11/14 Links Pt1: Gaza’s Terrorists Are Finally Isolated and Exposed; Self-defense for everyone but Israel; Netanyahu: We can target anyone, even in their beds; Lebanon Protests Are Breaking "Fear Barrier" ~ EoZ

From Ian:

Gaza’s Terrorists Are Finally Isolated and Exposed

During this week’s conflict, Israel has not yet targeted Hamas, Gaza’s governing terrorist organization. But there’s now much speculation about what Hamas will do in response to the flare-up. Islamic Jihad has no governing control of Gaza, but, as the current violence demonstrates, it can easily draw the Strip into conflict. And it is Hamas’s failure to curb Islamic Jihad’s continued provocations against Israel that has led to the present crisis.

As Abu al-Ata ramped up his campaign against the Jewish state, Israel warned Hamas that it wasn’t going to take it forever. “Via publications in various media outlets; messages conveyed by Egyptian intelligence; and warnings via international mediators,” writes Avi Issacharoff at the Times of Israel, “Israel repeatedly urged Hamas to take action.” Hamas didn’t act. Israel did.

If Hamas doesn’t now work to get Islamic Jihad in line, the fighting could easily escalate. And, as we’ve seen in the past, Gaza will suffer far more than Israel in any prolonged exchange. But what’s different this time is that Gaza’s endlessly self-inflicted woes don’t inspire the same degree of international sympathy they once did, at least not where it counts.

Sunni Arab kingdoms are now more-or-less allied with Israel against Iran. They’re not interested in upsetting that relationship for the sake of a reckless terrorist group that’s backed by Iran. What’s more, Islamic Jihad’s attack on Sderot broke a commitment that the group made to Egyptian authorities in October about maintaining calm in Gaza. The broken pledge angered Egypt, which had even released some Islamic Jihad prisoners (reportedly with Israel’s consent) as a show of good faith in negotiations. Finally, in the United States, it’s highly unlikely that the Trump administration—a steadfast defender of Israel’s right to self-defense—will stoop to the kind of moral equivalence articulated by Obama administration officials whenever Israel targeted its enemies.

For now, Hamas has formally condemned the assassination of Abu al-Ata. If it stops there and makes Islamic Jihad hold back, then it may spare some Gazans further misery. But Hamas is not known either for restraint or responsive governance.

Jonathan Tobin: Self-defense for everyone but Israel

By treating Israel and its efforts at self-defense as morally equivalent to the actions of Islamic Jihad and the Hamas terrorist regime ruling Gaza, the Jewish state’s critics are not just undermining Jewish security, but dooming Palestinians trapped in the Strip to continued siege and mistreatment at the hands of their terrorist masters.

Lastly, there is the question of Netanyahu’s alleged cynical manipulation of the security situation for his own political benefit.

At this point, there is virtually nothing the prime minister can do that would not be subjected to criticism. When he demonstrates a reluctance to use force, he is accused of being indecisive. When, as is the case now, he acts on the advice of his security chiefs and orders the Israel Defense Forces to eliminate a threat, he is accused not only of inflaming the situation but of doing so merely in order to gain some tactical political advantage.

Yet after more than 13 years of service as Israel’s leader, if there is one thing widely known about Netanyahu, it is that he is extremely cautious about risking the lives of Israel’s soldiers and more interested in deterring war than in risking an escalation to prove a point or demonstrate his toughness. Criticize him all you like for his policies or his personality, but when he has ordered the armed forces to act, it has only happened after every other option has been tried.

Even if this latest bout of violence does not escalate into all-out war and leads to a temporary calm between Israel and Gaza returns, observers should not ignore the two factors that rest at the heart of the problem: Palestinian rejectionism and Iran.

As long as the culture of Palestinian politics rewards the shedding of blood and punishes peacemaking, the Palestinian Authority, PIJ and Hamas will continue to replicate this scenario. The true cycle of violence isn’t one in which Israel is forever being blamed for causing trouble by killing terrorists, but the one in which Palestinians remain locked in a dynamic of endless war they can’t escape.

