| DAILY ALERT |
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 |
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday: "We have seen the Government of Israel take additional steps. They voted last week to allow 250 trucks per day in, and in addition, the prime minister instructed the minister of defense to make every effort to get that level of daily truck deliveries up to 350, which is the number that we called for." "They now have five crossings open. They reopened a crossing that had been closed. They opened a new crossing - things that we called for. They restarted the Jordan Air Force's corridor, something that we had called for. They removed 30 items from the dual-use restricted list, something that we had called for." "They restored deliveries to the north. They expanded the Mawasi humanitarian zone by 25%, something that we had called for....They are implementing the UN's plan to prepare for winter, which includes things like repairing roads, facilitating the entry of winter-specific aid, and vaccinations for winter-specific diseases." (U.S. State Department) Israel condemned the UN for "anti-Israel fabrications" after a UN committee said its warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide. The UN special committee said in a report that Israel was "intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury" in Gaza, accusing it of "using starvation as a method of war." The Israel Foreign Ministry on Saturday dismissed the accusations as "false claims." "[The] report is an appalling example of the transformation of the UN into an organization which is used as a pawn by terrorists who attack civilians in a democratic state," spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on X. He insisted Israel's "activities are directed solely at dismantling Hamas's terror capabilities." It was Hamas which uses "civilians as human shields" and that Israel was not targeting the people of Gaza. "Israel remains fully committed to facilitating the continuous flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza," he added. The U.S. also rejected the UN committee's charges, which it said were "unfounded." (AFP) Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Monday, "This evening I sent a letter to the president of the UN Security Council in which I called for immediate action regarding the activity of the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, whose territory is being used to attack Israel." Saar said Iraq "is responsible under international law to prevent the use of its territory as a base for attacks against other nations. Israel calls on the Iraqi government to fulfill this obligation and to take immediate action to halt and prevent these attacks." Saar added that Israel would take "all necessary measures to protect itself and its citizens" from Iran-backed militias. (AFP) UNRWA, the main UN agency that helps Palestinians, said on Monday that a convoy of 109 trucks carrying food had been driving from the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Gaza when it was looted on Saturday. Nearly 100 of the trucks were lost. Israeli officials have denied creating obstacles to aid deliveries. They have blamed aid agencies for failing to deliver the aid that it has allowed into Gaza, and have said that raids on aid trucks by Palestinians have prevented proper distribution. (New York Times) See also Gaza Ministry Says 20 Killed in Anti-"Gang" Operation after Looting of Aid Convoy - Jason Burke Gaza's Hamas-run Interior Ministry said Monday that more than 20 people had been killed "in a security operation carried out by security forces in cooperation with tribal committees" targeting "gangs" accused of looting trucks bringing in aid on Saturday. Community leaders in central Gaza said local people had fought back against the looters, who were armed with automatic rifles, and managed to retrieve some of the stolen trucks. UN officials have said that powerful families in the south of Gaza long known for their involvement in looting had been behind a series of attacks on convoys in recent weeks. "This isn't desperate people looking to feed themselves or their families. It is pure organized crime, by people who are heavily armed and making a lot of money. They are taking supplies paid for by member states. It's a disgrace," one senior aid official said. (Guardian-UK) Anti-Israel activists Calla Walsh, 20; Sophie Ross, 23; Bridget Shergalis, 28; and Paige Belanger, 33, were arrested following their vandalism attack on the Israeli-owned defense company Elbit Systems in Merrimack on November 20, 2023, weeks after Hamas terrorists murdered 1,300 Israelis and took hundreds of hostages on Oct. 7. The courtroom was packed for sentencing on Thursday with supporters, mostly young white women wearing Palestinian keffiyehs, who made heart shapes with their hands as each woman was taken away by deputies. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella originally charged the four with a series of felonies, but under a plea deal, the women will each serve just 60 days, along with community service and a pledge to not be charged with any new crimes. The women, all connected to Palestinian Action U.S., are also under orders to pay Elbit $95,000 to cover the damage they caused. "I think they got off too easy," said state Rep. Jeanine Notter (R-Merrimack). "They terrorized the employees of Elbit." Walsh mourned the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who orchestrated the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack, and posted an image of her presidential ballot with Sinwar's name written in. (NH Journal) News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
