Sunday,
July 28, 2024

News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:

Israel Is Spying on Hizbullah Commanders - and Killing Them One by One - Nabih Bulos
One day last week, an Israeli drone fired a missile that hit a Renault van in southern Lebanon. When the target, a Hizbullah operative, climbed out and fled, a second missile finished the job. That same morning, 60 miles to the northeast, another drone struck a Dodge pickup carrying a commander in Jamaah Al-Islamiyah, a Lebanese Sunni Islamist faction allied with Hamas and Hizbullah. A third strike that night sent a missile into a three-story building in Jmaijmeh, killing Ali Maatouq, a senior commander with Hizbullah's Radwan force.
    Since Oct. 7, when Hizbullah launched its "solidarity campaign" after Hamas made its brutal attack on Israel, the IDF has picked off some two dozen Hizbullah commanders. In June, Israel killed Sami Taleb Abdullah, 55, head of Hizbullah's southeastern district, while he and three other operatives were holding a secret meeting. Three weeks later, it felled Mohammad Nimeh Nasser, who commanded the southwestern division, as he was driving in Tyre.
    Among the questions facing Hizbullah is how Israel managed to identify, track and kill top officers of the group, which has a reputation for high levels of operational security and discipline. (Los Angeles Times)

U.S. Calls for Removal of UN Special Rapporteur for Palestinian Rights after Netanyahu-Hitler Comparison
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Friday: "There is no place for antisemitism from UN-affiliated officials tasked with promoting human rights. While the United States has never supported Francesca Albanese's mandate, it is clear she is not fit for this or any position at the UN." She was responding to a post by the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN Human Rights Council, Michele Taylor, who wrote that the "UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian Rights' comparison of Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler is reprehensible and antisemitic. There should be no place for such dehumanizing rhetoric." (X)

Rockets Launched at Bases Hosting U.S. Troops in Iraq and Syria
Several rockets were launched Thursday and Friday against bases hosting troops from the U.S.-led anti-jihadist coalition in Iraq and Syria. "Four rockets fell in the vicinity" of Ain al-Assad base in Anbar province, an Iraqi security source said. At least one rocket also fell near a base of the coalition in the Conoco gas field in Deir Ezzor province of eastern Syria. The rocket was fired from "zones under the control of pro-Iranian militia" groups, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said. (AFP-VOA News)

Video: Israel's Artistic Gymnastics Team Performing at the Paris Olympics - Amb. David M. Friedman
The music is the Hebrew song "Bring Them Home" - referring to the Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The music is from a performance by 1,000 Israeli musicians. (X)

News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:

Hizbullah Rocket Kills 12 Children, Injures over 20 in Druze Town in Golan Heights - Yoav Zitun
A Hizbullah rocket struck a soccer field in Majdal Shams, a Druze town in the Golan Heights, killing at least 12 children, and injuring over 20 others, the IDF reported on Saturday. Hizbullah-affiliated Lebanese outlet Al Mayadeen reported that the terrorist group's latest rocket barrage on northern Israel, which included the rocket that hit Majdal Shams, comprised over 100 rockets and lasted for over an hour. The IDF confirmed that "The Hizbullah terrorist organization is behind the rocket launch at a soccer field in Majdal Shams which caused multiple civilian casualties."  (Ynet News)
    See also IDF: Rocket that Hit Majdal Shams Is Iranian Model Held Only by Hizbullah - Adi Hashmonai
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Saturday that the rocket that hit Majdal Shams was a heavy Falaq 1 model with a 50 kg. warhead manufactured in Iran that is held only by Hizbullah. The rocket was fired from the village of Chebaa in southern Lebanon by Hizbullah operative Ali Mohammed Yahya.
    A doctor at the scene said, "All victims were children aged 8 to 14, all in sports clothes."  (Ha'aretz)