Secondly, the Middle East continues to pay the price for President Barack Obama’s appeasement, empowerment and enriching of Iran. Tehran’s fingerprints are all over every escalation of fighting between Gaza and Israel, as well as threats to the Jewish state’s northern border. Its ability to fund and promote PIJ gives it leverage over Hamas and ensures that the conflict with Israel stays as hot as possible. The best way to prevent violence between Israel and the Palestinians is to keep the pressure on Iran by stepping up sanctions that limit its ability to cause trouble in the region and fund terrorism.

The discussion about Israel and the Palestinians in the United States continues to be driven by liberal critics of Israel who think that the conflict is driven by Israeli intransigence and Netanyahu’s belligerence. But this week’s violence is one more reminder that the problem has little to do with those factors and everything to do with a toxic Palestinian political culture, prompted by Iran’s malevolent desire to foment violence.

BESA: Gaza Fighting Highlights Differences between Hamas and Islamic Jihad

While Hamas views the use of violence as a means for increasing the volume of trade with Israel and securing the inflow of Qatari money to enhance the welfare of the Gaza population, Islamic Jihad seeks confrontation as part of an Iranian strategy to deflect attention from its Syrian military buildup and regional expansion.

Hamas must take into consideration its popular base, which includes 50,000 men and women whose salaries depend on Hamas' retention of control of Gaza.

Most Gazans live in a society that is almost exclusively Sunni and suspect Islamic Jihad members of being Shiites in disguise. This is why in elections in Gaza universities and trade unions, Islamic Jihad secures a mere 2-3% support.

At Abu Ata's funeral procession just hours after his killing, it was hard to count more than 100 participants. No flags of other Gaza organizations were visible.

Islamic Jihad's paltry popular base means its dependence on Iran is all the greater. Moreover, PIJ can operate purely as a fighting arm without the need to take into account the welfare of the Gaza population.

Hamas leaders are keenly aware who wags Islamic Jihad's tail, the reasons behind its activities, and the ways its strategy contradicts Hamas' current agenda. However, Hamas can only constrain rather than stop Islamic Jihad because it needs Iran as well.

Israel and the war of deterrence

I’ve never liked the word “deterrence.” It sounds so dry and lifeless compared to the dramatic idea it signifies, which is: “I’m scared as hell to attack you because of what you may do to me.”

The proper dictionary definition is: “The act of discouraging an action or event through instilling doubt or fear of the consequences.”

For decades, Israel has survived by “instilling doubt or fear of the consequences” in its enemies. Every military accomplishment has served to “deter” the enemy from further aggression, lest they experience Israel’s wrath anew.

When you visit Israel and you see this vibrant, creative, noisy and argumentative society fully engaged with life, that is deterrence in action.

Yes, Hezbollah may have 150,000 missiles pointed right at that vibrant world, but they surely remember the suffering they experienced 13 years ago during the Second Lebanon War– which may explain why the Lebanese front has been relatively quiet for so long.

But for all the power of deterrence, it can only go so far. Suicide bombers, for example, are impossible to deter as they’re more than willing to give up their lives to kill you.

Then there are terrorist leaders who hide behind civilians in order to deter you from attacking them. This has been the case in Gaza, where terror groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have been notoriously difficult to deter as they’re routinely willing to sacrifice the lives of their people.

When so many rockets are falling on Israel, as they are now, and much of the population is on edge, keenly aware of the nearest bomb shelter, the question that inevitably hangs in the air is: Are they not afraid of us? Can’t we deter them?

Seth Frantzman: IDF, Iranian-led PIJ battle was limited, will not be the last - analysis

This means that while the battle against PIJ was limited and Israel only used a small amount of its capacity, the real challenge is in the North.

The two are linked because PIJ is an Iranian-allied group. Tehran is seeking to strike at Israel through its proxies. It already flew a drone into Israeli airspace in February 2018, and fired rockets in May 2018 and January 2019. In addition, a Shi’ite militia attempted to fire rockets at Israel in September from near Damascus. Israel struck a “killer drone” team south of Damascus in October.

This is the context of the battle in Gaza.