Israel on Thursday denied allegations by Human Rights Watch that the IDF had forcibly displaced Gazans and that its actions amount to "crimes against humanity." "Time and again, Human Rights Watch's rhetoric regarding Israel's conduct in Gaza is completely false and detached from reality," Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said. "Israel will continue to operate in accordance with the law of armed conflict." The IDF said the report "selectively presents information in a manner that obscures context, as well as makes certain blatant misrepresentations....[It] relies heavily on Hamas-controlled sources" and omits mention of Hamas's longstanding policy of embedding itself in civilian areas "in an effort to maximize civilian harm." "The IDF's warnings to members of the civilian population to temporarily distance themselves from areas expected to be exposed to intense warfare are made in accordance with the obligation under international law to take feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm by providing advance warnings prior to attacks. The IDF only operates in areas in which there is known to be a military presence." (Times of Israel) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset on Monday: "The U.S. had reservations and suggested that we not enter Gaza. It had reservations about entering Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and, most critically, strongly opposed entry into Rafah. President Biden told me that if we go in, we will be alone. He also said that he would stop shipments of important weapons to us. And so he did." After Iran's drone and missile attacks on Israel: "Again, we were told by our friend that there is no need to respond. And I said that sitting and not reacting is not acceptable, and we responded." Regarding a ceasefire deal in Lebanon: "Even if there is a paper [setting out an agreement], worthy though it may be, we will be required, in order to ensure our security in the north (of Israel), to systematically carry out operations - not only against Hizbullah's attacks, which could come. Even if there is a ceasefire, nobody can guarantee it will hold. So it's not only our reaction, a preventive reaction, a reaction in the wake of attack, but also the capacity to prevent Hizbullah from strengthening. We will not allow Hizbullah to return to the state it was in on Oct. 6, 2023." He said the focus now is on harming Hamas's ability to rule Gaza. "I asked the IDF to come up with an orderly plan to eradicate the governmental capacity, which is related to the denial of their ability to distribute humanitarian aid. We want to ensure that the humanitarian aid is not looted by Hamas and others." (Times of Israel) Hizbullah fired a rocket on Monday that struck the Israeli-Arab town of Shfaram in northern Israel. Several buildings in Shfaram suffered direct hits. Safa Kat Awad, a teacher in her 50s, was killed in the rocket strike. Ten others were wounded from broken glass. Rambam Hospital in Haifa said it was treating 30 people who had been wounded in the rocket barrage, including a woman, 41, and a child, 4, in serious condition. (Jerusalem Post) IDF Paratrooper reservists located and destroyed dozens of Hizbullah launchers and rockets during recent operations in southern Lebanon in an area from which Hizbullah fired hundreds of rockets at Israel in the past year. (Times of Israel) Canadian law enforcement authorities recently foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate Irwin Cotler, a prominent human rights advocate and former Canadian justice minister, the Globe and Mail reported Monday, citing the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Cotler has been under 24/7 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) protection for over a year. Since 2008, he has spearheaded a global campaign to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. He has also represented Iranian political prisoners and strongly supports Israel. (Israel Hayom) Israeli President Isaac Herzog canceled his visit to the UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, this month because Turkey refused to allow Israel's official Wing of Zion plane to enter its airspace on the way, a senior official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan confirmed. (Ynet News) Israel has offered five million shekels and safe passage out of Gaza for any Palestinian who provides the IDF with information about the location of Israeli hostages, Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday. The reward had been increased from NIS 1 million. (Jerusalem Post) Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
