may not be aware they are being used to further Iranian interests. The playbook for protests regarding the war in Gaza has created a somewhat absurd link between the interests of radical Islam and the ideology of progressive human rights by transforming Gaza from a terror entity bent on the ethnic cleansing of Jews into a victim of colonialism and genocide by the Jewish state. While the progressives believe they are supporting social justice, they are, in reality, being manipulated and exploited by the most extreme illiberal elements in society who would not tolerate their presence in their own societies. So we see "Queers for Palestine" supporting Gaza, a place where queers cannot exist, and women's organizations criticizing Israeli "apartheid," while gender apartheid continues unabated in Arab society. This is all part of a planned program of psychological warfare that has linked the wants of progressives with the needs of radical Islamists. One psychological trap is an ideology that holds that "all people" are the same and that "all people" value and want freedom. While this may be true in the West, it is woefully out of touch with the Middle East, where tribal loyalties and religious thinking carry far more weight. The writer is a clinical psychologist and a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs specializing in political psychology. (Times of Israel) Observations: Netanyahu Tells Congress: "For Iran, Israel Is First, America Is Next" (Prime Minister's Office) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke before a joint session of the U.S. Congress on July 24, 2024.
See also Video: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Addresses Congress (C-SPAN) |
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