A short 48 hours showed that PIJ has capabilities that were well known. It did not fire its longer-range missiles north of Tel Aviv. Some of its arsenal was degraded, but it has thousands of rockets.

However, compared to Hezbollah, it has just five percent of the number of rockets. This is the larger picture.

Iran is seeking to profit from the chaos in Iraq and the US withdrawal from parts of Syria. It wants to cement its road to the sea across Iraq and Syria to Lebanon. But it is must also be cautious, because it has challenges at home to its economy – and it has read the statements by the US, including by US Secretary Mike Pompeo, supporting Israel in any actions against Iran’s threats.

JPost Editorial: Israel deterrence

What is the government’s plan? It does not seem to want to destroy Islamic Jihad, otherwise we would see widespread and constant airstrikes. The enemy seems to know this and is acting accordingly. It fires more missiles and Israel conducts tit-for-tat airstrikes.

This is not deterrence. Former defense minister Avigdor Liberman resigned in the wake of similar caution by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year. At the time, Naftali Bennett sought to replace Liberman. He consented to wait due to an urgent security matter last year, which ended up being the operation against Hezbollah tunnels. Now Bennett is in the seat he wanted. Bennett may balance Netanyahu’s caution, but IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi has said Israel does not want a larger conflict.

Given the complexity and the need to deter Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran as well as terror proxies in Iraq and Yemen, it is time for a unity government.

Likud and Blue and White must finally understand that running a country is not just another job. There are matters of life and death – like the rockets from Gaza – that need to be dealt with by responsible and mature politicians.

Israel needs a government with strategic vision and political confidence to see the need for unity and strength in numbers. What is happening down South and the need for a plan to solve it is just one of the reasons why. There are more. Benny Gantz has less than a week left to form a government. Even though the cannons are firing – or precisely because of it – the time is now to sit and iron out a deal between Blue and White and Likud. Israel cannot wait any longer.

Rocket fired at south despite ceasefire, after IDF lifts all safety restrictions

Terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at southern Israel on Thursday evening, hours after the Israeli military removed all safety restrictions on towns near the Gaza border, which had nominally marked an end to the previous two days of intense fighting.

Soldiers operating the Iron Dome air defense system intercepted the incoming rocket. No injuries or damage were reported.

Israeli military and political officials held emergency meetings following the rocket launch at 5:30 p.m. to determine how to proceed with the shaky ceasefire agreement that was announced on Thursday morning.

This was the second violation of the truce by Palestinian terrorists, who also fired five rockets at southern Israel earlier in the day.

Israeli leaders have warned they would not hesitate to return to battle footing.

Gaza Rockets Launched at Israel Despite Agreed Ceasefire

At least five projectiles were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Thursday despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by the Egyptian government going into effect earlier in the day. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that two of the five rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Injuries or damage to property has not been reported. The rocket salvo came just hours after the IDF announced an end to "Operation Black Belt," which began on Tuesday following the targeted assassination of Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata inside his Gaza home.

NGO Monitor Podcast: Season 2, Episode 6: Is Assassinating an Islamic Jihad Leader a War Crime?

As the IDF and Islamic Jihad traded fire throughout the week, the legality of Israeli actions in Gaza was once again scrutinized by human rights groups. On this week's episode our host Yona Schiffmiller sits down with NGO Monitor legal expert Anne Herzberg to give a brief explanation of the relevant international laws.

Netanyahu: We can target anyone, even in their beds

Israel can target any of its enemies, no matter where they are, even if they are in their beds, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday afternoon as he issued his first public statement since calm was restored early in the morning between the IDF and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza.

"The objective of the operation [Black Belt] has already been fully achieved," Netanyahu said. He explained that its main objective was accomplished early Tuesday morning, when Israel assassinated Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Bahaa Abu al-Ata. Over the next 48-hours, it also killed over 20 other PIJ terrorists.

"The purpose of the operation was to target the Islamic Jihad commander in the Gaza Strip. He was eliminated and with him dozens of terrorists. Dozens of important Islamic Jihad infrastructure targets were also eliminated," he said.

"Our enemies got the message. We can reach anyone, even in their beds. I hope this lesson has been learned," said Netanyahu.