U.S.-Israel Relations Israel wants to be an American ally, not an American client. A client relies on a patron for military protection and financial largess. An ally is self-reliant and pursues common interests with another country. While President Biden provided support, every step of the way he has micromanaged Israel. He pushed for a weakened invasion of Gaza. He withheld weapons to try to stop Israel from fighting in Rafah, where Hamas's leader was hiding. He enforced delivery of humanitarian aid that Hamas stole. He urged Israel not to respond seriously to Hizbullah's rocket fire. All of this prolonged the war and put Israeli soldiers at greater risk. If Israel were a weak state that needed the U.S. to fight its battles, that approach might make sense - but it isn't. When a strong U.S. ally is discouraged from strengthening its position, both the ally and America are undermined. Israel targeted Houthi infrastructure that America shied away from hitting. Israel wiped out Hizbullah's missiles and leadership. Israel crippled Hamas and killed Yahya Sinwar. Israel destroyed Iran's air defenses and weapons facilities. These actions advanced the interests of the U.S. and Israel. This is the benefit of having an ally instead of a client. Since the Oct. 7 attack, about 800 Israeli soldiers have been killed in a war to secure our country. Israelis don't expect American soldiers to risk their lives for Israel's sovereignty. The writer is publisher of Sella Meir Press in Jerusalem, which published the Hebrew edition of Prime Minister Netanyahu's autobiography. (Wall Street Journal) For months the Biden-Harris administration has sought to restrain Israeli military operations by blocking or delaying the delivery of weapons - far more weapons than has been reported. It is widely known that the White House has blocked the delivery of 2,000-pound MK-84 bombs to Israel, despite Congress's approving their transfer. But Israeli officials have told us that the Defense Department is slowing the delivery of thousands of 1,000-pound MK-83 bombs, 500-pound MK-82 bombs, and the Joint Direct Attack Munition kits that convert those bombs into precision-guided munitions. The State Department has also stalled thousands of Hellfire missiles, tank and mortar shells, and more than 100 armored bulldozers. Israel has requested expedited purchase of Apache helicopters, which the Defense Department has yet to approve. Although President Biden has helped Israel defend itself - deploying U.S. military assets which have helped shoot down Iranian projectiles - he has held back from helping Israel win. Israel seeks to dismantle Hamas, degrade Hizbullah, and defang Tehran's nuclear program. Delaying weapons to Israel has dragged out the war, worsening humanitarian conditions and undercutting U.S. interests. In its inevitable confrontation with Hizbullah, the Israeli air force planned to hit 3,000 targets a day. Instead, partly owing to insufficient U.S. weapons deliveries, Israel is conducting 1,000 strikes a week. Fewer airstrikes forced Israel to conduct more ground operations than planned to destroy Hizbullah's infrastructure. In Gaza, targets that might have been hit by artillery or from the air now require ground troops to clear. The result is more casualties. Israel also needs to be fully armed to take the fight to Iran - to retaliate if the regime strikes again, or to attack its increasingly dangerous nuclear program. If Israel crushes the Iranian axis, it would be a boon for U.S. interests. Iran and its proxies kill America's troops, plot to assassinate its politicians and civilians, and meddle in its elections. Tehran's nuclear program remains one of America's greatest strategic threats. The administration should provide Israel with the weapons it needs to defeat the Iranian axis that threatens the Free World. Michael Makovsky is president and Blaise Misztal is vice president for policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). (Wall Street Journal) Iran The ongoing conflict since the outbreak of the war in Gaza is presenting growing military challenges to the Islamic Republic, raising doubts about the validity of Iran's security concept, especially the effectiveness of two key elements of its deterrence: its proxy doctrine and its strategic military capabilities. Iran's use and support for its proxies, which were intended to minimize the risk of being drawn into direct military conflict, ultimately led to Iran's direct military confrontation with Israel. After the Israeli attack on Iran on Oct. 26, Iranian journalist Amir Hossein Mosalla wrote on X that the "axis of resistance," which had been established at a significant expense to the Iranian budget to achieve strategic depth and keep the threat of war away from Iran's borders, had resulted in Israeli fighter jets attacking Iran. Most concerning for Iran, the war in Gaza posed a significant threat to the survival of Hamas and caused serious damage to Hizbullah, Iran's most valuable strategic asset in the region. This greatly diminished Iran's ability to deter or respond to Israel in the event of an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. Iranian authorities presented their two attacks on