Hizbullah's Miscalculation in Majdal Shams - Avi Issacharoff
The rocket fired by Hizbullah that hit a soccer field in Majdal Shams was a severe operational miscalculation by the Shiite terrorist organization. Majdal Shams is a Druze village, many of whose residents hold Syrian citizenship and consider themselves Syrians rather than Israeli citizens. Many Majdal Shams residents have relatives in Syria and Lebanon and Arab social networks, including Palestinian ones, have severely criticized Hizbullah, explicitly noting that the town isn't Jewish.
    The hit on the soccer field will likely intensify criticism in Lebanon and the Middle East against Hizbullah, which already faces considerable criticism at home that it serves Iranian interests rather than Lebanese ones.
    The writer, a veteran Israeli journalist focusing on Palestinian affairs, is one of the creators of the TV series "Fauda." (Ynet News)

Ashkelon Targeted by Rocket Fire from Gaza - Emanuel Fabian
For the first time in a month, the Israeli city of Ashkelon was targeted Friday by rocket fire from Gaza in an attack claimed by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Of the three rockets fired, one was shot down by the Iron Dome air defense system, while the other two struck open areas. (Times of Israel)

IDF Advances in Khan Yunis - Yoav Zitun
The IDF announced Saturday a reduction in the Al Mawasi humanitarian zone due to "significant terrorist activity and rocket fire toward the State of Israel" from the southern neighborhoods of Khan Yunis. The army informed residents that staying in these areas has become dangerous. The zone hosts one of the last three battalions of Hamas. The other two are in Deir al-Balah and Nuseirat in central Gaza.
    IDF troops have been conducting targeted raids in Khan Yunis, uncovering numerous weapons. "Among the weapons found were shoulder-fired missiles, grenades, AK-47 rifles and additional military equipment. During one of the raids, a terrorist cell was identified launching rockets. Within minutes of the identification, fighter jets attacked and eliminated the cell members," the IDF said. Forces also destroyed a launch site in the Zeitoun area that was prepared for firing rockets at Israel. (Ynet News)

Two Palestinians Killed by Hamas Rockets in Gaza
Two Palestinian civilians were killed and others wounded after rockets fired by Hamas at Israel from the Khan Yunis humanitarian zone on Wednesday night fell short, hitting the area of the UNRWA Al-Qarara school in Khan Yunis, the IDF said Thursday. (JNS)

Hizbullah Drone Heading for Offshore Gas Rig Downed by Israeli Navy - Emanuel Fabian
A Hizbullah drone launched from Lebanon and believed heading toward Israel's offshore Karish gas field was shot down by the Israeli Navy on Saturday. Hizbullah has launched more than 300 drones at Israel amid the ongoing fighting, many of them laden with explosives. Around 30 explosive drones have caused damage or casualties. (Times of Israel)

Palestinian Terrorists Open Fire on IDF Post Bordering Nablus, Wounding Soldier
An IDF combat soldier was lightly injured on Saturday after Palestinian terrorists opened fire on a military outpost on the outskirts of Nablus in Samaria. (Jerusalem Post)

Israeli Couple Who Lost Legs on Oct. 7 Were Wed on Thursday
Ben Binyamin and Gali Segal, who both lost their right legs during the Hamas Oct. 7 attack, were married on Thursday after spending months in rehabilitation together. The two, who became engaged a week before Oct. 7, were attending the Supernova music festival. After they hid inside a roadside shelter, the terrorists hurled grenades inside. The two were evacuated in critical condition and thought they would never see each other again.
    They both now walk with a prosthetic leg. Segal had hers specially decorated with sparkles for the wedding. Binyamin, who was a professional soccer player, now plays for the Israeli national amputee soccer team. (Times of Israel)

Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:

The Debate about Israel in America - Jonathan S. Tobin
Both Americans and Israelis need to understand that the war in Gaza is just one front in a conflict with Iran that is, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rightly told Congress, a battle "between civilization and barbarism." Iran's fomenting of terrorist wars across the Middle East is a threat to America's security.
    It's important to realize that the debate among Americans about Israel isn't really about its military tactics or the advisability of a ceasefire agreement or even if they comprehend the threat from Iran. The argument is really about whether the lies about the one Jewish state on the planet being an "apartheid" state composed of "white" oppressors of people of color will be accepted by the American people.
    Most Americans remain strong supporters of the Jewish state. That this is so even after nearly 10 months of nonstop incitement and biased reporting is a reflection of the way support for Zionism is baked deep into the political DNA of the U.S. If Israel is to retain the support of the U.S. in the years to come, it will only happen if the tide driving the libels about the war and Zionism is rolled back by Americans who are fed up with their institutions being captured by radicals. (JNS)