Who is Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the Islamic Jihad's Beirut-based chief?

Ziyad Rushdi al-Nakhalah, secretary-general of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is the only man who can stop the current wave of fighting between Israel and PIJ, Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip said on Wednesday. There’s only one problem: he needs a green light from Iran.

The 66-year-old Nakhalah, who spends most of his time moving between Lebanon and Syria, will order his men to stop the rocket attacks on Israel only if Iran allows him to do so, the sources said, noting that he has “excellent and strong” relations with Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah.

Shortly after the targeted killing by Israel of PIJ military commander Bahaa Abu al-Ata on Tuesday, Nakhalah declared that his group was “going to war” with Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said, has “crossed all redlines.”

According to the sources, Nakhalah was the one who issued orders to PIJ’s Al-Quds Brigades to start firing rockets at Israel in retaliation for the assassination of al-Ata. “Al-Nakhalah is the only one who can order his men to halt the rocket attacks,” the sources added. “But he’s unlikely to do so unless he receives a green light from Tehran.”

PIJ Commander Abu al-Ata had "lots of Israeli blood on his hands"

Islamic Jihad leader Baha Abu al-Ata was targeted for assassination for the simple fact that he had "lots of Israeli blood on his hands" and posed a threat to the lives of citizens across the country, IDF Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus told i24NEWS during an interview on Wednesday. "The bottom line is that Baha Abu al-Ata was a trouble-maker, he was a terrorist with lots of Israeli blood on his hands, and his time had come," Conricus said when asked by 'Rundown" co-host Calev Ben-David on why the IDF decided to take out the terrorist leader on Tuesday. Conricus noted that the Israeli military had given the terrorist leader "plenty of warning... before this elimination," adding that the IDF attempted several times to "persuade" him against carrying out future terror attacks.

Khader Habib, Member of Islamic Jihad Leadership in Gaza: If Zionists Do Not Leave "the Entity," We Will Slaughter Them with Our Own Hands pic.twitter.com/ohhF7v6Da2
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) November 14, 2019

2020 presidential candidates express support for Israel in war against terror

On Wednesday, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Montana Governor Steve Bullock, Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) joined former Vice President Joe Biden in denouncing rocket attacks from Gaza and reaffirming their support for Israel’s right to defend itself.

More than 360 rockets have been fired at Israel since Monday morning following the IDF’s targeted assassination of senior Islamic Jihad official Baha Abu al-Ata.

Buttigieg added that the attacks “will only serve to inflame the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) said in a statement to JI, “The latest barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza on innocent Israelis cannot be tolerated–Israel has the right to defend itself from these horrific attacks. I join others in urging against further escalation.”

The remaining candidates, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), have yet to issue a statement on this week’s escalation, but have taken to social media to address a range of other issues.

.@LSarsour, folks. Hey @BernieSanders @SenSanders, care to respond? https://t.co/9Dm4LJd5sN
— (((David Lange))) (@Israellycool) November 14, 2019

Linda Sarsour accuses of Israel of "indiscriminate killings" while pointing out that half of Gaza are children.
But if the IDF were indiscriminate, half the dead would be children, too.
The overwhelming majority of those killed have been identified as adult male militants. pic.twitter.com/EURntLQqRB
— (((kweansmom))) (@kweansmom) November 14, 2019

Reuters Tweet Ignores Terrorists, Refers Only To “Palestinians”

Over the last two days, Israel has been pounded by hundreds of rockets fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Rockets aimed at civilians constitute a clear war crime, and sovereign states are clearly entitled to defend themselves from such barrages by targeting those responsible. That is precisely what Israel has done.

But a casual reader scrolling through the Reuters Twitter feed and viewing one particular tweet would come away with a very different conception of reality. The tweet referenced violence as taking place in Gaza alone, and rather than referring to terrorists in any way, generalized those killed as “Palestinians”.

There’s just one little problem with the text of that tweet – many of those killed were terrorists in the act of firing rockets at Israel.