Israel - on April 13 and Oct. 1 - as significant achievements, despite Israel's success in intercepting most of the projectiles. The writer, a veteran Iran watcher in the IDF, is a Senior Researcher at INSS. (Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University) The Gaza War Iran has been Hamas's primary strategic supporter since 2014, providing military equipment and training as well as financial aid amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. Hamas documents captured by IDF forces during the Gaza War offer a glimpse into the extent of Iranian penetration of Hamas. The documents also provide new information on Iran's involvement in Hamas's preparations for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and massacre, including coordination with Hizbullah and Hamas deployment in the Lebanese arena. Hamas coordinated with Iran for two years in preparation for a strategic operation against Israel, with the leaderships of Hamas, Hizbullah and Iran preparing both strategically and tactically for a defining event against Israel. A letter sent by Marwan Issa to Yahya al-Sinwar on Dec. 18, 2022, indicates that an agreement was reached between Hamas and Iran for an ad hoc budget of $7 million per month throughout the year to prepare for a confrontation with Israel. The document also dealt extensively with smuggling weapons from Iran to Gaza as part of preparing for the campaign. (Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center) Hizbullah Israeli troops in southern Lebanon are finding large troves of Russian weapons, including modern Kornet antitank missiles manufactured as recently as 2020, which came from Russian stockpiles in neighboring Syria. The weapons Israel is finding now are newer, more advanced, and present in larger numbers than expected by military analysts - 60-70% of the weapons seized were Russian. The arms have significantly bolstered Hizbullah's ability to fight back after Israeli airstrikes decimated its top leadership. Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, said recently that Israel hopes Russia will help enforce any agreement to disarm Hizbullah by preventing weapons smuggling from Syria to Lebanon. "The principle that Hizbullah won't be able to arm again or get new weapons systems or take them into Lebanon and to renew the threat to the extent it was before the war is vital to the success of any arrangement in Lebanon," he said. (Wall Street Journal) In an interview, Prof. Amatzia Baram described how the recent military actions carried out by the IDF in Lebanon have destabilized Hizbullah. "For the first time, we are seeing significant cracks in Hizbullah's support base," he said. Due to the fighting in southern Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley, and the Dahieh district in Beirut, "Shiite refugees are seeking shelter in other parts of Lebanon...moving to areas where Druze, Sunnis, and Christians are the majority, where they are not welcomed. The local residents view the Shiites and Hizbullah as the main culprits behind this war and the dire state of the country....They believe that Hizbullah is fighting for Gaza, not for Lebanon." For the first time, the Free Patriotic Movement, a key partner in Hizbullah's coalition, announced its withdrawal. "The Free Patriotic Movement, a Christian Maronite party led by Gebran Bassil, had supported Hizbullah for many years. Four days ago, Bassil publicly stated: 'Hizbullah can no longer claim it is defending Lebanon. Opening a front because of Gaza is not done to defend Lebanon.'" (Jerusalem Post) Israeli Security After Houthi cruise missile and drone attacks on Israel from Yemen, Cmdr. Omer Karmi, commander of Israel's Sa'ar 6 missile boat flotilla, supervised the transfer of a missile ship from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. He then went to oversee missile ship deployments near Lebanon, safeguarding Israel's offshore gas rigs. The flotilla has intercepted multiple drones and cruise missiles, as well as conducted strikes in Lebanon and Gaza. Sailors maintain 24/7 readiness, prepared to respond within seconds. Karmi said in an interview that over the past year, the flotilla has logged three times the hours at sea of previous years. "I commanded three fronts simultaneously: Gaza, the North, and the Red Sea. This means handling intelligence, dealing with a variety of threats and being prepared for them, maintaining the readiness of the vessels, increasing operational alertness, and ensuring high discipline and focus among the fighters." (Jerusalem Post) Palestinian Arabs There are those who think Americans have the right and even the duty to override the verdicts of Israeli democracy and save the Jewish state "from itself" and those who believe Israelis have the right to decide the issues of war and peace for themselves. Some continue to attempt to revive a dispute about the Middle East peace process that has been rendered irrelevant by the last quarter century of history, and that was conclusively shelved by the events of Oct. 7, 2023, and its aftermath. Israeli Jews were once almost evenly split about the merits of "land for peace" and two-state solution proposals for