Anti-Israel Protesters Make Netanyahu's Point - Editorial
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an impressive speech to Congress on Wednesday, making the case for Israel's just war and laying out a reasonable plan for what's next. At the same time, protesters ran wild in Washington, breaking the law with impunity while trumpeting their hatred for America, Israel and Jews.
    On Tuesday, anti-Israel activists targeted Mr. Netanyahu's hotel. The Palestinian Youth Movement wrote on Instagram, "Mealworms and maggots...were left on their banquet tables, and crickets were released on multiple floors of the hotel." Donations to the charity that controls this group remain tax-deductible.
    On Wednesday, a mob outside Union Station tore down U.S. flags and burned one to chants of "Allahu akbar." In their place, they sent up the flag of the Palestine Liberation Organization. An outnumbered police officer was dragged and thrown to the ground. The mob defaced federal property, writing slogans such as "Hamas is comin" on the Christopher Columbus monument and "Qassam, Qassam, make us proud," cheering Hamas's military wing, on the American Legion's Freedom Bell.
    The obscene acts underscored Mr. Netanyahu's point that "many anti-Israel protesters choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas." Not all pro-Palestinian protesters are this despicable, but most of the anti-Israel movement despises America. (Wall Street Journal)

The Misleading Reports of the UN on Famine in Gaza - Dr. Tammy Caner
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is at the center of a campaign against Israel in the international arena. Israel is accused of blocking humanitarian aid and even following a policy of deliberate starvation of the Palestinian population. The basis of these accusations is reports published by the UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
    Israel publishes its own regular reports and updates through the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). A comparison of the two sets of reports shows significant discrepancies between the figures provided by COGAT and the UN. An examination of the reason for these gaps reveals that the UN reports are based on incomplete data from sources within Gaza, without disclosing the source of the data and the fact that the figures do not reflect all the aid entering the Strip.
    Thus, the UN plays a central role in the false accusations that Israel is conducting a policy of starvation. It is difficult to understate the immense harm caused to Israel by the biased UN reports. While it is undeniable that the people in Gaza are facing significant hardship due to the ongoing war, the fact that there are hungry people in Gaza does not indicate a state of famine in the area, and certainly not intentional starvation of the population by Israel.
    The writer is a researcher in the Law and National Security program at INSS.  (Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University)

Wikipedia's Jewish Problem - Izabella Tabarovsky
In June, Wikipedia ranked the fifth-most-visited site worldwide, outranked only by Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. For many students and scholars, it serves as a starting point for research. Yet Wikipedia's articles are now badly distorted, feeding billions of people dangerously skewed narratives about Jews, Jewish history, Israel, Zionism, and contemporary threats to Jewish lives.
    In a World Jewish Congress report released in March, Dr. Shlomit Aharoni Nir documents numerous ways in which relevant Wikipedia entries have become de facto anti-Israel propaganda. From biased framing to omissions of key facts to stressing anti-Israel examples while ignoring the Israeli side of the story, to promoting fringe academic perspectives on Zionism - Wikipedia's editors and administrators have actively worked to subvert the site's neutrality.
    Today, Jewish people and the Jewish story are under an unprecedented global assault, and Wikipedia is being used as a weapon in this war. If one of the world's most influential conduits of knowledge decides it wants to turn itself into the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, that's its prerogative. The rest of us need to get informed, warn the world about it, and demand accountability. (Tablet)