We’re used to seeing news agencies, media websites and newspapers avoiding the dreaded T-word. While there’s little hesitation by much of the media to refer to Al Qaeda and ISIS as terrorists, the word “militant” has long been become the euphemism by which the media refer to terrorists attempting to murder Jews and Israelis. But referring to people by nationality blurs the lines even further.

By totally scrubbing any reference to Palestinian violence, a clear distortion of reality is created.

By Reuters’ own admission, the majority of those killed were combatants. In fact, a link to an article on the Reuters is attached to the video – in it, the following sentence appears:
“Medics say 26 Palestinians, including at least 14 gunmen and six civilians, have been killed”

It’s not just medics who say that the majority of those killed were combatants. At the timing of writing this article, Palestinian Islamic Jihad have publicly claimed 17 of those killed as members of the organization.

Rocket attacks on Israel prompt BBC WS interview with serial Gaza contributor

Henley of course did not challenge the debatable claim that the Gaza Strip has the highest unemployment rate in the world (47% according to the latest figures from the World Bank as opposed to 50% in Syria and 48% in Senegal). Neither did he bother to provide any context to Najla’s claims concerning electricity and water or to explain the background to the blockade.

Najla is in fact Najla Shawa who works for Oxfam and was previously an UNRWA employee. Since 2015 she has been repeatedly interviewed by the BBC – including by Henley – more often than not without proper identification and with no information given to BBC audiences concerning her “particular viewpoints”.

And so, just as it did a year ago, while civilians in Israel were under relentless attack from rockets launched by terrorists in the Gaza Strip, the BBC found it appropriate to all but ignore their voices and instead to spend four minutes showcasing an unchallenged ‘voice from Gaza’.

NPR Covers Up Islamic Jihad Casualties

The bolded sentence noting that Israel said it carried out an air strike against fighters preparing to launch rockets does not appear in NPR’s caption.

Moreover, it is confirmed that Ghanama is a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad; the terror group released a poster (at left) claiming him as their own following his death.

NPR further obscures that Israel specifically targeted Islamic Jihad with the imprecise headline: “Rockets Rain on Gaza and Israel After Airstrike Kills Militant Leader.” “Rockets rain on Gaza and Israel” suggests an equivalency where none exists. On one side, a Palestinian terror organization was carrying out a war crime by indiscriminately firing on communities, targeting civilians. On the other side, Israel’s military carefully targeted Islamic Jihad terror targets, making every effort to leave civilians along with Hamas – the larger terror organization which rules the territory – out of the violence.

AFP’s “Tit-for-Tat” Falsehood

With the insertion of just three words, Agence France Presse manages to completely distort the very nature of Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and the Israeli army’s air strikes targeting terrorists and their weaponry. In the last two days, Islamic Jihad, a designated terror organization, has fired over 350 rockets at Israeli cities, towns, and villages, while Israel has responded with targeted air strikes against Islamic Jihad. Numerous AFP articles and captions today refer to the violent exchange as “tit-for-tat,” language which denotes equivalency.

Today’s article (“Death toll shoots up as Israel-Gaza violence rages for second day“), for example, states:
Israel killed senior Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata and his wife Asma in a targeted strike early Tuesday, prompting barrages of tit-for-tat rocket fire and air strikes.

Similarly, numerous captions used the appallingly inappropriate “tit-for-tat” terminology.

NY Post Remaps Israeli Highway Under Fire

A stunning video yesterday captured a rocket, launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization, slamming into a highway in central Israel, narrowly missing two cars which emerged from the conflagration and kept driving.

The location was Gan Yavne, which a New York Post video headline erroneously described as “near Israel-Gaza border” (“Tensions rise after rocket explosion near Israel-Gaza border“). In fact, Gan Yavne is deep into Israel, in the southern part of central Israel, adjacent to Ashdod, not near the border. In fact, it is located slightly closer to Tel Aviv (40 kilometers) than it is to the Gaza Strip (45 kilometers), and is as far north as Jerusalem.

CAMERA has contacted The New York Post to request a correction. Stay tuned for an update.