ending the conflict with the Palestinian Arabs. But since the terrorist war known as the Second Intifada literally and metaphorically blew up hopes for peace, the creation of a Hamas terrorist state in Gaza after the 2005 Israeli withdrawal from that territory, and then the barbarism of Oct. 7, the constituency for such schemes has shrunk to political insignificance. Most Israelis have finally accepted that the Palestinians have no interest in peace if it means accepting the legitimacy of a Jewish state, no matter where its borders might be drawn. Palestinians who are undaunted by the destruction and death brought to their people by Hamas's decision to launch a war on Oct. 7 and buoyed by the growth of the worldwide movement dedicated to destroying Israel in its wake, have rendered the chances of a two-state solution in the foreseeable future to zero. Even if the government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were to be replaced by one led by his political opponents, their policies toward Hamas and Hizbullah, as well as their Iranian paymasters, would be no different than that of the current coalition. If there is any hope of expanding the circle of peace, it will come from a perception of Israeli strength that will be bolstered by an administration in Washington that is determined not to have the sort of "daylight" between it and Jerusalem that was routine under Obama and Biden. (JNS) Antisemitism What Amsterdam experienced, followed by subsequent Muslim attacks in Paris on Israeli soccer fans and others, is a preview of jihad against Christian Europe. What is advertised as "pro-Palestinian" activism often becomes a larger and more strategic campaign of Islamic proselytization and jihad, as the European continent is slowly being overtaken by its large, unassimilated, Islamist migrant population. For Islamists, the attacks on Israelis were justified revenge against the infidels for the war in Gaza against their Islamist comrades in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and for the audacity of Jewish sovereignty in the dominion of Islam. But Jews are not the "last stop" for jihadists. The now dire warning "The West Is Next" needs to be amended to "The West Is Now." The writer is President of the Jerusalem Center. (Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs) Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the Abraham Global Peace Initiative in Toronto last week that the hate-filled demonstrations against Jews that have been going on for more than a year across Canada are in part the result of failed immigration policies that indiscriminately allowed Jew-haters and others whose beliefs are antithetical to Canadian values to immigrate to our country. "We must stop cultivating Jihadists, antisemites, Khalistanis, Tamil Tigers and other divisive groups," Harper said. "We cannot start imposing age-old hatreds onto our streets. We need to do something about this - we cannot let it continue." "Go see a pro-Israel demonstration, and then go see a pro-Hamas demonstration. The difference is that only at an Israeli demonstration will they be carrying the Canadian flag. If you see a Canadian flag at the other group, they'll be burning it. And that's all you need to know about why Canada should be supporting Israel - they are our friends and the other side is not. It's that simple....If we abandon Israel on the front lines, those threats will only grow closer to us. It's in our vital national interest to support Israel." (Toronto Sun-Canada) Other Issues Arab Israeli Yoseph Haddad is one of Israel's most vocal supporters, both at home and abroad. His basic message is: He is proud to be Arab and proud to be Israeli, and that there is no contradiction between these two identities; that Israel should fight hard against its enemies; and that Arab Israelis should support their country, and Israeli Jews should embrace Arab Israeli citizens. Haddad posts many times a day and has a combined following on social media platforms of close to two million. He has established a nonprofit foundation, Together Vouch for Each Other, which encourages Arab Israelis to connect to and feel part of Israeli society, volunteer for the IDF or National Service, and help solve problems in Arab society in Israel. In an interview, he said, "You can see that more Arab Israelis are saying, 'Hey, we're proud to be Arabs, we're also proud to be Israelis. This is our country, and we want to be here.'" Haddad comes from a Christian Arab family in Haifa. He volunteered for the IDF and was wounded during the Second Lebanon War in 2006. He was chosen to light a torch at the Independence Day ceremony this year, a privilege granted to Israelis who are considered outstanding citizens. Two other Arab Israelis also lit torches: Youssef Elziadna, a Bedouin minibus driver at the Nova Festival who saved 30 people, and Nasreen Youssef, a Druze who helped in police interrogations of the terrorists on Oct. 7. (Jerusalem Post) Observations: Can the War in Gaza Be Won? - Maj. (ret.) John Spencer (Foreign Affairs)
The writer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point. |
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