Israel Is Surrounded by Very Violent and Dangerous People Who Want Us Dead - Carly Adno
Former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said in an interview last week that he isn't surprised by the rampant antisemitism seen on campuses around the Western world. "I remember over a decade ago, when I was at Oxford, a BDS motion came up with the student union and we managed to defeat it by a margin of six to one. That's unthinkable nowadays. I spoke with one of the proponents of the motion and I asked her why she was doing this."
    "She said, 'I'm left-wing, it's just part of what we do.' It's just part of the bundle of causes that if you support LGBT rights and don't like oil and you're a vegetarian, that you also think Israel should die. What has surprised me is just how deeply entrenched and how little resistance that ideology has found."
    "If this war ends with Hamas on its feet, there will be a next time. And it will be worse because Hamas will feel that it survived this war thanks to international pressure on Israel to leave its army of terror in place after the war it started."
    "The current crisis is not only a war between Israel and a Palestinian terrorist group in Gaza, it's a war in which Israel has come under attack on eight fronts by Iran and its proxy allies, including in the Diaspora, where the output of antisemitism and intimidation of Jewish communities around the world is a genie that's not going back in the bottle."
    "Israel's strategic condition is the same as it was in 1948 - we're surrounded by very violent and dangerous people who want us dead. Iran's axis of evil, a network of proxy armies, is something that will have to be confronted and dealt with globally, even after the current round of hostilities comes to a close."
    "We're outnumbered and outgunned in this battle for global public opinion - there are simply far more people who are automatically primed to believe the worst about Israel and the Jews, and they have politically motivated and biased international officials feeding them information that supports their paranoias."
    "Fighting this information war...is to say UNRWA is a Hamas front. Yes, people are suffering. No, they are not being helped by an organization that is an integral part of Hamas's military machine in Gaza and is laundering its propaganda and is covering up the Jihadi death cults' abuse of their facilities and resources, and aid and your taxpayer dollars that go to UNRWA are a direct subsidy to the Hamas army of terror....There is important humanitarian work to do, but it isn't by going through an organization that exists to perpetuate the Palestinians' forever war against Israel and make any resolution of this conflict impossible." (Australian Jewish News)

Observations:

"The supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei...sees himself as a sort of guide for the minds. He puts much effort into crafting narratives against Israel, even tying his struggle for Palestinians to attempts to affect universities in the U.S. He mentioned explicitly that influencing through means of communication is key to victory in conflicts, more than a missile or a fighter plane. He also said that whoever influences minds and hearts and controls the means of communication will succeed."

"Many times, if you analyze Khamenei's statements, you find out where he is going next. When he said on Oct. 7 that Israel's 'most vital arteries' should be stopped, not much later the Houthis attacked for the first time. When he talked about Muslim countries that should end relations with Israel, [Turkey's] Erdogan issued a statement halting trade with Israel."

"The Iranians aim to turn Judea and Samaria into a new Gaza and create a new front against Israel. We saw this in the Iranian attempts to act in Jordan, because in their eyes it is clear that the axis of smuggling arms and arming the West Bank must pass through the Hashemite Kingdom....What they want is to arm Judea and Samaria, Jenin, and from northern Samaria they also aim to reach the Arab citizens of Israel."

"When the Iranians talk about turning Judea and Samaria into Gaza in terms of armed military capability, we must stress in return that it also means turning the West Bank into how Gaza looks today, warning those trying to build Gaza-like capabilities in the West Bank that it means the West Bank will end up looking like Gaza."

"There is a common enemy for many around this region: first the Islamic Republic [of Iran], and then the Muslim Brotherhood and Sunni extremism. Israel is the only democracy that sits at the intersection between the efforts of the Iranian Shi'ites and their proxies, and the Muslim Brotherhood axis, such as Hamas and others. We have to convey the fact that Israel is not the problem but the solution to fending off these two."

"We have partners who are first-class intellectuals and journalists in the Arab world and [who] explain, together with us, about the dangers of the radicalism of the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots...and what the Iranian threat is....We must refuse this frame of "Israel against the world" and flip it backwards to a worldwide struggle against Iran's influence."

Aviram Bellaishe, vice president for Strategy, Security, and Communications at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, has served in senior government positions for over 25 years.

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