Ownerless rockets "rain down" (on Israel) as if of their own accord, while Israel "strikes" against Gaza.#NoBalanceToSeeHere @AP pic.twitter.com/XKfb0Flt0m
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) November 14, 2019

BBC R4’s Mishal Husain sells her listeners short with self-indulgence

Making no effort whatsoever to inform listeners of the fact that terrorists often use their families and other civilians as human shields, Husain then proceeded to try to cast doubts on Israel’s intelligence.

Husain [interrupts]: “What was the…what was the immediate threat that he posed? You mentioned there was a ticking bomb so what was the intelligence?”

Haskel: “Well he was in the midst of planning a major attack on Israel.”

Husain: “Right. And you know that for sure, do you? Because it is rare…it is rare for…ehm…for a targeted killing these days to happen in this way.”

Haskel pointed out that Israeli intelligence is not questioned when it relates to attacks on European soil and went on:

Haskel: “But when it’s targeted towards Israelis and not Europeans then you come and you question it. I can tell you for sure; I sit in the Israeli defence committee of the parliament and from the intelligence that we gather there was a major attack planned by this person.”

Mishal Husain closed the interview at that point.

One would of course expect that the BBC would make the most of an interview with an Israeli official during a time of conflict to meet its public purpose remit of enhancing audience understanding of the story. However, as we have often witnessed in the past, one of the recurrent phenomena associated with media coverage of outbreaks of conflict between Israel and terrorists in the Gaza Strip is the proliferation of journalists who suddenly transform into self-appointed ‘experts’ in military strategy and laws of armed combat.

Obviously Mishal Husain’s aggressive yet clueless questioning concerning the PIJ commander’s wife and her efforts to cast doubts on the intelligence behind the operation were not at all intended to provide listeners with a better understanding of the background to the topic but were entirely self-serving.

Due to the shower of rockets on Israel, a beautiful young couple held its wedding in a bomb shelter yesterday. Our #Jewish tradition is stronger than everything. pic.twitter.com/DlnYO6ZavQ
— Ambassador Danny Danon | דני דנון (@dannydanon) November 14, 2019

For the past 2 days, Israelis have been living in an unbearable reality. But the people of Israel - you are not alone! @StandWithUs received hundreds of videos from all over the world, from people who want to let you know - "We stand with you." #IsraelUnderAttack #IsraelUnderFire pic.twitter.com/z0EFeMivt0
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) November 13, 2019

Hamas slams EU, claims ‘Zionist lobby’ dominates Brussels (not satire)

In the wake of the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas slammed the European Union for its “weak position toward the Palestinian cause” and claimed that a “Zionist lobby” dominated “political actors in Brussels.”

The statement on Thursday was released by Dr. Basem Naim, the head of Hamas’ International Relations Office. Naim has held other Hamas positions in the past in the health ministry and sports ministry in Gaza.

“Once again, the European Union expresses a weak position towards the Palestinian cause,” he said. The EU now reflects “the Zionist lobby’s domination over political actors in Brussels.”

The statement was sent in English to a Hamas account for journalists and also posted on their website.

It reflects Hamas reactions to the crises over the last few days in which Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired more than 350 rockets at Israel in response to Israel’s killing of a PIJ commander on Tuesday. Hamas, which has run the Gaza Strip for 12 years, claimed that 25 Palestinian
civilians had been killed in the last 48 hours. It condemned EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic for her statements about the EU position, saying that “Indeed the stance of the EU is unfair and totally biased towards the Israeli occupation.” Hamas says that the EU has blamed “homemade rockets and projectiles launched from the Gaza Strip, while turning a blind eye to the ongoing Israeli aggression against our people.”

The EU released a statement on November 12 that condemned as unacceptable the firing of rockets on civilians in Israel. The EU called for de-escalation and supported Egypt’s efforts to bring about a ceasefire.

PreOccupiedTerritory: Israelis Admit Tenser About More Elections Than About More Rockets (satire)

The most recent barrages of missiles from Islamist groups in the neighboring Gaza Strip have residents of this cooperative agricultural community stressed, but not nearly as stressed as they have become about the prospect of yet another round of voting for the Knesset.

Zikkim lies within long-range mortar range of Gaza’s various armed terrorist groups, adding to the challenge that rockets already pose to them and much of the rest of the country. This makes it typical of locales within the “Gaza Envelope,” a loosely-defined area whose proximity to the Hamas-controlled coastal territory limits the time – usually about fifteen seconds – that residents have to find shelter when an attack alert sounds. The concern residents feel about that situation, however, pales in comparison to the dread they experience when contemplating the distinct possibility of a third election within less than a year.

“Rockets, yeah, those are terrible,” acknowledged Dov, 44, a father of three who declined to give his last name. “I hope the IDF puts a stop to them soon. But I’m too busy worrying about having to vote again in March to focus too much on such trivialities. Fine, Bibi, whoever it is right now, do something about Islamic Jihad and Hamas. But you better work damned hard to avoid another round of elections, because we have had it up to here with the futility.”

In new book, Haley says Tillerson vehemently opposed embassy move to Jerusalem

The early years of the Trump administration were troubled by intense internal divisions on US-Israel policy, former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley writes in her new book.

Many of US President Donald Trump’s major decisions on the region — moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and withdrawing aid from the UN agency for Palestinians — sparked strong objections from White House personnel and attempts from members of the cabinet and staffers to direct the president away from what he wanted to do.

In a new memoir titled “With All Due Respect,” Haley depicts former secretary of state Rex Tillerson as her biggest adversary in the administration.

While she supported relocating America’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, he and others on the National Security Council vehemently objected.

“I supported the move. It was simply common sense,” Haley writes. “Embassies are located in capitals. In virtually every country in the world, the U.S. embassy is located in the host country’s capital city. Israel should be no different.”

“But others in the cabinet and White House disagreed,” she went on. “They argued that moving the embassy would set off violence that would damage the peace process, such that it was … In every meeting of the president’s cabinet and national security advisors, there was a faction that seemed to think they, not the president, should make the final decision when it came to policy.”

14 year-old arrested after attempted stabbing in Jerusalem

A 14-year-old boy was arrested for an attempted stabbing in Jerusalem.

He was arrested without use of fire arms.This is a developing story.

5 yrs ago today, a Palestinian terrorist murdered Dalia Lemkus. While the family and Israel morn her death, the terrorist is celebrating. Having spent 5 yrs in prison, the PA just raised his salary from 2,300 to 4,300 shekels a month (he's married). Just coz he murdered a Jew! pic.twitter.com/Y6cggvSCAM
— Maurice Hirsch, Adv. 🇮🇱 עו''ד מוריס הירש (@MauriceHirsch4) November 14, 2019

Report: In Unusual Incident, Russian Submarine Spotted in Israeli Territorial Waters

A Russian Navy submarine was spotted in Israeli territorial waters three months ago, it was reported on Monday.

According to Yediot Ahronot, the vessel was detected by the Israeli Navy approximately eight nautical miles off the Jewish state’s central coastline.

Israel’s territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles into the Mediterranean Sea.

After the detection, Israeli naval commanders spoke with their Russian counterparts and the submarine eventually sailed away to the west.

The primary concern about a submarine in such close proximity to the shore is not the possibility of a military clash, but rather its intelligence-gathering capabilities.

Israel Extradites Russian Hacker to U.S. Despite Moscow's Protests

Israel on Monday night extradited Russian hacker Aleksey Burkov to the United States, Hebrew-language media reported, after the High Court of Justice rejected his appeal.

Burkov, who was arrested in 2015 at the request of Interpol, is wanted in the US on embezzlement charges over a massive credit card scheme that saw him allegedly steal millions of dollars from American consumers.

His fate is believed linked to Russia’s sentencing last month of Israeli-American Naama Issachar, 26, to seven and a half years in prison for drug offenses. Israeli officials have decried the sentence as disproportionate and appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for her release.

The extradition is seen as a move that could lower the chances of Moscow heeding Israel’s pleas on the matter.

The High Court of Justice on Thursday rejected Burkov’s petition, green-lighting his deportation to the United States against Moscow’s wishes.

“We regret the decision of Israeli’s High Court of Justice to turn down Mr. Burkov’s appeal on his extradition to [the United States],” the Russian embassy said in a statement Monday. “This decision constitutes a breach of his rights as well as Israel’s international obligations. This step does not contribute to the development of [Russia-Israel] relations.”

Mahmoud Abbas Has Called for Palestinian Elections. Will They Happen, and What Do They Mean for Israel?

While Israel has already had two elections this year, and may possibly have a third in 2020, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has not held elections in fourteen years. But Mahmoud Abbas, the PA president, has recently changed his tune, calling for parliamentary elections to take place in the West Bank and Gaza, to be followed by presidential elections at a later date. Hamas, which till now has opposed such proposals, also supports the idea. Michael Milstein comments:

The [Palestinian] public has become increasingly alienated from the PA for a number of years, criticizing governmental corruption and the paralysis in the political system under Abbas’s centralized administration. . . . It appears that the current public protests in Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq, which focus on economic concerns and governmental corruption, are uncomfortable for Ramallah, given the basic resemblance of the situation in those countries to the state of affairs in the PA. The proposal of elections may be designed as a preemptive measure—a demonstration of apparent readiness to take internal corrective measures before broad-based public protest aimed at overthrowing the existing order develops on the West Bank.

It is possible that the change in Hamas’s attitude toward elections, at least on the declaratory level, is a result of fear that the popular regional uprising will [likewise] spread to the Gaza Strip, where the situation is far more explosive than that in the West Bank.

From Israel’s perspective, so long as elections are held solely on the West Bank and without participation by Hamas, there is no need to prevent them. They will not provide Abbas with substantial genuine legitimacy, [nor] will they involve a concrete risk for Israel, either in the sense of strengthening Hamas in the West Bank and its integration in the governmental establishment or by enabling Hamas to gain control over parts of the West Bank. Israel will have to intervene, however, if agreement begins to emerge between the PA and Hamas on general elections [in which the latter fields candidates].

Hamas authorities arrest journalist Bassam Mohammad Meheisen without charge in an effort to limit press freedom and stifle dissent.

Will the UN Human Rights Council speak out?
https://t.co/NiqL5aQzag
— UN Watch (@UNWatch) November 13, 2019

Lebanon Protests Are Breaking "Fear Barrier"

The veteran Hizbullah fighter can't count how many times he has been to Syria, but he now refuses to return there and curses the organization to which he has devoted his life.

More Hizbullah fighters have returned from Syria in coffins than lost their lives battling Israel since the "Party of God" was founded in 1982.

"The leaders are getting richer with corruption. I am willing to fight Israel, but...you die in Syria for nothing," he said.

Many Shiites from traditional Hizbullah strongholds have joined a nationwide uprising in Lebanon against endemic corruption, sectarianism, and chronic lack of services.

Though Hizbullah has never been stronger militarily or politically, "at the same time they are facing a host of vulnerabilities that they haven't had to deal with before," says Nicholas Blanford, a Beirut-based fellow at the Atlantic Council. "I think Hizbullah has reached its peak."

US rejects Israeli request to condition Lebanon aid on disarming Hezbollah

The US is currently not fulfilling Israel’s request that it condition financial aid to Lebanon on efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s attempt to acquire precision-guided missiles, a senior US State Department official said Wednesday.

“We consider the funding of the LAF [Lebanese Armed Forces] to be a good investment. Of course we listen to our ally Israel and we will take their request under consideration,” US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker said during a visit to Jerusalem.

So far, Washington has not frozen any aid payments to Beirut, according to Schenker.

Since 2006, the US has provided more than $2 billion in bilateral foreign assistance to Lebanon. Currently, the country receives $105 million per year.

This money “supports the strengthening of the institutions of the Lebanese state following years of Syrian hegemony, bolstering vital public services, preserving the multi-sectarian character of Lebanon, and countering Hizballah’s narrative and influence,” according to the State Department website.

Saudi Islamic Scholar and University Lecturer Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Rays: People Must Not Rebel against a Ruler Even if He Flogs Them or Commits Adultery and Homosexual Acts pic.twitter.com/wTe3HcUOvQ
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) November 14, 2019

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